Positively Awesome

The parable of the seed rings true in so many facets of life. From thought springs intention, word, and action just as from a seed springs roots, shoots, and eventually a tree. I have been employing this principle in my life, but also in the way I parent my sweet little men. Last night, as my amazing husband walked in the door, he was greeted with calm, happy music, two boys in the midst of melt downs, and me smiling. Needless to say he was confused ha! But here is what I've found: if I join the boys in their brain busting screams, the level of stress in our home only rises[shocking I know]. However, if I stay calm, they eventually drop down to my level. To have a happy, even keeled home, it all starts with the Mama.
I have so many items on my daily 'to do' list, from cooking, cleaning, and laundry, to running, weight lifting, building my business, and blogging - and that's not even including my role as Mama to two sweet boys! As I write down everything I need to do that day, it can be overwhelming. The sort of overwhelming where you don't even want to start ticking things off ha! I've decided though that my list is now my challenge - Can I get it all done, while still putting my boys first? Now I burst out of the 'starting gate' [bed] with a smile on my face. The time in each day is numbered and limited, however what I choose to spend my time doing is up to me! Do I want to be accomplishing tasks, or do I want to end the day wondering what I spent my time doing? Life is what you make of it - and my life is positively awesome!

Vemma

Do you remember my post about a quick health fix? If you don't you can read it here. Health and wellness are major areas of study for me - as well as millions around the world. I want to share with you a vitamin, mineral, antioxidant formula that I found with AMAZING health benefits. And these benefits are not just found in testimonials - they're found in the lab. With two double blind studies documenting the effectiveness of the Vemma formula, and clinical trials showing actual lab results [blood test results] where the bio markers IMPROVE ENORMOUSLY with the use of this formula, I couldn't turn away from it. Here's why:
 Over $40 Billion is spent every year in America on pain medications. Pain and inflammation are HUGE problems, and bring in big dollars for the pharmaceutical industry. What if I told you that mangosteen and minerals [the Vemma formula] are a powerful anti-inflammatory, and pain reliever [while being completely and totally NATURAL] that will reduce pain and inflammation in two weeks by a measurable amount.
  High cholesterol is an issue that is so prevalent across North America that even Cheerios boasts its cholesterol lowering benefits. What if I told you that Vemma lowers cholesterol by 30 -40 points on AVERAGE in that same 2 -3 weeks time frame. That is HUGE!
In a clinical trial preformed at the        by     Vemma increased immunity. The ramifications of increased immunity are countless - less sick days at school or work meaning more productivity and income; less missed training sessions on your way to your next event, whether that is a marathon, triathlon, fitness competition or other; decreased susceptibility to virus and bacterial infections that take over society [remember the avian flu? mad cow disease? hand and foot disease? The list could go on!]
Above I mentioned just a few of the positive health benefits, all of them stemming from a simple solution. If there are vitamin or mineral deficiency in your body, Vemma will correct them with its full spectrum of vitamins, and 65 minerals [all plant sourced,organic and bio-available]. If your body is riddled with free radicals [which, lets face it, even the healthiest diet and lifestyle does not combat all the free radicals we ingest from our environment and foods and create from our activities] the wide spectrum of antioxidants, including 43 xanthones [found in the mangosteen fruit] mop them up and flush them from your body. Xanthones are described as "free radical scavengers" by pubmed.com and have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-prolific properties [read: anti-cancer, as the spreading of cancer is called 'prolification'.]
Many different products have been brought to my attention by those consuming them, or contemplating doing so. I have looked at cleansing systems, weight loss systems, meal replacement systems, juices and pills. None had all I was looking for in a supplement. Then Vemma was brought to my attention by a Nutritionist, and after researching the product, I can honestly say this is something that anyone and everyone can benefit from.
IF you want to invest in your health, send me an email, or leave a comment, and lets chat! You will never regret prioritizing your health.

 katiefisher05@gmail.com

Whipped Coconut Cream

I had a request for the 'how to' on whipped coconut cream. This is seriously, the EASIEST little treat to whip up and serve on desserts, so I don't know why I didn't think of it myself! But alas, I found it when I was searching for an alternative topping to garnish my vegan pumpkin pie. 

Whipped Coconut Cream

ingredients:
premium, full fat canned coconut milk
optional: powdered sugar

directions:
place the can of coconut milk in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Once it has chilled completely, open the can [DO NOT SHAKE IT, TURN IT, OR OTHERWISE JOSTLE THE CONTENTS BEFOREHAND] and scoop out the thick cream sitting ontop into a large bowl, or standmixer bowl.

Either whip with a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, until smooth and creamy, then enjoy! [optional:add icing sugar to thick the whipped cream even more, but I found it plenty rich and thick without added sugar]

What would you love to top with Coconut Cream? I enjoyed it thouroughly on my pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but I bet it would be equally good on cake, or as a dip for fruit.

Armani

Yes, today is Halloween, and there will be a full recap of our Halloween festivities later this week, but today I have a little baby shower recap from Saturday. If you remember last week I posted about party planning, and the baby shower I was currently planning. Well, baby Armani's safe arrival was celebrated on Saturday and here's a photo recap of all the love for this little sweetheart.



I made this coconut cake, and it is AMAZING! If you're interested in the recipe I can definitely share!





beautiful Ariana, Armani's Mama




Armani needed another chance to wear her Halloween costume [isn't she a gorgeous Monkey!?!] and enjoyed lots of snuggles from all who came to show her some love!



Armani you are so very loved [as is your Mama!] and I look forward to seeing you grow. Thank you for letting us celebrate you sweet daughter Ariana - she is so blessed to be born into your family. And don't worry Paul, Darius and Eli will protect her along with Crew - she'll have a little army of men to keep her safe.

Did you enjoy any non-Halloween events this weekend? Or has your time been eaten away by ghosts, goblins, and vampires alike?

Pumpkin Love

Have you carved your pumpkin yet? We FINALLY got around to it last night [delaying the boys snoozing big time!] but seeing as we had promised a certain someone pumpkin carving since Sunday, it was time to make good on that promise. [Does that happen for you? Where you make a promise to your kiddos - or friends - sincerely planning on following through, but time just doesn't allow you to in the time frame promised? It seems to happen a lot more now that there are two little munchkins in our roost!]  I was assigned the pumpkin design work, and the incredible Daddy was given the task of carving. I asked Darius what he wanted the pumpkin to look like and he said,"I want a HAPPY pumpkin!"

Daddy tried to talk him into a scary pumpkin [saying pumpkins aren't suppose to be happy] but Darius just threw back his head and laughed. Happy it is!

Eli enjoyed some green shake for supper while Daddy carved away under Darius' watchful eye. Can you see his cute teeth??? This little monkey has teeth number 5 and 6 coming in right now!

After some careful sketching, de-seeding, and carving, Darius had his happy pumpkin! He was so excited we had to light it up right then! I didn't get a pic of it then, so I had my little man-o pose with his pumpkin this morning.

Darius thinks his pumpkin looks like him, in fact he believes this so much he named his pumpkin "Darius Pumpkin." So cute!

Is your pumpkin carved and ready to greet trick or treaters? Or do you carve last minute? Last minute has its advantages [the pumpkin is less likely to be complete mush on the 31st for one!] but I love the festive look of a carved pumpkin on the porch too much to wait!



Batty Surprise

The other night I spent two and a half HOURS cutting out 75 bats, and sticking them on the wall in a flight pattern for my sweet little Darius. It turns out that Halloween is a big deal this year, and hes been begging for decoration EVERYDAY, and pointing out what areas of the house are lacking the Halloween spirit. To say that my three year old is a task master is an understatement ha!

Anyways, After putting in all that time on the bats, Darius did reward me with a big reaction in the morning. "Oh Mom! It's beautiful!!!.....BUT, the couch is not Halloween." Sheesh. So, we headed off to Fabricland, picked out some fabric, and made some bat pillows to 'Halloween-ize' the couch. With the decor now meeting the very critical standards here's a little peek!



this is what greets you when you walk into our home!



notice the munchkin eating Cheerios? He's so focused ha!




If you'd like to whip up some of these for your couch, check out the tutorial at MADE




Creepy!




Close up of the creepiness! Can you believe Darius picked these out??



These Martha Stewart [found at Michael's] window decals were our most expensive decoration. But, seeing at they're reusable, I thought it was worth the splurge! The web is kindly provided by a neighborhood spider.



Even the table needed to get 'Halloween-ized!'

 Between the cob-webs, spiders, skulls, and bats we're set for a great Halloween - and making one special three year old overjoyed in the process!

Did you do any D.I.Y decorations this year? Did you follow a tutorial? Or did you create your own pattern?

Baby Shower Planning

A great friend of mine recently had a baby girl. Ever since July I have been scouting out ideas for a baby shower to celebrate this sweet baby girls arrival, and now the baby shower is next week! When planning the perfect baby shower [or any party for that matter] it is important to consider a few main elements key to a successful party.

What is the date of the party?

How many guests will be invited?

Where would you like to have the party?

What is the theme or color scheme?

How much do you have to spend on your shin-dig?

Since I already knew the answer to many of these questions far in advance, I've had plenty of time to throw into the planning of details, such as decor. Martha Stewart offers up a plethora of decor inspiration [really, she is a genius when it comes to all things entertaining.] Here are the images that grab me the most, and are driving the decor direction for next weeks shower:

Sweet baby Armani [such a cute name!] is going to be celebrated  next week at her whimsy-chic brunch, with pink, yellow, and white as the color scheme. I can't wait to see it come together! If you're curious about the outcome, I'll be posting photos after the party, so stay tuned.

Do you love planning parties? What details do you get obsessed with? Or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pant [ so to speak]?