When I told Cookie I was pregnant [she was the first to know after Brandon because we work together and there was no way that I could keep it from her!] we immediately started talking about parties. As you well know, I love to throw parties. Themed parties being my favorite, Cookie and I started narrowing down the ideas.
I don't like baby showers. There, I said it! Most of them are just "too much" for me to handle with the terrible games [Really? Melting candy bars in diapers and measuring how FAT a pregnant person is? Who the hell came up with this torture?] and the present-opening, etc. So I decided that I really just wanted a garden party at tea time that would also double as a celebration in anticipation for Winnie's arrival. My rules were simple ... men and women were invited, there must be a themed cocktail, no games, and I wasn't going to open presents while everyone stared at me and giggled. I got 3 out of 4, so needless to say, I'm very pleased with the outcome. In the end, I realized that the opening of the gifts isn't really about the gift-getter, but the gift-giver. People like to see you open presents they give you. So, I sat down on a beautiful velvet couch and opened them one by one like a good little [giant] pregnant lady.
I don't like a hard theme, just a feel ... so I went with ethereal, with a dash of French country. So, lots of ethereal decorating provided by Cookie ... greenery, fresh flowers, dropped off that morning by Ashlee Kirby, jute and burlap over linen, white, clear and green glass pieces everywhere. I chose lavender as the complementary color, so we had dried lavender spread around in the centerpieces. Everything was lovely. For the cocktail, I mixed equal parts of Bombay Sapphire Gin & Verdi Spumante, lemon juice and a sprig of mint. We also served sweet tea, hot peppermint tea with honey sticks and cucumber water. [beyond pissed that I didn't get a picture of the beverage station!] For the food, I made pasta salad with andouille sausage, cucumber sandwiches [Daigle and I invented a new kind; rye toast with herbed cream cheese, layered cucumbers and a sprig of dill ... divine!], home-style fries with dried herbs. Daigle made a fantastic cheese spread with croissants, open-faced mini shrimp po-boys, and some really awesome fruit salsa with cinnamon and gingerbread pita chips. As for the dessert table, we had cupcakes and macarons from Buttercups provided by Mari Williford, key lime pie, white chocolate-dipped rice crispy treats, so much delectable fruit and my personal favorite ... kiwi sorbet! I'll be posting some recipes soon; the sorbet was kind of a "wing it" situation for me since I didn't like most of the recipes online, which often happens. But it turned out perfect and was a big hit.
The Symphony House on Centenary's campus provided a beautiful venue. The hundred-year-old historical house is now used by the Shreveport Symphony Guild and can be rented as a venue at a decent price. Cookie, Daigle & I made all the food and decorated the dining room [complete with wood floors, 15 ft ceilings, a full size harp and grand piano] to the nines. I had such a wonderful time! I'll be posting recipes soon, but for now, here are some pictures ...
I'd like to offer a special thank you to those who came to celebrate with us. There was a lot going on that day including another shower, a wedding, a funeral, and the Cork Wine Festival. So, it truly means a lot to me that you came! I'd also like to thank my hostesses Ashlie Daigle and Cookie DuBois for providing lots of fabulousness for me to work with. I could not have had my dream shower with out you!
♥
