Linky Love

Yesterday, my girl LW featured some of her favorite posts that her sponsors have been writing this month, and I loved it so much, I stole it. Man, it feels good to be gangsta.
Anywhoodles, you know I love my swapper girls, and I think they're absolutely fabulous, so I know you'll dig these too. To quote LW, "sharing is caring", so here ya go!

{This was also stolen from the lovely LW. I dig it, so I made it mine. She got it here}

The lovely Courtney wrote about her love story with her boyfriend R, she shared why she isn't on facebook any longer, and she posted one of my new favorite mantras.

Ray wrote an amazing post about bullying, shared updates on her adorable son Jay, and asked what's going on with everyone getting pregnant with baby #2.

The fabulous Kenj shared her latest adventures with kickboxing, her odd encounter with a homeless man, and (my favorite!) wrote some letters.

My girl Amber dropped the ball and only posted twice in April. But I still love her.

My newest sponsor (whom I love!), English, did the accent vlog challenge, posted some ahhhh-mazing photos, and wrote about her girls weekend in Garmisch, Germany.

Rachel announced what she's having, unveiled a New Mommy Blog Swap, and bragged about her vacation to Hawaii.

LW showed us the great job she did on her sister's baby shower, shared the evolution of Little Woman, Little Home, and wrote about her inspiration to be healthy again (which I loved!).

The classy, yet country Melonie shared some amazing iPhone photos, wrote about her emotions, and her very eventful Easter weekend.

Josie posted about some traumatic (but funny) events, showed us adorable photos of her daughter, Sophia, and gave us an 18 month update.
Mrs. K. went swinging, shared some drawings, and wrote about one of my favorite things, southern nights.
And last but certainly not least, Tiffany got artsy, played Fill in the Blank Friday, and made a bet.
And that's it! I can't wait to see what these girls come up with next month!

End of Month Business

That title is so professional, but it fits so well. Can y'all believe that May starts tomorrow!? It's loco, yo!

So, since it's the end of the month, I figured I'd do a bit of a wrap up just to tie up any loose strings. A little housekeeping, if you will.

First things first, our March for Babies walk is this Saturday!!


M and I have been crazy busy preparing for the walk. Meaning we've been sitting on our couch watching Doc McStuffins. We should probably go for at least one walk between now and Saturday. Anylaziness, we are a loooong way from our goal, so I'm begging y'all for donations! If you can't donate, please pass the word along. This is for a great cause! Please, and thank you!

Moving on, a new month means new chances to participate in my sponsor swap! I love the girls that I currently swap with, and I've got more room for even more buttons! I've been introducing my sponsors throughout the month, as well as giving them the opportunity to guest post. I also tweet about them and mention them on my blog's facebook page a few times. If you're interested, drop me an email (ohheyitsj @ gmail) so we can chat!

And last, but certainly not least, I'm so very, very excited to announce that I'm making my "writing debut" on Sprocket Ink today!! My first post goes up at 3pm, and it's an explosive one! (you'll get that if you read the post later!) So, head on over to SI and check out the rest of the crew and their posts. I have always wanted to write for them, so when they offered me a spot, I jumped on it quicker than a Kardashian jumps on a spin-off idea. 
*Update: my post is live!! Go read it!

And that's it, y'all. The strings are tied! Let me just say, thanks so much for reading this little blog of mine. I absolutely adore all of you, and y'all make my day a little better with every little comment, email, or tweet. Y'all rock my face off. Happy Monday, my loves, I hope it's a good one!

Saturday Sensationals

Source: weheartit.com via Weiching on Pinterest

Hello, m'dears! I hope your weekend is going beautifully! I am still lounging in my pj's with a mug of hot chocolate at my grandmother's house. I love when we spend weekends here. Hopefully your day is going as well as mine is! Are you ready for some Saturday Sensationals?
What if there had been 47 dwarfs?
Don't you think a cheetah would make a fabulous pet?
Anyone up for an adorably sweet "breakfast"?
Why yes, yes I do need this necklace!
Everyone should have a cute notebook.
Patrick Dempsey is the new Ryan Gosling!?
Meet Ms. Irrelevant.
I love tinted bottles!
I also love Starbucks caramel apple spice!
Ever wonder why you were unfriended on Facebook?
Ellen DeGeneres shows us how we're supposed to be reading that 50 Shades book.
Lindsay as Liz? You're kidding me, right?
Thinking of cutting your hair soon? Take note.
30 Things Every Woman Should Know or Have Before They're 30.
Wanna be a rockstar blogger?
Alright, my darlings, go and do something fabulous today!

Excuses, Excuses

I could sit here and tell y'all how busy I've been, but I doubt you wanna hear it. I could also tell you how we're currently in rental property hell, but I doubt you wanna hear that either.
So, this is what I'm gonna do.
I'm going to wish you a fabulous Friday,

Cheers to the freaking weekend...
then I'm going to tell you to come back here on Monday for some exciting news (no, I'm not pregnant),

Problems, yo.

then I'm gonna leave y'all with some adorable photos of M that I have yet to post. Cause I'm so busy and all.

Have a sensational weekend, my darlings!

A Dose of Vitamin D

First of all, let me say thanks to all of you for your sweet comments on my last post! Y'all rock my face off. Consider this an expression of my undying love for all of you.

After I wrote that post the other day, I realized the only way my attitude was going to change is if I did something about it. I know it's going to take awhile to shake this funk, but every little baby step helps, right? So, I grabbed some supplies and M and I went outside to have a little fun.

Y'all, let me tell you, a little warm sunshine and a slight breeze can work wonders. M and I were both in a rockstar moods for the rest of the day! And all we did was blow bubbles and color on the sidewalk. So, the next time you're feeling all, "meh", make like a toddler and color outside. You'll be amazed at what it does for your attitude.

Now, you didn't think I'd leave you without a few camera phone shots of my adorable tot, did you!?

























And my favorite




Colored bubbles!! (what a mess!!)

She absolutely adores blowing bubbles!! I think we may have to make this a regular thing. I even got in on the fun




I hope y'all are having fabulous days, and if you aren't, go out and get some sunshine!!

Until next time dolls, X's and O's!

Oscar the Grouchy

Y'all, I'm all sorts of grumpy lately. I'm quick to get to mad, and then I get upset for losing my temper. Which is the reason I've been MIA around here lately.

But I can't help it. The Hubs is working such crazy hours, so I'm pretty much a single parent 6 days a week. To all of you actual single parents: I don't see how you do it. You have my complete respect and admiration.

Plus, M has hit this point where she doesn't listen. Like, at all. I get on to her for misbehaving, and it doesn't phase her. She's all, "take away my toys, I don't care!" complete with an eye roll and a hair toss. It's a full out teenage attitude. Don't get me wrong, she's still my sweet baby girl for the most part, but she's pushing the boundaries. Everyone tells me this is normal, and she's going to push back while she's learning "who she is as a person", but dammit, it's frustrating. If I hear "NO!" one more time, I'm going to pull out all of my hair.

It leaves me so exhausted that by the end of the day, I just collapse in a big heap on the couch. I'm ashamed to admit how many days it's been since I've done a load of laundry. Let's just say that we're going to be wearing our winter clothes if I don't do laundry soon.

Anyway, my apologies for not being around lately. Hopefully I'll get out of this funk soon. But, in the mean time, any advice that y'all may have would be greatly appreciated, because if I don't get a better attitude soon, I'm going to be forced to move into a garbage can on Sesame Street. And I absolutely despise Big Bird.

Pink Peep Martinis with Tiffany

Y'all are in for an extra special treat today, Tiffany from Blabbering Thoughts is guest posting for me!! (And I'm over at her place, so come check me out!) I simply adore this girl! She's just so cute and funny, so I know you'll love her too! Plus, she writes about alcohol a lot, which means she has a special place in my heart! So, without further adieu, here's Tiffany! 

I spent a lot of time contemplating what I really wanted to write this post about, truly this is my first guest post.. Sure I've wrote introductions about myself & blog but now I get to blog about whatever I please because J is so incredibly awesome {{like you didn't already know that}}.

First off, I am Tiffany.. I blog over at Blabbering Thoughts. You got my introduction on Monday so I won't bore you with that.

I now know what I am going to write about.. This is something I blog about every week.. Martinis. Yes that's right, I said it.. Martinis. I am not an alcoholic, I have 2 kids, ages 2 years & 9 months.. No time for that silliness BUT we get together every week with our "Fresno fam".. There are 5 of us.. Stragglers that were brought together because we have no family here. But I love them, DUH. So when we get together we cook up a fabulous dinner.. Well Ashley, the super cook, does that & we fill in the blanks. Well the boys will be boys & drink their beer or Manhattans, us girls.. We drink a martini or 2. Each week we give a new martini a shot.. Of course we find them on Pinterest. So this last week we all know that it was Easter, so we had a "peep martini".. I am sure you saw that floating around Pinterest.

Neither one of us are too fond of peeps, but my daughter sure was. The peep was more for decor. Overall it was pretty bomb {{as in good, legit.. yeah I am trying to be younger than what I really am}}, a bit bitter but the icing & sprinkles definitely helped with the bite. 

Click here for the printable recipe

Oh & on a side note, I got my hair cut this past week.. Well I got a trim & added bangs back into my life. I.love.bangs.

This post is the complete example of my blog's title.. I go on & on about the most random things. Duh, I keep it saucy that way!

Now, I am not begging you to come read my blog.. Okay I am. Juuust kidding, sorta. Hope to see you there!

I tweet too if you care :)

Lovely Ladies: Part Deux

It's Monday, which mean it's time to meet more of my awesome April sponsors! So, meet these fabulous ladies, and then head over to their blogs and check them out!

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Hi all! I am Tiffany & I blog over at Blabbering Thoughts. Which pretty much speaks for itself.. I blab about the random of things going on in my life. It ranges from my kids, to me, to the world, to food, to MAYBE fashion, of course a little pinning action, to my love life, to just about ANYTHING. My blog is not promised to one thing, I blog for me & hopefully people enjoy reading my nonsense.

Meet me

Meet my little fam {{Lloyd or Chris my hubby to be, Hadley our 2 year old, & Henry our 9 month old}}

Come on over to my page & follow me. I promise I will keep you entertained & if not, please write me emails stating I am boring. I work well with constructive criticism.

Here are 5 random facts about me to lure you in.
1. I am the most undomesticated woman to live, BUT I am learning & documenting. 
2. We just bought a house. Decorating advice welcome & tips to come. 
3. I live in-between 2 mountain ranges, I think they call that a valley {{beautiful scenery to post}}.
4. If I could pick one artist to listen to the rest of my life, it'd be Jason Aldean. DUH. 
5. OH, I am getting married in January 2013.. Did I mention it'll be on a beach? Oh yeah, wedding talk. 

Follow me on tweeter or on pinterest.

Hope to see you there! You'll be surprised where my rambling mind travels.

blog // twitter // pinterest

 

Hi! I’m Courtney and I write a blog called ‘Tales of Lace & Glitter’- that's the title of my  blog because I find myself torn between the two on almost a daily basis.

I have always been an outgoing person, the first person to speak up, always walking around with a smile on face and a funny comment to make. THEN...I turned 30 and started to wonder if a serious number like that might need a more serious outlook (hence the lace). I think lace is refined, delicate, and understated. To be more lace-like, should I tone down the pink desk accessories in my cube at work? Should I not change my hair color every other month? Do I need a more “grown-up” car? I mean I certainly recognize there is a time and a place for everything, and I get that it may not be appropriate to wear a top from Forever 21 to the office, but should I stop shopping there since I am no longer in the same decade as the store? I mean, no one wants to be Forever 30 do they?

It is this struggle between what I consider two different ends of the spectrum that you’ll get to read about in my blog:: my trials and tribulations of being 30, contemplating becoming mature, and just the everyday happenings of a girl (and yes, I said girl because I still like to say ‘When I grow up, I want to...” )

Be sure to come check out my blog- Tales of Lace & Glitter 

Tweet Me!

Check out my latest obsessions on Pinterest!

blog // twitter // pinterest

Hey there! It's RAY J!

I'm a mommy and a wife. A Dallas Cowboys fan born and bred in Northern Illinois. A video game player and former WoW addict (my son has a Mario Bros themed room!). A fantasy lover, movie watcher, book reader, music listener and am in loooove with the new Taco Bell Doritos taco! I went to college and got a bachelor's degree in art, focusing on graphic design, yet somehow I ended up working retail part-time. I also live in what Forbes deems to be the 9th worst city in the US, yet I've lived here most of my life and it doesn't seem *that* bad... Oh and I recently helped my sis (and my mom) plan her wedding in just 5 weeks - talk about a crazy whirlwind month March was!

In addition to blogging about my family and the going-ons in my life, I participate in link-ups and swaps and occasionally make some humorous posts, share some neat video game or pop culture art, and make nostalgic trips down memory lane of things we enjoyed in the 80s, 90s and early 00s!

blog // twitter

 

Saturday Sensationals

Hello darlings! Happy Saturday!! Are you ready for some Saturday Sensationals?

I'm loving that Lindsay is a Pin-tester!

I'm kind of digging this tip.

Have you seen the behind the scenes photos from Titanic?

Are you seeing it in 3D this weekend?

How about making these for Easter dessert tomorrow?

Oh, how times and tv rules have changed.

How long can Ryan Gosling keep being Ryan Gosling?

Tiny house, you're adorable.

Need some new shoes?

Apparently, I'm not the only one that Facebook makes crazy.

Wanna see a real life Disney princess!?


Ok, my loves, I'm off to do a bit of junk huntin', I hope your Saturday is as fabulous as mine is going to be!!

Why Do You Blog, Josie?

Y'all are in for a big ol' treat today! One of my newest favorite bloggers is swapping blogs with me and telling y'all why she blogs! I'm at her place, and she's taking over things here in my neck of the woods. So, welcome her with open arms, and then come on over to her place and visit with me!

*******

Hi {An Unstyled Life’s} readers! My name is Josie and I blog over at Letters to Sophia. When J asked me to do a guest post for her I was really excited because I have never done one before! So because I’m a newbie at it I asked what she wanted me to write about and she mentioned what about why you blog. I immediately decided that that’s what I was going to write about because I've never actually shared why I do. 

Everyone has their own reasons for starting a blog and this is mine:

I’ve always enjoyed keeping a journal or using an online source to write about whatever came to my mind or what I was up to. I love being able to look back and remember what I was going through or what I was doing at that time. I still have a journal that I kept when I was 15 and I enjoy reading it every now and then. I even save planners from each year, it’s kind of weird.

I kind of stopped keeping a journal once I started college. I was just too busy and never had the time to really sit down and write. But during my third year of college I found out I was pregnant. Yes, my pregnancy was unexpected so I took it kind of hard. I wasn’t planning on having children for a while. I mean I was 20 years old, in college living in an apartment with three girls, and had barely any income. I cried for days but thanks to my family and friends they were able to be there for me and tell me that everything was going to be ok. 

Even though I had my family and friends I still felt like I couldn’t truly talk to anyone about how I was feeling. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy that I’d be a mother and I had a perfectly healthy baby growing inside me, I was just worried. I think any new mom worries.

Around April of 2010, about a month after I found out I was pregnant; I decided that I needed somewhere to write. Somewhere I could just ramble about what I did during the days as a pregnant woman and how I felt and not worry about someone else judging me because of it. I needed somewhere to just let everything out. And trust me, when you’re pregnant and trying to finish up your junior and senior year of college, you need somewhere to vent.

I bought a cute little journal at Barnes and Nobles and started writing in it one night. I decided I’d write to my baby. I started it out as Dear Baby, and I went from there. As I wrote, I cried and cried. And after I was done writing and crying I felt so much better. I was able to put it away and feel happy the rest of the day.

After writing in it a few times I decided I wanted somewhere online to write because it’s just so much easier to type what I feel. So I started this blog. I kept it private at first with only a few readers and each post was a letter to my baby.

As I got further along in my pregnancy the writing kind of slowed down and I actually stopped blogging for a couple of months.

And then Sophia was born.

I was so happy to be a mother and was enjoying all my time with her while I was on maternity leave from school. 

After three weeks I went back to classes. I was in Morgantown alone with Sophia. Gary {my fiance} was an hour away finishing his school in a different town and my parents lived almost two hours away. I had my roommates and friends but they were busy with school too. I couldn't get into any daycares in Morgantown {they all had waiting lists} so when I did go to class I would have a friend watch Sophia, and I'm SO thankful for them doing that.

After about a month, things got real hard. It was harder for me to get my school work done and for me to find someone to watch Sophia while I was in class. I was just exhausted. 

I finally realized that I couldn't do it. That as much as I pushed and tried I just couldn't be a new mom and go to college full time so I called my mom in tears and just broke down to her.

After talking we finally decided that Sophia would stay with my mom during the week, two hours away, while I went to classes in Morgantown and I'd just come home every weekend. As much as it hurt me to leave my baby, I had to finish school. 

As soon as we hung up the phone I just held Sophia and cried and just kept saying "Sorry" to her. I cried so much that I had to take Sophia out to my roommate and I just went back in my room and laid there and cried. One of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. In fact, I'm crying now. I just felt like I failed but looking back now I know it was best for both Sophia and I. 

My mom got Sophia that day. It was the first time I was ever away from her. I felt lost and empty. I was hurting and I just cried for the longest time. The first few days were extremely hard but I started getting busy again with school and things got a little easier. My mom was able to send me pictures all day of her and it kept me going until I was able to drive and see her on the weekends.

I then decided to start writing to her again on here. And it was probably the best thing to help with how I was feeling. I would write to her and tell her about my day and how much I loved her and missed her.  I tried writing to her as much as I could and I kept it going for one whole semester until I finally graduated college and was able to be back with my baby. And we haven't been away from each other since. No more leaving my baby. 

Letters to Sophia then turned into sort of baby book where I share what we've been up to and tons of pictures. I have enjoyed keeping my blog. It has so much meaning to me and I'm able to look back and read how I was feeling during the hardest months of my life. 

I have been able to document our story and of course meet other mommy's and read their stories. I plan on blogging for as long as I can. You can also print your blog out into little books so you know that I'll have all these books for Sophia to read as she gets older. She'll be able to read our story.

And that's why I blog.

THANK YOU TO J FOR LETTING ME GUEST POST FOR HER TODAY AND ALSO TO ALL OF HER READERS WHO TOOK THEIR TIME TO READ THIS! PLEASE STOP BY MY BLOG AND SAY HELLO! HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT DAY!

Just a Quick Hello

{via}

I know that I've been MIA lately, but I swear I've got good reasons!

It's antique time here in Texas, and I've spent way too much time perusing fields of junk. We're going again on Saturday. Hi, I'm J and I'm addicted to junk hunting. I've also got M addicted.

{Junkin like a champ!}

Yes, that says JUNK GYPSY. As in the Junk Gypsy Company, who are the greatest junkers ever. EVAR.

Plus, summer has decided to make an early appearance down here in the south, so we've spent as much time as possible soaking up the sun!

But, I promise I'll try to be a better blogger, and at least say hey every once in awhile! Maybe I'll even post next week about all of my junk finds from this weekend!

Anyexcuses, come back tomorrow for an awesome guest poster, and if you don't hear from me before Saturday, I hope you all have fabulous, sun filled weekends!! X's and O's m'dears!

Lovely Ladies: Part Un

These lovely ladies are a few of my April sponsors, go check them out, I know you'll love them!

Hello! My name is Josie and I blog over at Letters to Sophia. I'm a young mommy to my beautiful girl, engaged to her daddy & we live in a small town in WV. I use my blog to basically share our daily adventures, memories and anything random that comes to the mind of a young, busy momma working full time who loves photography, fashion, blogging and anything girly & baby. So come on over, follow us and join us on our adventure as Sophia grows! Oh! & leave a comment and say hello, I'd love to meet you all as well!

blog // twitter // pinterest // facebook // instagram

Hi! I'm Mrs. K and I'm the author over at Mrs. K & Captain J My husband's job with the U.S. Army is what prompted me to start writing for the world to see. I had just left family in Tennessee to move up to Alaska to welcome him home from deployment number one. When his deployment was extended a bit more than we intended, I was left in the Last Frontier without knowing a single soul. My internet pals became buddies really quickly! That was years ago and I have since switched  blogging locations. I hope you'll stop by my new location and stay awhile! I blog about life as a military spouse, travel, my oh-so-cute son, and whatever else comes to mind. If you do stop in for a visit, introduce yourself! I love meeting new bloggy pals and following people from all over the world.

blog // twitter // facebook

My name is Kendra...you can call me Kenj.

I am the owner of the wonderful place called Silkybowties.

I am all over the place. Not so literally though. I can not name one thing that I generally blog about. I am a college student studying sociology and hoping to go to graduate school for social work. I had a troubled past and I just want to help other people. I would drop anything to help someone in need. I am also a independent Beachbody Coach. You know p90x, Insanity, or Turbofire? Yeah, well that's the company I work for. It is beyond beneficial..plus I've lost 40lbs since October! What's not to love? I am super close to my mom and brother. We are a little wolf pack. My brother is 3 years older than me and is one of the biggest role models in my life. You will always here me talking about him and my mom. Usually it'll be a story and you may think I would be with friends, but rather I am with my mom and brother. I tend to hang out with them more than my friends. I also have the cutest puppy in the world! You can call her Poopsy. Don't worry, she doesn't mind. She is a french bulldog. She is just a year and a half old now and will always be a puppy in my eyes. I now work at a hair salon and it is such a fun job. It was hard for the first week, but now it's just plain fun. The stylists are a blast to be around and I actually look forward to coming to work..wow.

Come say hi!

blog // twitter