Harry Potter & Halloween

This is from the midnight party for the
final book. Friend Amy's daughter Sydney and I were there for
the party the whole night. Christopher stayed with us
until about 8pm dressed as Hagrid.

Journaling:
I’m guessing not many authors realize they are writing
a classic. Not until much later, sometimes even after
the author’s death, is something even recognized as a
classic. Not so with the Harry Potter septology. It’s
exciting to be of the only time when readers will not
have the ending available for them, or indeed, already
know much/all of the ending before actually reading
the series.

The long-awaited seventh and final book was sold at
the stroke of midnight (how apropos for a book about
wizardry and magic) on July 21st, 2007. Sydney DeGeest
and I are avid readers, so I made sure we had
preorders for our books and I stood in line in the
morning to get us 60th in line for our books at
midnight.

Christopher didn’t want to miss out on the party at
8pm, so he dressed as his favorite HP character (who
he knows from LEGO sets): Hagrid. Note his cap,
over-sized polar fleece jacket, and boots. Jeff came
to get him long before midnight, but he sure enjoyed
the sorting hat, the shrieking shack, the Ford in the
whomping willow, Professor Sprout (pictured) and her
very cool plants (lent from Reiman Gardens), drinkable
and stirrable potions, live owls, the choosing of
wands, divination, butterbeer, and most importantly,
perhaps, the treat trolley from Hogwarts.

I dressed as a witch trying to pass as a Muggle (thus
the strange conglomeration of mismatched and
inappropriate clothing and accessories). Sydney was
good ‘ol Hermione. Hastings bookstore had the best
party, by far and away.


Unfortunately the stores did not have an itinerary out
until very late, and I had bet on the Borders
Bookstore. So we started out at the Hastings party and
finished up and got our books at Borders. The only
worthwhile activities at Borders were a scavenger hunt
and a costume party. A very elderly man came dressed
quite convincingly as Ollivander, complete with an
ancient box that looked as if it indeed could contain
magic wands.

The journaling pulls out from the Bazzill library
pocket. Most supplies are Club Scrap (I got the kit
free!) and are pretty shimmery, which I think the
photo of the layout conveys. Also used HP font cut on
CraftRobo, a leftover soft fuzzy Jolee moon from a
baby set and wizard Jolee's.


The background is a scraplift of the sample layout on
the MM packaging the paper, stickers, and epoxies came
with. The brads are also MM. The Twistel is
compliments of Kris' garage sale at the crop:) It fits
through button-holes quite nicely, and looks really
cool splayed out then...dig into your old stash, come
on, you know you have some lurking in their
somewhere!! Font is Arrr Matey.

I LOVE the photo on the left...so much so that I
uploaded it by itself in hopes you can see it better.
:) You can see Christopher' s reflection in their door,
which is way cool.

Journaling:
How spooky is this ghoul?! Christopher went up to
“it” the first time thinking it was

a stature, so he lifted its arm up and let it plop
down. The second time, the ghoul made a hideous,
scary noise

and we wished desperately for a retrospective
videocamera! By the time I ran home (around the
corner) for the

camera, Christopher wouldn’t go anywhere near. Smart
boy!

Hidden journaling behind right page:
October 30
We could not have asked for better weather this year
for "Beggar's Night," that peculiar central Iowa habit
of trick-or-treating the night before Halloween. At
least we in Ames don't have to tell a silly joke
before obtaining the candy as they do in Des Moines. I
really don't get that...enlighten me if anyone out
there knows how that one got started.
Last year it was thirty degrees out and Michael's nose
was so cold, even with a winter coat and mittens on,
that our neighbors thought he was a clown with an
artificially red nose. And I promise we only took him
around our little circle street. This year it was a
balmy sixty degrees...btw, my poor laptop is so broken
that the numbers don't usually work...Santa, help help
help...anyway, Christopher didn't even have to wear a
coat over his thin Batman outfit. Thanks to Pauline
for finding him a great costume. Oh yeah, no
exclamation point either. I cannot LIVE without an
exclamation point on my computer, ARG.
I love how the picture of the ghoul--possibly our
neighbor, possibly someone/thing more sinister--turned
out. Christopher went up to "it" the first time
thinking it was a statue, so he lifted its hand up and
let it plop down. The second time he did it the ghoul
made scary noises, and I wished I had a videocamera to
have recorded Christopher' s poor, surprised, possibly
happily scared face. By the time I ran home and got
the camera and the boys came back to the house,
Christopher wouldn't come close enough to touch the
ghoul for a picture. But his reflection is in their
shiny door, way cool. I wouldn't sing my praises if
I'd actually planned it that way, lol.
Michael totally "got" trick-or-treating and was
basically trotting around the neighborhood waiting for
us to catch up. He did need help ringing doorbells,
but covered the trick-or-treat and thank you parts all
by himself.