Lemonade Stand

I wasn't expecting too much out of our yard sale last week, so I was pleased to get about $100 out of it.  Elsa prepared for the sale about as much as I did.  She selected a few toys to sell, made necklaces and bracelets, made swirly "chameleon" crayons (with a crayola crayon melter), and made and sold lemonade.  Nora helped with advertisement and asked everyone who came to our driveway if they wanted any lemonade, and then directed them to the table, helping to get cups and napkins.  

They made $45.90!!!  

People would haggle me over quarters, and then walk over and give Elsa a $1 "tip"!  She decided to put most of her earnings in the bank (to save up to buy a chameleon, of course).

Lesson learned - cuteness sells better than lightly used, good quality housewares.

Simple summer

My mom reminds me that when I was little and we were living on a boat she would give me a simple bucket of water to play with.  Our girls have a bit larger space to play, but it is still just a few inches of water, sometimes accompanied by a "fountain" comprised a propped-up garden watering wand.  I haven't told them that this is actually a "baby pool," and they sit there together, pouring and splashing, as happy as can be!

Backyard camping

Elsa has been asking about camping for maybe a year now, so when Joel read to her about the "Great American Camp Out" in her Ranger Rick magazine, her reaction (a very emotional expression that THIS was IT!  It was time, FINALLY!) convinced us that we should give her the as much of a backyard camping experience as we could muster at this point.  It went really well!

We made a "campfire" in our grill:

We set up our play house "tent" in the very back or the yard, and Tabitha took it upon herself to inspect and guard it from any unwanted visitors:

Only Joel and Elsa actually slept out; Nora was happy to have a special night to sleep with mommy inside. She enjoyed helped them set up for their adventure and made sure Elsa had all the necessary items (pooh-bear, a big pile of books, flashlights and lantern, snacks, etc.):

They loved counting the stars as night fell, but interest in the stars was soon lost to the fun of roasting marshmallows:

This was their first experience with s'mores.  Once they understood why we called them s'mores they giggled like crazy every time they asked for "s'more, please!"

Elsa said she and daddy stayed up "past midnight" reading by flashlight.  She was so happy to try camping finally, even our makeshift-back-yard version!