Happy Meal!!

Before I stopped working, 

my co-workers and I had set up a system where we were

taking turns bringing in lunch for our principal,

who was going through a tough time.

"There, there..."

I figured out I would bring in a sandwich from Trader Joe's

and include some homemade goodies

but what about the packaging?

Then I thought,

what's happier than a Happy Meal?!

"Happy" is literally in the name!*

The internets, sadly, could not help me out with a pattern,

so I just asked for an empty box from the smiling worker at McDonald's.

Then I got to work.

I carefully opened the Happy Meal box, 

and placed it on top of some red poster board.

I used paperclips to keep it in place while tracing around it.

I cut it out with both scissors and a craft knife;

you're going to need the craft knife for the tight parts.

I used a letter opener to make "divots" through the box,

so I would know the points where I needed to fold.

I used my ruler and the letter opener to score the folding lines.

I glued and taped it together...

and,

Ta Daaaa!

I decorated it with stickers and pictures of students at our school.

Because nothing makes a principal happier than smiling students!

Did she like it?

You bet!

* I know, I knooooow... McDonald's is terrible for you.

Which is why I packed a nice sandwich and grapes, instead of nuggets.

Books, Books, And More Books!

Today, I went to the LA Times Festival of Books!

I had some folks I wanted to see, 

but in a cool surprise I saw a face from a loooong time ago:

Simon Silva, a high school classmate who went on to become

an author, artist, and speaker.

(On the car ride home, I realized I probably last saw him in person 

more than THIRTY YEARS ago!  Yikes!!)

For the other ... uh... people? I wanted to see,

I may have been the only adult to cop a photo op:

It's the Boxtrolls!!

I adored Laika's last movie, ParaNorman,

so am in an absolute tizzy about the Boxtrolls,

which will come out in September.

And for my thrill of the day?

Tomie dePaola!!!

He is a freakin' rock star of children's lit,

and has written and/or illustrated approximately a meeellion books,

among them Strega Nona, 26 Fairmont Avenue, and The Art Lesson.

I brought my own copy of 26 Fairmont Avenue to be signed,

and bought his new book which he illustrated for writer Lin Oliver,

Little Poems for Tiny Ears.

When it was time to get my books signed,

I told him how we still quote him in my household;

there's a bit in 26 Fairmont Avenue where Tomie is seeing the cartoon

of Snow White, but in his frustration at the changes

from the original Grimm Brother's story

he gets up in the theater and yells,

"Mr. Walt Disney didn't read the story right!"

We say that when there's big changes from a book to a movie.

Mr. dePaola chuckled and said, 

"That's why Walt Disney will never do MY story!"

(Which I'm pretty sure meant Mr. dePaola has had a bit of a wild life.)

Btw?  That last image?

That's the face of a girl who just got to meet one of her idols.

And let me tell you,

if I didn't know better, I would have pegged Mr. dePaola

as easily a decade younger than his seventy-nine years.

He was as spritely and jolly as you could wish

a children's author/illustrator to be.

Anyhoo, this post wouldn't be possible without The Sweet Man,

who acted as my personal photographer for the day.

Yes, he braved LA traffic for me, 

and all he got for his troubles was some tasty gelato.

Sigh... what a lucky woman I am.

I Like You, Too, Library Patron!

I've written before about my Little Free Library:

It's been chugging along nicely,

with books going out and back in with a satisfying regularity.

One thing that has not been happening, however,

is written feedback in the books.

In the front of each book I put a book pocket and card...

... with a bossy demand friendly request to leave feedback.

So far? 

But then!

This book came back!

And inside it?

The most awesome feedback that ever feedbacked!

Bless her heart.

(Literally.  She drew a little heart in the top right corner.)

So I guess I'll keep gluing pockets in the front of the books,

and hope for more notes from my Little Free Library patrons.

Because hearing back from folks who have read a book?

It's a special kind of book magic.

I Won't Let It Gooooooo!

Family came from out of town, so where did we go?

California Disney Adventure!!

The Boy got to go with us...

...but, waaaah!! 

The Girl had to do Important Grown-Up Stuff, and couldn't.

(That's supposed to be me, not her.)

So I was determined to find a nice little souvenir.

I thought, maybe? from that little indie film?

What's it called?

Aaaaah, yes...

The Girl and I both adore Frozen,

and I thought Disneyland would be BURIED in Frozen merch.

Instead, it was more like this:

     

Fortunately, my resourceful sister-in-law was also on the case,

and she found what must have been the ONLY bit if Frozen bling

in the entire Magic Kingdom:

Close-up!

I would have loved to find something Olaf-y, 

but evidently so did the HOARDS of Frozen-lovin' Disney guests,

so I made do with an Olaf-topped Rice Krispy treat.

As for myself?

I found this pin!

Since I looooove Pixar, I was one happy little snowman.