You May Want to (Buy) This: Swankaroo

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How adorable are these child-size backpacks specifically designed with young children in mind?!

 

I can just see Rhealen carrying around her little ponies and sunglasses in that Kaleidoscope print bag + Jaxon carrying around his cars and apple slices in the Camo print bag.

 

Kendra, the brilliant mind behind Swankaroo, has been publishing one of my favorite blogs, Kendra May, for years now, and I'm a dedicated follower + I am so happy for her to be venturing out with this small business of hers. I don't know how she does it with two littles (and one on the way!)

 

You can find Swankaroo HERE and on Instagram HERE.

You May Want to (Buy) This: Diamond Candles

How incredibly cool are these candles?! They'd make for an awesome gift for your bridal party (or any party, really) to surprise the special ladies in your life. Inside these amazingly pretty candles is a ring worth anywhere from $10 to $5,000 (!!)

And yes, if one of my lady friends happened to find a ring worth $5,000, I'd be totally jealous...but really happy for them, too!

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Find more information about Diamond Candles HERE! and follow them on IG HERE!

**This is a new series I'll be sharing sporadically to feature things I find online that you may want to buy, read, wear, eat, etc..these are not affiliate links or sponsored posts, just things I genuinely wanted to share**

Five on Friday

Another week, another great group of posts >> enjoy!

"Dance Like Juvenile Hipsters Aren't Watching"//Maria Melee
"How dare this little bitch judge me for my joyful, albeit uncoordinated bouncing? Then I thought about her age, and the fact that she wasn’t dancing at all. She was 17 or 18. Maybe her feet are still heavy and the eyes behind her were too much. Or maybe she is just a juvenile hipster a-hole."

"#everyBODYisflawless"//Gabifresh
"I wanted to show that 1) we are not competing to be the Top Dog in our niche--we are supportive of each other and are all working toward the same goal: body positivity and inclusivity. And 2) you don't have to be a certain size to claim your flawlessness. Fat is not a flaw."

"Cloud Sailing"//Katie's Pencil Box

"Throw WAY WAY Back Thursday"//The Bloggess

"Working Mom Guilt"//Daisy, Just Daisy
"On a deeper level, I want her to know that while I love my job, I love her more and I think about her and what she is doing all day long. When she goes to bed her Dad and I talk about how awesome she is, and her pictures cover my desk and my phone screen. Her daily reports from daycare make my day, reading about what she did and what she loved, and I wish somehow I could be there doing it all with her while also being at work."

Five on Friday

Here they are, folks, my five favorite posts from the past week >> enjoy!

In no particular order...

1--"The Turn Around"//Girls Gone Child
"I knew it was coming. I knew that one day my son, and then daughters, would wake up and roll their eyes at the mere sight of me, too. I knew that one day I would also be the worst. I just didn't know how soon, how sudden, and how completely off guard it would take me."

2--"road trip activity basket for a toddler"//Flora & Fauna

3--"Dating Yourself (+10 Cheap and Easy Ideas)"//The Clueless Girl's Guide
"We don't have to shower ourselves with grand gestures or elaborate gifts... sometimes something so small can make such a difference. Sometimes we have to supply our own sunshine in life."

4--"cosmically oprhaned"//Kendra May
"Truly without my religion I would be cosmically orphaned, lost in this vast universe without purpose, love, direction, and true joy. God is good."

5--"Motherhood Mondays: What If You Can't Have a Baby?"//A Cup of Jo


Have a great weekend, folks! 

#AmericanBlogger

I am way low on the totem pole of blogging, specifically mommy-blogging, but even I try to keep abreast of the current trends and tricks in our national (and global) blogging community. 

So when I came across this little gem -- American Blogger (click link for trailer) -- I was left scratching my head. 

Really? That's the film to portray blogging in America?! HA!

This film is drivel. It's narcissistic. It's one group of friends huddled together congratulating themselves on being the "popular" kids. Pathetic. 

There are so many amazing blogs out there from so many diverse voices, this film is a total slap in the face to the community of American blogging. I myself am one of thousands; a white heterosexual married mother of four -- I blog about my kids and our personal lives and not much more. Which is fine! But my voice is one of millions, and as much as I love my life, most of the time I'm interested in hearing voices that are different than mine. That's the beauty of our age of connection, the whole point to all of it -- why this filmmaker from Texas decided he'd ride around in his air-stream trailer filming the same type of blogger over and over again is beyond me. 

I, for one, won't be watching this film -- and if you yourself are not a blogger or don't know much about the blogging community yet, please don't believe this as an accurate representation. 

There is more, so much more, to blogging than this crap. 

M O N D A Y - L I N K S

You didn't really think they killed Brian Griffin did you? (Yes, I did, actually)

38 Awesome Christmas Card Ideas - and yes, my kids are #38

Everything Lisa Leonard creates is beyond amazing: I'll take this or this or this!

Still looking for DIY Christmas gift ideas? -> here is an amazing complete list (if you're a bit of a procrastinator like me, but you still enjoy hand-making items!)

These Christmas cookie sandwiches look so pretty and sound so simple to make, I think I might give them a try! (found via Amanda's Friday Fancies list)

Congratulations to Palardy - named the SEC's #1 punter! (GBO!)

Cooking Semi-Disasters Inspired by You

There's a reason you won't find a recipe post on this site (or a "What I Wore" post either, for that matter!) - I am by no means a good cook (or dresser? clothes-wearer? what's the word I'm looking for?) AND I KNOW IT. I'm okay with being mediocre at a lot of things, actually. 

And a lot of you out there are good cooks (and fancy clothes-wearers) apparently, because my IG and FB and Twitter feeds are flooded with lovely photos of delicious-looking meals and treats. One such lady (Rachel/A Southern Fairytale) has had the power to make me drool at my computer (or phone) screen for a few years now. She posts recipes that seem to be family-pleasing and hearty, two things I look for in a good recipe, and while some of her dishes are above my level of experience, I feel like I could recreate nearly all of her recipes with ease. 

So...the other night...I'm innocently trolling along IG...and I see a photo that looks self-explanatory enough. Chips covered in chocolate. Not that hard, right? Even I can do that! I thought quite confidently to myself.  

I have chips. I have chocolate. I'VE GOT THIS ONE IN THE BAG. 

Over-confidence in the kitchen should be the first warning sign of any disaster - you see, I don't own a double-broiler. That's the first thing I realize when I go to melt the chocolate. And I've watched enough Food Network in my day to know that, in order to melt chocolate and not have it taste like burnt tar, you really need a double-broiler. 

PLAN B

I take two of my Paula Deen cookware pots -that are already warped and crooked thanks to my husband, who lovingly tossed them a little too hard several years ago after I let them sit in the sink for a few days...or weeks- and I decided I could just do a make-shift double-broiler. And it kind of worked. Sort of. 

My chocolate started sort of melting. But not really, so I added a dash of milk (making this shit up as I go, believe me) and some chocolate syrup and voila! we have melted-ish chocolate. 

I then grab my bag o' chips to discover A) they're pretty dried out and not so pleasantly crunch anymore and B) they're mostly disintegrated into a thousand morsels at this point.

PLAN C

I take the best of the worst of the chips and just do the damn thing, because I've made it thus far melting my chocolate - I am past the point of no return. The chips aren't big enough to hold by one half and dip by the other, so I keep burning my fingers in the sort-of not-really melted chocolate. And on the bottom of my crooked make-shift double-broiler. 

But I am determined! 

I stand by my stovetop and dip chip after chip, until I've filled the (very last piece left in my container) tin-foil completely with chocolate covered chips. CHOCOLATE CHIPS! Get it?! Hardy HAR Har! 

And then it hits me....

I remember, I don't even like chocolate. How will I even know if this is edible? Or good? Cue: Rhealen Jo - my little up for anything, try everything once taste taster.

She eats one, gives me a "hmmph" kind of shrug and goes back to her cartoons. Well, hell. 

When Justin gets home later that night, I show him my hard-work. See?! See?! SEE:

He, too, was ambivalent at best. And thus, there sat on my counter a pile of "chocolate chips" that no one really cared about eating. I took them to our baby-sitter, and she enjoyed them (thank you Sandy!) - so THERE. 

I suck at life, and I'm never going to even attempt to get creative in my kitchen ever again. That is until the next time I see one of you out there post something delicious-looking, and I mangage to trick my brain into thinking I can do something totally off the wall, like say, recreate a five-course meal with nothing but light bread and Funyuns. 

I am (not the) master of my own kitchen. And I (don't) like it that way.

M O N D A Y - L I N K S

This is Not a Photograph of Morgan Freeman. This is insanely cool!

Why You're So Sad About Paul Walker's Death - Danielle posted this one, and it really made sense once I read it.

Love food? Love Instagram? Buzzfeed gives you 22 Instagram Accounts to Follow in 2014.

The most "powerful" photos and/or the "best" photos from 2013.

One of the cutest candy (or dog treat!) jars EVER.

I used NuvaRing for nearly two years, and this Vanity Fair piece really caught my attention.

I'm so glad Rebecca is back to doing Gone Style posts - they're wonderful!

A Good Handful of Years - the sweetest (or should I say most bittersweet) post!

Don't forget to Elf Yourself this holiday season! Here's our little video!

That's some good-looking broccoli.

Brides Throwing Cats.

Do Parents Pick Favorites? I really needed this read, so glad to have found it (via this post from Rebecca, which is also an excellent read)

Benedict Cumberbatch Reads R Kelly's "Genuis" = GENIUS!

TT #36

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Is this real life?! I mean, this person's Twitter account is still active and full of gems like this one -- but I hope it's a fake account and not a real human being on the other end. 

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Pretty sure I'm 98% panda...


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Can we talk about how freaking adorable Tom Hiddleston is? Because he's so cute, it literally hurts. Where Norman Reedus is my sexy man stallion, Tom Hiddleston is my adorable dimpled kitten. So cute!!

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I'm not sure if Simon Pegg was speaking directly about his relationship with often co-star Nick Frost or not, but I love his comment on the idea behind a "bromance": You can be affectionate with each other, you can love each other and it doesn’t have to be some – you know, and even if it does turn into something, which it didn’t, then it’s okay… We always sort of flinch at this “bromance” buzzword that’s come up – there’s no equivalent for women, because it’s not weird if women are friends… because of this homosexual terror that straight guys have, it’s ridiculous. Now there has to be this word for it, and it’s crazy. It’s totally sad.

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And don't you forget it!

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So wrong, it's right. I'm sorry, Miley, I just don't get it. 

{Find & Follow Friday}

Today's blog-light features a little blog I've been following for quite some time & enjoy immensely! Definitely worth clicking through and checking out :)

Sam is such a sweetheart - and I love the pink hair! She's married to an equally adorable guy, Chas + together they have the sweetest-cheeked little girl, Hero. Her photography and video skills are so amazing, I think I spend as much time following her photography site as I do her regular blog. The fact that Sam manages to multitask a growing family, running her own business and finding time to publish her first book just amazes me + totally inspires. me. (Fun fact: I've always daydreamed about publishing my own work of fiction...someday) 

I also want to point out this little tidbit: Sam and her family follow the Mormon belief, and I've never read her blog and thought "there's no way we can relate, having such different views" -- exact opposite! I think Sam speaks from the heart + that's someplace we can all relate to and find common ground on. 

Take some time today & this weekend to check out her blog, Young People in Love. It's totes worth it! 

PS: Their gender announcement video (in the About section) is just about the cutest little thing ever! 

PPS: Sorry for the crickets this week -- both the girls have been sick, and we've been trying extra hard to get them on the mend. Sidney has her kindergarten field trip to the zoo today, and we really want them to enjoy it 100%. Next week will hopefully be better, and I can share more fun things with you all. Have a happy weekend! 

{Find & Follow Friday}

Holy guacamole -- thanks to Kaelah at Little Chief Honeybee I found THE most amazing blog: The Militant Baker.

This girl? Jes is ah-mazing. Her open letter to Mike Jeffries (y'know, the CEO of A&F who hates fat people?) is GENIUS. I love that she's all about positive body-image, has a wicked sense of humor and seems 100% authentic. It's hard to find good blogs sometimes in the all the muddled, hipster, wannabe mess out there -- this blog is such a breath of fresh air!

If you only follow one new blog this weekend -> The Militant Baker is the one to follow!

And a big kudos to Kaelah for always featuring the most awesome people + things on her TiLT series. I have discovered so much coolness out there thanks to her and her weekly posts! Happy 4th birthday to your blog!

{Find & Follow Friday}

I know, I know -- let me go ahead and guess what you're thinking: this is just another series that will fizzle out before it ever gets really going...

And you may be totally right! Admittedly, I'm the world's worst at starting something here on the blog and then never seeing it through. But here I go again, despite the voice in my head that says, dude? why? -- because there are a lot of great blogs out there, and though my spotlight may be small, it's still a light and I'm going to let it shine. This series will feature at least one blog --sometimes more-- that I've found and think you should know about. I'm always looking for new blogs to follow, seeing as how variety is the spice of life, and maybe you are, too! 

So here we go, another feature series, one I hope to continue for a long time. Or at least 'til next Friday :)

 

I found Elycia's blog, ♥Elycia, through another long-time favorite of mine, The Dainty Squid -- definitely worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of Kaylah and her blog! You can see some of their fun collaborations --including hilarious videos-- here.

2012: Year in Review

You can see 2011 HERE.

January:: I read quite a few books, outlined all the movies I was excited to see in the new year, made some commitments instead of resolutions, enjoyed little dates with the girls, cut off my hair!, celebrated another blog-anniversary, and shared some more of my "non-expert" blogging tips.

February:: I did my first (and only) "photo an hour" post, we had some family photos taken,  I joined in on The Bloggess' #JuanitaWeasel fun, had so much fun doing this dressing-room style post, and felt totally guilty that I wasn't taking as many photos of the girls as I wanted to.

March:: I made myself a little "to-do" list, was disappointed with some legislation my home-state passed, went wedding-dress shopping with my BFFs (for Dobby's wedding!), celebrated the sweet husband's birthday, fell in love with Hello Dolly! (the Barbara movie), celebrated my love for Titanic, and felt the general public's reaction to Alicia Silverstone and her bird habits.

April:: The girls and I took a road-trip to Kentucky to see some great friends and family, I shared 10 of my favorite blogs, professed my love for 35mm film and tried to take more photos the "old-fashioned" way, and we ended the month by buying a boat!

May:: I finally admitted to the world that I have an obsession with Norman Reedus, we took our first official family vacation to Jacksonville, NC, I tried my hand at some free writing, posted a silly movie quote Because series, spent family time at the lake, and did our best to enjoy the beginning of summer '12!

June:: We started the month off with a bang announcing our pregnancy!, I finally got around to sharing Sidney's birth story, Rhealen turned ONE and I patted myself on the back for managing to keep up with her monthly updates, I did a little re-design on the blog (which has, of course, since been re-designed), celebrated Father's Day with the best Poppa we know, and saw baby brother for the first time.

July:: I cut off Sidney's hair, traveled to Kentucky for my BFF Cassie and her man Gerald's wedding, brought back the Tumblr Tuesday feature, blissfully accepted my place in this big ol' world, and shared my first Currently series post.

August:: Took a mini-trip to Newport, TN, and spent the night driving a screaming RJ around in the car, my big girl started Kindergarten!, updated on the baby for the first time officially on the blog, and took a little trip down to Greeneville, SC to see grand-parents.

September:: My sweetest Sidney turned a "whole handful" 5, I day-dreamed about buying blue things for our boy, the girls and I took one last vacation out to Williamsburg, VA to see my dad, Justin and I celebrated another anniversary, and I turned 24 at the end of the month!

October:: The Walking Dead finally premiered back on my TV and life became wonderful again, Rhealen finally hit the 20lb+ mark, Sidney lost her first tooth, we celebrated Halloween on the chilliest night of the month, and I tried to motivate others to join in on the blogging fun!

November:: I felt like I was the only one in my entire county happy to see President Obama re-elected, updated on the girls' growing spells, cleaned up my online presence and following making life so much more enjoyable for me, shared some of my favorite dancing-in-movie sequences, had a wonderfully full Thanksgiving holiday, and reveled in the fact that I made it to 30+ weeks of pregnancy!

December:: I had a true moment of pregnancy brain and thought our daughter was a burglar, let myself wallow in some good old-fashioned "mom guilt" for my little RJ, shared my opinion on how uncomfortable I feel sharing all in the delivery room, kept thinking and thinking of baby names for brother to no avail, lamented over the fact that The Walking Dead is on hiatus, celebrated a wonderful Christmas and felt a little sad that I didn't take more photos, and ended the year talking about my "third nipple".

What a year! I went back and forth this year about whether or not to do a year-end wrap-up, and now I'm so glad I did. It's so much fun combing through the past year's posts and reminiscing - 2012 was definitely a great year for us! Hopefully 2013 will be just as full and wonderful :)

Sometimes it's fun just to "window shop" online and put together some frivilous wants. I keep saying I'm going to make my first official Asos purchase one of these days (soon!) but I haven't yet. They've got such pretty stuff (for ladies of all shapes and sizes) and decent prices: bonus, they usually have some great sale items! One of these days, one of these days...

All items from Asos

Boy in Blue

1. Carter's romper 2. Liberty Silver Baby Boy Teaspoons 3. Adidas Superstar 2 Shoes 4. Build-a-Bear Sweet Cuddles Teddy Blue

Okay, so I'm not the first to admit - shopping for a boy is not nearly as much fun as shopping for girls! Boys are limited, and as silly as it sounds, I'm so limited in what defines "boy". I have a much easier time dressing my girls up in unisex items, but when I look at the same things for a boy to wear, I feel that tug in me that is completely backwards saying, "a boy can't wear that", when in fact, YES,  a boy can wear anything he wants to!

I need to get over myself and get out of my head. It's time to re-think my values and perceptions and focus on a happy, well-rounded and fulfilled son. Not a son covered head-to-toe in blue.

(Although blue is definitely growing on me! But I think that's just the general excitement over having a boy this time!)

come here, go there: link love

• Emily shares 10 awesome ways to tie your shoes -- who knew there were so many possibilities?! 
• Siri Pinter (you know, Carson Daly's girlfriend) has the most amazing food blog; simple, easy to navigate and awesome recipes. I want to try out these Zucchini & Parmesan fritters! 
• Rebecca is giving away a pretty sweet high-chair; and can I just say, I feel like a total "mom dork" for getting excited about free highchairs! 
• Alex shares 17 tips to make your life easier; some good stuff in there. I love the one about store-bought icing! 
• Noelle is speaking my language exactly; and I'm months behind her! 
• Kinsey shared some Red Velvet Pancakes on her blog that had my mouth watering! 
• Jess has some great "at home" beauty tips; I can't wait to try them out. 

Other note-worthy stories:

• This concept idea for a "Euthanasia Coaster" may be the most intriguing thing I've read about in a long time; really makes you stop and think. 
• Y'all know I'm terrified of sharks, right? Well, this story about a man on a kayak being trailed by a great white has my skin crawling (even before I saw the pictures)! 
• "Humanae is a chromatic inventory, a project that reflects on the colors beyond the borders of our codes by referencing the PANTONE® color scheme." That's how they say it; I just think it's incredible. 

This video has nothing to do with anything; I just haven't been able to get this song out of my head for two days now, and it's driving me CRAZY. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

come here, go there: link love

• Leigh shared the most amazing "Popspots" on her blog - how ingenious!
• Kaelah and her fiance took their own engagement photos; and they turned out amazing.
• Julia shared some amazing bunkbeds on her blog; we've been thinking about doing bunkbeds in the girls' room, so this was just the inspiration I needed.
• Danielle shared her summer reading list recommendations (part one and two) - when that girl says read something, you read it! 
• Erin is my style hero - I love her Dressing series so much, she inspires me to put on some real clothes every now and then. 
• Rebecca has the cutest little Nana; I could listen to her talk all day (even if it is about flowers, which is a language I do not speak!) 
• Rubyellen shared a cute little DIY project - I definitely want to do this with Sidney at some point this summer. 
• Kaylah has, hands-down, THE prettiest hair ever right now; I love her color combinations (and I secretly wish I had hair like this!) 

Other note-worthy stories:

• Oh, Kourtney Kardashian. You and your "commitment issues" crack me up - but I do love to watch your baby daddy on TV. Scott is my favorite Kardashian! 
• The 18 best layer cake recipes - I definitely want to try the Revelatory Caramel Cake and the Momofuku Birthday Cake! 
• 
  

And to end this little series, a video! I've been dying to re-watch "Across the Universe" but sadly it's not among our insanely huge collection of movies at home. So, instead, I just watch videos online and suffice. This song/clip is definitely not among my favorites, but I absolutely ADORE Jim Sturgess' little head-shake at the 1:25 mark. He could not be any cuter!

Because I F@%$!&G Love Movies!

A few months ago, I saw a post by Adam, also known as Avitable, or as I like to to call him The Guy Who Gets Real Creative With His Balls Around the Holidays. Anyway, I saw this post about movies and I was inspired. Isn't that the way it always goes?

He saw a post somewhere else, then he did his own thing.

I saw his post somewhere else, now I'm doing my own thing.

Get it?

So without further ado, here are some reasons I love movies. (Clicking on the link will take you either to a video clip or the movie's IMDB info - if you'd like to be creative and guess which movie is which, leave me a comment below. And be sure to let me know if you do a similar post on your own site!)

Because you can die, too, for all I care.

Because it's not a space shuttle launch, it's sex.

Because I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

Because  if you tell anyone about this, especially your brothers, I'll beat the shit out of you.

Because face it, girls, I'm older and I have more insurance. 

Because I'd like to get my hands on her "ample nacelles," if you pardon the engineering parlance...

Because I tell the swamp donkey to sock it before I give her a trunky in the tradesman's entrance and have her lick me yarbles!

Because you're a virgin who can't drive.

Because I never miss. 

Because this is my happy face. 

Because I could shoot you in the middle of Mardi Gras, and they couldn't touch me. 

Because I am sick to death of this whole center of the universe, holier than thou, nothing is ever enough. Oh, how I've suffered, nobody understands me. Somebody fix me a drink and hand me a Nebutol, worn out Scarlett O'Hara... thang!

Because there's nothing wrong with my face! I got character!

Because this is a house of learned doctors.

Because I'm not Josie Grossie anymore!

Because this is one doodle that can be un-did, Homeskillet.

Because a mental mind-fuck can be nice.

Because it's called a lance, hello!

Because he's gonna be very popular.

Because God, I just wish I could get it back.

Because I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings.

Because that's my boat.

Because it's not everyday you find a girl who'll flash someone to get you out of detention.

Because why don't you make like a tree and get the fuck outta here.

Because last week he wanted to marry her; now he wants to have her committed.

Because cragged salt like a sailor's stubble! Flip the switch and let the cauldron bubble!

Because I'm a cross-dressing homosexual pacifist with a spot on my lung.


This post was a lot of fun (and months in the making) so expect some more down the road! 

10 Blogs I'm Loving Right Now

Katie has the most delightful, airy little blog - her pictures are subtle yet beautiful and her words, even more so. I love the design she's doing for her little baby girl (due soon!) in the nursery, and all her little dates with her son, Max, remind me to spend more one-on-one time with my kids every chance I get.

Lehua is another expecting blogger (almost everyone I read right now is having babies!) who shares her day-to-day tales of life in SF. She has an adorable mister and even cuter dog! I love her DIY projects and crafts.

Amy will inspire you, make you believe in magic. She has the most dreamy and yet "real" blog out there - her day-to-day is full of whimsy and prose, even as she's talking about the real things in life. I adore her.

Kaelah has the kind of blog (and style) I envy - she's open, honest, articulate and funny. She dreams BIG, and I love following along with her journey to opening up her very own brick and mortar store. If I'm ever in Nashville again, I'm going to track down the Honeybean and do some shopping of my own!

Love has seven kids and TWIN GIRLS on the way! Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed with my lot and down and out, I just head over to her blog. She finds inspiration, beauty and peace in the chaos of life. To me, she's the epitome of a selfless mom, a true giver. Read her archives to learn more about adoption, courage, Christianity and "little" style.

Margot is a soon-to-be first time momma (she's expecting a girl, too!) who has such a soft-spoken and wonderful blog. She shares her travels, her amazing recipe box and great tutorials for those of us looking to save money and still be crafty.

Brandi & Kelly have a lot going on! They always seem to be busy opening up their newest shop, starting awesome projects and collaborating with some serious talent for events and photos-hoots. I love their "sister sister" posts and awesome hair/skincare tutorials. They keep me informed and keeping me laughing. Awesome combination of girls here.

Jess has been one of my absolute favorite finds ever; I found her blog soon after starting my own, and I've never stopped reading. She keeps it 100% real, and I've loved watching her style (and babies!) grow over the past few years. You won't find sponsored or c/o fluff on her blog - she's purely authentic.

Crystal is the nicest, friendliest gal I know - she's got such a devoted mister "M" and the sweetest pups! She's been so kind to host a giveaway for me, and to let me guest post over at her "blogging buddies" series. I love all the photos she shares, and you'd be hard pressed to find a kinder soul.

Nicolette has a closet I envy, a job I used to dream about, and a style all her own. When I read her blog, I feel like I'm at least attempting to stay "on trend" and keep up with the latest in design + fashion. If she ever decides to do a "shop my closet" series, you better believe I'm going to snatch up a thing or two!

• And because I feel so bad leaving off some of my favorite blogs, here's 10 more you should be reading: Katie.Cupcake // A Cup of Jo // Create*Loves // A Pyre of Soviet Kitsch // Cakies // Virginia & Charlie // You Are My Fave // The Dainty Squid // Bitchcakes // Sometimes Sweet (<------I promise none of these blogs will disappoint!) 

What blogs are you loving? I'm always looking to expand my "reading list", so feel free to leave me a comment with your blog (or a blog you highly recommend!) and I'll be sure to check it out. 

my to-do list

I have little things piling up, racking my brain, and taking up space. Things I need to do soon or else there'll be no more room to think clearly or speak straight.

See?!

I must tackle my little inner to-do monologue soon or I'll be making no sense!

LEARN how to embroider - specifically hand embroider. I am not the craftiest crafty person ever born, but I do have a little bit of design, style and passion in me. Now I need to make it happen and teach myself! I've been devouring YouTube videos left and right, jotting down notes and getting myself ready to dive in with at least some bankable knowledge.

I also want to learn how to make THESE because that's just how twisted and silly I am sometimes.

COOK a signature dish. A lot of people in my family are known for a **signature** dish (typically a dessert) and I want to have my own trademark food! My mom is known for pineapple pies and chili. My Mamaw is known for her butterscotch pies and amazing breakfasts!

I want my own "known for" food - which right know only consists of the super-easy, mass-produced dip recipe that includes cheese, hamburger, sausage and rotel tomatoes! Anyone and everyone can make that! I want something fancier and more unique!

READ the entire Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice. I have the Kindle. I have (some) time. I need to do it! There's no excuse why I can't; I'm the only thing getting in my way. I also need to finish reading The Stand, if only for my father's sake. I've started it several times but can never get further than 200 pages. I need to just suck it up and read the damned thing already.

CLEAN my house. Oh. dear. god. The laundry that is piled up in our bedroom is insane. I do manage to stay on top of the dishes, only because A) they start to stink after a while and B) that's the one thing Justin will nag me about but never actually do himself. The girls' room looks like a tornado went off in there and the rest of the house is just sort of "straightened up" - there isn't one inch of my house right now that I can officially call clean. I'm not the nit-picky type that obsesses over a clean house, but it's starting to drive me a little crazy! And I know that means it's bad!

SLEEP a little better. I'm in the midst of trying to "sleep train" Rhealen and it's totally screwing up my sleep cycle. Now that she's fast approaching the nine-month mark, I know I need to get her on a good schedule and teach her how to fall asleep by herself. I probably should've started earlier on, but everything I read says babies aren't emotionally or physically developed until 4-6 months to sleep train; and I figure since she's a little on the small side I'd cut her some slack (that's just the mama instincts in me coming out, she's perfectly developed for her age even if she is small)!

It goes against all of my other motherly instincts to let her "cry it out" sometimes, but I know this is for the best. For both of us. When she sleeps, she's a happier camper. When I sleep, I'm a much happier camper. I'm the happiest damned camper you ever did see!

SPEND a little more time with my girlfriends from high-school. Spend a little less money on stupid things. Spend a little more time kissing my husband. Spend a lot more time kissing my sweet girls. Spend a little more time on the phone with my dad and grand-parents when they call. Spend some quality time with my mom, just the two of us. Spend more time being happy.

It's a simple little to-do list, one I need to get started on right now! What are your to-do lists looking like these days?