"I open at the close"

This weekend, I hosted a Harry Potter Marathon at my house. My best friend, Katie and I started these YEARS ago! Back when there were only 2 movies. She'd make a veggie tray and I'd make pigs in a blanket and we'd take an evening and watch Harry Potter 1 & 2 and play Rummy. As the movie's progressed so did our parties. We started inviting people and making more food and getting creative. A few years ago, Katie's sister got even more creative and made her a Harry Potter cookbook! My favorite recipe:

Quidditch Winning Breakfast:

ingredients:

2 slices of bread

butter

instructions:

place bread in toaster. When toasted, butter bread. Eat half a slice and leave the rest.

:)

So as our parties increased in size and food so did the amount of movies. This weekend was the first time to break it into 2 days.

Kevin and I are going to Florida to visit Jordan, Brad and Jack in 2 weeks and that's when we originally planned to have this party. But my wonderful friends moved it to this weekend so I could do both. Yesterday was Katie and Mommy Norton's birthday!! So they had a Harry Potter themed party!!

Kate, Ember and Mommy Norton came over on Friday night and we started cooking. We stayed up until 1am talking and baking. We got up Saturday morning to get everything ready. We started HP1 at 11am while we finished getting lunch together.

Harry Potter Munchie Platter:

Caldron Cakes:

HP cookies and cockroach clusters:

Pumpkin Pasties:

Mince Meat Pies:

We also made:
veggie tray, fruit salad, sheppard's pie, and
BUTTERBEER!!

watching HP1 downstairs:

My friend Sarah brought her little girl, Whitney. We are starting her early:

After we finished HP1 was headed upstairs to the media room for the duration of the day. It is just an awesome room to watch movies in:

My friend Sarah and Mommy Norton (bday girl #1):

My Mama and Embojo:

Delma, Jamie, and Kate (bday girl #2):

The 2 HP nerds who started it all:

midway through HP3 Katie's husband, Ben, showed up with a surprise that he had called me about earlier in the week. As Kate stayed the night with me Friday night, he wasn't going to see her on her bday so he drove down from Denton to surprise her with a cake:

So, I can't turn the picture for some reason, but the cake says: "This is the last Horcrux" !!!

We finished watching HP4 around 11pm last night. Not too bad since we stopped to make and eat dinner.
Last night we had some fun with our dog:

This morning we started #5 around 11:30 and finished all the movies around 7pm. I had a blast and can't wait for HP 7 the 2nd. It comes out in a little over a month!! Kev and I get back from Hawaii the day before. Oh it's going to be great. That means I have a little over a month to read all the books again!!

Thank you ladies for a wonderful weekend and HAPEE BIRPDAEE to Katie and Mommy Norton!!