Seuss-inspired Daisy Gear

You've read 'Green Eggs and Ham' and 'The Cat in the Hat', but can you name another even rarer than that?

We are certainly BIG fans of Dr. Seuss in this household,

but we share a special fondness for this little-known work written by Theodor Seuss Geisel: 

Daisy-Head Mayzie was written by Dr. Seuss in the 1960s, yet it was published posthumously. It was made into an animated special for Hanna Barbera cartoons back in 1995, and as I just discovered on Wikipedia, is being made into a Disney/Pixar film in 3D. Wow!

So, how would you like to be just like Mayzie and have your very own daisy sprouting up from your noggin?

It's simple! Gather a sheet of white poster board, some yellow cardstock, a green foam sheet, popsicle sticks, and white daisy-shaped die cuts. (I used a set of daisy paper coasters from the Martha Stewart collection.) Other necessary tools: scissors, scallop paper punch, packing tape, double sided tape, tacky glue, exacto knife, stapler.

1. Start by cutting bands from the narrow end of the poster board, close to 2" tall. This band should be wide enough to encircle the head of any child.

2. Use the scallop punch to cut two yellow card stock centers of the daisy, one for each side of the daisy. Use a thin strip of packing tape to attach the popsicle stick to the daisy base, then use double-sided tape to adhere the centers, with one center covering the top of the popsicle stick.

3. Cut a leaf shape for each daisy from the green foam. Use the exacto knife to cut a slit in the widest part of the leaf. Slide the leaf onto the popsicle.

4. Put a few drops of tacky glue at the base of the popsicle stick and press onto the poster board band. Reinforce with packing tape.

5. When all the daisy "stems" are attached to the bands, the bands can be sized and stapled around the heads of the children you are going to read Daisy-Head Mayzie to. Take a photo of their happy faces, then send it to me!

I hope you have an opportuny to pick up your favorite Dr. Seuss book and participate in Read Across America Day on March 2nd.

Sugar Cookie S'mores

Shhhh...don't tell our dentist!

With temperatures in the 70s this weekend, we grilled dinner out, and then of course we needed to roast some marshmallows over the warm coals afterwards.  

Since there seemed to be some leftover Valentine sugar cookies in the kitchen (and let's face it, you know there is never a shortage of chocolate at my house), I figured what better way to use them up than to make Sugar Cookie S'mores? 

Beats a run of the mill graham cracker s'more any day. Well, at least any day that tops 70 in February!

Added bonus: Sloppy melted chocolate smooches, and a five-year-old who uses her marshmallow on a stick as a fairy wand. Introducing my little Marshmallow Fairy. The sugar intake nearly did make her airborne. 

Cupid's Peppermint Truffles

Do calories count on Valentine's Day? I sure hope not, because these little beauties are WHOPPERS!

I hosted a children's cookie decorating party at my house last Friday and I wanted to make some special treats for the moms coming as well. I had never made Oreo truffles myself before, but I have savored *a few* at a friend's home.

I came upon a recipe for WHITE CHOCOLATE OREO TRUFFLES on ehow.com and tweaked it a little. So here goes:
1 pkg. Oreos (or Newman's O's)
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese (Neufchatel or full fat, your choice)
1 12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Wax paper
Sprinkles and toothpick "arrows" are optional.

Start by crushing the Oreos inside of the package. I did this just by using my hands, but you could use a rolling pin or other blunt instrument to help you get the job done if necessary. Next, blend them into the room temperature cream cheese by hand with a spatula. It will look very mushy, but don't worry.

Roll this mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. All of the handling can make the mixture become warm and difficult to keep its shape, so you may want to chill the mixture in its bowl to make it easier to form into balls. I was able to produce 34 truffle balls.

Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for at least a half hour before you begin to chocolate coat them.

When your truffle balls have chilled long enough, get your white chocolate coating ready. Place the 12 oz bag of white chocolate chips in a microwave proof bowl or pyrex measuring cup with the tablespoon of canola oil. Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals until completely smooth.

Skewer each truffle ball with a frill-top tooth pick (I bought mine at Publix) and dip each one in the melted chocolate, spinning slowly to allow the excess chocolate to drip off.

Finally, sprinkle each truffle ball with a few Valentine hearts (mine came as a topping with a tub of Pillsbury frosting) before the chocolate hardens.

Serve on a fancy plate, and use a paper doily if you have one!

Any math geeks out there (like me) who are wondering about the full calorie count?
Full package of Oreos: 2100 cals
Full block of cream cheese: 560 cals
Full bag of white chocolate chips: 1680 cals
Full tablespoon canola oil: 120 cals
Total calorie count =  4460 calories
Yield: 34 White Chocolate Oreo Truffles,

making each truffle 131 calories each. Not really too bad...if you can manage to cosume only one!

Happy Valentine's Day, and I hope you enjoy somthing a little sweet with someone you love!

Snowcation (Day Five)

Yes, folks. We have made it to the end of the school week, effectively without sending the children to school. If you remember I reported we had five inches of snow Sunday night into Monday. Apparently according to my friend Christy, there is a standard ratio in Georgia that one inch of snow is equal to one day off from school. Or as I heard a Weather Channel meteorolgist report, "Five million people, five plows. You do the math." So yes, we were at home once again. Or were we?

NO! We broke free from our house arrest and we ventured out into the wild white yonder. No problems to speak of, except for a few shady areas where sunlight hadn't had a chance to fully melt away the ice pack.

The girls and I went out for lunch (Mmmmm, yummy burritos at Moe's) and then went on the hunt for more Rainbow Fairies books. My oldest just can't get enough of them, and I figure if she hasn't been in school all week but keeps pleasantly busy reading to herself, then I will do my part to keep her happy.

So with today's addition, 'Juliet the Valentine Fairy', that brings the count up to 10 that the girls own. The girls not only love to hear the stories and act out their own vignettes, they have also decided that the black and white illustrations inside the books are too mundane, so they have begun coloring the pages of the chapter books, too. That's a lot of mileage out of a paperback for $4.99 (or 75 cents if you're lucky enough to score one at a consignment store!).

Snowcation (Day Four)

OK, we're on to Day 4 of this snowy week. We've got to start getting creative to keep from going batty. Thankfully my two girls have deep wells of imagination, and they are proficient at entertaining themselves.

For instance, M is still getting a thrill out of her Rainbow Fairies books.

And B can find fun just in playing hairdresser to her Doggie and ballerina.

While I spent an hour 86-ing some of our expired pantry items (ew),

the girls were excited to decorate the remaining Hello Kitty cookies (purchased at the Target bakery) from M's birthday party. B's are the top two which were given pink grins and eyelashes; M's two have "rainbows" over Hello Kitty's head and a cherry pattern on her jumper.

We had some neighbors join us for indoor fun like making jewelry with pop beads and more hairdressing.

And now that our mail delivery has resumed (!), M was able to open a couple more gifts that were delayed by the storm.  

Our mail lady even paid us a compliment and said our driveway was the best clearing job she had seen by far. Do we own a shovel? Um, no. My husband dug through the garage and came up with a tile scraper he had bought at a home improvement store 3 years ago.

It's not meant to clear snow, but it sure beats a sheet of ice on our downhill driveway. Then again, he probably unearthed my ice skates while searching for the tile scraper, so maybe the sheet of ice would have been useful after all.

Snowcation (Day Three)

What's on the docket of fun for Snow Day #3?

Get a manicure from Mom

Play a few more games on the new laptop
(Get excited for your little sister when she gets 10 out of 10 right)

Bundle up like characters in 'A Christmas Story' and head outdoors
(Do not attempt to lick any sign posts)

Try out a makeshift cardboard sled

Get excited when neighbors come to the rescue with snow tubes
 
Come in to warm up with a toasted bagel;
Design a zen garden in the cream cheese with a fork
(This is not a 'Snow Day thing' - my daughter has always done this.)

The girls also spent a half hour chatting with their friend in England on Skype, and an hour playing with neighbors at a friend's house down the street. During that hour I inflated our air mattress intending to have a movie night by the fire, but the girls wanted to use it as a landing pad instead while they practiced their flying skills as 'Ruby' and 'Icilina' the Ice Dance Fairies.

I know some parents are having a hard time coping with the kids being home from school at length, but we are having a really fun time spending long mornings in our pjs just not having to go anywhere. It would be nice to have the mail delivered sometime soon, though. We have had no deliveries on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. What is the possibility they will make it through on Day 4 after the storm?

Snowcation (Day Two)

Looks like it's going to be another day at home. Let's see what kind of fun can be had on Day Two:

Try out the new "laptop" from Grandma (runs on 2 AA batteries)

Catch up on your "Rainbow Fairies" book series while snacking on Doritos

Take a break from reading to watch a neighbor shoveling the roof of his SUV

Craft some necklaces with a new bead set from Aunt N & Uncle J
(all of these are original designs strung by my 5 year old - I only had to tie them off)

Spend a little time outside collecting ice "trays"
from the top layer of snow

 Scout the neighborhood for five foot snowmen

Ask Daddy to join you in a Shaun T "Insanity Workout" directly after dinner (even if there's a fire blazing and you are wearing pants, long sleeeves or fleece jackets)

Pretend you are a workout instructor and make up
new moves like "Twist Kick" and "Flower Grow"

Snowcation (Day One)

Well, the weathermen were right about the crippling snowstorm in the South. We had FIVE inches of snow on Monday. And if you can remember how much of a tizzy a third of an inch caused last year, you can imagine the shut down five inches of snow brings about.

To start the day off right, with just the right amount of sugar, I put together these edible snowmen.

Start with a mini powdered donut, add regular chocolate chips for the eyes, mini chocolate chips for the "coal" mouth, and a triangular slice of a marshmallow dipped in orange sugar sprinkles for the nose.

Other clever moms would have saved a handful of candy corn from Halloween for a proper nose, but I'll just have to be more diligent next year. You could also use orange m&ms if you had those around, too. 

Roads are treacherous and cars have been abandoned all over, and they are predicting that temperatures won't get above freezing until Saturday, so we'll have to wait and see if the kids make it to school at all this week. We'll make plenty of good fun with the white canvas we have outside our door.