Poppin' parties, fun findings and hilarious happenings

Lately at work, there have been quite a few little pops of light that remind me why I love my job so much. On a regular basis, I play hostess to birthday parties for very little ones, middle little ones, and big little ones (this translates to average ages between 4 and 12). Pizza, pottery, cake, balloons, streamers, candles, and presents... just the way I like to spend my work days! Yesterday there was a small party of five girls ages 10 and 11, and they were so sassy and silly and prissy, and they welcomed me with open arms into their conversations and vogue-style pictures. Oh, these kids and their hats, pleated denim skirts, leggings, ballet flats, and feminine menswear vests. We were never so stylish when I was that age! Bold horizontal stripes are luckily a thing of the past. The Twilight DVD was the theme conversation of the two-hour ordeal.

Pottery painted during a birthday party:

Just a few days ago, as I was unloading a kiln of pottery from the day before, I came upon a small box that a man had painted. It was a box shaped like a treasure chest. Inside the lid of the box, the man painted, "Marry Me?" Oh, how sweet! I wish him all the best. Sadly, I left the studio and got all the way home before I remembered to take a picture, and by the time I was back at work the next day, he had already come by to pick it up.

And then there was last night. When working at a pottery shop, it becomes a semi-regular experience to hear a brand new, unpainted piece of pottery fall from a child's hand, or get knocked off a tabletop, or fall off balance from the shelf. Well, last night a t-rex dinosaur's movement-sensitive eyes spotted the movements of a young boy. His attempt at making a hasty attack resulted in an unfortunate fall from many stories (shelves) up, and he needed an immediate amputation of his left leg from the knee down. Poor guy! The surgical team (my comrade Nicole and I) were able to save the dino's life and give him a new life purpose - he is now a one-legged pirate dino, complete with a parrot on one shoulder, an eyepatch, and wooden leg. Needless to say, we had a tiny bit of time on our hands, and the little boy's heart wasn't nearly as broken in the end. Yaaaargh, mayteee!


Why do you love your job?

She's coming soon....

Tonight I went into work after the store closed to celebrate with fellow employees the upcoming birth of Lilly Valle (pronounced "Vayeh"). I work with Cynthia, the mommy-to-be. Actually, I started right when she did, and so I have been able to watch that tummy grow... and boy oh boy, has it grown! She's the super skinny, tall type, who looks totally normal walking away from you... but as soon as she turns around, your eyes pretty much pop outta your head... WHOA! It's like she's got a basketball up her shirt!

We started off with a few games including "Guess How Many Squares" where we each had to guess how many toilet paper squares it would take to wrap around her tummy. She was so embarrassed! A couple other games followed, and then came gifts and cake. Only three AYW employees showed up other than Cynthia, which was a bummer. I was saddened that there wasn't more rallying around and celebration for Cynthia and the baby! There were lots of family and friends who came, though, and in all there were about 20 people at the shower.

Yesterday I found out that Cynthia had actually purchased all the decorations, plates, cups, and silverware for the shower, and on top of all that, she was making the cake for it, too! I was absolutely appalled and refused to let her make a cake to bring to her own baby shower. She finally gave in and requested a funfetti cake with purple icing, and that's what she got!





The baby blanket I have developed "knitter's pinky" over didn't get finished in time (imagine that, I didn't get a project finished in time for something important!), but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that I wrapped some onesies, a dress, newborn hair accessories, and sunglasses (gotta have those in the AZ!) from Target. Patty, our store manager, crocheted a blanket, some booties, and a sweater. Sabrina, the other AYW employee who came, gave a fleece blanket. And one or two other blankets were given... I couldn't tell if the of them was a towel or a blanket. So one more blanket could have pushed her over the edge of blanket-opening! Plus, the baby kicked Cynthia when she took the sunglasses out of the box, so she must've liked them.

Bountiful booty:

The little dress with matching leggings I got her:

As You Wish!

How can you not have fun working at a place called As You Wish?

I work at a pottery painting place and love my job. You come into the store, pick out a piece of pottery, pick out what colors you would like to paint it, and make your piece of pottery look just as you wish!!!

Tonight the store closed at 7:00 and all of us employees locked ourselves inside the store to paint our own pieces together. It was a potluck painting extravaganza, and I volunteered the lasagna. I had all the ingredients already except for the tomato sauce and cheese, so it was easy and cheap for me! Plus, since I was off work today I had the time to make something from scratch in stead of bringing in grocery store cookies, or Dixie cups. Doors locked, food lined up, paintbrushes ready, GO!!!

The lasagna was a hit, someone else brought Doritos, another brought homemade enchiladas and some "Ay! Ay! Ay!" salsa (yum!), and then, of course, there were drinks and some tasty chocolate cupcakes.

I started by painting my "name plate." Each girl gets a 6" tile to decorate as she pleases, to hang on the wall behind the cash register, so customers know who is helping them. The managers also use the tiles to see what each girl's interestes might be, what colors she likes, her artisic abilities, and so on. Jessika plays volleyball for her high school, and her tile shows a flaming volleyball soaring through space with her name written on it. Haylee is a cute, endearingly preppy high school junior whose tile is a cartoon-y self portrait of herself with a side ponytail held by a hot pink ribbon. My original tile was the profile of a butterfly painted in neon green, purple, and bright red... and the first time I hung it on the wall, the nail gave way and the tile came a-crashin to the ground. So sad. So tonight I painted a new name plate. This time I went with a simple, classic white motif. My name in "puffy paint" in ALL CAPS in white on a white background. I'm playing with shadow and I'm excited to see how it turns out!

There are only two others who are as old or older than me at the store. Patty, my boss, is in her thirties and has a husband and a four-year-old daughter Gabriella. Nicole is a free-spirited retro pin-up model (I know!) 24-year-old with a husband and two little boys. All the other girls are either still in high school, or have just graduated. Sabrina is the next oldest under me, and she's a freshman in college dealing with an overbearing mother and the always unforseen party expenses that always seem to pop up. How did I get so old?!?? When did this happen? And most importantly, how do I fit in with these young(er) girls so well? It was a rare occasion that I got along with so many girls when I was in high school. Maybe my mood of painting a plain white tile with my plain white name in the center means I'm open to the other bright and colorful personalities around me?