Bold Cast X Guest Kirstie Marx The Blessing Nisser

Welcome to Bold Cast, living and loving life boldly! I am delighted to share with  you special guest, Kirstie Marx!

Kirstie Marx, Author of The Blessing Nisser 

Kirstie is not only a Tennis Hall of Fame award winner, she is co-founder of AbilitiesTennis.org, a non-profit for special needs tennis players. Kirstie is a first time author of the very well-loved and read, The Blessing Nisser!

The Blessing Nisser #CultivatingALoveofService

#CultivatingALoveofService We celebrate Christmas in July with Kirstie! You'll learn more about Kirstie and her beautiful family!






Bold Cast living and loving life boldly. We welcome long-time Cary resident and pillar in our community, Kirstie Marx! Kirstie is sharing Christmas in July with her first book, The Blessing Nisser! Find more on BlessingNisser.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblessingnisser/

Check out this episode!

Look at the adorable Blessing Nissers and the service cards that come with the book! You can pre-order yours here.

The Blessing Nisser by Kirstie Marx

Email Kirstie to become a member of her launch team here: email Kirstie "Blessing Nisser Launch Team"

Thank you for joining us today! We hope you enjoyed the Bold Cast show! You can follow the Bold Cast podcast on iTunes here.

Thanks for listening and enjoy!

Warmly,
CarolinaMama

Scotties Tissues 1 to 1 Promise! #ReadySetSchool

"If you could put one thing in a backpack and then give it to a kid who needed help getting through the school day, what would that one thing be and why?”

My son shares his "one thing" for the backpack! 

In July, Scotties Facial Tissues is launching a new campaign in partnership with the Kids In Need Foundation (KINF) to inspire children to be prepared for the school year to help them do their best.  

Did You Know?

According to KINF, students who go without the school supplies they need struggle with self-esteem and perform worse in school than students with adequate supplies?

We want to change that! Here at Scotties, we know it’s the little things in life that matter. Every child, no matter what their circumstances, should have the supplies they need to help them be engaged in learning. Pencils, crayons and paper may seem inconsequential to the learning process, but for a child in need, they can make a world of difference.

We would love your help. Scotties has made a 1 to 1 Promise!

For every video Mom's like you and I post on social media, Scottie's will donate a backpack.  #ReadySetSchool

This is a great opportunity for you to join the party and get your children involved! This helps others kids because  for every video created and shared on social media (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) using the hashtag #ReadySetSchool, a backpack filled with school supplies will be donated to a kid in need (up to 1,400 backpacks total) by Scotties.

We are in! 

Join us in sharing your video for #ReadySetSchool Just answer what item your child would add to a backpack of a child in need. Scotties will donate one back pack for each video! 

Need some inspiration? Check out these great videos! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd4pm6Yumj1u76T0SQkwExOx4rkfAd-4q 

If we hit 1,400 videos Scotties will surprise 3 schools with backpacks full of school supplies!!!

Thank you all for helping! 

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Scotties. All opinions are my own. 
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My Journey 2 Health Six Week Check In

"Health is the thing that makes you feel like now is the

best time of the year."

Franklin Pierce

This has always been a favorite quote of mine. Wellness makes you feel like every day is the best. As Social Media Specialist for Journey 2 Health, I feel privileged to get to experience the program. I've loved focusing on my health and wellness through the Journey 2 Health program. My update after the first six weeks can be summed up succinctly:

"Loving, Learning and Losing!"

Croquet at Jekyll Island Club Jekyll Island, Georgia 

As a writer, I think in simple alliterations, and “loving, learning, and losing”perfectly describes my experience so far!

I. Loving. As a busy mom with so many responsibilities, I am loving focusing on my own personal wellness again! We all know how quickly we can move from wellness to off the chart. Some of my mom friends and I have talked about the tendency to be all or nothing. Moms tend to be "all me time" or "no me time.” I just want to have balance. Candidly, I'll admit, I am eager to serve others and share so the first thing to go is my own wellness.

Journey 2 Health has reminded me to place myself first in matters of wellness. I am loving a healthy balance of making my exercise and eating habits a priority - just like that of my family.

With Journey 2 Health, I love the app and the check-ins! The app allows me to have all of my lessons and workouts right on my iPhone to use any time. I use the check-ins to focus on how my day looked and what good choices I made each day.

II. Learning.  This past six weeks on Journey 2 Health have been so enlightening! I thought I knew a lot about wellness, diet and exercise. Already, I have learned a wealth of valuable health information. It is wonderful to have the daily lessons in my text inbox each morning where I can access them any time. I can watch videos about new exercises and then I can chart how I did with them. It even has a timer in the app so I can conveniently time certain exercises. Love it!

Paddle Boarding with Jamie and David of Turtle Tides of Jekyll Island, Georgia

Love it!

I am learning to remember who I am! Thankfully, I have always been active and athletic. I have always enjoyed a variety of sports and activities. This spirit always encouraged me to try new things, set goals and achieve them. So, just a week ago I was moved by the return to myself I am seeing already. Last week, we were away on family vacation and I got to introduce my husband and sons to a childhood family favorite activity - croquet! I have fond memories playing croquet in our back  yard growing up. My husband and I took on the boys and we all had a blast. The boys won! This made me happy since it meant they loved it!

CarolinaMama and Family Croquet at Jekyll Island Club
Jekyll Island, Georgia

We also went on a family paddle boarding excursion, our first! It was a blast to be out on the water learning something new and fun! Even if the current was sweeping me out to sea, I was feeling so accomplished because I loved working at a new sport! Paddle board vs. me, well, that's a whole other post! We all loved being on the water! We love kayaking as a family so it was awesome to find another love even if it does take some work for us to accomplish.

Journey 2 Health teaches the three pillars of wellness: Eat Well, Move Well and Live Well! I love this summary and how each connects to the other! Knowledge is everything. I am learning to value each of these pillars for a lifetime.

III. Losing.  From the beginning, I love that the focus of Journey 2 Health is not weight - a certain number on the scale! It is fascinating the difference I feel focusing on positive changes with my diet and exercise. I am acknowledging and celebrating my successes and they are not all just weight numbers. After all of these years, I am so excited to learn new exercises and focus on strength and mobility rather than just timing myself at the gym or on the treadmill!

Yes, I do have some lower numbers! Absolutely! I am excited about "losing" numbers.  Though I am not just focusing on numbers, we're Americans, so I'll share! I have lost 1/2 inch each week of my journey! I have lost 1 pound a week so far! I am thoroughly pleased with this progress! Numbers are not my only measure of success. Yet, they do indicate these positive changes that I have learned are helping me lose some pounds, inches and even blood pressure numbers.

Typically, I have low blood pressure and I had noticed these numbers were sporadically getting higher. Isn't that they way it is. At first sporadic and then a regular occurrence. I am thankful these numbers are lower. I can't wait to get them back to my normal numbers.

Thank you all for reading, liking and encouraging my Journey 2 Health! I am thankful to be loving, learning and losing! Truly, this has already been a fabulous experience and I am eager to continue on my Journey 2 Health.

Please let me know if you have questions or a special circumstance and I can get an answer or a Journey 2 Health connection for you to find your own path to wellness for life!

More to come!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: As stated prior, I am a member of the Journey 2 Health staff and I am voluntarily trying out the program as a Journey 2 Health team member. All opinions are my own.

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Chuy's Parkside Commons, Cary, NC Best Tex Mex and Homemade Guacamole, Tres Leches

Chuy's Tex Mex hosted us for a Chuy's experience at their Chuy's Parkside restaurant. It is the newest Chuy's in the Raleigh, North Carolina area! We loved getting together and the food and atmosphere was fabulous!

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon when we arrived for an early dinner with our Auntie from New Orleans visiting! We were excited to enjoy Chuy's Tex Mex Parkside with her!   

Naturally, we got a photo together right away to commemorate our fun visit and 

all the good food that was surely to come. 

We love all of the festive decor at Chuy's, too! These chili peppers are a lively addition to the 

ambiance! 

You know, I love any opportunity to get our two visiting together and here they were with the hip entrance of Chuy's to welcome them!

You can see the fun spirit that is Chuy's! We were ready to start ordering. xo these my guys again! We 

didn't have to wait at all for dinner! Chuys' has plenty of unique seating throughout. 

We loved watching them make homemade Tortillas! These were so fresh and delicious! 

The handmade, fresh Guacamole at Chuy's is a favorite! We crave it! The guacamole is a meal in itself! We love enjoying real and homemade foods so Chuy's is a perfect match for us! 

Then, there is the boom boom sauce which is a unique sauce to Chuy's! It is a little 

spicy so just enough kick. 

So you know, there is a sauce for everyone at Chuy's! How about this! 

Here is more information on the homemade sauces. It is a great part of the meal that we enjoy so I wanted you to see their homemade sauce list! Check this out! All the Chuy's Sauces include TexMex, Ranchero, Tomatillo, Deluxe Tomatillo, Green Chile, Deluxe Tomatillo, Quest and Boom Boom!

We enjoyed fresh Lemonade Arnold Palmers which were perfect for Mexican food! Here more of the sauce fun.

Auntie loved all the sauce choices! It was fascinating to hear all of the recipes by the Manager! 

Family Tex Mex Night at Chuy's! 

Carolina Mama Chuy's Parkside 

S

 Here is the Classic Cheese Quesadilla!

My Quesadilla lover added steak to the side. This was a delicious steak! Of course, more sauces were used with the steak! 

Auntie and one of our sons enjoyed the special steak burrito which looked incredible! They both loved this dinner! These burritos are homemade, 12: flour tortillas stuffed with refried beans, steak, cheese and your sauce of choice. 

They are served with the refried beans and Mexican rice, shown here. 

Look at these Chuy's Special Nachos! These were incredible! And they made two meals! 

Here is the Chicken and Cheese Enchillada Boom Boom sauce meal. It is a Chuy's specialty!

It was wonderful to have leftovers for lunch the next day! :) The servings at Chuy's are generous. 

Any questions about how delicious these nachos are! 

We were introduced to their amazing dessert specialties! It truly took 5 spoons for these desserts after the amazing meals we enjoyed! 

This is a real Tex Mex delight - the Tres Leches! What a surprise this was! 

 

This was a most delicious and smooth cream brulee ever! :) I typically don't try cream brulee.  They delivered these and I did try it. What a pleasant surprise. Everyone enjoyed it and the fresh 

whip cream was so refreshing and tasty. 

Thank you Chuy's Parkside for hosting our family! We are thrilled to be able to write a Restaurant Review for our favorite TexMex food! Thanks and we'll see you soon!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Chuy's. All opinions are my own. 

K and N Ventures for Classic Fashion Design for One of a Kind You

With all of my fashion love, I am so excited to write this dress review for designer extraordinaire, Kathy Shimmield of K&N Ventures: Shop Designer Fashion! Her styles really caught my eye and I was so happy to get to collaborate!  I love this look! The Blue and White Tropics dress was perfect and stylish for our beach trip! Everyone needs a K & N Ventures dress! Or, outfit!

Carolina Mama K & N Ventures Jekyll Island, Georgia

K & N Ventures: One of a kind designs, for the one of a kind you! 

Kathy's designs are classic with a modern element! I love her fashion sense for Mom Fashion! Here I am enjoying a luncheon out with my family on St. Simon's Island, Georgia! This dress was perfect for a dressy little luncheon! I was comfortable and classic for time!

Carolina Mama and Family at St. Simon's Island, Georgia!

My eye immediately drew to the "Blue and White Tropics" A-Line dress with palm leaves! It was perfection for our beach trip! Here I am at the St. Simon's Island Lighthouse in my beautiful dress with palm trees! :)

Another design I loved was this one, again, it has the beautiful classic neckline with the jewel neckline, knee length and sleeveless. This one is the Simple Black and White Stripe dress. 

Here is another picture where I am enjoying the Palm trees in my 'Tropics" dress! It was ideal! Let me point out how I styled the dress! I loved the white pants under the dress. For me it gives it a fun look with my fuchsia platform shoes! 

Hopefully,  you will get a chance to purchase a K & N Ventures Dress or other wonderful fashion design on her website! You will love the unique styles!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by K &N N Ventures! All opinions are my own. 

Market at Main Downtown Lynchburg Top Lunch

During our visit to Lynchburg, Virginia earlier this summer, we were hosted for lunch by Market at Main.  We loved our Sunday lunch in beautiful and vibrant downtown Lynchburg! 

We love the architecture and character of the older restored buildings. 

Market at Main, Lynchburg, Virginia 

Market at Main gives you a warm welcome from the minute you spot it! 

The plantation fans were a beautiful step back in time and the food and pace was very urban and all American. 

We loved that we did not need a reservation or to wait for a table. The Market at Main has a lot of seating and a lot of lunch options. We loved the casual setting during lunchtime. 

Let me be clear from the beginning, I couldn't get past the Jalepeno Pimento Cheese Sandwich and Sweet Potato Fries with Pickle. I know my favorites and a good old southern pimento cheese sandwich was perfect this Sunday afternoon.

 The classic cheeseburger was loved by our cheeseburger fan! He also enjoyed the homemade ranch dressing.

The boys were in a grill kinda of mood. one of the boys ordered the Liberty Flames Burger! 

"The Liberty Flames Burger: Our Lynchburger Topped with a Crispy Onion Ring, Provolone Cheese, Chipotle Sauce, Lettuce and Tomato."

The Blackwater Creek Tuna Salad: Warm Tuna Salad and Melted Cheddar Cheese Served Open-Faced on Top of Rye Bread was incredible, too! Again, we loved the southern favorites! 

The setting in downtown Lynchburg is really relaxed and exciting. There is a lot to do! We love the Piano scene! Our son entertained us right on Main Street! How fun is that! This mama loved it!

If you are in Lynchburg to visit Liberty University or Lynchburg College, you should take advantage of all of the beautiful and fun things to do downtown. We hope you get to visit the Market at Main for a home cooked meal! You'll love it!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Visit Lynchburg and Market at Main. All opinions are my own. 

Depot Grille Lynchburg - Downtown's Favorite Steak and Seafood

Depot Grille, Lynchburg, Virginia 

Depot Grille Lynchburg is a sought out destination in downtown Lynchburg by the James River! We love all of the vibrance and activity there! The Depot Grille is a Virginia Historic Landmark since it is a restored train depot!

Depot Grille, Virginia Historic Landmark 

"Depot Grille is located on Lynchburg’s Historic Riverfront. The Depot Grille features fresh fish and great steaks along with a wonderful selection of seafood and pasta dishes. From crab legs to buffalo burgers, there is something on the menu for everyone. Fresh steamed vegetables and a wide selection of side dishes enhance entrees, sandwiches and lite bites. 

Daily specials compliment our menu ranging from liver and onions through duck, lamb and pork with fresh interesting soups always available. The railroad antiques and the charm of the old N&W Depot building make the perfect setting for a smoke free dining experience."

The restaurant was rather spacious so there was no wait for a table for (4) even on a night with a huge downtown festival. There were a lot of people seated and still room to get seated upon arrival. There was a nice wait staff that served us in a very timely and friendly manner. 

It was fun to look at all of the train memorabilia throughout the restaurant. This was a special private dining room with lots of train decor and historical photos.

Here are more train and historic treasures in the restaurant. 

The boxcar seating looked very original! Even down to the numbers! 

The front view opens out to the James River, there is a lot of outdoor seating. The outdoor seating was full so we had a table inside. My husband and son parked the car which was challenging with the downtown festival. It was worth it! :)

The homemade sour dough rolls and honey butter were a great start to the meal. 

Oh, the games and fun brothers have! That Twin bond is the best! 

All of the delicious meals arrived! They are voted 3rd Best Burger in Lynchburg! See the reason!

This was a favorite with the BBQ and the Bacon!  

Cheeseburger and fries for the all-American meal!

An incredible, fresh and spicy Southwest Chicken wrap! 

Our family meal photo! We have to share the Terrell Tribe memories! :)

Depot Grills is known for their seafood! The Crab Cake and Slaw meal was delicious as well! Boulder Mt. Man and I share meals so we both tried different meals! It's like two dinners for the calories of one! :)  My parents started this tradition! 

The homemade desserts were delicious! The Red Velvet Cheesecake was very tasty and unique. 

The Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie was a favorite for our family! 

This was our view after dinner that night! The sunsets in Lynchburg by the James River are magnificent!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Visit Lynchburg and Depot Grill, Lynchburg, Virginia. All opinions are my own.