Wes’ Company Picnic!

(written yesterday, 8.22.09)

Wes’ company picnic was today—and it was a lot of fun!  It was at the Columbus Zoo, and it was BEAUTIFUL today!  When we arrived, the car thermometer said 72 degrees!  It did start to sprinkle toward the end, but we were in a pavilion/shelter, so it didn’t matter. 

A week or so ago, Wes mentioned that we needed to bring a dessert that would feed 2 dozen people.  Then, yesterday morning, he also mentioned that there would be a dessert contest!  He said that we didn’t have to enter, but honestly, it sounded like fun to me!  So, all day, I tried to think of something creative to make.  I asked friends for ideas, searched the internet, looked at other people’s creations for ideas—but when I went to bed last night, I still didn’t know what to make. 

So, this morning, I woke up before Wes and Ella, and laid awake in bed for 45 minutes thinking about this.  And then I had an idea!  So, I went to the store, spent more money than I should have on decorating supplies, and ended up with this: 

Now, I can’t take credit for actually decorating it!  We were running short on time, so Wes did the decorating while I finished getting myself and Ella ready. 

There weren’t many desserts that were decorated—only a few.  As a result, our little Script Ohio Sheet Cake won 1st place for presentation!  Our prize was a gift card to PF Chang’s!  Yum! 

Since I spent the majority of the morning baking, Ella missed her morning nap.  But, when she’s tired enough, she never fails to fall asleep on Wes…

After eating, the zoo brought out some animals for us to look at close-up!  I wish I had more pictures to share, but the only animal we took pictures of was this BEAUTIFUL Snow-Leopard!  He is 4 months old! 

 

 

A fun day was had by all.  :) 

A little home-made fun

I was wandering through Target the other day and saw a toy that was basically a milk jug with a hole, along with big round coin-looking things.  I thought, “I can make that!”

And it literally took me 1 minute to make!  I just took an empty oatmeal container (you could use any container that has a plastic lid that cuts easily) and cut a long strip into the lid (make sure it’s a little bigger than the objects you plan to put in it!).  Add a few jar lids (spaghetti sauce, applesauce, etc.) and voila!  Instant fun! 

Putting the jar lids into a hole is a great fine-motor activity.  It takes a lot of eye-hand coordination to get it to fit!  And, the lid comes off easily enough that Ella can do it herself. 

And then, she discovered that shaking the canister turned it into a shaker/musical instrument! 

And the best part—it’s free!  If she destroys it, it’s not a big deal.  And, although we have toys that light up and make noise/music, her favorite toys are the simple ones!  Recently, she’s started actually putting shapes into shape sorters, building with blocks, and pushing cars (and her favorite—a tractor!) around on the floor making “vroom!” sounds.  I love watching her learn new concepts seemingly overnight!