Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, my little girl turned four...

The one passion I share with several close friends is the need to celebrate life - to celebrate the child.  So when I asked Alex earlier this spring what she wanted for her fourth birthday party, her thoughts included the words: pink, purple, sparkle, princess, dress-up, castle, and Rapunzell.  And she wanted it to be at home because to her, "that's where the best parties are."


I set up an enchanted party board on Pinterest to gather my varied thoughts into something tangible.  I wanted the party to feed her imagination, to be welcoming to both boys and girls, and to truly allow children play openly and unstructured.  And so the thought was born to make it a storybook fairy tale, which would force books, not Disney princesses, to be the focus of the party.

I found the perfect invitation from the Etsy seller Perfectly Touched - an 10" x 6" sparkly castle invitation.  The seller left the inside blank so that I could complete the wording.  The best part? Not only did I save time and money, but the purple and silver tones of the invite set the color theme for the party!

I will admit that I'm one of those crazy, creative, crafty people, and this party ignited a flame within me.  And like my mother, I wanted to put my personal touch on every detail - all because I have a girl that is so grateful for the handmade.  On the list of items created: Rapunzel hair wig, unicorns (from stick horses), treasure stones, knights costumes, gift boxes.  Dude, I was burning the creative candle on both ends. My kid was gasping daily.
I saw a page in Parent's magazine that suggested alternative Easter baskets including one that was crafted to look like a castle.  So I experimented with $.60 gift boxes from Michaels where I hand-cut the top edges to look like a castle, painted them grey and finished them off with a faux stone design.  I filled them with shredded purple fill, chocolate coins, handmade treasure stones, ring pops, and Tobos thematic figurines.

I found these books at Michaels and scattered stacks of them around the tables.

And I used tea cups on the tables filled with silver gum balls in lieu of apothecary jars.  (I think every child asked if they were gumballs and then slinked off with one or two in hand.)

And then my friend Shannon lent me this ridiculously funny frog prince for the table just because.

As for the children's area, I wanted everything to be at their level - the tables, the dress up area, the moon bounce - creating the fantasy from their vantage.  I placed two low 4'x8' tables  together and surrounded the perimeter with smaller chairs; it was not a round table, but at least a setting for a feast.  The table was decorated with white and pink linens, silver chargers (Michaels $1), and golden goblets filled with sparkling cider.

I surrounded the table with a staked canopy that was covered in ribbon, tulle, flowers, and butterflies punched out of vintage children's books.

I had another crazy thought to paint a mural for the background; understand that I don't paint and the project made me sweat.  I sewed 2 twin sheets together and then used basic acrylic craft paints to create the scene.  And knowing my girl, I added details like purple flags at the top of the castle, Rapunzel's hair flowing from a window, and flying lanterns drifting away from the castle.

Witness the power of prayer.  Booyah, I can paint!

And lastly, the cake.  It was based on the book "The Princess and the Pea." 

Now for the important details…the children.  At this point, I will use very few words and let the images speak for themselves.

I feel so grateful to be in the presence of children.  I cherish their ability to find the joy in the basic.

I have a feeling that she will not forget this celebration for a long time.  And that my dear friends is what it's all about - carving deep grooves into her childhood.


I am grateful to my friend Cindy for helping to staple up not only a million butterflies, but for also capturing many images.

And she lived happily ever after.  The End.

February Thaw

It hasn't felt much like winter around here since of the last of the Christmas decorations were tucked back into the attic.  Snow has been very rare - snow showers, yes, but sadly no accumulation.  We have skirted cold days hovering in the teens, and mild weather seems to abound; which equates to daffodils blooming in February and to us frolicking barefoot at the beach.  And the only thing that reminds me that it's still winter are the passage of the holidays - MLK, Valentines, St. Pats, and eventually Easter.

The girl is getting so big.  She's sprouting into a long lean silhouette of a 4 year old; gone are the days of the abundant toddler belly.  Her face is lean, her hair is long, and wow, suddenly she's become a master conversationalist.  Last winter, my favorite Alex word was "yesternight" and currently, I love hearing her iterate the word "bratend".  Everything is a big game of pretending to be someone, conversing with her stuffed animals, or reiterating stories for the hundredth time.

I love watching Alex master new tasks.  We can spend an evening cutting paper into tiny pieces.  At some point she starts making up a story about cutting Rapunzel's hair and then she gleefully snips off piece after piece. 
::
Work has been crazy thanks to the lovely seasonal crush, so Valentine's crafts were limited to gifts for school and for Lesa's.  These preprinted valentines were my favorite and so easy.  And when you have to satiate 27 three year olds, giving a collectable little animal lasts much longer than your average sucker. :)

::
My dear, lovely, endlessly talented friend Jana came to visit. 

The weather delivered, El Toro delivered (extra margs on the house!), and even the beach gave us an encore.  The day was intensely long - the equivalent of condensing an entire weekend into less than 12 hours - but it was truly amazing. And Alex and Luci connected for the first time.  

The girls played like children should - unbridled, joyful, boundless.  They were burying themselves in the sand, twirling, spinning, and hunting for treasure. 

::
I wrapped up the month by visiting our family in Pennsylvania.  Aunt Missy hosted a princess tea for the cousins.  And every little detail was infused with love: flower-shaped tea sandwiches, pink-tinted white hot chocolate, and fresh marshmallows.  You could see the love, but all the kids could see was fun.

The cousins had nothing less than a great time, and  days later, Alex randomly moans about missing Maddie and Jude.  She loves them so.  It's all good.
::
And as we headed out of town, we stopped at Longwood Gardens with Christina, Grey, and Gunnar. I forgot how much I miss Longwood since moving to Annapolis.  It's heaven and eye candy wrapped up in one beautifully groomed location.

May I introduce orchids. Floating, cascading, and standing alone.  

And now paired those blooms with a bit of spring.

::
Intertwined within the blossoms and the sweetened air was the children's section.  

To state that it's wonderful, is simply an understatement. 

The display allowed the children to explore, run, and get soaked to the core.  Longwood provided paint brushes for the children to paint the walls, the floors, and the steps with water. Alex was unforgiving with the brush.

Oh my did I love this handrail.  Rrrrr!

If you plan to ever visit, bring an extra set of dry clothing; Alex was soaked and frozen to the core. And if you need to ask, Longwood provides towels as you exit the display. 


Christina's friend Lonny commented that it will be wonderful to see our children grow up together.  And Christina and I just smiled at each other, feeling like we've shared that secret now for years.

::


Happy Spring.  Embrace it.