Have a super weekend

Right now we are in the kitchen. Making some coconut layer cake for our guests tomorrow. My little munchkins are helping... well LICKING up my mess. 

Can't wait to have our family over for some good food and most importantly to celebrate the birth of my sweet baby girl.

Ciao!

TGIF - A perfect day

photo by Indystar.com

Perfect start to this Friday, a Royal Wedding. I am loving Princess Kathryn's dress. The whole wedding was breathe taking. I got goose bumps a few times. Kate was absolutely perfection. I can not believe what poise she had. They are going to be a great couple.

I loved these shots of them after the wedding, taking a little ride. What a rush it would be to be in front of all those people. It really was a wedding day fit for a fairy tale. A wedding we all dream about having as a little girl.

Have a Happy Friday!!

Coconut Cake

photo taken by young married chic

My daughters first birthday is coming up and I am going to attempt to make this layered coconut cake. Love Kris's blog, check it out. 

created by me

I made this invite super last minute. Just a simple photoshop creativity. 

photo taken by Nicole of me oh my 

Her party is sort of garden meets Cinco de Mayo. I was inspired by this garden party from Nicole at Me oh My. Sounds funny, but Haydin was born on Cinco de Mayo so we might just have to have a pinata, and some mini bean and cheese burritos from our fav mexican spot.

Easter Sunday

 We had two egg hunts. One at Aunt Stacy's and the other at the St. Regis. It was a perfect day.

Usually we are in Palm Springs during Easter but since we didn't go this year we decided to try something new. A neighbor invited us to the St. Regis Hotel, (which is where my honey and I spent our 1st married night together) and said it was totally worth it. So we went. We enjoyed FREE; face painting, an egg hunt, balloon making, and a picture with the Easter bunny printed out in a frame. If we are ever in town again for Easter morning, we will be there. They also have a great brunch, which we didn't try since we were headed to see family. 

Our extended family hosted the evening with an Easter Egg hunt at our Uncle's house, which was so lovely. A perfect little house, with just the right space, surrounded by big tree's to wing from, which backed up to a vineyard! It was a magical hunt, that wasn't just picturesque, but enchanted for all the kids. He also had a box garden which reminded me of how much I would like to have one once we finish our yard. It was just beautiful.

After the hunt we went and enjoyed time with family and ate our hearts out. One the menu:

Asparagus with walnuts and feta cheese,
Green beans sautéed with soy sauce, garlic, sesame seed oil, and sugar. (one of our favorite week night sides)
Grandma Judy's Orange Rolls (simply to die for)
Honey Baked Ham
Raspberry butter
Cheesy mashed potatoes
with a nice refreshing glass of fresh made Lemonade

What a day. I have to say my diet lasted all day. It was great. I had 2 1/2 rolls which was more then I should have had but with the raspberry butter it was too good to say NO. I didn't have a single bite of chocolate all day, which was astonishing, but none the less not that hard.

Day 24- down 13 pounds. Feeling great. Still working out. Hoping to lose another 10-12 pounds in the next couple months. Hopefully at least 5 more before the diet is over. My shakes consist of 1 1/2 scoops of Isagenics IsaLean Vanilla Shake, ice, and 8 ounces of water. Sometimes I add vanilla extract and a half of a banana. Helps when your really hungry or need some change from the normal vanilla shake.

Easter Basket

Easter came quickly, was lots of fun, and left fast. I'm glad the candy is gone, because my kids ate nothing but it yesterday, however I miss all of our family around. This year I got the kids new Easter baskets, very simple from Michael's. I was inspired by another blog to make my own name tags for the kids and I like the way they turned out. I also stuffed all of our egss with stickers, necklaces, rings, whistles, and all sort of goodies from the dollar isle in Target and Walmart and they were a hit. I will definately keep doing it because the kids get more sugar then they need all year in one sitting.

"SUPA-HERO"

I've been out of comish! My baby got stitches yesterday, he is seriously one tuff guy! Right now my little man is my hero.

Day 19- Down 11 pounds still. Tried on some old jeans and fit right into them. My body is definitely changing. Shakes are actually tasting good. Especially after my cleanse, although I am sort of dreading my next one on Monday. I've been working out everyday. I was inspired by SHAPE magazine (the one with Marissa Miller on the cover) to start doing three sets of at least 20 lunges, squats, sit ups, and pushups everyday. So far it's been 5 days. It feels good. I've also added some cardio or a work out or two daily and my butt is tired. Hopefully I will see some movement on the scale soon, especially since I just ordered a few suits from Anthropologie for our up coming trip to Italy.

Cleanse yourself

Today I am cleansing. It's been going great although, I hit a tiny speed bump at lunch when making the kids sandwiches, but I conquered. I'm able to have a snack 3 times a day if I need which I think is an apple, 6 almonds, celery, or these nasty chocolate (can't really be chocolate) wafers. I've had an apple. It was euphoric. 

Whenever I am cleansing I read up on health sites. This is where I've been clicking today. 

~ Six snacks you should eat everyday

~ Eat this not that site

~ Isagenixs 30 day cleanse guide

Photos by the little red house

Also I will be making this Strawberry Leather for my kids, it's healthy, looks simple, and delicious.. right up my alley. 

 Oh and if your wanting to maybe win a $10,000 giveaway from Lonny and West Elm.

Click HERE, hey why not.

Italy

Where we will be staying in Tuscany

Our trip to Italy is approaching and I have to admit I am getting very excited. 

Photos via Oh Happy Day by Erica Berman 

Lately I have been trying to read up on all things Italian. I first saw this post on one of my fav blogs. It sparked my interest since we are going to be visiting Cinque Terre. I seriously can not wait. Then I started reading this blog which I thought was very insightful and funny. Check out part 2 here. Which then lead me to another blog where I read up on safety and not getting pick pocketed, it was a great read, click here to check it out. 

So now you can see why I'm excited. 

photo via flickr Osvaldo_Zoom

Oh, and here's a lovely picture, sorry for the bun shot, but seriously I love how europeans make no effort to hide their affections. I'm hoping to get loved on like this by my honey while in Italy.

P.S. Cleanse tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Good Morning

Photo via Honey and Jam recipe here

Sunday is known for doughnut day in this house. Unfortunately I wont be partaking in this mornings grub fest. However, it's a lot easier to have my shake when I am down 11 pounds. 

Photo via Honey and Jam recipe here

Day 12. EASY. Had a date with my honey and saw HANNA. I loved the music when she was kicking butt, but I wish it had a better ending. I'm not gunna lie, I plugged my ears and closed my eyes a few times. I'm such a whimp. Went to eat dinner at Bandera in Corona Del Mar, it's was nothing short of delicious. I've never had anything I didn't like there. I died over their cucumber + tomato salad.

Tomato 

Cucumber

Onions

Corn

Avocado

Goat Cheese

Cilantro

Light Vinaigrette

Day 13. Under way. Shakes are growing on me, once again. I even had a vanilla shake with just a hint of vanilla extract (No Banana!!), and I finished the whole cup. Usually I have some left over. HELPFUL HINT: add lots of ICE. If the shakes aren't cold they are much harder to drink. The colder the better!!

Can't wait for dinner tonight @ my favorite spot... Gigi's house. 

TGIF - Craft Day

 It's so beautiful outside and it's FRIDAY... What a treat! So let's do some crafts. 

You'll need styrofoam eggs, glue, glitter, and letter stickers.

I was inspired by this, but I love me some glitter so we dazzled our eggs. Also we opted for styrofoam eggs because my neighbors' son is allergic to eggs. They worked surprisingly well. 

We also crafted these lovely little chicks. Aren't they adorable. 

Oh, the things you can do with foam. 

Have a safe and Happy weekend!

PS. Day 11 down 9 lbs! The vanilla shake and the nast Ionix Supreme has grown on me, believe it or not. However, the chocolate shake is still sickening. Still going strong. Now I just need to get my a** to the gym and work these bunz out.

Inspiration

 So I have loved this picture for quite some time. I think I had it in my files before I moved but forgot about it, and now I wished I had remembered it prior to doing our backsplash.

this is my kitchen

Don't get me wrong I love my backsplash( and my kitchen), however, sometimes I do wish I would have picked some color instead of going all white with the subway tiles. It was the safer choice and my thinking was that no matter what I decided to do with the kitchen the backsplash would always match. 

Disclaimer; Since this picture was taken I have painted the green fruit holder to white, and moved the glass jars to the butler pantry. Also don't look over to the right, I would love to change out the chairs one day and maybe even change the table to a light grey. 

In the mean time, this is my uhhh-maz-ing kitchen, I am so lucky to have it!

 As for mimicking my "inspiration"picture, I think the main thing that will make a big impact is getting the hanging lights. The rest will take time, and $$$.  So it's going to be a while. 

What do you think?

Snacks

or "Nacks" as my kids call them. I don't know about you, but my daughter asks me breakfast, lunch, and dinner and sometimes in between for ice cream. It drives me nuts. If I turn my back she is in the freezer. Not to mention if we're outside playing with the neighbors she runs in the house and gets ice cream for the whole neighborhood. I love that she likes to share, but I'm sure the parent's as well as I would love to see her come out with grapes or apples. Although, she is the neighborhood "NACK" lady. All the kids cheer when she comes out. It's quite a site sometimes.

Never the less I have decided to not buy ice cream any more, and by ice cream I'm also talking about the popsicles. Instead I have opted for frozen fruit. This week my precious has been loving the frozen mangos I got from Trader Joes. I think it's a great buy and she only has one or two, instead of a bowl or ice cream or a few popsicles. Yes, I have thought about putting locks on my appliances, but I rather teach my kids good habits then locking them out for good.

So try some mangos, not just in your morning shake, but maybe as a nice cold "nack".

Malibu

This was the view from our Hotel

 We're back. I have to say Malibu was picture perfect this weekend. We had a great time soaking up the sun and ate at some delicious restaurants. We even had a few celeb sightings.

We played for the last two days right here. Our room over looked the ocean and the sound of the waves at night put me to sleep. Each morning we had breakfast overlooking the beach, then went strolling along the coast line. For lunch we headed over to the Malibu Country Mart. It's goes down as one of my favorite spots for good eats and kiddy entertainment. Which I am always in the need of. 

As for the diet, I stuck to it! Hooray. 

Day 6 and 7 were easy. 

Now I am on day 8 which is my cleanse day. It sucks, but I'm sure any cleanse does. I am a little hungry and believe it or not I would love a shake right now. I was drooling over my husbands shake this morning. Oh, yes he started his 9 day cleanse a few days after me. 

I just hope this day goes by quickly. I haven't weighed my self yet to see what the results are from being on the diet for a week so I will have to post on day 9. 

Happy Monday!

Cucumber- Lemon- Lime

 These last few days the only thing that has been getting me through the day with any sort of flavor has been my Cucumber, Lemon, and Lime water.

Quite simple.
Cut up some fresh Lemons, Limes, and Cucumber.
Then toss into ice cold water.
You'll feel like you were at the spa.
It's a nice detox drink, and great for hangovers...
so I'm told.

day 5

photo by me

This morning I had extra energy, and I'm feeling pretty good. I was even up for making breakfast for my kids other then something super easy like cereal or a bagel. Since lately I haven't wanted to make anything I would want to eat in fear of having mass cravings. I decided to mix it up for them and make poached eggs. They were a hit, and even though I wanted them I haven't been dying for a bite. However, for my mid-day snack I did have a hard boiled egg. I'm allowed one. Hooray! Still down 4 lbs.

photo via Flickr by tensaibuta

             

I'm looking forward to a weekend getaway in Malibu. 

Happy Friday Peeps!!

PS. Read this article this morning. I thought it was very interesting. 

Hungry

photo via the little red house get the recipe by clicking the link

I'm here, still alive. It's day 4 of my diet. I have to say it's been pretty easy so far. I can't say what day 5 or 15 might bring, but as of now I am feeling pretty good. 

Day ONE went by quickly, I had a photo shoot, babysitters, 3 kids, a husband gone on business, and doctors appointments to get me through the day. 

Day TWO, I just have to say I hate the shakes. More then anything. Wait I take that back. I hate the Ionix Supreme (a nasty green juice) I have to shoot down my throat once a day. It tastes like someone burped in my mouth. I have to brush my teeth immediately afterwards. The shake which I have to take 2x's a day is second runner up to making me cringe every time I even think of it. Let's not mention I have to have it for two meals a day. 

Day THREE, hubby still gone, and lots of things to keep me occupied. I've still been feeling fine though. No major cravings, or lack or energy. I do have admit I've tried to make my shakes a little more appetizing. I was told to add a banana, it didn't really help, a strawberry or two... nothing. Then last night when I was refusing to eat my dinner shake because I simply wasn't hungry, my Mom and I got creative and added a half a banana and vanilla extract. The best addition yet. Not great but helps.

Day FOUR, so I added vanilla extract this morning. What a weirdo right. It's helped though. I got through most of the shake. Down 4 lbs. Let the count down begin. 

If your in the mood for making some food, getting some good laughs, or just reading some good stories with amazing pictures visit this blog I absolutely love. Oh, and her photography is perfection. 

life changes

photo via HoneyandJam check it out. YUM!

So I have been failing miserably to get rid of the rest of the baby wight I have clinging to my body, mostly that hot sexy muffin top of mine. So I decided to do something drastic, since I simply can't PUT THE FOOD DOWN. I started a diet called Isagenixs. It's pretty simple 2 shakes a day one meal between 400-600 calories for 30 days. I'm excited to lose the weight not sure how I feel about not being able to eat whenever I want. I am going to update daily about this the next 30 days. Here goes nothing.
Cheers to a better Summer and a tighter, smaller butt.

P.S. If you're not on a diet or even if you are head over to Honey and Jam, she's got some of the best recipes I've ever laid eyes on.

Oh, and if you're intersted in purchasing Isagenixs click here.

Organic

Getty Images

Eleven things you should buy organic.

1. Beef

2. Strawberries

3. Food Storage Containers

4. Popcorn

5. Milk

6. All purpose home cleaners

7. Celery

8. Tomato sauce

9. Yard pesticides

10. Water bottles

11. Cookware

Check out the article here.
I also heard that butter is a major one as well. I think all dairy should be organic or even better you should go without all together.