A Birthday Visit to Diagon Alley

Today was GPS's eleventh birthday. And an offhanded remark led to a pretty amazing birthday present from the siblings.

A few weeks back, GPS was asked for a birthday wish list. The semi-joking response? "I just want my Hogwart's letter."

Well, of course, right? Harry Potter got his letter when he turned eleven. Isn't that what every self-respecting HP fan would want?

FutureStar and Midkid heard this and jumped into action. So when GPS got back from baseball practice tonight, this is what happened:

Hedwig was waiting at the front door, and the acceptance letter was on the front porch.

Inside, signs welcomed us to Diagon Alley (up the stairs).

At Flourish and Blotts, GPS was given the First-Year textbooks (a three book Hogwarts Library). 

Then on to Ollivanders, where GPS received a wand and bookmark, and was "sorted" into Hufflepuff (complete with house lanyard)!

Then we all went downstairs to the Three Broomsticks...

 

Where we feasted on homemade Butterbeer and pumpkin pasties.

Best birthday ever, or what? :)

"Hi Kate" Inspires a Birthday Surprise!

Exhibit A

Okay, I know, it can't be much of a surprise if it's being planned and executed publicly online, but the thought is there, right?



In any case, fans of Eric Sheffer Stevens are putting together a photo collage birthday present/card for him, asking people to send in pictures of themselves holding "Happy Birthday Eric" signs with their name and town on them. If you're a fan and want to participate, send in your pic by Friday the 17th to k.5weet@yahoo.com. Easy peasy, right?



Have a great week!

Happy Birthday, Eric Sheffer Stevens!

Happy birthday to Eric Sheffer Stevens, my Current TV Crush and one of my fave actors ever. (Yes, I know I only discovered him a couple of months ago. Still. He's that good.)

To celebrate, here's a video created by the talented bunchoflemons, as part of her Dr. Reid Oliver cartoon saga. The whole series is brilliant - check them out on her YouTube channel.




This week, As The World Turns will be ceasing production. (Though the show runs through September 17th, filming ends a few months early.) I'm sure Eric will continue to find success as an actor, be it on screen or on stage. I'll definitely miss his performances as Dr. Reid Oliver once the show goes dark, though. And I'm wishing I lived closer to Vermont, so I could catch his performance as Benedick (opposite his wife Jenny as Beatrice) in the Vermont Shakespeare Company production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, coming this August. If you happen to live close enough, you should definitely check it out!

So, question of the day: How far would you travel to see your favorite actor/performer? Or, if you've already made that trek, what's the furthest you've traveled for a favorite?

Happy Birthday, Igor! (And EKP)

Just a quick note to wish Igor Dolgatschew, one of my fave actors, a very happy birthday. For those of you not familiar with him, Igor plays Deniz on Alles Was Zaehlt, a German soap, and is an incredibly talented actor. (More about Igor in future posts - I have a new "Current TV Crush" post percolating right now...)

And a happy first anniversary to Eskimo Kiss Project, the YouTube channel devoted to Alles Was Zaehlt, and the three women behind this labor of love. If it wasn't for EKP, I would probably never have even heard of Igor, so it's pure serendipity that their YT channel launched on Igor's birthday.

Congrats to all!

Congratulations - Blog Party Winners!

Hey all!


Hope you had a lovely weekend. After a birthday filled with soccer, we headed to the pumpkin patch yesterday, so it was a great time all around.


But now I'm back, and ready to announce the winner of my Birthday Blog Party contest. Thanks to everyone who posted - it made the week a lot of fun. And the winner, chosen randomly by my critique partner via IM ("Hey, pick a number between one and..."), is

Laurie Ryan!

Congrats, Laurie! You've won a gift pack with some of my favorite things - a bath product set, a candle, a gorgeous notebook, some chocolate, and whatever else I decide to toss in before sending it your way. Please contact me off-blog with your addy info.


And because I completely forgot to announce the winner of my Banned Books Week giveaway, congrats to

Jane!

Jane, contact me and I'll get you a list of books for you to choose from.


Congrats again to the two winners! And everyone else, I hope you'll stop by again. There will be more prizes coming up in the near future, plus an announcement for Nine Naughty Novelists with even more opportunities to win!

Forty Facts About Kate - The Final Countdown!

Wheeee! Today is a day to celebrate. Let me count the ways (because that's all this week has been about, doncha know - counting!):

*It's my birthday!
*I'm finishing the Forty Facts today, which was WAY more complicated than I anticipated.
*It's my birthday!
*The regular soccer season is OVER TODAY!
*It's my birthday!

I'll be celebrating by watching soccer. And then going to end of season soccer parties. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

But setting all that aside, here are the final ten facts to round out the week of useless Kate information here on Kate Davies Blogs!

10. I don't drink coffee. Hot chocolate and tea, yes, but not coffee.

9. I love the smell of coffee brewing, however.

8. I have a really hard time spending money on myself. I've worked hard this year to overcome that issue. :)

7. I tend to be a night owl. Unfortunately, my personal schedule does not play nicely with things like public school opening times, work meetings, and hungry children. It's a conundrum.

6. The best advice my mother gave me, the advice I'll pass down to my children, is: "Don't forget to clean the lint trap." Seriously.

5. I have been a beta reader/critique partner to five writers since I started writing romance. All five have had at least one book published with Samhain. I'm fairly certain I had nothing to do with that fact.

4. A few years ago, I won tickets to the Rolling Stones concert through a radio call-in contest. The concert just happened to be held on my birthday. That one will probably remain hard to top for a while.

3. I was once left "home alone" while visiting relatives as a child. They all left for an event and forgot to bring me along. It took over half an hour before I noticed there was nobody else around. I was, of course, reading at the time.

2. I am really looking forward to enjoying my forties. No angsting over the change of decade - at least, not yet. ;)

1. I AM SO GLAD TO BE DONE WITH THIS THEME! *tosses confetti*

Thanks to everyone who hung in there through this random salute to my 40th birthday. Remember, every comment (or RT on Twitter) earns you another entry into my birthday giveaway drawing. So comment early, comment often, and stop by tomorrow to learn who won!

Forty Facts About Kate - Day the Third

So.

Ten more things to tell, huh?

Okay, here we go...

20. I love buying makeup and skincare products during bonus giveaway times, even though I rarely use what I get.

19. The last musical I was in was A Chorus Line. I played the "don't dance!" girl, who gets kicked out of the audition five minutes into the show.

18. My favorite car colors were used in the late sixties/early seventies, those eye-popping shades with fabulous names. Go Mango, Panther Pink, SubLime, and my personal favorite, InViolet (aka Plum Crazy).

17. I love, love, love my iPhone. Love it.

16. I've always thought Romeo and Juliet is the worst Shakespearean play to teach to high school freshmen. Two teenagers who kill themselves because they can't date? Please. Why not A Midsummer Night's Dream? The rotating crushes in that play would fit high school perfectly.

15. I once discovered a significant error in a favorite cookbook. Unfortunately, that meant I ended up serving raw chicken cordon bleu. (The half an hour cooking time had been left off the recipe, leaving the dish with only five minutes pan-frying on each side.)

14. Here's a sneak peek at my newest venture: The Video. Bonus points if you can identify which pic is my avatar for the group!

13. I once spent hours researching why the widows in the play Riders to the Sea wore red petticoats over their heads. AND I STILL DON'T KNOW.

12. Favorite pizza - a tie between Hawaiian and BBQ chicken.

11. Twenty of my top 25 most played songs on iTunes were purchased after I discovered them on YouTube.

One day to go! See you back here Saturday with ten final facts - and the last chance to post a comment and be entered to win!

Forty Facts About Kate - Day Two

Ready for round two? Here we go!

30. I love creativity-based reality shows - Top Chef and Project Runway are two of my favorites.

29. For many years I re-read my favorite YA book, The Dark Is Rising, every winter around the solstice.

28. The author with the most books on my bookshelf is Lucy Monroe. Second? Suz Brockmann.

27. I love to collect cookbooks and cooking magazines. Despite my best intentions, I rarely actually make any recipes contained in said books and magazines.

26. I once went to a science fiction convention dressed as Krissy Kochanski. (Bonus points to the first person who can identify KK! Not you, Maia.)

25. I love tomato-based dishes (spaghetti, lasagna, chili), but other than in bruschetta, I'm not fond of uncooked tomatoes.

24. I can still recite my monologues from A Midsummer Night's Dream, a play I was in twenty years ago.

23. Although I took piano lessons for three years, the only instrument I can still play with any skill is the tambourine.

22. I love Frangos. Especially the mint chocolate kind.

21. The first time I got glasses, I couldn't find the eye chart on the wall - I couldn't even see the big E.

More tomorrow. And I'll have to start thinking about them today, because dang this is harder than I thought!

Turning Forty - A Blog Party!

On Saturday my parents came to town to watch the kids play soccer. Afterwards, we went out to lunch and then back to the house for cupcakes and presents. See, next Saturday I turn 40, and we celebrated a week early.

Leaving aside the fact that I was absurdly thrilled to have cupcakes, the best part was opening the gifts. My mom and dad had decided that, in honor of the decade birthday, they'd give me 40 presents. (Give or take. Mom confessed she lost track there near the end.)

So I found myself surrounded by a sea of colored tissue paper, unwrapping things like lip gloss, fingernail clippers, sample-size bubble bath, a bottle of wine, chocolate, and an entire Clinique bonus pack wrapped individually. Each individual item was small (except for the last one, which was the large-size crock pot I've been dying to get for ages), but put together it was one fabulous gift. And loads of fun!

In keeping with the counting to forty theme, then, I've decided to spend the next four days sharing Forty Things About Kate as I count down to my 40th birthday. Eveyr day, I'll post ten more, with the final set coming on Saturday, my actual birthday. By now you probably know the drill -- every comment on the blog in that time frame is entered to win a prize pack of some of my favorite things.

Sound good? Great! Stop by tomorrow and check out items #40-31 on my Forty Facts list! And remember, every comment (or retweet, or post on Facebook) gets you another entry to win!

The Jack Benny Birthday

1. Never let your children know *what* birthday you're celebrating. They will gladly share it with their schoolmates, their schoolmates' parents, the principal of the school, and the wait staff at Red Robin.

2. When you turn 39, people jokingly ask "which 39th birthday is it?"

3. The free birthday sundae at Red Robin is almost worth the embarrassment of having your waiter announce to everyone that you're celebrating your 39th birthday today. Five minutes later, they make the same announcement about a four year old.

4. In all, it was a lovely birthday. I got some fabulous gifts -- including some camping cookware that my parents evidently smuggled into the house and hid in the dress-up box over a week ago, with the collusion of the kids, who managed to keep it totally quiet until the actual birthday. If you knew my kids, you'd be very impressed. Keeping secrets is not a strong suit.

5. I also got a sleeping bag, a new watch, a Barnes and Noble gift card (squeeeee!), and a plane ticket to California, so I can attend a very good friend's wedding. Yay!

What's the best present you ever got?

Happy Birthday to Meeee....

Yes, it's true!

Today is my birthday. And to celebrate, I'm throwing a party! The best part? You get the presents!

From today through Monday, here on my blog, everyone who posts will be entered in a drawing to win. I've got some cool gifties to share, so I hope to see you here!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Spent the day at my folks' house, celebrating Grandpa Ed's 94th birthday.

NINETY-FOUR.

Pretty amazing, huh?

Almost the whole extended family was there, too, which was wonderful. I don't get to see them enough.

Hope you had a great weekend!

And the Winners Are...

Yes, I know, it took me long enough, but I'm finally able to announce the winners of my Birthday Week Celebration!

Congratulations to the following winners, one chosen from each birthday post:

TETEWA

Download of Lessons In Love

LORI

Quilted drawstring bag with a sweet treat inside

and...

JENNIFER

Signed copy of Tease Me, Please Me

Please contact me off-blog at kate AT kate-davies DOT com so I can get those prizes to you! And thanks to everyone for posting during my birthday week. I had a great time, and hope you did too!

Thursday Thirteen #31 -- Birthday Edition!

(header courtesy of Write From Karen)

Thirteen presents I got for my birthday (which was yesterday!)

1. Slippers

2. A bottle of Gewurztraminer

3. Three great-smelling hand soaps

4. A white shirt and brown trouser outfit

5. A green, sparkly, already-sharpened pencil

6. The last piece of watermelon bubble gum

7. Two print blouses

8. My youngest's favorite Wiggles video ("you can watch it whenever you want!")

9. Khaki dress slacks

10. Dinner from Arby's so I didn't have to cook

11. A "book bag" made out of printer paper and transparent tape

12. A dozen cut-out hearts artistically draped over the living room chair

13. A ton of hugs and kisses!



Yes, I was spoiled -- and loved every minute of it! And to keep the fun going, I'm holding a blog contest through Friday at midnight. Anyone who posts between now and then is in the drawing for a prize! So be sure to drop by this weekend to see if you've won!

Celebration Time!

Break out the confetti and cake -- it's my birthday!

And to celebrate, *I'm* giving away the pressies. :) From now until Friday at midnight Pacific time, everyone who posts on my blog will be put in a drawing for a prize. Maybe more than one!

So post away. You could be a winner!

Today's topic: Presents! What's the best present you ever received? (Or, conversely, what's the best present you ever gave?)

Thirteen Reasons Heidi Should Have a Great Birthday!

I'm terribly late with my Thursday Thirteen, plus I've just found out they're discontinuing the meme (sob), so I'm just going to post my list without all the linkbacks and coding and such. Because it's Heidi's birthday and she needs to celebrate!

Without further ado, here are 13 reasons Heidi should have a great birthday:

1. Today's her birthday! (Obvious, I know, but what the heck.)
2. She's the first friend I made when we moved to this town.
3. She's the glue that's held together untold groups of friends.
4. She made administrative team get-togethers way more fun -- and appreciated my obnoxious musical Christmas toy white elephant gifts.
5. Her kids are each two months older than my two youngest -- so we've had the best play dates ever!
6. She's got a positive outlook for just about everything.
7. She really cares about her friends, and lets them know it.
8. She's the ultimate cheerleader when you're trying something new.
9. She's the kind of mom who will have a musical instrument-themed birthday party for her then-four-year-old -- no matter how loud it gets.
10. My three year old says, "it's fun to play at her house."
11. My five year old says, "because her child is my best friend forever." (Exact quote!)
12. My eight year old says, "because she's really nice and they have an awesome pool."
13. Even though she's moved across the state, I know she's still one of my best friends.

Happy birthday, girl!