Play dough from the past

I've been feeling a little wistful lately - missing those days when my children were small and I was a stay-at-home mom.  The job I go to each morning is a blessing in many ways, but it's a different life from the one I led from 1971 until 1983.
In that old life I sewed, baked bread, visited the library at least once a week, made most of the Christmas gifts we gave family and friends, read, kept the fire in the wood stove going, wrote long letters on the old manual typewriter or in longhand, and had play dates with friends and their children.  I volunteered at the elementary schools, taught Sunday School, and was a La Leche League leader.  I wasn't in a hurry for that life to be over and I will always be thankful for every minute of it.
I was talking with my co-workers this week about being a young mother and about the play dough I used to make with my children.  It's easy to make and has a wonderfully smooth consistency.  I told them I'd share the recipe.
No-Cook Play Dough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 Tbsp oil
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsps alum
food coloring
Mix well, adding coloring last.  Knead until smooth.  Store in air tight container.

I'm now grandmother to six, and some day soon I'll make some of this play dough with their help.  We've already had fun playing with the store bought variety.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

George Bernard Shaw

The days of young motherhood have passed, but it's not to late to play!