Ava's first birthday

Watching my girlish figure!

Ava celebrated her first birthday on Sun., Jan. 27. Her theme was blush and bashful from Steel Magnolias. We had such a nice time celebrating her birthday and who knew she loved lasagna so much! She has been eating it every day since! :) She didn't really dig into her cake until I put blueberries on her cake. She loves blueberries!

She had a pink cake, lots of friends and family and a much needed nap at the end of the party!

Ava is turning one!

two shout outs to websites/blogs I use

I was staying with my sister and happened upon this site that features a woman from Cincinnati that posts on a blog site what she wears everyday. I love this site because it is always interesting to see what other people are wearing and I can't believe she has this much time!

Four stars goes to this site because of the weird voyeuristic effect! Her outfits are not usually what I would wear, but it is interesting to see her "winterize" her summer dresses.
For more information, visit whatiwore2day.blogspot.com.

Personalized invitations or notecards can be extremely pricey so when I found a designer on the baby boards on babycenter.com, Lori Van Domselaar, to design Ava's birthday invites I was thrilled. The cost was very reasonable because she was just starting her company. She will take any font or design ideas and incorporate them into the final product.

Five stars for her speedy work (two day turn around time) and contemporary designs!
For more information, visit Van Domselaar at www.sendinglove.ca.

Resolve to not make resolutions

New Year's Resolution: Resolve to not make resolutions
There is a theory that a person undergoes a series of steps when trying to change or keep a resolution. Psychologists define these stages as steps a person takes to successfully keep resolutions. This probably explains why all of your best attempts to lose weight, learn japanese or run that marathon aren't working!

Personally, when resolutions are made at the strike of midnight New Year's Eve, they don't usually last 24 hours. Anytime I have achieved a goal, I have had to actively make that goal a priority, whether it be losing weight or finishing a project at home.

For more information, go to http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/ss/behaviorchange_2.htm.