HSKS13 goodies

I can't believe HSKS13 is already coming to a close! I received my package from my Yule partner, Ivy Green, a little while back, but have only just now gotten to posting pictures of the AMAZING kit she sent!

I was so excited when my doorbell rang and standing there was someone from Deutsche Post with a box for me to sign for!

First thing I saw upon opening the box (It's an entire booklet of info on Germany, two patterns, & a detailed description of everything in the kit!

Preparing to open...

WOW!

A beautiful blue necklace

A lovely KnitPro shawl pin (that matches my needles!)

GORGEOUS blue yarn!

Yummy chocolate treats!

Jelly she made herself!

MORE homemade spread...this one is PUMPKIN!

Beautiful ceramic doe

Harry Potter Opal sock yarn (in the Dumbledore colorway)!

AWE! SOME!

The whole kit in all it's glory!

There were so many things packed into that box, I'm sure she used an Undetectable Extension Charm! There were also some cute ornaments (that are now on my tree), more chocolate, walnuts, cute little wooden hearts, animals & snowflakes, loose leaf tea and what looks to be a small notions container! It is a spectacular kit, and one that is put together so well, I would never have known she was a first time swapper! Thank you, Ivy! I can only hope you like what I'm sending to you a fraction of how much I love what you sent me!

HSKS13!

It's finally time for a new round of HSKS, and I am so excited! This year I am an exchange student to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and we are hosting the Triwizard Tournament!!! And I've already got my date for the Yule Ball...Ivy Green! A first year! :D I'm so excited!!! I hope that I can make this an enjoyable and memorable experience for her! Already it's time for a new round of WINGO...

WAHOO!!!!

Okay, so it was a little late in coming (due to the post office losing the package the first time around, and then Muggle matters cropping up like weeds, left and right...and then the post office messing up again!), but I finally got an owl from Siobhan with my HSKS11 goodies!!!!!!!!! It was well worth the wait, in my opinion!!! What was inside you ask? Well, I'll tell you!

First off were these lovely magnets (that I love and are already on my refrigerator!), a set of blue stitch markers from Bumblebirch, and a new hook with a sparkly handle!:

Then there was some lovely Cascade yarn (which I have never owned before!), complete with accessories to make a bag (which she included the pattern for in the cutest folder!):

And inside that folder was also a tutorial for making t-shirts with the freezer paper that she has posted as a tutorial on her blog, and she also sent everything I would need to make some, and there's a shirt each for myself, Mr. Bagnold, and each of the poltergeists!:

Also in the folder were 2 hat patterns and a fingerless glove pattern (all crochet, of course!), but I'm not sure which I want to use this gorgeous, wonderful, amazing...MALABRIGO for!!! That's right! That spectacular blue yarn right there, is MINE! ALL MINE!!! LOL (Also another first in fiber for me, right alongside the Cascade!)

It is an amazing craft-themed kit, Siobhan! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!!!! I don't think any owl could carry a note with as many thank yous as I want to convey! HOORAY!!!!

Soooooooo tired...

Icky...it's 5 am...I've been up all night, working like a House Elf...there are people coming today to take our refrigerator, stove, microwave, power transformers and wardrobes! I've been busy all night long, cleaning and moving things about. Actually, I started in the morning...but it's hard to get much done when you've got a poltergeist that won't leave your side. But now I'm finally working on the stove. Last thing. Biggest task. So tired. And they could be here in as soon as 2 and a half hours!!! Ugh...I guess I'd better get back to it...I'll be glad when we're on the road to Germany!!!

Week 9: Pop Quiz

Let's see if I can do this without any outside assistance and merely rely on the knowledge already in my head to answer these! :D

1. To which prison was Gellert Grindelwald sent after he was defeated by Dumbledore in 1945? Nuremburg
   
2. Who is the first casualty in The Deathly Hallows? Hedwig
   
3. What does Draco Malfoy name his son? Scorpius
   
4. Before Harry gains control of it, who is the master of the Elder Wand? Draco Malfoy
   
5. Severus Snape’s Patronus takes the same form as which other character’s? Lily Potter's
   
6. Where do Ron, Hermione and Harry apparate when Death Eaters invade Bill and Fleur’s wedding? Tottenham Court Road
   
7. Who does Harry send to search for Mundungus Fletcher and the missing locket? Kreacher
   
8. Who destroys Salazar Slytherin’s locket? Ron
   
9. What does Hermione use to destroy Helga Hufflepuff’s cup? A Basilisk fang (from the Chamber of Secrets)
   
10. Following the death of Lord Voldemort, who is named temporary Minister of Magic? Kingsley Shacklebolt
    

Now let's see if I got them all right...::rummages in the beaded bag for the appropriate books to cross-reference::

1. Oops...it's Nurmengard...I was close, and in my defense, I have friends in Germany that keep mentioning Nuremburg! ROFL
2. Boo...It's Charity Burbage...I always forget that Deathly Hallows begins at the Malfoy Manor...::sigh::

The rest are correct! Woo-hoo! :D

Week 8 activity - Anagrams!

1. SPARSE VENUES = Severus Snape
2. GO UNLOAD LOVE = Luna Lovegood
3. A MOTH SEDAN = Thomas Dean
4. FLUSH CIGAR = Argus Filch
5. SLICK AIRBUS = Siruis Black
6. DUMB ANALOG = Ludo Bagman
7. A DRY MOO-CALF = Draco Malfoy
8. UNSNAP THE SKI = Stan Shunpike
9. PIT-A-PAT RIVAL = Pavarti Patil
10. AN OLD JEER = Lee Jordan

Wow! This anagram was more challenging than the other ones. I can make easier sense of randomly jumbled letters than I can deconstructing actual words to make names...LOL But I got done, nonetheless, even with having to take the time to get a kid ready for school and take him to the bus stop. Whew! :)

Muggle Technology

Eesh. And yet another example of silly Muggle technology giving me issues. Last night I lost my Internet connection and earlier that day (after the world's worst morning) I ran out of minutes on my phone. Mr. Bagnold is working 12-hour shifts, so I don't get to go get minutes on my phone myself and have to wait for him to remember for him to do it on his own. So when my Internet went down (despite all of not only my efforts, but those of Mr. Bagnold!), I felt very isolated and disconnected! I was offline for over 12 hours, but blessedly I did get my connection back. So now I'm blogging before it happens again! (That's what I get for procrastinating, huh?!) It seems to fluctuate with the temperature (which is highly annoying!), and as it gets very cold at night and remains fairly cold or chilly during the day. Blah.

Anyway, because of the lack of vehicular access, the elusive item for Emma's kit sadly remains so. :( We're still waiting on our orders, which is driving me bonkers, and I've been sick lately. (Wow, what a negative post...LOL) I can't wait to be in Germany!!!

C-C-C-C-C-C-COLD!!!!

Brrrrr! I woke up this morning and had a very hard time making myself get out of bed! When the house you live in doesn't have carpeted floors and the front door doesn't have proper seals on it, it gets quite cold indoors! Even now I'm shivering, though it is not truly that cold. I've just not really been properly warm all day. And on top of that, I think the elder poltergeist brought home some more sicky germs.

I haven't seen an activity posted yet for this week, but seeing as how my week is jam-packed with appointments, I wanted to get my blogging done early on! So much paperwork to get done just to get the one that says "Yes! They are clear to move! Here's the date you are leaving!" Ugh. And they had better be snappy about getting us that single paper after our appointments are done, or else it could mean the poltergeists and I are not only left behind by Mr. Bagnold while he reports for duty at our new base, but also that the three of us would have to go all the way back to the U.S. until it has been pushed through, just to turn around and head back to Germany! Ick! I truly hope it doesn't come to that.

I've been plugging away on Emma's kit, and am very pleased with the progress I've made, for the most part. There was one thing I made that the younger poltergeist got a hold of and broke, and once I re-made it, Mr. Bagnold teased me about it not being perfect...which is very not nice, because now I have to make it a third time! There's no way I can send something second-rate! Item number 2 I've been working on has been a little tricky, color-wise, but I think I've nearly got it now. And the "elusive ____________" still remains so at this point. I'm hoping to find what I need some time this week when we're out and about tending appointments...we will see!!!

Trying again!

Let's see if I can't stay ahead on this blogging thing! (Well, for now...obviously it'll get a bit more difficult once the move is in full swing...) We're still waiting to hear on when we're supposed to leave Italy, so I actually possibly could make it to the UK for the premiere of Deathly Hallows! (This move has really crummy timing...it disrupts the elder poltergeist's school year, it's debatable if I'll get to see Deathly Hallows in a timely manner, I'll most likely miss the postponed craft fair, I am missing a base theater musical production of "Fiddler on the Roof" in which I know 2 of the cast members...) At any rate, today is an American holiday (thank you, Christopher Columbus, for discovering America!), so while the poltergeist doesn't have school and Mr. Bagnold doesn't have work, the entire Italian economy is open to my continued hunt of the things that will help me get over this bit of Emma's kit that's got me stumped! :D I know exactly where to go looking, too...I just hope they're open! (I'm not sure why they wouldn't be, but I've never really gotten a firm grasp on when and why Italian shops close...) I guess I'd better get to it before they shut down for lunch and riposo!

Another week over...

I cannot believe how this past week has just flown by!!! (Hmm, maybe it's because I spent so much time sleeping...lol) I was so good last week about blogging, and this week, I'm back to the last minute (almost)! Definitely no time for the homework this week (which actually pains me to skip)...things have been busy with the older one going to school. I'm not fond of how it breaks up my day to have to drop him off and pick him up at the bus stop. (And yes, I do have to...if I'm not there, they won't let him off the bus, and if I leave him to get on by himself in the morning, I could get in serious trouble with MoM officials...one of the things about living in your non-native country...) I can be in the middle of knitting or beading or cleaning, and the second that my alarm goes off, I have to drop it all to go wait for him at the bus stop. I'm definitely looking forward to next year, though, when I won't feel guilty for laying down after seeing them off in the morning. I feel horrible for laying down when my younger one is so wide awake, but can barely even function.

Tonight Mr. Bagnold is off gallivanting with a friend (well, okay, not really gallivanting...they're playing the Muggle video game Borderlands...and have been at it all day...he likely won't be home until tomorrow!), which is fine with me, but it makes me really miss having Poppy and Meladia so nearby! I keep telling myself "Soon.....soon.....soon...." and we'll only be a couple hours away from Poppy, but we still don't have that blasted paper that tells us exactly when "soon" is...it's a bit maddening, really...okay, now I'm off to post on the family blog about Emma's kit!

More Beads

Woo-hoo! I finished all the earrings for the bridal party! (And then found out that one of them doesn't have pierced ears...ROFL) I also went on to make the bride's necklace, and bracelets that match for the bride and the entire bridal party! :D (What can I say? I get carried away....)

Beads, beads, beads, beads, beads...I'm not sure what it is about it, but I've been more excited about beading than yarn crafts! Craziness!!! Anyway, I must scurry off to work on Emma's kit some more!

Word Association Game!

1. Pumpkin PIE!!!!!!!!! (Mmmmmmmmmmmmm............)
2. Owl treats
3. Leaf Ericson (I know, I know....not the same spelling...LOL)
4. Weasley twins
5. Quaffle waffle
6. Hallow cheeks
7. Mad Eye
8. Dragon eggs
9. Crystal ...actually, the first thing that came to mind with this was "The Dark Crystal"...LOL
10. Trees Elves
11. Hermione Bagnold
12. Hogwarts  Hogwarts, Hoggy, Warty Hogwarts....
13. Burrow  den
14. Dobby murdered house elf :(
15. Horcrux ring
16. Ministry of Magic
17. Magic powers
18. Sirius Black
19. Apple juice
20. Juice orange
21. Candle scented
22. Ghost spooooooky (You have to make that ghostly "oooOOOOooo" in your head when you read that...LOL)
23. Snake sneaky
24. Wand expelliarmus!
25. Invisibility cloak
    
26. Tent backyard camping
27. Spell....ing Bee
28. Umbridge Um from Umbridge (Alice in Wonderland reference...lol)
29. Dursely "You great prune!"
30. Prophet newspaper

Jump Start!

Whew! I don't want to leave this week's blogging until the last minute, like I have been prone to do lately, and watching our schedules fill up as fast as they have...it's better to do this now while I have a spare moment!!!

Emma's kit is coming along beautifully, and thanks to some inter-family brainstorming (Thanks, Perenelle!!!), I think my kit will meet the well-rounded expectations I had from the start! Now if only I could find the time to do it all....LOL

My bestest-best friend in the whole wide world is getting married!!!!!!!!!! ::SQUEEEEEEEEEEE:: She got engaged about a week ago, and since then, my brain has been swimming with wedding thoughts. I reallyreallyreally wish I was closer to her, geographically, so that I could truly perform my Maid (Matron?) of Honor duties! Instead, I'm watching from afar (very far!), and coordinating and gifting what I can through the Muggle Internet. It has come in quite handy! I did tell her she had to have something handmade from me for her big day, and that she could choose what it is (she's not really a shawl person, lol, though I may end up making her one of Emma's designs; To Have and To Hold). She decided she wanted me to make her some earrings and maybe a matching necklace. And here's what I came up with for her earrings! (This picture was deliberately taken with direct afternoon/evening sunlight, to show that the darker beads are not black, as they can appear, but rather red...):

I haven't started on the necklace yet, as I need to go get more beads, but I have started matching (though simpler) earrings for the bridesmaids! (Hence why I ran out of beads...LOL)

I've got 1 and a half pairs of those done, and once I get what I need (hopefully tomorrow!), I'll be able to finish the other 1 and a half bridesmaids earrings and my earrings (which will pretty much be the same as the other bridesmaid's, but with an extra strand of the smaller beads on each earring, just to make it a teensy bit different). Once those are done (and I'm absolutely out of rubber backs for hook earrings! YIKES!), I'll be able to move on to her necklace. I'm also thinking of simple pendants for the bridesmaids and maybe bracelets, too...if the craft store has enough of what I need! LOL Here's to hoping! Now I need to go work on some of my household spells, as they seem to be sticking less and less often (I must need more practice!), now that the poltergeists are in bed!

What a Week!

Wow! I don't think I can even put in the thought and effort into the blogging prompt this week. It seems that this "bad week bug" has been hitting all of the families this swap! As for me, the poltergeists have been up to their usual antics, regardless of the fact that I now only have one during the day time! Mr. Bagnold was rear-ended last night on his drive home. (Just another reason to not rely on Muggle technology...) The other night I had absolutely no access to the Muggle Internet for hours (which caused a little panic on my end!), and we've been passing the cold around our house. :( I'm finally feeling better, as it seems the younger poltergeist is. The older poltergeist still has a bit of a cough, and Mr. Bagnold appears to be just now coming down with the symptoms.

In order to protect the Ministry, we have to keep up appearances of following all these Muggle laws and regulations, so the other day, I got to go to the Muggle dentist for a teeth cleaning and a consultation on another matter. Everything is starting up to prepare to move to Germany! I'm very excited to be going, but I am really not a fan of the paperwork and everything that leads up to the actual move. LOL I'm going to have to put an undetectable expanding charm on my yarn tote so that I can keep enough crafty stuff on hand to keep me occupied while we're living in the temporary lodging on base, through our drive up to our new station, and until we have all our things shipped to us!

I've been very busy with working on Emma Wigworthy's kit, too! The creative juices took a little bit of time to get going, but now that they are starting, I'm getting some more substantial ideas. :) In fact, I should go over to the family blog and share over there....

First assignment of the term!!!

1. Someone with the same craft as you. Siobhan Mooney (RavID: CelticMommy) crochets :D
2. Someone who was born in the same month as you.Winifred Hornswaggle (RavID: angel101580) is also an October baby
3. Someone from a different country.Saraid Swiftrunner (RavID: Swiftrunner) is Canadian :)
4. A new HSKS Family member.Caradoc Brocklehurst (RavID: Cayden) is a 1st year (Welcome to HSKS, Caradoc!!!)
5. Someone who has been in 3 or more HSKS swaps. Emma Wigworthy (RavID: AnnKingstone...used to be spinningmaid...) has been around HSKS longer than I have (and I've participated in 6 rounds prior to this one)!
6. Someone who has a bigger stash than you! it would appear that Fleur Sweeting (RavID: misslucy) has the largest stash in the swap!
7. Someone who both knits and crochets. a certain Miss Clara Clovenhoof (RavID: ajkane) does both
8. Someone who has the same favorite color as you.Perenelle Tejedora (RavID: sylvo) shares the favorite color of blue with me! :D
9. Someone who has the same favorite season/holiday as you.Cassandra Grubbly-Plank (RavID: kristo) and I both love Christmas time! :D
10. Someone who has the same favorite fiber as you. Acromantula (RavID: daisymum) is a fellow alpaca lover :D :D :D

Maybe I'm just weird, but I love these beginning-of-the-term questionnaires and information tidbits! (Maybe because it helps in stalking?...Or maybe just because I'm just that nosy and social!) Anyway, here are my answers to these questions, so that others can "use" me. ;D

1. I knit, crochet, play with beads, cross-stitch...pretty much any crafty thing I can get my hands on!
2. My birthday is October 17th!
3. I am American, so don't let my posts about living in Italy (and soon, Germany!) fool you! ;)
4. Nope, I'm not new!
5. This is the 7th HSKS for me! I love it here!!!
6. I have a whole 75 yarns listed in my stash on Ravelry
7. I've been crocheting for roughly 14 years and knitting for about 2 and a half
8. BLUUUUUUUUUUUE!!!!!! I love blue!!!! (though those purples and greens aren't bad, either...) ;)
9. My favorite holiday season is CHRISTMAS! I love everything about it! (Well, everything POSITIVE about it, anyhow...LOL)
10. My favorite fiber of all time has got to be alpaca. I lurve alpaca and alpaca blends...like right now, I'm playing with some Knit Pick's Andean Silk...YUM!!!!!!!! I also am really a fan of 100% cottons. :)

Getting Ready...

It's almost time for another round of HSKS!!! HOORAY!!! I'm so excited! The portkey appeared today, and I'm all signed up and ready to go! It looks like we've got some old faces back that we've not seen around for a while (studying abroad, maybe?) as well as some fun new people! :D Sadly, though, we won't be returning to Hogwarts. I do miss Ravenclaw Tower! But it's okay, because being a part of a family and doing some Horcrux hunting sounds like fun, too! :D


The older poltergeist started school today, and we're preparing for the Ministry of Magic to transfer Mr. Bagnold to Germany, so not only will I be Horcrux hunting, but we'll be magically moving the Bagnold Manor, as well! So much going on! Here's to another successful round of Potter swapping! :D ::raises butterbeer::

Wai--WHAT?!

How have I completely missed blogging for two weeks this go around?!?!?!?! How is that even possible?! I'm Miss Overachiever! Miss Get-It-Done-On-Time! Blargh! I have no idea where last week went...I remember that Mr. Bagnold started back to his office job at the Ministry this past week, after his 6+ month work out in the desert...and I recall doing school shopping for the older poltergeist online because what I needed wasn't all available at the base here...and then...BOOM! It's Sunday, and I've missed blogging! Insanity! But at least I have finished Lizzie's kit. (And that's not gone out on time, either! Getting used to not relying on magical ways of traveling in conjunction with only having one Muggle car is really a change...) It will be sent off with Persephone on Monday. I can't wait for her to get it! :D (Whew! At least I managed to get a few lines in for the last week of summer camp...)

Ack!

I can't believe I forgot to blog this past week!...Well, okay, maybe I can...Tuesday I ran off for a couple of hours to myself, Wednesday, I took the older poltergeist out for some one-on-one time, Thursday was the younger poltergeists' turn, Friday was a family day where all four of us went and spent the day out together, and yesterday I took both poltergeists out so that Mr. Bagnold could get some quiet time to himself. (I ended up out with both poltergeists for close to 8 hours! LOL) So between that and busily working away at Lizzie's kit, I suppose it shouldn't be any surprise that this past week got away from me. As a matter of fact, I went by the craft store yesterday to check and see if they had the wire I needed (I want to try knitting and crocheting with wire for jewelry!), they told me they were closed. I knew they were supposed to be closed on the 31st, but had completely not realized that the last day of July was yesterday! (Happy August, everyone!) Ahh, things are really picking up speed here...I'd better be prepared after I leave camp for the whirlwind of events that are on the horizon...::wanders off making mental checklists::

WINGO!

Unfortunately, I don't think I have the time to participate in WINGO this year. I have too much going on and too little time! I will, however, list the things I qualify for the other people using my name to cover. :)

N1 - I have been on quite a few trains, since I'm living in Europe for the time being! I've taken a train to the following places: Venice, Florence, Siena, and Haworth! (And I forsee quite a few more train rides in my future!)

G1 - I reeeeeeeeeeeally love Knit Picks and Cascade. I don't think I can pick between the two!

O1 - If you use the term "speak" loosely enough, I can piece together some French from the 2 and a half years I took in school...but I'm far from fluent!


G2 - I have one brother (older) and 2 sisters (both younger) :)

O2 - My queue is monstrous....are you ready for this? 621!!!


W3 - My patronus is an otter. :)

I3 - Years ago I used to collect cats...nowadays I still collect Tiggers, though I'm not nearly as passionate about it as I used to be.

G3 - I've been to Edinburgh Castle (in Scotland), Hohensalzburg Castle (in Austria), and Castel Brando (in Italy)

O3 - I make stitch markers, but haven't made any for sale yet...working on that, though!


I4 - I am an American citizen. :)

N4 - I love black licorice, and also really enjoy the black currant licorice treats that Lizzie introduced me to while in Edinburgh!

G4 - The only Quidditch I've played is online ;)

O4 - You better believe I own every Harry Potter DVD!!!


W5 - I've been around this swap since HSKS6 (and don't see myself as ever leaving!)

I5 - I've been camping on multiple day trips while in school; in 6th grade, I went to the Sand Dunes and in 8th grade, I went somewhere (I don't know exactly where) in the Rocky Mountains, both in Colorado. :)

N5 - I have played the flute since 7th grade (though I can count on one hand the number of times I've touched it since I graduated high school, sadly...)

G5 - I'm an October baby :)

O5 - I brought my owl, Persephone, along with me to camp

Hope I was able to help at least a couple of people! :) Now it's back to my preparations for Mr. Bagnold to come home!

Hellooooooooo, Summer Camp!!!

I am so very, very excited to come back to camp! My only lament is its short 6 weeks duration. LOL I really love this group of people and am so happy to have them in my life. :) This time around I get to spoil Miss Lizzie Wychwood!!!! I have wanted to spoil her (and Emma Wigworthy!) for quite some time now, and I am beyond ecstatic that it's finally happening! :D When I found out who I was sending to, I could hardly sit still for excitement, and had to immediately reach for a pen and paper to jot down the ideas that were spilling out of my brain! I've already made some purchases, and with one simple interaction with her (via electronic owl), I already have the kit in its entirety planned out! Now if only the things I have ordered would get here quickly...