Anyway, this post is not about kamp. It's about blogs. #DTR asked me
So in the process of switching to feedly, I organized my blogs into categories: friends (and people that I actually know), decorating/DIY, and moms (to name a few). Yes, I have a whole category for moms... I also have a category for weddings, but we'll just ignore that for now. So here are the awards for the top 3 in each category:
Friends blogs are people that I actually know. I read these to catch up on people's lives. So I was going to do a first, second, and third prize for each category, but I just can't with this one. I can't rank them. But these are a few of my favs. You should check them out if you have time or are bored or want to be encouraged or need a good laugh. And none of these people blog every day week so it's not like there's a lot of reading...
1. An Arrow in the Making: Chelsea is a friend of a friend. She is my best friend from college's best friend from high school. Got that? I met her through Megan when I was in Nashville for grad school. She and her husband, Drew, got married a couple years ago (sometime when I was in Nashville) and have a precious daughter named Harlow. Chelsea is 1. a great writer and 2. an incredible woman of God with an amazing faith. She doesn't blog very often, but every post is equally poetic and convicting. She has written about marriage and body image and struggling through 2 miscarriages before sweet Harlow. Always so encouraging.
2. Random Rambles of Freedom: I met Whitney when we were kampers together at Kanakuk one summer. I think it was 1999. Our birthdays were close enough together that we were always in the same cabin. And through the year, we would stay in touch on AIM and stuff (because it was 1999...) My freshman year of college, I would detour to Conway on way to Waco and visit her. We have continued to keep in touch through the years and she is a.mazing! Her blog is real. Life isn't always easy. But she is chasing hard after God! Even in the midst of struggles and when things don't always make sense. She's amazing!
3. Be Still and Go: Becca is another Kanakuk-er. We worked together for a couple summers, but didn't actually know each other that well. But she is great and so is her blog. She loves the Lord, is a beast athlete (she played volleyball at UNC) and a super organizer. She is the one that sent me a copy of her laminated packing list! Her blogs are a mixture of funny, updates on life, and what God is teaching her!
DIY and decorating blogs are the informative ones. These blogs are the one's I read and get house envy ideas for future projects in future homes. Here are my top three (and honorable mention...):
1. Young House Love: If you ask anyone who is even remotely familiar with blogs to name a DIY blog and this is most likely the one that they'll name. John and Sherry (and daughter Clara) live in Virginia and now blog full-time. They write the occasional personal story, but most of the time it is all DIY and decorating. They also recently wrote a DIY book and went on a multi-city book tour. They just moved into a new house so they are basically starting with a blank slate for projects.
2. Iheart Organizing: I don't know if Jen would technically qualify as "DIY." Her blog is focused on organizing- everything from a desk or cabinet to an entire room. But not only is everything organized, it is pretty too. And she has 3 boys- Preston, Parker, and Peyton- so keeping things organized all the time isn't an easy job! She has a lot of good ideas, but sometimes I think she is too organized. And that means a lot coming from me, but she has a color coded chart for everything. But it is a good outline and beginning. Take and use what works for your life and your family.
3. Centsational Girl: Kate is another DIY/ project doer extraordinaire. She's all about projects and decorating on a budget and gives plenty of tips, tricks, and tutorials to recreate her style.
4. 11 Magnolia Lane: This blog is actually written by 3 friends: Amy, Terry, and Christy. They alternate who posts and have different styles or techniques which gives things an interesting twist. For instance, Christy's husband is in the military so they live in base housing and have a lot of restrictions on what they can and can't change. She has a lot of great ideas for small changes with a big impact or great ideas if you are renting!
And the last category is moms. These are the women that I want to be friends with and want to be. Seriously! There was no way I could narrow this list down to three, but here are some of the best:
* These pictures are really old, because I started this post over 6 months ago...
1. Life Rearranged: Jeanett Gibson is amazing! She is one of my virtual role models. I want to be like her when I grow up! She and her husband Andy live in California and she is a mother to 4... Henry, twins Lucy and Jillian, and Owen. Henry had heart problems when he was born and has regular checkups with the cardiologist. Jilly has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Jeanett is a mother-extraordinaire! She is a SAHM that does a hybrid homeschool program with Henry. She has chickens in the backyard, and she says no to things. Her kids don't really go to birthday parties or use tons of electronics and I love it! When I get pregnant, I just want to go visit her and sit at her kitchen table and take notes on how she does life. Do you think my husband would be okay with that? She doesn't really blog DIY at all. But she blogs a lot of life. And she's real! She talks about the hard parts of life with 4 kids. The hard parts of being in and out of the hospital. And her faith is incredible!
2. Bower Power: Katie Bower is a close second. She is probably one of my favorite people that I don't know. (Can that be a category?) She and her husband Jeremy live outside Atlanta with their sons Will and Weston. And she's pregnant! Katie and Jeremy bought a gorgeous house that they are DIY'ing, but she also blogs about other things like kids, decorating, and bacon. She is a SAHM/full-time blogger/part-time photographer . Oh yeah, and she's hilarious!
3. Marital Bless: I talked about Leah in the last post. In her picture she is pregnant, but I'm pretty sure Miriam is like 4 months old. Oops! Anyway, she is the mom to 2 sweet boys, Ezra and Isaac, and now Miriam. She and her hubby, Tony, live up north (Wisconsin or Minnesota, I can never remember). She is a part-time photog trying to transition to full-time/SAHM. The tagline on her blog is that "Life is not always bliss, but it's always a blessing." I love that! She also inspires me with her faith.
4. My Life in Transition: Julia was mentioned in the last post too. She's also a northerner. She and Nate have 2 precious kids, Truman and Cecelia. They are both physical therapists. Julia works part-time doing home health PT. And she and Nate are runners. Her blog is just about life-balancing work and 2 kids and day care and working out and training for races and just being a mom!
5. All Things G&D: Dusty is another super creative mom, with a gorgeous house. She talks about some DIY/decorating stuff and some arts and crafts for her precious daughter Kate. She also does some menu planning stuff. She was part of the Haven posts too.
6. MODG: MODG originally stood for "martinis or diaper genies" but now it's just MODG (kinda like madge). Amanda is a mom of 2, Gavin and Ruby. She is super hippy mom and hilarious! Both her kids had stomach problems that made breastfeeding hard and she talks all about that. She is 100% real. Even when things are hard. She doesn't make motherhood seem like it's all peaches and roses. And she talks about poop a lot.
7. The Loftlands: Another reminder that I started this post forever ago. Lyndsay and Will have a son, Liam and she just gave birth to Liesl last week! She is a Texan. She and Will went to Baylor. Another SAHM. She is one of those super creative, in charge of crafts at VBS, in a MOPS group moms. She does make some really cute activities for Liam if you are looking for some way to occupy your toddler.
So there you have it. My top 3 (which somehow turned into 14) blogs that are a great mix of informative, encouraging, and hilarious! Are there any that you think I should check out/add to list? I'm always open to making more mom friends...
No comments:
Post a Comment