Blogs we love

I love finding new blogs (well, new to me!), and wondering where they were all my life!  Some blogs are so funny, your abs get a workout from laughing as you read.  Others feature the next (less annoying) Martha Stewart.  And some make you feel like you have known the person for years, even if you've never met.

As we get our feet wet, and ramp up our own blog, check out some of our favorite blogs to read (and be inspired by).  Just make sure to come back and read us again too!

1) Six Sisters Stuff: www.sixsistersstuff.com

These six sisters and their blog are a great inspiration to us.  They started the blog to stay in touch, share recipes, craft projects, entertain the kids, etc.  You'll be hooked in no time!

2) Our Daily Obsessions: www.ourdailyobsessions.blogspot.com

 Amy has great style and a great eye for design, but what we really love is that she does it on a small budget as her husband has been in law school.  Her tutorials are easy to follow, and her family is adorable!

3) Mama Laughlin: www.mamalaughlin.com

After having her first baby, she lost 60 pounds.  And then after having her second baby, she lost another 40 lbs.  If she can do it twice, then I can do it once, can't I?  Be prepared to LOL with her, and don't be offended by her potty mouth- have fun with it!

4) IHeart Organizing: www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com

We never knew we were closet organization freaks until we started reading her blog.  Now, all we want to do is print labels, file things, and make our houses look half as beautiful as hers.   You're welcome!

Other great blogs include:
www.luluthebaker.blogspot.com
www.hungry-girl.com
www.ttimes3.wordpress.com (adoption blog)

Or speaking of adoption blogs, please consider checking out my other blog, an adoption blog, at www.jenandmattadopt.blogspot.com.  Shameless self promotion here, but the more people that know we are trying to adopt, the better! :)

What blogs do you love?

Change

Someone recently told me that the only people who like change are babies with wet diapers. I laughed and thought, "that's not true...change is a good thing." Well then things started to change and suddenly I realized that maybe I wasn't a huge fan of change. Change is scary...even if it is a good thing.

My family and I are in the process of making a huge move back closer to home. I can't wait...it will be so nice to be close to our family again. But it's becoming more and more real as the the date gets closer. Suddenly reality is setting in and I'm realizing this is ACTUALLY HAPPENING!! How is it that one moment you are so sure all you want to do is move back home, and the next you are crying thinking about leaving the home you have started on your own???!!

The last seven years have truly been amazing. I moved 5 hours away from home, I earned my graduate degree, I met AMAZING friends along the way, I married my best friend, we bought our first home, and we had a wonderful little girl. I know no matter where we live I will continue to have a great life with my family and my friends, no matter how far we are...

So back to my original statement about change being scary...to put it bluntly...IT IS!!! But it's how we embrace the change that is really important. This isn't the end of my story, but the start of the next chapter. I can't wait to see where it takes me and what new things I learn. I'm excited and nervous but mostly excited.

So for now I'll embrace the stress and anxiety over moving and look ahead to the new memories my family and I will create in a new home, in a new state!

~Jamie

The New Book Club

So we all know that a night out with girlfriends cures all, especially when a nice glass bottle of wine is involved!  Last night, I got to meet up with a few ladies that I volunteer with at the Ronald McDonald House, and we had fun just laughing, chatting, and enjoying a beautiful Carolina sunset.

While we were there, we got chatting with 3 girls at the table next to us.  They shared an idea with us that we absolutely loved:  a new form of book club.. without the books!  Now, I love to read (LOVE to read), but I have never been a book club person, for whatever reason.  So here is their idea:

Get your group of girlfriends/coworkers/family/whatever together monthly, but instead of book club, they called it Specialty Education.  (Not sure if I love that name, but I digress.)

Each woman in the group shares a special talent/hobby/interest with the rest of the group, and teaches them how to do whatever it is.  Some examples they had: one girl played softball through college, so she'd take all the girls to a batting cage and teach them proper form.  Another girl is a pastry chef, so she'd invite everyone to her home to learn how to decorate cupcake or cakes.  Another likes to paint, so everyone would have a canvas and paints, and have a good old time.

I LOVE this!  I always want to try new things, but don't want to do it by myself, and don't want a major upfront cost to purchase supplies for something I may never do again.  But if you already have a friend with the knowledge, tools, etc (plus that handy bottle of wine!), then it's a win-win!

Anyone else have a group of friends that does this already?  What type of talents do you share?

Hmm... what would my talent be?


Wish I could have Girls Night with these 2 ladies!



Shall we begin?

Jen here!  Jamie, Erin and I have been talking over starting this blog for a little while, so why not today?

I think that part of me felt like we should have the blog perfectly set up (title, color scheme, purpose, etc.) before we even got going... but why does it have to be perfect? 

I have been struggling with that a lot lately- perfection.  Overcommitting.  Trying to keep up with the Joneses.  We don't know what this blog is going to be 'about,' but that is the best part!  And if it starts off all over the place, it's all good, we'll find our flow sometime.  It's not like we have thousands of followers (YET! ;) ) who will be judging these posts!

So we're all about to turn Dirty Thirty over the next year, and I don't know about my fellow bloggers, but I find myself thinking a lot more about the future, my purpose here, life goals, etc.  And I think I'm over the fast-paced, get ahead at all costs mentality.  (Not sure if I was ever fully into that, but it just seemed like the thing to do).  My goal is to enjoy the little things more, live in the moment, turn off the TV, sing in the shower, and all that jazz.

I love this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: "Do one thing every day that scares you."

So I'll start today.  I'll write a random post that the Editor in me thinks needs 5 revisions.  And we'll get this blog going!

What will you do today that scares you?