Lemonade Girls

Ever since we moved to Pearland, Brenna has been talking about having a Lemonade Stand. And unknown to me, her friend, Jordan, has had the same desire for about 2 years. This is one of those activities that I just couldn't get behind earlier in the year. I didn't know the neighbors well enough to implore them to come buy and drink lemonade from plastic cups on our sidewalk. Every time she brought it up, I would come up with one reason or another why today wasn't a good day for a Lemonade Stand.

I guess this was just meant to be this week, because it evolved so naturally I barely registered what was happening. In an effort to get the girls on the same page during a play date, I suggested we make some lemonade. Suddenly I had two girls focused on an activity and willing to help. Jordan filled the pitcher with water and Brenna measured out the drink mix. Brenna poured the mix into the water and Jordan stirred it up. Both girls pronounced the lemonade delicious and went on their merry way to playing peacefully with their baby dolls. I went back to work blissfully ignorant of what was to come.

The next thing I know one of them says, "Hey, we should set up a Lemonade Stand!" Every fiber of my being told me to squash this idea. It was over 100 degrees outside. Who would want to come out for lemonade in this heat? Did I want to stand outside in the heat and supervise the operation? But seeing the anticipation and excitement on their faces made it impossible to resist. The next thing I knew, I was digging out a large pitcher and we started the lemonade making process all over again. We reversed roles this time, so each girl learned a different aspect of the intricate details that go into making lemonade. Being the event coordinator that I am, I started coming up with a list of things we would need. We found some cups and the all important tip jar. Jordan made a sign for the tip jar. It read "10 Cents of Pink Lemonade - Tips". We hauled all this down to Jordan's house to set up the stand. We couldn't let her mom, Wendy, miss all the fun. Plus I needed our resident photographer to capture the moments. Funny, I wanted to say "capture the moment on film" but that's so pre-digital and all.

Since it was Pink Lemonade, all of the accessories naturally needed to be pink. The tip jar was pink. The table cloth was pink. There was a pink bandanna for decoration and a pink umbrella to catch the eye of drivers by. Speaking of "drivers by", we live on a cul-de-sac, so those are sometimes few and far between. Being the Marketing Major that I am, I sent out a text blast to all of the neighbors I knew would have a heart and stop by.
Thankfully they all responded with great enthusiasm and we even had a few spontaneous participants. Both girls had no reservations about YELLING across the street asking if someone wanted to buy some delicious lemonade. One of our neighbors said he give them a dollar if they would just stop YELLING in his direction. I might steal this idea and start implementing it in our house on a regular basis. Saying "tranquility now" to myself isn't working anymore when the decibel levels get too high.

One out of one babies gave the lemonade an outstanding review!

Here's Jordan serving up a cup to Karleigh. Brenna appears to be supervising.

The revenue from the project amounted to $5.60 which the girls split evenly. I'm not sure what Brenna plans to do with her share. I can only hope that if she plans on re-investing it into the business that the next Lemonade Stand event takes place when it is MUCH cooler outside.