Southern at Heart

I feel like when it comes to skincare I've tried it all.  From the expensive big name companies to the cheap drug store brands.  Our face is something we wear daily and I try my very best to take care of it.  I am diligent about washing my face morning and night. And while my skin is no where near perfect, it's clean and a constant work in progress.  Here are a few of my favorite brands that I've come to know and love and use daily.  Ps. This is not sponsored. This is my actual routine with items that I found and purchase with my own money.  I've been using acure products for a few months and I'm hooked! They are affordable, clean and have been so great for my skin! I purchase these products on both Amazon and at Whole Foods. Both typically have coupons. If you download the Whole Foods ap you'll see when they're on sale and sometimes there are coupons on the ap too!   I switch up and use one each day that way I'm exfoliating and getting good cleansing. 

One of our family favorite side dishes are delicata squash fries.  They're easy, delicious, cheap and usually easy to find in the fall.  I typically buy mine at Trader Joe's.  Rinse the squash off  Cut longways and scoop the seeds out.  Cut 1/4 inch slices  Once your squash is sliced up, put the slices in a bowl and drizzle with coconut oil. I used about 1/4 cup.  Add salt + pepper.  I also added our favorite garlic blend from Trader Joe's. Sooo darn delicious.  Once your squash is seasoned, spread out on a baking sheet and cook for 15-20 min at 400.  I flip mine over after about 10 min and bake until browned.  We eat these like candy! They are a little sweet and a little salty and the best side dish to any dinner.  Happy fall y'all!

Chris and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary on October 6th!  We celebrated today by spending the entire afternoon and evening together, kid free.  I found a killer deal for couples massages on Groupon and learned that if a deal looks too good to be true, it is.  Things we've learned after 10 years of marriage; don't take yourself too seriously, laughter is the secret to a good time and chocolate makes everything ok. 

Our sweet Sophie Mae is just starting to take a bottle like a pro.  You know where I can finally run some errands kid free and not stress about her starving because she only likes the boob.  I've been giving her a bottle 3x a day, the main one being at bedtime to ensure she gets a belly full because sleep is a good thing!  We are in a good transition and I plan to stop nursing when she's around 9 months old.  I've collaborated with TwistShake Baby! They are a company out of Sweden and they make the most awesome Baby bottles.  Check this out!  Their products are.. -BPA-free polypropylene plastic. -Anti-colic nipple. -The super-mixer that resolves any lumps in the formula, and is also perfect to have naturally infused fruit water. -Container to store powder, fruit, crackers etc. These are also stackable. Perfect when you are on the go or just want to prepare for next meal! -Very easy to clean and easy gripping with its exceptional design. -Sparkling colors! With more than one

Friends.  It's been 10 years since I created southernatheart.  10 whole years.  I remember sitting in our little cottage in Southern California logging in and creating this blog like it was yesterday.  I've always had a passion to write.  I have piles of journals from my teen years and early 20s.  Writing has been and still is therapeutic for my soul.  Whether it's pen to paper in a journal, a blog post or like the most recent years a post on Instagram.  It's how I express myself and my thoughts best.  Documenting life through the good times and hard.  These past three years I've simply ignored my blog because I lost the desire and all the extra time to sit and write.  Something stirred inside me recently and that was to log back in and get this thing going again.  I don't know what it's going to look like, nor can I tell you what to expect here but we'll figure that out as we go.  Exciting things are happening I expect this blog along with Instagram to