Catching Up

This week has been filled with anniversaries, perfect temperatures, beach days, and lots of use of our grill so please pardon the silence that occurred on this little blog o' mine. Starting next week I have a really awesome "blog flow" setup that I'm going to start using, and I think that it will help give my blog a good consistency and give me a little more organization for regular posts {Shout out Meagan for the inspiring ideas. So be excited for next week! My new sponsor spots will finally be up too.

Here are some fabulous posts that I almost missed out on during my sebatacle:

-The recipe for this amazing Grilled Mac N Cheese that I am totally making on my diet cheat day next week
-Katy is fundraising for a second trip to Africa, and she reflected back on her last trip
-I got to learn a little more about this super funny lady
-And today is the last day to enter the Carmex give away here. I know I always have bad chapped lips in the summer

And now for some Friday Letters

 

 

Dear Hubs- I can't believe it's already been two years of wedded bliss! I love you so much. Lets renew our vows soon k?

Dear BK- Walking?!? Really? How are you so grown? You consume so much of my heart I cant even stand it.

Dear warm weather- Thank you so much for finally showing up! Please stick around

Dear allergies- Booo you whore

Dear Salt- I am super excited for you to open! I cant wait to attend Friends and Family night tonight. So excited for my friend Ashley and her husband on this new venture!

Dear Lauran- Lets get to planning on that fab dinner party!

Dear Ashley- I just love you so much! We didnt get to talk much this week and I miss you. Can't wait to finally hang out this summer. 

 

How not to fail at your guest post

I have had the honor of my sidebar holding the most wonderful ladies that choose to advertise with me. They are all truly funny and great women. Today's love is the fabulous Kiersten. And I have to say, her topic... GENIUS! Now go read and find out or yourself.

So I know what you’re thinking - who is this chick, and where’s Brandi? Well I’m Kiersten, and Brandi was sweet enough to let me take over for a day. I know, I know - you can barely contain your excitement, right? Okay, maybe not - so let me tell you why you should stick around.

First, some introductions. I blog over at Good Day Sunshine where I write about life (my own, and the general concept), my seemingly never-ending search for love, flowers (and recently, the fact that it’s springtime and where are the flowers?), and of course, The Beatles, all with a touch of what I falsely believe to be humor and whit. If you’re justdying to know more (because I know you all are), you can hop over to my about me

I’ve been blogging in this space for a little over a year, but that definitely wasn’t my first time on the merry-go-round... I started blogging back in 2009, and trust me - there have been too many blogs to count between then and now.

In all that time though, I’ve only written one guest post before this one (and trust me, you don’t want to read that train wreck, circa 2010). I think I feel out of my element - as though I’m in Russia trying to introduce myself to someone who doesn’t speak English. I feel as though everyone is going to know I don’t belong, and will resent my presence here. (Crazy, I know - you all love me, right? Right?)

So up until Brandi offered me this opportunity, I’d avoided guest-posting like the plague. I think though, that I’m beginning to feel comfortable enough in my own skin to try this party out, and I have the perfect idea too:

Kiersten’s Tried and True List of Ways to Fail at Guest Posting:

(1) Have no idea what you’re going to say. Just ramble for a bit and turn it into a 5-paragraph essay. Everyone loves those!

(2) Be a little bit neurotic. Rewrite the post about 30 times, with about 30 different concepts. And then, once you’ve mailed it off, bite your nails off worrying that you should have stuck with concept #17. Obviously, that’s the best way to write isn’t it?

(3) Wait till the last minute to write the post. You wouldn’t want to give yourself too much time to work on anything, would you? And speaking of procrastination, I have a great list of ways to do that right over here

(4) Try to write as though you are the blog-owner. I know you probably have your own “voice”, but check that at the door!

That’s all I’ve got for that, guys. But if you’re looking for more (and let’s be honest, I know you are), hop on over to my little space and read up!

<3 Kiersten

 

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Sponsorship

I'm going to get real honest with y'all, lately I have not had the best experience sponsoring blogs. It's a total bummer too. I mean I shell out my hard earned cash for those advertising spots, so it is really disappointing when people dont follow through with their side of the bargain. The upside to that though, is I know exactly what I want to do for the people who choose to advertise on this little blog of mine.

So with that being said, beginning in April my sponsor spots are going to change. I never want anyone to feel disappointed in choosing to advertise here. One of the greatest perks of the blogging world is the community and how supportive {most} girls are to each other. I know I haven't been on the scene for too terribly long, but I do want to make the most of my little space. So as I go about setting things up for changes I would love your input. What do you want out of the blogs you sponsor? What blogs have you had the best experiences with?

Thank You

Today is a really special day for me, today I get to thank you. I reached my goal of 500 readers by BK's birthday! This was a huge milestone for me. When I first started this blog a little over four months ago 500 readers seemed like dream. Well lucky for me that dream came true. I am so thankful for people that this blogging world has introduced me to, the comments that yall leave on every post, the friendships that have been formed, the inspiration I've found on other blogs. Needless to say I had no idea how wonderful blogging could be.

So today I get to thank you. Thank you for your love and support! And an extra special thank you to the ladies that helped in the creation of this special giveaway for you. Since this giveaway is all about YOU, the prizes are too. So we're giving you the makings of a fabulous "you" day. You get a $50 Sephora gift card {because we all feel better when we look our best}, $20 to Pipley Vintage {everyone loves new clothes}, $25 gift card to your store of choice {to enjoy some guilt free shopping}, and $50 paypal cash {in hopes that you have a very happy day}. Be sure to thank my fabulous cohosts!

Now to achieve my new goal of 1000 readers by summer!

Ashley/ Erin / Elise / Kelly / Kiersten

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Grass is Always Greener

Today I want to talk about the one uppers. You know the bitches that always have to steal your thunder. You go into a conversation super excited about your new shoes, or the date night you just had, the two pounds you just lost, or the fact that you just stuffed your face with three slices of pizza. Then wham someone else got their shoes for free, just returned from Paris, has 2% body fat, or brought in homemade pie for the whole office.

Dont you just hate those people? I mean why do they have to 1up your story? Couldnt they have saved their tale for another day and just expressed some enthusiasm for you? Would that have killed them?

I mean that used to really bust my butt, but now I'm a mom and I shit you not it has been taken to a WHOLE new level. I'm a new mom, I brag about my kid on the regular, obvi. I truly love to hear about what other kids are doing, mainly because I have no clue what I'm doing, but I think it's just part of my new job description. Mom's need reassurance, actually all people need reassurance and affirmation, but moms really need it. What I dont need is to know how your child is some kind of Beethoven Nobel Peace Prize winning genius. Some days it's all I can do to keep my child fed and alive, please dont rub in my face that your 10 month old counted to ten in two different languages while taking their first step. I mean, I'm happy for your kid and all but sometimes I just want you to say "wow that is so cool that BK did that today."

I've been feeling that way a bit with blogging lately. I just reached 400 followers, FOUR HUNDRED y'all! And that is huge for me. I've barely been blogging for two months and I put my heart and soul on this here page. I am so thankful that you come, read, and interract with me. With that being said, I sat at 390 for like two weeks. I remember seeing some people blow up from 200 to 400 like literally over night and seeing it all over twitter and all of the congratulations those people got. Me I threw my own little party with some champs and BK shared some puffs with me, pretty good party if you ask me.

What I realized though was that I cannot compare myself to others. {Two of my favorite bloggers also wrote posts on similar topics. You can read Whitney's & TJ's.} Each of us are on our own path, we have our own story to share, and we need to embrace that. We should spend more time basking in our own joys and lifting each other up opposed to competing with one another.

Love the life you live.