Today proves to be a cousin-packed day and I am very excited. A bit rushed perhaps, but excited indeed. The photos above are some special packaging of a birthday present but I am getting ahead of my story.
After my hair appointment this morning (I need to get moving instead of blogging, lol) I am meeting my first cousin Linda from Chicago for lunch. Her mother and my dad were brother and sister. They were very close and lived across the street from each as young adults and parents until Aunt Barbara Jean's untimely death. Linda and I lived together a short while in second grade when we were both staying at my Grandma Manning's house. Then later, in junior high and high school, we lived in the same area and would spend the night with each other. I've always felt a special bond with Linda and am very happy that she is visiting. I know she made my Dad very happy partially because she is an extension of a sister he missed but also because she is a very nice person.
Most of the rest of the day is devoted to Sarah and the celebration of her 5th birthday. Gee, I wonder what it is like to be 5 years old? Think of all the things you know nothing about such as a mortgage, retirement funds, medical copays.......... Sarah has been in my blog several times and is my first cousin twice removed, her mother Erica is my first cousin once removed, and her grandmother Lea is my first cousin but enough of that.
Erica is having a kid party for Sarah this afternoon and then we (the moms, me and jerry) are meeting Lea, my first cousin once removed Sonja (who is also Lea's daughter and Erica's cousin so Sarah's Aunt) will be over from Lakeland, and of course Sarah & Erica. Now that you more about my genealogy than you cared to know!
So the hat boxes.......I got Sarah a cowboy hat and a princess dress for her birthday. I knew I wanted to get a hat box for the hat because a) it would be an interesting presentation and b) probably the only way it would survive in a 5 year olds closet. I was just about out of time looking and was about to go the way of gift bags when I found these beautiful hat boxes at JoAnn's.
I was at the checkout line when I saw these two beautiful pink hat boxes, two different sizes just like I wanted, on the front clearance area! I quickly snatched them up and ran back for a couple spools of ribbon to tie them up. they turned out exactly as I had pictured with the exception of that septor/wand thing. The princess dress, which is beautiful and hopefully I will get a photo of her in it, came with a crown and that thing. The thing is too long for the hat box so I had to put it on top. Believe it or not, the hat boxes ended up costing little more than a couple gift bags with tissue paper and ribbon but I think they look a whole lot better. Ooooh, note to self - charge digital camera.
