Advanced Studies S13: Order Missions, Part 4

We have lots more beautiful 'Puff projects to show off today!

kirsts made these colorful blanket squares in tribute to another great Badger, Nymphadora Tonks:

Marushka expanded the Order network with this lovely shawl:

kazpatch danced her way through a recruitment mission while wearing this beautiful shawl:

nwheatley knit this fantastic pair of socks to aid in her security mission:

RavenLuna made a beautiful and colorful shawl to pay tribute to the beautiful and colorful Tonks:

Luckynumbers worked for Central Command and finished her work with this gorgeous shawl:

and Vampiratknits paid tribute to fallen hero Arabella Figg with a beautiful shawlette and socks:

Beautiful work, Badgers! I hope everyone is feeling inspired to try out an Order mission or OWL in the coming term. I know I am! Check back throughout August to see the wonderful projects that Hufflepuff Order operatives completed!

Advanced Studies S13: Order Missions, Part 2

Today we're continuing our Break Month celebration of every Badger who completed a mission for the Order of the Phoenix. We have some really impressive work to show off today!

jen2291 spun her Time-Turner to go undercover at a concert. To blend in with the Muggles, she wore this shawl and carried some reusable totes:

Our fabulous HoH JMN was another undercover operative. She wore this Color Affection shawl for her work for the Order:

Finally, Lady Dragonsinger crocheted an amazing 400 granny squares for the Linus Connection as part of her charitable work for the Advance Guard:

We certainly have some talented and generous students in Hufflepuff! Great job, Order operatives!

We'll keep showing you all of the beautiful projects that the Badgers completed for the Order of the Phoenix throughout August. Huzzah Hufflepuff!

Firstie Fridays: Let's Celebrate!

Happy Friday, Badgers!  If you can believe it, tomorrow marks the halfway point of the term. I thought now would be the perfect time to take a good look at how our terms are going. I encourage you to play along, whether you’re a Firstie or you’ve been here longer than Peeves!

FIRSTIE TIP OF THE WEEK: CELEBRATE ACCOMPLISHMENTS! CHEER FOR YOURSELF AND FOR YOUR HOUSEMATES.

To take stock of my term so far, I’m going to steal a really good idea: the Five Good Things lists that we make over in the NQFY Waiting Room where I am on the mentoring team. The Five Good Things list is just what it sounds like: you list five things that make you proud, happy, or excited. For an example, let's take a look at my list.

Five Good Things About Jessia’s Firstie Term So Far:

1.       I got 257 points in May. I wasn’t sure if I could get that in one term, let alone one month, so I’m proud of myself for that.

2.       Being a Quidditch Beater is one of the most fun things in the world, and I’m really glad that I made it onto the team.

3.       I think I’m finally getting over my fear of using the good stuff from my stash. I’ve been hesitant because I don't think I'm skilled enough to merit using nice yarn. If I don’t start using it, though, I will end up with a collection of really pretty skeins instead of finished projects, so I’m done just petting it and ready to start knitting it. Then, of course, I will pet it some more.

4.       I sprinted for Hufflepuff glory! I was one of the last ‘Puff sprinters to cross the Quidditch finish line, but I surprised myself by finishing my tote on the first day. I was proud of my effort.

5.       IHU fun times! I love IHU, and I’m having a blast working on it. You should all check it out. It might end up on your Five Good Things list, too!

There you have it! Those are five things I’m really happy about right now. What about you? Think about all the projects you’ve done and the activities in which you’ve participated. Did you craft something amazing, make a new friend, earn a crazy amount of bonus points, learn a new technique, or otherwise surprise yourself with your own Badgertasticness™? Make your own Five Good Things list and see just how much you’ve accomplished! Even if you think you didn’t accomplish anything, once you sit down and try to come up with Good Things, you will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your list fills up.

Once you’ve got your Five Good Things list, think about sharing it with your fellow Badgers in PBQuest, the UCR, or your cete! You will get plenty of encouragement when you post your list. That’s one of the things I love most about Hufflepuffs: how much they enjoy cheering on their housemates. It feels great to have your fellow ‘Puffs celebrate your accomplishments with you, and it feels great to celebrate your housemates’ accomplishments, too. Huzzah Hufflepuff!

Thanks for reading, Badgers! Go celebrate all the great things we’ve done so far, and then get ready to be even more amazing as we begin the second half of the term!

Quidditch, It's in the Bag!

Hello Quidditch Fans!  On 6 June we will begin our next Match! The thought of that excites me, how about you?

First, a review...
Training Film 2: Heat Therapy was a wonderful Match.  It was a win/win for each House.  The teams crafted beautiful hats and blanket squares which will be given to charities all over the world!  So, no matter how many items where crafted, everyone wins.  Our wonderful Headmistress, yarnvista, had this to say about the Match, "...It kinda gets me misty that every single thing in this challenge was made to make someone else’s life a little cozier."

Let's roll the Headlights Reel! (If statistics makes your head spin, you should skip this section.):
Here are the final UNOFFICIAL Goals:

Looking at the chart it appears that Hufflepuff made a second place showing.  Let's look a little closer...

• On average, each Hufflepuff team player turned in 4.48 items, Ravenclaw 4.52 items, Gryffindor 4.34 items, and Slytherin 4.19 items. 
• Although Slytherin was only 2 goals behind Hufflepuff, we turned in 28 more items, that's 420 points.
• Gryffindor has increased its lead over Hufflepuff from 210 unofficial points to 780 unofficial points (points do not include bonus points). 

Great job Badgers!
That wasn't so bad, was it? You made it through the statistics.

It's in the Bag!
On Thursday, Training Film 3: Speed Sprints begins at Midnight POT.  Here is your fearless Sprints Team:
1st year JessiaSott
2nd year brighteyesjessy
3rd year krazykt82000
4th year SharonLuvs2Knit2
5th year msoyster
6th year jen2291
7th year Lucamama
B1 Lea67000
B2 Mamalion
B3 cariboustar
B4 hazelly
B5 Luckynumbers
B6 kimanneberly
B7 ChellBelle
M1 zillalatte
Alternates:
JMN
nwheatley

The points for this Match will be given in a decreasing manner.  The first 4 completed bags will receive 30 points, the next 4 will receive 29 points, and so on and so forth.  I know many 'Puffs are planning to wake up early for the POT start time!  Way to go Badgers!

In the Locker Room, FlyKytten has declared her desire to win The Cup!  A few team members have concurred! Would you like to win The Cup?  Here's how YOU can help...

Everyone (other than team members) is invited to the Pep Rally to show your team spirit.  You will receive 5 points for participating.  AND if you craft something for this event, you can turn it in elsewhere in The Cup for points!  The Quidditch coaches do ask that you use a different photo from the Quidditch photo when you turn in elsewhere. 

Go Badgers, Go!

(Photo curtsey of our fearless Captain LumosKP.)
That's all the Quidditch news for now.  Enjoy your week.  Until next time; Keep your eyes on the Golden Snitch.