Harry Potter's Birthday

Hello all!
As many of you might already know, yesterday was Harry Potter's birthday! My first idea was to utilize my season pass to Islands of Adventure and celebrate at Harry Potter World itself. However, my husband worked a long hot day at his mostly-outdoor job and wasn't feeling more sweating, despite my argument that HP world has snow. so I decided to get creative. How so? Harry Potter dinner!

Step 1:
Turkey legs!
Turkey legs are a staple at Three Broom Sticks, the restaurant in Harry Potter World. The HP world restaurant is by far one of the best in all of the universal parks. Their food is always consistently yummy, the environment in which you eat is fantastic to the point of feeling as though you really are in Hogsmeade, and, of course, you can have a delicious butterbeer with your meal! The recipe I used was found for me by a friend, and you can find it here. (It's YUM and healthly!)

Step 2: 
BUTTERBEER! Yep. That's what I said. Butterbeer.
For a long while I have been bummed out that butter beer isn't for sale anywhere outside of HP World. Being as I have had a season pass since HP World opened, I haven't missed out on it too much. Once you taste it however, you want it often. I googled and googled butterbeer recipes and frankly they were all WAY too complicated, and had very mixed reviews. I knew I would be overly critical since I am an experienced butterbeer drinker, and nearly gave up. I then encountered a blog known as Bakingdom. The creator of the blog has invented her own butterbeer recipe and it wasn't anywhere near as complicated as all the others I had seen. I figured it was worth a try and I have to tell you...
It was SPOT ON. I can hardly tell the difference between the butterbeer I had at HP world and the batch I had made. I encourage you to try it. Here is the recipe.

Step 3:
Honeydukes themed cupcakes!
What's a birthday without some kind of cake?
Honeydukes signature colors are pink and green. I intended to print the honeydukes logo and attach it to toothpicks as a sort of sign sticking up from the cupcakes. However, I did not know that my printer was out of colored ink, so I basically just made pink cupcakes.
But they were delish!

It's so fun to bring fictional stories into your home in ways such as these, and I greatly encourage it. I hope you'll have your own Harry Potter dinner!  

The Finished Product:

LAMMMMMMEEEEEEE

Today's Top 5? Top 5 Lamest Mascots!


#5 What strikes more fear into the hearts of men than..... an orange? The mascot for the Syracuse Orange is Otto the Orange. The Syracuse Mascot was originally a Native American character named Saltine Warrior, but the Native American students petitioned to have the mascot changed because of its "Stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans." 17 years went by before they decided on a mascot, and what was chosen? (by the student body, no less.) Otto the Orange...I mean... Really?




#4 At first glance I see rotten celery... But it seems the Wichita State WuShock is actually a giant living bound bundle of wheat. In 1904 The team's manager chose the name because many of the players earned money during the off season harvesting (or "shocking") wheat in the surrounding fields. No offence mister manager sir, but maybe you could have been a wee bit more inventive.








#3 Brutus Buckeye at Ohio State University is simply what his name suggests- an Ohio Buckeye nut. Brutus has been around since 1965 when the athletic council chose a buckeye as the college's mascot over a buck deer... Interesting decision Ohio.








#2 The Boll Weevil: University of Arkansas at Monticello. The boll weevil is a beetle that feeds on cotton buds and flowers. It infested all U.S. cotton-growing areas by the 1920s, devastating the industry and the people working in the American south. During the late 20th century it became a serious pest in South America as well. UAM’s early students, most of them the sons and daughters of delta cotton planters, selected the Boll Weevil as their mascot...
So they chose the biggest pest they knew of, which was putting their families out of business, to represent them as a college mascot. What do they cheer at games? "GO PESTS!"???






#1 At Evergreen State University, they chose the largest burrowing clam in the world as their mascot. According to the college's website, "The appearance of geoduck's large, protruding siphon has led to the belief that the geoduck has the properties of an aphrodisiac." Erm.... Take from that what you will people....



However, before I go, I MUST share with you the Geoduck Fight Song because I literally laughed out loud when I read it. I mean, Are they SERIOUS!?


The Geoduck Fight Song
words and music by Malcolm Stilson, 1971

Go, Geoducks go,
Through the mud and the sand,
let's go.
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.

Go, Geoducks go,
Stretch your necks when the tide
is low
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.


Wow...

On that lovely note, thanks for reading!

Love Always,
Kayelee

Spontaneous Saturday!

So this week I have been very step-outside-my-box-ish.
I went to an art lecture....
AND I met the guy who wrote THE SURROGATES! (the graphic novel the movie is based on)
....and both were awesome!
I'm continuing these new experiences today by going to the Book Festival at UCF :)
BUT I just wanted to share some of the pics Sarah and I took the last 2 days...

Art of War: Kevin Haran
(to see a bit of an explanation as to how he makes his sculptures, go to my sisters blog here)





The Surrogates: Robert Venditti
This guy was great to listen to, and so far I am liking his graphic novel a lot! Again, for a description of the event, go to my sister's blog.








One last thought then I'm done:
I REALLY encourage you guys to try to reach outside your routine and try something like this out. Its so freeing to step outside your daily life and do something a little different for a change. It doesn't have to be anything major, but it will make a difference, I can promise that. Besides, you might find something you really like out of the experience. For example, I had no idea a graphic novel could be such a fun thing to read, but I'm having a hard time putting it down.

Thanks for reading :)
Love Always,
Kayelee

Lake Eola!

ADVENTURRRRRREEEE!!!

Today there was an event at Lake Eola that my sister and I went to. Take a look!



Thanks for watching!

Love Always,
Kayelee

Aurenthia Studios- Sara Lewis' Photography

Sara Lewis is someone I went to college with, but hardly knew in my time there. As far as I remember, we had one class together, and I can honestly say I have no recollection as to how I first sighted her photos. What I do remember is not having seen any photography like them, and being completely in awe of her talent. Since I first discovered her work, I've followed it closely, making sure I never missed an update of new pictures on her website or facebook. When most of us take a photo, it is just a photo. There might be some of our most beloved friends and family in it, and we may cherish it until the day we die, but still, it's just a photo. When Sara takes a photo, it is art. I hope you enjoy her photos as much as I do!





















Thanks for taking a look! Sara's website is www.aurenthiastudios.com if you want to see more!

Until next time!

Love Always,
Kayelee

The Paintings of Amy K

“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
~Albert Einstein

I've decided that I'm going to start my themed blogging early!
The reason? I'm very excited about my first "Frame-It Friday" and simply can't wait until next week!



Amy Kaufman has been a good friend of mine since my junior year of high school, about 7 years ago. She is married and has a beautiful baby girl who is quickly approaching 2 years old. She is a stay at home mother and an artist. My favorite thing that she says about herself is "I am quite the unapologetic girlie girl." I love this about her, and I love that she is an amazing and beautiful person, inside and out.

Mademoiselle Bardot
Amy: "I adore Brigitte Bardot. She is one of the most beautiful women to ever live and she is my muse for most of my paintings. She has that va va voom factor that helps me paint my dainty dolls."


The only girl named Austin
Amy: "This painting was made for my best friend, Austin. She loves music and very girlie things. She's quite feminine so it came with ease to paint her so cute."


Alice in Wonderland
Amy: "Alice in Wonderland has always been my favorite book & Disney movie as a girl. Alice is imaginative, adventurous, bold and doesn't need a Prince Charming to save her. Also, she's a big daydreamer like myself. I painted her for my daughter's nursery. She is someone who, even if fictional and only a child, to admire. I believe a person should never lose their childhood imagination."

These are just a small sampling on Amy's fun and feminine creations. She is in the process of preparing an etsy.com account, and when she does, I will be sure to link to it on my blog.

As always, thanks for reading! See you next time!
Love always,
Kayelee

(The quote at the top of the page was one that Amy provided, I had never heard it before today.)

GO GATORS

Even our dogs are fans....













enough said.