Fun Day 2014

My mom and I attended the Chattanooga Miniature Society Fun Day again this year...for two days of miniature-making fun.

I drove to my parents' house yesterday afternoon; my mom and I left for Tennessee immediately upon my arrival.  After a wrong turn or two, we finally arrived to the hotel at bedtime.  :P

The theme this year was "Mother Goose and Friends."  Below are photographs of the centerpieces for the dining tables.  Each centerpiece is based on a nursery rhyme and was made by one of the club members.

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

Rock a Bye Baby

Old Mother Hubbard

I Love Little Kitty

Little Miss Muffet

Wee Willie Winkie

Aren't they fabulous?

Spring

...is here, finally!

Linked to:
   Wordless Wednesday

Happy Easter!

T and his papa even are wearing color-coordinated clothing....  ;o)
I love it when that happens!

Easter Bag

Yesterday, I mentioned that my husband's office was going to have an indoor Easter egg hunt this afternoon for the children of the employees in the customer service department.  That, they did.  My husband told me they "hid" 1,300 filled eggs!

T did not attend the egg hunt; however, my husband was given an Easter bag filled with goodies to bring home for T.  Oh what fun T had, opening egg...

after egg...

after egg...20 eggs in all...and other little gifts, too.

T quite enjoyed himself.  :)

Bountiful Bunnies

This was T's lunch today...lots of bunnies.

• bunny-shaped sandwich with black sprinkles for the eyes and a pink heart-shaped sprinkle for the nose
  (I drew the mouth with a food-safe marker; however, there was a hole in the bread...right in the wrong place!  ha.)
• Utz Cotton Tails White Cheddar Cheese Ball Snack with a bunny pick
• citrus fruit cocktail in a white silicone cupcake liner with a bunny decoration propped up in front
• strawberry yogurt in a pink silicone cupcake liner with an egg ring
• pink marshmallow bunny
• bunny-shaped white fudge-covered shortbread cookie

Well...T ate the sandwich, yogurt, and cookie....

Personally, I thought the cheese ball snack tasted super-yummy!

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network
   Meatless Monday
   What's for Lunch Wednesday
   Fun Food Friday

Easter Treats

I prepared these Easter treats for my husband's customer service group at work.

Actually, there wasn't much preparation to it.  I added a "Happy Easter" (from T) label to the back of each wrapper.  Quick and simple...because both time and money are in short supply.  :P

Here is T...ready to go!  T enjoys going to his papa's office and handing out goodies upon occasion.

My husband's boss gave T some Easter eggs.  (My husband's office is having an indoor Easter egg hunt tomorrow for the children of the employees in the customer service department.)  Here is a blurry action shot of T opening his eggs (taken with my husband's Blackberry).

Here is T...feeling happy after giving out his treats.

He did a great job of saying "Happy Easter!" to each person.  :)

Dinosaurs Lunch

T ate this dinosaur-themed meal for lunch today.

• dinosaur-shaped sandwiches on pretzel sticks (logs)
• carrots (vegetation) with dip
• "D" (for Dinosaur) Scrabble Junior Cheez-It Cracker
• pretzel balls in a dinosaur cupcake liner with pick
  (It looks like a bumpy-backed dinosaur, right?)
• a few additional pretzel balls (rocks)
• peach yogurt with dinosaur sprinkles

Aren't the dinosaur sprinkles cute?  :)

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network
   Meatless Monday
   What's for Lunch Wednesday
   Food Fun Friday

Xander's Panda Party

The Family Dinner Book Club selection for April is Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park.

Xander's Panda Party
by Linda Sue Park

                             Xander planned a panda party.  Yes, a dandy whoop-de-do!

                             But Xander was the only panda.  Just one panda at the zoo.
                                       ~from Xander's Panda Party

Xander's Panda Party is such a lovely book.  I love the story line and the rhyming text.  (You can watch the book trailer here.)

However, I had to think twice about purchasing the book.  This is one conversation between two of the animals in the book:

          The crocodile asked Xander, "You've invited all the birds.  Birds and reptiles—long ago,
          we were related, don't you know?"

Evolution.  I will choose to omit that sentence when I read the book to T.  Regarding that portion of the book's content, the author noted in the back of the book:

        Most evolutionary biologists believe that some of the reptiles commonly known as
        dinosaurs evolved into birds during the Mesozoic era.  Today's reptiles and birds
        share common ancestors that lived more than one hundred million years ago.  The
        evolution of life on our planet continues to be a complex and wondrous mystery.

This is not what I (or we, as a family) believe.  That's why I had to think twice.

I am planning to do several fun activities with T, including the following:

• panda bear paper plate craft
• panda bear puzzle
• "P is for panda bear" magnet page
• bears 1:1 game

Although I have found a slew of ideas on the Internet for panda bear activities, crafts, and foods, I think I will start with these four!

Thank You

Dear cohorts in making food fun,

     Thank you for your votes for T's peanut butter themed bentos.  I am honored that "Elephants Love Peanuts" was chosen as Bento of the Week at Bento Blog Network.  :D

Happily,
Koogle

Elephants Love Peanuts

At least, that's what I thought.  Apparently, it isn't true!  According to the Smithsonian website (and the article, "10 Things You Didn't Know About Asian Elephants")...

Peanut-loving elephants are a myth.  Elephants, Asian or otherwise, don't eat peanuts in the wild, nor are peanuts a typical diet for captive elephants.  In fact, most elephants don't even appear to like them very much.

Well, imagine that!!

Okay...so this was T's lunch today.  :P

• elephant-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• "DOTHAN AL" Scrabble Junior Cheez-It Crackers
• roasted peanuts in the shell
• applesauce with circus-colored sprinkles
• Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

T loves peanuts...the cookie variety, anyway!  ;o)

Did you know that Dothan, Alabama is called "The Peanut Capital of the World"? Approximately one-fourth of the U.S. peanut crop is produced nearby, with much of it being processed in the city of Dothan.¹

In Dothan stands a brilliant gold peanut monument acknowledging the debt of gratitude the area owes and feels toward this legume.  Back when the boll weevil wreaked havoc on the cotton crops of the South, peanuts became the salvation of the farmer.  This versatile and more pest-resistant crop was highly instrumental in reviving the sagging economy.²

sources:
   ¹Wikipedia

   ²Examiner

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network
   Meatless Monday
   Food Fun Friday

Perfectly "P" Lunch

T enjoyed this perfectly "P" lunch today...featuring peanut butter!

    P                nut              butter

The lunch included lots of "P" foods and "P" colors, including:

• pea- ("P" shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwich)
• nut (mixed nuts)
• butter (butter cookie)
• pretzels
• peaches
• pickles
• punch
• pink paper and silicone cupcake liners
• purple placemat

And as usual, we prayed before T ate.  :)

Linked to:
   Muffin Tin Moments
   Bento Blog Network
   Fun Food Friday

Dream For Peace

I made this lunch for T for tomorrow.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. - sandwich on whole wheat bread with sprinkles
• I Have a Dream speech bubble - honey wheat bread with sprinkles
• "M L KING JR" - Scrabble Junior Cheez-It Crackers
• arms folded in prayer - Rold Gold Tiny Twists Cheddar Pretzels
• friends - Pepperidge Farm Ginger Family gingerbread cookie
• peace - vanilla yogurt with peace ring

"I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963, in which he calls for an end to racism in the United States. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, the speech was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement.

source:  Wikipedia

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network
   What's for Lunch Wednesday
   Fun Food Friday