16 June 17, 2016

 

I’m in disbelief. I mean, wasn’t he JUST born? All parents say that, that it flies by–but there’s really no better gauge of how quickly time passes than watching babies grow into boys…and then men.

This year has just been weird. Hearing not one man’s voice in my house, but two. Wondering who is visiting, and then realizing it’s just that kid, Henry–who is no longer a kid. He still acts the part, mind you–there’s plenty of maturing left to do–but that small voice is gone for good.

I recall the bizarre feeling just after a baby is born…one that has been a literal part of you for nine months…and then within a matter a moments, that child is across the room from you being bathed and measured; no longer in your grasp, belonging to the world. A sort of “letting go” process begins, realizing your child isn’t, and never will be again, completely within reach. We release them to their own will, and God’s protection and provision.

And now he will venture further…16. Keys in hand…out of our sight completely at times. We will anxiously stand by, watching and waiting to see where the road of life will
take our boy.

Happy Birthday sweet Henry. We are so proud of who you are becoming, and love you more than words can express.

My Clara is 12 April 1, 2016

 

It’s Birthday week…tomorrow this one will be 12.
It’s safe to say, she was blessed with plenty of personality!

I really don’t know how it happened. The little girl I always dreamed of is almost a little girl no more. She brings me more joy than I ever could have imagined. She is absolutely hilarious, imaginative, sweet (most of the time), clever, she loves Jesus, she’s smart, she bangs on the drums, plays hoops in the driveway, still loves her matchbox cars and legos…

This girl is an original.

Keep on banging your drums to your own beat Clara Callaway Gage…couldn’t love you more! Happy Birthday!

Change December 29, 2015

is good? That’s what they say. I’m adjusting. I started Kat in the Hat Designs before my children were born (Henry is 15 1/2), while I was working full-time at Cooking Light Magazine. Since then, I’ve had Clara who is now 11, moved to Knoxville, TN and back (where I worked for HGTV.com and CityView magazine, changed the business name to Clarabelle & the Hen, starting working with Garnet Hill Catalog and into an actual building that wasn’t my basement), seven years later moved to Tuscaloosa, after a couple years, down-sized the business, worked part-time at The Trunk, who carried Clarabelle goodies (where I re-lived my college days vicariously through the day-the-day tales from the precious collegiate’s I came to know and adore), and now a little more full-time at Harvest Select (yep, I work for a catfish company–doing marketing and creative and it’s super cool!)…all while maintaining Clarabelle, after an unfortunate happenstance which left me website-less for the past 6 months (don’t get me started on how THAT happened.)

The website is just about up and running again…a do-it-myself version that took untold hours and isn’t perfect or even close…but I am praying that folks will appreciate the years of labor and love that have gone into Clarabelle & the Hen–into each illustration, each concept. And I am proud to say, I think my little company really is one of the true originals of it’s kind, which means something to ME! 🙂 I love so much about this business and would love to whittle back to the basics again…just simple, cute knits (that’s why there’s LOTS of good stuff on sale…so you should check it out!) and spend my spare time (ha, right?) painting again (see FINE ART) on the site…which is a lost-love I haven’t had much time for in the past decade or so. Please visit us at http://www.clarabelleandthehen.com

If you are reading this and have any suggestions I’m all ears…I’m ready to push CBH up one more mountain and see where where we can go…

Coming Out of Hiding… September 6, 2015

I have been M.I.A. and gone from blogland. The last time I posted it was all about the hair. The hair saga started 1 year and 8 months ago. I think all the mangled hair has finally left the premises, but I’m still growing out bad layers. Safe to say that this chapter is for the most part, closed. Bigger fish to fry in life but I realized that I am terribly vain and my hair means far more to me than it should. I will, at least one time before I am TOO old, have long hair again. This I vow.

I have been working a part-time job on the strip (the hot spot at the University of Alabama)–at a store called The Trunk. I work with college-aged girls, selling collegiate stuff to Alabama fans (War Eagle!) and sorority girls. I get called ma’am all day long, and do a lot of math. But I have fallen in love with these sweet young girls and have realized how much I needed to be around people and not holed up in the basement all day long making t-shirts. Now I just hole up after two o’clock every day.

I just spent a bunch of money updating the shopping cart for my website at the behest of the company that manages my site, only for them to tell me 5 months later that their server would no longer support said shopping cart. So they kicked me off their server after ten years with their company. That’s why if you go to my website it’s M.I.A too. So I am presently trying to throw together a new website without having to sell my first-born in order to do so.

My children are growing up. Henry is 15 and driving the VEHICLE. Clara is 11 and shaving her legs. it’s all just too much.

Matt has been building more cool stuff…love the latest, a beautiful bed that I secretly hope will end up in Clara’s room 🙂

I attended something called 21 days of prayer at my church and it was AMAZE-BALLS. I did lots of reflecting on life, and obviously some praying and lots of good stuff came out of it…so I’m excited to see what’s in store for me and for my family.

And that’s all folks…for now. STAY TUNED!

Hair Affair May 6, 2014

 

 

Yep. I’m vain. And I care way more about my hair than I EVER realized. My dad always said he was vain, and I guess the apple doesn’t fall far. Though he isn’t anymore…so perhaps, this too shall pass–but I have been forced to face my vanity square in the teeth (er, mirror) and be thankful for more important things…than good hair.

I had stick straight hair for most of my life…long, straight, healthy, thick hair. That is until my senior year of college when the first greys appeared. And in the first years post college when my dear friends did the intervention (you know who you are) and dragged me off to the salon for the hair color bondage I have been in since. (I give thanks to my mother for this–who was grey at 30. Again the apple doesn’t fall far.) Grey hair, babies, years…take with them sleek, straight hair. And replace it with wiry, unruly, sometimes wavy, sometimes straight hair, that can best be described as “witches hair”.  Thank goodness my broom could get me to the help I needed…stores like Ulta are a girls best friend for a wealth of grooming goop and straightening irons. Then off to the salon for Keratin Treatments (the best invention since cell phones)…and my hair was looking A-ok! For a while…

And then, as with everything good, they decided Keratin was bad for you.

I still have to fight back the tears. And they changed the formula. the precious. golden. formula.

And made it worthless. (Although they were still real proud of it, and continued to charge the 24k gold price).

So what did I do? I fell for a bad sales pitch. I’d heard of the Japanese Hair Straightening Treatment, and was told it cost around $600 and was a lengthy two-part process. I declined–even I am not THAT vain. But when this new salon someone recommended told me they could do it for $100 I should have known better. Nope. Vanity said “go for it.” She also said, “since my hair will be so sleek and shiny, lets chop some off!” to the tune of EIGHT INCHES. And now lets fry it up, electrocute it, melt it, DESTROY IT!

Wait. No one said that, did they ? BUT THAT’S WHAT THEY DID!!!! Think Elmer’s Glue hair when it’s wet, cotton candy…wait, synthetic doll hair, when it’s dry. Then go outside and take the weed wacker to it and chop it up real good to try and get the damaged stuff out of it (impossible since it’s ALL RUINED) and what do you get? MEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! A really bad wig version of Rod Stewart’s hair. No, Beevus or Butthead’s hair.

Yes, I have had a massive pity party. And yes, I am ashamed of myself, as I have watched several close friends lose their beautiful hair to the ravages of chemotherapy and wear beautiful smiles of thanks and praise FOR LIFE, throughout.

My hair is growing healthier day by day…now 5 months since the electrocution… as is my attitude. I know this ordeal will one day be something to laugh about, and a tiny blip on life’s scale. Yes, I am so very thankful for my health, my friends return to health and learning what really matters.

My broom awaits 🙂 Watch my “wig” flow in the wind…

She’s Double Digits. Oh My! April 13, 2014

As

As is the typical Clara Gage birthday protocol, the festivities carry on for at least two days because her actual birthday never seems to be a good day for a party and then there’s Easter (the same week). This year WAS an exception! Her birthday fell on a Saturday–a perfectly acceptable day for a birthday party, and Easter is the latest it’s been since she was born–not until two weeks later. But as Clara is known to do, she finagled two days of celebrating anyway–turning her party into an over-nighter, beginning on Friday…and kicking things off with cupcakes at school.

She wanted a camping party…but no “glamping” for this girl. It was the real-deal, get-dirty, stay-outside kind of camping.

 

The party favors were flashlights and bandanas

We popped Jiffy Pop on the campfire–to little success. It says right on the package not to cook it this way, but we had to try!
Most of it burned, or didn’t pop at all, but we had fun trying.

I
Louise (Tweeze)

Emma Claire, Louise and Lakin

Added to the mix…Anna Scott, Mae Mae, Clara and Kendall. The sweetest little gaggle of girlies.
(I have never heard so much GIGGLING)

Burgers on the grill…..and perhaps the biggest hit of all…the old-school bottled cokes. They were so excited about them.

We set up three tents. We also set up an outdoor movie projector and screen and they watched a movie (Despicable Me).

Blowing out the candles was a group event. Lakin  instinctively blew them out the first time. Then it was anybody’s game.
I think we lit them ten times.

The batteries on my camera died (just like they do EVERY YEAR) and I didn’t get any campfire/camping pics ): but they had a ball. Three lasted all night, three ended up in Clara’s bed…Lakin, Lou and Anna Scott. Pretty smart if you ask me!!!

We had a big breakfast early in the morning…

Clara opened sweet goodies (of course a couple of pairs of sqeaky clean new Converse 🙂

And now my baby girl is ten. She is a gift herself. A happy, silly, sweet, loving, precious child. She is adored.

Happy Birthday Clara.

The Apple Crate July 5, 2013

So I had this little wooden crate with an apple painted on it when I was a kid. My mom bought it from a store called the Crab Apple. It was next to a sandwich store that made the yummiest, cheesiest, greasiest pepperoni sandwich you ever tasted, that was my consolation prize for the clarinet lessons I had to take at the college to help me stay second chair in band (out of two chairs 🙂 Oh. I digress.

That’s when I became a saver. Every dollar ever given to me, even bill that slipped from a birthday card…went into that crate. It HAD to have 100 dollars in it at all times. If I had to spend a $7 on Clinque makeup to get the “FREE GIFT”, I wrote myself an I.O.U. and paid it back with the next babysitting job.

The trend has continued throughout my life. I have to keep a certain minimum in a savings account. And I’ve been been known to save for a big expenditure in a pickle jar. I have never, ever carried debt on a credit card.

So. Starting a business has brought with it many a sleepless night. Business debt is unavoidable. There are lot’s of expenses. It’s scary but if if goes well, there is reward. I have been blessed. Clarabelle & the Hen allowed me to be at home, have some freedom, do what I love and make some money too. But right now I feel like I need to do a little bit more. So hmmmm. WHAT TO DO!?

Well, you may  think I am crazy but I am soooo excited about this.
Aside from the painting I told you about yesterday I’ve been consigning stuff—actually I’ve done that for years. I send the kids clothes to a place in Birmingham. Mine too. But I’ve gone through tons and tons of Clarabelle & the Hen samples and really cleaned out. I’ve also been putting stuff on this local Craig’s List-type site—literally going nuts around here, cleaning out, finding stuff to sell. And actually having fun. Well as much fun as you can have being broke 🙂 I’m calling it my “debt diet”. In usual Kathryn-form, I’ve gotten all OCD about it but it sure does feel good when I save a chunk and send it to the credit card company. My goal is to first, cut up my business credit card, and only use a debit card, and then save a big stockpile and never get in this uneasy situation again.

But it occurred to me that seemingly rock-solid business gigs can come and go, and it also occurred to me that I don’t ever want to go back to work for a yucky boss again. Don’t get me started. And so I was sort of wondering what else I could do….that’s where the painting came in….but Lordy…how many paintings would I have to paint?

Anyway. I started going to this bible study and right off the bat clicked with this girl named Angie. We both went to Auburn so that was the initial connection. And as it seems to go with everyone I meet, the convo goes like this:
Other Person “when did you graduate?”
Me: “oh, I’m sure, way before you”
OP: usually….I graduated  in 1998 or something equally as hard to hear
But in this case, Angie said it! and as it turned out, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, she was OLDER than ME. But when she told me her age, I literally almost fell on the floor. Check her out:

This girl is 51 years old. NEVER done botox. No surgery. (Angie, PLEASE don’t be mad at me, you are FLIPPING BEAUTIFUL and don’t look a day over 35, and If I were you I’d be shouting my age from the rooftops). And by the way, I’m very obviously jealous.

Anyway, we ended up going to lunch and she told me she needed a graphic designer to help her with her business. Well, pretty cool, huh? Fancy that. Another way to earn some $. But she started telling me about her business. She had worked in Real Estate, Marketing, been a major career girl. Her husband is an architect. When the economy crashed, they BOTH lost their jobs. A friend told her about the company she was working for. Rodan & Fields. You’ve heard of it. The Proactiv people. Obviously a genius product. I use it. I’ve been using it for years. The friend suggested she go to work for them too. Angie thought her friend was nuts. Doing WHAT?

But when her friend shared her story, Angie started listening. As did I.

In a nutshell, R&F (who are two female dermatologists who still have private practices even though they are KABILLIONAIRES) saw a need for people beyond teenagers with acne. People were saying, why aren’t you treating wrinkles, adult acne, sensitive skin etc? So they started a high end skin care line and sold it through Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom etc. It instantly became a top seller…because it truly works. These are products that dermatologists are using in their practices like Obagi, which I also use…that I have to admit, are PRICEY…that are getting the same results, use the same ingredients, but they are sold at a lower price point. And the best part is, they are formulated to cause less irritation. (When I started using Obagi, my face looked like roadkill–no lie).

But they realized they could do even better if they created a direct-selling model. They also really want to help people improve their skin, and to share the wealth. I know, it sounds like baloney—but lets get real, these chicks don’t need any more money. The key is getting on the horn, calling your friends, telling them about these amazing products (Look at Angie! Look at the success of Proactiv! And if that doesn’t convince you…when you buy the products there is a 60-day MONEY BACK guarantee. For real! Send back the EMPTY JARS if you don’t like what you used, for an exchange or your money back. WHO DOES THAT?)

If you become a product seller, you get all the tools you need…a website, your samples etc (a small start-up investment that you earn back quickly, I promise you)–and at the same time, bring in business partners to sell with you–and you will watch your sales grow exponentially over time.

Long story short…Angie, has been doing this for only three years and she is driving a free Lexus. Bigger wow— she only works about 20-30 hours a week. You can work as much or as little as you like, depending on how much money you want to make. And if you decide you decide it isn’t for you, can you stop at any time. You will have SO much support…an amazing team to help you. Angie is showing me the ropes and you will die when you hear some of the success stories. I kid you not, there is a 27 year old school teacher who is now making over a million bucks a year.

Check out my site:
https://kathryngage.myrandf.com/ and all of the great products. Try the great tool to assess your skins needs.

I’m gonna try it and I’m not a huge risk taker. I just don’t see much risk, but a ton to gain. My biggest concern is that apparently you have to talk on the phone a lot 🙂 lol. I can hear you all now…”welp. Kathryn won’t be driving any Lexus. haha. BUT I’M GONNA GET BETTER ABOUT THAT!!!!!!!! And I’m gonna look like Angie too 🙂 In my new Lexus. All young and pretty. Watch and see!

I’ll keep ya’ll posted! Wish me luck 🙂 Oh, and if you want to try a miracle scrub and night serum send me your address!

kathryngage@att.net

Kathryn Gage
Clarabelle & the Hen
kathryn@clarabelleandthehen.com
*205.345.6101
*PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF NEW OFFICE NUMBER

Digging Out… July 4, 2013

This whole thing about the economy bottoming out seemed like something that happened to “other people” for a while. In fact, when it started, my business was going gangbusters…it was the best year my business had ever seen. I guess while people were drowning in debt and pretending they weren’t,  a cute t-shirt was an affordable little pick-me-up that only made a little dent in the budget, as opposed to the over-sized mortgage payment. At any rate…the cracks have only recently started to show in my world, but as we all know, if left unchecked, the tiniest fissures can quickly crumble the foundation.

My family moved from Tennessee to Alabama a little over a year ago. My husband changed jobs and I was forced to move my business, Clarabelle & the Hen.  We had a double mortgage for a bit—we had to move quickly–so there was a home to buy, and one to sell.  My business stayed in Tennessee, along with a lease and two employees for five months, with me traveling back and forth. We were working on a home that needed some pretty serious TLC—you get it. There was list of “to-do’s” for the house, and this certain amount of money in the bank…and then there was ME managing both. Let’s just say there’s a reason I’m an artist and not an Algebra teacher.

Annnnnnnnnd let’s just say a few little things popped up like electrical and plumbing problems that weren’t on my list (isn’t that like if you eat while standing up, it doesn’t go towards your daily calorie count?)

Well. Um. I sort of went over the budget a little bit.

And then the proverbial wheels fell off one of our cars.

And then Garnet Hill didn’t include Clarabelle & the Hen in one season of their catalogs.

And our property taxes went up.

And so did our mortgage.

Oh, and there was a little goof with water bottle projections for the year and it’s safe to say that I have enough that if I filledall of them we could then dump the water in a swimming pool and have a pool party. And water bottles aren’t cheap. Not fabulous, BPA-Free, Klean Kanteen® water bottles…IN FACT….hey, NOW I’m thinking….use the code DIGOUT10, and get 10% off one today 🙂

http://tinyurl.com/oxpzjfb

Yep.

I’m one of “those people”. The bloody economy got me too.

TMI? Maybe. But I am bound and determined to bounce back…and it’s become fun in a way! I LOVE pretty things. I love decorating my home, I love great clothes. I love yummy beauty products. But I am learning to appreciate what I have. Not to get all preachy, but how many pairs of designer jeans do I really need? (Yes, I am a former addict). I am learning to throw catalogs in the trash… except Garnet Hill of course 🙂 and to get creative….which I will tell you alllll about. (Don’t expect Coupon Suzy or anything….) Come back tomorrow for more….if you dare. Ha.

It was cool then… April 18, 2013

When I was in high school, it was a different time. It’s unfortunate really. Because I would have done it allllll sooooo differently, number one…if I’d had the guts. And number two…if it had only been cool to the people I was hoping to impress. Silly me. What WAS cool? Cheerleaders were cool. Gymnasts were cool. Rich was cool. The right clothes were cool. Athletes were cool. IN MY SHALLOW MIND, I thought band wasn’t cool. Track wasn’t cool. Drama wasn’t cool. I convinced myself that Art was ok-cool….because that’s what I was good at. High school is so sad. For some. Probably for most. For me. Because I wasted the whole time worrying about what people thought of me…when they were really only thinking about themselves! Because I WISH I had done drama…because I would have been DAMN GOOD at it. And I wish I had run track…because I’d have had a great fitness headstart for life…and a great BUTT in college. And I wish I had played an instrument, because hello…who doesn’t wish they did now? But I was too busy…..being “cool”. Ugh. Make that TRYING to be cool.

Well…there was this one chick who didn’t give a flip about cool. She was a year or two younger than I. I never really knew her. In fact, I’m not sure I ever even had a conversation with her….but she was always with this one other girl…they were BFFs. This girl was a knockout. I mean drop dead GORGEOUS. I think all the other girls HAD to have been terribly envious of her. She wore fabulous clothes. She had the most gorgeous hair— a perfect figure. She’d flash this blinding smile with red lipstick. But as far as I know, she made no effort to go the cheerleader route…or to be a part of the “popular” crowd. This girl could have ruled the school had she wanted to (unless there are things I never knew about her) but as far as I could see, she kept to herself…and did her own thing. She ran cross country (SO NOT COOL), dated a guy at another school…and I always sort of thought to myself….”gosh, I wish I could be more like her. I wish I had that confidence— I wish I didn’t care at all what anyone thinks of me.”

I graduated, and went to Auburn and guess who turned up there? I’d see her there with the boy she’d dated from home. And then she pledged my sorority. I still didn’t get to know her at all. In fact, I have no memory of seeing her at any function or recall any thing about her…until the first year that she was on the “backside” of rush, witnessing the process—seeing the girls come through, and hearing the discussion about each one after hours—determining who gets through and who doesn’t. And guess what…once again, this girls spirit and character shone through. She didn’t like hearing each girl being compared, discussed without the ability to defend…so do you know what she did? She turned in her pin. Once again, she chose to do her own thing. Chose to do what she believed in.

This is the kind of person I pray my daughter will become. I don’t know where this girl is today. I never saw her again. I wish I did. I’d like to tell her how much I admire her. I’d like to tell her that I wish I’d had the privilege of calling her friend. I’d like for her know how many times through the years I’ve thought about her when I feel afraid to do what I REALLY want to do because of what someone might think….

I’d like her to know that I’ll tell my daughter this about her…

“This chick was the epitome of cool. Dont’cha think?”

And…She’s Nine. April 8, 2013

How can it be? I say this every year. But seriously. Nine?
It blows my mind. THIS. is. my. BABY.
This is the little one I still sing “Jesus loves me” to every night.
This is the one whose kicks in my belly I can still recall like this mornings whole wheat English muffin.
This is the one who I would keep little forever if I could,
but brings me more joy than I knew possible watching her grow.

My Clara.

Is nine.

No one milks a birthday like the Clara-Girl.
Every year she manages to make it at the VERY LEAST a three-day event.
It falls on or around Easter, AND during the school year–so the party goes on, and on….and on.
Each year, the appearance of the “birthday duck” signifies the BEGINNING.

Then of course, being OCD like I am, and a t-shirt/invitation designer…I tend to go a little overboard.
I made tees for all the invitees and mailed them along with the invites–by the skin of my teeth.
The whole event sneaked up on me —
I was frantically researching water bottles for Garnet Hill and packing for Spring Break, and oops–
had to plan the whole birthday party THE DAY we were leaving for Charleston.

Here’s Miss Priss on her actual birthday, preparing for school 🙂

She chose to open the first from Posie (the puppy 🙂

And it’s LOVE! 🙂 She is obsessed with stuffed animals right now.
Which means they are taking OVER the house.
Not sure how I feel about this.

 At school she had a fun cupcake party…

There’s Louise (better known as “tweeze”, sportin’ her Tootsie and Tweeze Tee 🙂

Sweet Anne Douglass who couldn’t make Clara’s B-Day party this weekend because she’s a dancer and had a competition this weekend.
We’re so happy they are classmates 🙂

We love Mrs. Clarks’ 3rd Grade class. So many great kids, and Mrs. Clark is so wonderful!

(I need Clara here with me to help with everyone’s names, yikes! we’ll have to come back and edit!)

Millie and Lili

After school Tweeze came over and Clara opened her family goodies…

a rare, and ADORABLE moment between Henry and Clara…

and it’s CAPTURED ON FILM!!!!!!!

Ha. And a glimpse of the usual dynamic 🙂

Just what she needs…MORE converse tennis shoes (let’s see, that’s white, chocolate, grey, pink, red, navy…)

BUT in her defense, she wears them ALL!!!!! And it’s literally ALL she wears.

Toots and Tweeze

Another stuffed animal…this one from the CAT.

You know, the one that remained unnamed for ages
and finally we just pinned him with “blue” but no one was ever happy with that.
Eventually we all just started calling him whatever suited each of us.
Matt and Henry call him PoopahTink (don’t ask, cuz I have no idea),
I don’t really know what Clara calls him, she just carries the poor the thing around all the time
but I call him Ted (Kazinski), or Uni-bomber–cuz he’s CRAY-CRAY.

Dad, undoubtedly in disbelief that she’s growing up so fast ):

Reading Nana’s card

oooooooo. Time for the biggie.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE. This is UNDOUBTEDLY the MOST excited I have EVER seen this child.

LOOK at that face. Priceless!!!!!!!!

And if you could have heard the squeal. Heck, you may have!
(Ha. Look Louise is holding her ears!!!)

hurry it up dad!

Oh, these moments….too precious for words

Beautiful little girls.

Then we headed out to dinner…and lucky for you, those pictures are on my phone and I will upload them later 🙂
Clara and Louise chose Mugshots
(burgers, chicken fingers, fries…typical 9-yr old fare).

Saturday we took a brief birthday breather….ahhhhhhhh.

But then there was Sunday.

 

 SuperSkate. Took me back. I had a party with my friend Melanie at about the same age, in Columbus, Georgia at the Skate Center.

This place is RETROOOOOOOO. Love it!

Cutest little buncha girls I ever did see 🙂

Cate, Mae-Mae, Megan, Lili, Mary Alice, Clara, Louise, Maggie, Lucy (I sure hope I didn’t mix the twins up!) Campbell and Emma Claire

And yes, I did dare to skate

Thanks to Lili’s mom Missie who took over camera duties at some point and got some great shots!!

Not sure how but she managed to actually win something out of one of those
machines-rigged-to-be-sure-every-child-spends-all-their-parents-money-and-leaves-empty-handed.
Maybe they also have a special rig for birthday kids.

Note to self: Don’t ever allow someone on roller skates carry the cake to the party room
(see conspicuous photo cropping)

I think a good time was had by all…
except mama had a major lapse in judgement in planning a THREE HOUR party at SuperSkate.

Clearly, I was under duress.

The important thing is…this sweet little nine-year old girl is loved by many (and had a ball)

She is growing into a wonderful young girl. Her heart is pure, she is kind (MOST of the time)
and I couldn’t be more thankful for the nine years I’ve been blessed to know and love her.

Happy Birthday my dear girl.

I love you.