Aaron and I are travel junkies. Whether it’s a weekend get-a-way, a full out vacation or just trips to visit family and friends, I know how to pack a suitcase like a pro.
I want to share my top 10 UNIQUE packing tips that I have learned along the way! I think they are pretty good tid bits.
1. When packing, put some laundry dryer sheets in-between your clothing, it will help keep your clothes smelling fresh all vacation long!
2. If traveling with your spouse, divide your check items between multiple suitcases. That way if one of them gets lost, you will both have clothing to wear.
3. Always carry your auto insurance card with you; if you decide to rent a car on vacation, it’s less hassle if you have it on you.
4. Pack a small extension cord. You don’t know hotel room set ups and sometimes finding enough plug-ins for everything can be a nuisance.
5. Pack an index card with your contact information inside your luggage in case your travel tags come off your bag during travel.
6. Always travel with your passport and driver license, even if it’s domestic travel. I ALMOST learned this the hard way when we were in Vegas and I couldn’t find my driver’s license. I was real worried how I was going to get back on a plane home! Luckily I found it but have additional ID in a safe place in case one does get lost.
7. I always keep a packing checklist on my laptop and then copy over it and make changes for each trip, that way I never forget anything and I always have a generic packing list handy.
8. Never leave home without an extra pair of contacts (you thought I was going to say UNDERWEAR, didn’t you…)! You don’t want to be the nerd on vacation wearing your glasses because your contact unexpectedly tore. NO OFFENSE to people who wear glasses, it’s just not my best everyday look.
9. Make a copy of your passport and IDs. I know you are thinking, well what good will this do if I did lose mine? I’ve read that it makes the process of replacing these items quicker and helps to prove you are ‘you’! Keep in your hotel safe or send yourself a password protected email of these copies so you can easily access them away from home.
10. A planner enjoys vacation far more than a un-planner! Okay I just made that up but it has to be true! I consider myself pretty organized and proud of it. There is no sense running to the nearest convenience store on your vacation and paying a premium for something you forgot because you didn’t plan ahead. Your vacation is precious time and should be spent enjoying it!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Easy Buttercream Frosting
Not only do I love my Taste of Home subscription, but I also love the monthly emails that come with the subscription for the top recipes of the month. In one of these lovely emails, was a recipe for Easy Buttercream Frosting. Of course, to my liking, they had a picture of this on a cupcake. Being the cupcake fanatic I am… I had to try it!
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Easy-Vanilla-Buttercream-Frosting/
What I loved about this recipe is at the bottom, all the variations you can make. To say I love almond extract would be an understatement and so I couldn’t wait to try that variation.
I decided to make cupcakes out of a boxed devil’s food mix. The almond frosting was super easy to make, the measurements they give in the recipe makes the perfect amount and the consistency was perfection. These cupcakes were by far, hands down, some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made! I could definitely give Paula Dean a run for her money with these delectable tasty babies.
With the leftover frosting, I got out some Nilla Wafers and scooped up a heap on a cookie. Taste just like Dunakaroos! Remember those as a kid?!?! Holy sugar overload, my diet went out the window!
Also have to brag up my wonderful batter dispenser. I love cupcakes but having to deal with getting batter all over the place was too much of a hassle. Well at Christmas I wanted this nifty batter dispenser and it makes life so much easier! Now it isn’t good for thick batters, I’ve tried it… but great for cupcakes and pancakes. I also love the size of the canister, makes it easy to clean. You just pour the batter in at the top, put the lid on and hold the handle down to release the batter until desired amount has been dispensed. No mess, no batter strung all over… it’s great! Even has measurements markings along the side if you want to be real precise. Bed Bath and Beyond, $15. Well worth it!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Bye Bye Cellulite!
Thought I would blog about what has been keeping me busy in my spare time… working out. I’m not someone who really enjoys working out, I don’t mind it but I definitely have my days where staying motivated is very hard. With a tropical vacation coming up, I’ve been crunching it extra hard at the gym. A few weeks ago, I was feeling disappointed in the progress I was making but I continued to log my exercises and now reflecting back on February, I’m actually feeling pretty good about what I accomplished:
- I have made a point to work out at least 4-5 days a week
- During the month I ran 40.52 miles
- My strength training is improving
- I’ve lost 3 pounds this month
- I reactivated my Body Bugg
I tried on my swimsuit last weekend, and I’m feeling a little bit better. Progress is slow but like they say… however long it took to put the weight on, it takes twice as long to take it off. UGG! I have 8 pounds to lose to get back to my goal weight which is still do-able by our vacation time.
My diet has gotten better but still a struggle. There are definitely days where I just crave a big gooey cinnamon roll for breakfast, ordering a large cheese pizza all to myself and then having alfredo pasta for dinner and top that off with a piece of tiramisu cake, and then a Taco Bell run for a late night snack. Ha! But instead, I have been resorting to salads, fruit, and yogurt. Blah.
I have also starting tanning. A little color always makes me feel better. As well as starting to use this special toning serum to improve my skin’s elasticity; it’s rough being 30! LOL!
What I need to focus on during March:
- Better eating habits
- Shoot for 5-6 days a week at the gym
- Lose an additional 3-4 pounds
- Run 50 miles
- Stay motivated!
That last one can be particularly challenging!!
Now for some comical relief…
- Right before I started getting back into the gym, one of the trainers approached Aaron and asked “Is your wife still a member of this gym? I haven’t seen her here in forever!” How embarrassing…the employees had taken notice I hadn’t been to the gym lately.
- When I do workout videos at home, Charley thinks I want to play when I’m jumping around. Sometimes it’s quite a workout to try to do my workout with her trying to pounce on me at the same time.
- When I Google my workout video for “8 minute abs” I also get “8 minute mini rolls”… talk about tempting!
- As I was gathering my belongings at the gym one day, I could not find my purse. I totally freaked out and told the front desk someone stole my purse. I had quite a few people searching the gym for my purse as I was growing increasingly hysterical. Finally one of the trainers goes “Do you carry your car keys in your coat pocket?” Why yes I do. “Well do you think you left it at your work then?” CRAP. I wanted to hide under a treadmill… he was right, I left it at work. Here I am hysterical, making accusations that someone stole my purse and I was the idiot that left it at work. Oh it's funny now I suppose!
- I have made a point to work out at least 4-5 days a week
- During the month I ran 40.52 miles
- My strength training is improving
- I’ve lost 3 pounds this month
- I reactivated my Body Bugg
I tried on my swimsuit last weekend, and I’m feeling a little bit better. Progress is slow but like they say… however long it took to put the weight on, it takes twice as long to take it off. UGG! I have 8 pounds to lose to get back to my goal weight which is still do-able by our vacation time.
My diet has gotten better but still a struggle. There are definitely days where I just crave a big gooey cinnamon roll for breakfast, ordering a large cheese pizza all to myself and then having alfredo pasta for dinner and top that off with a piece of tiramisu cake, and then a Taco Bell run for a late night snack. Ha! But instead, I have been resorting to salads, fruit, and yogurt. Blah.
I have also starting tanning. A little color always makes me feel better. As well as starting to use this special toning serum to improve my skin’s elasticity; it’s rough being 30! LOL!
What I need to focus on during March:
- Better eating habits
- Shoot for 5-6 days a week at the gym
- Lose an additional 3-4 pounds
- Run 50 miles
- Stay motivated!
That last one can be particularly challenging!!
Now for some comical relief…
- Right before I started getting back into the gym, one of the trainers approached Aaron and asked “Is your wife still a member of this gym? I haven’t seen her here in forever!” How embarrassing…the employees had taken notice I hadn’t been to the gym lately.
- When I do workout videos at home, Charley thinks I want to play when I’m jumping around. Sometimes it’s quite a workout to try to do my workout with her trying to pounce on me at the same time.
- When I Google my workout video for “8 minute abs” I also get “8 minute mini rolls”… talk about tempting!
- As I was gathering my belongings at the gym one day, I could not find my purse. I totally freaked out and told the front desk someone stole my purse. I had quite a few people searching the gym for my purse as I was growing increasingly hysterical. Finally one of the trainers goes “Do you carry your car keys in your coat pocket?” Why yes I do. “Well do you think you left it at your work then?” CRAP. I wanted to hide under a treadmill… he was right, I left it at work. Here I am hysterical, making accusations that someone stole my purse and I was the idiot that left it at work. Oh it's funny now I suppose!
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