#bellsadventures

   One goal I had this year was to travel at least every 3 months. I know that sounds crazy but I' m young, single, and childless so I might as well go for it! Not saying you can't travel once you are married with kids but it does make things a little more difficult. My 1st trip this year was my Friendcation to Rosemary Beach, Florida in March and the 2nd trip was to Dallas, Texas in June. My 3rd trip is coming up this month. So far I'm doing pretty good on the every 3 month goal. ;) I'm putting these trips on the blog so that I can have something physically documented because I'm the worst at printing out pictures anymore.

    I've always said I don't like big cities and that I could never live in one. I like my quiet town and not having to wait in traffic for very long. I was so excited to visit Barb and Isaac this summer in Dallas, Texas and knew I would have a great time because they are some cool cats (and also love the song Redeemed.) :) I didn't think I would LOVE the city like I did. There was always something to do or see, somewhere to go or explore, just so much! We went to the pool, visited doggy daycare, watched youtube and Facebook videos, watched the Bachelorette, ate so much dang food, and had chocolate milkshakes from Stackhouse...AKA crack shakes. Seriously. They put something in those shakes that was so addicting and good! When I got back home, I emailed Stackhouse and raved about their shakes and basically demanded they open one in KY. I got an email back from the owner saying right now they are just in TX and don't plan on expanding anytime soon but he was so glad I enjoyed the milkshakes. Womp womp. I was about to quit my day job to run a restaurant.

Barb and I went to Waco one day to stalk hopefully see Chip and JoJo from HGTV's Fixer Upper. Love them and their show. We visited their shop on Bosque, The Magnolia Market, and also Clint Harp's store, Harp Co. These were two of the cutest shops I have ever laid my eyes on. While we didn't get to meet Chip and Jo, we did meet Clint at his shop and he was so nice and very humble. Just how you see him on the show! His Fixer Upper house was also right next door to his shop so that was neat to see. Such a fun day in Waco and I would LOVE to go back one day and visit the Magnolia Silo's which open next month.

Sidewalk chalk outside Magnolia Market

Clint's 'Fixer Upper'

Clint from Harp Design Co.

Unfinished Silos

Farmer's Market

Dallas Skyline

So full from Stackhouse

Signature pose

Steel City Pops

Dem teef
 Doggy Daycare

CRACKKKKK!

I had SO much fun with Barb and Isaac and can't wait until I can visit Texas again (really I just want another crack shake.)

Instagram Encouragement

Instagram. I love it.

I know a lot of times social media sites are looked at as negative because you only see mostly the good parts of a persons day or their life through a filter. But, I believe its all in what you make of it. Yes, sometimes it is nice to see that others also have off days (don't we all) and that you aren't alone but if anything, I probably need to be seeing something uplifting on my off/bad day! I have recently discovered new accounts that I feel so encouraged/inspired by and thought I would share with you! Some are bloggers, some are shop owners, some are writers, some are hair stylist, and some are just people I have found through other peoples accounts that I enjoy. I'll break them down into categories so that if you don't care about the best foundation to wear, you can read a devotion or see someones work out routine. By the way, these people have no idea I exist. I just love following their instagram accounts!

Beauty

@k8_smallthings

I first found Kate on Pinterest with her famous, easy hair styles. She shares everything from her kids, to home decor, to makeup and hair tutorials. I have followed her blog for years now...like 5 years.

@the_laurenelizabeth

Lauren is Kate's sister. She owns a small jewelry business and is a life + style blogger. Her fashion is on point and she also has easy hair styles and makeup tips. Plus, she loves target too. Win.

@rootpretty 

I have talked many times about Root Makeup! It is the makeup that replaced by beloved Bare Minerals and I could not be happier with the switch. Root's makeup is natural, vegan, and gluten free. They also have tutorials on youtube and give-aways often. I won a $25 gift card once!

@twistmepretty

Abby is a mom to four and a lifestyle/beauty blogger. She makes using a hair wand look like the easiest thing ever! Jealous.

Health/Workouts

@toneitup

The Tone It Up girls are intense! I've done some of their workouts and they are killer. They make it look so easy! I find a lot of their videos on youtube for free.

@karenakatrina

Karena and Katrina are the founders of Tone It Up and this is more of their personal lifestyle account.

@myfreedombell

Jessa Connolly is the owner and designer of Naptime Diaries and a cofounder of Influence Net. I follow her personal account but this is her journey to be healthy. She post about workouts and different meals she prepares.

Home/Budgeting

@joannagaines & @magnoliamarket

Of course JoJo and the Magnolia Market would make the cut! I love love love Joanna's design style and wish she could come a decorate my whole house for me. The Magnolia Market is her shop where she has a ton of cute things! I actually got to visit her store when I was in Texas this summer!

@funcheaporfree

Jordan, who blogs at funcheaporfree.com, is fantastic. She is all about a budget, thrifty living, style, and raising her four kids. She was also on TLC's extreme cheapskates. She blogs about going on vacations for cheap, buying stuff second hand, exercising, recipes...literally everything! Follow her now!

@iheartorganizing

Jen is seriously all of your organization/OCD needs in one place. She can organize anything and make it look beautiful while doing it!

@rachelcruze 

Rachel Cruze is Dave Ramsey's daughter. Yes, the budget guy. She has motivated me to pick back up my Total Money Makeover book (by Dave Ramsey) and start a budget in August. On my way to being debt free!

@emilyley

Emily, creator of the Simplified Planner, makes me want to be more organized. Her instagram is so bright and upbeat! One day I will own a Simplified Planner... one day.

@jonesdesigncompany

Emily Lex blogs over at Jones Design Co. and is the sweetest. My friend, Barbara, got me hooked on her blog and her instagram is just as fabulous. I listened to her on a podcast today (more on that in a moment) and I love her even more now. You would think I knew these people in real life. haha.

Bible/Encouragment

*This is my longest section. I am trying to fill my social media accounts with uplifting, encouraging, and inspiring people. People who make me want to be a better person.

@shereadstruth

She reads truth has daily bible studies that you can follow along with and they also have an app you can download for your phone. The studies are beautiful. I have done a few of their studies and I can always learn something from them.

@proverbs31ministries

This is an account similar to She Reads Truth. Proverbs 31 Ministries have different writers that prepare devotions every day. They also have a new app that launched recently called First 5. Its set up so that you can set your morning alarm on the app and before you look at anything else on your phone (FB, emails, text, etc) you can read a devotion so you start your first 5 minutes in your day in the word. Pretty cool. The first devotion starts on Monday.

@quitewomanco

This account also has daily devotionals 7 days a week!

@lifelivedbeautifully and @llbshop

Gretchen, the owner of Life Lived Beautifully, has been SUCH an inspirations to me lately. She lives in TN and is a recent new momma to Nolan. She created the Give Me Jesus journal which I currently use during my quiet time. She has recently started a study through Philippians which I am enjoying. I highly encourage you too follow her on instagram and follow her shop, llbshop. I want to be her next door neighbor because she seems so genuine and sweet!

@carriegraceshop

If you want to see someone love on people or want to know how to love on strangers, Carrie is your girl. She gives to the homeless, encourages me daily, and is a believer in kindness. She loves the color pink and TSwift. How could you not like another Swiftie?!

@laracasey

Lara Casey is the author of the book Make It Happen and the Editor-in-Chief at Southern Weddings (love)! She encourages others to go for their dreams, to have goals, and to never give up!

@amylouhawthorne

I actually found Amy through the hashtag #journalingbible and #doodlesbyamylou. I believe she was the first person who I had really seen use a journaling bible and I love the idea of it. She is so talented!

@jamieivey 

I was recently introduced to Jamie, once again through Barb, and I LOVE her! She makes podcast called The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey. I literally listened to her podcast for hours today. Hours. She makes you feel as though she is sitting in your living room just talking with you and your friends. I was so encouraged and uplifted just by listening to a few of the podcast today. I listed to #2, #42, #43 and #47.

@jenhatmaker

Im a big Jen Hatmaker fan. I think this lady is hilarious. Her family also had a show on HGTV called My big family reno. Loved it. She is someone that I follow because she is funny, doesn't take life too seriously, has a love for adoption, and did I mention she was funny?! She is also an author. Her books are good. Look her up and go read!

@laurendemoss

This girl has been such an inspiration to me during my single and spiritual life. She blogs over at thefulltimegirl.com and she has some GOOD post. Seriously, look her up!

So there ya have it! Just a few people that you should follow if you want to feel inspired, encouraged, and refreshed! Let me know of people you follow on social media or blogs you have read that you love. Oh, or podcast. Thats my latest obsession. Now I will continue to binge listen to The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey.

Rosemary Beach Friendcation

 The first week of March we had 2 feet of snow on the ground here in KY. So, the only logical thing to do was to go to Florida with some friends! Actually, Kayla and I had planned this trip around January. Ever since Kayla moved to Illinois, we see each other about once a year. (SAD!) We have always talked about planning a vacation that wasn't in Illinois or Kentucky so when Kayla text me saying we needed to plan something during her spring break, I was all in! I remembered reading last year about Rosemary Beach on a blog that I follow and I thought it was the cutest town. I starting looking on VRBO and Homeaway for places to stay. I found the cutest "beach bungalow" on homeaway.com and quickly emailed the owner. Kim was super fast to respond and answered all my questions within minutes of emailing her. She was very helpful throughout the whole process of purchasing the vacation online. Oh yeah, our beach bungalow was $70.00 a night. SUPER CHEAP! Kayla's sister Kelsey joined in on the trip and she invited her friend Emily and we were ready to roll. It was so much more fun to make it a girls trip!

*Here is a link to the place where we stayed. I also recommend the Home Away app. It is very user friendly and stored important information such as our door code to our room, Kim's Cell #, and the closest gas stations, hospitals, restaurants, etc.*

I can't say enough about Rosemary Beach and just how perfect of a town it is. Its about 10 minutes from Panama off of highway 30-A. People, they have quiet hours from 10 pm to 7am...so basically my dream town! They have strands of lights illuminating their town and the cutest little shops. The beach was never crowded and most days we were the only people using the 12,000 sq ft pool! The roads were paved with cobblestone and the cutest little houses lined the roads. You could rent a bike if you wanted and never even move your car. Everyone was super friendly that we met; probably because those people love rosemary as much as we did! 

I have had a few people ask me what there was to do in Rosemary. All we wanted to do was to eat good food, lay out on the beach or by the pool and do nothing. And that's exactly what we did. We talked, laughed, ate, ate, ate, got SUPER sunburned (well me and Kayla), and enjoyed just resting! As I mentioned, Panama is really close so if you are looking for more attractions or activities, you could drive right down the road. We had talked about going snorkeling in Panama one day but the ocean was so, so cold. The forecast was looking like mid 60's and rainy a good portion of the time we were there. It end up being 70's and 80's and never rained. Perfect weather!

So, onto the pictures! 

This is a meatball sub at Bruno's Pizza. SO good!

Bruno's Pizza

Gangs all here ;)

Does it get any cuter?! Two of the nights we were there was a bonfire and live music on this lawn. 

The BEST doughnuts from Charlie's Doughnut truck. 

When you get up to watch a sunrise that you can't even see, doughnuts are a must. 

Dinner at Margaritaville in Panama.

The iPhone pic doesn't do this Mexican food justice. We ate at La Cocina our first and last night!

Listening to Chris Alvarado. 

Next time, I think I can go the whole trip without hearing uptown funk (Kelsey and Emily) and more Taylor Swift. Even though I believe we listened to every TSwift song on the way there and back. I'm not complaining. Our trip was also filled with chick-fil-a at every stop, sketchy gas stations, not knowing the difference between I-65 N and S (my bad), and driving to Wal-Mart at 11:30 pm to find apple cider vinegar and coconut oil. Pinterest said those two things would help a sunburn and y'all, we were desperate. This trip was so much fun and we are already thinking of a time next year that we can return to Rosemary Beach!

Dessange Hair Products Review

I recently received some FREE full size hair products through Influenster to try and review...and I LOVE it. The shampoo and conditioner smells so good and makes my hair so soft. I also tried the CC color correcting creme. It is meant to be used about once a week but beware,  it comes out of the tube purple. Yes, purple. You leave the product in about 5-10 minutes and then wash it out. I felt like it made my hair a little shiny and made it look healthier. It also didn't turn my hair purple. :) These products can be purchased at Target. I looked up how much they sale for and the shampoo and conditioner are $10 a piece! The CC creme is $12. So I got $32 worth of free products! I am so glad that I received this box from Influenster. If you would like to receive free things as well, follow this link and sign up!

Influenster VoxBox

I signed up on Influenster a few months back and recently received my free VoxBox! Here is a little information on what Influenster is from their website:

Influenster is a community of trendsetters, social media hotshots, and educated consumers who live to give opinions of products and experiences.

Influensters meet here to learn about new products from our favorite brands as well as review the products they already use in their day-to-day lives!

We invite our most active and social media savvy members to participate in exclusive rewards campaigns, such as:

• -VoxBox campaigns where members receive complimentary full-size products to test and review!
• -Interactive Twitter chats with celebrities and in-the-know experts
• -Fun contests where members can earn sweet giveaways
• -Special discounts on featured brands, services, and more!

In return, all we ask of our members is to do what they already love to do: share their opinions with their friends & followers on social media!

Basically, you sign up, read and write reviews on products to earn "badges", do "snaps" you are given, and then hope you are chosen for a free sample VoxBox. It took a few months before I was considered to receive a VoxBox. Their website breaks it down and explains it better as well :]
In my first box I received a Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Spread to try. I tried it with apples and it was really good. The perfect blend of PB and Chocolate.



If you would like to sign up with Influenster and hopefully receive free products, click here!

Freezer Meals

From your freezer to your crock pot, whats not to love?!

These are just a few meals that I would normally make in my crock pot but I decided to do a little meal prepping and prepare them ahead of time. If you can brown hamburger meat, you can make these meals. Keep in mind, I make these meals for myself (sometimes friends and family) and to have enough for leftovers. You can alter these meals however you would like. This is just what works for me! ;)

1. Chicken Fajitas 

Ingredients:

• 4 small chicken breast tenderloins 
• 1 packet of dry fajita seasoning mix
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons of butter 
• 1/3 cup salsa 
• 1 package of tortillas of your choice

1) Cut up your red pepper, green pepper, and onion and place them in your gallon freezer bag.
2) Add the chicken, fajita seasoning, butter, and salsa into the bag.
3) When ready to eat, pull out of the freezer and place in your crock pot on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours. When the chicken is done, use a fork to shred the chicken then serve on tortillas with sour cream and shredded cheese.

This recipe above is enough to feed about 4 people. I made 2 freezer bags of this mixture. Super easy and super cheap!



2. Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of chili-o seasoning mix (or whatever kind of chili seasoning you like)
• 1 lb of ground beef
• noodles (any type)
• 1 can of chili beans
• 2 (large, 29 oz) cans of tomato sauce 
• 1/2 onion, chopped 

1) Brown your ground beef and drain the grease off. 

2) Cook your noodles until done.

3) Combine all ingredients in a gallon freezer bag.

4) When ready to eat, throw in your crock pot on warm for 6 hours. Or low for 4 hours if you are wanting to eat it sooner.

Those are the ingredients that I use in my chili. You could always make your favorite chili recipe and then freeze it. I split this recipe into 2 freezer bags. This recipe is normally enough to make one large pot of chili. 

3. Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (15 oz)
• 2 cans Veg-all mixed vegetables (1 29 oz can, 1 15 oz can), drained
• 1 large can of tomato juice (46 oz) 
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
• Salt and Pepper 

1) Brown your ground beef and drain the grease off. 

2) Combine the rest of the ingredients in your gallon freezer bag. 

3) When ready to eat, throw in your crock pot on warm for 6 hours. Or low for 4 hours if you are wanting to eat it sooner.

4. Taco Meat

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 packet of taco seasoning 

1) Brown your ground beef and drain the grease off. 

2) Combine 1 cup of water and 1 packet of taco seasoning and add to your meat. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.

3) Place the meat in your gallon freezer bag. When ready to eat, throw the meat in your pan and let it heat up for some nachos or tacos!

5. Fluffy Potatoes  

Ingredients: 

• 8-9 medium to large russett potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1/2 cup sour cream 
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used monterey jack)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped chives (or more if you would like!)
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• salt and pepper 

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Rinse and dry the potatoes and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes to coat. 
3) Bake for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. 
4) Place the sour cream, cream cheese, monterey jack cheese, chives, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix together. 
5) Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Then take a spoon and scoop out the inside of the potatoes, leaving a thin rim of potato inside the skin. Add the potato pulp to the bowl with the other ingredients.
6) Using a fork, gently mash the ingredients together until smooth.
7) Spoon the mixture back into the potatoes. 
8) At this point, you can eat the potatoes or freeze them. If freezing them, place the pan of potatoes into the freezer (uncovered) for about 20 minutes to let them harden on the outside.
9) Place the potatoes in a gallon freezer bag and when ready to eat, bake them at 375 degrees until warmed. 

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe (she is the BEST!) I broke down the instructions a little bit but for pictures along the way, visit her page here.


6. Baked Penne

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1 jar(16 oz) alfredo sauce 
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 box (1 lb) penne pasta
• 2 jars of spaghetti sauce* 

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. 

3) Cook pasta until done.

4) Brown the ground beef with the onion until done. Drain off excess grease. 

5) Pour in one jar of spaghetti sauce into the meat and keep on warm. 

6) Once the pasta is done, drain the excess water off and return your pasta to your pot. Pour in 1 jar of alfredo sauce and combine until mixed thoroughly. 

7) Pour your pasta mixture into your baking dish so that it covers the bottom. 

8) Now add you meat mixture so that it covers all of the pasta layer. 

9) If you are wanting to freeze this, now is the time. Place in a freezer safe pan. You can add mozzarella cheese to the top right before you bake it. 

10) If baking right away, sprinkle the top of your dish with mozzarella cheese and cover with aluminum foil then bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

* The 2nd jar of spaghetti sauce is optional but I like to pour a little more sauce on the pasta once it is cooked. 

This recipe is off of Pinterest and you can find it here. I mentioned it in my last post. I have ate it straight from the oven and frozen and it is great both ways. 

Tips:
*Run some hot water over your freezer bag to break up the ingredients inside before placing into your crock pot. It is almost impossible to get a frozen meal out of a plastic bag. I would know.
* Brown all the hamburger meat while you are cutting up vegetables and preparing other meals to save time.
*Your crock pot might not cook the same way mine does. So if you can, keep an eye on your meals the first couple of times you use it to make sure they do not burn in the crock pot.

I hope these meals work for you and that you love them as much as I do. All of this only took me about 2 hours so it is very easy to do and you will thank your self later! If you have any questions, comment below! ;)

Pinterest Recipes

We all love Pinterest...do we not?! I have a lot of 'pins' on my food board but until recently I had not tried a lot of them. So, here are some recipes that I have tried the past few months that are really good and that I will make again!

• I made this Baked Ziti last night and it was so easy to make and I even had enough to freeze some leftovers! I think it is even better heated up the next day. 

• I have a love for pasta and this pasta with tomato cream sauce is from one of my favorite gals, The Pioneer Woman! (Yes, I DVR her show.) I recently found this pinned on pinterest so I thought I would throw it onto this list as well.

• This BBQ chicken is really the best I have ever had. I made it with these crockpot mashed potatoes. If you didn't know, I could live off of mashed potatoes alone so I had high expectations for these potatoes...and they didn't let me down. 

• I have recently developed a love for spicy things and this buffalo chicken dip is fantastic. 

• How did people cook meals before crockpots?! I use my crockpot whenever I can (which is often). Its just so simple! These crockpot chicken and dumplings are easy and you will have plenty of leftovers. 

• Once again, another easy meal- Crockpot chicken fajitas! Takes no time to prepare and they have a great flavor!

• This pineapple cheese ball  is so, so good. I served it at my housewarming party with sun-dried tomato and basil wheat thins. 

• I made this PB and banana sandwich for lunch one day. You can never go wrong with peanut butter. 

• These homemade pancakes were so easy to make and so fluffy! You can also freeze the leftovers and they reheat just as well. 

These are just some of my favorites lately. What did we ever do before Pinterest?!

*Side note- I have to condense a lot of these recipes since I am normally only cooking for myself and to have leftovers for the next day. You can tweak them to make however much you would like ;)*