"T" Parties and Tiaras!

     Gans, Sissey and I are having a "T- party" today and you are all invited. You don't need your white gloves, pearls and hats for this one, however. We're hitting the road to do a little Christmas shopping at Target, Tuesday Morning, and TJ Maxx, a bargain hunter's paradise and just our cup of  "T"!
     We are also so very pleased to announce that our niece, Madison, received her very first tiara last night, one of many to come, we feel very sure! She was crowned "Little Miss 3K" at her pre-school program and was awarded a crown, a ribbon, a sash, a certificate, and a bag of candy! Guess which one she loved the most? "Mr. 3K" was also crowned, except he got a trophy instead of a tiara. She loved that crown--a real one made of metal, not the cheap plastic kind from the Dollar Store-- especially the way the "diamonds" jingled when she shook her head. I was afraid she would do some kind of brain damage the way she was tossing her head around to hear the crystals clinking! She wore it for the remainder of the program, on the car ride home, through dinner, and as she left for home, I warned her of the dangers of sleeping in a tiara....it can be a little prickly until you get used to it.
     This was the brilliant part of the whole program....the winners were based on the amount of money they had raised for the school.  I have worked on many annual-giving campaigns for my daughter's school, and never once thought of giving tiaras and trophies to the kids that raised the most money. I could have raised MILLIONS of dollars if I had thought of that one! Who in their right mind would refuse to make a donation to a little princess that was gunning for her first crown? I was amazed at the amount of cash some of the students had raised....fourth grade girls bringing in hundreds of dollars, fifth grade boys raising thousands!! It was the best strategic fundraising plan I have ever seen, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be calling Northstar Academy in Richmond to pass on the idea!
    It was a real treat to see our niece receive her very first tiara, and now, a day of shopping will just crown the weekend for us! A girl never gets to old for tiaras and t-parties.