5 ½ Awesome Saturdays - Become 10 again

By Ileana Morales

I smell like paint and cookies.

There’s red and yellow stuck in my nails and bright blue on my knee. There are probably some spots of flour in my brown hair.

And I look great. You know you wish you were this messy right now.

I’m wearing the mess of a 10-year-old kid. With the end of my teen years creeping up this month I realized Ihad forgotten how fun painting and baking could be. So, I decided to relive them for one sloppy Saturday.

[Editor’s note: This is one part of a series in this month’s edition about different ways to enjoy your Saturdays. 5 1/2 ways, actually. Just pick up the stupid magazine, will ya?]

I started the day by picking up the tools for my wonderful disaster at Hobby Lobby. I left with five bottles of tempera paint, a thick white poster board and brushes on sale for less than $8. That was great since 10-year-olds don’t have much money, and who am I kidding, neither do I.

But before finger painting a kid needs some snacks.

With no real recipe in hand, I mixed together some brown sugar, oats, peanut butter, cranberries and chocolate chips to make the gooiest cookie dough ever.

A delicious mess.

And then, with the sweet scent of treats in the air, Meredith and I grabbed our primary colors and empty-Sprite-box-turned-palette and got to work. Or rather, play.

I used a patio chair instead of an easel and Meredith took to the floor.

Brushes soon were replaced by fingers. I kept going back to red and ended up just taking the bottle and dropped blobs on the poster to spread it into something pretty.

I painted to the beat of whatever music we had on.

Meredith painted mini landscapes and light blue flowers on an abandoned shoe box and I painted a flower-looking thing drenched in shades of reds and purples.

It was a pretty damn good way to spend the afternoon when you know nothing good is on TV anyway.

It was pleasant to be outside and not worry about anything except the beep of the oven. It was a simple afternoon made even better by the sweet success of a cookie-dough mess.

When we were done, Meredith proudly presented the multi-colored box to her boyfriend,

and I had something to hang up in my room.

The cookies disappeared pretty quick and next time I’ll make a double batch. But we had enough paint to last us plenty more Saturdays.

I can’t remember the last time I just sat down and painted like that. Maybe fifth grade?

So ditch your work clothes, pin back your hair and squish some paint between your fingers. Be 10. Have fun.

I know I did.