Showing posts with label Pillow Thought. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pillow Thought. Show all posts

Friday, February 22, 2013

The BLOGSCARS: Your Guide to the Blogging Stars

I love award shows.  So it seemed incredibly fitting to me that some of my favorite bloggers get awarded for their efforts during the past year.  You see great content, beautiful photography, and a wonderful relationship they build with their readers.  Building a blog is a craft and there can be uplifting moments and pitfalls.  You may have seen my "blog obessions" posts in the past, but this month with inspiration from the Oscars, I present to you:

 photo blogscarslogo_zps560b6acd.jpg

It's an idea that I came up with to celebrate some of my favorite bloggers and the great posts that they have written. I have so many favorite blogs, so just like the Oscars, not everyone is represented in tomorrow's Blogscars. However, it is my first attempt at this and I want it to be as fabulous as ever.

Now it wouldn't be an awards show without some promotional material:


The categories, with their nominees are as listed:

 Popular Blog Link-Ups
Northern Belle Diaries
Sami's Shenanigans 
Living in Yellow
I Wore Yoga Pants to Work

Best DIY Birthday
Little Baby Garvin
Craft, Interrupted
Pillow Thought

Best Mommy Moment
Pillow Thought
Vicki Christine
Crunchy Catholic Momma 
Raechel Myers

Down-to-Earth Post
Spillerena
Mish Lovin' Life
Today, I'm Bobbi
Trial by Sapphire

As you're reading the nominees, I'm sure several posts are popping up in your head that aren't listed here.  I chose these bloggers and these posts for very specific reasons, many of which you will find out tomorrow.  Some of the bloggers you may know, others are just starting out or have "smaller" blogs and I really appreciate that diversity.  These writers have blogs that I frequent often and look forward to their posts.  You can see their whit, character, and true selves in their writing.  Many of them are also fan favorites.  I chose these four categories because I felt like they really encompass many of the blogs that you see out there.  I could have chosen "cutest pregnancy," "best outfits of the day," "most original instagram," however, I decided to keep it short and sweet.  There are a ton of bloggers with fantastic posts, and also a ton of bloggers with mediocre ones as well.  That's why I like to call attention to blogs and their specialties and what we can learn from them.  Thank you all of these bloggers and those reading for sharing your story with the public and readers who just love to blog.  Tomorrow I will post a video/content post on the BLOGSCARS and I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for Reading!


Be sure to check out this month's featured blog:


Sunday, February 3, 2013

A Mad Case of Baby Fever

Sculpture, not a real baby, but props to Donna on being an incredibly talented artist.
Having been married for almost two years,  I thought that I may get the occasional bought of baby fever but would dismiss it as a "I'm not ready for this quite yet" type of circumstance.  Or at least, that's what I have been doing. 

We had good friends of ours say that they have been talking about "trying" next April.  Then they said, "you guys should try to get pregnant, too!"  Ryan and I looked at each other and while Ryan looked insanely nervous, my mind wandered off to the idea of finally bringing baby Erskine into the world.

Ryan and I are still young, I still consider ourselves to be newlyweds, and I have school loans as far as the eye can see.  I will also have a rigorous military schedule.  Now is not the time to have a baby.

Please tell that to my baby fever-ridden mind.  

It has been terrible as of recently.  I'm not sure if it's the "influx" of pregnancy announcements or the "we're expecting" photo shoots that have filled my Facebook newsfeed and pages of blogger land, but the idea of having a baby has been filling many of my thoughts and simply won't go away.  

I can't visit Jessica's blog at Little Baby Garvin without thinking what about having my own little Harpsicle around the house.  Not to mention, I have so many ideas to celebrate my future pregnancies.  You may have seen Jessica's adorable chalkboard monthly pictures floating the boards of Pinterest and I plan on doing exactly that.  Jessica is gorgeous, so creative, and I love her sass and honesty.  Plus Harper is the cutest thing alive!  I adore the dancing baby videos that Jessica posts and how much of Harper's personality you can already see.  You also provides really awesome reviews on products and I find myself bookmarking them.  I'm not even a mom and I already know what type of products I want to use.  Lordy

The absolutely charming Ruthie has announced over at The Chronicles of Ruthie Hart, that she and her husband are expecting and much like a groupie at a rock band concert, I anxiously await each blog post announcement.  Yes Ruthie, I'm living vicariously through your pregnancy.  I never would have thought that I would ever say that, nor ever be that creepy (sorry girl!). But seriously, Ruthie is like the cutest pregnant woman alive and I can't wait to see how else she chooses to showcase her pregnancy.  I particularly love how she and her husband, Jon, have been including prayer in their time of "trying" to get pregnant and throughout the celebration of their Hart baby.  Admittedly, I do not want to be as sick as Ruthie has been (the idea of morning sickness is nauseating in itself), but that lady has the best attitude about the whole thing.  Hopefully, I'm that awesome whenever the time comes for us.
 
I am also completely enamored with the idea of decorating a nursery and having cute decorations and details.  Land of Nod, Pottery Barn Kids, anything on Etsy- you name it and I start dreaming of ways to incorporate it into our household.  Just take a look at my "Baby Erskine" Pinterest board.  I also love children's books and can't wait to establish a great library for my little one.  Have I wandered the aisles of a bookstore and found some of my favorites?  Yes and then reluctantly put them back, telling myself, "in a few years." 

Lindsey over at Pillow Thought always has the cutest ideas for her little girl and I love all the posts involving fun ways on how she interacts with her child.  The outfits alone and fun educational products would get any person thinking about becoming a parent.  Lindsey makes it look easy.

I also recently took a course at The Influence Network on how to creatively fund an adoption.  Now Ryan and I have considered it and I am always willing to consider adoption before "trying" to have biological children just because whether I physically birth them or just hold them in my heart, I love kids.  I didn't think I would want children at 23, and who knows, I might not have them until I'm 28 or older.  I just know that I've actually started to seriously consider the possibility.  Now my birth control of choice is Mirena and so I would have to have it taken out and maybe that was an incredibly smart decision for this part of my life.  I know Ryan and I "planned" on waiting for another two years but who knows, it's really dependent on where life takes us.

These ladies and so many other bloggers, Instagrammers, and friends make me so excited to be a mom one day and I know Ryan is going to be such a great dad.  So who knows, maybe next April we'll start trying.  

For all the mommas and papas out there, what was it like when you decided to start "trying" whether it was to become pregnant or the adoption process?