I have a hard time believing it is almost July... we turned on the ac once for the first time this year and watered our grass the second time since last fall. For the most part, it has been a very nice spring. And although it is finally warming up, my kids still like to parade around in their winter coats and hats. Go figure. :)

maybe

maybe, if you've read Purple, Green & Yellow.....
maybe if the people who know you best think you only like to do "safe" activities...
maybe if you don't mind editing blue off of your kids face in the family photo you'll take tomorrow.....
then maybe it's just good for your soul to paint with your fingers (or mouth or whatever..) every now and then


Audrey couldn't wait to wash her hands (even for a pic) so I turned around for a second and Bethany jumped into the containers....van gogh would have been jealous.


Edible Finger paint.... I always think of the lickable wallpaper from the movie I broke as a kid because I watched it soooo many times.

1 package unsweetened KoolAide (I used black cherry (red), pina (yellow) and a blue kind)
1/4 cup sugar
1 heaping tablespoon clear jel (you can find this at a kitchen store)
3 ounces water.
Mix sugar, KoolAide and clear jel in a bowl, then add the water and blend well. It is thick and dries glossy and pliable.

We're glad to be back home after a week and a half in SL. We put in my mom's sprinkler pipes (next week heads) and got over some very long yucky stomach flu...it took the girls 6 days each to get over it and 2 days at Primary Childrens for an IV for Bethany. The girls had fun, as always, with grandma, uncle Spencer, and "Auntie Em". Bethany especially had fun riding fast on the trike with Emily. I'm very grateful for hospitals and doctors and the times we are all healthy. We're also glad it's summer and for strawberries out of the garden....mmmmm.

I decided with all the extra pipe from the sprinklers it would be fun for the girls to have a playhouse. I bought some fittings (about $20) and 2 king flats from the di ($3 together) and bought a mesh laundry bag from the dollar store that I cut for the window. I know how often I get invited in for a tea party, so I made it extra big. 40 inches by 65? or so and 5'7" at the tallest point. It's tall enough for me to completely stand up inside without hitting my head... and big enough to get a few kids in there and have some room to spare. I traced the shape on the floor onto the sheet, cut it out, and sewed it together, and added some wide seam-binding for around the window and door. You can order a pricey 4-opening fitting, but I just put a few pieces together and it works the same (last pic). I left it unglued so it can be taken apart and stored in little space. I think I'd like to have them help paint it, too, but that's a project for another day.... I love toys that encourage imagination, and with the extra pipe pieces, it was only about $25!