Happy Harry Potter Birthday, Frances!

Today I am the mother of a 12 year old. The signs have been fairly obvious lately: the eye rolling, the deep, philosophical questions, the comments about how she's "almost as tall as her mom!" (like that means anything!)

She's in 6th grade. She has her own friends that I've never met. She finally has her own room, and she's even gotten an email address. I've long been in the camp that thinks middle schoolers are scary, but I've come to realize that she's not any more scary than she was last week. She's still mine; just older, taller, and more sophisticated.

We celebrated her birthday on Saturday with family and friends. She wanted a Harry Potter birthday party, and I was more than happy to oblige. This may have been just a tiny bit for me too!

I decorated the door as the entrance to Platform 9-3/4. Shortly after she saw it, she walked into it several times. I was proud and heart-broken. She shares both my sense of humor and my Muggle-ness.

Her godmother addressed some letters and arranged them to look as if they were flying out of the fireplace. They turned out awesome!

I put together a fun feast for lunch.

The Veritaserum was lemonade with a packet of apple cider mix stirred in. It had just a bit of a kick to it for some fun. The Quidditch bludgers were meatballs. The Forbidden Forest veggies were...veggies. For Professor Sprout's Mandrake Salad, I roasted some veggies (cubed zucchini, yellow squash, onion, sliced carrot, garlic and cherry tomatoes) in the oven, and then added them to a box of prepared couscous. The Pumpkin Pasties I made by mixing pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie seasoning, and then placed inside 6" circles I cut out of pie crust. I folded them in half, crimped the edges with a fork and brushed an egg over them. Bake in the over for about 20 minutes and drizzle with butter, powdered sugar and cinnamon. I made Deviled Dragon Eggs out of plain ole chicken eggs and the Polyjuice Potion was really a cheesy bean dip. The Broomsticks are big pretzel logs with a fringed tortilla wrapped around one end and "glued" on with Laughing Cow creamy Swiss cheese.

The cake was a Harry Potter necktie with crimson and gold stripes.

The food was fun, the company was great and the birthday girl had an awesome time! To round out the evening, we watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone together. We had just finished the book, so it was perfect timing!

And as always, here is Frances' birthday interview:
1. What is your favorite color? light blue
2. What is your favorite toy? my world
3. What is your favorite fruit? oranges
4. What is your favorite tv show? Mythbusters
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Salisbury Steak
6. What is your favorite outfit? Harry Potter uniform (a red plaid skirt and necktie)
7. What is your favorite game? Clue
8. What is your favorite snack? Goldfish
9. What is your favorite animal? horse, tiger, dolphin
10. What is your favorite song? Bad Blood
11. What is your favorite book? Harry Potter
12. Who is your best friend? Aiden, Robert, Desirae
13. What is your favorite cereal? Mini Wheats
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Make fake food (out of grass, leaves, and sticks)
15. What is your favorite drink? milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my stuffed animals
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  waffles
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? fried chicken, fried okra, and Brussels sprouts
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A vet or inventor


Happy birthday, Frances!