Elliot decided to kick off the beginning of summer break by having his first ever lemonade stand.  Cookies and lemonade to be precise-- that's what his friend Henry served at his, and Elliot thought it was the way to go.  We used one of our playstands as the base for the lemonade stand, and just painted a paper sign to go on it using IKEA paper and tempera paints from Stubby Pencil Studio.  It was the first time we'd used the paints, and I have to say they were very fun to paint with, rich and creamy.  Elliot art directed and I painted.  He declared it "the most beautiful painting I ever saw."  That's a lot coming from the mouth of a little boy who doesn't often dole out compliments.

My first try at snapping a photo turned out like this, that is until I told him I'd put his photo on Facebook to get him some customers.  Then he was all cheesy grins.

It was a cool and rainy day, minutes later you would have found us in raincoats and hats hoping for customers.  Luckily, they came, and we worked until we sold out of lemonade, keeping more than a few cookies for ourselves. 

Even though activities like this sometimes inspire dread in me, I'm always glad I did it.  I visited with neighbors I'd never met, and even learned some really cool details about our home and one family who had lived here.  And I was really proud that Elliot wanted to follow through on his plans even though it rained.  He is very persistent, and while that can be trying at times, I can also see how it can be a very good quality.  Indeed.