Owl Sandwich

Another owl-themed lunch today for T!

• sandwich, cut to form wings
• apple slice cut into circles for eyes
• carrot slice cut into triangle for beak
• carrot slices with tiny triangles cut from them for feet
• pretzel rod for tree branch

This sandwich was my inspiration!

Linked to:
   What's for Lunch Wednesday

Great Horned Owl

We took a field trip to the zoo this afternoon...to see a Great Horned Owl!

(It was difficult to get photos without the cage visible in front of the owl!)

Check out those talons!

We learned....

We saw many other birds.

Most of the animals were very "social" for a change!  As soon as we walked up to the glass, this alligator entered the water and swam over to us.

He "visited" with us for quite a while!

This orangutan was sitting at the glass, waiting for us!

We took a break from looking at the animals for some photo opportunities.  :)

Then, back to watching the animals.

Next, into the reptile house.

The small petting area had some farm animals.

We cooled off in the gift shop while we browsed.  We purchased this stuffed Great Horned Owl for T.  When squeezed in the middle, it says "Who-whoo, whoo-whoo.  Who-whoo, whoo-whoo."

This little booklet of information was attached to it.

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owls are the heaviest owls in North America and are found throughout much of the United States, even living near people.  They live in forest or field edges and are generally nocturnal.  Weighing an average of three pounds, they are strong for their size and capable of hunting prey larger than themselves.  Skunks, rabbits, snakes, and even cats are preyed upon by Great Horned Owls.

After leaving the zoo, T wanted to play at the nearby park...so we obliged!

Linked to:
   Field Trip Friday

Owl Sandwich

I prepared another owl-themed lunch for T today.

The owl is a snack idea that I found in this unit and lapbook....I just made a couple of changes.  It's made from a piece of bologna, a piece of cheddar cheese (a square, cut in half diagonally), two Ritz crackers, two slices of black olive, and pretzel sticks (broken into pieces).

I cut two slices of bread with a circle cutter and placed one bread circle under the bologna.  Right before T was ready to eat, we said "Bye-bye, owl!" and put the second bread circle on top to make a sandwich.

I also gave T some tortilla chips in a green bowl with an owl pick.  For the pick, I used a foam owl and embellished it with two tiny wiggle eyes...and glued a toothpick to the back.

Linked to:
   I Heart Lunch
   What's for Lunch Wednesday
   Fancy Sandwich Friday

Baby Owls

Today, we began a unit study about owls.

This was T's lunch today...which went along with a book we read, Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.

     Once there were three baby owls:  Sarah and Percy and Bill....
     The baby owls came out of their house, and they sat on the tree and waited.
          ~from Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

• three baby owls > three owl-shaped sandwiches (white bread with sprinkles for eyes)
• tree > pretzel sticks
• foliage > romaine lettuce
• full moon > ranch dressing
• dark of night > black placemat

Linked to:
   I Heart Lunch
   Family Fun Friday

Belarus

T received this postcard today...from Belarus.

It is a postcard of a painting called "House Egret" by Podverbnyj Yuri.

The painting is acrylic on canvas, created in 2011.

The artist was born in 1976 in Belarus.

The sender of the postcard wrote that the egret is listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus due to its small population.

Wedding Shower

The wedding shower on Saturday for my niece and her fiancé was a fabulous success!  :D  At least two people commented that it was the best party I've done yet!  Yay!!

It was So Much Fun, from beginning to end...including all of the preparations and the party itself.  I can hardly wait to tell you all about it.  :)

The Happy Couple

Embellished Owls

I found this owl printable...which I printed and embellished.

These owls were intended to be used as bookmarks.  This is what I did:

1. I printed two copies on heavyweight (110 lb.) white card stock.
2. I cut out the owls and glued two of the same color back-to-back.
3. I glued sequins on the front (only) of each.
4. I punched a small hole near the top of each and added a loop of clear monofilament (for hanging).

I found these owl printables...which I printed and embellished.

These owls were intended to be used to make a mobile.  This is what I did:

1. I printed two copies of each color on heavyweight (110 lb.) white card stock.
2. I cut out the owls.
3. I added small flower brads to the eyes on the front (only) of each.
4. I glued two of the same color back-to-back.
5. I punched a small hole near the top of each and added a loop of clear monofilament (for hanging).

Origami Owls

I made two more owl decorations for the centerpiece.

I made origami owls using these instructions.

I added wiggle eyes to the front and glued hemp cord to the back (for hanging).

These were so fun to make!  I love origami.  :)

Newspaper Owls

For the dining table centerpiece, I'm going to put a tree branch in an owl vase. Hanging from the branch will be various owl decorations...some purchased and others handmade.

These are the first two owl decorations I made.

1. I printed this owl pattern onto heavyweight (110 lb.) white card stock.
2. I cut out the body and covered it with pieces of newspaper.
3. I cut out the wing and the face and beak and traced the pattern pieces onto scrapbooking paper.
4. I cut them out and glued them to the body.
5. I added buttons (layered) for the eyes.
6. I glued a piece of hemp cord to the back (for hanging).
7. I also traced the body pattern piece onto scrapbooking paper (same as used above), which I cut out and glued to the back of the owl...to give it a more "finished" look since the back will show when hanging.

Owl Invitations

In a couple of weeks, I'm hosting a wedding shower for my niece who is getting married in July.  For the party, I decided to go with an owl theme.  (My niece likes owls.)  Although I looked high and low for invitations with an owl theme, I was unsuccessful in locating any.  So, I made the invitations.  :)

I purchased kraft note cards with envelopes, owl ribbon, an owl rubber stamp, and a moss green stamp pad.  (Later, I purchased a chestnut brown stamp pad, because the green ink didn't show up very well.)

Don't make the same mistake I did and run out of ribbon halfway through the project!  I misjudged how much ribbon I would need.  I knew the roll contained nine feet of ribbon, and I thought (guessed) each card would require a foot of ribbon...
enough on one roll to make eight cards.  Wrong!  I had to use 16 inches of ribbon for each card to make the knot on the front look right.

Here are photos of the finished invitation.

I printed addresses on labels using moss green ink and the same font (Curlz MT)...
and affixed "Celebrate!" postage stamps.

Also, I added an owl sticker to the back of each envelope.

Additional party details are forthcoming!

Ducks in a Row

While T is in Tennessee, I'm trying to get some of my ducks in a row....

This was my late-night snack this evening.

• ducks - cheese toast
• water - m&m's

Check out some bird-themed bentos....