Summer is just around the corner and I’ve started my springtime makeover this past week.  I got my hair highlighted and cut, I got a pedicure, and I got my nails done, but the best thing I got for my spring makeover were sandals from the Spring/Summer 2012 Earth® Collection, The Camellia‘s.  You may be familiar with the original “negative” heel technology now living strong under it’s original name, Kalsø Earth® Shoes, but newly revamped line now offers styles with “positive heel” heights at an everyday value.

The Camellia

Simple sophistication abounds in the resplendent Camellia! This wedge’s alluring, wrap-around, birdcage design is complemented by a sensible, leather-wrapped heel strap with stretch material to ensure a snug and secure fit. Multi-density cushioning, reinforced arch support and a padded heel not only hint at all-day comfort, but ensure that wellness will bloom.

What I loved about the Camellia is that they are so versatile.  I was able to fit them perfectly with my favorite jeans, capris, shorts, and skirts. I could dress them up and make them as casual as I needed for my spring wardrobe.  My favorite look was the ripped jeans and “earthy” looking shirt.  The shoes were extremely comfortable and the leather-wrapped heel strap really made me feel secure in the 2.68″ heel.  Did I mention I loved the height of this shoe?  It is just perfect for my 5’2″ body.

The new Earth® features a cushioned footbed for all day comfort, with:

• A padded heel area to displace shock
• A reinforced arch support to stabilize foot
• A multi-density latex cushioning layer for extra support
• See illustration here:  http://www.earthfootwear.com/t-stepintowellness.aspx

I was able to do 3 hours of hardcore wardrobe shopping at the mall with these babies on with no problem.  The amazing part is that I have plantar fasciitis and arthritis in my left ankle and these sandals were not only contemporary in style, but comfort as well.  I didn’t have to pay $150 to find that perfect shoe for my spring/summer wardrobe either because the Spring/Summer 2012 Earth® Collection is all under $100!  Prices range from $79-$99 – and is made of real leather.

Contemporary designs. Contemporary comfort. Everyday value.

It’s Earth^®. A modern collection of dress casual footwear, grounded in the ideals of promoting a healthy lifestyle. From dress styles and wedges, to casual styles, to everything inbetween, new Earth^® styles deliver remarkably against their value with
a comfort footbed that delivers wellness into every step.

Earth®.  Step Into Wellness!

Check out Earth® on Facebook

Do you like the shoes?  If so, check this out because you could WIN a trip to a Special Place on Earth, Free Shoes and $$ by clicking this link and entering today:  http://www.earthfootwear.com/t-innercircle.aspx

Disclosure: I was compensated by Global Influence  as part of a Bookieboo LLC campaign w/ Earth Footwear.

 Giveaway

Share your tea time must haves for a chance to win a year’s supply of Lipton Tea, a tea kettle, a tea box, a mug/saucer set, a travel tumbler and a $50 gift card to Amazon.com! In addition three random comments will be chosen from my post to win their own box of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit.

For Valentine’s Day I thought I would share one of my new finds, the new Lipton Green Tea Superfruit! This isn’t your normal Green Tea by any means, the Lipton Green Tea Superfruit is not at all bitter.  The natural sweeteners of the Superfruits like White Mangosteen and Peach, Purple Acai and Blueberry, and Red Goji and Raspberry take out the bitterness normally found in a lot of Green Tea.

My favorite of the teas served hot was the Purple Acai and Blueberry paired with an Oreo Truffle. The perfect iced tea blend for me was the White Mangosteen and Peach (directions for both Hot and Cold tea are on the box).  

Oreo Truffles Recipe

• 1 lb Oreo cookies (3 sleeves)
• 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
• ½ t vanilla extract 
• 1 lb milk chocolate (we use bark)
• ½ lb white chocolate (we use bark)

1. Grind cookies into a fine powder using a food processor. Blend the cookie powder, cream cheese and vanilla extract with mixer until thoroughly mixed making sure no cream cheese is visible.
2. Form mixture into small balls by rolling and place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
3. Line two additional cookie sheets with wax paper. Melt milk chocolate in a double-boiler. Once chocolate is melted dip cooled balls into mixture coating well. With a slotted spoon lift coated balls out of chocolate and let excess chocolate drip off. Place on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet.
4. Melt white chocolate in a separate double boiler. Using a fork or small spoon, drizzle white chocolate over coated balls. 
5. Refrigerate until cooled and store in airtight container, in refrigerator.

Now that I have shared what I would pair with these refreshing Lipton Green Tea Superfruits, I want to know, how do you enjoy your tea?

Share your tea time must haves for a chance to win a year’s supply of Lipton Tea, a tea kettle, a tea box, a mug/saucer set, a travel tumbler and a $50 gift card to Amazon.com! In addition three random comments will be chosen from my post to win their own box of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Confession

Week 2 flew by with a weight loss of 6 lbs, but this week has been more challenging for me.  The tools I have at my disposal are incredible, but when my life gets busy and hectic I tend to fall off the wagon.  My mom is coming in town for a visit for the first time in 5 years and I have been busy unpacking (we moved her in August) and cleaning the house in preparation.  I’ve been so focused on all the things I wanted to get done this week that I haven’t been to the grocery store to buy the stuff needed to eat healthy.  I’m confessing that I need to get refocused.

Since I have nothing good to report as far as my behavior now is a great time to share with you what came in my Carb Reducer Plan kit I’m using from Amway’s Nutrilite line of products.

Carb Reducer Plan

• A Carb Reducer journal and meal plan with day-by-day encouragement, tips, and tracking to help you win each day.
• NUTRILITE SLIMMETRY® Dietary Supplement to target fat loss, NUTRILITE INVISIFIBER® Supplement to up fiber intake and keep you feeling full, and Carb Blocker 2 Dietary Supplement to block calories from high-carb meals.
• NUTRILITE Meal Bars, 100-calorie Snack Bars, and  Protein Bars.

The Meal Bars, Snack Bars, and Protein Bars have been a huge hit for my family.  I actually am going to have to order more because my husband has been sneaking them and so has my son.  My favorite ones so far have been the Cherry Almond Meal Bar and the Chocolate Caramel Snack Bar.  My son loves the Blueberry Crunch Meal Bar.  I have also have been using the Fruits & Vegetables 2 Go to ensure I am getting the right amount of fruits & veggies (not included in the kit).

Exercise

This week I am going to introduce exercise into my plan.  Up until now I have been under some restrictions due to my surgery, but I got a full release last week from my doctor and it’s time to bust a move.  I’m going to try the 4-3-2-1 Body Training DVD.  The DVD features six 10-minute workouts which seems perfect for me.  Anyone can work out for 10 minutes, right? (insert prayer here)

Goals

This week my goal is to workout 3 times, which should be somewhat challenging with my mom here.  I am also going to the grocery store to purchase the necessary things for my meal plan.  I’m also going to work hard on remembering to take my supplements.  Feel free to tweet to me (@lisasamples) and remind me of my goals using the hashtag #AmwayNutrilite.

Disclosure:  I have been provided Nutrilite products as part of this series.  My results and opinions are my own.

Is saving money important to you when it comes to purchasing groceries?  With most people it is, that’s why companies like Community Foods is so important.  The company will be all around Metro Atlanta each month featuring deals on various foods, fresh from farmers.  Each month they post a delivery schedule on their site featuring the special, right now you can order 40 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.69 a pound.

How it works

The process is easy.  Visit Community Foods site and look for your nearest location on the events calendar, when you find the location nearest you simply click on it and hit the Add to Cart button.  Once your order is complete print out a receipt as proof of purchase.  On the date of pick up all you need to do is show up at the designated location during your scheduled time, pull your vehicle up to the tent/truck, display your receipt either via smartphone or hard copy and they will load your order in your vehicle.  It really is that easy.

February/March locations:

Orders are currently being taken for the following areas: Dunwoody, Roswell, Alpharetta, Cumming, Norcross,  Johns Creek, Suwanee, Duluth, Stockbridge,  McDonough, Hampton, Smyrna, Marietta,  Kennesaw,  Woodstock, Douglasville, Austell/Powder Springs, Dallas/Hiram, Gainesville, Lawrenceville,  Athens, Decatur, Tucker, Stone Mountain, Snellville, Sharpsburg, Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Lithonia, Conyers, and Covington.

Follow Community Foods on Twitter and Facebook

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and I will be testing out their product and services for free next month.

I’m serious.  My oldest son went to open a bank account when he turned 18 this year and they told him that someone else is using his social security number.  Come to find out not only has he (or she) been using my son’s social security number he has set up credit all over the place.  It isn’t good credit either, apparently this mystery person has a ton of unpaid bills including utilities.

The part that makes me particularly angry is that we don’t know who this person is because NO ONE will tell us!  I contacted the various credit agencies and they need us to verify information under the account, but all the information on the account is the thief’s  information (not my sons) so we couldn’t find out whats on his credit we only knew it was bad.  We tried the FTC and they were little to no help and the Social Security office wouldn’t help us unless we came in person.  It’s a nightmare trying to recuperate from child identity theft!  We still haven’t cleared it up and we aren’t sure we will ever be able to at this point.

How Identity Theft Happens

I’m really not sure how they got my son’s social security number.  He didn’t even know his number until he turned 18 and the only places I ever shared it with were his doctors (which I will NEVER do again), government agencies that required it (IRS), and his father.  I do know that many companies are not as careful as they should be when it comes to handling SSNs and many times we take it for granted as well when disposing of papers with our SSNs.  Below are a couple other places people get SSNs from:

• Scams where thieves pose as a business or bank official on the phone and ask for your credit card information.
• Old-fashioned pickpocketing, where thieves steal your credit cards and either use them or sell them to other criminals.
• Card readers installed by thieves at everyday locations, such as cash machines and supermarket checkout lanes, to steal your information.
• Data breaches where your information is accidentally exposed by companies you should be able to trust. (ITAC^®, the Identity Theft Assistance Center, recorded 662 breaches last year.)
• Visit Identity Guard for more information.

KidSure

I recently got to try out Zinio the world’s largest digital magazine marketplace and immediately fell in love.  Not only are the prices affordable (especially if you grab one of the Daily Deals), but the application can be used across multiple devices including tablets, PC’s and smartphones.  I subscribed to Food Network Magazine, Taste of Home Magazine, and Star (for my celebrity gossip fix) and can read them anywhere via my Galaxy Tablet.

The Daily Deals are really ingenious too, featuring a different deal, beginning at 12pm EST every day including discount subscriptions, mini-subscriptions and bundles!  I have been keeping my eye on those as well.  Everyone loves a deal!

So, if you are looking for a gift idea for that special someone who loves to read – think Zinio!

Zinio has offered to giveaway 10 free subscriptions to 10 of Life with Lisa readers as a special Valentine’s Day gift.  The subscription is good for any monthly, digital magazine from Zinio’s library of more than 5,000 titles from around the globe.  Titles include Dwell, Shape, Parenting, Working Mother and more.

It is always a struggle for me to find a restaurant to eat at with my family that offers healthy alternatives for weight conscious people.  Fortunately companies like LongHorn Steakhouse have realized that this is important and have created the “Flavorful under 500″ menu.

“Flavorful under 500” is a new menu section LongHorn has introduced as part of our ongoing commitment to providing our guests with greater choice and variety. We’re committed to providing our guests with a broadly appealing menu featuring a variety of fresh steak, chicken and fish entrees. Our “Flavorful under 500” entrees include a:

• ·         7-oz. Flo’s Filet
• ·         6-oz. or 8-oz. Renegade Sirloin
• ·         7-oz. LongHorn Salmon
• ·         8-oz. Grilled Fresh Rainbow Trout
• ·         6-oz. Sierra Chicken

All entrees are paired with steamed vegetables or green beans and a side salad, and the complete meal is less than 500 calories. (Paired with steamed vegetables or green beans only at lunch.)

I recently went to our local LongHorn and ordered the 7 oz. Flo’s Filet and it was great.  I also got green beans and a side salad.  It was a nice change to eat out with my family and not beat myself up over how bad my meal might be for me.  I didn’t feel hungry afterwards (actually I couldn’t eat it all) and I didn’t feel like I was being robbed of a flavorful meal.  I think LongHorn did it right.

  Continue Reading