hrmarciano

Jam Bars

These might top my favorite recipe that Gab has ever made for me. She shared it with our Marc & Barb email list, and I wanted to share it with y’all! It is SO good & pretty healthy too!

JAM BARS Recipe

Crust and topping: 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour 1 1/2 C old fashioned oats 1 C coconut (or brown) sugar 14 Tbs grass fed salted butter 1 tsp baking powder

Jam: 6-8 cups (depending on fruit size) assorted fruit from your fruit bowl or freezer that needs to be used up! (I used 2 cups pears, 1 1/2 cups raspberries, 1 1/2 cups blackberries, 2 cups strawberries) 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 coconut (or brown) sugar 1/4 cup chia seeds

Directions:

Combine all of the crust/topping ingredients in a bowl. Mix with hands until coarse crumbles form. Use half as crust and half as topping

Let the fruit become warm and let it release juices heated on medium on the stove. Add cinnamon and brown sugar – stir to dissolve. Add chia seeds. Turn off heat and let stand 10 minutes. Use hand blender to purée. Pour over crust layer.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes (turn in oven halfway through). Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.

If you want a simple way to save this recipe for later, download this PDF!

Enjoy!

Hil

IPA Checklist

When I first started the Young Living business, everyone was always telling me to work on my business.

“Set aside an hour a day and work on your business.”

“Let’s all hop on a Zoom together & work on our business.”

“You need to be investing in your business each day.”

Okay, cool. Thanks guys for telling me what to do, but why haven’t you told me HOW to do it?! So I started asking questions & I started to compile a list of things that I could work on when I sat down to put the work in.

Over the last year as I have grown my business, I have found that I basically do the same things every month. No one (besides maybe your mom or bestie) sees every story that you post so posting a Premium Starter Kit unboxing or making your Thieves Cleaner each month is totallyyyyyy acceptable.

I originally set out to make a 31 day calendar, but I realized that not every month is 31 days & not every month looks the same on a calendar (obvi ha), so I decided just to make a chart of items that I can print out each month (or use digitally) & cross off the topics as I share them.

Don’t we just love a good checklist/task list. Let’s get sharing!!

I love to reach for this on the days when I am stuck about what to share or busy & trying to not let those dots run out. This is a STAPLE resource for me so I wanted to share it with all of you wonderful blog followers (oh & my IG followers too) so maybe you can have a productive month too!

ipa-calendar Download

Can’t wait to see what you share this coming month! Tag me on the gram if you use this so I can make sure to follow you & type you up!

XOXO,

Hil

Current Favorite Activewear

Let me give you a little sneak peek into my background — then into my young adult life & to where I am now.

Growing up, I was an athlete. I always played soccer (like from when I could walk) & cheered from sixth – twelfth grade. I basically lived in athletic clothes, but I got most of them from being on these individual teams. So I just wore whatever was available to me & fit with the season. Fast forward to college, I started to shift from team wear to actually purchasing athletic clothing. At the time, my mom worked in athletics at the HS I attended and they were an under armor school. She got discount codes sometimes, so I started wearing most of those. Thennn I started coaching there after HS and wore most of the clothes, again, that I got with the team.

Then I started working out at the gym & my husband was a personal trainer. We realized that we got a discount at Lulu Lemon & I became an addict. I never thought I would be someone who would spend $100+ on athletic wear, but when it became everything I was wearing, I splurged.

I later realized that a few quality items are important, but I would also like to have 10+ pairs of leggings/crop tops/sports bras/shorts in different colors instead of maybe just one or two of the more expensive ones.

So I started doing research for solid Lulu dupes (like legit dupes) & I have found some bomb ones. I’ve also found some super reasonable athletic wear for lounging (not my favs for working out) from Target & Old Navy, too! So without further ado, I want to share them with you!

Tap on the picture to be taken to my LiketoKNOW.it to shop the links to any of these items!

Favorite budget activewear finds. Click the picture or click here to shop all the links!

XOXO,

Hil

Spring Young Living Postcard

So I was thinking that I want to send something out to my entire downline because we all love snail mail. You can’t even deny that you get a little excited when you get anything besides junk mail in your mailbox!

I looked around a little bit, but couldn’t find anything that I absolutely loved, so I set out to make my own cutie little postcard. I found the perfect spring design & added some of my fav DIYs and diffuser blends for the season. I cannot wait to get them in the mail and send them to all the peeps on my team!

Since y’all choose to hang out with me on the blog, I figured I would share it with you incase you wanted to send it out to your peeps as well. You can see what it looks like below & use the link under it to download the high quality PDF to upload & print.

Front of post card full of fun oily recipes

Back of post card with a place to write a little note & add the contact info for your downline

spring-postcard Download

Enjoy && Happy Spring,

Hil

Spring Swim Favs

Y’all KNOW that I live in Florida which basically means that it is year round swim wear season. I try to get a few new pieces each spring season && I especially love when I can get pieces that I can mix and match for seasons to come.

I went through a few of my favorite stores — Target & Aerie — to share some of my favorite options with you! I am in the process of ordering some one pieces that are in tall sizes, because I normally can’t fit in them. In all of these, I wear TTS — small tops & bottoms.

Black Long Crop Top // Army Green High Waisted Bottoms // Black Checked Ruffle Top // Black High Waisted Bottoms // Leopard Long Crop Thin Strap Top // Leopard High Waisted Bottoms

Colorblock High Leg High Waist Bikini Bottom & Strapless Top // Snake Print Ribbed Cheeky High Leg Waist Bikini & Bikini Top // Textured Bandeau Pink Top & Bottom // Faux Wrap Halter Bikini Top & Full Coverage Bottom

I’ll just leave these here so that you can pick the one that suits you best! && remember, if you have a body & you are wearing a bikini — you have a bikini body! So show it off && own that new bathing suit!

XOXO,

Hil

WE BOUGHT LAND!

You read that right — 5 acres to be exact. Let me start with a little backstory.

We have gone back and forth a few times in our 5 years together about moving back to Tennessee. If you didn’t know, that’s where Josh is from & has always wanted to go back. Two times we have VERY SERIOUSLY considered moving back (one time we even went up and did a few interviews). At the end of the day, as much as we would love to live there, it seems silly to leave when both of our families (& all of our siblings & my grandparents) are close by. So we decided we were going to put our roots down here.

Cincy & I on our land (house in the background is our neighbor)

Once we made that decision, we knew that we wanted a little Tennessee feel down here in Florida. So we started looking for land that was out towards the country with those kind of people — you know the ones who still say yes sir and have American flags hanging in their yards. Those are our kind of people.

So we started looking & it took us about a month to navigate the process of finding land in Florida because it is a LOT MORE DIFFICULT than you imagine. So many wet lands (Josh is now an expert on wet lands maps). So many rules about agriculture land and what buildings can be on that. So many properties with easements or power lines or reasons that you can’t build. We spent a lot of time driving out to land and looking, only to look up more information on it and be very disappointed.

We actually stumbled upon the one that we ended up with from looking at a near by property (which was a TOTAL swamp land) and this one was for sale by owner. We called & started the process and about 40 days later, we closed on the property.

It is about 35 minutes from where we live right now and about 15+ minutes out of town, but it is right near an up and coming area and the property value will probably increase in the near future as the buildings around it continue to grow (Publix set to open by the end of the year only 1 mile away — heck yes!).

Other questions we’ve been asked are if we have a plan to move out there yet — the short answer is no. We currently own (with a mortgage) the house that we live in right now, so we are going to work on paying down the land while we continue to live in our current home. There is some work to be done on the land (swapping barbed wire fences for bull wire bc dogs & kids // clearing some trees // cleaning up the lake area) so we want to do all of that and pour our money into that while we really think through what our next move is.

Don’t worry though, we will keep you updated along the way! Any other questions, drop them in the comments & we will make sure to answer them for you!

XOXO,

Hil

Simple Superfood Energy Bites

With so many of us working from home, we’re all looking for a few easy items to have on hand that are both nutritious & delicious. These energy bites are one of our favorites because of how easy they are to prep and how filling they are to eat. Sharing another bomb recipe — my sister Gab (@grbarbir on the gram)

Ingredients:

15 Dates

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 Cup Coconut Flakes

1/4 Cup Raw Cacao Powder

1/4 Cup Almond Butter

1 Tsp Superfood Powder (of your choice!)*

Directions: Start by adding the pumpkin seeds and coconut to a food processor and process until crumbly. Add to a medium mixing bowl. Pit the dates and add to the food processor. Process until the dates form a “ball” (are completely blended). Add to the bowl alongside the cacao, almond butter and powder of your choice (I used *maca powder but spirulina, goji, collagen or a superfood blend would work too). Use a wooden spoon (or better yet, your hands!) and mix thoroughly. Shape into balls. Store in the refrigerator and ENJOY!

Here’s a few reasons that we chose these items —

Dates: Naturally sweet and packed with energy

Pumpkin Seeds: A great source of fiber and vitamin E

Coconut: Full of magnesium and potassium

Cacao: Antioxidant rich mood booster

Almonds: Full of heart-healthy protein, fat and fiber (an important blend for balancing blood sugar and keeping you full!)

Maca: High in Vitamin C, helps balance hormones and improves mood

You can download an “easy to print” PDF of this recipe here!

Enjoy!

Hil & Gab

What is Clubhouse?!

I have gotten a few questions on my Instagram page about Clubhouse, so I wanted to share the information I have about it and give you a little cheat sheet for it in case you were wondering how you could use it in your business, or even if you were just wondering what it was?

THINK LIVE PODCAST — Join a “room” basically any time of the day as influencers, experts & educators pop into the clubhouse to share their tips & tricks for their niche areas. It is currently available via invite only & apparently only on iOS. If you want an invite, I recommend posting on your IG or FB and asking for an invite. It is likely that someone you know has one and can send it to you. They currently only give each member so many to share & I go through mine pretty quick because it is so new.

Okay, so you have the Clubhouse app downloaded. Now what?!

Let’s learn the lingo:

HOMEPAGE = “HALLWAY”: This is where you will see all the classes recommended for you & classes hosted by those you follow

LINK YOUR TWITTER & IG: You can link your Instagram and Twitter in your bio. This is an easy way for new friends to chat with you on the platform that you hang out on most.

CLUBHOUSE BIO: This is a place for you to share why people should follow you & what you will be sharing on clubhouse. The top 3 lines in the bio are searchable so choose them wisely!

HOST A ROOM: There is a green “+ START A ROOM” button in the hallways. Click that to start a room, then add a topic & choose if you want it to be open (with everyone), social (with people you follow) or closed (by invite only).

SCHEDULE YOUR ROOM: Want to plan ahead about a room you are hosting? From the hallway, click the calendar logo, then click the calender with the plus at the top. Choose an event name, add a cohost, pick a date & time & add a description. Publish the room & invite your friends to join!

WHO TO FOLLOW: When you first join the platform, you get a list of suggested people to follow. This is based on the person who invited you to clubhouse & what they are interested in. Pop into different rooms & see what you like to learn about & who you like to learn from.

CALENDAR: This calendar has three different options in the drop down menu at the top –

All Upcoming: shows every scheduled room in the upcoming hours
Upcoming For You: shows rooms that Clubhouse algorithm thinks you would be interested in listening to based on people you follow or your interests
My Events: shows rooms that you are scheduled to host or rooms you’ve created

Next up would be a solid chat about icons in Clubhouse & what we need to know about them!

ENVELOPE: This is where you can see how many invitations you have & invite other people to join you on Clubhouse.
BELL: Tap on the bell to see your notifications — who has followed you, new rooms scheduled by clubs you are a part of and new rooms scheduled by people you follow
GREEN DOT: Click this icon in the lower right hand corner of your screen to see which of your mutual followers (you follow them & they follow you) are online and what room they are speaking in or listening to
RAISED HAND: When you are in a room, you will see this icon in the lower right hand corner. This indicates to the moderator of the room that you would like to speak on stage.
PLUS SIGN: If you are a mutual friend with someone, you can invite them into the room that you are in using this button.
GREEN ASTERISK: When you enter a room, you might see the person at the top or “on the stage” with this symbol. This means that they can bring people up to join them on stage, move them back into the audeince, and mute microphones
PEACE SIGN: This is how you can leave a room & reenter the hallway
At any point, you can swipe down out of a room and still listen to what the speaker is saying. You can also leave the app or lock your screen & still be a part of the conversation happening in the room you are in

Want all of this info as a PDF? Download it below!

lets-chat-clubhouse Download

Have any questions? Drop them in the comments or slide into my DMs on IG & I’d be happy to chat about them with you!

XOXO,

Hil

Plant Spray

Just like most people now a days, I’ve recently fallen in love with plants. I love the way they bring life to my house. I love the freshness they bring to the air. I love shopping for them and picking out new plants & finding the perfect location in my home for them!

As much as I love having plants, plants don’t always love me. I do not have a great green thumb and I am trying hard to keep plants alive but some just land me on the struggle bus. I’ve tried to keep 3 fiddle leaf ferns alive, and haven’t had any luck. I’ve also have a plant that we dug out of my grandparents back yard (I don’t even know what it is) that has been growing and thriving so much that I’ve had to trim it back. I’ve just decided that fiddle leafs aren’t for me.

While trying to grow my green thumb & seeking ALL the advice from my grandma & Google, I also came across this magic spray. I altered it a little to fit my plant needs, but I spray it on my plants every 4-6 weeks & it has been amazing. It keeps all the bugs away (you know those pesky gnats that won’t leave you alone when you first bring a new plants home & it’s been living outdoors at Home Depot for the last 6 months). It also promotes growth (or at least not death like my poor fiddle).

It‘s a simple combo of thieves cleaner, citrus fresh essential oil & water in this amazing spray bottle that I got from Amazon. It’s the perfect amount of mist for the plants. I add 20 drops citrus fresh, 1 capful of thieves cleaner & filled the rest of the bottle with water. I’ve been using it since summer & still have basically a full bottle so this stuff can last you forever.

If you want to try this magic spray & haven’t ever tried thieves cleaner, reach out to us on here or over on our Instagram and we’d love to send you a sample or tell you more about it!

Also if you are looking to start your plant mom collection, here are some of my favorite plants & products to start with —

Tap on the picture to get all the links to these items or go here

If you try it out, let me know! Tag me on Instagram (@hrmarciano) & show off all your pretty plants that are THRIVING! I love to hear from you.

You go, plant mom!

Hil

DIY Office Shelves

My boo is basically the greatest of all time & made me some shelves for my office for Christmas. I had a few people ask about them over on IG, so I figured I would share what he bought & how simple they were to make.

Office Shelves with all materials linked here or tap the picture to be taken to the link.

He went to Lowes for all of the supplies. He got 8 foot boards (for exact boards, click the picture above to be taken to them) which we cut in half with a table saw (which was excessive, but we were using it for other things and so it was out, but any cutting device will do). He then stained them with “Wood Finish Oil-Based Dark Walnut Interior Stain” (also linked) to match the desk that I have in my office. We bought the brackets from Lowes too! Just remember that they come with screws to attach them to the wall, but you still need screws to attach the brackets to your boards! We forgot these so we had to make yet another Lowes run!

Anyways, you can see the SUPER EASY DIY that this was. Basically its just this —

Buy supplies
Cut boards in half
Stain boards & wait for them to dry
Mount boards to brackets
Nail/Screw brackets into walls
Decorate

It took us about an hour of total work (plus time for the stain to dry) & they are the perfect addition to my office!

If you make these, let us know! So economical & much more sturdy than the ones I had previously tried to purchase on Amazon!

XOXO,

Hil