The transformation of a butterfly...

Today was a dream come true for me. It didn't turn out at all the way it was planned in my head last night--or even earlier today.

It was my intention to leave Springdale about noon today and head back to Evening Shade. I had set my telephone alarm to go off at 6:00 AM in order to finish my ironing.

So far, so good. That part happened as planned. Before Jr. and Bobbi excused themselves to prepare to run some errands, the plan was that while they were doing just that, I would complete the ironing and do whatever housework I wanted/needed to do in preparation for the Thanksgiving crowd tomorrow and Thursday.

By the time they exited their quarters, there had been new developments. Bobbi had apparently mentioned her desire to have her hair cut, styled, and possibly highlighted. Jr. asked me if by chance I wanted to go to the mall with her and maybe get my hair cut and styled as well. I told him that if he ever wanted me to leave (not today, I mean EVER!) he sure was going about it in the wrong way!

And so it came to pass that we turned this into a girl's day out. Man, alive, did I have a blast! As you can see, I documented the event and will, as soon as possible, post the videos I took on my youtube channel: youtube.ladybugapprentice.com

The salon experience was fantastic, but the day only got better! Bobbi allowed me to put together some outfits for her from Vanity, a shoppe in the mall. OMG! How I loved dressing this beautiful, intelligent, fit, toned, but fashion impaired real life Barbie Doll.

Bobbi is a professional in the corporate world, and as such, she dresses the part flawlessly. However, her wardrobe, vast as it is, was either high-end power suits, elegant holiday wear, work out attire or Harley Davidson's biggest advertiser's apparel.

While all those mentioned are befitting in their own rite, the child owned nothing "casual dress." Ultra casual she had an abundance of, but something just a bit more dressy, but not formal, was absent.

I have been wanting to dress this girl for the longest time. She has the cutest little petite body, which she has worked diligently to achieve and is dedicated and disciplined in maintaining. I'm so jealous! So, she graciously agreed to allow me to live vicariously through her while a patron in Vanity (how descriptive is THAT!) today.

The poor dear was hardly given time to voice her own opinion as both the wired little sales person and I trampled over one another pulling jeans, tops, jackets, shoes, hats, and jewelry from the racks and wildly pitching them over the top of the locked dressing room door for Bobbi to model for us.

What a good sport she was/is! What an accommodating mannequin! Many of the styles she was not used to, and many of the colors and cuts of the garments were new to her as well. I simply refused to allow her to entertain the notion of owning one more orange-based red article of clothing! Not on my watch!

We all are such creatures of habit, good or bad. We dress, for the most part, for comfort, not for glamor. However, it is possible to achieve BOTH goals with one outfit, or better yet, many components of outfits which transition easily and quickly into numerous styles, or "looks," if you will.

Is there anything more thrilling than to have versatile pieces which mix and match at a reasonable cost? The pinnacle of a shopper's high is to have discovered each item from the clearance rack! It just doesn't get any better than that, in my opinion.

It was simply meant to be today that Bobbi walk out of that establishment a much more fashion conscious, aware, cutting-edge young woman. Between the gorgeous new do and the sexy new duds, she's just got it goin' on! She looks (and acts) years younger than she did just hours ago.

Although it is not possible she enjoyed the outing more than I, I only hope she enjoyed it as much. You're a real trouper, kiddo. Many, many thanks for your tolerance!

And to my sweet brother......I can never thank you enough for your generosity, but I will certainly show you in every way that I can, and with every chance I get how much I love and appreciate you! You made this day not just possible, but a reality. Thank you both!



Bobbi "before."














Bobbi "after."