Favorite Things Friday

Happy Friday! 

YES! It's finally the weekend. This week went by way too slow.

So... time for my Favorite Things Friday. 

1. It's Husker Casual Friday at work today!! I get to wear a Husker shirt! Casual Friday usually just means jeans - no tshirts. NOT TODAY. Today I'm rockin' my Husker gear.

2. Working out. Yes, I'm still going steady. I don't know if it's week three or four. I think it's four. Either way, I'm going about 4 days a week, and it's been glorious. My skin has cleared up and stress has gone down.

3. Trips home to see my parents. We are taking advantage of this long weekend and going home to spend some time with my parental units. I'm so excited. I miss them a lot.

4. Raspberry sherbet. Holy cow. So delicious.

5. Reading. I haven't had any time to read this week, and it's driving me crazy, especially when I was able to read three books last week. Not fair, life - you can't spoil me then take it all away!
The book I'm attempting to read. Honorable Mention (because I can't do a number 6): These girls. I love and read each of these blogs and think you should, too!

My name is Amanda, and I'm the chica behind Dragonflight Dreams (both blog and shop). I freelance full-time as a graphic designer here in Austin TX, and pursue screenprinting and blogging in my off-time, if there is such a thing. :)  My interests span a pretty wide range, but include: design, photography, screenprinting, cooking, reading, playing piano, movies, game nights with friends, hanging out with my boyfriend and puppy, daydreaming about dragons and flying, learning to sew, fashion (as I see it/like it), and more. Come by and say hi! 

shop//twitter//facebook

I'm Kristen from Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. I am a stay at home Army wife // Blog designer. I'm married to my high school sweetheart of 8 years and we just moved to Germany this year. It has been a crazy adventure! I'm obsessed with Harry Potter, The Office, and our Puggle, Monster. I hope you'll follow us along on our journey!

twitter//pinterest

Hi, l'm Samara from over at The Secret Life of Samara. You can probably tell from my picture that I am a bit crazy about my rabbit Nibbles. When I started writing my blog I assumed it would just be a collection of all my photos of Nibbles. I have been pleasantly surprised that I actually have more things to write about than just my rabbit (although she does feature a few times here and here). I tend to write a lot about fun stuff I have been doing, things on my mind and what it's like having a 6"8 husband (click the link to see our height difference- you know you want to!). Come over to my blog and say hi, I'd love to meet you :-)

bloglovin'

Peppermints & Pixie Dust is a blog about the happenings of my life. Being a junior in college, in a sorority (and living with 59 of my closest friends) and dealings with a kind of large family. I started this blog for my mom, so she could keep up with me while in college and afterward, and along the way I've picked up a few others. 

Twitter // Bloglovin // Instagram

We are Harley & Jane. {best friends} We met on our way to Austria where we became cultured and fun; it was there that we decided we love all things cute and quirky. Thus, we started our blog to show the world how much better life can be when you add some glitter, a feather, or simply find inspiration in beautiful things every day. Here is our tribute to the loveliness that surrounds us, to share the things that bring us inspiration, and to show you what we decide to do with it.

pinterest//twitter//pinterest

HI folks, I'm Rosie and Craftbotic is my little corner of the blogosphere where I can hang out, meet new folks, share my life, craft, drink tea and many bloggy projects. If you want to you can come join in with a book club, Blog Angels or my monthly link-up. I'd love it if you would scoot over and introduce yourself. XO

hello cotton//instagram

What are your favorite things this week? 

Random Ramblings

Hi friends!! 

This post is just going to be a whole bunch of random.

1. I can't think of anything clever to write. 

2. I'm so excited for Husker football that I just might go crazy waiting till Saturday to see them play. 

3. I think babies are cute, and sometimes think I want one, but then I decide I'm not ready. 

4. I really want chinese food. 

5. These blogs are awesome and you should check them out. 

I'm Lesley, a 27-yr-old creativity addict. I choose to think about crafting and creating all day long since I'm not all too happy with my job. I'm trained as a high school teacher but because there's no work here and because I don't think it's what I want to do I'm kind of lost in the area of my career. I blog about everyday adventures, crafting, cooking & all that's in between. Would love for you to stop by!
blog//twitter//pinterest

My blog is all about finding a happy, healthy balance in life. I share recipes, marriage insights and quite a few pictures of my dog. I'm a big fan of all things relating to health, but I get particularly excited when new studies come out about the benefits of dark chocolate. I love discovering new blogs, so come say "hi!"
Blog//Twitter//Facebook

Hi friends! My name is Sierra and I blog over at 

Oh, Just Living the Dream . I am a turn-off-the-alarm-7-times person in the morning, a 4th Grade teacher by day, and an avid movie lover by night. I love to travel the world and teach! So far I have been to Kenya, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Fiji and Hawaii with many more travels on the way! I blog about the inner workings of life--love, heartbreak, God, teaching, family, traveling, and just life in general! Come stop by! There is never a dull day. Ever.  A lot of laughs and a lot of fun are had! Plus, I'm super funny....kind of..

blog//instagram//facebook

I'm Rima and I'm a late 20-something (eek) girl from SoCali. I'm a full time Registered Nurse who dreams one day to have her own coffee shop/bakery. Either that or just travel the world. You can catch me either saving patients's lives or flipping through cook books in the kitchen on what to bake/make. Bolu By Rima is about my day-to-day likes/rants, my passion about saving lives and feeding the belly. Oh with the occasional glimpse of my love, Rob aka the Pillow and my furry son, Chimichanga.
blog//facebook//twitter

Cutesy Bootsie is where I blog about what I love to wear, craft, my blessings and challenges, as well as my latest obsessions. Originally from the great state of Minnesota (go Vikings!), I now call sunny South Florida home.  Truly, I can't imagine living in cold or driving on ice and snow ever again. I am a middle school teacher by day so, clearly, I need an outlet and blogging has become that for me.

blog//twitter//pinterest

Welcome to Discovery Street!  A blog documenting my journey of discovering how to be a wife, home-owner, DIY-er, soon to be parent and more.  I'm in love with thrifting, taking pictures of food and my dog Augustus, travel, really good coffee, and social media.  Blogging has been a hobby for years, but some day I hope to make it my job!  

blog//facebook//twitter

Hola! I'm Helen. Creative mind behind the blog Eat.Enjoy.Live. A girl on a quest to live life being perfectly imperfect. I blog about life in general; inspiration, friendship, recipes and DIY. I just launched my first shop on Etsy called Glassy Bands. I make stretchy bookmarks out of elastic and glass beads that won't slip out of your book! Come over and say hello, I'd love to have you :)

blog//facebook//twitter

Hello & Howdy! My name is Britt and I blog at Beelittlequeen! I write about my single life happenings which covers a wide range of topics from family, faith, couponing, beauty, fashion, music/books/movies, to friends and crafts. You'll see that I am an animal lover/advocate and that I have a coffee addiction-it's serious! I guess you could say that my blog is classified as a lifestyle blog, but I have also done some video make up tutorials! Please stop by, i love meeting new people!

blog//twitter//hellocotton



Happy Thursday!! TGIAF (That's "Thank Goodness It's Almost Friday," for all you non-savvy folk out there).

My Carefully Composed List of Things that Make me Want to Punch Babies.

Hello there, dear friends! 

It's hump day! Don't tell your little dog that, though - I'd rather it didn't know.

Ha. ha. I'm so funny.

ANYWAY. I had this genius idea the other day when I was getting really annoyed with all sorts of stupid stuff. I thought to myself, "HEY! Why don't I make an awesome post about things that make me want to punch babies?!"

**No babies were harmed in the making of this post.**

And this list was born. Please, if you are taking me seriously and think that I'm a baby-puncher, just leave this here blog, because you are too ridiculous to read it.

1. The unnecessary shortening of words. This list includes but is not limited to the following: totes, adorbs, whatevs, hilar, jelly, supes. 

2. People who do not do their jobs correctly. Ummmmm oh my gosh. What are you getting paid for? Certainly not whatever it is that you're doing, because it is worthless. Thanks.

3. Women wearing leggings as pants. Read: Wearing leggings with a shirt that does not cover their backside. PEOPLE! We do NOT want to see that.

4. Fictional characters making stupid decisions. Do you remember how I felt about Katniss after the first and second HG books? Yeah, it's decisions like that that are going to kill me before I'm 30.

5. People leaving time on the microwave. Dude. Is it seriously 1:10?? Oh, of course not - some idiot just put WAY too much time on the microwave and couldn't be bothered to take it off when their food was finished.

6. Captcha on blog comments. TAKE IT OFF. TAKE IT OFF. TAKE IT THE H-E-DOUBLE-EFFING-HOCKEYSTICKS OFF!!!!!! Seriously. I want to throw my computer at the wall every time those stupid letters/numbers pop up on my screen.

7. Girls who can't walk in heels. You all know how I feel about this. It's baby-punching worthy. If you can't walk on a balance beam in your heels, you SHOULD NOT wear them. My gosh, it's awful to watch a girl make a fool of herself as she waddles down the street or through the office.

8. 99% of all Reality TV shows. They're just staged, dramatized loads of crap. There, I said it. Haters gon' hate.

9. The fact that I can't use my Mac shortcuts on my PC at work. Most of them work, but when I try one and it doesn't.... It annoys the crap out of me.

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10. Sticking the knife in the butter/butter tub rather than scraping the butter off and laying it neatly beside the stick of butter or across the top of the tub. I don't know why this bothers me so much, but holy balls, it drives me freaking bonkers.

You know who doesn't drive me bonkers, though? Shane. She's super cool and awesome and all that other jazz. She has a really cool feature on her blog called Saturday Secrets where you can go share your secrets anonymously, she just won a scholarship from Target, and she started a blogger map that you can add your name to & meet other bloggers in your area!

Click her pic to check her out!

Taking the Easy way out of a Post.

Hi. 

I just have one question for you all. 

Sorry, guys... I'm out of spots, but you can reserve your October spots now, because I may raise prices. Maybe not, but who knows?!

HOLLLLEEERRRRRRRRRRRRR. Yes, holle"R". Because I'm sooo not gangste"R".

Oh, yeah... go HERE if you wanna read my most popular post of all time. Of all time. (5,000 awesome points if you know who I'm referencing and at what event).

Okay, byyeeeeee!!!

The Best Game Ever. No, Really. Friends. Canadians. Designs. Blogiversary.

You guys. 

After yesterday's down-in-the-pooper venting/pity party post (thanks for listening/loving/not judging/advising, btw), I feel like I should share something amazing with all of you.

1. We sort of have friends. Woo! I see this going places.

2. I discovered the BEST game in the entire world. You probably won't believe me, but I'm serious. The name of the game? Funny Bones. It's a game that hopped straight out of the fifties, and it provides more giggles and fun than Twister ever could.

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So the idea of the game is this - you have a partner, and you have to do what the card says. For example, if the card says "head bone connected to the elbow bone," you and your partner have to connect a head and elbow, holding the card in place between the two body parts. 

You see how many cards you can hold in various positions before you drop one, and then you add up your points. 

Mike and I were pretty much champs. I wish I had photo evidence, but I do not. Maybe next time. 

3. I have some pretty cool ladies giving away some pretty awesome stuff. Have you entered this giveaway yet? No? Well, you should. See, I made it easy for you.  

Amanda // Rosie

a Rafflecopter giveaway

4. I finished another blog design. This one was for the fabulous Noël. 

5. Canadians are cat lovers and procrastinators. And they really like hockey, maple syrup, and ice fishing. Maybe. I actually have a real-life Canadian for you to meet. She's pretty cool. I mean, just look at that hat!! 

My name is Emily. I am Canadian.  I blog at Hope Squared.  I blog about stuff.  I like cats, fonts, and poutine.  I am an aspiring sewist, wannabe photographer, and a self taught 'I will make your blog look pretty' designer. I dream big - but also procrastinate.  I blog about my really awesome life, my rare travels, and sometimes about blog design.  If you're into Hodge Podges - then this is the blog for you. 

blog. twitter. facebook. bloglovin.

6. It's my one year blogiversary today!! I'll share some of my most viewed/favorite posts from the past year throughout the week. And I have something to tell you all:

Sunday Confessions

Heyyyy friends! 

Once again, the end of the weekend is upon us. I'm not really sure how I feel about that (except for the fact that I don't like it).

Anyway. Grab a button and link up! 
  <center> <a href="http://itsalyx.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6701442513_4c7153a301.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></center> Warning: These confessions are not really "Happy Alyx," so... you may want to skip them. :)

1. I've read three books since Thursday. "Maisie Dobbs," "At First Sight," and "The Help." All awesome books - I'd recommend each of them. I have three more to read, then I'll start on the looonnnnggg list of recommendations from you guys.

2. I've been really lacking in inspiration lately. Like, I'm afraid I'm getting burned out. I love blogging, but I've started to feel like my life isn't exciting enough, that I'm not crafty enough, etc. etc.

3. My one year blogiversary is this coming week. And... I sorta feel like crap because I just don't have the money to do some extravagant giveaway. Sometimes this whole blogging thing makes me a little peeved - like I'm expected to spend $50 or $100 on a gift card or a really cool package to give away just because I've been blogging for a year.
I love you guys, and I think you know that... I know that I don't have to give you anything to thank you, but it really bothers me that I can't.

4. I think I'm having a "glass half-empty" week. If you couldn't tell from my previous confessions... ha! My emotions have been going crazy, I'm tired all the time, and even though I've been having good workouts, they haven't relieved stress or made me feel any better.

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5. I'm pretty sure this "glass half-empty" thing is because I have nooo social life whatsoever. It's kind of discouraging. All of my friends from Lincoln have moved to different places, and we just haven't been able to make many friends. I know it takes time, but I am not a patient person.

But.... in an effort to lift my spirits (and maybe yours), I have something special for you all today! 

Amanda is giving away this super adorable elephant print to one lucky US reader.

Rosie is giving away four custom blog buttons to another lucky reader!

Both of these ladies are so wonderful, and I have truly enjoyed getting to know them through emails, their blogs, and comments, and I highly suggest that you do the same.

Please note that each of them has a mandatory entry for their giveaway, so please complete it if you're interested in winning - I will be checking!! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Favorite Things Friday

Hiiii guys!! 

First of all, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you who left me book recommendations! I definitely made a folder in my email called "BOOKS" and put them all in there. I'm pretty stoked to start reading some of them!!

Second of all... Thank goodness it's Friday. This week has been a rough one for me, and not just because I spent half of it crawling on the floor with censored boobage.

Anyway, onto my favorite things. The theme this week? YOU!!! 

1. I love the comments you leave. I know that I haven't really had the time to respond to each one lately (I'm slowly working through my inbox...), but I do read them, and they always brighten my day.

2. I love how genuine you all are. Really. I love that you guys keep it real. I love how kind and supportive you all are, and I love that I get to interact with you all on a regular basis.

3. I love that you accept me for who I am. I know I'm weird - no one has to tell me that. I can be a little off-the-wall and slightly ridiculous, but I know that I can share that with you all through the blog, because you're not here to judge (or if you are, you're really good about keeping it a secret).

4. I love that I consider you my "friends." People who aren't members of the blogging community may scoff when I tell them about my "blog friends," but I don't care. I've gotten to know and love so many of you over the past [almost] year, and I feel like we really are friends.

5. I love how supportive you are. In everything. Whether it's good or bad, happy or sad, you guys are there with kind (and genuine) words of encouragement and advice. It may not seem like much, but it does mean a lot to have that support group here. Sheesh, now I sound like we're in an AA meeting.

Sorry for the mush. I just felt like you guys needed to know how much I love and appreciate each of you. Even if you're a lurker - I love that you lurk. I lurk, too. Actually, give me someone who doesn't occasionally lurk, and I will be amazed.

That's all. 

A Worm of the Bookish Type.

Greetings, friends. 

I'm just popping in to tell you one thing - I need your help. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that each of us enjoys reading.

I, for one, love it. Unfortunately, though, I haven't really had much time to read since coming back to the states. In the hopes of making it easier to read on the go, the husband gave me an [extremely] early bday present.

Of course I then had to sprint to the nearest library and get a library card so that I could check out ebooks. And of course I couldn't leave the library empty-handed...

You will notice that I love Nicholas Sparks. I could read his books all day, every day. I'm also a huge fan of mysteries and crime novels. My mom (who is the best resource when it comes to finding a good book) recommended Maisie Dobbs to me, and so far, I'm loving it.

ANYWAY. Back to the point - I need your infinite wisdom, dear reader. My question for you all is this:

I may be jumping the gun, but I can read fairly quickly, and I don't want my list dwindling down anytime soon. Leave your recommendations in the comments. And please - no HP or HG... I'm not that out of touch.

Oh, Hi Neighbor. WIWW. Hooker Shoes on a Sunday. Sometimes I Crawl.

Linking up here.

shirt: old navy skirt, belt: f21 shoes: charlotte russe

Once upon a time, I went to take pictures in my backyard. It was totally normal (as normal as taking outfit photos in a backyard can be, anyway) and all good until Mike started laughing. Our neighbor was pretty confused as to why I was outside modeling hooker shoes and a skirt for my husband. We must be some kind of kinky. 

... okay, so I realize that's not even remotely kinky, but whatever. On to more important things. Like this amazing DIY (I so wish I was crafty. and a trash digger. or both.). Or like how burritos are the best thing since sliced bread. Or... Like how my legs feel like they're going to fall off. You want to know why? Okay, let me tell you. 

Have you ever heard of Insanity with Shaun T? Yeah, I've done that workout program 1.5 times (the half was the summer before we went to Germany). It's freaking hard. 

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You know what's harder, though? Kettlebell Kardio at the Northeast YMCA in Lincoln, NE. You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. I have never been this sore. Now, I realize that this is only my 3rd week of working out, but seriously. It's like Insanity on steroids. Not only are you doing crap like burpees and cross-jacks, but you're adding in resistance training with one of these puppies: 

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Yeah. It sucked. And me, being the super competitive idiot that I am, decided to try and keep up with the ripped out of her mind instructor, even when my legs started to shake. Bad idea. 

You know what else was a dumb idea? Going to cycling last night to try and make my legs feel better. Oh, they felt great when I was on the bike. When I got home, though? I started to crawl around the house because it was less painful than walking. Crawling was alternated with shrieks of pain. This was me: 

Moral of the story: Don't ever exercise. Or, if you start exercising, don't take a year off, because it will kill you when you decide to go back to the gym. 

The End.

If It's Still in Your Mind, it's Worth Taking the Risk.

Heeeeey guys! 

Kelly had that quote up there (from Paulo Coelho) on her blog the other day, and that puppy just about smacked me in the face.

There's something you should know about me - I am the type of person who wants a lot of things for myself. I'm not talking about the latest clothes or shoes, here - I'm talking achievements. I'm also the type of person who will not stop until I accomplish those things, or until I've gotten where I want to be. If I want something, I will work until I get it. If I want to do something, I will do it. If I want to accomplish something, I will accomplish it. 

Lately, though, I've been a little apprehensive. I've thought a lot about certain things, but have decided for myself that I'm not ready, that it's not worth the risk. 

Excuse my French here, ladies (and gents), but that attitude is a load of freakin' bull crap. Why do we think like that? How in the world do we know whether or not we are ready for something unless we try? Who are we to decide that something is not worth the risk/effort/work it would take?

These things, the ones that I've been thinking about... I can't get them out of my mind, no matter how many times I tell myself those things above. It's like they are constantly in the back of my mind, trying to push their way to the forefront of my thoughts, but part of me is shoving them back, yelling at them to get out.

buy this print

That, my friends, is why this quote hit me - because it's true. If you can't get something out of your mind, then go for it. What is the purpose of dreams if we don't chase them? 

The Cubicle Chronicles. A PSA. And Chaos.

Why, hello there, friends. 

I hope you all are having a fabulous Monday - not working too hard, but not slacking, either (slacking gets you in trouble, right?).

First of all... My arms in this post? Soooo photoshopped. Haha, I thought you all would catch on to that, but I was mistaken. That is an incredibly buff man's bicep, not mine. Just an FYI/PSA/I can't believe you couldn't tell announcement.

I work in a corporate office. Wooooo. My office has cubicles, just like 99% of the offices out there. I have my own little cubicle, where I sit next to all of the other people in my department. I thought it would be fun to do a little series called The Cubicle Chronicles. It won't be a weekly thing, or on any set day - it will just be the days that I have something funny or interesting to share.

I thought it would be grand to introduce you to my coworkers:

I don't really have anything good for The Chronicles this week, but stay tuned - I'm sure there will be plenty as the weeks go on.

Oh, hey! You know who else writes her own little series of Chronicles? Mia. She's not in my cubicle chronicles, but holy balls, life would be awesome if she was. I mean, she is supermom in a world full of chaos, but I'll let her tell you about it.
Hi there, I'm Mia from The Chronicles of Chaos.  No, it's not a comic book, but sometimes I do feel like SuperMom!  I married my high school sweetheart, and we have 2 beautiful sons.  I have always loved writing (in any shape or form), but I started blogging to capture the chaos that reigns supreme when you have 2 parents who work full-time, 2 rambunctious boys, and a Black Lab who has never outgrown the puppy energy! And I sprinkle in some recipes, and other life ramblings in the mix as well.  Stop by and say hi sometime, I love meeting new people!
Mia is also giving away a Starbucks gift card here - have you entered yet? 

Sunday Confessions Link Up

Happy Sunday! 

How the crap is it already the 19 of August? Like, when did that happen???

Anyway. Think up some confessions, grab a button, and link on up! Can't wait to read all that juiciness.
  <center> <a href="http://itsalyx.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6701442513_4c7153a301.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></center> 1. Working full-time is ridiculous. How do people do it? I mean, I feel like I don't have time to do anything other than work, eat, and sleep. I'm like a baby, only less pooping and screaming. Probably a little less crying... but not much.

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2. I'm trying to keep bloggy a secret from my coworkers. Just in case I ever have to tell a funny story about work, ya know?

3. Husband ruined my secret. Friday night we were at a cookout for my department, and the group we were with started talking about blogs. Husband outed me. Rude.

4. I've been an awful housekeeper this week. And last week. Basically since I started working. The house is a mess, the office is a disaster area, and the dishes need to be done. Again, HOW DO YOU DO IT?!?!?!!?

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5. I hate clothes. Seriously. If it was socially acceptable to just walk around in your underwear all the time, I would. This confession will not have a photo because this blog is G-rated. And no one wants to see that.