mani-pedi party

Last weekend I threw my good friend, Denise, a bridal shower in honor of her getting married next month.  As a new mom, she wanted something relaxing that she could share with her girl friends.  So we had a mani-pedi spa party, followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant, and a bachelorette evening at her place.  It was wonderfully relaxing for all of us, as we got to catch up with old friends and get a little pampering in.  It's multi-tasking at its finest.

We love this nail salon, which was ideally set up for events like these. The favors for everyone included a Voluspa candle, dry body oil (very Denise) and Essie nail polish (in colors named after wedding themes).

Some chocolates, strawberries and champagne to snack on while we got pampered.  Denise's sister, Alora, thoughtfully got all the girls flip flops.

Party Planning

With Ella's first birthday just a month or so away, I've started the planning process.  I love getting inspired, and thanks to my sis-in-law Kathie, I've settled on the perfect theme.  (I've probably ran through five themes already, and Adam has pretty much just resorted to nodding in agreement whenever I bring up more ideas.)  

I've started to collect little items as I see them to add to Ella's party decor.  I love setting a scene, and truly believe ambience and decor add a lot to a party.  We're keeping the event pretty short and simple, but I couldn't resist these items I found at Home Goods that were super inexpensive.

One can never have enough vintage-y birdcages and bird houses. Adam says I'll be so out of luck if we have a son because I can't indulge in these girly parties anymore.

I can't believe Ella will be turning one so soon!  The planning will hopefully distract me from the fact that my little baby will be graduating to toddlerhood.  Sigh.

Secret Garden

Sometimes I forget (and take for granted) that we live in an area that offers a lot of beautiful places to visit that are rich in history.  A few days ago, Ella and I went with Grandma Donna and Auntie Sharon to the Descanso Gardens.  I had taken Ella there when she was 2 1/2 months old on an attempted mommy-date, but it was so scorching hot that I quickly regretted it.  It was also in the early days of taking her out by myself, and having to nurse her in the gardens in the summer heat while being self-conscious about breastfeeding in public made it an unfortunate experience.  But I did make a mental note to visit again.

So I was really happy when Donna bought us a membership (which also gives us entrance into other botanical gardens around here).  I love botanical gardens.  One of my favorite books as a child was "The Secret Garden" and despite the slight creepiness of the story, I wanted my own secret garden.  And every time I visit a botanical garden, I fantasize about how cool it would be to have something like that in my own backyard.  It's an unrealistic fantasy, but a girl can dream, right?

Roses in bloom.  

I love wisteria.  I'd love to have it grow along our pergola in our backyard, but the upkeep would be crazy.

A branchy archway.  I covet this. 

In my idyllic fantasies, I have a house like this where I can plant herbs and make tea. 

Ella has taken a liking to visiting these gardens as well.  She loves being outdoors, hearing the birds and rustling  of leaves, and reaching out her little hand and touching the different plants that stick out along the paths we are walking on.  She especially loves seeing the water fountains and (occasionally) being able to splash in them on a sunny day.

Squirrel Rodeo.

An Ella-sized chair.

Ella loves grandmas.  

 Needless to say, we really enjoyed this past visit.  While it was a little too warm (sun + a fair-skinned baby = struggling to slather sunblock on and a constant search for shade), we all appreciated the fresh air and blooming flowers of spring.  My favorite part of the day was seeing the Boddy house, which gave me  lots of inspiration for the Pinterest board inside my head.  We look forward to taking Adam along on one of our excursions, if not only to motivate him to make me a rose garden in our backyard.