Lisa Jeffries Nobling – Raleigh, NC

Category: Recommendations

  • What I Love…

    …about the South.

    Thank you Rodney Atkins for a song that pays tribute:

    “What I love (what I love)
    About the South (about the South)
    If you need a Dixie Fix just a’ come on down
    It’s what I love (what I love)
    About the South (about the South)
    Southern Belles with a drawl make you stop and drop your jaw, come on y’all, shut your mouth….    “    And thank you Adrianne for a late-night blog post that was AWESOME to start my morning with:“So my Yankee boyfriend is consistently reminding me of what a Southerner I really am. Maybe I should to a blog miniseries on this…

    Anyways, today’s reminder of our regional differences: summer beverages.

    Apparently, north of our nation’s capital, they drink unsweetened crap tea and black coffee year round. Well not down here, thank goodness. There are a few things that every Southern needs in the summer:

    * BBQ (the food, not the action, I’ll have to share the language barrier we had based on that word some point in the future)
    * Watermelons, peaches, and strawberries
    * Some time at the beach/lake/sprinkler/your local body of water
    * Potato salad
    * Porches
    * And of course, lemonade (Country Time, Chick-Fil-A, or freshly-squeezed. Pink or Regular. I’m not picky.)

    Here’s some recipes from RealSimple.com for some summer lemonade for my fellow Southerns who will really appreciate it (aka Lil Lisa.)

    And if you love lemonade and you happen to live in Raleigh then I’m going to tell you a secret. The city’s best lemonade (and maybe the best BBQ) is at Cooper’s Barbecue. It’s downtown on Davie Street (across from Progress Energy) and you can get a BBQ sandwich, Lemonade, hushpuppies, and a side for $5. They only take cash but it’s TOTALLY worth the trip to the ATM. That’s my local endorsement of the day. 😛

    P.S.: If you want your summer beverage done up grown-up style then remember, citrus vodka can always go in lemonade, no matter what flavor it is. :-)”

    See there, she even graced everyone with a great BBQ joint recommendation!

  • “Recipes for Research” Now Available!

    News from Mrs. Tammy with an update on great (and delicious) way to support Brittany’s Battle:

    We are thrilled to announce that our cookbook, Recipes for Research, is now available!

    This exciting cookbook features recipes from some of your favorite NC Celebrities so you don’t want to miss out on this exciting offer!

    Two versions of this dynamic cookbook are available:
    You can purchase a “download” version or order the hard copy!

    For every cookbook sold, BBI receives a donation from the publisher, LuLu.com.

    You can order using the links above, or you can go to BBI’s website and order it from there.

    Thank you for your support and remember,
    No One Deserves Cancer!

    We miss you Britt! I can’t wait to get this great cookbook… there will be many, many copies ordered as gifts for some very dearly loved ones.

  • “Southern” Sugar Scrub

    …because you know how Southern cooks are: directions are only “suggested” and anything goes.

    Case in point, this afternoon I noticed an “icky” (if you will) peeling arm/shoulder. Crap, there were two of them. (Two weeks to the day after getting sunburned on Falls Lake with the Redneck Yacht Club.)

    I went home and googled “homemade sugar scrub” and found a new fun website (with RSS feed!) and a recipe to boot.

    Homemade Sugar Scrub | Healthy and Green Living

    By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Green Living Executive Producer

    “OK, folks. Get ready for almost unbelievably soft skin (even for those of us with older skin).

    The other day I was speaking with Larry Pleasant, CEO of The Vermont Soapworks, and he mentioned that he and his staff had spent the morning testing homemade sugar scrubs, and that everyone was commenting on how incredibly soft their skin felt. Aware that sugar cane produces glycolic acid, one of the natural alpha hydroxy acids that exfoliates the skin, I was immediately curious about his recipes.

    Ingredients
    * 50 percent white cane sugar (note that organic sucanat, while the best choice for food, doesn’t work as well for this recipe)
    * 50 percent vegetable glycerin to moisten the sugar (I used avocado oil since I was out of vegetable glycerin and it proved to be a successful substitute)
    * Small amounts of aloe vera gel, vitamin C crystals, or anything healing that dissolves in water
    * 1 or 2 drops of essential oil if desired (Larry recommends combining orange and lavender)
    * Enough ground hibiscus powder for pink color (if desired)

    Combine the ingredients in a bowl. Scoop some of the scrub onto your hand and massage gently onto your skin for a minute (the scrub will actually tighten onto your skin like a masque). Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before rinsing.

    Let me warn you in advance that you’ll want to use this sugar scrub on your entire body. I started on my face, returned to my desk, and my skin felt so baby soft that the skin on my neck felt like sandpaper, so I needed to use the sugar scrub there, and on and on.”

    Here’s how mine went:Ingredients (with SUPER technical measurements)
    * 1 plastic bowl (and a fork to mix with)
    * Enough sugar to fill the bottom of the bowl
    * A squeeze of honey (for consistency… seemed like a good idea to me!)
    * A little bit of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for those of you who aren’t Rach fans)
    * A squirt of lemon juice
    * A few drops of lavender essential oil (for smell)
    * Some bath salts (also for smell)

    Mix all of the above. Hop in the shower with a poof or a washcloth and enjoy SUPER soft skin!

    I even got to skip the after-shower lotion because this was that awesome. I basically got an idea of what would work and just “went to work” gathering what was available in my kitchen.

    The only changes I would possibly make would be for coconut oil (or another yummy smelling oil) in place of EVOO and to add the aloe gel… I forgot about that part even though I had some on hand.

    I wouldn’t recommend this in the morning… some of the oil could leave spots on clothes. (I’m wearing linen pants and a tank-top right now with no problem though!)

  • For You Female Entrepreneurs Out There…

    I know there are quite a few business girls like me who read my blog (thank you!) so I wanted to share… SCORE is one of my favorite small business resources. That and the SBA. Check out your local affiliates!

    From Sue Stock, local business N&O writer & blogger:

    SCORE launches site for women…

    SCORE, the organization that has helped thousands of small businesses get off the ground, has launched a special Web site for female entrepreneurs. The Web site provides tools, mentoring, workshops and articles specifically for women. You can find the new site at http://www.score.org/women.

    Please feel free to share any of your business resources and successes, too!

  • Two Enthusiastic Thumbs Up…

    Quote of the day:

    “I rarely fall in love with kitchen gadgets. For the most part, they do what they do, I do what I do, it works, and we move on. This is an exception.“Lisa S. is only a few posts in to her new blog… but I have a feeling it’s going to become a daily read for a good chunk of y’all who enjoy detailing your own “domestic adventures and mishaps” (to put it mildly) on your blogs that are in my Google reader.My Domestic AdventuresCheck it out and add it to your daily reads, too. I mean, what’s not to love about a blog with a post dedicated to a mini-food processor?!

    PS – Polos & Pearls… invite please? Thanks doll!
    PS #2 – Any of my other lovely readers who are private who have yet to comment… can I go ahead and preemptively request an invite? ncsulilwolf@gmail.com is the name… reading blogs about all things Southern is my game!

  • One Small Request

    I love reading (and writing!) blogs, all kinds of blogs: Raleigh blogs, Downtown blogs, business blogs, tech blogs, wedding blogs, tech blogs, and of course… the random blogs that are more like journals.

    Here’s a simple request I have for those of you who enjoy writing blogs too: please blog often about things you find important! Take me for example – the girl with a special place in her heart for animals (especially puppies). Why you ask? Google.

    My marketing background has taught me the importance of testimonials and word of mouth and it makes me SO happy to read emails like this:

    Hi Lisa,
    I did a google search on our facility and your blog entry about DBTT came up. Thank you so much for your kind words about us! I hope all is well with you and Delta!

    Carole

    Carole Smith (Lawler)
    Development Director
    SPCA of Wake County
    Phone (919) 532-7065
    Fax (919) 772-2482

    www.spcawake.org

    As I told Carole, they are most certainly welcome and I truly mean every positive word I’ve ever said/written about the SPCA of Wake County.

    I look forward to supporting y’all and reading about your favorites! Almost everything that I’m passionate about has been thanks to a friend or family member who has introduced me to things they find important.

  • Update: Summertime in Raleighwood

    So this is a post update, almost a year in the making! (Please forgive my utter-disregard for doing anything blog-related in a timely fashion.)

    Original post here, for those of you who haven’t been an avid reader since day 1: Summertime in Raleighwood



    Sidetrack Brewpub –> Boylan Bridge Brewpub    : A lot has gone down in the making of “Sidetrack Brewpub” (who received a cease and desist demand out of Chicago, IL I believe… which I still maintain is a load of crap that someone can claim the right to the word “sidetrack”). The re-named Boylan Bridge Brewpub is scheduled to open August 25th – thanks for the update Ashton & Leo! For a hands down best view of Raleigh… their patio (see pics here) which I’ve been driving by every day is where I’ll be spending some time. I’m not a beer girl, but I’ll admit it, I’m in it for the view.

    Big Boss Brewing

    Big Boss Brewery:     When Buckhead first opened, we carried Big Boss. We don’t anymore, but that sure doesn’t stop me from recommending it anyone who truly enjoys beer. Go on their brewery tour sometime… it’s a crap ton (official term there) of FUN and you get to sample some of their brews for free. Sales Manager Jonny Johnson sends out a weekly email of their local happenings too for any of you interested in getting on that list. I’ve been a fan of his since I first met him at one of their Monday night tastings (teamed up with a local wine distributor, too) at The Point. I’ve been an even bigger fan since finding out about his love and support for the SPCA.

    And since my original post included the nickname “Raleighwood”, I figured that’d be a great opportunity to introduce an event we have coming up at Buckhead this month that I’m really excited about. (And if any of you win the free trip to Hollywood…. you have to take me since I told you about it :-))

    I’m sure I’ll have some free tickets to the party to give away… so let me know via comments or email if you’d like some!

  • All I Want is a Good Moisturizer…

    … that isn’t tested on puppies. Is that too much for a girl to ask?

    I went to Target tonight in search one one thing: a new facial moisturizer. (I’m not saying the Mary Kay tinted moisturizer I’ve been using this week is the cause of this horrible texture on my right cheek and forehead that only I can tell a difference in, but I figured I’d try a new moisturizer in a sort trial-and-error and thanks to Dr. Mom’s advice.)

    Here are my requirements:

    • oil-free (non-comedogenic)
    • light, not too heavy
    • sunscreen included is a plus, but not a deal-breaker if it’s missing
    • not tested on animals
    • not too expensive (nothing over the $15 range)

    Utter. Shopping. Failure. (Tear.)

    So I’m googling… but while I’m at it… does anyone use one they’d suggest that meets my simple requirements?

    (For the record, I did find some “choices” that were clearly marked as organic –another plus– and very much so not tested on animals, but upon inspecting the ingredients… were full of oils. Natural and good for you, I’m sure, but my skin will blemish up with any added oils. No thank you.)

    May 22, 2008 Update: After doing some research and talking shop with some of the girls… here is an update on some of my skin-care findings. (Click to the comments to read the updates!)

    June 12, 2008 Update: I have a “thing” about graphic layout on webpages… so since I’m getting lots of great feedback about this article, I’m going to include any new info in the comments so this post doesn’t get too long!