Friday, November 1, 2013

Bloggers I Love (Or, My Imaginary BFF's)

I've been reading blogs for almost three years now. A lot of blogs. I can't clearly remember how I found my first one, but from one blog you find another and another and another. At the time I had just moved from Pennsylvania to Missouri and I had a few (okay, no) friends in the area. While this list is by no means comprehensive, these bloggers helped me through some friendless times and maybe they can do the same for you!

The Pioneer Woman: In a word, yum. The Pioneer Woman is written by Ree Drummond, a rancher's wife and mother of four chronicling her life in the country and all the deliciousness her kitchen creates. Ree's recipes are easy to follow an include great pantry staples. Over the years her photography has gone from great to stellar (sometimes I want to lick my computer screen). She's been blogging for a long time now and just published her third cookbook, which I highly recommend! I'm sure everyone on the planet has heard of her by now, I mean, she has a TV show on the Food Network, but I just have to recommend her because she's my favorite and my first.

The Lettered Cottage: Layla and Kevin Palmer have an awesome home-decorating blog sprinkled with moving and motivational Christian musings. They have a great mix of country and modern esthetics that I cannot wait to implement in my own home one day. They have recently begun writing about their adoption process and it has produced some top-notch posts on the subject. 

Young House Love: I found these two through TLC. One of my favorite blogs, YHL consists of John & Sherry Petersik, a married couple in Virginia who just began work on their third fixer-upper. They write with refreshing enthusiasm and honesty about their home decorating. Their projects range from cheap crafts to full room remodels. Their determination and stamina for home improvement is infectious, I cannot wait to buy a home of my own and go crazy. John & Sherry also provide very detailed tips and tricks on their projects. Often there are video tutorials or step-by-step instructions. All of their home stuff is made ever more delightful by the presence of their chihuahua Burger and their three-year-old daughter Clara.

Bower Power Blog: Written by the real-life best friend of Sherry Petersik, Katie Bower's blog is similar to YHL, but includes more lifestyle and motherhood content. Katie's open heart and honest approach about the messiness of DIY and parenthood makes her blog a must-read for me. I love her goofy sense of humor and her attitude about her kids. Reading her blog makes me want to move to Georgia just so we can be friends. 

A Practical Wedding: I stumbled upon this blog when I was in the thick of wedding planning and oh, how I wish I had found it sooner! Even five months after my own wedding I'm still checking in daily to see what Meg and her crew have come up with. APW is so much more than a wedding planning blog. The content is female driven with writing about partnership, family, career . . . the list goes on. APW has a very active reader community and the comments section is a great way to make internet friends - some of the readers even began "real life" happy hours.

The Small Things Blog: All things makeup, beauty, and hair! Kate is a professional hair stylist and her blog includes great hair tutorials and videos, product reviews, makeup tips and so much more. Kate reviews and large range of products - which I love! Most items are accessible to the average woman and she is open and honest about her opinion. Kate also has a great sense of style and often includes outfit posts and jewelry. She announced her pregnancy this summer and it has been so fun to see her wardrobe transform without losing a bit of style.


There are a few other blogs I read daily, but these are most certainly my favorites. If you have a good blog recommendation, please pass it along!

5 comments:

  1. Hey Marty! These are some of my favorites too! Especially The Lettered Cottage and Young House Love. I am also obsessed with Miss Mustard Seed, Perfectly Imperfect, Dear Lillie, and Liz Marie Blog.
    Keep up the good blogging! One day I'm going to find some time to start reading again!

    Jacalynn @ The Sideways House

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  2. I will have to check those out. I know I've dropped in on Mustard Seed before, but not with any regularity.

    I can't help but read - I'd pick reading over sleeping any day :-)

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  3. Love so many of those!!!


    Current giveaway: A stencil! Our Journey Giveaway!

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  4. I am always looking for new blogs and I haven't checked out a few of these so thanks!

    Right now I've been reading Health on the Run (running and right now pregnancy focused) as well as Its a Dog Lick Baby World. The author of the latter is really snarky but super funny. I like Daily Garnish. She started out as a food blog but has become more focused on her kids. If you go back into the archives you can find some great vegetarian recipes.

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  5. Oh, that sounds like a great one! I have never been an avid runner (or even gym-go-er) but I feel like that's something good to keep in mind when preggo. Dog Lick Baby world sounds like a must-read just because of the title. I will definitely check these out.

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