Ba-Bee Shower Crochet Set

A couple weeks ago, my daughter asked if I could whip up a little something for one of her work mates that was having a baby shower. She mention that the mom-to-be was using a bumble bee theme for her nursery and baby shower.

The shower was for a baby boy. I have not created a lot of crocheting for baby boys. There are just more options when making the frilly things for girls. I put on my thinking cap and came up with this hat and booties set.

I tried to create the booties without making them look prissy by adding a pom pom instead of a bow and skipped the ruffles. I tried my best to make the pom poms look like little bumble bees but they didn't turn out that way.

I added a tiny bumble bee top knot beanie to complete this adorable little set. She added a few other things to the gift and headed to the baby shower where her gift was adored by the mom to be.
This little crochet set was a win.

Figs

I have not had any fresh figs in a long time. In fact, It’s been over 15 years ago. That’s when we moved. Before we married, My husband bought his Grandparents old house. This is where we lived for 10 years after we said “I do”. His grandparents came over from Italy and planted several fig trees in that back yard. They were huge and plentiful. I rarely got any figs off them because most were too tall to reach and the birds beat me to them. When we were able to snatch a few, they were large, plump and sweet. I’m sure his Grandmother used them in several dishes back in the day.

I went on Face book and asked if anyone knew where I could get some fresh figs. It did not take long for someone to mention a name of one of our church members. I tagged him in the facebook post so he could see the request. 

When I walked into church Sunday morning, this dear sweet man was waiting for me with a large bag full of sweet ripe figs. After sharing a few to some other curious church members, I still made it home with plenty.

I put a few figs into the freezer and some in the fridge but not before we enjoyed some for dinner. I experimented by making a glaze that consist of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.

I dipped the figs into the mixture then placed them in a pocket of tin foil. While Nick was grilling up supper, I place the figs on the grill next to the tuna steaks and baked potato. They turned out great and went well with our meal. 

Here are some of the grilled figs drizzled with honey and topped with a tad of plain yogurt. 

I have decided that I just like them best raw right off the vine. 

Do you like figs? What is your favorite way to eat them? Have you ever tried them cooked or grilled?

Friday Bowl- Desert Vibes

I said "Desert" not "Dessert" but its hard to tell the difference with this delicious breakfast bowl. Just look how cute the little desert inspired cactus are.

As I stumbled into the kitchen for a nice warm cup of "decaf" coffee (yes I just made the switch), I was feeling a little sluggish and knew I wanted more than yogurt this morning, so I opt for this oatmeal bowl that filled my tummy and gave me the energy I needed to get through the morning.

Desert Vibe -Oatmeal Bowl

1/2 Cup -Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal 

1/4 Kiwi

1- Medium Strawberry
1 Teaspoon- Honey

1 Tablespoon- Mixed Seeds and Nuts

186 Calories- 6 g Protein

🍓🍌🍉🍊🍒🍏🍅🍈

I have decided to reserve each Friday to share some of my creative food bowls. I have been eating these at least 4 times a week and I feel great. They are easy, healthy and fun. This is part of my new "Clean Eating" Plan. Wish me Luck.

Paid For

My walk is a little lighter today. After five years and fifty thousand miles, I just made my last car payment. Woohoo. I am now the owner of a 2014 Ford Escape.

I remember as a teenager, my daddy would help me find a car I wanted. I really didn't care what kind of car it was as long as the radio worked.  He would buy it and I would make monthly payments to him until it was paid for. I can't remember ever paying one off. He would find me one for around 3000 dollars or less and I would pay a little each month... FOR EVER!.

My first car was a 1976 Honda Civic. It was about the size of a roller skate and hard as steel. I ended up to totaling it before I could pay for it. Among several other cars, I had a 1977 MG-B. That was my favorite car but gave me the worst trouble. I finally got tired of putting more into it than I was giving daddy to get it paid off. I traded it for a new Pontiac Fiero. Daddy knew it was more than I could handle but he trusted me anyway and co-signed on a deal. Payments were over my head and he finally took it away from me when I ran off and got married without his approval. Yea I was a little stinker.

A few years later I matured and married the right man who help me pay off all my debts and taught me to never buy things unless I could afford them. Since then, I have paid off four new cars. I will be ready to trade the one I have now in a couple years before the value wears off. I like to keep a new car for the warranty. Mine still has an extended warranty that is still good for a while.

People ask me how I do it? How can how we can pay 1200 a month for health insurance, pay bills and make a car payment on a tiny paycheck? I say "we do without a lot of things". We pinch our pennies. We also make sure we each pay our tithes.

We do not have fancy things or go many places, but we are happy just being around each. I get ten days vacation a year so we head to the beach were we stay in our camper for half the price of a hotel and eat a lot of sandwiches. It's not enough vacation time but it will have to do and we make the best of it. Though we do not have a lot of things we want, we have all the things we need.

We do not have credit card debt. We have our own checking accounts and we do not buy anything we can not pay for unless it's something big like a car or home, then payments are made and credit is built. For now, what I used to pay for a car payment, I will put into my savings to add to the next car I choose in a couple years.

Life is great when life is simple.

Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl

I have been on the Nutrisystem diet now for over 4 years. I have successfully lost 50 lbs in the first seven months. I have maintained my weight loss ever since. I still eat Nutrisystem as I like the food and its convenience but I eat a lot more meals of my own.

Today I would like to share with you this delicious Smoothie bowl I made using the Nutrisystem Fresh Start probiotic shake mix. I am not a fan of drinking my meals. I have had a canister of this shake mix in the pantry for a while, but when I learned you can make a smoothie a little thicker and add them to a bowl, I was in. 

Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl

288 calories- 19 grams of protein.

2 scoops of Nutrisystem Shake mix (or any other protein shake mix).

1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter.

1/2 frozen Banana.

1/2 Cup crushed Ice.

1/2 Cup water (or almond milk).

Add to Mixer and blend till smooth.

Top with your favorite toppings. 

I used 1 Tablespoon of grated chocolate and 1 tablespoon of mixed seeds and nuts. 

For the past few weeks, I have been experimenting with new tastes by putting away the muffins and waffles and making more yogurt and smoothie bowls. I am learning to like plain yogurt and adding in more fruits and veggies to my diet. In fact, I plan to start doing a short blog post every Friday to share my bowl creations and other healthy food choices. I’m hoping this will help me stick with clean eating and also help others that are thinking about eating better. I have some really good ones to show you, so stay tuned. 

You can get 50% off any Nutrisystem plan right now by visiting Nutrisystem.com/lisa50.

Coconut bowl set by Cocoboo.

🥥🍓🍋🍌🥝

Home Made Sherbet

It has been hot here in the Carolina's. This mean lots of cold treats. Like sherbet for example.
I admit I'm more of an Ice Cream eater over sherbet. My husband on the other hand, prefers sherbet.

My favorite sherbet flavor is Orange. I remember many years ago back in elementary school, they had an ice cream cart visit each room once a week. The kids would line up to purchase their favorite ice cream. I loved the Orange Push ups. I also like the Nutty Buddies, but there was just something refreshing about the sweet orange creamy sherbet.

Yesterday I thought I was going to have to have a tooth extraction and would want something cold to eat so I pulled out a bag of mixed berries and made my own sherbet to enjoy for my late night snack.
I ended up not needing an extraction but I still have a delicious snack.

It was so easy to make....

Just kidding, I had a mess with no end as I had berries everywhere. My blender was not strong enough to mix the frozen berries so I moved them to the food processor and that didn't work either. I then found a more powerful blender that I had stored away and it worked. Wheeew. I had a mess and three appliances to clean up.

So, if you have a powerful blender, this sherbet is easy to make.

Home Made Berry Sherbet

1 bag frozen of mixed berries (approx 2 1/2 cups).

2 tsp fresh lemon juice.

2 Tbs honey

3 Tbs warm water as needed to mix. 

Place all ingredients in high speed mixer.

Pulse until smooth and creamy.

ENJOY.

I enjoyed my sherbet in a waffle bowl. As it melted, it coated the bowl with sweetness. 

One Week Caffeine Free

Hello, My name is Lisa and I’m a coffeeholic.

That's right, I love coffee and drink it every day.  As my daddy would say “I like my coffee leaded, not unleaded”.

Every morning I jump out of bed and head to the kitchen for a rich cup of Joe. It’s like a hug in a cup. After breakfast, my husband fills up my 20oz Yeti cup with coffee and cream and I head off to work. I will sip on this coffee til noon. I think I could have, might of been addicted. The doctors have told me for years to stop the caffeine.

Well due to some other health concerns, Me and Nick have decided to stop the caffeine cold turkey. We headed out to the grocery store and purchased a small canister of decaffeinated coffee to give it a try. Folgers black silk is our coffee of choice and were happy to have found it in decaf. 

The first day, I dreaded getting up for a cup of coffee knowing my get up and go was not going to be there. It was a lot of mind over matter on how I felt. I thought about it all day and waited on a head ache. It never came. All I could think about was how I was going to feel later. 

The third day is when it hit me. Half way through the day, I felt tired, was grumpy and had a faint headache. I think this was the hump in the road.

The next days forward, I have felt fine and adjusting well.

It’s been a week now and I feel good. My energy level might be a little lower but only in the mornings. By the afternoons, I’m normal. If there is such thing as normal. Haha. 

Here are a few things I’ve noticed after going caffeine free.

-I seem to be in a better mood and not as uptight.

-I think even my skin is detoxing from caffeine as I’m noticing some acne on my shoulders.

-I feel fresher.

-I’m sleeping better. I look forward to going to sleep now. However, I am having lots of weird dreams. Not sure if its related. 

-My Meneire’s ear seems to be a little better. The doctor said that caffeine and salt are two major triggers so I hope this works. Time will tell. 

I read that when going caffeine free, just take a B12 Vitamin for the same energy.

I have always taken a B12 in the mornings. Maybe this has helped me survive this week.  

Will I stay caffeine free? Probably not, but I will definitely be drinking mostly caffeine free at home. I will not turn down a cup of loaded coffee from Starbuck when I cross one and then there’s chocolate. A girl has gotta have her chocolate.  

Breakfast and a SeeSaw

Saturday we spent the morning visiting my daughter in the queen city. She wanted to take us out to breakfast and a little walk around the area.

Her boyfriend came along too. He is a joy to be around. We parked at her uptown apartment and walked 2 miles to a little place called Roots Cafe. 

Me and Nick just wanted something lite so we ordered a side of avocado toast. 

They messed up and gave us the whole meal plate which included 2 eggs on the side. I was ok with that as I love eggs and ended up cleaning my plate. 

We also shared a Latke with Poblano Cream Crema & green onions. It was a type of potato cake and was delicious. 

Afterward we walked down to a new doughnut shop tucked away in the back of a building called PepperBox Doughnuts. They offer different varieties of doughnuts each week. I chose the “Elvis”.

It was topped with a banana cream with a drizzle of peanut butter and topped with bacon. I only took two bites and I was finished. I’m trying to keep away from the sweets. But I just couldn't resist. 

My daughter ordered the Hibiscus Jelly filled. Hers was much better than mine. It tasted like real fruit and topped with sugar crystals.

While we were headed back, we came across a see-saw next to the lightrail and I had to jump on. 

We laughed and giggled like two little kids on a playground. I didn’t care who was watching. 

You can see her boyfriend sitting there probably thinking his girlfriend has a crazy mom. Haha.

It’s always fun to visit my daughter. Later we headed to my mom and dads to celebrate my oldest brothers 55th birthday. We had some good food, cake and laughs to finish off the night. 

Bracelet Stand Updo

I'm a little behind on my blog post lately. I try to keep them flowing but sometimes I fall behind. When this happens, It's usually because of an unexpected happening or simply writers bloggers block. I know there are not rules but I still like to stay active for your reading pleasure. ha ha.

If you follow me, you know I am also a brand rep for PuraVida bracelets. With that comes a lot bracelets that are gifted for promotions or purchased myself. I needed a place to put them all. I was keeping them in a small drawer but they were not fun to get too. I was also finding them scattered throughout the house where I would take them off and lay them down.

I told my husband to be on the lookout for a bracelet stand. I have other bracelets too and it would be nice to have a place to keep them organized. We searched a few stores around here and the only one I could find was at a TJmaxx store and it was over priced and looked no more than a covered toilet paper roll on a stick.

Last week he found a bracelet stand at a local thrift store and picked it up for only five dollars. It was not the prettiest thing as it had a cardboard base with a missing drawer. He also grabbed a small cutting block for a dollar.

He replaced the base using the small cutting block and it looks much better to me. I was going to change the crystal knobs with more of a rustic look to match the base but I think I will just leave it as it is for now.

A few screws and six dollars later, I now can display my bracelets and easily choose what to wear with my outfit for the day.

Shop: Puravidabracelets.com
Use code: LISADIMEO20 to get 20% off.

Cactus Pineapple Smoothie

I really want to start eating healthier by adding more natural plant based foods to my diet. It's really hard, but I have been adding more healthy options to my grocery list. I'm not Vegan or even Vegetarian but I believe they both are healthy habits. I just don't want to commit to any strict diets, but instead, just make some better choices in what I put in and on my body. 

Eating healthy has also led me to try new foods otherwise I would turn my nose up too. One of the newest foods I tried lately is (Nopal) Cactus. I read that there are a lot of health benefits hidden inside this prickly vegetable. I am excited to share with you this "Licuado de Nopal" aka Cactus Pineapple Smoothie. It tasted like nothing else I've ever had. Cactus itself taste like a cross between celery and asparagus, if you can imagine. Mixed in a smoothie it's not so bad after all.

Before handling any cactus, make sure to wear gloves. I learned this the hard way while picking through them at the grocery store. I was picking fine thorns from my hands all the way home while my husband thought it was funny. He suggested I use tongs that were available next time. 

Before eating, cut around the outside to remove the edges then take a knife or cactus scraper and scrape off  all the thorns, then wash thoroughly. I took my gloves off at this point and sacrificed my hands to make sure there were not more prickly things on the paddles. Luckily there were none and it was ready to cut into cubes.   

Cactus Pineapple Smoothie

1 cup- cleaned and cubed Cactus

1 cup- cubed Pineapple (I used frozen)

1 cup- of Orange Juice or Water

1 teaspoon- of Turmeric. (tasteless but optional)

add all to a blender and blend until smooth

Enjoy.

Cactus water (or smoothie) is known to help with weight loss, regulate blood sugar levels and improve digestion. It is also an anti-inflammatory. 

Other health benefits of cactus include:

• Great for joint inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Natural detox. Good for the gut. 
• Great for skin.
• Strengthens immune system.
• Lowers cholesterol.
• Help prevent against cancer.
• Helps control type II diabetes.
• Relieves menstrual cramps in women.
• It can also help with inflammation of the urethra and bladder to control bladder infections. 
• And if you get drunk....It's known to help hangovers.

I found most of this info here. (Source). 

The original recipe and more interesting facts can be found here (Source).

How did I like it?

It was pretty good. It was not like drinking a sweet berry smoothie topped with granola and chocolate, but it was good. It had a sweet tart bite too it but yet still refreshing. 

What I think about it?

We ended up making another trip to the Mexican grocery store for more. I have felt good after drinking one of these smoothies and actually had a good night sleep. I think this drink is a good thing and plan to drink one a couple times a week. I hope it helps with the inflammation in my ears associated with my symptoms of Meniere's.  

I have never been afraid to try new things. If it's edible, I’ll eat it. It’s good to experiment with different foods. There is a lot of good foods out there yet to be discovered. You’ll never know unless you try it. 

Old Glory

Happy Independence day! Hope everyone has a safe and fun day. I actually get to have this day off and I am so grateful.

As I look out over the neighborhood, I see neighbors showing patriotism by hanging flags on their porches and red white and blue decorations adorn their yards. Except for the Colombian family across the street.

I have also been wanting a bracket put on my house to hang my American Flag. My dear sweet husband promised to have me one hung before the 4th of July, so last week we made a trip to Lowes and grabbed the last flag bracket on the shelf then headed home to hang it. First he was skeptical about hanging it on the brick and wanted to hang it from the wood siding on the front porch instead. The problem was that this caused the flag to be set back too far and could not be viewed from the road. So he went with plan B and drilled into the brick beside the carport. It was the perfect spot to hang "Old Glory".

As we were finishing up the Colombian family across street shouted to get our attention and gave us a thumbs up. Today they have tiny American flags lined down their walkway. This made me smile. I’m glad they joined in on the celebration. 

I am not sure what we will be doing to celebrate today. It is just me and my husband. Our daughter and her boyfriend flew to Washington DC to celebrate the 4th there. I hope they have a good time and maybe even get to see the President. Our town is having an all day street party going on with vendors and food trucks. Later in the afternoon, they will do a spectacular firework show. I am not sure we will attend either event as we are not big fans of large crowds. We may just stay home and cookout while enjoying some of the fireworks from around the neighborhood.

FUN FACT: "Old Glory is a nickname for the flag of the United States. The original "Old Glory" was a flag owned by the 19th-century American sea captain William Driver, who flew the flag during his career at sea and later brought it to Nashville, Tennessee, where he settled". Wikipedia

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Scrunchies

I was a teenager in the 80's and one of the big fashion statements of the time was hair scrunchies. I mean, the bigger the better. So was the hair but I'm not going back there.

I had all sizes and colors. They finally went out of style and you could not find them in the stores anymore. Now they have made a come back. [eye roll]. Does this mean the big hair and jelly shoes will come back too? Oh wait, It could get worst. They could bring back the banana clips.

I have been there and done that so I'm still not sure about the scrunchies.....Ok, yes, I admit I'm actually wearing one in my hair today. I sorta like it [again]. I refused to go out and buy a scrunchy when I knew I could make one myself. It was quiet simple. Just kidding.

I picked up some cute fabric at Walmart for .50 cent.
Then went by the DIY video HERE.

After almost tossing the machine out the window and saying a few cuss words, 4 scrunchies were born.

My sister wanted one and I took one. Then I gave the other two to my daughter. I might make more, but I might want to find me a new sewing machine first. I just want a small simple machine for crafts. Mom gave me her old one and it is really nice but I get in a fight with it every time I use it. I mean really, and I can't see myself making any clothes in the future anyway. 

It seems like this time around, with the scrunchies fad, I see more girls wearing them on their wrist as a fashion statement for an emergency hair tie. I guess it does look more cute than the rubber hair bands around their wrist. 

These little hair accessories are actually great for your hair and help prevent against breakage.

Can you think of other fashion that's making a come back?