First Birthday Beauties

The begining of this month was my neice Chelsea's 1st Birthday. My sister went all out decorating for the party so I wanted to share some of the beautiful ideas she came up with.

Decor

  Look at these Gorgeous center pieces my Mom put together using mason jars.

My sister added butterflies to these paper lanterns.

I love the color combination of pink and purple.

Check out this awesome memory board with all of Chelsea's one year mile stones and firsts.

Food

 Rainbow Fruit Tray

 Grandma Jackson's Macaroni and Cheese

 Butterfly Cookie Favors

 Mini Smash Cake for the Birthday Baby

 Butterfly Cupcake Toppers

Happy 1st Birthday Chelsea Pie!!! 

xoxo

McDonalds Is Just Getting Better

Recently 

I was invited to try the 

New Blueberry Banana Walnut Oatmeal 

at McDonalds.

 I have to say it was a hit!

 The Walnuts are on the side, we left those out. 

The fresh blueberries on top really stood out to the girls. 

They jumped right in.

Can you believe I got this at McDonalds?

Well we did! 

It's so refreshing to find this warm breakfast on the run.

McDonald's has several menu items that use fresh fruit.

 Like the Blueberry Banana Walnut Oatmeal and the Fresh Fruit Smoothies.

Knowing that has really changed my perception of McDonald's. 

Now I can order something wholesome and nutritious and not feel guilty later.

Thank You to McDonalds for having us and the awesome breakfast. 

Road Trip Snacks

We hit the road this past weekend and instead of stopping off and grabbing food I packed us lots of snacks to munch in the car.

We packed:

P&J are standards in our house. 

Cheese sticks wrapped with salami, cucumber slices, watermelon slices and blueberries, grapes, chippy chips, animal crackers and nectarines. 

All of our snacks were bagged in snack size bags.

For my snack bag I packed a full lunch, ham and avocado sandwich, Baba Ghanouj and cucumber sticks, and chips for dipping.

Traveling can be expensive so I like to save money on food. 

Plus I can pack us healthy snacks and not so healthy snacks in moderation. 

Happy Travels folks!

Madagascar Movie Party

Thanks to the Claritin Mom's Crew. 

We had so much fun at our Madagascar Movie Party. 

In celebration of the release of Madagascar 3 Europe's Most Wanted.

We were selected to screen Madagascar, and Madagascar 2, Escape  to Africa. 

We ate lots of popcorn and all kinds of goodies! 

 Madagascar 3 is about Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippopotamus.  The group sets out to return to New York after escaping to Africa. Dependent on the mechanical know-how of the notorious chimpanzees and penguins, their plan inevitably goes awry and they find themselves stranded in Monte Carlo, where they try to escape Europe from animal control led by Captain Chantel DuBois by joining up with a traveling circus by chance. 


Led by the venerable Siberian tiger Vitaly, the animal-centered circus has seen better days. During the course of a tour through a series of European cities that ends in a fabulous big top in the heart of London, Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria help Vitaly the tiger, Gia the jaguar, and Stefano the sea lion, rediscover their passion for show business and reinvent circus performance.

We can't wait to go see it in the theaters!

Thank you to Claritin for allowing us to host this fun party!

All opinions are my own, I am part of the Claritin Mom's Crew. 

I received copies of both Madagascar and Madagascar 2, as well as party favors and samples of Claritin.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_3:_Europe's_Most_Wanted

Food Facts: Are you still drinking SODA?

I know Americans love our soda, but it's really not good for us.

 I limit my intake to ginger ale when my stomach is a little upset. 

My girls have tried soda but it's rare they have any soda. 

I came across this info graph on Pinterest. 

It's not new info I've been ranting about soda forever. 

I LOVE info graphs so I thought sharing this would be informative.

Maybe even fun. 

I'm weird like that. 

When food facts make me uncomfortable I use that unpleasant feeling to avoid those foods.

So if your like me maybe this will help you kick your soda kick.

Saul Williams

I love new music!
If you know nothing about spoken word, welcome to the world.
Saul Williams is by far perfection in the spoken word world.
He was certainly one of the first and really the most talented.
He has experimented and mastered spoken word put to music.
 I'd call him a rapper but that would confuse you. He's way more then that.
He just a beautiful artist.
Personally I'm a huge fan, genetically I'm a first cousin.
Here is a new video from Saul Williams.
The song is called "DNA/CODED."
Enjoy!

Saul Williams - DNA / Coded Language from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

Living In The Moment

 Love the moment 

and the energy of that moment 

will spread beyond all boundaries.

--Corita Kent

"We women who do too much have a terrible time loving the moment. We are always making lists and eyeing the tasks that are just around the corner when we need to be busy working on the task at hand. 

Hence, rarely does anything get our full, undivided attention." 

Because of this subtle distractibility and lack of presence, we miss a lot."

"When we really can be in the moment, the very process of being in the moment radiates into the crevices of our life and begins to dust out the cobwebby corners."

PRESENCE is such a gift...to myself and others.

From MEDITATION for WOMEN Who DO TOO MUCH  

by Anne Wilson Schaef

I'm Art.

Last Summer I was asked to model by my neighbor, Julie. 

Just a few photos that she would use to add my likeness to a character she was painting. 

The kids got a kick out of coming to the photo shoot. 

After a few months of painting, here is the final product.

I'm ART! 

My face looks a little fat and I'm making a weird expression but I think the painting is really cool.

I'm flattered to have been asked. 

The painting is one of several Julie is doing for an author who wants illustrations for the book he is writing.

 In this painting I'm one of the three winds meeting to decide which way the Dragon should go. 

The Dragon is taking that wolf somewhere.

I'm not intentionally being vague, that was all the detail I could remember.

Change is Good!

Good Morning!

Its just a few days before Easter and I wanted to say a quick hello and share a bit.

I have been very busy lately. 

Most of my daily routine has been focused on the Fam and very little on me.

So naturally the blog has suffered a bit.

This blog is a place where I dump all the things in my head and try and make sense of it all. 

It doesn't always make sense, but hey, I'm not perfect. 

And then there is the actual work of maintaining a blog.
There's a lot of fancy foot work going on behind the curtains over here!
Honestly,  I can't say I have this whole blogging thing figured out.
Hey, you learn as you go.

What I know for sure is that I LOVE to share.
As I have learned recently, I LOVE to share more than most people.
I just think of sharing as a way of getting to know someone.
I share, YOU share kind of thing.
I now realize everyone isn't like that, and that's just fine.
 I have a great number of daily visitors according to Google,
that read my blog but don't comment, or say Hi.
They're all welcome!
I just wanted to give you all a heads up that my format is changing.
No worries, I'm simply changing the way I share, and a few cosmetic details.

I want the blog to be a better reflection of me.
Basically, I'm just going to get out of my own way.
And just let it flow.
I will bring you all the things that spark my interest, or makes me curious.
YOU come on by whenever and check it all out.
I hope you enjoy and get something from all this.
As always I hope you....

Wish to be MORE.

Remember, Life is what you make it.

Get your Vision out of your head. Manifest.

Share your IDEAS.

Ask and you shall receive.

Be clear of your Intentions.

&

Be neutral.

Yelena 

Yearbook Nostalgia & Shutterfly

Alright so today is a share day.

Do you ever pull out an old year book and just marvel at the old pictures chocked full of nostalgia?

That's me top center.Yes, I was in the Gardening Club, and I loved it!

I love my yearbooks. It's like visiting a warm memory when ever I like. 

It's also an easy laugh when I need it.

The only thing I don't like about my yearbook is the quality of the picture.

But  the folks at Shutterfly now offer Shutterfly Yearbooks.

Shutterfly Yearbooks are the easiest and most affordable way to preserve school memories for your child and your school, helping parents of a single student, class or an entire school, easily create specially designed page templates for school activities, subjects, and student classroom and faculty photos. 

Use their specially designed page templates to capture school activities along with favorite student, classroom and faculty pictures. Make it just the way you want with our All New Custom Path.

Shutterfly's award-winning photo books are printed in color and professionally bound. 

Your Yearbook is saved forever and you can re-order it at any time.

Plus look at the gorgeous color pictures. 

I am a huge fan of Shutterfly Photo books so these new Photo Yearbooks are just awesome.

You can check out Shutterfly on Pinterest, or Facebook. Just Click.

So Check them out!

The Scars Say it All.

I recently found these images on Pinterest and from the moment I saw them they spoke to me. 

For me the images are a mixture of beauty, pain, guts, and beautifully striking femininity.

Self possession, love and hope in the face of disease. 

After a little research I discovered these images are part of a campaign called 

The Scar Project.

The Scar Project started as a series of large scale portraits on display touring the country this summer. And also published into a beautiful book, and a documentary.

I love their tag line "Breast Cancer is Not A Pink Ribbon." 

The Scar Project hopes to raise consciousness about the more than 10,000 women diagnosed every year with early onset breast cancer. 

These women survivors are absolutely inspiring, and fearless.

They have reclaimed their bodies from death and stand bold and strong in life. 

My grandmother was a breast cancer survivor. 

I don't remember a lot about her except that she was a very bold and powerful woman. 

She cared little about what people thought, she spoke her mind, and lived her passions.

I hope I'm a little like her. She would have really loved these pictures I think. 

She might have even posed in one of them. 

These photographs show me that women every where can beat breast cancer if it's detected early. 

And a mastectomy or a lumpectomy are not the end of femininity, 

but rather beautiful transformations into women warriors.

They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

I admire their strength.

I'd also like to encourage everyone to do self breast exams (click the link to learn how), 

as well as see your doctor for your yearly exam.

Detection is key!

Free breast screening is also available at Planned Parenthood. 

Planned Parenthood is a great resource for low cost or if needed free health screenings.

So don't let "them" take that away from us!

Be bold, be brave, be yourself, own your body!

Women are Warriors.

Thank you to those who come before me.

Stories and Voices of Women from The Field

The wonderful writer Amy Tan has posted this statement. I think it's a great way to start the conversation about Women awakening to the WAR happening right now. 

The WAR I'm talking about is being waged over our bodies and our rights to control them. 

Many politicians and business leaders have decided to  a woman's right to choose, whatever she may choose.

So I've decided  to set up base here and send out lots of eye opening information. 

We need to keep informed and speak up for our selves. 

So many women have fought tirelessly for the freedoms that we already take for granted.

So here are the 

Stories and Voices of Women From The Field.

"To those who criticize my perversion of the GOP candidates' names,

please know that name-calling is not my usual standard of response.

Nor do I normally use expletives. But I make exceptions. Never in my

lifetime have I seen such a line-up of candidates who want to pervert

the lives of women, who want to f**k them over every which way they

can think of. These perverts are men, and variously they are telling

us that single women should not have sex, should not use

contraceptives, should consider a baby conceived from a rape to be a

blessing, and to leave all matters concerning their uterus to them.

They say that contraceptives for women make it too easy for them to

"do things." They do not offer the same opinions on men and their

tendencies to "do things." Their rhetoric makes it sound like women

are wanton spirits who must be controlled. I am a writer because I

have strong opinions. Those opinions on women's rights come from my

grandmother, who was raped, and my mother, who was raped at gunpoint

by her husband, and who was jailed when she ran away from him. My

mother told me as a child and a grownup, that no one should ever tell

me whether I should have a baby. How could I be any other kind of

writer, any other kind of person? How could I not protest the

perversion of women's rights espoused by these candidates? The twisted

names I give them may sound "hurtful" --as name-calling is. But the

hurt they would give us would not be temporary slights, but permanent

scars. This country is not divided because of Obama. It has been

divided for a long time by the Republican Right who vote down the line

on personal moral beliefs. They are out of touch with the the actual

governance of this country and its relation to the larger world.

*Would these candidates cut off relations with China until China

abolishes the one-child policy? I was born the daughter of a Baptist

minister. I know how intractable religious beliefs are supposed to be,

how by faith, you must carry those beliefs into the world, into all

walks of life, without compromise, without listening to any other

opinions. By that faith, you save who you can and smite who you can't.

To these GOP candidates who want to rule government by the divine

guidance of their cocks, study the pages of history on the Inquisition

and the Holocaust, and keep your hands off me, my nieces, my sisters,

my women friends, their daughters and their daughters to come." 

Amy Tan 

Amy Tan is an American writer who has written such well know works as the Joy Luck Club, and The Kitchen God's Wife, as well as many others.

Use your Voice Call The Government and tell them "keep your hands off me, my nieces, my sisters,

my women friends, their daughters and their daughters to come." 

I've Been Busy, and Grateful.

 So!

For the last few months I've been focused on sharing the

  7 Intentions.

I find them in everything I do, and I've been putting a lot of my time and energy into finding creative ways to share them with you.

But that's not the only thing I've been up to. 

Crazy Right!

I have been plugging away at my cupcake business. 

Lehigh Valley Cupcakes

I had a business partner, but she quit, so now I'm doing it alone. Again.

Wisdom

Letting go of one thing makes room for lots of other things.

 Here are a few of the flavors I've made.

Peanut Butter Cookie has peanut butter cookie inside a chocolate cake and a crunchy peanut butter cookie on top with peanut butter, butter cream.

The Funny Bone Cupcake has peanut butter, butter cream inside chocolate cake with chocolate ganache on top and peanut butter, butter cream to garnish.

This was my adventure in piping land for a local children boutique's Milk and Honey Kids Communion event. 

The challenge was to decorate 100 Vanilla cupcakes in as many different ways as possible. 

Fun!

Courage

When I'm not blogging or making cupcakes; I'm cleaning, making meals and clinging to my sanity.

The little people at my house are extremely talented and creative.

They make beautiful messes!

When I finish cleaning up my "3 Children Zone," and get dinner in the crock pot, lunch on the table and the baby down for a nap, I'm right back at it. 

Messy hair, bath robe and all!

I'll admit, it's not all child's play, hard work and slaving in front of  a hot oven or a glaring computer screen

I have managed to pull myself together and hit the town with some of my other hot mama friends!

More than once.

Sanity!

Creative Energy

Then one day, the girls and I were talking and they asked if they could have their own blog.

Well why not! 

So I set them up and we have had loads of fun blogging together. 

They pick their topics and I assist.

I can't think of a more creative and fun thing we've done together. 

They are learning so much and feeling so confident with the computer.

It's so refreshing to spend time with them in "my world" but from their perspective. 

They're such an inspiration.

Which brings me to my next thought.

After a lot of thinking I decide to begin writing a business plan for the business of my dreams.

A Cupcake Cafe Play Space and Kitchen Incubator.

I've been doing a lot of number crunching which isn't all that much fun. 

So to break up the monotony I've also made a Restaurant Space Pinterest board for visual inspiration.

Inspiration

 I love this floor plan for seating, tables and couches.

 The look of this counter for food.

 This counter for the cupcakes, and I love the floors.

 

This roadway and turf for the play space. 

Can you see the little picnic tables on the right side? 

Love it!.

I hope I can pull a business proposal together that I like within the next few months.

I have 3 proposals done so far and I'm not sure about any of them.

There is so much to be grateful for!

Gratitude

Wish me the clarity to see through all of this.

Grounded

So that's what I've been up to.

How about you?

Admiration, Praise, and Thank You

When musicians finish an album they often write a long Thank you note. 

When I used to buy CDs I would always read these Thank you notes. 

Hearing other people's gratitude was and still is contagious for me.

 I loved the idea of imagining all the people that made this one person who they are.

I know other real life celebrities.
They're impressive, they have spunk, they have encouraged me, and empowered me.
I love to tell them how they have changed my life and helped me grow.

Were all looking for this moment of real life, validation. 

That moment when someone says, 

I see YOU. 

You Matter.

I believe
 You Get what You Give.
So I say Thank You 

BUT! Why are Praise, Admiration, and Thank You often withheld. 

I see it all the time. 

It's very common to not give compliments or not say what your thinking. 

 "I really admire what you do, who you are, how you carry yourself. I wanna be more like you." 

WHY?

I think it's because it makes us vulnerable.

When you show admiration your saying "I want more of what you have," "I'm missing something."

I understand how that may feel but, when someone inspires you, they make you stronger. 

You see something within them that's of use in your own life.

Don't be a secret admirer.

Take a moment to sincerely give someone thanks, share your admiration, 

or praise them. 

Look at the expression on their face.

Look what they are giving you, their attention.

Isn't their attention of value?

YES!

Here is a video talking more about 

the value of Thanks.

If you value someone tell them why! 

Be genuine, specific, and fearless,

and be more.