Recycled Crafts and Pesto

I am the first to admit that I have probably hampered the creativity of my children.

I RARELY encourage (or allow) any kind of activity that is cutty, gluey, markery, or glittery.
In my opinion, they spread too far and... I just don't like the mess.

L came up with this one all on his own. I sometimes feel like he tries too hard to keep up with his older brothers and what they do, so I was so happy when he started a creative kid project. He even let T join him... bonus!See the stairs up one side and the slide down the other?

I even let it live on the counter for 4 days :)

Unrelated, our basil plant in the garden is the size of a young hippo. Probably bigger than it should be. I am unsure how to tame it or whether or not we should cut it wayyyy back.
I did decide to make pesto... a first for me. I used almonds instead of pine nuts. It is really great on grilled pizzas.

It was also delicious on this!

A couple of other interesting harvests recently...

Dad has been collecting the olives off his tree instead of complaining about the mess they make. He has learned to brine them and has used many different concoctions for flavors. My favorite have been the lightly salted. They are just smooth and soft... almost buttery. He has offered to teach me, so I'll have to take him up on it!

A neighbor spread a sheet under her palm trees and has been collecting the falling dates. They are sweet and delicious! I was gifted an entire bag of them, already dried. I could eat them like candy, but I think I will bottle and save some and add some of their deliciousness to granola when I make it.