They just need a little more decoration...

Yesterday, Lucy and Elaine's friend Isabella came over to play. Her mom, my friend Sarah, was happy since she was trying to paint a bedroom. Isabella's two older brothers, who had to help paint the room, were not as happy. "How come Isabella gets to go have fun?" they asked. Sorry, boys. We women servants need a few breaks here and there.

The first thing we did was decorate Easter eggs. Instead of the usual Paas Easter egg dyeing supplies, I splurged and bought the Tinkerbell & the fairies kit instead. In addition to the color tablets, egg stands, dyeing wand, and stickers, there was GLITTER. Because who doesn't want a little glitter with their eggs?

Here the three are, decorating. They especially liked the part where I added the vinegar to the water and dye. "Does your mom make you have vinegar, Isabella?" asked Lucy. "Yes, but not as much anymore," said Isabella. "Our mom does," Lucy went on. "A spoonful, if we're sassy or if we lie to her." With a jolt, I realized that there was a conversation around a kitchen table about a mother and her dastardly methods, and I was that mother. How the mighty have fallen.


Of course the highlight was the glitter. What this picture doesn't show is the thin film of glitter that now covers my entire kitchen. Actually, my whole house because that's its nature. I love glitter. Really, I do.



After the egg-dyeing, the girls all went upstairs to play. It's not easy for three to play together, especially when their ages span from 7 to 3, but they did beautifully. I never heard one cross word or any crying the whole afternoon. Possibly the goody bags filled with candy that Isabella brought helped.

Then it was cookie decorating time. I baked and frosted the cookies and then set out various sprinkles and tubes of decorating gel. I thought the sprinkles would be the big thing, but no, it was the gel. Fortunately, I had eight tubes of it. As soon as they decorated one, they wanted to eat it.

This looks kind of gruesome, actually:



Copious amounts of frosting, gel, sprinkles, and cookies went into little mouths (note the broom in the background. I kept trying to sweep up glitter). I finally told Isabella, "Honey, if you throw up tonight, your mom will never let you play at our house again." (That Coke is not theirs, however. I do have some standards.)


Here is some of the finished product. Mmmmm, don't you want one right now?


This one is Elaine's--she told me that it's a monkey.


When Sarah and Isabella's brothers came to pick her up, I had no idea almost 4 hours had gone past. Both Lucy and Elaine asked, "Can we go over to Isabella's house now? We'll come back in a little while."

Definitely the mark of a great playdate--that they just wanted to keep playing. Of course, the sugar and the glitter helped.