{I heart Harry Potter}

It's here---the end. I saw the final Harry Potter movie today and was thrilled and sad---all at once. This movie and the book it portrays are in the top five on my entertainment list. I am not a reader---there, I said it. I have always admired them, readers that is. I read to my children often when they were young---picture books, chapter books, read alouds---everything. I wanted to produce reading children, but I just never was encouraged to read much as a child. My daughters DEVOUR books and so does their dad---but I have never been a good reader. I have actually learned to love reading through my children---my girl's would talk about a great classic they had read and I would open it up and read it for the first time.

I actually started reading the Harry Potter series when Caitlin was young and she needed some more reading material. Caitlin and I went to a little independent book store that was in Wake Forest at the time and talked to the owner about the books. Some people had said they were "bad" because they were about witchcraft and David and I didn't really see the big deal. Our children had read the Narnia series and as far as we knew they hadn't ended up hiding in wardrobes and playing with Prince Caspian. So we decided we would read the first one and make sure it was appropriate for her before we let her read it---as usual, Caitlin finished the first one before I did....and then, so did Hannah! BUT, I did finish it and I LOVED IT! I was totally hooked after the first book. We went to our first midnight release party when the third book was released---our girls NEVER got to stay up that late---they were in 6th grade and 3rd grade and we just didn't stay out that late WITH our kids! I remember there was a girl dressed as Moaning Myrtle with a toilet cover around her head---it was hysterical! WE WERE HOOKED! The girls would fight over the books when they first got them and thus the tradition began to purchase TWO of each book at the midnight release---they would stay up all night reading and then I would have one to read during the daytime! It worked out beautifully! And so the fun began every book release! My most memorable was the last book release---David and Caitlin were in Thailand and Caitlin bought a copy there. Joshua went to spend the night with my parents and Hannah and I left and headed to Barnes & Noble for the midnight release......we got there at 2:00pm---yes, we are losers! BUT, we were out of there by 12:03 with our TWO books in hand! Hannah had read the book in 7 hours and then slept awhile.....and then started it again!

This past school year, Joshua began reading through the series. I read a lot of it to him--which was SO fun! I was able to read back through the entire series right along with Joshua. We were able to share these characters together and I had yet another bonding experience with my child over a great piece of literature. I'm no literature expert, BUT, any book that gets kids THIS excited about reading is a special book---and J.K.Rowling wrote 7 of them!

SOOOOOOO, enough about that---the last 24 hours we have had a bit of a  Harry Potter fest! We made some Butterbeer. This is a drink in the books and we have made it a few times---There are all sorts of recipes online. We found a few we liked here and adapted them. Here's the recipe we used last night---warning---it's REALLY sweet, so next time we won't use as much cream soda! We doubled this recipe. This makes about 4 -6 servings.

Butterbeer

2- 12oz. bottles IBC Cream Soda

2 T butter

1/3 c. butterscotch chips

10-12 Werther's caramel filled candies

2 c. whipping cream

(1/2 c. whipping cream for recipe

1&1/2 c. whipping cream--whipped up for topping)

dash cinnamon (and nutmeg if you like it)

 Over medium heat, melt butter, butterscotch chips, and candies in a saucepan with whipping cream. When fully combined, add cream soda. Be careful to only cook soda long enough to warm it---you want it to still have some fizz. After warming, pour into a coffee mug and top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon & nutmeg-Serve. YUMMMMY!

Then we watched the Deathly Hallows part one together. Hannah went to the midnight showing last night with some friends. This picture was taken with her iPhone and used her Instagram app. SO.WANT.ONE.OF.THOSE!! She took the picture at the very top of this post as well. Joshua had set up the Harry Potter stuff last night and we took pictures of it---it looks pretty cool, don't you think?

Joshua really wanted to dress up today---so he and I did. Hannah wore her time turner, but that's about it. Joshua was full blown Harry Potter and I dressed like Professor Umbridge---everyone HATES Umbridge, but I didn't really have clothes for other characters. All you have to do to dress like Umbridge is wear pink---LOTS of pink and a bow in your hair. I could do that! So, I purchased a horcrux locket at Barnes and Noble and put together lots of pink and I was set!

We had fun----one of Joshua's best friends and his mom came , too.

I'm sorry the glare is so bad on the glasses---I'm sure I could take that off, but I haven't mastered that in my editing software. 

Caitlin and Carson joined us, too--but they had to get home to Eve before we got a picture of them. It was sweet to get to share this with everyone---such a great way to end this fun series in our lives. I was looking at the book series at Barnes and Noble yesterday and thinking it wouldn't be long before I purchased them for my grandbabies and I get to start this all over again! That's the beauty of a good book!