Grand Hotel//Kennebunkport Travel Diary
Grand Hotel//Kennebunkport Travel Diary

The final hotel on our Maine coastal fall road-trip proved to be quite something!

T H E P L A C E T O S T A Y

The Grand Hotel in Kennebunk, Maine, sits prominently on Chase Hill, just steps away from bustling, downtown Kennebunkport. Featuring classic New England architecture and elegantly appointed decor, the hotel offers views of lively Dock Square and Lower Village. It’s the most perfect ideal spot to enjoy everything the town has to offer. There’s just no denying it! Grand Hotel has that warm beautiful boutique feel and the location is just superb!


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City GuidesSamantha RubleComment
INN BY THE SEA: A LUXURY RETREAT IN CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE
INN BY THE SEA: A LUXURY RETREAT IN CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE

In early November, Lin and I spent 7 days traveling The Maine Coast which you can read all about here. On day 6 we met the beautiful Cape Liz for the first time and ya’ll….this special place has just stolen a piece of my heart. It's natural beauty at its best!

Cape Liz is stunning. We spent some time exploring the area’s most picturesque lighthouses and their picturesque surroundings in the freezing cold rain! We began at  Two Lights State Park (free admission), where Maine’s first "twin" lighthouses were erected on the rocky shore in 1928. (The scenery inspired Edward Hopper’s painting Lighthouse at Two Lights.) Then we made our way to Fort Williams Park next and climb into the tower of Maine’s oldest lighthouse, Portland Head Light. Just see for yourself…..

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Les Chiens, City GuidesSamantha RubleComment
Scenic Drive Traveling Maine's Coast To Boston In The Fall// 7 day Maine Itinerary
Scenic Drive Traveling Maine's Coast To Boston In The Fall// 7 day Maine Itinerary

On November 1st Lin and I landed in Bangor Maine to travel the coast down to Boston. This trip had been on my bucket list as long as I can remember and I am so happy that we followed through. Maine’s Route 1 road trip is as quintessential New England as the West Coast’s Route 1 drive is classic California. While this itinerary starts from Bangor Maine and heads down the coast to Kennebunkport, it can certainly be enjoyed in the opposite direction too. There are two ways to go about this ride: Make a lot of stops on the way up and then power home. Or, pick a few pit stops for the way up, and save a few for the way back. There are so many various options.

A lot of planning went into my itinerary and I really hope you enjoy seeing Maine’s beautiful coast through my eyes—the must-see’s and must-do’s and the amazing culinary scene…OMG. This was such an incredible 7 days and I will forever remember every second of Maine’s endless cute towns and all the lobster rolls!


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City GuidesSamantha RubleComment
Naturopathic Approach to HPV//An Interview With Dr. Elizabeth Goldspink, ND
Naturopathic Approach to HPV//An Interview With Dr. Elizabeth Goldspink, ND

Friends, I just got back from a two week long Thanksgiving trip to Houston and was able to unplug for a bit!! I so needed that too!

I am so excited to really get the Q and A portion of my blog going again and I am thrilled for you to meet Dr. Goldspink today! She is a healer and is inspiring the heck out of me.

Dr. Elizabeth Goldspink (Stavros), ND graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, Canada, where she completed a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine (ND). She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Ottawa. As a Clinical Intern in both general medicine and adjunctive cancer care at CCNM, Dr. Goldspink focused her training and research on disease prevention, longevity, and naturopathic oncology.

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Features, Health + WellnessSamantha Ruble Comment
An Affair Of The Heart 2018: My Recap!
An Affair Of The Heart 2018: My Recap!

As soon as I returned from Boston I was so happy to kickstart the holidays at An Affair Of The Heart in Tulsa. If you haven’t heard of An Affair Of The Heart, it’s a truly unique event that happens several times a year in Oklahoma and a few surrounding areas. And if you have been following me for a while, I featured ten amazing gift items in a holiday gift guide for you to discover at the show in this post and also this post. An Affair Of The Heart brings together the creators of the world who have an especially strong sense of community, creativity, and soul, and all of the exhibitors I got to talk to were incredibly friendly and talented. While I was there I spotted some amazing entrepreneurs that I thought I’d share with you today of course with huge emphasis on the ten I have already included! I hope you enjoy the pics from the event too as well as pics from the blogger event I co-hosted with Lisa and Kristin! I feel confident your other favorite Tulsa bloggers will be working with An Affair Of The Heart in 2019 too!

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Style, Beauty, Features, Home, ShopSamantha Ruble Comments
My Favorite Woman-Owned Small Businesses// Lilly + Oak
My Favorite Woman-Owned Small Businesses// Lilly + Oak

Today is Small Business Saturday, an opportunity to join in and support the small businesses in your neighborhood and across the country by shopping small!!! And I do not know about you but I feel very blessed to be alive during a time when many of my favorite small businesses are owned by women. So many amazing boss babes are pushing boundaries and showing just how strong and successful women can be. As a person who has had my own small business I can tell you that it’s not easy to go out on your own and start something from scratch. It’s a huge risk but if you have a network of likeminded women who can support you, advise you, and grow alongside you, that makes all the difference. I’m proud to say that I have a network like this of my own: We attend each other’s events, shop for each other’s products, show each other some love on social media, and support each other in any way we can.

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StyleSamantha RubleComment
Doggy Birthday Party//Melvin Turns 6
Doggy Birthday Party//Melvin Turns 6

Happy Almost Thanksgiving everyone! I cannot believe this is only my second blog post to publish this month but in my defense, I left town November 1st for 2 weeks traveling the Maine coast and had a huge event I worked as soon as I returned! Now I am in Houston getting settled for the holiday and have some free time to get lots of things published for you!

Just in case you have not been watching all of my insta stories, right before we left we had a little birthday party for Melvin. The party needed to be during the week midday which was not the ideal time for many of my friends with dogs whom Melvin loves and I could not host anything at my house because we had a window installation happening. Our local dog park was not ideal either because you cannot bring any perishable items. So my friend Brooke had the perfect solution to my problem!

We both board our dogs at Noah’s Bed and Biscuit in Kiefer and when we talked to them about hosting a little “puppy pawty” ! They have plenty of fenced-in yard options! And plenty of doggy companions who can attend!

Problem solved!

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Entertain, Les ChiensSamantha RubleComment
HEALING KETO BONE BROTH LATTE WITH TURMERIC
HEALING KETO BONE BROTH LATTE WITH TURMERIC

I now always have bone broth on hand and beyond using for general cooking, most times I just heat up a cup or two and drink straight up out of a mug. What I love about this healing elixir is how easy it is to adapt to your needs and your tastes and it’s insanely delicious, to boot. You can use any homemade bone broth, chicken or beef, or if you’d like, a high-quality store-bought bone broth like Kettle & Fire (this is my first choice, I love that it’s shelf stable and I can aways have it around)


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Health + Wellness, RecipesSamantha RubleComment
Orange Maple Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Orange Maple Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Thanksgiving is less than a month away, and I could not be more excited. I’ve already got my menu all set! 🙌🏽


🍊 🍊 And today I wanted to share the recipe for my delish orange maple cranberry sauce in partnership with @unclemattsorganic ! I absolutely love their good-for-you delicious organic juices!! They are committed to farming sustainably and all of their products are free from GMOs and synthetic pesticides. 💕💕


This recipe is a healthier spin on this family favorite . It also freezes stunningly and it’s a super easy thing to make weeks ( or even months!) ahead of time!

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RecipesSamantha RubleComment
DIY Modern Floral Pumpkin Centerpiece With Whole Foods Market
DIY Modern Floral Pumpkin Centerpiece With Whole Foods Market

Looking for simple, elegant Halloween and Thanksgiving table decor ideas? This pumpkin floral centerpiece combines sage green and a softer, romantic color palette that screams all things fall.

I will totally admit that this fall I’ve been struggling with inspiration. Everyone was decorating pumpkins and making cornucopias and it was all I could do to bring out some of our festive decorations. So I headed over to Glitter Guide’s website (something I always do when I need some good inspo) and I found these beautiful pumpkin floral centerpieces that Baba Souk shared on their site! I fell in love with the look of them and was so intrigued by how easy they seemed to put together!

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Entertain, HomeSamantha RubleComment
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

We finally (!!!) just had our first semi-chilly day in Tulsa, and you should have seen me… totally pulled out the boots and turtleneck! You would have thought we were experiencing an arctic blast, when it was actually just under 60 degrees. It’s amazing how the changing temps cause such a shift in what I’m craving for dinner, and the most visible evidence is the return of my slow-cooker to the countertop. There’s something so comforting about putting all the ingredients in the cooker in the morning, turning it on low heat, and then coming home to the most amazing smells before you even open the front door

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RecipesSamantha RubleComment
Farm Sweet Farm Oklahoma: Local Spotlight
Farm Sweet Farm Oklahoma: Local Spotlight

Happy Sunday!

I am so excited to take you behind the scenes today!

I have talked about these beautiful products before when I launched my holiday gift guide a few weeks ago and I am so thrilled for you to meet the wonderful people behind Farm Sweet Farm Oklahoma. You will have the opportunity to meet Nina in person too at this year’s An Affair of The Heart show in November here in Tulsa. If you have not grabbed your tickets..I highly suggest getting them now! I am also hosting several ticket giveaways over on my Instagram over the next few weeks prior to the show!!! So tune in for that too.

When Nina invited me to her farm to meet the goats..well how could I resist?! My dear friend Brooke joined and took these lovely photos too!

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Beauty, FeaturesSamantha Ruble Comments
Boozy Pumpkin Milkshake Featuring Heritage Distilling Brown Sugar Bourbon
Boozy Pumpkin Milkshake Featuring Heritage Distilling Brown Sugar Bourbon

Today’s recipe by Sarah from Broma Bakery had me literally sprinting for the grocery store, especially since I just received two bottles of delish brown sugar bourbon. Their bourbon is made from a Corn/Rye/Malted Barley mash. Barreled at less than 125 proof for <2 years in new American Oak Charred Barrels, then cut to 60 proof using our private crystal clear water source with natural Brown Sugar and Cinnamon flavors added. 30% ABV/60 Proof. Mmmmmm!

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RecipesSamantha RubleComment
What to Expect at Your First Mammogram/ Sam’s Personal Story
What to Expect at Your First Mammogram/ Sam’s Personal Story

Today is NATIONAL MAMMOGRAPHY DAY and I wanted to share a personal story with you all…

National Mammography Day is observed annually on the third Friday in October as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This day serves as a reminder to all women that the best defense is early detection. A mammogram can often detect a problem before there is any outward physical sign. Make sure you get your regular checkups.

The story of my mammogram…

Let me start off by saying, breast cancer does not run in my family.

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Diary, Health + WellnessSamantha Ruble Comments
5 Reasons Why I Left Great Lengths And Came Back To PerfecTress® Hair Extensions
5 Reasons Why I Left Great Lengths And Came Back To PerfecTress® Hair Extensions

For the majority of my life I have always had long hair but have also always worn hair extensions! And it’s no secret! But if you are a new reader, let me bring you in on a little secret of mine: I wear extensions more often than not! While I wish that my hair could grow five inches overnight, I’ve come to terms with the fact that extensions are the only way to make this dream a reality. Don’t get me wrong, I love wearing my hair natural too, well okay, I am totally fibbing…I hate my natural hair. I’m lacking in volume and length so I make up for it with my hair extensions. You can search hair extensions on my blog and have a whole weekend’s worth of reading material. Two years ago I made a big decision to leave the brand of extensions I had been wearing for a long time for Great Lengths hair extensions and while I was very happy with how they looked, I was not happy with a lot of things about them! (The major thing being the price and the longevity of them)

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BeautySamantha Ruble Comments