A Harry Day

We were channeling Hogwarts over here today, with pumpkin pasties for dinner and several games of chess!  That's right, chess.  The kids have taken to chess.  They had wanted to try their hand at it since seeing it in the movie, having given up on making checkers as exciting as Wizards' Chess.  And so Mama bought them a starter set, Harry Potter, of course, exactly like the chess challenge in the movie.  Yesterday, they practiced all the ways the different pieces could move, following along in beginning chess books Bud had chosen at the library on Thursday including one with great illustrations of knights and castles and another written by World Chess Champion and grandmaster Gary Kasparov (he's taken them to bed two nights in a row to read!).  Today, they played each other, several times, not minding who won or lost, as long as they could make the blowing up noises from the movie!  We watched, making sure pawns attacked the correct way and knights moved only in their L-formation (good thing Mama's memory is better than mine), and advised sometimes, about strategy, castling, rules (if you touch it, you have to move it), and etiquette (it's not nice to use your Queen to kick their King if they've surrendered).  And they loved it.  Watch out, Muggles!

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Pumpkin Pasties (coming soon)

2 pie crusts, room temperature
1 can of pumpkin puree
cinnamon, nutmeg
sugar