Mag 35: Kinderfall

The fourth-generation granddaughter skips into my kitchen.

“Grandma you promised we could do a project this week! What are we doing? Are we going to back pumpkin bread with chocolate chips? Are we going to string cinnamon sticks or pine cones?”

I smiled at her but inside I was groaning. Instead of an answer I really wanted to ask her if her other grandmother ever attempted any of these things with her. Looking back at my childhood I remembered a project. Quickly I looked around my craft area and my kitchen.

“We’re going to make a leaf stain-glassed pumpkin!” I proudly announced.
“Yippie! What do we do first?
“Go outside and start looking for the prettiest leaves while I gather all of the things we need to have for this.”

Locating the orange construction paper I drew a pumpkin with an inside section that was to be cut away. Out came the wax paper, glue, iron and ironing board to go with the scissors and other tools I had out already

By the time I plugged in the iron and it was hot she was back with her booty. “OK, come over here mind the iron and we’re going to arrange your leaves between two pieces of wax paper. While Grandma makes the wax melt with the iron, you’re going to cut out the pumpkin over there on the outside and the inside.” Oh the concentration on both of our faces as we bent to our tasks. Soon we were both done.

“Get the glue…” I directed. “Now glue the pumpkin to our leaves. When the glue is dry we can cut out the extra paper so it doesn’t show. I’ll get you a snack why don’t you put your project on the radiator in the hallway so it dries faster?”

One snack later, some TV watching, a few snips of the scissors, and the project is done just in time. Her mother has come to pick her up.

“Look Mom, look what I made! It’s a pumpkin with stain-glass leaves. I found the leaves all by myself… and” she chattered as she skipped back out of my house and to her home.