A few weeks back I received an email forward from a friend of mine, whose daughter and mine are in the same pre-school class, inviting me to “The 1st Annual Mother/Daughter Charity Tea Event.” If you have kept up on my posts, you’ll know how much I love the art of afternoon tea, so I was more than happy to accept the invite.

I extended the invitation to two other little girls and their mothers, as well as my mother, my grandmother and my mother-in-law. It would be RSD’s first real tea party where she got to dress up and be with her friends at an actual event. We went shopping the week before and picked out a pink poofy dress with a silvery sheath and a big tulle sash, a pair of matching pink shoes, and a fluffy pink tulle bow adorned with a thumbprint sized crystal right in the middle. The perfect blend of all things pink and shiny.

We made the long haul out to Lake Las Vegas the morning of April 2nd, but it’s always well worth the trek. Once pass the mess of freeways and dull desert landscape off Boulder Highway, the palm tree lined turn off of Lake Mead Drive into Lake Las Vegas transforms into a serene and scenic view of the mountains, valley and man-made lake. A beautiful vision and concept that has suffered extraordinarily since the economy crashed a few years back. However, the event venue, Loews at Lake Las Vegas, was still as beautiful as ever.

Four squealing little girls, all dressed in shades of pastel reminiscent of an Easter basket, their hair in curls, ornamented with bows almost bigger than their heads. They were so excited to see each other, and as their mother’s, I think I can speak for all four of us when I say, I think we were more excited than they were. It was one of those days you can’t wait to have when you are blessed with a little girl.

The 1st Annual Mother/Daughter Charity Tea Event was hosted by localite, Kellie Connors. A mother of two little girls herself, she had the vision of hosting a tea party with the intention of bringing awareness to two locally based and funded non-profit organizations that paired perfectly with the event, and in need of donations. The Living Grace Home, a safe haven for expectant teen mothers, and Baby’s Bounty, a non-profit organization that provides essential clothing and gear to disadvantaged families. (Click here to see what the Baby’s Bounty is in need of for donations.) The cost of the tea party was $30 per guest, and all proceeds went directly to both organizations. We were also asked to bring with us “something a new mother couldn’t live without.” As we all had a common thread, being mothers and grandmothers, it was easy to convince us to donate the things we were so fortunate to get on our own.

I was surprised and proud of the sponsors that supported Kellie’s tea party…mainly because they were the same ones I frequent on a regular basis, which strengthened my commitment to them as I now know they really are partners in our community. Big names like Teavana, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s provided the tea, sandwiches and fruit, and a local favorite, Nothing Bundt Cakes, supplied their bundlet for dessert. There were also tables set up with baskets of baby and toddler noshes, like Plum Organics Fruit and Veggie Smashes and Nourish Baby Bottles…8oz of spring water in a bottle, nipple included and formula ready. What I also loved about the food display was the special touches for the little tykes who couldn’t eat the sandwiches, they were offered an array of freeze-dried fruits and little glasses of blueberries.

The girls were greeted by the guests of honor, Princesses Aurora, Jasmine, and Cinderella, along with their chaperone, Prince Charming. They were each handed a fun-colored scarf, and Dustin Type played some funky pre-school tunes to get the party started! The girls were going crazy with the music and the scarves, along with the sugar high, were jumping around, laughing and singing. A good time was had by all.