Honorable Mention

Alright so I am a little behind in the Bloggin' thing. Last May is when this beautiful artwork was rendered by my "Little Picasso." We knew of a local art show that was accepting junior entries and we just had to go for it! The theme: Children helping children. But that wasn't good enough! He wanted to show how he helps his Bubbie (a.k.a. Grandma). The one on the right is the one that we submitted. "Max helping Bubbie run errands in her car." The other, hangs in my studio and is his very own self-portrait. I am so proud!

This year my son wanted Speed Racer to be his BIG Birthday theme. It was held at his daycare so that the task of parents being notified, waiting for RSVP's and gift giving was eliminated from the equation. (My kiddo has more toys than we have room for, so it just made good sense).

His daycare was gracious enough to give us the "big room" as so I could decorate undisturbed while his class was in session down the hall. The kids were all buzzing with curiosity as I hung racing flags from the ceiling and marked the floor with masking tape creating a miniature track. I also hauled my son's toddler race car bed in to use as a pit stop (minus the mattress). I know, I'm crazy but it was so worth it! I also wanted to create & donate a prop as a thank you for giving me the space "free of charge." So a bean bag toss came to mind. Yay, a chance to use my power tools! Max even helped paint. Gotta brag here, the kids got talent.

Anyway, the birthday party took place just before lunchtime. They came into the room with their eyes as wide as saucers and they had open play for about an hour. We finished the party off with chocolate tire donuts and a Speed Racer storybook. Great smiles came out of that day, great memories and big hugs. Can't believe that he is 5. *sigh*. What a cutie.

By the way, he was all sorts of excited when we spiked his hair up to look like he had been racing. Haha, way too funny!

My son had a friend at daycare who was turning 5! Of course, all of the boys at this age are HUGE into Transformers. I too, once, was a huge fan. This little boy has a name that I am sure was not on a monogrammed bicycle license plate or a snazzy little WB mug or toothbrush. So, why not a personalized stamp? It turned out really neat. I found a little starter kit at Michael's and I think I am addicted! My son already expects his to have "The Batman" on it. How precious is that.

My son and I had a drawing fiesta at Halloween time. Max just shouted out characters he wanted me to create on the spot. Jr. Frankenstein was our over-all favorite.

Monstrous Quiche Cupcakes

Max and I love celebrating the Holidays especially at breakfast time. We love our protein and I needed a new way to present it. Since Halloween was upon us I decided that it was time to try something ridiculous.

What you will need:

• one large non-stick muffin pan

• mixing bowl

• 3 or 4 whole eggs

• a splash of coconut milk

• 3 cooked bacon strips

• salt & pepper to taste

• ketchup (optional)

(You can doctor your quiche anyway you like. Go crazy and try spinach and feta or just throw in some of your favorite vegetables. I just kept this recipe as bland as possible for the little ones tend to like it that way).

How to make:

Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix together the eggs, coconut milk, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Tuck bacon strips deep into 3 of the muffin valleys and pour egg mixture over top of it (this way you can easily pull on the bacon strips and the quiche pops right out). Fill valleys evenly. Bake for at least 10 minutes or until the eggs no longer look runny. Top with ketchup and there you have it...A Monstrous Quiche Cupcake we call Nessie or The Loch Ness Monster. BooOoooOoo!