Wrapping Party Friends, 2010

We wrapped downstairs, with 4 tables end to end. Then we put all our "shared" wrapping paper in the school room. We had a blast!

Orea...

Megan...

Tammy...

Ann Marie...

Charlie...

Owen...

Wrapping Party Food, 2010

I made Biscotti, Orange Gingerbread cookies, Ham/Onion/Cream Cheese roll ups, and three kinds of cheese balls: Serious Herb, Cranberry/Apricot, and Cream Cheese/Sharp Cheddar. I also made some Spanish Hot Chocolate, which turned out to be more like pudding. It was delicious. And we had little pickles and Sparkling Juice. YUM!

Veggie Tale Party

Owen won the newest Veggie Tale movie called, "It's a Meaningful Life."   It's a Christmas flick based on the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."  Really cute.   So, we decided to invite some of his friends over to watch it together.  It was a nice, relaxed time, with popcorn and lemonade.   There were 16 of us all together.

Tasty Treats

We did some baking and chocolate making to be ready for my "Wrapping Party," and to give some treats to some special people in Owen's life.   The Children's librarian at Gaines Township, Miss Tisha, his gymnastics instructor and owner of "Four the Kidz," Mrs. Alisa Vance, and his Wow group leader at church, Miss Martha, all received a little box full of goodies.  We also made some gingerbread cookies, but I've not frosted them yet.   So, I'll get a picture of that when I do.

Olympus Mons...

...The biggest mountain peak in the entire Solar System... the volcano on Mars.

Charlie's GREEN Christmas Tree

URS Corporation is having a contest today for decorating your cubical.   The theme this year is "GREEN."  So, Charlie spent a couple of days working on his "GREEN" Christmas tree.  It is really cute, and I know that we will keep it from year to year at our house.   It's all made of recycled cardboard from our cereal boxes, and our large cabinet box.  And he also strung popcorn, and locally grown cherries.  I thought he did a great job!   I can't wait to see if he wins something.

Gingerbread House

Today we went to the Gaines Library to make Gingerbread Houses. Miss Tisha, the children's librarian, read "The Gingerbread Baby." And then each child had their own plates with a cup of goodies to put on their own house. Fun Fun....and can you say a "SUGAR HIGH?" lol

Field Trip to Outback Steakhouse

Owen and I went to the Homeschool's group field trip to Outback Steakhouse, on Friday. Outback does not open until 4pm each evening of weekdays, but they came in early at 11am for our group. That way we had the place to ourselves. They broke our group of about 40 people into 4 groups, and we got to see things in both the eating area and the back of the restaurant. Mr. John is the manager of the store, and he was really good with the kids. We found out that the word "Kangaroo" actually means "I don't know." The natives were asked what this animal was, and well....they didn't know. Also, we learned that the sun sets or rises with the colors orange and purple. In the back, we learned the typical stations. I was happy to see that all their sauces and dressings are made from scratch, with fresh, natural ingredients...not shipped in containers on a truck.
After the tour, were had hamburgers and chicken strips, with our choice of beverage, and they made "Bloomin Onions" for us also. It was a very successful field trip.