Marge Swearin -

How I Earn Southwest Airlines’ Companion Pass Every Year

September 2, 2020 No Comments

What is a Companion Pass, you ask? Southwest runs a promotion for its most loyal customers every year, that if you reach a certain threshold of airline points and/or number of flights, that from that day through the next calendar year, you can name a companion to fly with you for free! (Yes, you read that correctly – FREE!, only paying a small amount of tax on the free flight. The last one I bought was $11.70 for a round trip flight). So, keep on reading to find out how I earn Southwest Airlines’ Companion Pass Every Year.

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I have heard that some people do not like the overall feel and processes that Southwest offers; however, we find it’s great for our lifestyle, and I can honestly say I’ve never had an unpleasant flight with Southwest. They do not have traditional assigned seats like other airlines. If I had to guess that would be a drawback for some. The key is to check in early — 24 hours prior to your flight, to get a better boarding position so that you can choose any seat you want. (Insider tips!)

First off, you will need to sign up for a free Rapid Rewards Account. Sign Up Here if you don’t already have one. This is simply so that you can earn qualifying points to use on flights and ultimately reach that goal of earning Companion Pass. Now, if you don’t travel regularly for business you’re probably wondering how in the heck you could earn so many points OR flights to even get to that level!

The secret truly is in the Credit Card. The Southwest Chase Visa generally offers 1 point per $1 spent, and then 2 points per dollar spent on Southwest Airlines flights. Additionally you can shop through their affiliated stores – the Rapid Rewards Shopping site, and earn extra points that also count towards your companion pass, in addition to the dollars spent on those transactions.

The first year you enroll with a card, you will receive a variable number of points – just for signing up! Depending on the time of the year, I have seen this range from about 30,000 to 65,000 points. If you’re really clever, I’ve noticed that the highest points offers are offered around January and July, with some variability in between. The card offers 3 tiers to select, each with more perks that get you closer to earning that Companion Pass. *Side note, each card does have an annual fee, ranging from $69 to $149; I justify the annual fee by the free flights! I mean, really, can you even get a flight for less than $149 these days??

If you spend several thousand dollars (which varies based on card rules) in the first few months of card enrollment, you get an additional number of bonus points. Our true secret to earning the Companion Pass every year is that we put every. single. purchase. (Yes, EVERYTHING) on that Southwest Credit Card until we have reached our goal, which typically happens in the late summer/early fall. Think every bill, every grocery or gas purchase, literally Ev-er-RY-THING! Of course there are a few things we can’t utilize the card for (car payments, student loans), but everything else goes on that card until we reach our goal!

If you’re an online shopper, be sure to check out the Rapid Rewards Shopping site, and install the Google Chrome plugin to earn even more rapid rewards. Southwest affiliates with multiple different online stores where you can earn a bonus “lump sump” for signing up with a new service, or additional points per dollar by linking through the site. This plug in will also alert you when you’ve entered a site where you can earn extra points! (Thanks, Southwest!).

Disclaimer, Southwest does have services to most of the cities that my husband and I are traveling to, so before you commit, be sure that they’re flying where you want to go! In addition to many airports througout the US, they fly to Mexico, the Caribbean and just added Hawaii this year! We’ve been nothing but pleased with our experiences with the airline and enjoy utilizing our Companion Pass together multiple times throughout the year! If you want to you can check out our adventures here.

PS, you can also find additional points on travel needs (hotels & rental cars) by routing through the Southwest Rapid Rewards site as well, getting you all that much closer to earning companion pass! So I thought it would be beneficial to share how I earn Southwest Airlines’ Companion Pass every year so that you can too!! Happy Travels!

Did you sign up?? Let me know how it’s going! And be sure to check out my previous post on airplane travel essentials before you go! 😉

Fashion & Beauty, Fashion & Style

Summer Mules Under $50

May 30, 2020 No Comments

So what are your thoughts on mules? A mule is generally a closed toe, slide shoe. Truth be told, I really hated when this trend came back. And very quickly I succumbed to it…..and I have at least 6 pair these days! I love the slip on factor, and the fact that these shoes can transition from spring all the way through the fall! So I rounded up my favorite mules in a variety of colors and materials to get ya’ there! Here are my favorite summer mules under $50.

If you’re on a budget, my suggestion for a more micro investment would be a cognac brown or black pair, and a metallic pair for a great accent to any outfit. ….and truth be told, I can’t live without my snake print… (more evidence here). Shoes priced under $50 that will get me through almost 3 seasons seems like such a bargain!

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What are your thoughts on my picks of summer mules under $50? Do you think the trend will stick? Be sure to follow me on instagram and the Like to Know It platform to keep up with all my latest looks!

Home Decor & DIY

Creating a Gallery Wall

May 24, 2020 No Comments

Hi Friends! Our home is full of odd nooks and crannies, and this one seemed like the perfect spot to feature some sentimental photos and decor. So here are my tips on creating a gallery wall! From a completely unqualified interior designer, other than I gather enjoyment from it! This is a fun way to display important photos / keepsakes and be sort of an “intro” to your life & story for your guests!

I found these narrow photo shelves and knew these would be perfect to fill the space. If you have an awkward narrow wall like mine, I thought it might be really cool to hang 4 of these vertically!, “stacked”, in a sense. (I, however, have two mischevious dogs who would knock everything off the shelves).

I chose black and white frames and metallic patterned frames that match my decor in the rest of my living room, and chose to hang an oversized clock on the wall above this. I added a small sequined candle holder to break up the space and add a different shape.

I choose to vary the shapes and heights of my frames and items on the shelves to keep the look interesting. I even have several items overlapped to create more depth to this narrow shelf. Many of the items were previous DIY projects, but I linked up some similar items below. One of my oldest friends hand stitched the needlework for me – I know it’s tough to read but it says “be nice or leave” – PERFECT description of my attitude. Ha! I found some similar ones available for purchase on Etsy.

My style is contemporary but comfortable, maybe even verging on farmhouse. Be sure to check out my southwestern room for a little taste. If your home has more of a contemporary style, it would be a cool look to intentionally replicate the same frame on all your shelves in either black or white

I’d love to see how creating a gallery wall worked out for you! Challenge: Post a photo on social media and tag me to share!

Family, Home Decor & DIY

Wedding Card Keepsake

May 11, 2020 No Comments

Hi all!, Has Covid-19 got you using your old crafting supplies like me? I can tell you that during the time of Covid, I knew I did not want to reach the end of our “stay at home” orders and wonder how I had spent the last 8 weeks…. so I made it a goal to actually complete a few projects that I would generally complain that “I never have time to do”. This feels so shameful actually writing it, but I have had our wedding cards in a canvas bag for the last 5, yes, FIVE years… just sitting around! (Anybody else?, No?…) I finally got around to making a Wedding Card Keepsake out of them! Keep on reading for the details.

This is the culprit. The bag that held these cards for FIVE years!

First off, I have a tough time throwing things away that seem sentimental. Someone put time and effort into shopping for the cards and writing messages of good wishes for our future! Just throwing them out seemed so wrong! I didn’t want this project to take up a lot of space, so I created something to frame, and now it hangs in our entry way! I love walking past it and smiling about the happy messages every day. Click here if you missed my previous post on Our Story.

I grabbed this hexagon punch from Amazon to frame and punch out the nice phrases, pictures and fun patterns from the cards. I debated on a quatrefoil-shaped punch (like this one) because those have a special meaning in my life, but ultimately decided that I appreciated the symmetry of the hexagon a little more.

Don’t mind the mess in the background… Cleaning regularly was optional during Covid!

When I started, I really didn’t have any rhyme or reason to my paper punches, again, I just chose patterns, colors, and phrases that I liked from the cards. I got a little pleasure out of ripping the cards apart too…. to be honest! If your cards are really thick, you may need to rip layers apart so you don’t break your punch, and you’ll need a good pair of scissors handy too. Pro Tip! – You may have to cut the card in order to get to the picture or phrase you want.

Here’s the destruction! All the leftover card scraps that yes, I did recycle! 🙂

After I punched out all the shapes, I organized them on a piece of black 12×12 cardstock that I happened to have around the house, and laid them out in a pattern that was pleasing to me. Well, actually it was 2 pieces of cardstock that I stuck together to make 1 that would fit in my frame size (11×14). I tried to alternate solid patterns or pictures with words and phrases because I liked that look best, but every craft will turn out a little different because your cards will all be different!

Once I liked the overall look of the pieces, I used photo adhering squares – available near the scrapbooking supplies at your local craft store, to stick each piece onto the card stock. You could also use glue, but this was WAY less messy and seemed a lot faster to me.

I snagged a cheap frame (matted to 11×14) from Walmart that matches the general decor in my house, and voila! The hardest part, honestly, was figuring out where to hang this bad boy! We ultimately decided to hang it somewhere we could see it every day and somewhere others would be able to see it too. It’s in our front entryway as a piece of art, now and I love it!

Here are the supplies I used for my Wedding Card Keepsake project:

Have fun and be sure to customize to fit your space & style! Everyone will have varying amounts of cards and you could certainly go for a larger or smaller frame and add a few patterns/punches of some scrapbook paper if you want to insert more of a themed color throughout.

Food, Recipes

Savory Shepherd’s Pie

May 8, 2020 No Comments

Hey hungry people! I recently shared on my instagram page that my cooking strategy is totally disorganized. I tend to start with whatever products I need to use up before they spoil (or leftovers that need to be used!) and build my meal around that with foods I have in the house. Some of the beauty in cooking is that there are NO rules!, and you can get creative! Today I wanted to share my version of a Savory Shepherd’s Pie – perfect for using up leftovers or a hearty winter meal.

shepherds pie shepards pie ingredients — I love buying these little tubes of tomato paste because they’re so convenient if you don’t need to use a whole can!

I happened to have some leftover hamburger patties we had grilled earlier in the week that I knew we weren’t going to eat as hamburgers. Well, this one’s easy…. ground meat is ground meat and really easy to repurpose. I don’t normally keep potatoes in the house, but did have a few yellow potatoes around (during the time of COVID-19 quarantine where we’re cooking and eating almost every meal at home!)

From this was born my idea of Savory Shepherd’s Pie!…. which I had never actually cooked before – ha! Most of my recipes are developed this way. So here it goes:

Preheat your oven! – 400 degrees oughta do it!

If you’re using leftovers, chop up your cooked hamburgers and set aside. Begin browning your ground meat. I used ground turkey that I had available, but beef or even pork would work for this recipe too.

While the meat is browning, start boiling your potatoes for the topping. I used about 3-4 medium sized potatoes which, when chopped were all the same size, about 1″ cubes. It’s important to chop them the same size so they cook evenly. Boil until fork tender (about 15 minutes), and drain the water. Set aside.

Once the meat has browned, add 1 large onion and cook until translucent. (If you’re using any pre-cooked meat I would add to the mixture at this point as well).

Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and stir well. After these are distributed evenly, add the spices (thyme, sage, parsley, salt, pepper). Cook until fragrant.

Add the 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste, 2 tbsp of flour and 1 cup of Beef Broth to deglaze the pan. Continue to stir until all the clumps of flour and tomato paste have been dissolved, and add your vegetables.

I used a bag of frozen mixed vegetables because that’s what I had on hand. It was the perfect amount for 1 pound of meat. Once vegetables are thawed and integrated into the meat mixture, TASTE it! I found that I did add some more salt and pepper to amp up the flavor a little bit.

Once you’re happy with the flavors, transfer the meat mixture to a 7 x 11″ pyrex dish.

To finish the potato topping, I added 1/2 stick of butter, approx 1/3 cup milk, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. For fun, I threw in a little parmesan cheese, but this is definitely optional. I add the milk sparingly at first until the texture is right, because it’s tough to re-thicken potatoes! I used an immersion blender to puree this mixture, but you can easily use a potato masher if you don’t have that equipment available!

Once you’re happy with the flavor & texture of your mashed potatoes, transfer them to top the meat & vegetable mixture. Spread evenly over the top and transfer to your preheated oven.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 400 degree oven until the potato topping has begun to turn brown and may have a slight crisp to it.

Yum! Top with a little chopped parsley to garnish and you have yourself a delicious, savory Shepherd’s Pie!

If you try this recipe out, let me know what you think! 🙂 If you’re not feeling so much cooking, try out my Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers that you could also make with leftovers!

Home Decor & DIY

Southwest Home Accents

April 29, 2020 No Comments

So in our new place we have this really odd room… It’s got a nook- for who knows what? A fireplace that sits immediately next to a wall, and limited space for furniture due to the need to keep walkways clear. Oh, and these walkways are between the primary guest bathroom, the laundry room, a sliding door to the backyard, the stairs to the basement and the kitchen. The moral of the story is it’s a weird room! The answer: Southwest Home Accents.

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It took a while for me to figure out how we wanted to utilize this room, but we’re now fondly referencing it as “the party pit”! This is primarily because we made a makeshift bar area out of the questionable “nook”.

A friend of ours had this great cow hide accent rug in her very modern home, and I immediately knew I wanted to decorate a room similarly. Honestly, I’d secretly been coveting a cow skin rug for quite some time… Mine is authentic – purchased at the local rodeo! (Is this normal? – I was really pumped to find one there at a decent price… In case you’re not anywhere near a rodeo, I linked up a couple cute ones below.)

I linked up all my decor and/or similar products here, or by clicking the photos in the image below.

I had so much fun putting this room together! I think maybe it was because it’s so different than all the other rooms in my house? After all, most of my room is decorated in blues and grays. What do you think?? Do you have any ideas of other items I should include in the southwest inspired decor?