Wanderlust Wednesday: 2016 Travel Plans

After seeing a few blogger friends post about their plans this year like Kate and Macy, I thought it would be fun to share our own plans this year!  We are beyond excited for Mike's sister who is getting married this year, so you know a few flights to New England are in the works, plus I have a couple business trips that Mike is tagging along for!  Thanks to Macy, we also finally got a Southwest credit card, and our goal is to make it to "companion level" so that one of us can fly free every place we go next year - wish us luck!

But before I begin, I also realized that I never recapped 2015 in any way (blogger fail), so here are a few of the highlights: weekend in Disney, Dallas for work, day trips to watch two golf tournaments (The Masters and The Players), our honeymoon in May to the Bahamas (we even swam with pigs!), a summer weekend in New England, two NFL games (Atlanta and Charlotte), fall weekends in New England and Delaware, Thanksgiving on Hilton Head Island, and finishing off the year back with family and friends in the Northeast.

Now for 2016:
January: Well, it's already over, but we didn't leave Charleston - haha!
February: Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon weekend!  Then, back to Charleston for a day before we keep heading north to Myrtle Beach for a work trip and golf.
March: One of our former roommates is getting married in Boston, so we are making it into a weekend in the city!
April: This is the month when golf really comes back, so I hope we will get to either The Masters in Augusta, GA again this year or The Heritage on Hilton Head Island, which takes place the weekend after.
May: Denver!  I have a conference for work, and Mike is tagging along.  We cannot wait to go to Coors Field and Red Rocks - other suggestions, and are there any fellow bloggers out there?
June: Up to New England for my sister-in-law's bachelorette and shower!
July: We'll be in the Northeast for almost two weeks around the wedding with adventures that will include: NYC to see Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden, Cooperstown, NY for my 28th Baseball Hall of Fame Induction, and Central Massachusetts for the wedding!
August-November: Staying in Charleston after our whirlwind first half of the year!
December: Annual trek back up to the Northeast for the holidays!

Phew! It's going to be a few busy months, but we are so excited!  Anyone have an suggestions for a fairly short Memorial Day trip or other weekend adventures around South Carolina?

Linking up with Kerri, Kate, and Emily for Wanderlust Wednesday!

Month of Love: Charleston Favorites

Hey, it's me again!  Two posts in one day?! What is this madness?? Well, I promised last week that there would be a giveaway up every Monday, and I couldn't disappoint on just my second week.  First of all, congrats to Sarah for winning last week's Cube Appeal giveaway!  I hope you enjoy your initial print.

This week, the giveaway is all about my city and some of my personal favorite brands.  I've joined together with some amazing small businesses so that y'all can get a taste of Charleston!  Here's what I've rounded up:

 Plantation Peach American Classic Tea ||| Candlefish No. 33 ||| Essentially Southern His & Hers sets ||| Megan Lacey Design Calligraphy Card (basket not included)

There are so many wonderful local vendors in Charleston from Etsy shops to stalls at the open air market, and I'm even so impressed with how many "big" stores will feature local brands and items!  Charleston is a great plac to shop.

Together, these items make for the perfect relaxing afternoon at home, and I am so excited for one of my readers to try all of them.  As an added bonus, one of the fantastic companies, Essentially Southern, is offering 15% off to all Borrowed Heaven readers with the coupon code SOUTH15 through February 29th!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received these products in exchange for an honest review and to share with my readers through a giveaway.  

Start The Week Nutritiously: Carnation Cookies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.  All opinions are mine alone. #CarnationSweepstakes #BetterBreakfast #CollectiveBias

Good morning, friends.  Here we are, back to the grind on another Monday.  As you might know, my resolutions this year include continuing to exercise, but also paying more attention to what I put in my body.  I want the foods I enjoy to be more nutritious, especially at breakfast, to help sustain me throughout the day.  I have to be honest, 2015 me was so guilty of snoozing the alarm over and over, then sitting in bed scrolling through social media (Do those flashback apps get anyone else? I just need to know what I was doing exactly 8 years ago before I get up!) all before almost falling back asleep in the shower.  Well, with my new year and new resolutions, I am making an effort to have my mornings be more productive.  At least two days a week, I wake up extra early to go to the gym before work, and everyday I've been giving myself enough time to get ready, put on makeup (another resolution!), and eat breakfast.  Giving myself those extra 15 minutes in the morning to sit on the couch, watch my favorite morning talkshow while eating breakfast, and mentally prepare for the day has made my recent days so much better.

One of things also helping my morning start off on the right foot in the breakfast department is Carnation Breakfast Essentials®.  I've created the perfect way to have a breakfast routine, and hey, if you take the Carnation 7-day Breakfast Challenge (more information at the end of this post!), you can even win prizes throughout the month of February!

My breakfast routine includes two things: delicious Carnation Cookies made with Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Powder in Rich Milk Chocolate and a Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Ready-to-Drink Bottle.  

What I love about these cookies is that I can bake a whole batch at the beginning of the week, and it's take no prep time each morning.  The cookies have only 5 ingredients and 58 calories each.  I eat 3 each morning, and one batch makes enough to last a full week.  If you aren't a fan of chocolate in the morning, you can also make these with the strawberry powder for a delicious strawberry banana cookie!

Ingredients:

- 2 ripe bananas

- 1 packet of Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Powder in Rich Milk Chocolate

- 1 cup quick oats

- 1/2 cup chopped pecans

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. With a fork, mash the two bananas in a bowl.

3. Stir the chocolate powder, oats, pecans, and vanilla extract into the banana mixture.

4. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan with cooking spray or coconut oil and fill each muffin cup with 1 tablespoon of batter.

5. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.

6. Store cookies in an air-tight container.  They will last for a week in a cool, dry place.

Now it's your turn!  Are you ready to take on the Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Sweepstakes?  All the products featured above can easily be found at your local Walmart, and you can find more great recipe ideas on the Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Facebook page.  

1. Sign up at CarnationBreakfastChallenge.com. 

2. Complete a simple yet fun breakfast mission for a chance to win.  New prizes will be revealed every day!

3. Come back any day in February to complete missions and see new prizes.  The prizes range from a Fitbit to a GoPro and other awesome stuff.

4. Head to your favorite store to purchase a Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Nutritional Product and upload your recipe for five extra entries per day.

• What's your breakfast of choice to start a busy work day?
• Have you ever tried any Carnation Breakfast Essentials® products?