Friday Finds #50: Memorial Day Weekend

In my neck of the woods, Memorial Day weekend signals the beginning of summer even though the season doesn’t officially begin until June 21st. As an elementary-aged kid, no one took schoolwork seriously after the holiday. Teachers instinctively knew our brains were in summer mode and doled out fun and easy projects.

Memorial Day weather is always a gamble here in the Chicagoland area. It can be hot and humid, cold and rainy, or something in-between. It makes parade attendance a challenge sometimes. This weekend forecast consists of sunshine and low 70s temperatures. Not bad.

Hubby and I will likely spend most of our weekend out in the garden and tinkering with the pond. Sometimes I feel like I just don’t get enough time outdoors since I work in an office all week. I have to be mindful not to turn on the TV for fear of getting sucked into several episodes of The Path or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The binge-watching struggle is real, my friends. And with binge-watching comes mindless fog eating.

Speaking of eating, I’ve now lost 13 pounds on the Noom program. Noom combines psychology with nutrition for a unique approach to permanent weight loss and healthy eating. I started the program at the very end of February and have 8 more pounds to go!

In addition to Noom, I’m following a Mediterranean style diet. That means I’m getting plenty of fruits and vegetables, combined with legumes, whole grains, and seafood. I don’t eat chicken, pork, beef, or lamb (although you can have these on a Med diet). I found three new cookbooks to help me on this journey. Maybe I should review one and offer it as a giveaway here on the blog – stay tuned for that!

Enough of my weight loss story. Let’s check out this week’s Friday Finds!

Do you like to pare down your room interiors for easy living during the summer months? If yes, you might want to check out Southern Living magazine’s tips for avoiding mistakes that make your home look messy.

If you’re looking for ideas on updating a small bathroom, look no further than these beautiful bathroom ideas. I keep saying I’m going to freshen up my downstairs bathroom but with summer around the corner, I know it won’t happen until the fall season at the earliest.

In case you were wondering if I ever cheat on my diet – I do! That’s what’s so great about Noom. You’re allowed to live a little. If you’re a fan of anything lemon, you might want to check out these favorite lemon bar recipes. I think I’m going to try the Creamy Lemon Squares recipe first.

Raise your hand if you have one of those white, plastic utility tubs in your laundry room (my hand is raised!). It’s functional but not very pretty, so I was pretty excited to find this easy DIY project that shows how to hide it.

On the subject of DIY – enjoy this tutorial for installing removable wallpaper. This is something I’ve wanted to do but haven’t tried yet. I know how to install regular wallpaper but might give this option a try.

That’s it for today. I hope that you enjoy your extended holiday weekend and have great weather for getting outside. Enjoy!!