Under Construction

This past June, we had to make one of those trips to the hardware store that everyone just hates to make.   The one where you go in to get supplies for a new project and you realize that you need much more than what you originally expected and have to spend a lot more money.   It was gardening time and we needed to get an extra bed for our new garden, which entailed more dirt, plants, extra gardening tools, and whatever else that would rear its ugly head into our cart.   However, our plans almost immediately changed when we arrived because, outside of the store, there was a huge area set up with kids building some sort of project.   Over the noise of the busy parking lot, people talking all around, and the whoosh of the passing cars on the interstate, an almost rhythmic beat of hammers was pounding on nails from this gathering.   While it had the feeling of a birthday party, probably for some kid whose parents were really into carpentry, we gravitated to it to discover that it was a children's project weekend put on each month by the store.   Clearly, we jumped in headfirst and Olivia was overly excited to begin.   Several minutes later, a perfectly built flowerpot was made for us to plant a new seed to grow during the summer.   The fun that was had surely outweighed the pain we had to endure at the cash register later.

Each month thereafter, we have made it a point to make it to the monthly children's workshop.   She has made a toolbox for her paints along with a counter valet for me over the Fathers' Day weekend.   The most enjoyable thing for me is to not only assist her in making the project but to watch the excitement she has when it is completed.   Today, the project was a dry erase message board that is framed in wood and able to either be hung on a wall or have magnets adhered to it in order to stick on the fridge.    I attempted to catch her at the right moment in order to capture the zeal and determination she had to make this her best project yet.   From the finished project, and the games we played on the board on the way home, I think that she definitely accomplished her goal.