Nightly Skin Care Routine

September 15, 2017September 14, 2017Leave a comment

If I could go back in time, I would tell my teenage self to take better care of my skin.

It’s taken most of my twenties to get a grip on how important it is to take care of my skin. Gone are the nights of being lazy and not washing my makeup off. And thankfully so.

Part of the reason I was so bad at skin care bring my teen years, besides laziness, was nothing ever worked for me. I literally tried everything.

Prescription creams and acne medicines didn’t do much. And over-the-counter face wash and toner was a joke.

Back in April, I took a chance and tried a few Beautycounter products. And it changed everything. My skin has never looked better.

So I wanted to share my nightly skin care routine.

Step one.

I wash my face with the Nourishing Cream Cleanser. It’s mild and gives the perfect amount of moisture to my skin. And it takes all my makeup off.

Step two.

Rejuvenating Toner Pads deep clean my skin, clear out my pores and lighten dark spots and freckles from sun damage.

Step three.

The Nourishing Day Cream is lightweight and doesn’t over-moisturize my oily skin. It’s fragrance free so no irritation happens, which I love.

Step four, the final step.

The Nourishing Eye Cream is perfect for deeply moisturizing delicate eye skin. Just a little dab under both eyes is all it takes.

Beautycounter has changed my life for the better. I love every product I’ve tried, and I love that the company has a mission to get safer products to everyone.

Shop my Nightly Skin Care Routine here.

Feel free to ask me what Beautycounter products would work best for your skin type and needs.

Nashville, The Ryman and Judah & the Lion

September 11, 2017September 10, 2017Leave a comment

I cashed in a major Christmas present this weekend. Brad got me tickets to see Judah & the Lion at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. And it was the best concert I’ve been to in a long time.

First, it was the Ryman. Formerly known as the Grand Ole Opry. The birthplace of bluegrass. The mother church of music. An icon. A bucket list venue of mine.

Being the good boyfriend that he is, he made sure we got meet-and-greet tickets so we saw them play a couple of acoustic songs and answer some questions. And get a photo.

As you can see, I was super happy. My eyes were all squinty. They are one of the funnest bands to watch live. So much energy. So down-to-earth. We loved every single minute of it.

While we waited for the night’s festivities to start, we explored Nashville. We had Whole30 approved salads at the Famous Bar. We visited the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, and I totally geeked out on all the music memorabilia.

What you see here: Garth Brooks’ very well-used acoustic guitar, Elton John’s baby grand and grand pianos, and Jimi Hendrix’s electric guitar.

But there was so much to see. So many iconic items. Walls of silver, gold and platinum records. It was a super fun way to spend some time waiting for the show to start.

Would I go back to Nashville? Absolutely. The Ryman is THE place to see live music. I can’t wait to go back.

We rounded out the weekend with a drive around the farm before heading home.

It was absolutely perfect.

Mornings on the Farm

September 10, 20171 Comment

When I was a little girl, I use to spend weeks at a time on my grandparents’ farm in Tennessee. I would go and stay, and then wail when my mom would come up to take me home.

As a kid, it was my favorite place. My grandparents would drop everything when I would get there. And we would play outside, ride four-wheelers, ride horses, go fishing. It was always perfect.

Fast-forward twenty-something years, and the farm still holds a special place in my heart. But getting to spend time up here is scarce. So I was super excited to get a stop-over here on our way to Nashville.

Who wouldn’t want to wake up here? Have coffee on the front porch? Couple minutes of journaling? Quiet time?

My Papaw’s been gone several years now. But whenever I’m up here sitting on the porch, I still feel like he is around. Watching over us. Quietly participating by keeping this place so beautiful.

I miss him terribly.

But visiting the farm always makes it a little better. Bittersweet. But a little better.

This place feels more like home than anywhere else.

So many memories. I’m so grateful to remember.

Barre Harmony with Daily Burn

September 7, 2017September 7, 2017Leave a comment

I’ve never been a fan of working out in a gym.

The longest, most rewarding exercise for me as been running. But I know building total body strength is important to staying healthy while running. So I try other things, but nothing really ever sticks.

On January 1, 2017, I bought a subscription to Daily Burn because I don’t live anywhere near a gym, but I need to have the motivation and someone telling me what to do when I do strengthening exercises. I can’t make up stuff to hold my attention, but Daily Burn has lots of programs to pick from so you find what works for you.

After trying lots of stuff, I recently landed on the Barre Harmony program. It’s a mix of ballet, yoga and pilates. The workouts are only 25-35 minutes, and they change it up enough that the workout flies by. I don’t dread doing them, and I feel like they give me a low-impact, effective workout. Isn’t that what we all want?

Every couple of days, I will mix in a kickboxing class or a Cardio Sculpt class to switch it up. But I always come back to Barre Harmony.

I highly recommend Daily Burn. If you want to work out with me from the comfort of your home, you should definitely try it out.

What are your favorite ways to workout? Any workout-at-home friends out there? What programs do you use?

Roasting Veggies

September 2, 2017August 30, 2017Leave a comment

My favorite way to cook after a long day at work is with the handy-dandy oven.

I love roasting veggies in the oven.

Magic temperature of 400 degrees, give it 12-30 minutes (depending on what you are roasting) and boom, it’s all done.

I’ve even gone as far as briefly pan-searing meat in a oven-safe skillet and throwing it in the oven with the veggies. It’s life-changing.

Case-in-point: These roasted chops with okra, Japanese eggplant and baby tomatoes.

This whole meal was sourced from Me and McGee Market, my favorite farmers market in North Little Rock. The grow the okra, tomatoes and eggplant in their backyard garden, and they get their meat from The Farm at Barefoot Bend in Crowe, Arkansas (right outside Hot Springs Village).

But the true beauty of this meal, outside of I know exactly where it came from and who grew it, is the fact that I made it all in the oven.

As much as I love cooking an elaborate meal, I love convenience and speed of cooking just as much. Roasting veggies in the oven gives a deep flavor and a crispy texture, and I can’t get enough of it. As I said earlier, I’ve started pan-searing my meat with a little avocado oil for a couple minutes on both sides, and then I throw it in a 400 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size, until it has a nice golden crust on the outside.

I love how oven roasting meat and veggies doesn’t get my stove all messy. I love that I don’t have to stand watching over the stove. The oven just takes a lot of undue stress off of cooking dinner. Plus, if you are a good with meal prep, you can have all of your veggies for the week prepped and ready to go in the oven so making dinner is super easy.

What are your favorite veggies to roast in the oven?