Teddy Bear Tea Party: Part 2-Invitations & the pink flamingos

Hey, that title could be the name of a rock band!

Thanks for dropping by to help me celebrate my

One Year Blogoversary!

Your presence blesses me on a daily basis!  Your comment love means a lot to me!

It's been so much fun planning for this party.  As I made up the guest list, I thought of all the wonderful women and girls who bless me and my daughter with their friendship and I wanted to invite twice as many as I did!  In fact, if I invited all of my blogger friends I'd have to rent a huge hall to accommodate us all! Thanks for your prayer and comment support this past year.  How appropriate that I get to celebrate this milepost in my life pondering my real and virtual relationships.  

Want to bless kids with cancer?  Click here to here to earn donations for Friends of Kids with Cancer & for another MiracleMakeovertm for someone in-need.  Before you leave here today, please scroll to the bottom of this post and read the message from Beverly at How Sweet the Sound about the Miracle Makeover or just click here [to go to the MM site].

The day before we left on vacation, I made the invitations for the party.  First, I went to Micheal's and bought several packages of cards that were blank-inside,  $1.50 for 6.

Next, I typed the words of invitation on a Word document and then copied and pasted it 2 more times on the same document.  I cut the 3 invitations apart, trimmed the edges, and nipped the corners with my handy-dandy corner rounder punch thingy.  Last, I glued them to the inside of the cards.

This is how I worded it:

You are invited to

A Teddy Bear Tea Party

To honor

Sonja * *, My First Grandchild

And

[Daughter #2]

Saturday, August 20, 2011

1 p.m.

At My Home

[my address]

Please bring a favorite childhood toy (teddy bear, doll, book, etc.)

or be prepared to tell us a story about your childhood.

R.S.V.P. [my phone number] or [my email address]

I asked my friends to bring a toy or story so they could share about it with the group as an ice-breaker.  What do you think about that?  Do you have any other suggestions to just get 

a group of women (ages 4-85) talking?

Also, I invited 4 of my little girlfriends, ages 4 to 8, along with their Mommies and/or Grandmas.  It seems like a fun, informal way for them to learn ladylike manners in a group social situation.  

I wanted to get the invitations out before I left on vacation so my friends would have nearly a month to plan and respond.  So far, about 12 women I invited have R.S.V.P.'ed, which I really appreciate. Makes it so much easier to plan how much food and party supplies to buy.

Speaking of goodies.  Let me just say this:  if you leave the party without having satisfied your sweet tooth it will be your own fault!  I hope to share my menu and recipe links soon.

While I was creating and addressing the invitations, my Dear Husband was glamming up the border of this flower bed.  The bricks defined it so nicely.

Then he made a new bed under the rhododendron on the back side of our home.  Remember the French drain he installed here last summer?  This is an improvement of monumental proportions.

Oh, there are the 2 new members of the family, the pink flamingos.  I bought them as a kind of memorial to our local garden column writer, Dulcy Mahar, who passed away in July.  She wrote a weekly column with contagious passion, enthusiasm, and wit for nearly 20 years.  A few years ago, she added a flock of 4 flamingos to her woodsy back area.  Before that, she had a thing for garden gnomes.    By her suggestion, I created my outdoor room.  I will miss her.

.

Did you know that flamingos like the seeds on fern fronds?  I didn't either.

This area under the fir and cottonwood trees gets very little sun.  We've struggled valiantly to grow grass here, but to no avail.  My DH covered it with some garden mulch just to cover the bare clay.  Voila!  He'd just added another flower bed to his Honey-Do list.  He didn't mind.  I transplanted 4 ferns from elsewhere in the yard.  Then I took a hit for the team and visited a favorite nursery to purchase several new ferns, some ground cover, and 3 pink impatiens for a little of the party's theme color.  We're thrilled to reclaim and beautify the area just in time for the party.  I plan to spread quilts, chairs, and small tables on the grass in front of this area so we can talk amongst ourselves.

By the way, would you please pray with me that we have pleasant weather for the party, especially because I plan to have it in the back yard.  Thanks!  I knew I could count on you.
Love,

Linking up with
Charlotte & Ginger for Spiritual Sundays.
Beverly for Pink Saturday.  

Here's a message from Beverly about this week's Pink Saturday.  Please click on the Pink Saturday link above to find out how your blessing post and comments can contribute to the Miracle Makeover sponsored by Design Gives Back@ Design Gives Back/Kelee. 

I'm so excited because

today is the day

we all share a blessing

in our life,

and

help to raise money for

another Miracle Makeover.