hellobeautifulcreatures

And if you were a nine-year-old girl at any point during the last 30 years, you are almost certainly familiar with American Girl. It very well may have been an essential part of your nine-year-old girldom. From the beginning, from the time it was a mere kernel of an idea scrawled on a postcard, American Girl was engineered for nine-year-old girls. It all began when Pleasant Rowland, who was working for an educational publishing company at the time, took a trip to Colonial Williamsburg. Rowland had had a varied career; she'd been an elementary school teacher , a TV news reporter , a textbook writer. History and education were her passions, and while she was in Virginia, inspiration struck. She sent a postcard detailing her plan to her friend Valerie Tripp , a children's author. As she recalled at American Girl's 25th anniversary celebration , it went something like this: "I've been down in Williamsburg this week and had an idea. What do you think of it? A series of...

Congregation Beth Israel Events WEST HARTFORD — Congregation Beth Israel , 701 Farmington Ave., is hosting the following events. All events are at the congregation, unless otherwise noted. For more information, call 860-233-8215 or visit www.cbict.org. Shabbat Splashdown Pool Party and Havdalah: Saturday, Aug. 26, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the home of Cantor Phillips. Address provided upon RSVP. CBI's group for young professionals and graduate students hosts a light dinner with fun in the pool. A short Havdalah ceremony brings the sweetness of the evening into the rest of the week to come. Guests are asked to bring a drink or dessert to share. RSVP to Cantor Phillips by Wednesday, August 23, at lphillips@cbict.org. Celebrate CBI: Sunday, Aug. 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. Enjoy food, fun, family, and friends in this end-of- summer celebration , free and open to the public Torah Study will take place every Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. Clergy will lead a spirited exploration and discussi...