Pardon Me, May I Pick Your Brain?

I need some help.  I'm planning a princess party...complete with tiaras and everything.  The "catch" is that it isn't for a bunch of little girls.  It's for the church's women's ministry.  What started as a night out once in a while for us girls has grown tremendously.  We now include in our group 20-somethings on up through seniors, several denominations from Baptist to Catholic, and we are a rainbow of races (we had close to 50 at our March dinner which is a lot for our little fellowship that doesn't even have that many attending services...yet).  It's amazing and awesome what God has done through the group....and just a little bit intimidating to be in charge of one of the meetings.  Especially since I will be following after the (sure to be) incredible retreat that is planned for July.

As I mentioned, I've decided it's going to be a princess party...playing on the fact that we are all daughters of the one true King and therefore, princesses.  I'm going to be pulling wisdom in from Holley Gerth's  You're Already Amazing to start us off with the thought that we are wonderful and God loves and can use us just as we are...no need for the comparisons and feelings of inadequacy we women are prone to.  Then I will borrow from Stormie Omartian's The Power of a Praying Life...to talk about how we have to absotively, posalutely know God as our heavenly Father and how to get to that point.  And somehow, I want to tie Ann Voskamp's One Thousand  Gifts into it as well, because a big chunk of that praying life is about our worship of the Father and our worship is simply our gratitude for all that he has done and given us.  I hope to either be able to gift the women with one of these books or at least have a few copies of each to offer as prizes.  I will be contacting the publishers and/or authors soon to see if they are able to offer a special price or maybe even donate books.  Of course, if any of you feel led to help out with a donation it would be greatly appreciated.

Now here's where I need YOU!    I think it's going to be a picnic...an end of summer, last hurrah, yea-the-kids-are-going-back-to-school...kind of thing, but heavy emphasis on the the princess theme.  I need ideas for decorations, activities, food (princess cake is the only "given" at this point), and anything else you can think of.  Please????  A whole bunch of brains are way better than my one scattered one.

281.  His eyes that see me just as he created me...not with all my flaws and failings.

282.  "I love you, too, Grandma!" squealed with joy through the phone.

283.  Mom at the mother/daughter luncheon....and agreeing to come to church.

May the seed have been planted.

284.  A son who reached out on Mothers' Day...and who is coming home, 

granddaughter in tow, next Sunday.

285.  Each lesson hammered into my hard head.

286.  Women gathered in his name.

287.  A sweet statue to put by the fish pond.  A boy, sitting crossed-legged and holding

a mason jar.  At night lights in the jar look like lightning bugs.  He will

sit watching over the poodle's resting place.

288.  100 voices singing praise, echoing across the mountains.

289.  A trip to Barnes & Noble and a stack of new books.

290.  The promise that we are NEVER alone.