It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year #prAna4Winter

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned products courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

We thought we'd do something different this year, so we took our old Christmas tree to the thrift store and decided to try out a real tree instead. There are plenty of places around town to get a pre-cut tree, but I wanted the full experience of picking out my own and chopping it down, so we took a little road trip up to Michigan last week to see what Pinecrest Farms had to offer. 

Behind this charming little wood cabin store, we climbed aboard a tractor pulled wagon and told the driver we'd like dropped off where the Frasier Fir trees were located. 

One the ride over, we did notice some fun and funky colored flocked trees. While we weren't ready to steer away from traditional, I did think they looked really pretty out in the field. 

Jason had shoulder surgery a few weeks ago, so that meant he was off the hook for doing any dirty work. That left me in charge of chopping down our tree, which the family had a blast standing on the sidelines heckling me for my lack of tree chopping experience (though Mariah didn't do much better). 

Even though it was just starting to snow, I was working up a sweat! I had bundled up in my prAna Permafrost Half Zip pullover hoodie and my winter coat before we left, and ended up taking my coat off so I could finish the job without overheating. The Permafrost Half Zip is an excellent hoodie for winter, keeping you warm and toasty whether you're out cutting down Christmas trees or sipping cocoa watching the snow fall down from the comfort of your living room. Either way, it's super soft and cozy and is a new winter favorite of mine.

Our driver was nice enough to haul our tree back to the tractor once I chopped it down, and while they were giving the tree a good spin and a shake to knock off the loose needles and probably any critters that might have been hanging out inside it, I walked around the barn admiring the beautiful wreaths they also had for sale.

Then we strapped the tree to the top of the car and were on our merry way.

If you follow my InstaStories, you know we had a few snafu's getting the tree set up properly, which ended up with a toppled tree, a few broken ornaments, and me sitting on the floor sawing off another 6 inches of trunk in my living room. But, once we took Jason out of the equation, the girls and I got everything set up just fine. Talk about girl power! I brewed myself a hot cuppa tea, took off my sap covered clothes, and slipped into my comfy prAna Kara Jean (color Volcanic Plum) and prAna Frosene Top (which I featured here in October and still wear frequently), and got to wrapping a few holiday gifts to put under the tree.

After adding a few finishing touches, I'm happy to report the tree is firmly in place and won't be toppling over again, so I'd say we did pretty good for our first year of setting up a real Christmas tree!

If you like any of the clothes featured here, prAna is offering my readers a special discount of 15% off of their purchase when using code WPTMF18 at checkout! Here is a link to the items I'm wearing in this post:

prAna Permafrost Half Zip in Coal 

prAna Kara Jean in Volcanic Plum

prAna Frosene Top in Bone

Allison is absolutely obsessed with the Permafrost Half Zip and even included it on her annual teen gift guide we published here last week, so if you are looking for a great gift for teen girls or ladies, I don't think you can go wrong there. I did order the Kara Jean in a size 8, which fit great. But, they have some really good stretch to them, I think I could have ordered a 6 and they still would have fit beautifully. As always, prAna has some of the softest, most comfortable clothing because they use organic cottons and recycled fabrics, and I think that just makes them that much better. If you'd like to learn how using organic cotton and recycled fabrics helps with reducing environmental impact, and prAna's sustainability initiative to better the planet, you read up on that HERE.

Be sure to show us your prAna winter fashions on social media by tagging @prAna and using hashtag #prAna4Winter!

What kind of tree do you put up each year? Real Christmas Tree or Artificial? 

 

Cozy Up To Organic Cotton This Fall #WearOrganicCotton #prANaFall18

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned products courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Hot cider, pumpkin farms, crisp air, corn mazes, boots, and sweaters... these are a few of my favorite things about fall. Y'all know I'm a summer girl through and through, but I do get a tinge of excitement when I think about moving my summer wardrobe out of my closet and replacing it with fall fashions. We may be newly into the season, but I've already indulged in a few of my favorite fall loves. Last Saturday, I made my annual stop to load up on pumpkins at my Aunt Sandi's pumpkin farm.

With a little nip in the air, it was the perfect time for me to break out one of my new fall outfits from prAna. I've mentioned earlier this spring how much I LOVE prAna's clothing line, and the love is still going strong. This fall though, I decided to try something new and snapped up a top and jean's from prAna that are made with organic cotton.
 

My new organic cotton fall outfit from prAna includes: Frosene Top  in Bone and Oday Jean in Indigo.

So, why choose to wear clothing made from organic cotton? Here are 3 great reasons:

• People. Farmers and their families are no longer exposed to the harmful chemicals that are sprayed on non-organic cotton crops

• Soil. Regenerate life and biodiversity in the soil to improve our planet's health.

• Water. 115 gallons of water is saved when you switch one t-shirt to organic cotton.

Check out this video for a great visual aid on why prAna uses organic cotton in a lot of its apparel:

If you haven't tried wearing clothing made from organic cotton, I HIGHLY encourage you to do so. My top and jeans from prAna are the most comfortable pieces I own now. The Frosene top is lightweight, but cozy, and every time I put it on I feel like I'm wrapped in a soft hug.

The Oday jean is a skinny jean, but is super soft and has a fair amount of stretch, making them unbelievably comfortable. I have thick thighs and a trim waist, so it's always been challenge for me to find any jeans that fit just right, so I was really excited as soon as I pulled on the Oday jean and realized they were an absolute perfect fit.

So, are you ready to make the switch and #WearOrganicCotton this fall? If so, prAna has an amazing selection of tops and bottoms you need to check out. Their fall line is so cute, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. And, once you find your perfect fall pieces, you can save 15% off of your online purchase by using code WCTHF18. That's a win for the planet and a win for your wallet.

Have you tried apparel made with organic cotton? If so, what do you think about it? If not, would you be willing to make the switch?

My New Favorite Travel Essential: prAna #TravelprAna #prAnaSpring18

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items. 


You all know that traveling is a passion of mine. I've been listening to Jacob Whiteside's "Let's Be Birds" on repeat lately, hyping myself up for our European vacation this summer. The lyrics "What's the point of living in a beautiful world that you'll never see?" is totally my life's motto because I want to see as much of what the world has to offer while I still can. 

In less than 2 months I'll be taking one of my dream trips, and I am so giddy with excitement, I'm not letting anything dull my sunshine. That's not to say that Jason and I haven't butted heads over travel plans these past few months, the biggest head butt coming from what's going in the luggage. Since we are going to be boarding 5 planes on our trip, he's limiting me to 2 suitcases between the 4 of us so we aren't bled dry of our spending money on airline baggage fees. That means if I want to get the most bang for my buck on vacation attire, the more lightweight the clothing, the more I can bring. 

Now, I'm not a fashion blogger because I can't pose to save my life and having my photo taken gives me anxiety of epic proportions, but when prAna contacted me about working on a travel post, I went and had a little lookie at their clothing line and knew I couldn't resist agreeing to a collaboration. 

prAna, a Champion owned company, offers beautiful and comfortable active ware and casual clothing. They are known for using 100% organic cotton in their clothing line and many of their items are also fair trade certified. When traveling, comfort is key, but I also like versatility. Since luggage space is at a premium this summer, I need to pack items that can easily be mixed and matched to get the most out of my travel wardrobe and suitcase space. 

I learned my lesson the hard way on our west coast vacation last year about wearing new travel clothes a few times before the trip to make sure everything fits right and is comfortable. I had a few uncomfortable days due to ill fitting pieces because I didn't wear them at length before our trip to make sure they were going to stay comfy the whole day. Therefore, I've been doing a few test runs on my prAna clothing these past few weeks to make sure I'm going to be pleased with fit and feel before embarking on our next vacay. 

2 weeks ago we did a mini road trip to Holland, Michigan to check out the tulip festival so I decided to I wear my Yvonna Tee and Leda Pant. Both pieces were lightweight, but had enough material to keep me feeling comfortable in the chilly temperatures. I didn't spend a lot of time walking through the fields, but did do enough trekking to make sure the pants weren't going to rub my legs the wrong way or chafe my thighs.

What I love about my Yvonna Tee is how light and soft it is. I can pair it with my Leda Pant or jeans, and can wear it under a cardigan for maximum versatility. I am totally digging the lace inset designs on the back of the tee. The Yvonna Tee is constructed from an organic cotton/recycled polyester blend and is fair trade certified.

Because I had to visit with my GI doctor in Chicago last week, I decided to put my prAna outfit back on so I could make the 2 hour drive in comfort. After my procedure, we decided to do a little walking around the city and found this amazing vegan restaurant called Soul Vegan. Soul Food vegan style? Sign me up! It was an exceptionally warm day and while the food was out of this world good, it was hotter than hell in the little cafe. Jason was growing irritated because the heat was getting to him, but because my outfit was lightweight, I stayed cool and dry.

All in all, I was beyond pleased with the style, fit, and comfort factor of my new prAna attire. It has definitely earned a spot in my European travel suitcase and that makes me jump for joy :)

Be sure to head over to prAna and have a look for yourself at all of their wonderful attire options. From sporty to casual, you're sure to find the right pieces for your next travel adventure. Also, if you use code TRTMS18 at checkout, you'll save 15% off of your purchase! That's savings worth jumping for joy over too!

Do you have any travel plans for this summer?