Life: Idiotropic

We're still teaching Luci how to walk. Of course, Luci's been walking since she was 14 months old and she is great at skipping, running, hopping, and, her favorite pastime, climbing bookshelves, but she is LAZY when it comes to walking and would ride in the stroller all the time if we let her. I've endured way too many sidewalk meltdowns when I've said, "No, I'm not going to carry you" or "No, you can't ride in the stroller. You need to walk." So, this pumpkin season has been an especially good excuse to get some practice in as we have a wonderful stand just a little walk away.

And it's a challenge for Luci. Last time I made her walk the entire way there and then only let her ride a little back. Today she walked about half each way, but didn't whine nearly as much as usual. That is progress.

We love our little veggie stand. They are so nice there and always have a really beautiful display. The girls each picked out a nice orange pumpkin for themselves and I picked out a nice sage green one for me and a big white one for Kirk. We also got a few little ones to turn into pumpkin vases for teachers and neighbors. The pumpkins come in orange, red, white, sage, and tan. Some little ones are darker green and some have orange and white vertical stripes. They are all really fun. It's tempting to buy more, but I don't eat enough squash to warrant it.

So, with wagon loaded with pumpkins and just enough space for one small child, we started the walk home. Elise walked or ran the entire way back home with no desire to ride for even a moment. She was keeping a pretty good pace too until she decided that it was time to learn to walk backwards. Then we were down to a snails pace - or slower. She was having fun though and made it look so enticing that both Tiara and Arianna started walking backwards too. Luci pretended to be a pumpkin and hid in the wagon for part of the way until her sisters started having races and she wanted to join in. Then she was walking, running, and picking dandelions from the edge of people's yards.

After a little rest I made salt dough and let the girls play for a while. It was quick to make and kept all the kids busy for at least an hour. Arianna made a ghost and the word ghost. Tiara made her name and the word BOO and a couple pumpkins. Luci made about 30 little moons and a scary pumpkin that she liked so much she put it in her pillowcase when she went to bed. Elise just kept putting cookie cutters half way into her dough, then squishing it all up again, so I ended up making one for her that she can paint later. These are the same dough ornaments that I made as a kid. We'll paint them this weekend and lacquer them to save.
Here's the recipe: Combine 3 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 1 cup water. Mix well. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until it is smooth and stretchy. Make into 3-D shapes or roll flat and use cookie cutters. Make holes if you want ornaments. Bake on a foil lined cookie sheet at 275 degrees for 1 hour (longer for thicker pieces). Paint with acrylic paints and use a sealant to prevent molding. Store in a dry place.