Aloha!

End of the Year Party! Hawaiian Luau style!
As I have mentioned before in past posts, I signed up to be PB's room parent (and room parent for another class as well...42 kids total) for his last year of elementary school.  Our last class party was yesterday and it was perfect.

I carved two tiki head watermelons as center pieces for each classroom's food table using pumpkin carving tools.

 I made this banner and arrangement to greet the kids as they came into their classes. Hmmm... those tiki guys look familiar....

 I hung grass skirt-ish buntings across the doorways.  I made the flowers and tropical leaves from the colored butcher paper on those huge rolls from the teacher workroom.  The grass skirt part is made from brown paper lunch bags (left over from this project).

 This is a partial view of one of the classrooms pre-food set up.  I put smaller tiki heads in the windows along with mini grass skirts and leaves in the corners.  For the tablecloths,  I used pieces of tiki and bamboo printed fabric that I had on hand.

 I placed a lei on every student's desk for the day of the party and asked for everyone to dress in their finest grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts...teachers included!

We had Hawaiian music playing in the background. I hadn't planned any games or activities because I figured the kids would rather chit chat with their friends.  About 30 minutes into the party though the chit chat was out of control and I had a couple of girls boycotting the "old people" Hawaiian music by loudly belting out their favorite contemporary skank rock. It was clear they needed some direction.  I grabbed a nearby wooden yardstick, contemplated applying some stick time to the antagonists but went instead with "Limbo Contest!" The other classroom went with the same idea.  We then had a limbo-off between the winners of each class.  It was a lot of fun.  We then watched a photo slide show Hubs compiled for me from photos I had taken of the kids throughout the year.  They loved it.
As they all watched the slideshow I looked around at all of them smiling and laughing, swaying to the music and I realized that it was all worth the hard work I had done through the year because PB was smiling the most.

Applesauce Cake

Welcome to a 'The Andy Griffith Show' inspired recipe!

Applesauce Cake 

Inspired from: Andy saves Gomer

Season 4, episode 23

Aunt Bee: I'm doing my baking today.  Now, which would you rather have --applesauce cake or angel food cake? 

Andy: Oh, either one. 

Aunt Bee: Well, you choose which.  You can have your favorite.

Andy: Ok....Applesauce cake.

 Aunt Bee: I think I will make Angel food cake. I have a lot of egg whites.

(excerpt from The Andy Griffith Show  "Andy saves Gomer" Season 4, episode 23 )

~~~~~~

I have always thought that Andy should have gotten the Applesauce cake he asked for so that's what I made!

I used a recipe from Betty Crocker's New Cook Book circa 1961.

Recipe:

Icing:

I added sliced almonds on the top.

This cake is soooo yummy!  I now see why Andy asked for it!

Need a second helping of Mayberry Inspired Recipes?
See wallpaper paste and moulages

National Pickle Week Wrap Up

Here a few vintage images with pickleness to wrap up 

National Pickle Week.

 I've seen a barrel of pickles in my day.

 Honorary Sour Puss.

These gals are workin' the gherkin!

Pickle Jello

With it being National Pickle Week, we have all had pickles on the brain...and stomach.
Deep fried pickles, pickle popcorn, dill pickle potato chips, dill pickle slushes, pickle pizza...

But I am introducing something new to the menu.

Dill Pickle Jello!

PB's school mascot is a pickle.
And you better believe the school celebrates National Pickle Week every year.

 Today, I brought PB's classes samples of  Dill Pickle Jello.

I was really surprised how much they liked it!

Recipe found here.

Andy Griffith Show 'The Pickle Story'

To properly celebrate National Pickle Week a screening of The Andy Griffith Show's episode The Pickle Story, is a must!
I brought it to PB's school for the kids to see.
 I am trying to introduce them to the finer things in life! 

A brief synopsis in case you aren't in the know:

 Aunt Bee is a wonderful cook but she just can't seem to make a tasty pickle. She's at it again, though, putting up another batch for the boys, who have never had the heart to tell her they taste terrible. Rather than choke down any more of her "kerosene cucumbers", Andy, Barney, and Opie substitute good store-bought pickles for her bad homemade ones. Having lost to Clara Johnson in the best pickles contest at the fair eleven years in a row, Bee thinks her latest batch is a winner and decides to enter. Knowing it would be unfair to the other contestants, especially Clara, for store-bought pickles to be entered, the boys must eat every one of the substitutes so Aunt Bee will have to make another batch of her own for the contest.

The Pickle Story is my favorite episode.  I have read that it was Don Knotts favorite as well.

There are sooo many favorite lines in this episode.  Our most favorite line/scene is when Barney is trying to sneak out with the suitcase of the bad pickles and gets somewhat caught by Aunt Bee:

"Uh..Uh..Trip that's right.  I'm going on a trip. That's right, I'm going to visit my ...cousin. I'll be back tomorrow though.  You don't know him, and he don't have a phone so there's no use trying to call him up to check on it."

Watch the episode and go wild with allspice!

More TAGS stuff from the MHICTY archives:
Monroe's Funeral Parlor and TV Repairs Bowling Team
Wallpaper Paste and Moulages
TAGS Christmas Tree
Andy Griffith TV Land Landmark
Tour Mayberry
Floyd's Barbershop
Snappy Lunch

Chilly Dilly Cutie

National Pickle Week continues with....

Chilly Dilly pickles!

At the Drive-In!

Pickle Week!

I love dill pickles!
And it just so happens to be National Pickle Week.

Let's start with 'kicking' the week off for some pickle fun!
I do not sanction the act of kicking pickles though.  That is pickle abuse!

Stay tuned!

Happy Sea Monkey Day!

 Yes, It's a National Holiday!

Let's celebrate with first learning some Fun Facts!

* Sea Monkeys have been around since 1957.

* Sea Monkeys are actually hybrid brine shrimp.

*They are named Sea Monkeys because of their monkey-esque tail.

*You can tell the males from the females! Males have 'whiskers' under their chins.

*  Sea Monkeys went to space in 1998.

Need more factoids?  Read this.

                                   

To celebrate the day I actually spotted a full sized real sea monkey in the ocean!
I think this one was from the circus carnie kit.

 We can tell it is male by the whiskers on it's chin!

Ha!  It is actually Hubs wearing a Sea Monkey head piece I made from craft foam, pipe cleaners, and a head band.  I also drew on some Sea Monkey chest scales with a black marker to enhance the look.

How do you plan on celebrating Sea Monkey day?

In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room!

For Hub's birthday this year, PB and I surprised him with his very own private Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room!

Spinning on the turntable is a Disney World/Land record with music from the park attractions.  We had "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" all cued up!

PB and I made and decorated everything in one day!  We chopped down large stalks of bamboo from our yard to bring inside and also dispersed tiki tchotchkes throughout the room.

I got a bunch of large pieces of cardboard and used black tempera paint to render all the tiki heads and speech bubbles.  I then cut them out and tacked them up all over the dining room.

PB made these Tiki birds with hanging cages.  We decided to make crows instead of the typical tropical feathered creatures because that is Hubs preferred type of bird (well, that and fried chicken).  The cages are embroidery hoops held together with yarn.  We considered putting name plates under the birds (like in the original Tiki Room) but with depressing names like "Gloomy" and "Murky". 

And now for the yummy part of the Tiki Room!

Dole Whip Cake

The best thing about the Enchanted Tiki Room is getting to have a Dole Whip!  I came up with a Dole Whip Cake for his birthday confectionery.  It is a pineapple cake with pieces of chopped up pineapple added to the batter.  I then iced it with cool whip that had pineapple juice added.  I baked the cake in one of those Wilton pans that is suppose to be the bottom section of a hoop dress, it's kinda dome shaped and you stick the torso section of a doll in the top. I placed the cake on a plate and put this on top of an enameled dish with the Dole logo on the front.

Dole Whip Float

I also made homemade Dole Whip Floats!  I started by slightly defrosting a carton of vanilla ice cream.  I then mixed the ice cream with pineapple juice together in a ziplock bag and refroze it. The plan was to snip off the corner of the bag so I could squeeze it out looking like soft serve.  It didn't quite go down like that so just I served it in a glass with additional pineapple juice and garnishes.

A little bit of history on The Enchanted Tiki Room:

Walt in the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland. 

The Enchanted Tiki Room opened in 1963. It was first sponsored by United Airlines which at the time was a perfect fit.  Hawaii had just become our nation's 50th state in 1959 and all things Polynesian were on the forefront. Dole took over sponsorship in 1976. The Tiki Room was originally planned to be a restaurant with the show as the attraction (this is why Disneyland's Tiki Room has it's own bathrooms) .  This proved to not be practical with the time and guests demands however.  It then was decided to become a 17 minute musical revue (all of the music and lyrics are by the ever talented Sherman Brothers) featuring a cast of over 250 audio-animatronics.  The Enchanted Tiki Room was said to be Walt's favorite attraction. He would come by and enjoy the show, asking guests"...so what do you think of those birds?! The rain scene is something, huh?"

Here is the birthday boy in full La Cucaracha Dole Whip mode!

To see a couple of Hub's past birthday celebrations see below:
WWII Ration Birthday
D'oh! Simpsons Birthday

Little Brown Hat

A few weeks ago we went to a stage production of a 1940's USO show.

The day of the show I decided that I had to dress up (somewhat) for the era.  The dress I had on hand was a bit more 30's but with the right hat....

 ...The ensemble worked!   I  based the design for the hat after something I saw on the nets. The hat is made from felt, a hair barrette, and some scrap black netting- all held together with hot glue.  It did turn out a bit wonky along the edges.  It was a rush job!  

Mother's Day Goofy Golfin' Gala

 Saturday, May 9th was National Minigolf day!

As it was also Mother's day Weekend (yes, that's official) and since I expect to be pampered, we headed out to Ft. Walton Beach to have some Goofy Golf Fun!

Circa 1958!

 Mama and Kid! 

Appropriate for Mother's Day!

 I love the rocket shaped ash trays...until I realized people actually used them.

These are the only cigarettes I am interested in. They sell them at the Goofy Golf snack bar for only 25 cents! 

Also as part of my pampering, Hubs got up super early on Sunday and scored us some yummy donuts from a new local bakery shop before all the best ones sold out...which happens within a hour or so of them opening.

I got some super awesome gifts too!

A Grumpy Cat paperdoll book, a Pee-wee Herman unofficial history/episode guide book, and  a vintage Disneyland Alice in Wonderland miniature ride car.

See more of my Ft. Walton Goofy Golf adventures here

Save the date!

 Find a Minigolf near you to practice up for World Mini Golf day coming up Sept 21, 2015!

Kind Of A Big Dill: Teacher Appreciation Week 2015

Wrapping up the Teacher Appreciation Week posts by showing the banner I made for the hall.

The teachers really loved everything and so did the kids.  That was my goal, fun for everyone.  A lot of work for me though!

Fan"Stache"tic Teacher! Teacher Appreciation Week 2015

Our last theme we did was "Our Teachers are Fan"Stache"Tic!"

Get it?...Fantastic and Mustache.

I made the above badges for the teachers to wear. All the kids (and teachers) got fake mustaches to wear for the day.

I made books for the teachers with the kid's faces on each page. I then had the kids write why they think each teacher is fan-stache-tic! I told them to also draw a mustache on their faces...some went a bit overboard and turned themselves into Sasquatch. 

I made some fan-stache-tic banners for their desks.

I also made each teacher a coffee mug with a couple of mustache styles.  When they drink out of the mugs, the mustaches should appear to be on their faces. The image I saw on pinterest showed everything to work out that way....

Lastly, each teacher got a Starbucks gift card to try their new mugs out with.