Yellow, Black and White Damask Babyshower

I am planning a baby shower for a dear friend in July. I've been working through the design concept since I completed Ava's birthday party. It is going to be so amazing. I will post more pics after the event. I don't want to spoil the surprise but I will give you a little sneak peek. I purchased this invite online from the talented designers at The Celebration Shoppe. Everyone should use them for their party needs. Their selection of quality stationary and other accoutrements will give your event a celebrity status feel.

Ladybug Garden: Ava's 1st birthday Party

Planning Ava's birthday party was a labor of love. I wanted everything custom and perfect. I scoured the internet for the best of the best ideas to serve as my inspiration. My goal was to set out to plan the most awesome 1st birthday party ever. In my humbled opinion, I think I captured that feeling. Only one little problem, I never factored in the weather. Which was kind of silly because Ava's birthday is in January, in the dead of winter. The DC metro area generally experiences cold but mild weather when it comes to snow. Well, not this year. Ava's birthday happened during one of the worse winters on record. But hey, that only seemed appropro. We never do anything on a small scale. So, 30 inches of snow was consistent with how we live our lives. Her original party was scheduled for January 30th. It snowed the morning of and we were forced to cancel. I rescheduled for a month later and although it was cold with 5 ft snow drifts on the side of the road, the day couldn't have been more perfect. Below are some of images from the party to include the decor, her cake and candy table, table settings and the cute thank you note I got from etsy.com. I am huge supporter of etsy.com. Check it out, if you haven't already.

Hugs and Love

Introducing myself...

I'm so excited I've finally decided to forge into the blogging phenomenon. Several of my friends and acquaintances have asked whether or not I currently maintain a blog. The answer outside of creating one for an accelerated computer class was absolutely NOT. Until today that is, I have decided that I would love to share my creative and mommy knowledge with the masses. I think I have an interesting perspective that people will love to follow. So in my blog, I intend to talk about any and everything that strikes my fancy from mommy-isms to offering tips on how to make your kiddie's birthday parties no ordinary event. As the former part-owner of White Dove Weddings which was a full-service event management company, I so enjoyed being involved in the most important day of my clients lives. It really enhanced my appreciation for all things beautiful. And boy, do I love all things beautiful (just ask my husband). I have discovered that I also have a passion for all things "Mom." Who knew, really? My daughter has opened up a whole new world for me that I would love to share with you.

With all of that said, let me introduce myself. My name is Towanna, I'm 34 yrs. old, and live in the greatest state (VA) in the continguous (bias of course). I'm also the extremely proud new mother to my blogs namesake, Ava Grace. Well, she's new in the sense that I just gave birth to her in January 2009. I waited quite a while (33 yrs. old) before embarking on this amazing journey and I'm so glad that I did. I have so much patience when it comes to my daughter. Its my personal magic ingredient for being a successful mom. No one gives you a manual on how to raise your new bundle of joy. You learn from the ground up with everything being so new and different. You second guess everything not sure if you're doing it right or wrong. You put your best foot forward, give it your best shot and hope for the perfect outcome. That's my parenting philosophy that you will come to know as you venture back here from time to time. Hope you decide to follow me. I would love a following. Can you imagine?

Check back with me and I promise to keep the topics entertaining. I'll always sign off on my blog with hugs and love because having joy keeps you alive and well.

So........Hugs and Love,
~T