🍂Holiday Season

Happy Sunday lovelies!

🍁Fall is a spectacular season. The colors (especially in Tennessee) are stunning each year. I was thrilled when Nathan and I made a quick trip back up to Knoxville a couple weeks ago, because we were able to see a decent amount of Fall colors in the mountains! The weather was chilly and dreary, but it was still beautiful. 

I stopped by The Consignment Shoppe in Farragut to do some shopping while Nathan worked at his observatory. The entire store was decked out in Christmas decor! I finally felt more excited about the upcoming holidays while looking around! 🎄

I ALWAYS find the most one of a kind, unique items at The Consignment Shoppe. I looked over the store about 6 different times, and kept finding things I didn't see before! The prices are insanely terrific. No matter what you are looking for, I bet you will find it at this shop!


It was a short trip to Knoxville, but I was glad we were able to see some friends and enjoy our quick visit!

Our furbaby sure was happy to see us when we got back home! He did not want to leave my lap!

Thanksgiving was so wonderful! We spent Thanksgiving at my Mother's this year; my brother and his family came up to visit as well. I had a blast spending time with my adorable nephew, but sure missed seeing my niece! There was a plethora of food (naturally), and the leftovers filled us up for days! 😆 My favorite Thanksgiving dish is green bean casserole! It is delicious! Our day was spent with too much food, hanging out with family, and just taking it easy.
I rarely participate in Black Friday shopping (I've worked retail and know how it goes) but Nathan and I did stop at a store to pick up a gift that we got a great deal on. Score!

Snuggles with my nephew!💕

Thankful ❤️

Pumpkin Pie!

Walking off some calories, to make room for more food!

With Thanksgiving officially over, we put up the Christmas decorations! It was quite strange not putting up my own decorations in my own home, but I am incredibly grateful that my Mother let me help her decorate her home! The Christmas music was blasting while we decorated, so now I'm even more excited for Christmas! 🎄

I hope everyone else had a fantastic Thanksgiving as well! 😊

QUESTIONS

* What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?

* Do you go Black Friday shopping or shop online?

* Do you put your Christmas decorations up before or after Thanksgiving?

A Visit to Historic Rugby

Happy Saturday!!

Yesterday, the hubs had the day off. It was such a gorgeous day, so we decided to venture someplace new! Historic Rugby was our decision, and it turned out to be amazing! As soon as we pulled into the Visitor Center, we were welcomed and greeted by the sweetest people! It turned out that they were closed for the season, however, sweet Sue Belle still gave us a private tour! Sue was awesome, and Nathan and I were technically her first tour! Many of the buildings were closed, but the ones we were able to go into were stunning!

Historic Rugby is quite a unique place to visit up in the Cumberland Plateau. It was founded in the 1880's by a British author, & Social Reformer, Thomas Hughes. Thomas Hughes had a vision to create a community he considered to be an aspiring Utopia, especially for the younger sons (not likely to inherit any money) of British families. The village is tucked away in a serene area near the Big South Fork National Park.
Although Thomas Hughes had tremendous goals and dreams for the town, it declined in the 1900's with many people abandoning the area. After years of struggle to keep the town in good shape, a new man, Brian Stagg (in the 1960's) helped repair and restore the image along with the help of some of the descendants of the original settlers. Thanks to Brian Stagg, the village and many of the buildings are registered as Historical landmarks.

Here are some of the pictures I took along our walking tour:

Visitor Center

Kingston Lisle

Straw Hats made in the 1900's

Alexander-Perrigo House

Thomas Hughes Library

Episcopal Church

School House/Museum

Harrow Road Cafe

Print Shop

The town and buildings officially re-open March 17th - there will also be an event going on that day called "Hike Rugby." This little town is super cute, and everything is within walking distance!

I'm looking forward to going back as soon as they open so we can check out the inside of ALL the buildings, and the cafe! There are cute places to stay, including a Bed & Breakfast!

Check out the website for more information: Historic Rugby

There is so much history to be appreciated in Historic Rugby. It's truly fascinating how one man's dream continues thanks to the volunteers who are extremely dedicated in keeping the town alive!

I highly recommend checking out Historic Rugby, especially if you live in Knoxville (and surrounding areas)!! You won't be disappointed!! 😀

QUESTIONS:

* Do you enjoy History?

* What Historical places are your favorite to visit?

* Have you been to visit Historic Rugby?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!!

Hi y'all! Happy February! ❤️

There have recently been some changes in my life and now I've been given more free time to focus on my health.

With my health and fitness being my biggest priority right now, I have exciting news to announce! I am now an official Distributor of Herbalife

🙌🏼

Thanks to my Sister-in-Law, I recently have become obsessed with Herbalife shakes (they are delicious!), and other fantastic products! So far I have stuck with the vanilla protein powder to mix with three different Formula-1 powders - dutch chocolate, vanilla, and cafe latte. You can add in sugar free syrups, almond milk, regular milk, instant Jell-O powder, PB2 (or regular peanut butter), fruit, etc.! So far, I've only been blending my powders with water and ice. The shakes are scrumptious as is!

I also joined and completed a 6 Day Eat Clean Challenge!
Figuring that being involved in a challenge, I would have more motivation to do my best and attempt to be more active (as active as I can be - thanks Fibromyalgia! 😡 ).

WARNING: I apologize in advance for all the selfie pics and shake/food pics, but that's what this challenge was all about!

The 6 day eat clean challenge consisted of drinking two shakes a day, having one regular (healthy) meal (usually dinner), and one-two protein & veggie filled snacks throughout the day. I added Prolessa Duo (enhancer to help make you feel more full) to one shake each day, and took the Cell-U-Loss tablets (helps with water weight) 3 times a day - with each meal. Not to mention, I made sure to drink a LOT of H2O!!

Day 1 began on Thursday: February 1st

Breakfast - Cafe Latte shake with Prolessa Duo & Cell-U-Loss

Dinner was a shredded buffalo chicken spaghetti squash meal! It isn't pretty, but wow, it's delicious!

Shredded buffalo chicken and spaghetti squash is super easy to make. I cooked the squash at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. In the crockpot, I cooked the chicken with buffalo sauce then shredded it once it was fully cooked & tender! Combine shredded chicken with shredded squash! That's it!

Day 2 (Friday):

Breakfast shake

I mixed up my shake and had 1 scoop of the cafe latte with 1 scoop of dutch chocolate mixed with the vanilla protein powder and prolessa duo! Yum!

At the gym, the ladies only section was empty...for like, 10 seconds. I enjoyed it while I could!

As far as my daily healthy meal, I had a Panera greek salad for lunch!

For dinner, I had my second shake of the day - dutch chocolate was the winner!

Dinner shake

Day 3 - Saturday:

Breakfast:

You spin me right round baby, right round round round 😂


Snack time:

1 whole egg and 2 egg whites scrambled with onion and peppers!

Lunch shake:

Dutch chocolate shake w/ Prolessa Duo and 1 Tblspn of PB2!

Dinner was leftover buffalo chicken with steamed veggies!!


Day 4 (SUPER BOWL SUNDAY):


Breakfast:

Cafe Latte

Snack:

1 egg, 3 egg whites and veggies

Lunch was a basic dutch chocolate shake!

Dinner: Ground turkey with tomato sauce, pinto beans, black beans, & taco seasoning mixed in with quinoa (my meals are never pretty, but boy, they are delicious)!

Day 5 - Monday (almost there!):

Breakfast: Cafe Latte shake on the go!

Snack: 1 banana with crunchy peanut butter

Lunch: Dutch chocolate shake ❤️

Dinner: Brussel sprouts and leftover chili!

DAY 6  AKA LAST DAY OF THE CHALLENGE (Tuesday)!!!:

Breakfast: FINALLY mixed it up some (pun intended) - French Vanilla shake with a few frozen strawberries! 🍓

Snack: 1 banana and crunchy peanut butter

Lunch: Dutch chocolate with Prolessa Duo

Dinner: LEFTOVERS! Yum!!

Turkey chili, quinoa and a TON of steamed veggies!

The 6 Day Eat Clean Challenge was amazing! Only a couple days in, my digestive system was working better! I felt less bloated/weighed down.
The fibromyalgia has been especially more difficult lately, so I couldn't get as much exercise in as I wanted, but even without the extra activity, I still lost weight!


Within the 6 days, I lost a total of 7.2 lbs!
Yep, that's right! 7.2 lbs down in 6 days! Woohoo!
My main goal was to get kickstarted and motivated to begin a healthier lifestyle. Which, I am certainly more motivated and inspired because internally, I feel better. The rest of my body, thanks to the fibromyalgia, unfortunately does not (yet). - Work in progress.

I NEVER starved myself or deprived myself. I had my shakes and healthy filling snacks, so I never was unhealthy! Again, this is not a diet, this is a lifestyle. 💪🏼

I absolutely love the Herbalife products and although the 6 day challenge has ended, it's not over for me.
My goal is to lose 33.6 lbs (at my current weight), but most importantly, my major goals are to be more fit/active and stronger!

I enjoy the products so much, and have LOVED my results so far, that I signed up to be an Independent Distributor through Herbalife!!

If you have any questions on products and/or would like to place orders, let me know!
Feel free to check out and place orders on my website: Kyla's GoHerbalife


I look forward to sharing my journey with you guys and hope you join me in working on your own health and fitness goals!!



*Always consult your Doctor before trying new products; what may work for some, may not work for others. 

Wisconsin Trip Recap

Good morning y'all! 

I made sure to get up early to finish this recap post, before I start working on house chores!

Thanksgiving is next week already! I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to it! 😄

Our furbaby is happy now that Nathan and I are back home!

The most important lesson I have learned this year is that you never know what you have until it is gone. Take the time to see family/friends because life is short.

My Uncle was turning 70, I knew I couldn't miss the opportunity to surprise him for his Birthday celebration! Nathan and I drove up to Wisconsin, and surprised him the night before his party! My Mother flew in as well and had surprised him earlier that day! My Aunt did a great job pulling everything together, he was so shocked!

Obviously, our road trip adventure had to begin with some hot coffee from Dunkin Donuts!

Of course, Taylor Swift's new album came out, so I made Nathan listen to it at least a few times on our drive! ;p Not gonna lie, I'm obsessed with this album! My favorite songs are currently is, "I Did Something Bad," and "Getaway Car."

Our trip lasted about 11 hours because we took our time and stopped along the way.

In Berea, KY, we stopped at the Kentucky Artisan Center!

The first painted rock I have come across!

The Artisan Center was such a fun stop! There was a cafe, seating area, an area for demonstrations, and of course TONS of handmade items/gifts by local artists! I highly recommend checking it out if you are nearby!

I wish we could have spent more time, but we had to get back on the road.

I did pick up some Wild Pecan Cocoa granola at the Artisan Center! I can't wait to try it with some yogurt!

Speaking of snacks....

A road trip is incomplete if you don't have proper snacks! I grabbed these coffee nut m&m's to try out along the way - they did not disappoint!

Um, yes! Coffee Nut M&M's are delicious!



SURPRISE!!!!

Haha, there is no sound because although it was a very happy moment, my Uncle was shocked and said a "bad" word! 😂

We had a wonderful evening catching up and hanging out!


A friend of the family/neighbor offered to take Nathan and I over to a trail in the neighborhood, so we took him up on his offer because we desperately needed a good walk after being in the car the entire day before. It was a nice short hike, but exactly what we needed. 

You never know what you will see! We came across a cute fort and had to get our picture taken in it!

🎈 PARTY TIME!!!

Happy 70th Birthday!

Birthday cake time!! 🎂

The Birthday cake was hilarious because the candles were trick candles that wouldn't blow out!

The party was a huge success!!

Nathan used to live in Switzerland; we found out about the charming town of New Glarus, "Little Switzerland," being only right down the road, we had to go! My Uncle and Aunt were so sweet to take my Mom, hubby, and me down there to explore the town and have breakfast at Chalet Landhaus! 🇨🇭

There were painted cows everywhere!

Exactly!

Rosti Potatoes

The restaurant was adorable! The staff was friendly, and the food was fresh and delicious!

Our time spent in Wisconsin truly was an incredible time! It was basically a family reunion because I  got to hang out with cousins that I haven't seen in over 13 years! 

I'm looking forward to another trip up there, hopefully soon!

On our way back home, we took a quick detour to stop and see some of Nathan's family history - the old family farm, and the town where his Great Grandparents, Grandparents used to live!

Stare down with a squirrel

The Elms Building in El Paso, IL

The Elms Building is beautiful! If we had the money, we would buy it and fix it up! It would make a spectacular Bed & Breakfast, wouldn't it?!

Since we were traveling on Veterans Day- I didn't get a chance to say Thank You to all of our Veterans!! 🇺🇸

Words can't express how thankful I am to our Veterans, and those still serving our Country!

QUESTIONS

* Have you listened to Taylor Swift's new album? Do you have a favorite song?

* Have you ever surprised someone for their Birthday?!

* What are your plans for Thanksgiving?