Packing hacks can help make big moves less stressful!
We hope that we can do it all but when it comes to moving, the reality is that we can’t. At least not efficiently and while maintaining the slim bit of sanity we try to hold onto when the moving process gets hectic. While it might be extremely easy to think of all the things that could go wrong or already begin to daydream about what your new life in a new city will look like, you first need to figure out how you are going to get everyone and your belongings there in one peace. When it comes to moving, there are few packing hacks that can make it easier for you!
October may not be over yet, but holiday shopping has already started. Especially with the delays in shipping right now it's better to start the gift getting sooner than later. This is the ultimate gift guide for wine lovers.
A few years ago I created a post of gift ideas for the wine lover that were under $25. This year I'm expanding it because if there was ever a time to stock your wine lover's stocking with all the vino magic it's now. Here are my favorite gift ideas for the wine lover in your life!
So much for setting myself up for "success" to not miss another Currently link up with Anne. I definitely didn't have my 'ish together enough to participate last month. Here's to trying again with a little peek at like lately.
When people decide to move from the city to the suburbs it usually is because they are looking for a great school district to raise kids, or wanting to enjoy the charming suburbs and have more space to raise their family. Of course, adding in the coronavirus pandemic to the equation and suddenly there are all sorts of people moving from the city to the suburbs. Many families start with the same wish list that they are looking for such as low taxes, a short commute to where they need to go, and a great school district but there is also another way to approach your home hunt. Below are some key things that first-time suburban families should take into consideration.
Moving soon? Here are 5 ideas to save you time and stress when moving!
Starting over in a new place can be exciting, but the moving part is almost universally despised. Between actually finding a new place, packing up stuff and actually moving it, the process can be overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be! I've had at least 6 personal moves in my adult life (plus packing up to consolidate and store a 4 bedroom house when we moved into the RV), so I've learned a lot about turning a move from painful to promising. Here are five moving ideas and tips to make your next move less stressful.
(Sponsored post: all thoughts are my own.)
1.Have A Plan For Your Move
Think of moving as a big project. The more prepared you are, the smoother the project will go.
I missed last month's link up entirely and am a week late for this one, but life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately. Better late than never to link up with Anne for a Currently checkin.
June Rewind- We ended up spending the entire month in Maine and LOVED every minute of it. Posts with all the best thing coming soon. We were originally planning to only stay for a two weeks, but we loved it so much and a friend decided to come visit so we opted to close of the month enjoying more of Main'e magic. We hiked. We ate lobster (we didn't think the lobster rolls lived up to the hype, but grilling a 4 lb beast of a lobster on the grill sure did). We took in all the coastal New England town feels. It was simply wonderful!
It's the second Tuesday of the month, which means it's time for another Travel Tuesday travel blogger link up. Share any fun travel or RV-related blogs, videos, or IG posts using the blue button at the bottom of this post.
Maybe you’ve been on the road for a while and your trusty RV is beginning to show its age. Or maybe you invested in a used RV from the start and need to do some work on it (smart move!). Either way, if you’re dealing with an RV that has more than a few miles under its belt, it might be time to make some upgrades. Updating your RV can be a daunting project, but it can also be a whole lot of fun. After all, depending on how far you take it and how much work you’re willing to put in, you can basically create your very own custom RV from scratch. But even if you’re not ready to strip your rig down to its bare bones, it’s surprising how much small touches can add to your RV’s ease of use and coziness. Here are a few creative ways to update (or renovate) your RV:
*Sponsored Post
Start with the layout
This project is only for the people who truly want a full RV remodel. It’s for the families that need more space, different bed layouts, or a larger kitchen or bathroom area. If this sounds like you, then start working on the layout. Keep in mind: this will take a lot of time and you have to strip the RV clean (at least pretty much), so it is a BIG undertaking and not for the person who is not handy.
With the 4th of July less than a week away I am revamping an old list of July Amazon finds under $30. Not only are some of the finds still under $30, but many items are also on sale from the last time the list was posted! Let the 4th of July festivities begin...
4th of July Amazon Finds Under $30
4th of July Tank {UNDER $12 with 5% coupon}- Just a little sassy fun for the 4th!
Sandproof Beach Blanket {UNDER $10 with 9% Coupon}- Great for a firework watching on the beach!
Sun Bum Sunscreen {$12.99}- I love Sun Bum sunscreen! It's hypoallergenic, cruelty free, doesn't harm reefs and is paraben free with the same feel of typical sunscreen.
American Flag Suit {$29.99}- and worth every penny! I have this suit in black (two actually in case they stop making them). It is so flattering, fits true to size (though size up if you're in-between sizes), had tummy control and is perfect for playing all day in the waves!
Where the Crawdads Sing {cost $11; currently on sale}- this is by far one of my favorite reads of the last few years and an overall favorite read ever; one I always recommend for someone looking for something new. A beautifully, haunting novel set in the bayou; currently being made into a movie!
I love beach towns because of their laid-back vibe, amazing weather, and easy access to both adventure and relaxation. Beach towns can come in all shapes and sizes, and Florida, specifically, has so many beautiful beaches and towns all over it. Because we cannot cover all of them in just one day, today, we are talking about some of the best beach towns across Florida’s East Coast.
Sharing my favorite Prime Day finds. I will be adding new finds to my Prime Day Finds 2021 on my Amazon storefront throughout the next two days. Happy shopping!
Each month I will be sharing features from the previous month's link up. Share your travel related content (blogs, IG, or YouTube) at the bottom of this post and let's explore together.
Small Town Find of the Month
The Saratoga Winery // Saratoga Springs, NY
The Saratoga Winery was amazing! Not only was this place delicious, from the food to the beverages, but the staff was also so helpful and hospitable. We currently live and travel full time in our RV and they very graciously let us stay overnight in the parking lot after I called to inquire about that as an option (google maps showed they had a large lot). We knew we planned to enjoy a few drinks, so staying allows Babe to drink along with me instead of limiting himself to one glass of wine if we have to move on. Not only did they make space for us (definitely get a reservation as they book up!), but we ended up coming back for brunch before heading out the next morning after we saw them setting up for their RAINBOW MIMOSAS! Yes, you read that correctly. I was curious to see if they would taste good because colorful things can be so hit and miss, but the flavors they use do not taste fake at all. Best mimosas I've ever had! Also, the open-faced, braised short rib sandwich- just do it, you're welcome!
Spring is on it's way out the door, summer is on the horizon and it's time for another monthly Currently catchup. Here's a peek at life lately...
{May Recap}
We spent the month of May fast-pacing our way north. We enjoyed time with family in Tennessee while we waited for Babe's computer to come in. From there we went to Pennsylvania and did a week in Gettysburg, then moved into NY for a week near Niagara Falls. Gettysburg was a very surreal experience. The park is so beautiful, but it's crazy to think about the amount of lives lost there and the history the ground holds. We also did our first Segway tour and LOVED it! Definitely our new favorite way to cover a lot of ground and history at once.
On our way to our week long spot in NY we stayed at a great boondocking spot for one night. Sugar Hill Fire Tower was so peaceful and the fire tower gave expansive views with a glimpse at the Finger Lakes. Plus it's close to Watkins Glen, which is definite must see!
It's been a long time since the last Travel Tuesday Link Up, but I figured it was time to bring it back. However, I am revitalizing it a little bit to hopefully help highlight more great travel bloggers, encourage travel as things begin to open back up or help us travel through the screen. Instead of having my own full travel post as part of the blog, three main categories will change out every month. I will share our favorite small-town travel find. Then a post entered from the month before will be highlighted in each of the other categories. I may slowly add more categories over time, so let me know below if you have any recommendations. The rules for engagement are below, but for now, let's get started with month number one!
Small Town Find of the Month
Bristol, VA/TN
Bristol sits on the border of Tennessee and Virginia. We stayed at Sugar Hollow Park, a wonderful city campground in Bristol, Va, that is only $20 a night. We headed in to explore the town and were amazed by how wonderful it was. Did you know Bristol is actually the birthplace of country music? I had no clue. There are tons of wonderful murals paying homage to country music greats. You pass places on the historic registry, including spots owned by the Carter family (as in June Carter and Johnny Cash). The buildings date back to the 1800s, and many have been beautifully restored. Definitely plan to visit Blackbird Bakery (get the cinnamon roll) and Lumac Rooftop Bar at the Bristol Hotel (Honey Vanilla Old Fashioned is dreams). The whole town is very walkable, but these two spots are just two blocks from each other. There are also great breweries to visit, shops to peek into, and race-themed restaurants to enjoy.
Here's a peek at what things are looking like around here recently...
{April Recap}
We spent the majority of April trying to fit in as much time as possible with all our favorite people in Florida! Between girl's nights, nieces and nephew hugs, games of Exploding Kittens in NSB, and spending the last two weeks touring Tampa with the bro-and-sis-in-law, it was a busy month. We hitched up and headed north on April 30th, only to get stuck on the side of the road after our axle and bearing broke in one of our camper tires. Thankfully, a roadside angel showed up with perfect timing, and his own sign from God that he should stop to help us, after the back doors on his truck flew open when he passed us. May tried to come in with a real bang, but we are hoping for smooth sailing from here on out as we slowly make our way to Maine.
Yellowstone is a stunningly beautiful national park! With last week being National Park Week, I finally got around to putting together our video from our time in Yellowstone National Park in 2018. Babe and I both agreed that it is, so far, the best national park we have visited. The scenery is out of this world, and it’s so easy to navigate, but there are other reasons to visit Yellowstone. Everyone has heard of Old Faithful, and the park definitely gets crowded with people coming to see it, but there are some easy ways to make sure your experience is a great one! Here are 7 tips and tricks for visiting Yellowstone National Park in June…
Tips and Tricks for Yellowstone National Park
First photo: Eagle Creek Campground View from hiking trail \\ Second Photo: Our Eagle Creek Campsite
Where to Stay: Gardiner, Montana (Yellowstone North Entrance)
We heard that the West Yellowstone entrance gets super crowded, especially the closer you get to summer. Make plans to stay just outside the North Entrance to Yellowstone. We stayed at Eagle Creek Campground. This beautiful campground is up on a hill, overlooking Gardiner, Montana, and the north entrance to the park. For only $7 a night we had a campsite all to ourselves. There are no hookups, but there are bathrooms to use if you are planning to tent camp. We had our RV and were able to secure a spot right near the front of the campground. Be sure to try to get there early in the day as Eagle Creek Campground can fill up quickly. The host is very accomodating and tried to make room for people without also overcrowding sites, but if you want to ensure you have a spot, it’s best to set up BEFORE you head into Yellowstone National Park. The town of Gardiner is super cute and offers options for dining and shopping, so you can grab a bite to eat to get set for a day of exploring.
I love having these monthly check-ins to look back on.
{arranging} Our stays for the next few weeks on the road. We have been in NSB for the past few weeks and going back-and-forth to Orlando catching up with family and friends. We are heading to Tampa for the last few weeks of April to spend time with Babe's dad and the bro and SIL. Then come April 30th we are New England bound and I am excited!
{craving} all the pasta and yum yum sauce lately! Not sure why, but even after Chinese food on Friday night (leftovers on Sunday) and Pad Thai on Monday night I am still wanting nothing but Asian noodles of any kind. Trying to keep myself in check though because I am supposed to be limiting gluten- haha.
{enjoying} as much time with friends and fam as we can fit in before hitting the road again. This next stretch will be the longest we've been away since our first time on the road back in 2018. We are planning to be gone for 3 months before we come back to Florida in July for our annual aunt and uncle trip. Being away from everyone is definitely the hardest part of road life (Exhibit A: a throwback video from our first time hitting the road).
{discussing} what we want our route to be from Florida to New England. Our ultimate destination is Maine, but we plan to take 2 months to get there. Trying to figure out the places we most want to stop along the way. Any good recommendations for stops from Florida to Maine?
{preparing} the camper for our next stint. We have somehow accumulated a lot more stuff than we originally had when we first hit the road. I have so many clothes that the closet finally broke. I need to purge and organize. We also have a few small things that need to be fixed, so we are planning to do that on Friday before heading to Tampa on Saturday.
That's it for April, not a whole lot going on other than trying to get set to leave.
This little monthly recap is going to be short and sweet, because I'm playing catch up on all things life/work after a week off, but I didn't want to miss my favorite Currently Link Up with Anne!
February Things: We kicked off February with one last week in Louisiana and a visit from my bestie! Spent the weekend in NOLA and meeting gators on a bayou tour. After a month in Louisiana, we have been staying at my mom's place in TN so that we had a place to store the camper while we flew to Colorado. It's been a month of lazy days, time with family (including a fun 50th celebration, a night in Knoxville celebrating the birth of my cousin with his grandpa and dad, and chats over drinks). We then closed out the month with a great week of skiing and snowmobiling (our first time and HIGHLY recommended) in Breckenridge with my sister and her bf.
Getting clean drinking water in an RV may seem like a hard task, but it's actually really simple and doesn't require a lot of setup. When we were just weekend warriors we had yet to work out a good solution for getting purified drinking water in our RV. I hated thinking about all the plastic we were going through with the water bottles we were using, but we finally figured out a solution that works great for us. Here's how we get clean drinking water in an RV.
How to Get Clean Drinking Water in an RV
You can watch the video above to see exactly what and how we purify the water for RV living or follow these 5 easy steps for how to get clean drinking water in an RV.
I may have missed it last month, but I am back with my 2020 Amazon Favorites and anotherCurrently Linkup with Anne for a look at what's going on around here lately.
Current Location: Ponchatoula, LA
We have been back on the road for almost a month now and are taking it slow and steady this time. We loved all the sites we fit in last time we were on the road, but taking a month to really dive in and enjoy the surrounding areas without feeling rushed is I think going to be bit more our style. So far we have been into Baton Rouge, NOLA, and Downtown Ponchatoula. We have two more weekends here and are looking forward to a bayou tour.
{Loving} Downtown Ponchatoula! We also really loved Baton Rouge and need to experience NOLA again to better appreciate it, now that we took the first visit in to get the lay of the land. But Downtown Ponchatoula really surprised us. It was super cute and quaint. We went to the Berrytown Corner Cafe and tried their King Cake Beignet Bites and, oh. my. heaven! We will definitely be back for them!
{Sharing} When I saw Christina's 2020 Amazon Roundup I figured it would be fun to share my own; so here are my 2020 Amazon Favorites!
2020 Amazon Favorites
Daily To-Do tracker- I absolutely love this non-dated, daily to-do planner. Taking a few minutes each morning to plan my day has made me a lot more productive.
Exploding Kittens- this was our new favorite game find of 2020; think a strange version of Uno (the goal is not to lose your cards, instead the goal is not to explode). The expansion packs also add a lot of fun!
Portable Bluetooth Speaker- perfect for the beach/pool/lake or if you are an RVer with a dually, playing your audiobook on road days because the phone speak isn't loud enough over the engine.
Fairywill Electric Toothbrush- this was such a huge hit when I got mine that we grabbed the upgraded version for Babe
Need to know how to take your own couple or solo travel photos? Here's how!
Getting your own couple (or solo) travel photos is actually pretty easy. This little photo hack has also saved us a lot of frustration, as Babe used to get really annoyed with the amount of time it could take to get a picture. You know the drill; set the photo timer, try to beat the clock, only to realize one of us was blinking or had dropped their smile. It usually ended in "gah, we don't need a photo! Do we really have to take another one?" So you're left with forced smiles and the memory of pulling teeth. Here's how we take our own travel photos as a couple, without asking anyone for help, using time-lapse mode:
How to Take your Own Couple or Solo Travel Photos
You can watch the video above for a quick tutorial or follow these 6 easy steps for taking your own couple travel photos!
We spent the week after Thanksgiving visiting Tallulah Gorge State Park in Tallulah Falls, Georgia. It is a gem of a park, with amazing waterfalls and gorgeous scenery. We stayed 3 nights at the Tallulah Gorge State Park campground. When booking online a lot of the sites were only equipped for shorter rigs, so we were a little hesitant on which spot to book, but we think we found the perfect site. See what we loved about site #43 at Tallulah Gorge State Park...
