Mallory Models

My new children's book, Animal Fairy Magic, co-written by my daughter Hannah, was just released last week. We had a book launching party on Saturday which was amazingly fun. All of my animals are in the book, and Mallory is the co-star (along with Hannah).

For the party I braided ribbons into Mallory's mane. (Ichabod watched me intently and insisted on having his own ribbon. I gave him a blue bow in his forelock.)  Then, each kid at the party had a chance to model on Mallory- recreating the book cover. Mallory was very patient and looked beautiful. She had fun offering her "smile" trick for the camera!

Of course Mallory loves performing so she also played her toy piano for the crowd. (I really must get a proper video of that for you.) She has enhanced her "style" and it is so cute! Ichabod is also learning the piano and he played a few notes too.

The fairy models had such a fun time playing together and signing books.I read one of the chapters to the crowd, "Owen Gets Painted".

Animal Fairy Magic is available on my website and Amazon.

How Henry Came to Be "Ours"

Our animal friend's come to us in so many different ways don't they? For me, I have inherited a cat, been given a horse, selected animals from shelters, purchased a riding donkey, had a cat walk in as a stray and so on...

A few months ago we were ready to get a new cat and we wanted to be sure the new one got along well with Owen (rambunctious male kitten) and we needed the new guy to be comfortable in an active household with young kids. Also he needed to be rabbit friendly. And we wanted the new cat to be the right match for our daughter Sierra. It was a tall order to fill!

We went to the shelter after being tipped off about a half grown kitten that might be a good match. We went into the room with the kitten and two other cats. That kitten might have been one of the cutest cats I have ever seen (aesthetically speaking). And he was friendly and playful. Most likely a reasonable match for our family. There was also a fat, slight disheveled cat there who immediately walked up to me and pressed his forehead into my leg. Then pressed his face into Sierra's hands. While the kitten we came to see danced around and largely ignored the children, this other guy stayed committed to his cause of getting to know us. I asked Sierra to look into her heart and ask which cat was truly best for her, not considering the physical appearance (she was hooked on the cuteness of the kitten). She was quickly able to see that Henry was meant to be with us!

Henry came home that day and immediately became one of my most beloved friends. He is the perfect match for Sierra, he loves sitting on laps, he plays wonderfully with Owen, and he is stunning to look at.

As for getting along with the rabbit... well that didn't go so well at first. When Henry went snooping in Ton Ton's food dish, the rabbit chased him down, knocked him over, and jumped on him. Needless to say that was terrifying for Henry. They have since worked out a reasonable relationship, but Henry is sure to stay away from the rabbit's food!

Isn't it fantastic when the perfect beings enter our lives just when we need them most? (Like this little Cinderella and her Prince Charming.)