Three Cheers for Stacy!!!!
& THE book (Harry the Potter)!!!!!

Woo Hoo...How FUN was that last post? I had said I would give a RAK for the 50th comment and that I would also see how close we could get to 100 comments. But most of all, I wanted to just get a "Hey" from all of my friends out there in Blog World and hopefully meet a few new blogger friends! And guess what? I got a ton of comments, some of them from first-timers. So I think my first-ever Blog Roll Call Out was a success!!

So... drum roll again please...

The winner of the RAK for being the 50th commenter was STACY. Here is her avatar photo, which I absconded with from her blog. (Hope that's okay! LOL) And, by the way, go visit her blog and show her some love!

Stacy--right now I am brainstorming what sort of fun RAK I will send your way. Trust me, I've got some ideas and the plan is to get it out in the mail to you by the begining of next week. (Just email me your mailing address, please!)

I was just SO excited that I got to number 50 and, last time I checked, I was up to 70 comments. I was so thrilled by that number! Just very cool!

Also cool was the fact that I met some new bloggers. I'd love to give a link to every person who commented yesterday, but there were too many of them (and I think that a lot of those already know each other). But, I did think I would share links to my new commenters yesterday, just because I love to share the love! So, go visit these bloggers and say Hey to them-- Nina HERE (her last name is Delaney, which is too cool!), Scrappinmyroots HERE (she came her from my sweet friend Dawn), Melissa HERE,(who is with one of my fave scrapbook challenge blogs), Carolyn HERE (which looks like just a beautiful place to visit), and Green (always think it's cool to have guys pop by here!). I'm honored that you popped by, and for all my regular readers and friends--I just LOVE you all!! Thanks for making my 400th very cool!

And now...before I go any further...I've got to stop right here and share my absolute joy and exhiliration in doing the activity I pretty much immersed myself in all day Sunday and Monday. I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and it was SPECTACULAR!!! I know that all of you haven't read it yet and I don't want to be a spoiler, so I will not reveal any plot points. (Besides, Gary is still reading it and would kill me if I did!!! Wouldn't you, sweetie? But, cmon now, finish it already so we can really talk about it!!!)

Let's just say that...

I loved how we found out much more about some important characters. It revealed how complex everyone truly is!

I loved how some unexpected people KICKED butt!!

I loved how the characters continued to change and grow!

I loved how the kiss came about!

I loved that I cried so hard over these wizards and witches and muggles and creatures (I AM a book cryer and everyone in my family likes to laugh at me about it, but I can't help it. I invest all my feelings in a book when I read it and the HP books were much more so than even normally!). I had absolute crying fits when I couldn't make myself stop. It wasn't just the deaths, although each and every one of them was heart-wrenching. Even more so...the small moments of sympathy and emotion were what did it; they were those moments of understanding WHY people did what they did, the sheer human-ness of it all (even amongst all the magic). I cried because I FELT what they had been through and what they themselves had felt and who they had loved and who they had lost. Just wonderful!!!

I loved the importance of Lily's eyes! (So cool!)

I just loved that it turned out...well, it simply turned out right!

I love so much more of it, that it's hard to even put into words!

I would love to discuss all sorts of plot points, but I truly don't want to spoil it for anyone. But if you have read the book and want to ask me a question or discuss it, let's proclaim the comments section today only as a Spoiler Friendly Zone where you and I can talk about it if you want to. Otherwise, just let me highly recommend the book and say that Harry Potter Rocks!!

And oh...if you are a HP Geek like me and have already read the book, you should go check out the HP podcast at Mugglenet. It is really great fun to listen to! Go HERE for that! (just click on the "On Air now" link on the right site of the page; the current podcast, in which they discuss book 7, is what it will automatically go to.)

(I also love that my sweet dh is just a sentimental geek too. He's in the adjoining room right now sobbing over Dobby. I told him he would be very emotional about it all, and I was right. Don't you love a hunky guy who can cry over an elf? And who watches "Steel Magnolias" with his wife, while I'm thinking about it? Shhh..just don't tell him I told you! lol)

Last night, after we got back from our Wednesday night activities at church, we all sat down and played a round of Harry Potter UNO (well, since are all truly HP Geeks!). We love to play games together and Sydney especially has really gotten into card games (believe me, I have played enough games of Dora the Explorer Go Fish in the last week to last a lifetime!!).

As we played Uno last night, Sydney made a couple of funny comments--

"I've got Harry the Potter." (yep, that's what she calls him. Apparently, Harry is a potter instead of a wizard! lol)

"But it's my turn to win." (competition runs in the family!)

"I AM good!" (after we told her, "You're good" after she won a round!)

Here she is displaying Ron and Harry the Potter for you all...



From my house to yours...that's all for now!

Have a wonderful day!!!