Mila & Malbec

Tim and I took a last-minute trip to Northern California to spend some time with my family. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that my sister just had her first baby (the first grandbaby and niece on my side of the family!), and Mila is already 7 months old (time seriously flies!). It was planned pretty quickly, so Tim and I just decided to road trip down. It was a weekend filled with mama, sibling, and cousin time, as well as delicious food and elegant wine.

It's safe to say Mila was the star of the show for the 60 hours we were there, and rightly so! Her predisposition to laughter and sweetest double dimples make you just want to have a monopoly over cuddling her all day every day. Luckily there weren't too many arguments over whose turn it was to hold her ;)

Sunday was wine tasting day at Honig Vineyard & Winery, always the best hosts! They took us on a fabulous tour of their vineyard's operations and then walked us through an amazing tasting complete with cheese and a few extra on-the-house tastes. Needless to say, Sunday was my favorite <3

On the tour, we got to take a peek into the barrel room where they house wine from floor to ceiling (my happy place!). We finished our Honig tasting experience in a private room with beautiful views and even better company.

I have to admit the title of this post is a little misleading... Honig doesn't yet provide Malbec, but they were just about to plant Malbec grapes when we were there! That's why the view outside of the private tasting room looks empty and brown; they were prepping the land for more great wine.

Time goes by way too fast with the little ones, so we took this opportunity to snap a few family photos. Look at those cheeks!

After our amazing tasting experience, we had an absolutely mouth-watering picnic with deli sandwiches, chocolate-covered cherries, bread and artichoke dip, swedish fish, and other random goodies that tasted even better with our Honig bottles of wine ;)

Family is so important. Even more so as it grows and flourishes. I'm so happy we were able to spend some quality time with my mom, siblings, and little miss Mila Moo Moo (yes, she's going to hate that nickname when she's older), even if it was too short. I love them so much! Now just gotta convince them all to move to the gorgeous PNW ;) 

Essential Oil Rollerball Blend for Energy

I don't know about you guys but I have been TIRED lately. I just cannot seem to wake up in the mornings. While there are definitely habits I should kick (like immediately looking at social media right when I wake up instead of just getting out of bed), I'll take any help I can get in the energy department. That's why I'm oh so excited to share this essential oil energy roller bottle blend I created over the weekend. 

And it's my first time diving into a how-to YouTube video! I'm so excited to launch my YouTube account at This Dainty Life. Check it out and subscribe if you want to stay updated on all things TDL, from DIY fun to essential oil goodness. I have a few upcoming videos I'm so excited to upload in the next couple of weeks.

How to Make an Essential Oil Rollerball Blend for Energy

1. Supplies needed: glass roller bottle (mine was gifted to me by my lovely friend Janelle! you can find it on Amazon), essential oils listed below, fractionated coconut oil
2. Pour 20 drops of peppermint and white fir into your roller bottle
3. Add 15 drops of grapefruit and wild orange
4. Continue with 10 drops of Motivate®
5. Once all of your oils are in the roller bottle, top off your blend with fractionated coconut oil
6. Attach the rollerball, screw on the lid, and shake it to mix together the oils a bit - you're done!

Benefits of These Energy-Blend Essential Oils

Peppermint

• Boasts a refreshing, pick-me-up aroma

• Promotes clear breathing and healthy respiratory function

• Helps combat occasional stomach upset

• Can be used in toothpaste for oral health

White Fir

• Energizes the body and the mind

• Elicits feelings of energy, stability, and empowerment

• Aids the body in relaxation

• Supports respiratory function and clear breathing

• Gives soothing support to sore joints and muscles

Grapefruit

• Helps reduce mental and physical fatigue

• Aids healthy metabolism

• Supports and soothes sore muscles and joints

• Helps combat oily skin issues

• Purifies and cleanses

Wild Orange

• Uplifting to the mind and body

• High in antioxidants

• Acts as a powerful cleanser and purifying agent, while protecting against seasonal and environmental threats

Motivate

• Promotes feelings of courage, confidence, and belief

• Counteracts negative emotions of cynicism, doubt, and pessimism

What rollerball blends have helped you increase your energy levels throughout the day? I'd love to hear about them; share in the comments below!

Farm Sweet Farm

Over Memorial Day weekend, Tim and I stayed with his cousin's family on their 60-acre farm. The city has its pros, for sure, like walkable grocery stores, beautiful parks, and amazing restaurants. But even with all that, it's nice to get away to the country to breathe in the fresh air, relax, stargaze, and forget about the stresses of our day-to-day lives.

The farm is BEAUTIFUL and the plan for it is even better: growing hops! While we were there, Tim helped plant a few rows and was seriously on cloud nine. He loves it! And what a great area to invest in a hops farm, with PDX being such a beer capital.

While the guys were out planting, I spent time with his cousin's wife and their three sweet kiddos. We played, baked, chatted, and relaxed. One of the highlights for me was Michelle teaching me how to bake bread. Those who know me know I'm obsessed with bread! I can't tell you how excited I am to bake homemade bread all the time once we invest in a few supplies (blog post coming soon!).

During our stay, I ventured out here and there to take a few photos of the farm to document its beginnings. It's such a gorgeous place and it's exciting to see it grow (pun intended) from the start. Did you know hops can grow up to a foot per day? Crazy, right?

We closed out the long weekend with a delicious BBQ of ribs with homemade sauce, corn on the cob, the bread I made by hand(!), and more mouth-watering sides. They always feed and treat us so well when we visit! It's hard to go home ;)

Here's to farm life and what a joy it is to finally have some day trip-close family in Oregon!