Thank you for the overwhelming and awesome feedback regarding the Vegan White Chocolate Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cups!
Thank you also for the feedback about What You're Doing For Valentine's Day and also What Kind of Gift You'd Like to Receive in the Mail. Lots of you said my homemade goodies would be very welcome, so that was really sweet to hear....Muah!!! Thank You for Your Kind Words!!
And thanks for the compliments about my cutie pie and for the Happy Birthday Wishes For Her!
I
Got the Tables Set:
Big Person's Table
Score!
First a $1 Dollar Tutu, a $1 bracelet, and beads. Perfect!
And the Birthday Girl requested Cupcakes
So, the Birthday Girl got her Wish, and White Cupcakes with White Frosting & Sprinkles it was.
And after her cupcakes, she still ate her fresh fruit. And then we ran off to dance ballerina style in her room!
She loved every birthday moment!
And so did I! I can't believe she's 3!!!!!!!! It sounds so cliche but they really do grow up so incredibly fast. Kiss them, hug them, hold them, because in just a few years she may think I'm lame and won't want to be caught dead next to me.
After all the festivites, a big green bowl of veggies was just the thing. Brock, tomatoes, and...
Today I simply took the opened can of coconut milk (I used TJ's Light), poured it into a glass jar and added about 3/4 cup of water to it.
Raw Vegan Chocolate Coconut Snowballs
For those of you who are regular readers, you know I'm a yoga teacher and have been since 2001. I am frequently asked how to do this pose.
The easiest explanation I can offer is:
Squat down with your feet close together.
Then point your knees all the way to one direction, let's say the right hand side.
Make a table with your arms, and lean forward and up onto the back of your arms.
The pose is much more about center of gravity and weight distribution than it is about strength. Core strength, in this pose and in all of yoga, is fundamental, but once that's established, just try to find the Sweet Spot, so you can lift your crane off the ground. Hopefully that explanation helps a bit!
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Two Questions:
Well, first is a request. For the bloggers who use word verification on your comment forms, please consider and re-evaluate if this is something you believe is really useful. I don't use word verification and get a fairly decent number of comments on my posts. I would say I get, maybe 2 spam comments per month, maybe. I really don't believe word verification does anything other than slow down the commenting process for 99.9% of your commenters. If you are on auto-pilot with that one, like you signed up for it ages ago and never took it off, please consider taking it off. Sometimes I have to re-key words two and three times and it takes up precious time. If you feel it really serves a purpose and you want to keep it, then I can respect that, too!
Next, is there something about me you'd like to know that I haven't blogged about? I was thinking about creating and "About Me" Tab and am not sure what it is About Me that you'd want to know....haha! I get a lot of private emails asking me all kinds of things, some of which are completely inappropriate, so please, keep it tasteful, clean, and respectful, my friends, but I may do either an About Me Section or a Reader's Ask and I Answer type of post. And if no one care's a rat's bootay "about me", I can totally & completely understand that too! ha!
Last Question:
At what age do you think celebrating a birthday with a big party and gifts and the whole she-bang is played out and one should tone it down a little? Age 12? 18? 21? 25? 30? 88? Or, You're never to old to have a huge she-bang! How old were you when you had your last amazing birthday party or celebration? I was 24, living on the beach in NC with Scott, we did sunset yoga on the beach, he had a cake made with hot pink and purple frosting, we stayed up all night drinking wine, swimming in the ocean and laughing and having a ball. So when was your last amazing birthday party or celebration?
Stay Tuned For Oats...
66 comments:
How precious! I loooove birthdays! Her cute little face is just glowing!
I have to say, part of the reason I love your blog is because it makes me appreciate my mom in a whole new way! You give me a little insight into the experience she had raising me, and especially into the experience she must be going through now that I don't live at home.
She is so cute. I think if you want to celebrate big you should go for it, no matter the age!
I'd like to know how you met your husband, what you do to avoid neglecting yourself as a mother, what books you like to read . . . really anything you care to share.
This post made me wish I told people when my birthday was. ;)
Happy Birthday to both of you!!
My daughter turned 3 in October and she got presents in the same princess bag for Christmas :) Also, let's hear it for the target $1 bins full of princess things, woo!!
I LOVE all the pictures of Skylar's birthday. I can't wait to have the same experiences with my kids (hopefully that will be awhile though!). She looks so happy!
I'd love to know how you met your husband! I'm a sucker for love stories :)
My last birthday was definitely one of my most memorable, even though it wasn't anything spectacular. Just a quiet dinner with the BF, but the fact that he took me to a vegan restaurant without me even asking just made my birthday!
My grandpa has had blowout birthday bashes for every 5 and 10th birthday. He's 90 and still celebrates every day!
I LOVE all the pictures of Skylar's birthday. I can't wait to have the same experiences with my kids (hopefully that will be awhile though!). She looks so happy!
I'd love to know how you met your husband! I'm a sucker for love stories :)
My last birthday was definitely one of my most memorable, even though it wasn't anything spectacular. Just a quiet dinner with the BF, but the fact that he took me to a vegan restaurant without me even asking just made my birthday!
My grandpa has had blowout birthday bashes for every 5 and 10th birthday. He's 90 and still celebrates every day!
about me's are so fun!! do it girrrrrrrrrrrl :) i think you should tell us why slash how you got to live in arizona and if you plan to live there forever
aka come to new york and teach yoga so i can take :)
A perfect little celebration for your adorable THREE year old!! She looks sooo genuinely happy.. I love that you got her a little cupcake.. you rock!
My bday is 2 days before christmas so Im always home for it, which is nice. My mom still makes sure I have balloons, flowers, tons of gifts, and cake. lol I love it. My last bash was prob the big 2-1 though. All i remember is waking up in my apartment shower (clothes on) with a empty pizza box on the floor. I was still adorning my tiara and hot pink boa from the night before. CLASSY.
Happy Monday! :)
I think you're never too old to celebrate your birthday. It is your day after all! That being said, I can completely respect people who don't like or want the attention and feel guilty getting gifts. I think it's a very personal thing.
God bless the Target 1 dollar bins. You can get anything there.
I still can't get over those fabulous peanut butter cups!!! OHMIGOSH,
I am also loving my nutritional yeast...yum!
Skylar is such a cutie pie - and I am loving her cupcake.:)
Have a wonderful evening!!
Averie- I loved the pics of you and Skylar, they're so sweet :)
1. I completely agree about word verification. It makes things difficult
2. Yes, add the "About Me" page! That's always the first thing I look at when I go to other people's blogs. It helps me get to know them
3. I think my last big party was when I was 16. Then I become a snobby teenager and was too cool for birthday parties ;)
Dang, girl! You are strong! Those poses are intense! :)
Skylar is adorable! What a beautiful birthday celebration! What a great mom you are. :)
So cute!
I remember when my (also health conscious) friend's daughter had her very first ice cream cone-- she didn't even know what to do with it!
We had to walk her step by step through the whole process, and then it took convincing for her to try the cone!
Too funny! those PB cups look delish!
Oh!!! Last week, you wrote on my blog that you lived in Minnetonka for awhile. What a small world! I lived in Mtka until I was 8, and then my family moved to another nearby suburb. Mtka is still only like 15 minutes from where I live now! I envy the warm weather you live in now, though! ;-)
Something for you to see on my blog!
Oh I love the pictures of her birthday! She is adorable! It's really true that they grow up way too fast :(
Seriously Skylar is adorable! Love the cupcake action :) Looks like you all had a wonderful party!
I hope Skylar had a wonderful birthday party!
she is adorable :)
Hon, I don't think you can ever be too old to have a part-ay, the whole she-bang and more! Obviously you might not want to break out the plastic tea-cup sets when you're 25, but that's the point - that as you age, you learn, you grow, and your celebrations evolve with you. Ya know? :)
Awww, Skylar is such a doll! Just seeing you two makes me so excited to have kids:) I'm glad she had such a great party!
I would love it if you did an about me or question/answer page. I would love to know how it went when Scott was adjusting to eating vegan. Or did he always eat vegan?
And last, I totally think birthdays should be celebrated big for as long as it is still fun for the birthday person. There is no age limit in our family!
Too Old??Baaaa humbug!! You're never too old for Bday parties!! What is age, but just a number anyways? I LOVE Bday parites and the more G rated they are, the better as far as I'm concerned. So, go for it, girl!! When is YOUR birthday, BTW?
Awwww!!!! LOVE little kid birthdays!!
That's so funny that she requested cupcakes without ever having eaten one! I guess word gets around :-)
Skylar is so beautiful! She's going to be breaking hearts in a few years!
Awe... Happy B-Day to Skylar!! Love the pics... so cute!!
We celebrate just about everything in my family! Any excuse for a party :)
Happy birthday to your little girl! She's precious.
I made your raw chocolate chip cookie dough balls today and WOOOWWW! They are incredible.
<3 jess
xoxo
Skyler is one lucky girl! I love that you kept it simple and the target bin is perfect for 3 year old little girls. I often shop in that bin for my 10 year old little girl (doggie sienna).
i honestly say that your vegan desserts look so much better than a cupcake! but there is this mystery around cupcakes that makes them exciting, and it's nice you gave skyler a tiny one to enjoy. i love that it was tiny too.
i agree with you about the word identification and i will remove it now that you said you don't get spam. i did have to remove the ability to post anonymously as someone wrote something rude and i feel if you want to be rude you ought to own up to it instead of hiding. plus i think the person tried to frame a friend of mine which is not nice!
as for what i'd love to know about you, well, i am curious about how and when you got into eating natural foods and raw foods. was in overnight or a gradual progression? perhaps you have already said this but i missed it.
Happy Belated birthday, Skylar! Gosh, what a cutie. Seriously precious. Love the party decorations, too!
Love the birthday party pics!!!!
I have a really weird relationship with birthdays. Growing up, I never really had a birthday party, and I was bitter over it for a long time. Then as an adult, I somehow had these crazy expectations for a while that my birthday had to be "special." In recent years, I finally have let go of these expectations, and I enjoy every day, including my birthdays and holidays... I still try to make the teenager's birthday special; he turned 18 last year... My children's birthdays are truly meaningful to me...
Great fun photos!
I'm loving learning about you through your blog and comments on my blog. Maybe just share whatever is in your heart to share with others about you. Whatever makes you comfortable.
As for birthdays...you're never too old for a big 'ol bash! Celebrating life is the best thing EVER! My grandfather is turning 90 this month and I think we should throw him a HUGE party to celebrate his life. =)
your daughter's adorable!
those pb cups also look AMAZING. you are so talented :-)
What an awesome birthday party! Happy Birthday Skylar!!!!
I had big parties as a kid and then friends threw me dinners, etc. I didn't even have a 40th. They seem to be trickling down in scale when they really should be ramping up!
I am the girl who talks up her birthday for the month leading up to it. Surprised? :D
The last really great one was my 28th - I was backpacking with a friend in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Serene and beautiful. She packed in a snickers, and stuck a lit match in the end for me to blow out.
Happy birthday to Skylar again! She's a lucky girl!
Oh cutie pie Skylar! A big happy birthday hug to her! I think you are never too old to have a big birthday party! My junior year of college my friends threw me a "Madeline's Favorite Things" party and everyone had to come dressed as one of my favorite things! It was SUCH an amazing night!
Little Skylar is SO cute...she looks just like you! So sorry you are in Phoenix because she and Maya could be good friends if you still lived in California! Come back!
I never like to be the center of attention so I don't like big celebrations of my birthday. I am going to be 34 this month...can't believe it! The older I get the less I want to celebrate at all!!
Ut oh, you didn't like my what are you wearing email?!? lol Just Kidding!!
I think EVERY birthday should be celebrated (I celebrate mine ALL month long! lol) at any age. Like I tell my friends and family, I am so greatful and Happy that they were born because they have been such a big part of my life. Besides everyone deserves at least ONE day a year that they get treated like the princess' they are!!!
I loved the pics of Skylar's birthday. I actually remember my third birthday very well. We were traveling to Canada to visit my grandparents and we stopped at a McDonalds-I'm pretty sure I had NEVER had it before and it was years before I had it again. It was only my parents and one of my brothers who was an infant at the time, no fancy presents or cake, but I had so much fun and I was so happy!
Three is truly a magical age.
I'm SO excited to try out your vegan kefir, I'm saving the page so I don't forget about it! My Monday has actually been flowing very well, the baby gave a lot back today. She turns 10 months in three days and her personality is shining through more and more each day, she even gave me a several big kisses! I also reminded myself how important it is for me to meditate and did so while she slept. It felt so good, I really need to get back into doing it regularly.
I'm going to get rid of the word verification thingy on my page, I don't think I need it anyway. I just went with what was already there. And yeah! I would love an 'about you' page or posting. I don't have any questions but I'd love to learn more about you :)
Hope your sweet birthday girl enjoyed every last icing-covered morsel of that special birthday cupcake :)
The pictures...she is so precious, gazing up at her mama! She's darling in her new beads and cute little ponytail :)
Your white chocolate pb cups look incredible - elegant and fancy! Gorgeous dessert as always...
Sheri
i'm actually a firm believer in always celebrating birthdays at any age- why not :) it is supposed tobe the one day of the year about you, right?! haha. you have the cutest pictures of you and skylar- i love them!! i am so glad you feel so lucky to have a child, it is really awesome and inspiring.
xoxo
shelley
Happy Birthday Skylar!! She's so so cute! What an adorable birthday celebration!
i totally agree about the word verification thing!! it is so obnoxious to have to enter it like 3 times because blogger doesn't accept it the first time around. ugh! aww skylar, what a cutie! such a fun party for her, love all the decorations. and dessert. ahh those pb cups are so PERFECT how do you do it? amazing!
Your blog is so vibrating, your energy is just burning through it (is it right like that?), so I think it is good as it is. It's great!
Happy birthday to your little Skyler!
Your 24th birthday celebration sounded so lovely and romantic! I think you should celebrate your birthday for as long as you feel happy to. Over the last few years I've just got together with a couple of friends and had a few drinks. I prefer low-key celebrations.
I think an "about me" page is an awesome idea! Call me nosey, but I love reading people's about page. Who were you in your former life pre-Skylar? I'm guessing that life changes MASSIVELY once you've had children. x
Hey fellow HOTTIE!!!!!!!!
I think I did steal your photo albums!! lol!! I want to see some pics of you in your wild days!!!
I feel the same way about my son growing up too fast, your daughter is as well, I know those days are coming soon for me when he is to cool for me, he will be 10!! Geez!!!
Greens Plus Bars I do like but yeah the price is just too high, I get them here and there : )
I still love to celebrate my birthday like Im 5!! lol!! I love birthdays!!!
Have a great day!! xoxoxo
Aw, Skylar is adorable :)
I have to say - I believe one is NEVER too old for a good birthday :) As long as you're is in the mood, surrounded by loved ones that make you happy....anything can happen. ;) My dad threw a big birthday thing for my grandfather a few years ago (his 80th) and from the pictures (I couldnt come cause I was in the Philippines at the time) it looked like a blast :)
You know what's funny? Growing up I hated the taste of buttercream frosting. Maybe it's 'cause my mom never gave it to me...but I always thought cupcakes etc were so darn pretty...but tasteless :P Of course I went through my "rebellious" phase (lol last year) and gained like...20 pounds xDD but i'm back to vegan...hah...
anyway I'm trying to incorporate more yoga into my life now :)
You're 24th birthday sounded like such an amazing night! I think you're never too old for a big birthday celebration.
Thanks for sharing all the sweet photos of the birthday girl!
Happy belated birthday, Skylar! She looks so radiant, as do you (as per usual!).
Look at all of those PB cups! (Did I tell you I had a little wino incident on Friday night and made FOUR?! No? Good... you probably didn't need to know that.)
Who WOULDN'T want to receive homemade goodies in the mail from you?!
Have a great day, my dear!
Thanks for your comment on my blog the other day Averie. The conflict between yoga being trendy...but attracting more clientele, is definitely similar!! I fear I am probably one of those people, but I've been doing it for at least 5 years now. Ah well.
I am on a mission to find that vegan white chocolate. Where did you find it?
I definitely think you are NEVER to old to celebrate a birthday! I love helping people celebrate their special days, especially with surprises! People say they don't like to think about getting old, but you should be grateful for every year more you have =)
I love the birthday pics!!
my family never threw me big parties for my birthday :( and i always was really upset and jealous of my friends who did get that...birthdays arent really a big deal at my house...which is why i think that u are NEVER too old to have a birthday party! i love the one you threw for skylar...she is one very lucky girl! even tho it was just for 3 ppl i think it was better than any other huge party! she can def see her parents love her very much!
HAPPY BDAY TO SKY!!! she is so beautiful and looks so happy all teh time, thats a sign of good parenting right there, averie :) she is such a princess!!
I think that no matter how old you are 3 or 103, you should always have a big shebang for your bday! it is the one day a year that is YOURS so you should embrace it and party it up! (whatever that means to the individual person) but its their day!!!
when are you sending me some homemade goodies>!!
First off: Happy birthday Skylar! They say that you should have the number of guests for each year you turn- so perfect- next year you'll have to invite one more person :-)
If it wasn't such a PITA I'd say you should start your own vegan food store.
Word verification: Often that's for new bloggers- they are scared of the unknown and it feels safe- usually it wears off and they d/c it.
About me- sure! You have a long desccription under your tile if I remember right- you could use the info there instead? That's my lament with Blogger- no tabs. Except that Allie had a woman do her site for $65 and she created tabs!! (its' a really cute site: pimp my protein shake)
Your yoga poses kill me!! I love it! You asked about being snowed in...I'm a teacher in Nashville, TN, and we've gotten 3 snow days so far (Fri, Mon, today), which is a LOT for us. It never snows here!
Oh how sweet! What a great birthday celebration!
I can't say I even remember the last time I had a party for my birthday. I guess it was in high school. I am pretty reserved when it comes to getting attention, so I never think to do things like that now. I just turned 35 and I really just celebrate for my kids sake. I don't think you are ever too old to celebrate another year of life though. I think you should enjoy every moment to the fullest however you want to! Besides, it's your day!
Happy birthday Skylar - hope it is a wonderful one!
As for celebrating birthdays? Yo mean you grow out of it? I don't know when that happens - but I do know that my grandmother lived to 86 and we celebrated every year - so it is DEFINITELY after 86!
Your Skyler is VERY CUTE and very happy :). I love all the pink she had for her birthday :).
Have you heard of the Kefir Lady? (http://kefirlady.com/) you can buy Kefir grains from her that and once you have way too much she buys it back from you... I thought it was neat. I know a couple people who have bought grains from her.. I have not yet!
As far as an about page... I like the idea... I would love to know your other hobbies.. other than yoga and making me drull while reading your blog... do you participate in any organized sports? team sports? How long have you been Vegan/Raw/Gluten Free? (this would specially be nice for your future readers). I personally would love to know and learn if you are raising Skyler Vegan/raw/gluten free? Are there issue with it? as in does she see other kids eat something and ask why she can or is not eating it?
If I think of anything else.. I will let you know :)
OH PS. in my book Birthdays are the MOST important day in anyone's life. again in my book they come before Christmas, Easter, Valentines day or any other day that you get a gift for. I am big fan of Shebangs.. but do believe that after a certain age you would want to spend it privatley with your family..but on big number birthdays.. I am a big SHEBANG believer :)
Cue collective "AWWWWW!!!"
Happy birthday Skylar, and I am so glad you are ALL enjoying it together. Because you're right, before you know it she'll probably think family stuff is lame! :( 3 is a great age because even the $1 toys are the cat's meow to them--I experienced that with my niece (just turned 4). Got her an on-sale set of My Little Pony mini books last xmas (for a whole $7) and it was the biggest hit--over princess barbies, and a Leapster game, all that expensive crap. AND she still plays with them a year later. Who'da thought?
First of all Averie, you're White and Dark Chocolate Cups look fantastic! You are an artist to make them look so perfect!
Second, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Skylar! She's so cute!!!! I hope today is special for her!
Third, well, that's about it because I can't think of anything to answer the three questions you asked about... sorry, I know... I'm not too creative at the moment.
:)
Have a great day!
What an adorable party! She is a cutie, for sure!
My last big birthday was my 18th, I was on a trip to NYC with my family and best friend. We went to Nobu, a famed japanese restaurant in the city and it was the best meal of my life. SO good!
xo
K
Happy official birthday to Skylar!!
Hmm...I would love to know how you got into yoga (if you haven't explained it already in another post). I know you used to be a bartender until you had Skylar, so when and how did your passion for yoga start?
Ironically, my last big b-day hoorah was when I turned 18. The drinking age here is 19, and that's when the low-key parties started! My last birthday was perfection. Good food, and relaxing with the fam :)
OOOOOATS! Love 'em all! Put me in a room with all that goodness and I would be in trouble.
My first choice in this post would be the pancakes. They look sinful! From oat bran, to steel cut to good old fashioned, I am a fan of the oat.
Here's 2 FFC links to oats (cause u asked!)
Baked Pumpkin Pie Oats with Flaxseed
http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/blog/2009/11/21/baked-pumpkin-pie-oatmeal-with-flaxseed/
Cocoa Coconut Oat Parfait
http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/blog/2010/01/19/skinny-cocoa-coconut-oat-parfait/
Cute cute pictures from the party! SOOooo adorable!
I think big birthday shebangs are fun at any age (as long as you enjoy the company of whoever's there with you!). My last great one was just a double date for my 21st with my now-husband and one of my best friends and her now-husband. I was the last one to turn 21, so they played it up as an extra-special occasion at a swanky rooftop bar. (Your 24th sounds pretty incredible, btw!)
For the about me, I always like to hear a little about the backstory. How you got into your current lifestyle, if you were always interested in it, etc. Plus I noticed that sometimes Scott has different meals than you. Obv not HIS about me, but if you're not both vegan, I'd be curious how you blend the two eating habits harmoniously.
P.S. Since I'm always signed into my own account, I didn't realize I had word verification on, so I clicked it off. Should be a breeze at the old OA site now :)
Happy birthday to your beautiful baby!!
oh my GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! those pictures are so frigging preshy. seriously, she looks absolutely adorable and happy as can be beaming ear to ear. the two of you honestly look so in love with each other, my goodness, what a wonderful day...so glad its all documented on film. its really just too cute for words!
Love love love love love all the candids of you and Skylar. What a sweet girl with a sweet mommy! And what a great bday post. Seriously- happy birthday to Skylar. From one Aquarius to another. ;)
And about your about me.. lolz again regarding what we talked about with the bombardment of emails you get a day. Obviously you have an interesting story and an interesting perspective about life- of course people want to know all about you! I love learning new things about all bloggies everyday. So go for it. Once again- much easier to do an about tab and toot our own horns on wordpress! :)
Happy birthday princess :-)
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