The Fires of Pompeii

I love my kids...they are quirky and creative.  I have been under the weather for about a week almost.  Miserably sick.  Fever, sinus congestion that became chest congestion and a throat that felt like it was on fire.  My voice is scratchy and sometimes nonexistent.  Today, however, they made me smile.  They were up in their room doing whatever it is they do up there.  Sometimes they sing musicals, sometimes they make up stories and sometimes they do stage makeup for fun.  Today was makeup day.

And the theme was The Fires of Pompeii from Doctor Who.

My youngest daughter is a tech theater kid.  She has been the stage manager for her junior high school.  She tried out for her first play in high school and made the crew.  She is my behind the scenes girl.  She really loves theater, but not being in the spotlight.

She looks pretty legit seeing as she used eyeliner pencil and stuff she found around the house for an impromptu costume.  Clever girl.  Her older sister dressed her and took the photos.  Well done, ladies, well done.

Casual Cos - Merlin

Oh, BBC we do seem to be having a love affair.  I have long loved the show Merlin and I'm sad it is no more.  I do love the way it ended, however.  I won't divulge more about the ending just in case a stumbler to my blog decides to give it a try.  The series ending was unexpected, but still left me with happiness (which is a big part of Merlin's charm). 

I seem to have an appreciation for quirky characters and Merlin doesn't disappoint.

 

It's not a series that I go back and watch over and over like Doctor Who.  I mean, really, there is only so much Morgana you can take.  But I have watched several episodes more than once.  The show's creators and writers do such a good job developing the relationship between Arthur and Merlin.  I appreciate shows when you see the characters change and evolve.  It makes them more realistic.  Not that Merlin is a realistic character, no fictional lines blurring here....it just gives them more depth.

 

 

Anyways, if for some reason you haven't seen the show, check it out.  Its good clean, nerdy fun.

 

:)

Casual Cos - Eleventh Doctor

I don't know about other Whovians, but the moment David Tennant's Doctor regenerated, the part where he looked like he wanted to cry and said he didn't want to go just made me crumble.  There weren't enough tissues in the house to handle the water works exploding out of my eyes.  And then this new guy had the audacity to climb out of Ten's Tardis!  How dare he??  Who did he think he was??  It was a very rough time for me.  But then Matt Smith said "fish fingers and custard" and I thought maybe, just maybe, I could give this quirky young man a try...

 

My daughters totally embraced Eleven, probably because he was younger.  Pretty soon everything was okay because everything was cool.  Even the dreaded knee length khaki shorts they had to have for color guard were acceptable.  My youngest even decorated a practice shirt that said "I wear khakis now, khakis are cool".  So I have a lot to thank Matt Smith for.  He made everything cool in our house.

 

Except the fez,  I just couldn't accept that as cool...

 



So, way to win me over, Raggedy Man. 

Eleven and his companions have been fantastic, but I know that another heart wrenching regeneration is coming.  So here is my tribute to River's flirty husband, a casual cos for the quirky cool Eleven.

(Ten, you're still my Doctor though <3)

A Super Easy Sherlock Party

It's elementary...or so I hear.

I love theme parties so for my birthday this year I decided on Sherlock Holmes.  I've mentioned before that I don't go all crazy spending money on decorations.  I like to hunt for stuff I already own that can somehow fit the theme and then purchase the rest at Dollar Tree.  I think this went off quite nicely.

We had a bright pink suitcase up in a closet and some crystal candle holders in the living room.  I purchased the pink party supplies from Dollar Tree and wrote A Study in Scarlet with a red permanent marker.  I wrote RACHE, which is Rachel, of course, and not German for revenge...

More already owned candles for the mantel.  Some dollar store frames with some Sherlock art and a quote drawn by my daughter.  I had the plaid wool in my fabric stash, perfect for draping.  I found magnifying glasses at the dollar store.  And for the centerpiece, my Complete Sherlock Holmes.  I also have had this black and white wrapping paper for years...Add a bright yellow smiley face and the fireplace was transformed.

I bought these great votive candle holders years ago.  You can take the top black ring off and then slip whatever artwork you want inside because there are two layers of glass with about 1/4" space in between.  My daughter drew some great silhouettes for me which looked fabulous when we lit the inner candles.  Toss another Sherlock book I already had on the table and we are calling it done.

I love simple, but creative parties.  I hope my kids look back on our family parties one day with fond memories. 

You don't have to spend a lot to pull off the theme, just look around your home and improvise!

Sherlock Flag Bag

 

My sophomore needed a new flag bag for color guard by the first game.  I found that out a few days before the first game.  No time to order one, so off to Joann's fabric store.

 

 

My love for the show Sherlock made a great black and white print stick out as I was walking down the aisles.  A little yellow spray paint...yeah, fellow Sherlock fans know what's up...

 

 

The Sherlock Flag Bag...

 



 

 

Sturdy upholstery fabric and a quick sew job.  I even included a nice carrying strap and a drawstring top with a cord lock.  Pretty sweet for a short afternoon project.  Should be pretty durable, but just in case she's a bit rough and the bottom starts to wear out I purchased some Union Jack duct tape.  It just got sweeter...

 

Casual Cos - Rose Tyler

 

The day Rose Tyler "died" sealed Rose and Ten as one of my all time favorite fictional couples.  I can not watch that episode without crying like a baby.  Billie Piper did a fabulous job!  Don't even get me started on how happy I was when they saw each other again in the episode where all of the Doctor's friends return to help him or how torn I was at the end of the Doctor Donna...talk about tough choices.

I can't wait to see how they bring her back for the 50th anniversary special that is coming up.  Surely she will have a part.  My guess is that the Rose and Ten from the alternate universe will come to the assistance of Eleven.  It should be pretty fantastic!

Draft Party

 

 

The football season is upon us and the rosters are set!  The Clute Bears (that's my team) scored Adrian Peterson with the 5th pick of the draft! 

 

The draft party was a great family success.  Yummy snacks, meatballs, chips and queso, salsa, fruit and veggie trays and dip, cake, cookies and some sweet tea.  I made folders for all of the team owners with stats and projected points, bye weeks and rankings.  My sister-in-law scored us a draft kit.  And I found some cute, cheap decorations from the Dollar Tree.  I love that store...

 

 

The bottom photo in the collage shows the aftermath.  Laptop research, food carnage and an empty Blue Bell container...Yeah, it was that stressful!

 

It took a while to get this 8 team league through 23 rounds, but we managed to get it done by midnight.

 

Now, onward to victory!!!