Pixie and Pirate Party

Once again, I am super delayed in posting a birthday party. I don't know how that always happens.

I am really excited to share this party with you. It's possibly my favorite to date.

Rhiannon wanted a Tinkerbell party. I tried to convince her that we should throw in something more boyish since she has lots of friends who are boys. She didn't budge. Until I started the invites. At that point it became a Pixie and Pirate party. So. Much. Fun.

For Pixie centerpieces, we went woodsy. Pretty flowers in mason jars are always a win. Luckily her party was right after a big wind that knocked over a tree in our back yard. Ya, you read that right, a tree fell. But hey, check out those cute wood blocks!

The pirate center pieces were not so much my jam. But we had fun creating with "pirate" items. I came so close to using Rum bottles but decided it would be innappropriate haha.

Food was a simple Pasta Bar. That was a hit. Cheap, easy and tasty.

The dessert table. Fab. I impressed myself. Really I just got lucky and I was able to pull off what was in my head but it turned out so well. I don't think I will ever pay someone to do dessert again. Until maybe the next party when I'm scared ill fail at replicating what I did here.

The party was simple and fun. 

Oh and it wouldn't be one of our parties without a photo booth, so of course we had to do that. :)

Kid Friendly Smoothie

The past few months we have added Green Smoothies into our diets. Most mornings our breakfast is served in a cup. Honestly, I feel so much more energized on the days that I am drinking them. And a nice little perk, the kids are getting more veggies than ever.

Today I thought I would share the kids favorite smoothies with you all.

 Ingredients:
1.5 cup spinach
1/2 carrot
1/2 banana
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/4 cup frozen peaches, mango or pineapple
1/4 cup old fashioned cracked oats
100% Fruit Orange Juice

Chop Carrots. You don't need to do them to small. Just enough to fit in the blender. I do mine smaller so that it blends more quickly.

Add all of the fruits and veggies into the NutriBullet or Blender and top with oats. The reason we are adding oats is to make the smoothie a little more filling. I notice when drinking them for breakfast I was getting hungry pretty early. This helped. When drinking in the afternoon, I usually substitute the oats with almonds to add protein.

Pour your juice to the max fill line or if using a blender, just enough to get the veggies really mixing. For an even healthier version, try coconut water. The kids prefer juice. I figure as long as their is no sugar added and it is 100% juice, it is worth it to get them to love the smoothie.

Pour and enjoy!

Stitch Fix- Round Two

Alright everyone, it is Round Two of Stitch Fix here at Vessel, this time I need your help. Thanks to some referral credits, I am able to purchase 2 items. What, you want me to be able to purchase more next time? Sure, I'll take your the referral credit for ya, just schedule your first fix using this code HERE.

Man, that was shameless. Mama needs clothes though, yo! Anyhow, this time I can purchase two items. There are 3 items I love and two that are meh. I won't tell you which because I want honest votes...I may hint though.

I have to mail back the ones I don't want by tomorrow (Oct. 25th) at 5pm. So there's not much time. Comment here and vote on what I should keep.

One:
Lace Print Top
Initially thought it looked to old for me. On, didn't hate it. Dressed up a little I liked it a lot more.

Two:

Peplum Top

This was my first time ever trying on a Peplum top. I have big hips and was really afraid it would emphasize that. Not too bad. Don't hate the Peplum. (Ignore my overly slanted head, we were taking pictures at bed time and I was getting frustrated at how things were going haha)

Three:

Navy Striped Top

Every day wear and pops of color for date night or girls night or something. Love the versatility.

Four:
Tulle Orange Sweater.
Lightweight for our not so cool Fall Weather. Love the scalloping on this one.

Five:
Little Black Dress
Pulled this out of the box and thought the folks at Stitch Fix went crazy sending me a granny dress. Put it on and it's so not granny.

 So what do you think? What two items should I keep and what three should I send back?

Any guesses on what three I was debating before asking for help?

Oh and don't forget to schedule your own stitch fix. Not just so I get credit but because it's rad.

To see my first fix and read little more about what it is, go HERE.

Let's Talk Little Lady

Today she is five. She won't always be. In the not so distant future she will be all grown up.

In this moment she wants to talk to me about everything. She might not always want to.

Right now her favorite topics are princesses and ponies. They won't always be.

Eventually my little girl will grow up. She will outgrow the things she currently loves.

In the now, she knows she is beautiful. She has no interest in boys. She is too innocent to see the evil and scary things of this world. That won't always be the scenario. (Hopefully she will always know she is beautiful). 

Eventually, as these things change, I want to be the one to lift her up. I want to be the one teaching her. I want to point her toward God and what He says and away from what the world says. If I am not present today, that may not be an option tomorrow.

It is so easy to get caught up in our days. To shush a talkative child. To tell them to wait a minute...and forget to return to the conversation. Sometimes a child's topics seem so trivial to an adult. 

What we do with our children now is shaping and training them for the future. 

When the little things of their day are confirmed to be small by the reactions and tones of our voice, they may not share about tomorrow.

When their biggest secrets are shared because we didn't hold them as sacred, they may not tell us the next one.

The conversations and relationship I am building with my daughter (and my sons for that matter) today are a stepping stone to the relationship we will have for the rest of her life.

If we want our children to be open to communicate with us as they age, we need to start now. When they speak, we need to give our full attention. Turn off the computer and put down the phone.

Snuggle up in their beds and talk about their days, their dreams, their wishes, their secrets. Talk about everything.

Over the years our conversations will drastically change but they will still exist. 

Today she is five but she won't always be.

Five!!

Today my first born turns 5. I thought that I was going to be super emotional and sad. And while I did cry a tiny bit that she is going to college soon, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Instead, the place that I thought would be filled with sadness is over come with joy and pride. 

My sweet, not so baby any more, is growing up but she has grown into a little girl that any mommy would be proud of. 

This little five year old knows The Lord and shows Him daily with her kindness and loving nature.

I am such a proud mama today. Happy birthday Rhiannon!!!

Weight Loss "Secrets"

Many of you have been asking how I am losing weight. Today I thought I would share exactly what I have done to shed the pounds that I have lost. Really it hasn't been too much and it's completely doable.

First thing I want to point out, I just had a baby. So the massive weight loss is partially an illusion. The big belly that disappears literally over night plays a little bit of a trick on your eyes. The instant 15 lb. weight loss is a little bit of a cheat.

From that point on, I have done the work on my own, no magical instant tummy disappearance.

To begin, we cut back on red meats and added in a lot more salads. Cut back on sodas and juices and replaced that with water. Oh, and as most of you know, I {heart} Starbucks. Like big pink puffy heart LOVE Starbucks. In order to cling on to that relationship, I cut out all the yummy sauces, no more extra caramel or chocolate drizzle. In fact, I nixed the sugar all together. It's all non-fat sugar free goodness now. Simple changes that made a huge difference.

Those alterations got me down to my pre-Corbin weight. Once those pounds were gone, I was a little stuck for a couple weeks.

To lose the pounds that my body was clinging onto, I started the Body.Mind.Spirit Challenge with April over at April Kennedy..My Life + My Style. This is the forth week of the challenge and my body is slowly losing the weight that I wasn't able to.

Since being on the challenge we have been eating healthier options. Basic changes. More veggies, less carbs. MORE water than anything. Just good healthy changes. Plus some exercising.

Work outs for me are simple. I warm up with general yoga poses. Do a small tiny amount of running. And focus on my problem areas with LOTS of crunches and lunges. Nothing major but I am starting to see a difference in inches.

The last thing that I have been doing, our most recent change, is green smoothies. Hubby bought me a NutriBullet and the whole family has replaced breakfast on most days with green smoothies. Making sure to get all the key elements into the smoothies so the kids and nursing baby are getting everything they need.

And okay, if we want to be honest, my green smoothies are purple because they are sooooo loaded with fruits but hey, they are delicious and the kids are getting more greens than they ever would eat on their own.

So that's it. That is how I have lost the weight I gained with Corbin. My next goal is to get back to my pre-any baby weight. My end goal is to be back to almost my wedding weight. I gave myself 5lb leeway because I have delivered three babies, my body has changed...and well I don't wanna be greedy. Haha.

The secret to my weight loss has been basic but if I come across any secrets, I'll share them with you. I will definitely be sharing some recipes soon.

What goals are you working towards?

Date Night Style

It's not often that my husband and I get to have a real date night. We get the occasional quick bite to eat thanks to having my mother in law and mama close by. But a full blown, get dolled up date night is rare.

Recently, we got a chance to have one. It is was so fun to do my hair and make-up and change out of my usual mom wear.

Even more fun is that hubby surprised me with a dress he knew I would love. When the package arrived, I was impressed to say the least. He sure does know me.

Because I didn't want to be to formal, I funk-ied (I make up my own words, don't hate) it up a bit with my jewelry. I absolutely loved the overall look. 

  

Dress- Nordstrom

Necklace- Stylefox

Bracelet- Relics by Tami

Shoes- Anchor Blue