Open Wide

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES: This time yesterday, we were cooped up, sweltering and crabby from being forced to stay indoors with windows and doors closed due to the mega unhealthy air outside due to all of the wildfires in the region. I've lost track of how many days it was that way. It felt like the new, miserable, permanent normal. 

Reports said we were set to get some fresh, Pacific Ocean air this morning. I kept checking and checking and checking the air quality website. One by one, weather stations switched from maroon to red to orange to yellow and then green, glorious green!!! At that moment, every door and window in the house went open!

We celebrated the fresh air in a couple of ways, including doing about an hour of yard work. I don't love yard work by any means, but today it was phenomenal! It felt so great to be outside, ridding the yard of dried up, crispy flowers long past their prime.

We also took a car to get a bath. Local chain Brown Bear Car Wash was having their annual free wash day. The line was long, but it moved along. 

YESTERDAY, ONCE MORE: In an attempt to escape yesterday's air nastiness, we found ourselves inside IKEA, yet again, breathing that fresh Swedish air. :)

We 'enjoyed' a crappy (but inexpensive) breakfast of pasty Swedish pancakes, flavorless sausages and eraser-textured eggs. Mmmmm!  While we sat there killing time, we noticed a corner of the cafeteria was cordoned off as a crafting area. Once the activity for 'little' kids started, Annabelle headed on in.

IKEA provided free frames. The kids were instructed to make a painted on design between the two plastic picture holders.

In news that will likely surprise no one, Annabelle started painting a unicorn. 

There were also stickers for embellishment.

A quick, easy, fun craft! Annabelle and I agreed, however, than an abstract design would probably work better for this format.

CUBED: Tuesday, we completed a Minecraft-inspired cake project for a friend. 

Minecraft's world is full of pixels, so we had LOTS of squares to make. 

Guess how many covered the (smallish) cake and cake board. ... 

 If you guessed 631, you'd be right.

And yes, we realize it should be an even number since it was all about rows and columns. Let's just say mistakes were made, and it's SUPER hard cutting anything even close to a 'perfect' square out of marshmallow fondant.