All of Nine

It's fun to have a simple celebration at home on the special day. Then, a nominal celebration in the classroom with teachers and classmates. Plus, an extra fun one with a handful of close friends in a chosen venue.

At least, that's what the nine year old said a few weeks ago once the dust settled from all the festivities and she felt like a seasoned nine year old.

A beautiful hand-made dress sewed by Paattee with vintage cross-stitch around the neck, on the chest and at the bottom - just amazing, one-of-a-kind dress.

Awesome Mochi with candles, as she declared that does not care for cakes anymore.

"Dirt Dessert" to share with classmates as it just happened to be Earth Day: A scoop of vanilla ice cream, a scoop of devil's food cake "dirt", a few gummy worms, plus favorite toppings that kids get to assemble to their liking.

A nice thing about keeping the extra fun party small? Bountiful eco-friendly goodies in the goody bags. The little girl put a lot of thought into it - asked my input and budget - and chose items she'd like to receive in a goody bag. Things that can be used over and over, not a lot of plastic novelty that gets tossed away once the novelty wears off. What's not to like about socks and headbands? Or stamps, glue, and chalk for that matter? For that hand-made touch, seed paper and bead necklace worked well. One can never have enough markers, especially if they are double-ended mini stamp markers.