Nutrisystem- Success Update

I guess you can say I'm obsessed with Nutrisystem. I have been on the program now over three years. I absolutely love the foods. Not one time have I ever gotten sick or had even the slightest tummy ache from eating any of their foods and believe me, I've tried them all. Do I like them all? Na, there are a few of the meals I will turn my nose up to. However, what I may not find tasty, others may like, so its just a matter of preference.

Nutrisystem has changed my life. I have learned to eat healthier and I feel good. My yearly checkups and blood work are great. I have more confidence and better self esteem. I can now wear the bikinis, tight jeans, and yoga pants proudly. I am about 5 lbs away from the weight I want to be and still have room to enjoy that piece of cake or mama's biscuits every now and again.

I'm far from having the perfect body, but I am happy now in my 49 year old skin. Oh and speaking of skin. Since I have been on Nutrisystem, my skin seems to be more healthy too. I no longer experience the up and downs of oily to dry skin and have not had the adult acne in years. I guess my only complaint is the loose skin I have from losing 50 lbs. I'm working on that.

I have more energy. There were times when I didn't even feel like tying my shoes. I would drag myself in and out of the car and I could forget about sitting on the floor. Honestly, I was just lazy and always bloated from eating junk food. Now I can't wait to get my day started as I jump out of bed after a good night sleep, have a healthy breakfast and head to work feeling giddy with a better attitude. Just kidding. I hate going to work, but I do have a better attitude. sometimes.

During my weight loss journey, I have been invited to three Nutrisystem commercial/ photo shoots and have attended two of them. It's been so much fun meeting a couple celebrities and making new friends that are on the same weight loss journey as me. They all have a different story but at the end of the day we all have inspired each other with our success. Those people you see on any Nutrisystem products or websites are real people just like you and me.

I currently eat a lot of my own foods and maintain my weight with Nutrisystem meals, so my journey is not over. If you have followed me, you know that I also like to experiment with Nutrisystem foods and flex meals (meals that are equivalent to NS meals).

With that being said.....

I am proud to announce that I have been contacted by Nutrisystem to join their team as a Nutrisystem Ambassador! How cool is that? This gives me more opportunity to share my food photos and success stories with others that might be struggling to find the right diet or healthy meals. Be sure to follow @Nutrisystem and me @lilidi_meo on Instagram and/or Facebook. 
You may see more of my blog post about heathy foods (thought I’d never say that! Ha) and diet motivations during the next few months.

I never know where my journey will take me next.

*If you are on Nutrisystem, head over to Nutrisystem.com and enter your success story along with a before and after photo. You never know, you could be the next Nutri-Star. 

*Read my success story here

*Click here for $30.00 off your first order .

*Expect to lose 1-2 lbs. per week with Nutrisystem.

(Results may vary with different individuals).

I am not being paid or asked by Nutrisystem to write this blog post. 
Opinions and results are all my own. 

Whats Been Growing in My Garden

I will be the first to tell you I do not have a green thumb. I can kill a plastic plant and that's the truth.
Every Summer I try to grow something. I wish I could grow some tomatoes and cucumbers but every time I get a plant growing, something comes out of the wild and eats it. I'm not sure if its rabbits, birds or squirrels. Though I have seen some raccoons and fox around. Trying to succeed in growing any kind of plant is a struggle for me but I did manage to get a few things growing.

At the beginning of Summer one of the managers at work gave me a sunflower plant that was already about a foot tall so I stuck it in the ground and it grew a couple inches each day until it reached about 8 feet tall and made a beautiful sunflower. Now the petals have fallen off and I'm waiting for time to harvest it so I can give some seeds to my sister and save some for me to replant next year.

Knowing my luck, I will wait too long and the birds will have eaten all the seeds but so far nothing has bothered them. They need a few more days to dry.

I also purchased two egg plants this year. I chose a purple one and a white one. Something keeps eating at them but when I came home from vacation last week, I had a white egg plant!

It's not quiet ready yet. It needs to get a little bigger. I see a few buds on the purple egg plant so I hope they give me some fruit too.

And last but not least, last summer I took a seed from a lemon slice and planted it just to see if it would grow. This is how it looks so far.

I kept it inside all Winter and put it out on the patio during the Summer. It seems to be happy in the sunshine. It also smells wonderful! I'm so afraid it will wilt when I bring it in again this Winter. This is my little buddy.

That's all I have. But of course I didn't break my back or have to use any mules to get this hard work accomplished.

Acorns

Acorns are one of my favorite Fall reminders. They fall from the trees and bonk us on the head to remind us Autumn is just around the corner and then the squirrels will scurry around for the best acorn nuts to stash away for Winter.

I remember as a little girl before my teenage years, my daddy would give me pocket knives. I loved to go out into the yard and find giant acorns of many colors. They were so many swirling with colors of Autumn. I would sit on the steps of our front porch and twiddle out the centers of the acorns with my tiny pocket knife. I was extra careful not to cut myself or mom would take the knife away. I would then string the acorn beads to make a necklace. 

Well, Fall is just around the corner so I thought it would be fun to share some ideas of ways to decorate with acorns. 

BUT FIRST!....Rick over at life101 blog, made a comment the other day saying he thought I should make some acorn earrings and had no idea what made him think of that. I responded to him “ don’t tempt me”. Well Rick, here they are (modeled by my daughter). You gave me the idea and I did it. Haha. 

I made these crochet acorn earrings and kept the natural acorn tops. 

These are one of a kind. I may be making more depending on the interest. 

Buy them here: LiLiDi’s on Etsy 

I love these Adorable wooden acorns. 

They would look so pretty displayed inside or outside and you do not even have to worry about the squirrels stealing them from you. 

Find them here: The Holiday Barn

How about these cute acorn napkin rings? 

They can bring Autumn to my dining anytime. (Except Spring of course). 

Learn to make these here: NewEngland.com

Acorn Marble Necklaces are something I have done in the past but they did not turn out nearly as darling as these little sun catchers.

These would be perfect party favors or used as ornaments too.

Step by Step video at:  Rhythms of Play

How about pulling out a book with you favorite page marked with this fuzzy felt acorn book mark. 

Buy here: Vart on Etsy

I start decorating for Fall on the last week of September. 

During October, I will just add few spooky things to the mix until its over then back to just the Fall look through Thanksgiving. 

How do you like to decorate for Fall? 

Noodles

Nick and I are always trying to decide what to eat on Sundays. It’s the day of the week that we nibble all day in the kitchen and when it comes to dinner time, we are not in the mood to fix something at home. This is also the day week that we fill the car up with push water and stop by the post office to check the business mail. While we are out, we go ahead and grab a bite of supper.

There are a couple new eating joints in our town. One is Bad Daddy’s burgers and One is Viva Chicken. These two places just opened up a couple weeks ago and are located next each other. So we headed that way. We had planned to try the one that was less crowded. Well, It just so happened that both restaurants were over packed with customers waiting outside. That ended that idea and put us back to square one. Now where are we going to eat?

Noodles & Company was near by and was another place we had never tried. It's been here for a couple years now. There was just something about the thought of a bowl of romaine noodles that was not appetizing and sounded full of calories. If we wanted that, we could just get a ten cent pack of oodles and noodles and stay home. 

Well, it was getting late and we like to eat before 7 pm,  so we figured we would just go ahead and shoot over to the Noodles & Company and give it a try. My cousin was just telling us how good it really was earlier that day. So we go in for a bowl of noodles

. 

I was actually surprised at the selection of noodle bowls they had. There were healthy options such as zucchini noodles added to the menu along with salads and soups. They even had low calorie options. The bowls come in small or large and you can add a meat to any bowl that does not already come with it. 

I picked the Thai Green Curry With Shrimp and a bowl of curry chicken soup. It was had the perfect spiciness that was not too hot for my taste. Nick ordered the zucchini noodles which is called “Zoodles”. We tried each others dish and was not disappointed. This place was really good. We were impressed and it was nothing like what we thought.  There was even out door seating which we love. 

I’m glad we tried it out. We plan to go back again soon. 

Family Dollar Fashion

When I think of Family Dollar, I think of it as a place to buy household cleaners, bubble gum and batteries. I had no idea they had cute fun clothes. I have never had any intentions of buying clothes from a dollar store.

Well. Listen to this....

I had seen a dress on line that I liked and showed it to my daughter. She was surprised because It was a coincident that she had planned to give me a dress that was similar to the one I showed her. Her room mate works for Family Dollar and gave her a dress from their clothing line. It didn't fit her well so she asked if I wanted it. “Sure” I said. 

This shift dress has double ruffled sleeves that drop perfect off my shoulders giving it this fun cold shoulder style. The jersey material makes it light and cool for the warm weather we have been having. The material stretches with every move so you don’t have to worry about it riding up and showing your bloomers when you bend down or if the wind blows in your direction. 

I paired it with my favorite nude heels for a dressy look. This dress is sexy enough for date night, yet modest enough for church. I actually wore it to church Sunday and got a lot of compliments from all ages.

Another way I wore this dress was by blousing it over a fitted belt.

This style made the dress shorter and gave it a more fun look that can be worn with flats or sandles. This style makes it a fun dress for the beach, shopping or a trip to the park. 

Who said clothes always have to be designer or from a fancy boutique. Just go to the nearest Family Dollar and check out more of their clothing options with prices and styles for anyone. 

Model Dress on the left  - Wild Meadow found on Amazon. 

Dress on right- Just Be found at Family Dollar. 

Nude Heels- Charlotte Russe 

I was not asked or compensated by Family Dollar or any other brand or store for this blog post. 

This review is all my own with my honest opinion.

Sushi Balls

In the past few years I have learned to like Sushi. However, I will not eat the raw fish, octopus or eel kind of sushi. I will only eat the sushi that consist of veggies, crab meat or shrimp. Tempura means fried, so anything that says tempura is really good. No raw stuff! Smoked is still raw to me so none of that either. You just have to acquire a taste for it.

I do not have a way to make sushi rolls. It takes some special skills and utensils to get it right. But you can have sushi other ways. I have had a sushi bowl before where all the items are layered in a bowl. Taste the same as the roll. 

The other night I was in the mood for sushi, so I came up with my own little experiment and made Sushi Balls. 

-First I cooked some sticky rice using an individual size microwavable rice pack. 

-I turned over the rice into a glass bowl and mixed in a teaspoon of rice vinegar. 

This is important to get that flavor going. 

-Then I cut up some cucumbers and imitation crab meat into small pieces and mixed it into the rice. 

The rice is very sticky and hard to handle. It will stick to your hands like super glue and can get frustrating. 

-I took some small snack sized seaweed and dipped it into some water to make it soft and flexible.

-With a spoon, I scooped some rice mixture on each piece of seaweed wrap and formed it into balls. 

-I topped each sushi ball with a dollop of cream cheese and spicy mayo. (Hot sauce and mayo). 

These little fishy bites are delicious and taste just like the fancy sushi rolls you can get at the Japanese restaurant. 

If you have never had sushi before, head up to your local Chinese or Japanese Sushi bar and give it a try. It’s ok to ask questions and find out how it’s made and what's in it. They will let you watch them make your sushi roll. After several attempts to eat sushi, I just couldn’t do it until I came across a very nice waitress that explained it all to me. Once I knew what I was actually putting in my mouth, I was ok with it and have learned to like it.

UPDATE:  A friend just told me that you can dip your fingers or utensils in the rice vinegar and it will not stick! Thanks GF!

Favorite Face Products

People will ask me how I stay looking so young. I'm not sure if they say this to pay me a complement or just to make me feel good. I will giggle inside and blush a little because I know what I see when I look in the mirror.

Behind the make up and camera filters I see years of sun damage, sagging skin and crows feet around my eyes. I'll be 50 before long so I accept it. I am trying really hard to take care of myself as I grow older. I want to stay looking as young as I feel.

So for those who wonder,
First, I keep it pretty simple. I do not use any special cleansers on my face. I normally just use this Micellar Cleansing Water from Garnier. You can get it at just about any store like Target, Walmart, or Walgreen.

This stuff is awesome. It gently cleanses my face and removes any makeup. It's also safe to use on my eyes. There are no harsh chemicals or perfumes. After my shower, I will apply this cleaner using a cotton round and there is no need to rinse. Just wipe and go.

Second, I do not use any wrinkle creams. Believe me, I've tried several kinds and none of them work. What I use instead is this Baby Oil Cream. Yes that's it. Aloe Vera & Vitamin E.

.

It works better than any other moisturizer or wrinkle cream I have ever tried. I use the store brand from Walmart and it works just as good as the Johnson's brand. Don't let the "oil" part scare ya. It will leave your face soft without feeling oily at all. I love it. I have even applied it to my neck and shoulders. I notice in the mornings that some of my wrinkles and crinkles are plumped out and I look refreshed and less fatigued. Men, you can use it too.

Lastly, I do not like wearing a gooey base makeup during the summer. I like my face to feel light and fresh in the heat. What I use is this BB cream from L'Oreal. It is basically a light lotion with antioxidants and vitamin C&E. I use this as my foundation.

BB cream really is like a little magic skin beautifier. It comes in fair, light, medium or deep. This cream comes out of the bottle white colored but once it is applied to my face, it blends with my skin tone and evens everything out. I like the natural bare face finish. I also think it gives my skin a shimmery glow.

What are some of your favorite face products?

I was not asked, paid or given any of these products for my review. They are all purchased myself. These are my personal everyday choices and honest opinions..

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Loreal BB Cream (Beauty Balm)

Equate Baby Oil Cream 

Picture Post- Beach

I am home from vacation. We had a great time. I dread going back to work. I will have a load of work to make up from being gone all week. I have unpacked and all of the laundry is done. I am exhausted, so this is going to be what I call a "picture post" of some photos I took this past week because I simply do not have a train of thought right now.

Enjoy while I pout. 

The beach was very crowded. We were out at 8 am each morning to get a spot. People would still come on and sit up right against us crowding our space. This would annoy me. Especially if they were smokers or had filthy language.

Here is nice shot of our camper. No one ever occupied the camp spot in front of us all week. That was pretty nice.

My late father in law made us this sign years ago when we first started camping. The Ice cream represents the ice cream company that my husbands grandfather owned in town.(before my time). 
It has our city and state painted on it as a conversation starter. (Edited for privacy).

The ocean ate my sunglasses. So before we left, I ran into the store for this new pair.

I was brave this past week and sported my bikinis. 

Sunday morning, I could see the sun breaking through the clouds and could not resist the chance for a good photo. You can see the rain bans moving in. However, we never saw rain all week.

More sun beams over the dunes.

Remember in a previous post where I mentioned we were not taking the daughter? Well, she ended up getting her boyfriend to bring her down on the last day. After they played around a while, We enjoyed a nice dinner and gave him a tour of the campground while we all had an ice cream cone.

Here they are being silly on the barrel train that runs around the campground all day. 

I’ll end here with a little Scripture I found to add to one of my photos. I thought it fit perfect with the scenery. 

Vacation Week

Nick and I have been at the beach all week. I have been wanting to do some blogging and I’ve tried my best to keep up with everyones new post. The internet is terrible here and as soon as I try to sit down with my iPad, it goes out. I have data but I limit the use.

We have started each day with a cup of coffee and breakfast. At 8am we head down to the sand and set out our umbrellas and chairs as the beach fills up fast with the crowd.

Despite the weather saying rain all week, we have not seen any rain. It’s been up to 100 degrees and the sun is hot. Once our chairs are set up, we head back to the camper to put on our tennis shoes and go for a three or four mile walk around the camp ground.

We have met some really nice people this week on the beach. It seems just about everyone is from around the same area as we are. We have met 3 preachers, and 4 school teachers. We even talked to some Canadians and spent 15 minutes explaining to them what “Grits” were. They have never even heard of grits. We advised them to go to the breakfast place in the campground and order a bowl. 

One afternoon we met up with my brother in law for his birthday dinner at a Japanese restaurant. We enjoyed watching the chef prepare our food. I had shrimp and chicken and Nick had the shrimp and steak. 

We had enough food left over that we heated it up on the grill the next night for dinner on the picnic table.

After we ate we walked off our dinner at the outlet mall nearby. In one of the court yards they had a seating area with these fun egg shaped chairs. I think they are actually called “plop chairs”. I do not know why, but I loved these chairs that were also light weight and moveable. I would love to have a set of these in my yard.  

Nick took a photo of me sitting in one. You can see his shadow. Ha.

If anyone can find these chairs on the internet anywhere, let me know. 

Now we are headed back out to the sand to soak up some more sun, make more friends and people watch.

Oh and one more thing. I saw a Guinea pig on a boogie board yesterday, I kid you not. I did not have my camera with me at the time but I hope to see it again today and will be sure to get a photo so people will believe me.

Hang ten

Indian Dolls- Memories

I remember when I was young, one of the places our family would visit was Cherokee, NC. On the way, we would often pull over for a roadside picnic. Those were the good ole Days.

I loved to visit Cherokee because I loved to see the Indians. You could see some in full suit and head dress walking around. I even had a little Indian dress myself and a pair of moccasins. I think there was dancing chickens and a piano playing chicken but I could have been dreaming.

While we were there, we would always go into the shops. Mom and dad would give us each a couple dollars to buy a souvenir. My big brother would often get at tomahawk or hat. My little Sister liked to pick up a pet rock and I went straight to the Indian dolls and beaded jewelry. I would walk away with one of the other.

I loved the little Indean dolls the best. There was just something about the smell of the leather outfit, tiny shoes, and cotton hair. I have no idea where those dolls are today but I wish I still had one.

My sister drove up to Cherokee a couple weekends ago on a job assignment and revisited a few of the stores.

She was sweet enough to bring me back a souvenir of a tiny beaded Indian doll necklace just like we wore when we were little.

They are still made the same as they were over 40 years ago. Look close, you can even see tiny little feet under her dress.

Not only did my sister bring me back this sweet gift but she also brought back some memories. Now I am trying to get my husband take me back to the Indian town and visit the casinos. I have never been to a casino, and of course touch an Indian. [Grin].

Peanuts On The Beach

Our trip to the beach started out slow but we eventually got going. We headed out early after breakfast and coffee Saturday morning only to find one of my tires was flat. Nick could not find a hole or a leak but it was all the way flat with no warning from the day before. We had just gotten them rotated last week along with an oil change. We like to make sure everything is right before we hit the road. Nick used our little portable tire pumper upper and got it back to pressure. After convincing him it was not the end of the world, we took our chances and headed on to the coast. He checked the pressure upon arrival and they were perfect. Not sure what had happened. 

We woke up Sunday morning and the sun was blazing hot. It felt like satan’s sauna. After a nice three mile walk we.........No wait, It was not a “nice” walk. It was miserably hot. I love the hot weather but not today. Anywhow, after our walk, we visited the general store here on the campground. I could hear some young girls giggling and grossing out over the boiled peanuts in some cooker pots over beside the hotdogs. They obviously have never had any.  

However, I could not resist. I love boiled peanuts and I didn’t care how hot it was outside, I wanted a bowl. Yes, I turned down ice cream for a bowl of hot cajun seasoned peanuts. 

They made the perfect mid morning snack while we were settled under the umbrella on the beach. Nick helped me eat them. There are also a few hungary Seagulls standing around waiting on any nuts that may fall. I’m not sure why everyone is watching us eat peanuts. Maybe they have never seen someone eat boiled peanuts before or they might be thinking of getting a bowl for themselves. Maybe it’s the wasp thats flying around me causing me to junp up and run every few minutes. 

Do you like boiled peanuts? The first time I ever had any was only a few years ago while visiting the NC mountains. They were selling them on the roadside. 

Thrifty Fashion- Camouflaged Deal

I am a broke girl and not ashamed to admit that I will be the first to make a bee line to the back of a store and hit the clearance racks. I will also be the first to admit that I will shop for clothes at a 2nd hand store in a heart beat. I look for new or almost new items that can be easily washed and dried. For the record, I will NOT buy shoes or undies at a 2nd hand store. 

(I may have told this story before) 

A few months back, Nick and I decided to go look around our local Goodwill thrift store. I was ready to leave when I looked across the store and saw him holding up a pair of camo pants. I laughed and shook my head "no". I am not much of a camo wearing girl. He motioned for me to come closer. 

The pants had never been worn and still had the price tag on them! I had to take a 2nd look at that price tag.

That's when I decided, "ok, I can be a girl that rocks the camouflage". 

These pants were two sizes too big but I could not turn down a deal like this. I purchased them for only $3.99! After I washed them in warm water to makes sure of any shrinkage, I took them to my mom and she altered them to fit me. 

These pants are cropped with zippers on the ankles to give them a style that can be worn different ways. The material is thick, yet cool so they can be worn in any season with at tank top or sweater. 

They are sold with the distressed look and the more they are washed the better. I also love the cargo pockets so when I have to make a quick trip to the store or salon, I can just toss my phone and some change in my pockets and go.

Now I'm thinking every girl should own at least one pair of camouflage pants. What do you think? 

Style brands:

Cargo Camouflage Pants: Current/Elliott

1/4 Sleeve Onesie: Gap

Tan Wedges:  New York & Co.

Crochet Earrings: LiLiDi on Etsy

Hat: GPD