The kitchen and my craft room are my havens. They are places I can go and release my pent-up creative juices. Now, just because I love the kitchen DOESN'T exactly mean that I love the monotony of creating weekly menus and getting dinner on the table. The stress of the day usually ruins that for me. But I do love weekends when I can let homemade soup simmer on the stove or make a huge batch of tomato sauce and homemade meatballs. Or the days following the Farmer's Market when we're canning or freezing our culinary treasures.
Yesterday I spent the entire day in my craft room (aka the basement living area and kitchen. Yes, there are two kitchens in our house! The realtor said it was our dream house.) filling an order for 100 gold dusted chocolate lollipops for my hairdresser. She's opening her own shop and wanted something to attach her new business card to. Julia had a great time playing with her basement toys and cooking with popcorn. Yes, the remains of our popcorn snack turned into a tossed salad and meatballs. It was quite amusing. Even though I was fighting a cold, it was so nice to go and be creative. Julia had a day to play and be creative with the toys that stay in the basement. It was a good day.
This morning while I was digging in our basket of cold medicines, I discovered a cat toy that we had taken and hidden from Julia. It's a plastic ball that when hit against something lights up like a Christmas tree. A month or so ago it was her canon. So it was taken away and hidden in the void above the refrigerator. Since we had a new kitten we thought it was okay to set the toy free. This produced a good 20 minute play session between Julia and Jimi. Now enters the paper towel roll. Julia keeps a few around to use as musical instruments. Occasionally the cats are seen batting them around. But today it took on a totally new form.
Julia carefully held the roll next to the toy ball. She looked forward. Then she took a swing. "Papa - I golfing!" She chased the ball around the kitchen with Jimi; then would use her "golf club" to roll the ball across the floor. It was so cute! She loves to go in the backyard and fetch the practice golf balls that Steve launches. So now she had her own little course. In my kitchen.
This brings me to the "Kitchen Country Club". All week she was using my kitchen floor as a pretend swimming pool. She would bring a teddy bear to the middle of the floor, lay down and move her legs and arms like she was swimming. "Swim bear, swim!" "Mama, I swimming" "Mama, I fish!" Sometimes the step stool would be used as a diving board. That's my girl! So now we have a certified country club in our kitchen. Swimming pool and golf course. Now I just need a golf cart to help me chase her!
After dinner tonight I refilled our hand soap dispenser in the half-bath off of the foyer. As I rinsed the container, suds filled the sink. Of course someone was watching me. Julia jumped onto her stool and promptly had both hands in the suds. "What damage can she do with suds?" I thought and exited the bathroom. Steve and I were out in the kitchen when we heard "I pirate, AAARRRRR". Huh? We walked quietly over and peeked into the bathroom. There was our little girl with suds all over her face in a beard pattern. "Mama! Papa! I pirate! AAAARRRR" Steve and I looked at each other and thought the same thing - "Where did you put the rum?"
Yesterday I spent the entire day in my craft room (aka the basement living area and kitchen. Yes, there are two kitchens in our house! The realtor said it was our dream house.) filling an order for 100 gold dusted chocolate lollipops for my hairdresser. She's opening her own shop and wanted something to attach her new business card to. Julia had a great time playing with her basement toys and cooking with popcorn. Yes, the remains of our popcorn snack turned into a tossed salad and meatballs. It was quite amusing. Even though I was fighting a cold, it was so nice to go and be creative. Julia had a day to play and be creative with the toys that stay in the basement. It was a good day.
This morning while I was digging in our basket of cold medicines, I discovered a cat toy that we had taken and hidden from Julia. It's a plastic ball that when hit against something lights up like a Christmas tree. A month or so ago it was her canon. So it was taken away and hidden in the void above the refrigerator. Since we had a new kitten we thought it was okay to set the toy free. This produced a good 20 minute play session between Julia and Jimi. Now enters the paper towel roll. Julia keeps a few around to use as musical instruments. Occasionally the cats are seen batting them around. But today it took on a totally new form.
Julia carefully held the roll next to the toy ball. She looked forward. Then she took a swing. "Papa - I golfing!" She chased the ball around the kitchen with Jimi; then would use her "golf club" to roll the ball across the floor. It was so cute! She loves to go in the backyard and fetch the practice golf balls that Steve launches. So now she had her own little course. In my kitchen.
This brings me to the "Kitchen Country Club". All week she was using my kitchen floor as a pretend swimming pool. She would bring a teddy bear to the middle of the floor, lay down and move her legs and arms like she was swimming. "Swim bear, swim!" "Mama, I swimming" "Mama, I fish!" Sometimes the step stool would be used as a diving board. That's my girl! So now we have a certified country club in our kitchen. Swimming pool and golf course. Now I just need a golf cart to help me chase her!
After dinner tonight I refilled our hand soap dispenser in the half-bath off of the foyer. As I rinsed the container, suds filled the sink. Of course someone was watching me. Julia jumped onto her stool and promptly had both hands in the suds. "What damage can she do with suds?" I thought and exited the bathroom. Steve and I were out in the kitchen when we heard "I pirate, AAARRRRR". Huh? We walked quietly over and peeked into the bathroom. There was our little girl with suds all over her face in a beard pattern. "Mama! Papa! I pirate! AAAARRRR" Steve and I looked at each other and thought the same thing - "Where did you put the rum?"
