Wizard World Chicago – Follow Up

I’ve been asked by a few people for a follow up post re: Wizard World. We had a good time. We could have had a fantastic time, but I didn’t take into account that my little Batman would be so terrified of some of “his” villains in costume.

He's Batman

Brotherly Love

Walking in the doors, we had the first challenge. Harley Quinn. Her cosplay was amazing. She walked right up to us and sweet as can be asked if she could have a picture with our little Batman. Andrew immediately hid behind my giant tutu. I told him it was ok. She was nice, all he needed to do was stand next to her. I moved so he couldn’t hide behind me. Andrew immediately dropped to the floor on the fetal position. The Harley Quinn cosplayer started apologizing. I told her not to worry about it. It’s his first con. Some people started to walk by and I said, “wow bet you didn’t know it was this easy to beat Batman!” I scooped Andrew off the floor, and we went in.

The next cosplayer we encountered was a brilliant Joker. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was Heath Ledger. His mannerisms were spot on. His voice was straight from the big screen. He approached us, leaned down to Andrew, and said “wanna play?” Andrew again retreated behind my skirt, and the Joker completely broke character, apologizing profusely. I told him not to worry about it, “it’s his first con.”

At this point, I realized that a Batman costume for his first con was not the wisest choice.

Oops

 

After the Joker incident, I thought we should walk through the autograph signing area.  I thought this would be a little safer due to the huge NO PHOTOS IN THIS AREA signs.  Nope! A group walked past: Poison Ivy, Bane, Joker, the Riddler, and Two Face. They saw Andrew and started to walk over.  Evidently my protective Mama Bear face was clear enough that their path deviated away from my little Batman.

Now that is poofy

Obviously this Mama Bear is FRIGHTENING

Walking through the con and ended up having a good time. Below are the shirts from the Blue Box Tees

Mauh!

My Wizard Con Shirt

 

No barrels?

Zakary’s Con Shirt

 

BFFs forever

Andrew LOVES this shirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wizard Con Chicago – Cosplay Prep

Last year, Zakary and I went to Wizard World Chicago dressed as Muggles to blend in with the “normal” people. Very quickly we decided it would be much better in costumes.

Zakary’s costume is the same costume as every year: Harry Potter. He has been told he looks like the young wizard since he started wearing glasses in the third grade and now even more so with his unmanageable mop of hair. His costume involves a Quidditch shirt I bought him for his birthday, the wand he bought in Orlando over Spring Break, and a lightning bolt drawn on his forehead with a Sharpie. Last minute additions to the costume: Andrew’s Pygmypuff called Norbert, a tiny owl clipped on his Attack on Titan backpack, Andrew’s Gryffindor house tie lanyard from Orlando, and the sword of Gryffindor!

Andrew was much easier than I thought he would be. He wanted to be Batman, but who doesn’t was to be Batman? I was able find a pair of pajamas at Meijer that looks like Batman’s suit, so that part of done. He also already had a Batman cape. Unfortunately, it’s a reversible cape with Spider-Man on the other side (don’t get mad at me I didn’t make the cape. I know Spidey doesn’t wear a cape.) I was going to fashion a mask for him (thanks Pinterest!), but while shopping for a part of my costume, we came across the perfect mask/cape combo! Last night he convinced me that he needed Batman sunglasses, even though “Batman’s a night person so he doesn’t need sunglasses.” The good thing about Andrew’s costume is that it is all very thin material. It’s already going to be hot, and having him complain about being hot would make it even more miserable!

My costume started out as something complicated. The Queen of my Fandom. I figured very few people will like every single thing I like, so I appointed myself Queen. I wanted to get a crown or tiara (which is something I have been trying to find an excuse to procure for a while now), make a shirt with symbols or notable sayings from all my Fandoms, and a tutu. Ok…I know some of you might be thinking “a tutu? Seriously? You’re 34 years old!” To which I say, “get over it…I’m a queen.”

I think there will a be tutu tutorial on here soon, but I highly doubtful that it will have a YouTube component, because saying tutu tutorial is something I am having trouble saying without slurring the words and sounding drunk.

I had a vision for what I wanted the tutu to look like, and I failed in such an extraordinary way! But I love how it turned out after regrouping and making it my own. I think that was the best part about my costume: making it mine. It’s that super girly princessy side that I don’t embrace as often as I should. I had two brothers growing up and have four boys in the house on a regular basis plus Michael.

I opted to not make a shirt with my Fandoms because, well in complete honesty, I ran out of time. It’s like that saying, which I am paraphrasing, I might not have ended up where I wanted, but whatevs.

I’ll post pictures soon of our adventure.

Wizard Con Chicago – Getting Ready

This will be the second year that Zakary and I have gone to Wizard World Con in Chicago, but Andrew’s first time at a con. As a very anxious 4.5 year old, he keeps asking when are we going to Chicago to see the Doctor (Matt Smith), and the Daleks, and the princesses, and … it’s been incessant! So…that means he gets a countdown chart!

Countdown to Wizard Con Chicago!

Countdown to Wizard Con Chicago!

 

Instead of stickers to mark off the days, Zakary and I drew some of the things Andrew is most excited about seeing on some small 2 in. x 2 in. white Post-it notes.

Nerds

Top Row: Doctor’s Fez and Deathly Hallows Symbol Middle Row: Bat Symbol and T.A.R.D.I.S.
Bottom Row: Cap’s Shield and Hulk Smash!

The countdown chart goes on his bedroom door.  Each night at bedtime, he gets to pick a Post-it and mark off the day. Then he counts how many “sleeps” until AWESOMENESS!

Countdown chart goes on the  bedroom door

Countdown chart goes on the bedroom door

Four More!

Four sleeps to go!

 

 

 

 

 

Random things said today 20th May 2014

Me to Zakary this morning before he left for school: what’s the point of having a secret handshake if you aren’t going to use it?!

Andrew to me this morning, after giving him his gummy vitamin: annnnnd I’ll take one of those marshmallows right there.
Me: nice try

The dentist after treating my dry socket after a tooth extraction last week: you’ll feel much better after the numbing goes away, but here’s a script for more Vicodin.
Me: I thought you said it would feel better?!

May the Fourth

I will be the first to admit that growing up I was not a Star Wars fan. Despite writing a paper in the 10th grade (1995-ish) on the classic hero journey of Luke Skywalker, I didn’t watch any of the movies until 2007. Yes, I knew the main characters and the storyline, but I had no real drive to watch.

Don’t get me wrong, I love SciFi. I’ve seen almost every Star Trek episode, Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who. I know every episode of Firefly by heart, and can recite every line of Serenity.

I was “forced” (ha) by a guy I was dating to actually sit and watch A New Hope. Now, this guy was a Han fanboy. Han Solo could do no wrong. (After we broke up, he got a cat who was called Han.) I actually wanted to sit and take in the Lucas masterpiece, to soak it in for the very first time, but could not enjoy it at all with Fanboy blabbering through the ENTIRE movie. When it was over he stared at me with wide eyes, waiting with baited breath for my reaction to the film. I mustered a “meh”. I wanted to say that I would have enjoyed it more if he would have just let me watch the movie!! I asked him to leave the movies with me (he had a box set, of course) and I would try again another time. And by another time, I meant as soon as he left.

Not five minutes after he walked out the door, I had queued the movie back to the beginning. I watched A New Hope, quickly followed by The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The next day after classes, I watched A New Hope again with Zakary.

I enjoyed the films. I didn’t want to tell Fanboy how much I loved them. But I did.

That relationship with Fanboy didn’t work out, which is for the best, but my relationship with Star Wars has just deepened. I now have an amazing man in my life, who enjoys Star Wars in a much healthier way, and a quartet of boys who will indulge their parents in an occasional binge marathon.

I planned on making a cake to celebrate Star Wars day on May 4th. Nothing fancy, just a cake with a couple of lightsabers made with some sparkle sugar on top. But Andrew, our 4-year-old nerdling, wanted a Darth Vader cake, because Darth Vader is his favorite.

20140506-215756.jpg

I decided to make a Yoda cake to represent the Jedi.

20140506-215952.jpg

I let everyone choose a side (cake). According to which cake was chosen, we tend to a Dark Side kinda family. Take from that what you will.

Pizza

20131112-205715.jpg

Today’s holiday is pizza with the works minus anchovies. Lucky for me this means I don’t have to cook!

We currently live a few hours south of Chicago, a city known for its deep dish pizza. Michael grew up in New Jersey. He prefers a thinner crust and big slices. When I was growing up, my brothers and I would make “pizza” with English muffins, ketchup, and cheese slices.

Obviously I am not as much of a pizza snob. Luckily there is a great East Coast pizzeria by my work that we all love.

Veteran’s Day

I used to look cute in hats!

Today is Veteran’s Day in the US.

I come from a long line of military service members.  (Not unlike Lieutenant  Dan from Forrest Gump.) I’m not sure where that comment came from, but that’s the kind of day I have had.

Brief family tree lesson:

I was born in a Navy hospital in Virginia.  I participated in NJROTC in high school.

Both of my grandfathers served in WWII.

Both my mother’s brother and sister served in the Army.  My Uncle Dusty once told me that there was a secret door into Ft. Knox. I have a sneaky suspicion that he might have been joking around, but to this day I have never told another living soul the location of that hidden entrance.  My Aunt Sandy served in Alaska.  She unknowingly opened up my eyes to the amazing untouched vastness of the tundra, and a spirit of adventure that I never knew existed.

My bonus Papa is a retire Marine.

I can trace my paternal linage soldiers in the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

Further into the past, I can trace my branches to warriors in England and the Crusades, Vikings and Romans.

Chipped Beef Gravy

So in honor of all of the brave men and women who have served this country, I decided that we would have the mess hall favorite S.O.S for dinner. (S.O.S. stands for S#!T on a Shingle)

Some people call S.O.S. chipped beef gravy.

It’s a quick and easy comfort food, that doesn’t photograph well…

Ingredients:

  • one two ounce package of shaved beef
  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 1/4 cup of flour
  • 2 teaspoons Onion Onion Seasoning
  • 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cups milk

Directions:

  1. Remove beef from package and rinse.  (Rinsing will remove some of the salt used in the processing.  This is a fantastic job for a rambunctious almost 4 year old, if you happen to have one hanging around.)
  2. Cut beef in ribbons and set aside.
  3. Melt butter in pan over medium heat.
  4. Add Onion Onion Seasoning.
  5. Whisk in flour and freshly ground pepper.
  6. Slowly add the milk, mixing constantly.
  7. Gravy will thicken as you stir. Add beef ribbons and let simmer about five minutes.
  8. Serve over toast, biscuits or rolls.

Cappuccino Cups

This past Friday (the 8th of November) was Cappuccino Day!  I had planned to make some coffee flavored cupcakes.  As I started gathering the ingredients, then it hit me…why limit myself to coffee flavored cupcakes?

I spent some time working as a barista at Starbucks.  One of my favorite drinks to prepare is a cappuccino.  Real cappuccinos are mostly foam…sweet, delicious, fluffy foam.  Ok, I have been accused of being a bit of a coffee snob, but I think that is a part of the barista training.  And a public service announcement: the drink that comes out of the machine at the gas station is not really cappuccino.  But I digress…

To appeal to a larger audience, I decided I wanted to make a cupcake that wasn’t coffee flavored.  I know some of my co-workers that I would be sharing these treats with were not fans of coffee, neither is my oldest son.  Then the idea was born!

Because a cappuccino is mostly deliciously foamy milk, I decided to bake one small cookie scoop of brownie mix in a foil cupcake wrapper then top with a fluffy white frosting.

Just a start

I decided to try a new frosting.  I had never prepared a frosting that included egg whites or cooked sugars!  It was definitely a positive experiment.  No major injuries (always a plus!)

So fluffy!

The frosting was this fluffy marshmallow-y dollup of amazingness.  I have already been asked to use the frosting on a chocolate sheet cake soon!

one of my better experiments

The final product was definitely a hit.  I am grateful to have such an amazing group of people around me that are patient and willing to be the guinea pigs for my culinary experimentation!

Recipe details:

Brownie: Tastefully Simple Truffle Fudge Brownie mix

Frosting: http://www.food.com/recipe/fluffy-white-frosting-55965

Happy Boston Cream Pie Day

As I sit here preparing this post, I realized that some people might think this food holiday has something to do with the World Series.  Game 1 will be played in Boston on Boston Cream Pie Day … coincidence?  Totally!

This post was supposed to be about cupcakes, but I really think I want to write about baseball.  And since it’s my blog, I’m going to do just that.

I played softball for eight years.  I have brothers who played baseball, and the youngest is the only son to have not played (he’s almost 4, so there’s still time!).  We’ve celebrated birthdays at Victory Field in Indianapolis.  Our youngest wears a Cubs hat almost every day.  Although he just calls it his “blue hat with the red C on it.”

Z's 10th

We lived across the street from the Ball State’s baseball field.  I loved to hear the ping of the bat hitting the ball.  I love going to the Indianapolis Indians games or a Cubs/Reds game in Cincinnati and hearing the crack of the bat.  I have to say that I am partial to the sound of a wooden bat.

I hope that one day we can take the boys to Wrigley to see a game.  There is some thing about old ballparks that I love.  New parks are beautiful, but the depth of history in old ballparks will win out every time!

Honestly, I haven’t been to a ballgame in years, and we don’t have regular tv to watch a game.  I take that back.  I watched some of the Little League World Series in a pizza place in Indy after a day at the zoo.

I just looked into getting World Series tickets for the Saturday game in St. Louis. The cheapest tickets were $312.00 … each.  Oh My Ganache!  I guess that will be a dream for another day!

I will post the recipe for the cupcakes that I made later.  But for now, here is a photo …

20131023-101609.jpg

Making The Most Of It

So today was one of those days where everything seems to happen at one time. Everything needed to be done ASAP. Luckily, it’s easier to calm people down with chocolate cupcakes. How I managed to go all day without eating one of these bad boys I don’t know!

20131018-212322.jpg
Now we are sitting around watching Ghostbusters! Takes me back to the good old days!

“Why worry? Each one of us is wearing an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back.”