Sweet Orange Habanero Shrimp Salad recipe & a GIVEAWAY!

One of my favorite parts of going on a vacation is reliving that vacation when I get home. The memories, the photos, the laughter, the food: All of these things are what makes a vacation so special.

Whenever John and I travel, we look to eat some unique food. Cuisine we can't get our hands on 'back home'. I approached Caribbean Trading Company about sampling some of their Made-in-Puerto-Rico seasonings, sauces, and speciality food items. Who doesn't want a little taste of Puerto Rico on their dinner table at night, right?

Caribbean Trading Company has a large variety of Puerto Rican seasonings, two of which I was able to try: Lively Up Lime Jerk and Sweet Orange Habanero.

I used the Orange Habanero seasoning first for an easy, fast lunch. Let me tell you about it:

Exploring Solar Power for Our Fifth-Wheel

There are a variety of reasons people are interested in alternative energy methods for their homes, their vehicles, and to generally power their lives. For those of us who are sustainably-minded, and particularly interested in living a 'normal' life without causing harm to our eco-systems, solar power is a viable alternative energy source. 

For a while John and I have toyed with the idea of adding solar panels to our home. However, we don't have much south-facing sun exposure, and our home was built in 1840 and adding solar panels to the front of the house {which faces south} would be highly frowned upon by the historic district. The cost is high, but we realize there are incentives that would alleviate a portion of the expense. 

What about our second home; our home on wheels? 

I {heart} Tiny Houses!

When I was in Alabama visiting John last month (catch up HERE and HERE) I was talking with a friend on the phone. She was asking me what I had planned for my day and, in the same breath, asked me if I wasn't just totally bored by living in a small camper for a whole month. Didn't I miss my big house in the city? Didn't I miss all of my things; my stuff? Didn't I find it claustrophobic being 'trapped' in a fifth-wheel trailer?

My answer?

No.

No, I don't get bored especially because I'm living in a small camper. If I suffer from any type of boredom it's not because of where I'm hanging my hat at night. I once heard that only boring people are boring, and it's safe to say that I don't find myself too bored as of late.

No, I don't miss our big house in the city. I miss the life I've made at our home in the city, but it has nothing to do with the size. It has nothing to do with the majority of the possessions in our home, either.

No, I don't find it claustrophobic living in a small space. It's actually quite liberating knowing the difference between your needs and wants, and only surrounding yourself with essential items.

There's this craze you've probably heard about recently, and if you guess that John and I are following it with great interest, you'd be right.

I'm talking about tiny houses, and their increasing popularity among people who are sustainably-minded, who want to live mortgage free, or who want to reduce their dependency on typical American consumerism.

Credit to The Tiny Life

REVIEW: Miessence *organic* skin care products

"When you consider that one-third of all products on the market contain one or more ingredients classified as possible human carcinogens, and nearly 70% of all products on the market contain ingredients that can be contaminated with impurities linked to cancer and other health problems, true caution and consideration need to be given when using cosmetic products daily. The skin is our body's largest organ and makes up 12% - 15% of our weight. Our skin, while protects us against the elements in various ways, also absorbs the cosmetics we use without support from the body's filtering system. In other words, whatever we put on our skin goes directly into our bloodstream - considered to be more dangerous than ingesting." - Miessence distributor, Hannah

I'm a product junkie. You knew that, right? I love trying new things, but am fiercely loyal to products that earn my respect and trust. I have very sensitive skin and am prone to breakouts and redness, so it takes a lot of persuasion for me to try something new. When I discovered a little bit about Miessence, a certified organic skin care line, I knew I had to get my hands on some samples. I've tried a lot of all-natural and speciality skin care products with varying levels of satisfaction, but never a certified organic line. 

5 Things I Dig ~ March

I'm really thankful it's March, but not for the reason you might think. You might think, since we live in Eastern Iowa, that I am ready to be done with this icy, cold, snowy winter weather.

If you thought that you'd be wrong. I actually really enjoy winter. I'm one of a handful of Midwesterners who likes snow, cold temps, and scraping ice from my car windshield.

Ok, well I don't really like scraping all that much, but I do like winter.

Nonetheless, I'm happy for March. Spring means working outside in the yard and garden. Spring means chickens! Spring means fresh herbs. Spring means the dog park. Spring means March, and March means John is coming home soon. Woot!

The spring season of renewal and rebirth is a metaphor for a lot of things in my life {I'm not trying to go all 'Walden Pond' on you, I promise.} I want to share a few things that I am diggin' right now. Five things, in particular, that have really made me happy over the last month. Five things I think you might like, too.

(Heads up: This is a longer post with quite a few photos and a couple affiliate links! Yee hee!)

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1. These hemp bracelets from Indie Hemp Works:

I'm Getting Chickens!

Last week was awesome.

Simply wonderful.

If you follow us on Facebook, you heard me shouting the good news from the rooftops: 

Our city council passed an urban chicken ordinance, allowing residents to keep chickens within city limits!

You might remember (again, if you follow us on Facebook), that I started this movement back in November. I certainly wasn't alone in promoting and supporting the ordinance through it's development, but I am definitely going to take credit for getting the ball rolling on this one. I attended every City Council meeting, emailed back and forth with council members, met with council members in my free time, emailed a host of experts throughout Iowa for their advice and support, and collaborated with local news outlets to spread the word. Each week I put in hours of my free time to ensure our council members had access to every.bit.of.information. regarding urban chickens and their positive impact on our city. I worked my tail off, and I am very proud of myself.

Ain't no shame in that, right?

Fast-forward four months later, and we 'townies' are finally allowed to bring a little urban agriculture into our backyards.

There are several strict parameters of this ordinance, which I do believe ensure the quality of life and happiness for the chickens, the chicken owners, and their neighbors. Because, when you live in town, the choices you make on your own property oftentimes impact your neighbors.

Here are the guidelines to our chicken ordinance: 

$25 Mujus jewelry gift card GIVEAWAY & 20% OFF CODE!

I've got another special treat for you, sweet readers. In addition to the $225 Visa gift card giveaway that's running right now, I have another giveaway that will appeal to all you ladies out there.

Enter, Mujus, an 'earth-chic, earth-friendly' Peruvian jewelry, fashion and accessories company. Read their mission:

The Mujus mission is based on two guiding principles:

First, we're committed to making beautiful designs that are good for the planet. Mujus works exclusively with high quality, organic and sustainable raw materials in an effort to preserve an increasingly vulnerable environment. 

Second, Mujus is committed to giving back to communities in Peru and the United States. In Peru this means paying fair wages, providing health insurance to Mujus artisans, and facilitating social change for impoverished communities around Lima. In the US, this means collaborating with the ALS Association by designing a special collection to raise money for the fight against Lou Gehrig's disease. 

The Mujus blend of environmentally conscious materials and intricately sophisticated designs bring a refreshing new take to the modern woman. Our accessories allow our customer to look and feel good, knowing their purchase is supporting many great causes.

I stumbled upon their designs a few days ago, and after reading a bit more about them, I knew I had to see if I could offer something special to you, my readers. Mujus responded with an enthusiastic YES, and offered to give away a $25 Mujus gift card to one lucky reader.

But that's not all!

EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of you can get a 20% discount on your Mujus online order by entering COUPLE in the promo code box at the checkout.

How awesome is that?!

You could order this stunning necklace:

Or this one:

Or this bracelet:

I love this pink cuff, too:

Or these earrings:

These are also really pretty:

To win the Mujus gift card, just enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below.

In the mean time, remember to head over to Mujus and do a little shopping, after all, everybody gets 20% off their entire order (!!!) just enter the coupon code COUPLE into the promo code box at the checkout. 

Bada-bing-bada-boom. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Q&A with John: What Do You Do For a Living?

Before I let John wisk you away with his words, have you entered our giveaway for a $225 Visa gift card? 

GO HERE to enter!

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The more I blog about the travel that John and I do {which 99% of said traveling is due to John’s occupation}, the more questions I get from family and friends. I know many of you readers have similar questions. I thought it would be best to let John describe what he does and how it works for him {and us} in his own words.

So, with a bit of prompting from me in the form of questions, here’s the homestud in my life: