Gingerbread Bento

Catching Up With Birthday Pictures

R turned 6 at the end of August. She had a Secret Garden party at the neighborhood pool that's two doors down from our house.


Heading out for her party.



We had spinach & cilantro hummus with vegetables (lemon cucumbers, zucchini & summer squash, radishes and lemon cucumbers are from our garden); turkey spinach rollups with roasted red peppers and grated carrots on whole grain flatbread; cornmeal, cheddar & scallion muffins;

PB&J on whole wheat flax bread;

Watermelon; grapes and cheese & crackers (I didn't get a picture); Honest Kids juices, iced tea and wine; and

Robin's nest cupcakes, in honor of the robin's nest in The Secret Garden. Full-sugar, white-flour, since the birthday girl told me "the cupcakes MUST be junky."

They swam for two hours and then got in their pj's to watch "The Secret Garden" outside in the dark. These are her cousins, my beautiful little goddaughter Z, who turned 6 the very next day! And Z's little sister C.

We sang Happy Birthday just as it was getting dark.




Getting cozy for the movie.

Cupcakes!

Then on Monday we had her family party at home. Leftover cupcakes, her favorite English Muffin pizzas (like my mom used to make for my parties when I was little!) and sparkling apple juice in champagne flutes with an edible flower.

I think everyone had a lot of fun. But it almost kills me every year, all the birthday hoopla on top of the first week of school.

Carnival Bento

School started weeks ago, but I am just starting to get back in the swing of R's bento lunches. Adding Charlie into the morning schedule has thrown me off.

Too much food in this one, but she said she shared, and she ate some in the car on the way home. PB&J's on whole wheat with edible nasturtiums; cantaloupe and plums, and . . .

Multi-colored Carnival carrots, lemon cucumbers, yellow pear and cherry tomatoes, nasturtium and radish flowers, all from the garden. Spinach, ranch dressing and a cheddar giraffe.