CowFish Raleigh Review

As a Blogger obsessed with good food, fashion and family travel, I was so delighted to have the opportunity to experience North Carolina's own, The CowFish Sushi and Burger Grill.  We absolutely fell in love with the entire Menu :) Atmosphere and People at CowFish.  

Here we are, one happy Family enjoying Mother's Day with the ones I love.  The atmosphere at CowFish is so cheerful and fun. 

Raleigh native, Marcus  was there to greet us on Mother's Day!  Talk about a very special and warm Southern Welcome from one of the Founders.  Our boys and my husband LOVED all of the stories and entrepreneurial inside from Marcus.

Here I am Mother's Day with my "lovies."  If the sweet guy on a date who offered to take this ever reads it, your Mama did great. Thank you for offering to take a Mother and Sons picture while my husband and Marcus talked a bit. 

The restaurant had such fun Art Work and creativity throughout.  We had a blast checking them all out. 

Now, this is a serious topic, Dessert.  Really, dessert first!  If I splurge on dessert, it needs to be awesome like this!  

Fresh Berry Tall Cake

7   

Moist lemon pound cake and vanilla bean ice cream layers stacked high to the sky! Fresh strawberries, raspberries and blackberries
complete this sweet sensation.

That is all.  Right!  I mean this was so FUN and Tasty!!!  Premier Ice Cream with this fabulous Southern Lemon Pound Cake.  :)  

Every dish at CowFish was so beautiful.  I loved this Sushi plater.  So fresh, colorful and awesome all around.  Take a look at the Menu at all that awesomeness.  

 

....  and go ahead and your own favorites. 

My husband was over-the-top thrilled to try the Bison Burger "Buffolushi Sushi!'  I tried it too and it was so wonderful, satisfying and tasty.  What a great creation and  unique. 

Check out the COOL Aquarium with the CowFish in the tank.  Our boys had a blast.  It is so beautiful and mesmerizing. 

Look CowFish is so personable, they delivered Flowers to the Moms on Mother's Day!  Love this!  Made us feel so special.  All the Moms were smiling and enjoying Sushi, etc. 

Now here is another look at the Fusion of The CowFish.  

"The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar, a one-of-a-kind operation that knows no limits." 

See at CowFish even Burger Lovers are so happy.   Our boys cannot turn down an outstanding Burger and Fries like this.  They also found the Onion Rings to be a new favorite.  

CowFish Partner, Marcus Hall truly made the "Guest the King" with our visit.  Marcus exudes warmth, personality and joy in his creations.  We all loved talking with him.   He is a real Southern Gentleman who set me at ease when, after a perfect evening, as we left our table, my purse ever so graciously slid a glass on the floor.  Crash, boom.  Yes, I am the Foodie Blogger....  (I always tell our children, I make more messes than they do. :) Marcus did not miss a beat when he checked in on us and said, "That's how I roll, if it's been a good night, crash, I'm out of here!"  So huge a laugh out loud for all of us.   He totally set me at ease and made me feel better. Obviously, for me to mention it, golden. 

CowFish Raleigh is in the chic North Hills area of Raleigh.  All the happening fun is there.  We couldn't resist the CowFish Bus. It made the entrance so exciting - it was like the resident character. :) 

The landmark Capstrat Building is a perfect locale for The CowFish and we were so thrilled to see the outdoor seating options. 

Thank you so much CowFish for hosting our family and I adored Foodie Reviewing your Restaurant. It's at the top of our list.  We give it a 5 Star rating.  See y'all soon!  

Warmly, 

CarolinaMama 

FTC Disclosure:  The CowFish hosted our family.  This Food Review holds opinions all my own.  

Tieks Ballet Flats Review Five Star

So excited to be Reviewing  Tieks Ballet Flats again!  I absolutely fell in love with them.  I LOVE how fun and comfortable Tieks are.  Today, I am sharing the Clover Green and the Ballerina Pink Tieks. Here is a little selfie of my Kelly Green Spring outfit and the ever so stylish Tieks Clover Green.

My Mother's Day Dinner at the awesome CowFish Raleigh was such a fun night.  Great food, memories and a whole love of fish tank fun.  Think best Sushi and Best Burgers - CowFish. I wore pink because this Mom love pink. And my Ballerina Pink Tieks were perfection.  

See what a great look up close.   They are well made, hand-crafted leather flats.  I love the fits-like-a-glove fit.  Seriously, they cover your foot just enough.  I am loving closed in shoes for travel and cool Spring nights. And it is such a nice polished look. 

Here I am at lunch with my boys and they snapped a quick over-all look right down to the Tieks that truly make the outfit. 

One more close up of my PRETTY Ballerina Pink Tieks. 

Bonus, look how much style and class Tieks has! I adore how they package it all.   Yet, it is the comfort and the chic look that has me smitten.  Yes, they are priced higher end, yet, I am here to say it is a great purchase.  Worth the investment, indeed. 

See how small they fold up ?  Tieks sends you a cute little bag to carry them in your purse.  So today, I wore my Tieks to lunch and when I arrived at the park with the boys, I slipped them in my purse and put on my tennis shoes to play baseball.  That's the way I roll. :) 

Are you a Ballet Flats girl?  Check out Tieks and just try to narrow it down to one color because the choices are phenomenal.  Love the fun and practical colors.  Yes, this are 5 Star in my Book! 

Warmly, 

CarolinaMama 

FTC Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Tieks. Opinions are all my own. Obsession my Own. :) 

Restaurant.com Local Pizzeria Review

As a Restaurant.com Blogger, it has been so fun to work with local Restaurants and to support locally owned restaurants.  And how time goes by so quickly when you are having fun. :)  This is my last Restaurant Review for RDC.  It has been fabulous working together and to learn how they work to help their customers enjoy dining out, celebrating life and others.

So our boys and I chose one of our favorites to return to for our last review.  They chose Anna's Pizzeria.  This is a favorite of many locals here.  This Pizzeria was established by a family from New York who moved to North Carolina for the good life.  What is the saying, "I may not be from the South, but I got here as soon as I could."  That's what they did and they decided to bring a little of their home, New York with them.  And we couldn't thank them more.

They have amazing great food.  Check out our Antipasto Salad.  This was a popular choice for our boys. They love the meat and cheese rolled together in the salad.  This was a generous salad.  We even took some home for Dad.

Then the boys LOVE a half Pepperoni and a half Cheese Pizza.  Life is simple and good when you order this half and half.  I splurged on one slice of the Cheese Pizza with the Antipasto Salad.  It was perfection.  Great crust, awesome sauce :) and cooked just right.

I had to get a picture of the boys digging in - I know it is candid but I LOVE how my sons are diving right in - owning it.  Look at the fold over pizza. lol

Anna's is a fun place. I love this mural.  So quaint.

The boys and I wait in anticipation of a great lunch together.  Happy faces.

Then we had a little Cannoli.  It was their first and we all enjoyed the homemade version with a little chocolate.  A couple of bites polished off the meal.

This is the Anna's motto, "The Peak of Good Eating."  We couldn't agree more.  5 stars for Anna's.  Great food and service.

Do you dine locally?  What are your favorites?  Thank you for reading and Restaurant.com, we're going to miss you!  

Warmly, 

Carolina Mama 

FTC Disclosure:  I am an Official Restaurant.com Blogger.  Opinions are all my own. 

Shaklee180 Two Month Progress and Update

We just completed our first two months on the Shaklee180 Blogger Program.  This has been one awesome program and we still have four months left to go.  I am excited to report some progress.  One thing I will share is that progress can take a slow form so I have to stay focused.  You may have seen my video of staying focused on vacations and weekend travels. 

Here is what I am looking like after 2 months on Shaklee180.  I love my new Spring look.

These pants are a size smaller :) and they are plenty loose after this past month.  More happy face, happy dance.  It has been worth every effort, every shake, meal bar, exercise, etc.  I love my routine with Shaklee180 and my Gluten Free life, most days.  (Again, I do not have celiac disease.  However, my body loves when I am Gluten Free 90% of the time.)

I actually like it and do not miss gluten.  Shaklee180 makes that simple because the products are Gluten Free, No GMOs, no artificial flavors or colorings.

The beginning of the month looks like this when the Shaklee180 Turn Around Kit arrives.

We have been traveling a lot this Spring and I am happy to still be losing even with a lot of special and big meals.  I am making more and more great choices as a habit.  And the best thing is I do not feel like I am missing out. I love making better choices and skipping all of the "filler foods." 

Here are some pictures from the first month, pre-Shaklee180, and just at the end of the second month.  I am wearing the same workout pants.  I can even see the progress in my tee shirts.  Look how loose the one on the right it.  Okay, girls, I know you're with me, so here goes.  My much unfilmed back side.  For the sake of helping others and keeping myself accountable....  I am just so pleased to be making progress. 

Here are some pictures in my SkirtSport gear. I love their girly feminine leggings and skirts.  Mine was too snug for my preference when I got it, and a month later, I am really liking the fit.

1 month after Shaklee180

2 months after Sbaklee180

Here is my family and me celebrating Mother's Day 2013!  So fun and I feel great. So we splurged a little at a fabulous new restaurant in Raleigh, CowFish, where I had awesome Sushi.  And we did share an incredible dessert - we didn't even finish it.  It was fun to splurge on something special like their Southern Lemon Pound Cake with fresh fruit and ice cream.

Now for some numbers:  Since beginning Shaklee180, I have lost 11.2 pounds!  And 7 1/2 inches! Yes, I am thrilled.  This is a good pace for me even though I would love to get to my end goal more quickly.  This is very livable and I do not even feel like I am missing out because I am focused most days and then have my splurges so I look forward to getting back on routine. 

Thank you for reading and joining me.  If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment or email me at carolinamama1 @ gmail (dot) com.  

Warmly, 

CarolinaMama 

FTC Disclosure:  I am a Shaklee180 Blogger.  Products provided to me by Shaklee. Opinions are all my own.  

Thankful This Mother's Day

Thankful indeed.  I know the treasures I have had and I know the treasures I have today. I am thankful and blessed eternally. 

Thankfully, my husband and boys kept me busy because I miss her crazy. This is the first year of firsts without her. 

She was Proverbs 31. 

Spring Fashion Find with Sail to Sable

Spring Fashion Finds for Mother's Day and Beyond

Spring Fashion Finds.  Today I want to share one of my absolute favorite finds this Season.  The Sail to Sable Collection of Dresses and Tunics. 

This season I discovered fell head over heels for Sail to Sable!  This whimsical and nautical style a favorite for Spring 2013! These dresses and tunics can be layered with a cardigan or leggings.  They are fun and comfortable all at once.  

Here I am wearing this Sail to Sable to Church in Downtown Charleston, South Carolina. I love the classic look and details.  The red and white are perfect for Spring and Summer.  Here I paired it with a red cardigan for a perfect Spring look.  Ballet flats were a great mix with this traditional dress.  

Sail to Sable Dress at Church in Charleston, SC

Mother's Day and Spring are a perfect time to step up your fashion for the season.  I love new looks that Sail to Sable has in its Collections.  It is such a comfortable dress. It was ideal for lunch al fresco on the water.

Lunch al fresco Charleston 

"Raised by the water in Darien, Connecticut, Founder, Jennifer grew up visiting the beaches down the East Coast. With a love for warm weather, this collection is inspired by stripes, salty water, coral, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, bright and bold fabrics, and all things summer.

sail to sable

In its fourth season, Sail to Sable refers to the Easternmost and Southernmost spots on the Eastern Seaboard: Sail Rock, Maine and Cape Sable, Florida. The Sail to Sable collection is chic meets preppy and includes the classic tunic dress, light-weight cover up tunics, fabulous maxi tunic dresses and the flirty party tunic dress. The line is easy to mix and match with coordinating prints, bright colors, bold trim and stripes."

These are the cutest Summer Fashion Finds ever.  I love the preppy Blue and Green as well as the Classic Pink and White.

My dress is a dressy enough for Church and casual enough for Lunch outdoors or a simple walk on the Battery in Charleston where you meet the Antebellums Picnicking.  We had to join the fun and capture the moment.

Isn't this perfect.

At The Battery

My dress was fun waterside at lunch.

Love the Nautical look of Sail to Sable

You can find a Sail and Sable near you on their Store Finder - look for stores all on the East Coast, the South and even in California.  Or order online Collections here.  Follow Sail to Sable on Facebook here. 

By the way, here is a warning, these dresses and tunics are so fabulous and beautiful and comfortable, you will want more than one to start collecting them....  Collections are good. Sail to Sable Collections are great.  

Warmly, 

Carolina Mama 

FTC Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Sail to Sable.  All opinions are my own.