Putting those fancy store-bought ornaments to shame

We picked up a couple of you-paint-it plaster ornament kits at the drugstore today and the girls could not wait to dive in. They both loveLoveLOVE painting, I think it must rank up there with candy on their list of favorite things. And the messier and more permanent the paints the better—they scoff at sissy washable watercolors. Anyhow, I velcro them into their Hazmat suits (uh, I mean smocks) and let them have at it. Ree is on the left and Ro on the right. Carefully, carefully, must get exact coverage: Ah, painting, I just adore painting... sigh...: Hey Ro, do you have any brown paint? Don't bother me, this is serious business: Aw, they turned out so cute. Can't wait to hang them on the tree this year (and every year from now until eternity). My mom still has the mangy ornaments my little bro and I made a few decades ago, and they are hands down the family faves. Same in every house, I'm sure. I liked watching the girls' radically different painting styles. Ro went for speed and full coverage, even painting the backs of her ornaments. She boldly combined colors right on the ornaments to create new colors. Ree carefully studied the pictures of the finished ornaments and tried to closely replicate them. She mixed her colors studiously on a little plastic lid after asking me which colors would combine to make other colors. I only had to tell her each combo once, and then she remembered from there on out. Fun! Ro's ornaments are on the left, Ree's are on the right. You'll notice that Ro quickly figured out to combine those tubs of primary colors to produce her beloved pink, which then took center stage. Oh, and I should probably own up to the fact that I was planning to give half of these ornaments away once they were finished. Grandparent gifts, ya know? But there is just no way I can part with those treasures now. So, um, sorry to our relatives. You can visit these beauties any time on our tree. :-) PS: TubaDad finally went back to work this week, but still isn't feeling good. His ribs are a little better (still can't play the tuba), and he's still getting over the concussion effects.