California Fashion to Resort Wear-Fresh Produce

Recently I have been noticing many advertisements for the Fresh Produce clothing line.  Now that Spring is here the bright colors of their clothes is a breath of fresh air! 

When I was approached by the company to write a review I was really excited. There are so many beautiful pieces to choose from!

Since I live in the Pacific Northwest I decided that I should choose something with long sleeves.  I wanted to be able to start wearing it as soon as  possible! This was not an easy task, there were so many great choices!

I finally selected the Oxford Shirt and I love the color Sunrise. There are numerous colors to choose from. You will have your choice of what seems like all the colors of the rainbow, including white and black too!


Fresh Produce is primarily Made in the U.S.A. and now ships to over 200 countries, "so women outside of the U.S. can enjoy the colorful styles too!"

From California Fashion to Resort Wear you will find what you need for both women and children.

Fresh Produce can be found in Nordstrom and over 500 specialty boutiques and resort retailers around the globe.

The package arrived today and I was struck with the quality of the fabric, color and craftsmanship.  I am glad that I chose a size Medium because they do run large.

We have been waiting for the sun to shine to be able to take a picture of me wearing the blouse. Living in Seattle can be a challenge to find that perfect day! Despite the rain we finally made it out!

It is so comfortable and I can't wait until it gets warmer to be able to wear it with my white Capri pants!

Today April 1st Fresh Produce is having a 25% One Day Sale on their website. I will be shopping for more of these great clothes!

Don't forget to check out Find Fresh Produce Clothing on Facebook and on Twitter too!

Related Articles

• Say No To "Mom" Clothes! (thefashionablebambino.com)
• Fresh Produce Clothing Review (eightymphmom.com)
• Holiday Gift Guide-Fresh Produce Review (tatertwins.com)
• Summer Clothing From Fresh Produce (lifemusiclaughter.blogspot.com)

Disclaimer: I received the blouse from the company in order to write this review.  I did not receive any monetary compensation. The views and opinions about this product are purely my own. 

Martha Stewart said You Can't, but I Found a Way!

Washed and ready to be pared, cored and cut!

As a native of Florida and the Caribbean I didn't know much about growing apples! However, when we moved to Seattle it bothered me that most of the apples from our trees were being wasted or given to our horse and Labradors as a snack.  I would pick the apples I needed for my pie, but what about all the rest?

A few years ago I was watching Martha Stewart and one of the audience members asked her if  you could freeze the apples for pies and desserts.  Martha said no, however, I knew better.  After years of seeing them go to waste, I decided to see what would happen if I froze them already seasoned ready for each pie.  Here is what I do using my mom's Perfect Apple Pie recipe!

Recipe Card Maker

Get your freezer bags dated and ready to either mix directly in each bag or in a bowl. Mix the sugar, flour, spices and salt.

Mix those seasonings either in each bag or bowl!

Mix enough for each pie separately.

Pare, core, and cut 6-8 tart apples for each freezer bag. There are several types of coring tools on the market, like the one you see pictured here.

Apples seasoned and ready for the freezer!

The apples do not need to be defrosted prior to being placed in the pie crust.  Just take the bag out of the freezer and pour the contents into your crust of choice and bake!  The apples have been as tasty year-round as when they were freshly picked in the Fall!

Enjoy!

Back to School Tips for Parents, by Kathryn White, Author of "Ruby's School Walk"

My children are all grown now, however I remember the first day of school for each of my sons. They were all so excited and seemingly grown up! I would walk them each to their classrooms and they all ended up saying, "Okay mom you can go now"! Of course I was devastated, now I can laugh, but back then I would just sit in my car and cry!!



I would love to hear some of your stories of when your children went off to school for the first time. Enjoy the article!~Lisa



"It happens every autumn. Millions of young children start school for the very first time. They carry backpacks, lunchboxes, pencils, sometimes a grin on their face, but more often, a look of trepidation about what school will really be like. They wonder: Will my teacher be nice? Will I have friends? What if I can’t find my way? Who will sit with me? What will I do? What if I don’t like it? What if I miss home? What if it’s too hard?



As parents guiding our children off to start school for the first time, or to begin a new school year, we want to do all we can to ensure that they have a great experience. At the same time, we want to encourage their independence as they set off on a new journey in their development.



Kathryn White, author of Ruby's School Walk, early educator and mom of five children, shared her tips to ease children's start-of-school anxiety and make this an enjoyable milestone:



* Read with your child and talk about the school experience. Share with them stories about your memories of school, both the good and the less so. School is an adventure, and like all adventures, it has its ups and downs.


* Help spark your child’s imaginations about school to encourage them to talk about their concerns and face their fears. You can do this through stories, books, drawings and other art forms. Ask them questions such as what they think school will be like, what they are excited about and worried about, what they think they will learn, etc. These conversations can also be had with grandparents and other favorite people in your child’s life.


* Build a community in your neighborhood. It is amazing what a familiar and friendly face can do to help a child overcome their fears about going to school. As your family journeys to school each day you might see this friendly neighbor, or only see them occasionally, but it will help your child feel comfortable and safe on their trip to school.


* Sit down together and create a fun map to school. Note interesting landmarks and have your child color them in or place numbers at each point. On that first morning to school, your child will be preoccupied with checking off the landmarks on their special map. The school can be drawn with welcome signs, making it a great triumph upon their arrival.


* Walk with your child to school whenever possible. If you don’t live nearby, take public transport, bike or drive and get out a few blocks away and walk together. The walk will become a meaningful way to spend time together and help get the day off on the right foot.


* Create traditions. Take pictures of your child in front of your home or on their way to school. Each year you can reflect back on these first day of school photos and see how much your child has grown in every way.


* Know that if the first day went well or didn’t go well, there are many more days of school throughout the year and peaks and valleys along the way.



We hope your child’s first experience with school is part of their magnificent journey of growing up!"

Are You Taking Care of Your Lamp?

 I am partnered with a great company called Simple Truths. Mac Anderson is the founder of Simple Truths and Successories, Inc., the leader in designing and marketing products for motivation and recognition.  I recently received this email from their newsletter and wanted to share it with all of you. It really hit home to me as I have always put everyone ahead of my own needs. I think that most women do. Here is the excerpt from the book.

An Excerpt from Oil for Your Lamp
by Lisa Hammond & BJ Gallagher

Virtually every woman we know has the same problem - she knows what's good for her, but she often doesn't do it. She knows she should eat less and exercise more, but still she doesn't make healthy choices. She knows she needs to spend her time and money more effectively, but good time and money management elude her. She finds herself always putting others first, while neglecting her own needs and wants. She doesn't get enough rest or sleep and her endless to-do list hangs overhead like the sword of Damocles. As our friend Brenda Knight laments frequently, "Why am I always riding in the back of my own bus?"


We don't do the things we know are good for us because we are so busy taking care of others that we neglect ourselves. The problem isn't lack of information - we have plenty of information about the importance of sleep, healthy foods, and exercise. The problem is how we prioritize our lives.


Psychologists tell us that some people are inner-directed and some are other-directed. That is, some people focus on their own internal guidance system for making choices about how to spend their time and energy. Their own self-interest ranks very high on their list of priorities. "What's best for me?" is a key guiding principle in determining where they focus their attention and how they make day-to-day decisions.


And some people are other-directed, which means that their primary focus is external, not internal. They are primarily concerned with relationships, especially people they care about. "How can I help others?" is a key question in how they spend their time and energy. Building and nurturing relationships with loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers is the guiding principle in their lives.


Research indicates that, in general, men tend to be more inner-directed, while women tend to be more other-directed. There are exceptions, of course, but as a group, men are focused on themselves while women are focused on other people. Men like to build things while women like to build relationships.


This difference in psychological orientation goes a long way toward helping us understand why we women often do such a poor job of taking care of ourselves. We run around filling others' lamps with oil, but forget to fill our own lamps first. Then we wonder why we're often exhausted, frazzled, stressed-out, anxious and/or depressed!


Awareness is the first step toward solving a problem. So the first section of this book is devoted to helping us acknowledge the problem and understand the reasons for it. Chapter 1 looks at how girls are socialized, growing up to be women who put others first. Chapter 2 examines the values women have adopted in the past 50 years, beginning with the feminist movement - leading us to believe that we can have it all - all at once. And Chapter 3 explores the corresponding myth that we can DO it all.


But don't be discouraged. Help is on the way - in Section II, we'll get into solutions for the problem. We'll learn the value of doing nothing, how to play again, how to become more inner-directed, and most important, how to ask for help.

 You can visit Simple Truths and sign up for their newsletter too!