7 on the 7th: road trip essentials

Who doesn't love a road trip or vacation? Today Dustin & I are returning from a trip to Florida. Technically, it was a work trip for him but we had such a fun, relaxing time. There's nothing better than the sun, sand, and salty air at the beach! For this month's 7 on the 7th I am sharing my road trip essentials!

1. A roomy bag
Whether your flying or driving, a nice large bag is great for storing your must-haves & souvenirs. I snagged this lovely while we were in California in May for my brother's wedding. I thought I was saving space by not taking a carry on & ended up making our checked bag over the weight limit! Yikes. Once we landed in Cali I was on a mission to find a nice large bag to carry home. I fell in love with this LL Bean lookalike and the fact the shop would monogram same day! Y'all know how I feel about monograms! This bag is the perfect weekender, carry on, or road trip bag!

2. Snacks
As much as I love stopping on the side of the road at little mom & pop shops or scoping out the route for a Chick-Fil-A, sometimes the goal is to reach the destination as quickly as possible. In those cases, easy snacks are must haves. I like keeping fresh fruit and nuts on hand for healthy snacks. The combination of carbohydrate with healthy fat and protein makes this dietitian happy.

3. Water
Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! Water is my go to for hydration. Bypass the sugar laden beverages and be sure to drink some good ol' H2O.  I love this glass bottle I picked up at Target because I can add my essential oils to switch up the flavor. Lemon or Citrus Fresh are my favorites to add.

4. Essential Oils
Speaking of  EO, I don't leave our home without them. I take my collection with me. Lavender to diffuse at night and also use to calm sunburned skin. Lemon to add to my water. Peppermint for car sickness or headaches. Thieves in case we start to feel ill. I also packed my diffuser since it is pretty compact & I like making a hotel or condo smell nicer.

5. Games
I can't remember a family trip or get together that does not include playing some sort of game. Someone always has a deck of cards, Phase 10 cards, or a board game. As kids we played the Alphabet Game on road trips. Don't you remember how difficult it was when you got to X?!

6. A hat
Whether you have had too much sun or want to go another day without washing your hair, hats are essential for road trips. Plus it's always nice to support your favorites.

7. Reading Material
No trip is complete without some reading material for the car/plane/pool/beach. I saved my copy of SL until we left for Florida. Confession: I also enjoy walking through the airport or on the beach and seeing what everyone else is reading.


What are your road trip essentials?

an essential oils giveaway

I'm hosting my first giveaway-- a sample pack of 5 essential oils! You can read some of my other posts about essential oils here and here. I have experienced their benefits and I love to share them with others! Some say essential oils are just a fad, but when you are utilizing the healing properties of plants which have been around since creation, I have to disagree such a statement. I'm glad to see that more people are investing in their health in natural ways. I am a Young Living essential oils member. I value their focus on quality from seed to seal. If you're interested in learning more about the oils and trying a few for free be sure to enter the giveaway!

Sample Pack of Young Living Essential Oils: 

Lemon: 

add to water for a refreshing drink

diffuse for a bright, fresh aroma

use to make homemade cleaning products

Lavender:

apply to the bottoms of feet for restful sleep

diffuse for a calming environment

apply to blemishes, cuts, and scrapes as an antiseptic 

Peppermint:

apply to neck/temples to alleviate a headache

diffuse with lemon + lavender to alleviate allergies

add to warm water for a stimulating tea

Peace & Calming:

diffuse for a relaxing environment

apply to the bottoms of feet for restful sleep

Thieves:

diffuse to reduce airborne bacteria

apply to the bottoms of feet for an immune booster
use to make homemade cleaning products

To enter: Comment below or on any social media post linking to this blog post with the oil you are most excited to try! I will select one winner on Thursday, July 31st to receive the 5 samples. Each sample packet is 0.25ml and contains 6-8 drops of oil. Most applications only need 1-2 drops so you can get up to 3-4 uses out of each packet.

If you're interested in ordering any oils, I would love to offer you my wholesale prices. If you have questions, please feel free to ask in the comments or email me for more information.

Good luck! 

mustard glazed salmon

Today I am guest posting over at my friend Jenni's blog. I'm sharing a delicious, simple recipe for Mustard Glazed Salmon. I love simple suppers during the week so I can spend time after work with my husband and our puppies! Click here for the full recipe on Frankly My Dear blog. Enjoy!

recipes found in the attic

I've expressed my love for Instagram before. I just love the combination of a pretty photo and a catchy caption. I love following my family and friends, as well as "meeting" new people.

I stumbled across Rachel Reeves of Attic 17, a lover of all things vintage. She created a fun project where she would send (via snail mail, which makes it even better) old, classic recipe cards to those who signed up to participate. The challenge is to re-create the vintage recipe with the liberty to put a modern twist on it. Everyone shares their creations on Cooking Day. You can find all three editions and the participants by searching for the hashtag Rachel coined "#recipesfoundintheattic" on IG.

I had the pleasure of participating in Rachel's third, and the first savory, edition of #recipesfoundintheattic this last week. It was so much fun receiving my recipe card in the mail and gathering the ingredients to prepare Dorothy's Zucchini Casserole. I was especially excited to use zucchini from our garden and to wear my apron that just happened to perfectly match Dorothy's recipe card!

On "Cooking Day" last week I made her recipe my own. She used the microwave for all of the cooking, but I prefer to use the stovetop and oven. She used bread crumbs with her bacon, I just used bacon. I also added some garlic and onion powder for extra flavor. I enjoyed the fact that there was not a can of "cream of something" soup in the ingredients list! Here is my adapted recipe for Dorothy's Zucchini Casserole.

4 cups sliced zucchini

1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

salt & pepper

4 slices cooked and crumbled bacon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a pan over medium-high heat, sauté the sliced zucchini until soft or about 15 minutes. While the zucchini is cooking, mix the egg, sour cream, flour, seasonings, and cheese to form the sauce. Once zucchini is tender, combine with the cheese mixture and pour into a greased 8x8 casserole dish. Top with crumbled bacon and extra shredded cheese. Bake for 30-45 minutes until golden and bubbly. 

I loved this dish and will be making it again for sure! What's not to love about zucchini, cheese, and bacon!? You could definitely use whatever cheese you prefer and I just know yellow squash would also be tasty. 

Definitely check out Rachel's Instagram for the next installment of #recipesfoundintheattic. I loved participating and look forward to future rounds! Thank you Rachel! It was so neat to slow down and think about a woman years ago making the same (for the most part) recipe for her loved ones. To sort of time-travel back to when life was a bit more simple but just as meaningful. As Laura Ingalls Wilder once said, 

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

sunshine award.

Julie over at Homegrown State of Mind nominated me for the Sunshine Award a few weeks ago. Because things have been pretty eventful in our household, I am just now getting around to posting. We found out recently that Dustin was approved for a transfer within his company which will allow us to move back to Kentucky near our family and friends! We are so excited for this opportunity but will so miss the friends we have made here in Illinois. Since finding out we have been working on getting our home ready to sell, looking at houses for sell back home, packing a little, and watching tons of HGTV. But back to the Sunshine Award... I really enjoy learning random facts about people so I think these awards are so fun! Thank you Julie for nominating me!

Rules of the Sunshine Award:

- Post 11 random facts about yourself.

- Answer 11 questions from the blogger that nominated you. 

- Nominate 11 bloggers to receive the award.

- Write 11 questions for those bloggers to answer.

- Notify the 11 bloggers that they have been nominated.

11 random facts about me

{1} I have every episode of HGTV's Fixer Upper on our DVR. I absolutely love the show. 

{2} I have a soft spot for farm animals. Primarily pigs, but I would also love to have a cow, goat, and chickens.

{3} Anytime I can use an alliteration, I'm thrilled. 

{4} I am a Young Living Essential Oils member. I'd love to help you get started with them!

{5} While I totally appreciate and enjoy crafting, I am really not that good at it.

{6} Fresh flowers are my favorite. So happy to see my zinnias growing!

{7} I love making lists.

{8} There are very few foods that I don't like, celery being the least enjoyed.

{9} Old books make me happy.

{10} I will be 25 this month! Weird.

{11} I enjoy learning new words. 

Julie's questions for me:

What's your favorite childhood memory?

I'd have to say anytime I was in the kitchen with my Meme. She is the one who introduced me to cooking and encouraged my love of food. She was never put off by me making a mess, slowing her down, or eating our culinary creations before they were finished. 

What's you favorite band?

Currently, NEEDTOBREATHE and Hillsong United are my favorite Pandora stations. 

What's your favorite dish to cook?

I can't choose just one!? Probably roasted vegetables. Of any kind. They are just delicious. And so simple. And so good for you.

Mac or PC?

I had only used a PC until I met Dustin. Now I use his Mac all the time. So Mac. 

What's your favorite nail polish color?

OPI Bubble Bath

Do you workout/run/exercise? If so, what do you do regularly?

Honestly, no. Insert embarrassed emoji. I know how important it is to be physically active, I just don't make it a priority as I should. My favorite is a good spin class-- although I'm not sure it can be as fun without my BFF, Gracey. We developed a love for cycling our senior year of college. Two years later, we still text each other good "spin songs." 

Do you have fur-babies (pets)?

YES! Love love love our  sweet puppy sisters, Callie and Chloe.

Have you ever been fishing? Did you enjoy it?

I grew up fishing at my grandparent's pond. My first fishing pole was a blue Snoopy pole. I loved fishing then, and love it now. 

What motivates you to blog consistently?

Such a great question. While at times I wish I blogged more often, I enjoy posting randomly. I guess I could say I am consistent in my 7 on the 7th posts! I do want my readers to enjoy my blog and get to know me better, but I also don't want to put pressure on myself to post a certain number of times in a week/month/etc. 

What's your favorite guilty pleasure? Shopping? Chocolate?

Manicures. No matter how much I take my time, I can never do them as well myself. 

What's your favorite social media platform? Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, other?

Instagram, hands down. I so love a pretty picture and catchy caption (and alliterations, remember!?).

My Sunshine Award Nominees:

Jenni @ Frankly My Dear Blog

Kirby @ Fried Green Tomatoes

Rhiannon @ Rhimarkably Designed

Haley @ A Mess in the Madhouse

Katie @ A Southerner's Story

Sanda @ A Fisherman's Wife

McKinzey @ Whisk & Thread

Sophie @ Reflecting the Son

Jordon @ Love Always, Nancy J

Michelle @ Becoming Michelle

Maggie @ Happy Little Hummingbird

My questions:

{1}  Which meal of the day is your favorite?

{2} What's your favorite social media platform? FB, IG, Twitter, other?

{3} What's your favorite season?

{4} What's your favorite part about blogging?

{5} What verse or quote are you clinging to right now?

{6} What's the most recent book you've read?

{7} Do you have a favorite TV show? If so, what is it?

{8} Do you DIY or buy?

{9} What song do you currently have on repeat?

{10} Where has been your favorite trip/vacation so far?

{11} What is your favorite family tradition? 

Thanks again for nominating me, Julie! I had so much fun!

To my Sunshine Award Nominees, I can't wait to hear your responses!

7 on the 7th: two year anniversary edition

Two years ago today, I said "I do" to the one my soul loves.

For this very special edition of 7 on the 7th, I am sharing 7 of my favorite images from our wedding.  I love looking back through our photos and remembering our day. I love that like almost every event and moment in our life, it was very much a group effort. Family and friends worked together to create the wedding of our dreams. Our photographer, Tonda Thomas, captured SO many special moments. Friends and family also took some great shots. Selecting only seven favorites is nearly impossible because I love them all!

This photo made me feel like a princess. 

Doesn't every bride want to feel that way on their wedding day?

The "Somethings" Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

Such special pieces from even more special people. 

Our First Look

I'll never forget that giddy, excited feeling I had when I saw him. 

I'm thankful to say it still happens everyday. 

The Ceremony

I love that this photo captures our bridal party, our families, 

and the beautiful church decorated by my sister in-love. 

Father-Daughter Dance

My sister in-love captured this photo and I just love it.

AOII Friendship Song
Some of the most special women in my life surrounding us in a sweet tradition.

A sweet moment.
Here's to a lifetime of countless more.

Dustin, thank you for two years of wedded bliss. 

Your love, grace, humor, and joy are some of my greatest blessings. 

I'm so thankful God gave me you. 

I love you!

homemade citrus cleaner recipe

Last fall I shared some of my favorite cleaning products, tips, and tricks in this post. I not only enjoy a clean house, but a clean smelling house. Today I am sharing a simple recipe for a homemade cleaner that smells amazing. I followed this recipe posted by Jen of IHeart Organizing. Enjoy!

homemade citrus cleaner

1 cup water

1 tablespoon citrus castille soap

10 drops citrus fresh essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and use everywhere! 

I love finding new uses for my Young Living Essential Oils. If you have not tried them yet and are interested, let me know! I would love to help you get started. I use this cleaner everywhere-- on the countertops in the kitchen, in the toilets in bathrooms, the woodwork in bedrooms and living rooms. *Note: If you have granite countertops, lemon essential oil could etch and dull your surfaces so this recipe would not be fit for use on them.* Dr. Bronner's soap is my favorite-- all natural ingredients and great cleaning ability. I started out using it in the shower as body wash and have branched out to now cleaning our home with it. The bottles can seem expensive ($10-$15 for 32oz), however the soap is meant to be diluted when used so they last a long time. There are many different scents available: almond, unscented baby mild, citrus orange, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, rose, and tea tree. Depending on the scent you select and the essential oils you choose to add, you could create many different combinations! The soap themselves contain essential oils as their fragrance so the addition in this recipe is just to enhance the aromatic effect. I told y'all I enjoy a lovely, clean smell! 

Have you made any of your own cleaners using essential oils or other natural products? 

I'd love to know your recipes!