The Item Block

So, Ari walked into his room the other day to find an item block hovering in the air.

Naturally, he did what any red-blooded American boy would do when faced with the same situation.

He punched the bottom of it.  I mean, who wouldn't punch the bottom of it?  There could be so many amazing things inside.  Would it be a coin?  A super mushroom?  A 1-Up?  A star?  As it turns out, it wasn't any of those things, but he was quite pleased regardless.

It was our latest reward from Club Nintendo!  A figurine featuring Mario, Luigi, Toad, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, and a Goomba.  We registered enough games last year to reach platinum status with the club, which will probably never happen again since we registered four years worth of games to get there.  They sent this to us for free, and we didn't even have to use any of our reward "coins" to get it.  What a sweet deal, huh?  I can't think of a nicer reward, especially since Ari has it proudly displayed in his bedroom.

Super Mario Quilt

The Super Mario quilt is complete!  I am so happy with the way it turned out, too.  I love the colors, plus having a life-size quilted Mario is pretty cool.  It didn't take me as long to complete it as I thought it would, and it wasn't nearly as tedious as I was anticipating by using smaller squares. 

Even more happy to have the quilt completed is Ari, who had been asking me when it would be finished since I bought the fabric.  The night I finished it, I took it up to his room and covered him with it so he would be surprised when he woke up.  He was pretty thrilled the next morning.  It fits on his bed nicely, too.

Hmmm...maybe I should make a Princess Peach quilt for Emilie...

Mario Head Start

I am half-way finished with the front of my Mario quilt; and Ari and Emilie would be happy if I stopped here.  I have to admit I have had the most fun making this quilt because I am able to see Mario come together with each square. Stay tuned...

Super Mario Galaxy 2...May 23rd!

Mark your calendars!  The sequel to arguably the best game on the Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, will be hitting the shelves on May 23rd.  One month from today, in fact.

I just want to spread the word.  It's not like I'm excited or anything...

...

...

...

...

...

...

YOSHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's the trailer:

Oh, Mario, you've come a long way since 1985.

Hanafuda Cards

I was referred to Club Nintendo by a fellow co-worker who shares my passion for gaming. She told me about the site and how they have some exclusive Nintendo merchandise available. I was intrigued, so I checked it out one evening. In order to participate, I had to join the club, and then register my games in order to accumulate 'coins'; I could then redeem the 'coins' for Nintendo merchandise.


I decided to join Club Nintendo and I started registering all my Wii and DS games. It took me a while since I had accumulated a lot of games over the past four years or so. I couldn't just type in the registration code either; I had to answer several questions about the game as well.  Once I registered all my games, I looked to see what product I wanted to purchase with my 'coins'. One item jumped out at me right away, the Hanafuda Cards.


I remembered reading a long time ago how Nintendo started out as a card company in the late 1800's. I didn't know what kind of cards they made, but I thought it was interesting that the company started so long ago. Seeing these Hanafuda Cards, I knew I wanted them; I could a piece of Nintendo history! So, I ordered the cards and anxiously waited for them to arrive in the mail.


The cards came rather quickly, and when I opened the box, I was surprised how small they were. They came in a protective case with a picture of Mario on it. There are 48 Hanafuda cards in the set, and they measure 2.2 x 1.25 inches each. Some of them have Nintendo themed artwork, such as Mario and Yoshi, while others have floral designs. The cards are quite nice, actually.


The card set also came with instructions on how to play the two player game "Koi-Koi." I haven't yet played the game. I read the instructions and could not follow them whatsoever. But hey, at least I have the cards, if only for aesthetic purposes. I also still have a balance of 'coins' on Club Nintendo, so more Nintendo goodies may be coming my way soon!

Super Mario Onesies!

Check it out! Super Mario Bros. onesies! I think these are just about the coolest baby clothes I have ever seen. I wish I had discovered the magic of the iron on transfer sheets when my kids were still babies.

My Aunt Joyce was visiting the other day and asked if I had made Thomas any clothes. I did make him a quilt, but I have never made clothes before. The closest I have been to making clothes has been with iron on transfers when I made Emilie a Fresh Beat Band shirt and Ari a couple Calvin and Hobbes shirts. Then it hit me, I needed to make Thomas some Super Mario onesies!

It was a piece of cake. I got Thomas some onesies, picked out the images I wanted to use, printed them, cut them, then ironed them on. We got the 3-6 month size, so they should fit him during the summer. I can't wait to see him wear one!

Mario Quilt Design

I've come up with a design for my 8-bit Mario quilt. I'm very excited about making it.

I basically just took the image of Mario from the title screen of 'Super Mario Bros.' and zoomed in on it. I moved the green hill over a little bit because I wanted to some blue sky behind Mario in the quilt.

I'm still debating whether or not to go with an all blue background so Mario would stand out more. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. When it's done it should measure about about 6 feet by 4.5 feet. Now to buy the materials. Onward and upward!

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

I know there only a small percentage of you who look at my blog like to play Nintendo (hi Ari). But I just couldn't contain my excitement for this new game and I had to share.



New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be released this Christmas. This game is a throwback to the style of the original Super Mario Bros. and allows four players to play the game together for the first time! I know one thing that will be on my Christmas list the year.

Mario, Luigi, Lightning McQueen, The King, and Ari...best pals.

The boy sure does love his Cars and Mario Bros. toys. Who can blame him? He got his love for Mario and Luigi from me. I am a bona fide Nintendo fan; and I haven't met a Super Mario game I didn't like. I remember being 5 years old and playing Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Those were the days.

Ari has been playing some of the old Mario games we have downloaded from the virtual console on our Wii. We just completed Super Mario World together and he is working on the original Super Mario Bros. right now. So far, he has been able to beat world 1-1 all by himself. He's getting better and I think he is doing pretty good for just turning 3.

It's fun watching him play these games for the first time. I have played them so many times, I still have all the secret exits and warp zones etched in my brain. Scary...