>She is
>wildly artistic and won a city-wide prize for poetry in second grade.
>We have no idea what she'll end up doing with her life,
>Heck, she's 9!
>Priscilla, proud aunt
Hmnn,....that is interesting.... Kids have a lot of dreams and
ambitions what they will do when the grow up.....I agree ....You have
reasons to be proud of.... As you niece has multiple interests!
But from what you describe he is lover of the arts......and literature.
Poetry is good outlet for venting emotions......I remember.....I had
something similar......during my teens I used to write love letters to
my first love in poetry. The lady was pretty delighted and she had kept
that notes until now in his precious memories box.
She loves the rhythm and rime and how it evokes my deepest feelings
for her.<g>.

> although she's
>insistent these days that she's going to be a fashion designer. ;-)
Ahh,,,, that reminds me of a lady baking student many years
back......I was one of the part time tutors in baking school and one
of my colleagues( fellow teachers) in the baking class had a good sense
of humor.
Right at the start the girl seems to have some difficulty in getting
bread out of the oven satisfactorily. Say specifically, the loaf bread
comes out with slightly caved sides,; buns and oven bottom loaves had
shrunk sides.
Anybody who understand breadbaking understand that bread fault. In
order for her to improve her skill but not hurt her feelings...
That particular teacher in the bread class told her.....
I think you will become rich and famous......The girl was astonished,
......how?
You can be a fashion model or fashion designer.....The girl asked
further....How can that be?
You had an eye for curves.....your bread looks pretty sexy to
me......I know you ....will be a loss to the baking world but a gain to
the women's fashion....Think about it...
The lady student was surprised.....and bit puzzled.... whether to get
angry at the comment, or pleased at the complement<g>.
What happened after that .... She still persisted in baking and she was
doing well with her products and was employed in a retail bakery.
She eventually married a baker co worker and had their own
bakery....but surprisingly the bakery teacher prediction did come
true....
This woman had a knack for clothes design as she sewed most of her own
clothes as a hobby and people took notice of her attire and was asked
by a number of women (who learned that she made it herself),...that if
she could possibly do for them as well. Gradually she was putting more
time on designing and creating women's clothing than in the bakery
and established her won boutique and left the baking to his husband.

Now taking this anecdote into consideration better watch your
niece(were she able to make a good bread and was she able to maintain
it repetitively <g>?
Happy baking ...!.
Roy