"This is the story of a wish come true."

"North Star, star of the sea, I wish for a ship named after me, to sail for a day alone and free, with someone nice for company." 

"When she woke up, she was in the cabin of her own ship. It was named The Maggie B. after her, and the nice company was her brother, James, who was a dear baby." 

"On the poop deck was a tiny farm. There were a goat and some chickens, an apple tree and a peach tree and an orange tree with a toucan perched on a branch. They picked an orange for breakfast." 

The Maggie B. is a lovely story--almost a party plan in itself. Margaret and James have a picnic lunch and start a beautiful sea stew for supper before nap time. 

"James had his nap on a velvet pillow and Margaret painted a handsome portrait of him." 

I love the serious look Eliza gets when she is painting.
Just like her grammy. 

                            

Eliza outlasted everyone at the painting activity. She
was in the zone--very focused.

After juice and cookie time, the sun disappears and Margaret has to prepare her own little ship to weather a storm--just enough adventure to remind them how wonderful their little world really is. When everything is safe and secure, they go back inside and mix up a batch of muffins and warm goats milk to have with their stew.

Eliza does love this book (especially the part about the storm coming), but I wouldn't be totally honest if I said this was all just for her. A day on the Maggie B sounds like a perfect day to me at this stage in my life--good company, good food, creativity, control of my space and just enough storm to keep things in perspective. 

Eliza playing with Rosa at the end of the party. 

Eliza at almost three. What a confident, imaginative, and loving little person. 

Me and my girl a few weeks ago. Her idea to sit this way eating our ice cream.