Thursday, April 19, 2012

Gringott's Bank (4714)


And, as a bonus, you get a wonderful view of my pink comfy chair!
I enjoyed that there were secret little compartments everywhere that you put coins in, sliding the cart down the little track was really fun, I didn't try it on a counter or anything, but it was still awesome!  The goblins are really cute, which is why I am including a picture of them.  You can't tell, but the large white plate on the top says GRINGOTTS.  Some things that I found really interesting in addition to this is that the set is so old that Harry and Hagrid's skin is yellow, not skin colored like it is nowadays.  It made me feel like it was kinda vintage/antique, it came out in 2002, so I'm really excited that I found one for so cheap.  It was used, but it had all the pieces so it did not disappoint.  Also, in the back of the instruction booklet, it shows variations of different ways you can build it with the pieces you have.  Which I haven't seen so far in the sets that I've got, so that made me really really happy.  Plus, I can rebuild this set a different way and add it to the Gringotts that I'm getting with Diagon Alley to make it extra exciting and interesting!

P.S.  I found this set as well as a lot of others (including the next 2 I'll be posting about) on Bricklink.  Hubby and I have had pretty good success with this web site so far, most of the purchases require Paypal, and you can check out reviews of the "stores" that are on there.

Monday, April 16, 2012

The Knight Bus (4866)

Some things I particularly enjoy about this one, they made it so the bed on the bottom "floor" slides around (also note that Harry is lying on the bed! :)  The hair that is used for Ernie's is the same that is used for Madam Hooch...Awesome!  Harry's trunk is placed on the left side of the middle "floor" and does not sit properly and rattles around, which is really creative!  The white blurr on the right side is Hedwig.  And there is nothing of interest on the top "floor" except for that the chandelier swings around, which, again, is extremely creative! :)

Overall, these recent sets are pretty lame, but I'm to the point where I'm running out of things to get and need to get the whole set.  But, on the other hand, I really enjoy them and they make me giggle!!!  Pieces to look forward to in the very near future include: Diagon Alley (which I am thrilled about and hopefully it comes soon!!!), Gringott's bank, Escape from Privet Drive, and Lupin's classroom.

I think I have a problem...(getting too many legos).  My wish list for the next go around is pending, including but not limited to the large hogwarts express (not the motorized one), chamber of secrets and the shrieking shack which has a wolf head that you can put on lupin!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mini Hogwarts Express


He he!!  Its so cute!

Harry Potter Legos round 2: Quidditch Match (4737)

Some features I enjoy:
Many sets come with a few extra pieces, this one I got a free broomstick!  Which is more significant than small buttons and pins and stuff like that. Also, there are catapults that you make that you can use to fling balls through the hoops.  (I still haven't been able to make one through a hoop.  I would not be a good Quidditch player!  Also, for some reason, spell check is saying Quidditch is spelled wrong..weird! :)  It comes with 2 helmets, which is exciting.  Also, as you can see, Harry did get the snitch, it is in his hand. I was kind of disappointed that it was a button piece, but it still makes me giggle.  And finally, the stand for the Quidditch cup is really cool!  And I was thinking, when I mix all the sets to play with them, I could put the Quidditch cup in Professor McGonagall's office!  Hehe!

Oh my gosh!  I just realized where the other broom goes, I retract what I just said!  It's Madam Hooch's and it goes on the side of the stand!  Silly me...
Also, following is a pretty blurry picture of Madam Hooch.  Her hair is awesome!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Muffin #2: Banana Crumb Muffin

I made these muffins 2 Sundays ago and am just now getting to posting it.  Don't worry, I haven't made muffin #3 yet. I probably should.  I've been thinking about making a posting schedule this summer and hopefully sticking to it.  But we'll see how things go.  (I'm going to school full time this summer while hubby is out in Iowa at his internship for John Deere, at the end of the summer I should have my Associate's degree, assuming everything goes smoothly).  Also, as part of the schedule I'm planning, there will be weekly snippets of a little campfire story that I wrote, its a little crazy, but I find it really fun.  Also with the story, suggestions for further adventures to be had will be welcome.  As the story continues you will see that it is open to (almost) anything.  I like this story because I feel its one of the few ways that I can let my imagination just go crazy.  And since only a couple of people read this anyway, I might as well have more fun with it.

Muffin #2: Banana Crumb Muffins from Allrecipes.com

(based on the picture, they look kinda gross, huh? haha..)

Following the same format as muffin #1: First, I'll talk about my general feelings about the recipe, then how I felt about how it tasted and then I'll post the recipe (in this case, a link to it).  

1) The recipe was really easy to make, came together rather quickly and was from many ingredients that I always have on hand.  I made regular sized muffins, the recipe made 12 pretty easily even though it says 10.  I used muffin papers instead of my silicone baking cups because they are kinda stupid to clean.  I moved the baking rack to the almost top position so that the bottoms wouldn't get burnt and I baked them for 17 minutes.  
2) They tasted pretty good, they all got eaten, which is a big step up from last time.  They weren't awesome, but still good.  It was pretty much banana bread, but in muffin form and with bits of cinnamon sugar stuff on top.  
And Finally, 3) Here is a link to the recipe: Banana Crumb Muffins

Thank you, and good night.  
Just think in a couple of weeks you might get to hear about the final muffin, Blueberry Streusel!  Ooooo!!! :)