8 Pairs of Shoes for Spring

I don’t know what has come over me in the last few weeks… I don’t know if its my STRONG desire for warmer weather, I don’t know if its from being stuck inside but I am on a major shoe kick right now! Usually I am on a {never-ending} lipstick/earring kick but right now its shoes and lets just say ya girl is on a budget but still wants to be able to achieve those fun spring looks and keep up with the trends!

I usually look to Target for trendy shoes just because they are more affordable and they will last the whole season, if not two seasons. I like the quality and the fit/feel of 90% of the Target shoes that I try on. But on the other hand, if its a style of shoe that I know that I will be able to wear it season after season because that style or trend will stay in style, then I might go ahead and purchase a little bit more expensive of a shoe. This will let me save money in the long run because I’m not going to have to rebuy that style next year!

Here are all of the shoes that I grabbed to try this year and I ended up loving them all! Numbers 5 and 7 I have had for many years. The Sam Edelman shoes literally got me through our Greece trip back in May of 2018!! If you are newer and missed those posts, you can read about them here! But the other 5 are new to me and I am loving them!

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Once we get back to a new normal you will see me wearing all of these for tons of different occasions. Date nights, grocery store runs, weddings, vacations.. there is something here for almost every occasion! I really wanted to tick all of the boxes when it came to what I was ordering. I would love to know which pair are your favorite?? Mine are number 3 for sure!

10 Things to do When You're Bored

10 Things to do When You’re Bored

1. Beading - I mentioned in stories a few weeks back that I started a new hobby. It has been something that I have had everything in and out of my Amazon cart for about 6 months before I finally decided to do it! Its so fun to not have any rules and get to make something! There are so many sizes and shapes of the beads. Its actually really relaxing as well. I am able to turn on a movie or a show and bead! I linked everything that I need here!

2. Pigment Coloring App - This is really only an idea if you have an iPad or some type of tablet but I love this app so much. There is a paid version but I just use the free coloring pages {there are tons and more are being added all the time!}. For me its calming because I am so focused on the coloring that my brain isn’t thinking about 100 other things. Its actually something that turns my brain off.

3. Take a drive - My mom keeps texting me and saying “Go eat lunch in Vermont!”. We live like an hour from Vermont and she thinks it will be like the perfect afternoon activity. I know not everyone lives super close to a different state but really what I mean is go for a long drive with a stop at the end. You could easily choose a park that is like an hour away and take a packed lunch and eat in your car! Just for a change of scenery!

4. Take an online course! There are so many businesses and companies that are offering free classes right now. I will link a couple below!

   1. Nikon is offering free Photography classes in April! Link is here.

   2. Duolingo has free language lessons! Find those here.

   3. iTunes U has SO many free classes to take! There were a ton that looked interesting about Earth Month! I linked where you can find those here.

5. Join a book club! Facebook has so many good options. Here are the two that I am currently in! Caila’s Corner and we are reading “The Two Lives of Lydia Bird” and Lynzy & Co, we are reading “Love Does”. I love being a part of these two because it gives me an assignment and a sense of community with the group!

6. A classic puzzle - This is something that I like to do that is not a sit down and complete until its done. I like to open a puzzle and work on it as I please until its complete. It might be a couple of hours, it might be a couple of days. It just depends! I linked to a ton of puzzles in this blog post here.

7. Learn a new skill! YouTube is a great resource for this! You can pick up so many new skills from youtube all for free I might add. Here is a list of some of the ones I could think of!

   • origami

   • Beading

   • Knitting

   • Making Soap

   • Kickboxing

   • Starting a bullet journal

   • Calligraphy

8. Work on a goal - Playing off of the last idea, make a goal for something small that you have always wanted to do. Here are some examples: work on your handstands or being able to do the splits.. Play with eyeshadow {I am hopeless with eyeshadow lol}, perfect the winged liner look! Learn to curl you're hard.. another thing I realllllly can’t do lol

9. Cook something - You could do the “At Home Chopped Challenge that I talked about in this blog post here. Learn how to make something that you had one one of your favorite vacations.. {Pasta from Italy, tatziki from Greece, copycat recipes from Disney World! Disney Hungry has a ton of good copycat Disney Recipes!} They don’t all have to be desserts! You can make so many fun things! Get creative!

10. Start that crazy long movie series! I love watching movies like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings that you can really get into the characters and watch them grow. There are so many movie series’ to binge.. I made a list!

    • Harry Potter

    • Lord of the Rings

    • The Hobbit

    • Star Wars

    • Jurassic Park

    • Pirates of the Caribbean

    • Avengers

    • Any combination of Marvel movie sets {Iron Man, Captain America, Spiderman, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant Man}

    • Star Trek

    • Divergent Trilogy

    • Fantastic Beasts

    • Pitch Perfect

    • Transformers

    • Twilight

    • X-men

11. Watch the Disney Nature documentaries on Disney+! I loved Penguins, Elephant, and Dolphin Reef! Seriously so cute and you fall in love with the little animal families in each of them for sure.

12. Animal Crossing - If you have a Nintendo Switch this game is so much fun. Also if you want to be friends, let’s do it! I’m not even sure how to do that lol but I will figure it out.

This is defiantly one of those blog posts that I will add to as I think of more things! I see new ideas all over the place every day! I know that this time has been really hard on all of us but I will say that I think the creativeness from people has been amazing! So many amazing ideas have come from this all. If you can think of something comment below and I will add it to the list!

Chopped Challenge at Home

This was probably our best idea yet for being stuck at home! Honestly it was so fun and actually a great way to use ingredients that you have in your pantry or fridge! We have done this twice now and it was jut as fun the second time. A couple of things to remember and just accept.. The kitchen is GOING to be a mess, there WILL be a ton of dishes, but you WILL have a blast and create such fun memories!

The way that Dustin and I did this was I picked 5 ingredients for him and he picked 5 ingredients for me. We decided that one of the things that we needed to pick for the other person is a protein just to set the pace for the meal that they will have to make. Like for example I chose ground chicken and that really threw him for a loop and directed the meal a bit.

Chopped Guidelines

• Must use all 5 ingredients in the dish

• Have all ingredients in the dish on the plate

• 40 minutes to complete the dish

• We both also choose an additional 6th item to give to each other 10 minutes into the challenge {such a fun twist!}

• Don’t pick a starch because it might sway the meal too much one way {picking pasta noodles pretty much ensures you're getting pasta.. that kind of thing!}

• Preheat the oven to desired temp {we did 400}, boil a large pot of water and start any other cooking tools you want to use. We did a fryer but you could also preheat like a George foreman, etc.

I would say if you are wanting to do this with your family just choose partners and do it the same way we did! If there is an uneven number then for example, person 1 would choose food for person 2 to cook and person 3 would eat that food for dinner and so on!

Another thing that we thought could be fun so this can be like a once a month kind of thing is to choose themes! Like dinner foods, sandwiches and a side, gourmet breakfast, desserts, chicken dinner.. I mean the list goes on and on! You could pull any theme and it would be so much fun! I think next tie we do this we will do sandwiches and a side!

Sipsby Tea Subscription Review

I was not always a tea drinker, at all. When I worked at an office in Minneapolis, I drank at least 3 cups of coffee a day and usually it was a lot more than that. It was like something for my mouth to do while I was working lol. It wasn’t until we moved to Boston and my life slowed down a whole lot more {aka working from home}, that I decided that I didn’t need to be bouncing off the walls at all times to function. I slowing started buying tea from the grocery store to try. But what I was finding was that I would buy that whole box and then not really like it! It felt like a huge waste.

Back in September when Sipsby reached out to have me work with them I was thrilled to try this subscription. It was perfect for someone like me who really had no idea where to even begin with tea. I have been getting this subscription box since September and what started as a brand partnership has turned into a subscription that I now purchase on my own! This blog post isn’t sponsored in any way, I just wanted to share it with you because I felt it was the perfect solution for being a tea newbie!

So, the way that it works is that you take a quiz and let them know of any allergies that you might have I love that they cared about my gluten allergy! They ask if you want loose leaf, bagged tea, I even tried dissolvable tea! Another question that they ask is if you want caffeinated or non-caffeinated tea. Lastly they go through about 30 flavors of tea that you could have the option of trying and you answer yes, no, or maybe! I can’t even tell you how spot on the accuracy of the quiz is! I have now tried like 20 different teas from them and only disliked ONE out of all of them. They really can tailor the box to any level of tea knowledge that you might have! One option to brew is Eastern: Gongfu cha and you can betcher butt I don’t know what the heck that is lol therefore I didn’t choose it as an option.

Anyways, I think it is such a fun idea to try new things or even a fun gift idea if you know someone who loves tea! It is $15 a month to get 4 kinds of teas to try and they give you 3-5 of each kind they send. So its like 20 cups of tea for $15!! If you have any questions at all I would love to answer them for you! You can email me at tarynintotravel@gmail.com or ask in the comments below!

Free People Sale

Here is the Free People Sale that I was talking about today in stories over on Instagram!

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Quarantine Gift Ideas for Long Distance Friends and Family

I am a person that absolutely loves giving gifts. It makes me so happy to watch someone get excited to open something. In this case it makes me so happy to surprise someone that is at home doing their part to flatten the curve. It has been so fun to watch people get a surprise that they had no idea was coming and that had made me so happy! Today I am sharing some ideas to send to friends and family that maybe live further away or even someone you just want to let know that you are thinking of them! I am also sharing some ideas to send to people in your life who are still working through all of this!

One last thing I wanted to mention is just a small reminder to be patient with shipping. These are obviously not essential items and most places like Amazon are prioritizing shipping for things like food, water and cleaning supplies. Everyone is doing their best!

| Dog Puzzle | Dumbo Puzzle | Mickey and Minnie Puzzle | Aladdin Puzzle | Set of 4 Disney Puzzles | Toy Story Puzzle | Coloring Book | Apples to Apples Disney Edition |

1. Puzzles - can’t go wrong with a good puzzle!

2. Board Games - So many new ones the I haven’t seen before to try!

3. Adult coloring books - if you want you can send colored pencils or markers as well.

4. A new book - This would definitely depend on the person but I added a few that I am interested in below!

5. Snacks - for one of our friends we sent him a popcorn machine and some popcorn seeds to have for movie nights! Another person we send beaver nuggets from Buccees which was super nostalgic because we used to live in Texas. I couldn’t believe I found them on Amazon!!

6. Beauty face masks! Send your favorite charcoal mask or sheet masks!

7. Bath bombs - I know that I have been stressed out and baths always help me to relax and take a minute for myself! Send a box of bath bombs or some Epsom salts!

8. At home nail kit - its no secret that a lot of peoples nails are about to be realllll janky lol an at home gel manicure is not impossible to achieve!

9. Hair mask - they will finally have time to do this with being at home. I feel like I never do them because I don’t have the time commitment to have wet hair. Finally have that time!

| Movie Night Popcorn Kernels and Seasoning | Vintage Popcorn Machine | Bucee’s Beaver Nuggets | Dr. Dolittle DVD | Where the Crawdads Sing | The Jetsetters | Love Does | The Two Lives of Lydia Bird | At Home Gel Manicure set | Set of Nine Face Masks | Bath Bombs | Hydrating Argan Oil Hair Mask |

Things to do extra for nurses, doctors, grocery store workers, front line staff, mail delivery drivers and every single other person that is considered an essential and is still out in the world working.

1. Gas gift cards - For getting too and from work. Idk about you but my sister who works in a hospital is driving well over an hour each way to get to work right now on top of working 12 hr shifts! Give them a gift card for the gas station they stop at the most.

2. Coffee gift cards - I can’t even imagine how tired they are! Send them a coffee or two on you! You can even text Starbucks gift cards.. So easy!

3. Smoothies - You can send them a box of smoothies from Daily Harvest. They have so many options to choose from. They even have soups and other things like oatmeal that you can add to the box! Send them some immunity boosting smoothies to drink. Not to mention it makes meals a lot easier! If you follow this link it will give you $25 off your first box!

4. STAY HOME - I know there are a million people saying this right now but seriously.. this would make them so happy to know that they don’t need to be worried about you on top of everything else they are dealing with at work! Plus its free to do lol

If you guys think of anything else to add to either of these lists please DM me or email me so I can add them to the list! As I think of new ones I will add them and update this list! Have you guys been doing any of these at home already? I have and I am basically now the queen of puzzles now lol Let me know what you guys have been up to!

Hair Accessories to add to your Collection

I mentioned this in stories a couple weeks back that ever since I cut my hair I have been obsessing over hair accessories. I know I could wear them with long hair obviously but I have been having a lot of fun to add things to my short hair! I love that it can totally elevate a look out an outfit when you have a cool clip or headband in your hair. It has also become a bigger trend in the fashion world and that might be an added factor to my obsession as well. I have added many pieces to my hair collection over the last month or so and I figured it was time to share them with you guys! I made a collage for you guys to shop all of the pieces that I am going to share but then I also styled some of the pieces to share how I use them!

Also I want you guys to remember that there is literally no right or wrong way to wear things in your hair. When I first started getting these I would try to figure out exactly how I needed to be wearing them and well I learned that you can do whatever you want. Lol much like how I tell you guys how to build charcuterie boards! DO WHAT YOU WANT. 😂

The first look is a simple headband with your hair down! This is a good day two or three look because I have found that the headband might stay a little bit better with dry shampoo in your hair! I have even added a bit of dry texture spray into my hair to get it to stick in place just a little bit more. If I wear a headband on clean hair I find myself having to reposition and fit the headband all day long because it just has no grit to it. Another fun thing to do with this look would be to curl your hair and add the headband!

A low pony with a giant bow - this is totally a new look for me but I am loving it! It adds so much to a simple look. I try not to make my ponytail too tight to refrain from making myself look like an old English school boy with a low ponytail lol but if I keep my bangs looser then it looks better! This giant bow is great because one, it comes in a pack of 6 or 8 and two, they have the giant clip so you can hold pieces of your hair back that might not fit into your ponytail {this is more of a problem if you have short hair and pieces that fall out of your pony}.

Simple clips to pull your hair back out of your face! There are a couple of ways you can do this… You can either pull back the side that holds the majority of your hair. Or for a more sleek look you can slick back the other side of your hair that has less on it and pin it back that way. I’m very confident that there is a more professional way to explain what I just said lol but oh well. I think you guys get the point.

Half up/half down with a fun scrunchie - I LOVE the look of the ones that have extra fabric almost like tails. Again, I am sure there is a more correct way of explaining this hair accessory. But doing this with your hair can add so much to your outfit. Especially because the majority of the things I wear are fairly plain. I don’t have a lot of clothes that are printed. These can be different prints and patterns and can elevate any outfit!

There are also a ton that I have and love that I didn’t take photos of! You can shop them below!

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My Go-To Gluten Free Snacks

A couple years back when I found out I couldn’t have gluten anymore, one of my bigger worries was what was I going to have on hand for snacks. For meals, that was easier but the grab and go quick and easy snacks is what took some time to figure out. I am a big snacker! I have snacks throughout the day to tie me over between meals! I won’t make this post too long, its really just a list of the things that I like to have on hand when I am hungry. I should also mention that these aren’t specifically healthy, its just the things that I like!

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1. Blue Diamond Almonds - No, not the nastily plain tasting bland sad almonds lol I love the Blue Diamond brand because they have so many flavors! My favorite is the Habenero BBQ {I don’t like spicy, so don’t let the name scare you away}. I also love the Salt and Vinegar and Honey Roasted. I have also recently found the Gourmet flavors and the Garlic Herb and Olive Oil are my favorite of those!

2. Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn - I love this stuff! We always have a bag of this, its healthier and tastier than normal popcorn {usually, sometimes the real stuff sounds better}. But I have to be careful otherwise I could eat wayyyy too much. I usually put it in a bowl to keep myself aware of the amount I’m having. It’s an easy thing to mindlessly eat, for sure.

3. Cheese Sticks - I like how many flavors there are nowadays. We usually have Pepperjack, Mozzarella and Colby Jack cheese sticks on hand. I like to eat the cheese sticks with a handful of the Simple Mills Gluten Free crackers - which in my opinion are the best GF crackers out there.

4. Gluten Free Pretzels - This is something that I have a favorite of but I will still always try new versions of gluten free pretzels. They just aren’t the same as the regular gluten filled pretzels.. but I try to find the closest! I love the Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps. They don’t leave that weird after taste in my mouth that other pretzels do. This is also really random but I love eating pretzels and drinking apple juice - the best combination!

5. Perfect Bars - I get the kids size because the larger ones are too much for me to eat- I love the peanut butter flavor. I think its because they are so thick/dense and the big ones are just too much of the same texture. The kid Perfect Bars are just right for me! I usually have one before I teach early in the morning so that I am not super hungry for my workout and then I can come back and eat breakfast after the gym. Great for tying me over!

6. Oh Snap Pickle Bites - This isn’t something that I always have on hand, I really only grab it from the store if I remember but I do love them! Its a prepackaged crunch with great flavor, I meal hello- pickles. The only downside with these is that I usually can’t finish them, there are a lot in the package which I guess is good and bad. But if you take them to work and don’t finish them then you either waste them or have to bring a container for the rest of them to go in.

7. Rice Cakes - They are seriously boring on their own but I like to have mine with Laughing Cow cheese {any flavor} and Everything But The Bagel seasoning on top! Another way I like to eat them is with peanut butter and banana or peanut butter and chocolate chips on top!

8. Heavenly Hunks Oatmeal Bites - Oh my gosh you guys, these are ADDICTING. I usually just stock up when I find them at TJ Maxx or Marshalls but I do know that they have them in Amazon as well. My favorite are the oatmeal dark chocolate ones but I know they have other flavors as well! You really can’t go wrong with any of the flavors!

Disney Graphic Tees

You guys already know that I love Disney and pretty much wish I was there at all times. When I am there I love dressing up and wearing Disney clothes and accessories. But when I am home I also love wearing {not lame} Disney tees and accessories but I know all off them don’t make sense to wear, so I wanted to round up my favorite graphic tees that are totally acceptable to wear at home not just at the parks! All of these are graphic tees that are perfect to front tuck into jeans and layer a cardigan over top! Pair with some sneakers and you have a very cute outfit! These would also be really cute on a more casual day tucked into some joggers with a jean jacket and sneakers! Ahh the possibilities are endless!

Not to mention you can wear them on your next trip to the parks! I found some affordable joggers to pair with the tees here. I don’t really have any sneakers that aren’t full on tennis shoes so I will definitely be on the hunt for a pair to add to my wardrobe! I can already think of all the ways to wear them!

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I was also thinking about doing a post with some subtle pops of Disney that you can incorporate into your every day lives! Is that something that you would be interested in? I think it would also be fun to hear about the pops of Disney that you add into your day to day look. Speaking of Disney, when is your next trip? Do you have one planned? I am thinking about a solo trip this summer at the end of June and I am so excited, I am really looking forward to leisurely hanging out in the parks with no agenda, just going from place to place as I please.

Spring Inspired Charcuterie Board

I felt like it was definitely time for some brighter colors and I am more than ready for spring! I wanted to do a “Spring Inspired Charcuterie Board” to give you some inspiration for future get together. Hey! You could even build something fun like this with your kiddos or spouse and have it for a weekend snack with a drink! It doesn’t need to just be for a big get together. I love that about cheese boards because you can make them as big or as small as you need them to be! They can also be made for any occasion that you have {or don’t have}. I made this a few days back and Dustin and I snacked on it for a couple of days!

What you will need

• Basil

• Dill

• Prosciutto

• Baby Cucumbers

• Orange Marmalade

• Balsamic Glaze

• Different Colored Tomatoes

• Pistachios

• Gouda

• Triple Creme Brie

• Aged Cheddar Cheese

• Dill Havarti

• Manchego Cheese

• Mozzarella Balls

I hope this brightens your day today! Check out the video below to see my thought process and how it all comes together!

Spring Inspired Charcuterie Board Taryn Into Travel