Follow Friday: The Macs

Meet The Macs, your normal, young married couple just starting a family of their own. I have wanted to blog about Jess and Joel for a long time now. I have been reading their blog for over a year and feel like they are real friends. Some of you may have heard me talk about their daughter, Cora, and her very short, sweet life here on earth.

Jess is a mom who started a blog when she gave birth to chronicle her growing family and keep loved ones in the loop. Just like many of us. Except Jess's baby was diagnosed with cancer at 11 months old and died just 17 days later. And now Jess shares with all of her followers her pain and sorrow of losing a child, and how her and her husband are trying to pick up the pieces and be a normal family again.

A lot of the time Jess, understandably, wonders why this happened to her sweet Cora and questions God's purpose for taking their daughter away from them at such a young age. I can't imagine the grief that they have felt the last seven months and the void they will feel for the rest of their lives. But I am very thankful that Jess has shared her story with her readers. It is a reminder to everyone out there that life is short and precious and should not be taken for granted for one second.

Whenever I am having a rough day I think about Jess and all that she has overcome, and will overcome in her life, and I'm reminded that life is a gift. Her and her husband have a strong bond and an even stronger faith that is helping them through this.

On a happier note, Jess and Joel are expecting again! Baby Mac is due in December and I can't wait to follow their journey with this new bundle of joy. And I am so happy that Jess gets to go back to what God intended her to be, A stay-at-home-mom.

Follow Friday: Design Sponge

Sometimes I have so many design ideas for our home in my head that I feel like it will explode. I'm constantly walking around the house thinking of ways I can improve. And there are web sites that specifically fuel this creative drive. I should probably stop looking at them until I can tackle all 837 current projects I have started. But I can't help myself, I'm a design cutter.

Design*Sponge is by far one of my favorite sites to check out. I especially love the before & after and DIY sections. D*S is to the blogosphere what Martha Stewart is for YSA (Yuppie Suburban America).

Here are some things I have been lusting after lately. They make my heart happy!

What are your favorite design blogs, just in case the 487 I read aren't cutting it?

*All photos are from Design Sponge

Follow Friday: Story Corps

Every morning I drive to work listening to NPR and on Fridays I need to bring tissues with me. I arrive at the office and immediately need to go to the bathroom to clean my face up. The reason: Story Corps. NPR features a pod cast of a story from the project on Morning Edition, usually around 8:20 a.m. central time. I highly recommend tuning in, checking out the blog, and reading the book, Listening Is an Act of Love. The title says it all.

Follow Friday & A Dose of Reality

I came across this article while catching up with one of my favorite blogs and thought it would be a great thing to share for my Follow Friday post. Courtney, over at In(side) the Loop, blogged about an article in The New York Times and it really struck a cord with me. If you are married, in a relationship, or think you might go down that path sometime in the future, read the article. It's refreshing after you get over the initial shock of what the author shares in the first paragraph.

I'm newly wed and my marriage is in it's infant stage. We are still learning what exactly a partnership bound by more than just love involves. We have so much to learn and everyday is something new. I love hearing from people who have been married and through it all have stuck it out, and are willing to share their love story.

Someone who has been married for a long time once told me they renewed their vows not because they wanted another party celebrating their love, but because they did not understand the complexity of marriage when they first took their vows. The words didn't hold the same weight 15 years prior as they did now. I thought about this as we stood on the beach last November in Jamaica saying our vows in front of God, our loved ones, and a minister, and tried to take in the words and their meaning. But without really knowing what lies ahead, it is hard to make that kind of promise. You start out with the best intentions when life as a twosome is new and exciting. You try to hold on to that feeling as you have children, experience loss of loved ones, careers, and health. But you never know what lies ahead. Many of us will not make it to the "til death do us part" of the vows.

Coming from a family of failed marriages, I am not naive about this. I have seen how easy it is to give up and I respect someone who stays in for the good fight. I think what this woman did took more courage than most of us have. I know we will have hard times down the road. It's inevitable. Life would not be life without the ups and downs. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to fight for my happily ever after and try my hardest to hold up to those vows we promised last November. I think I have picked a partner who shares in my views and values and is going to fight right alongside me. This might sound naive but after all, we are only 9 months in. I am supposed to be naive in these uncharted waters.

Follow Friday: Hooked on Houses

I was too busy to post this on Friday so technically it is Follow Monday but then I wouldn't be able to do Music Monday (and I really want to do Music Monday!) Hooked on Houses is a blog I check on when I'm in my creative mode and looking for inspiration around my own home. I especially love Movie Monday where she features interior and exterior shots from television or movie sets. I always pay attention to what's going on behind the acting and Hollywood can come up with some really great houses. Julia over at HOH has compiled a great collection of these homes. Some of my favorites are the houses from Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Father of the Bride (this was my idea of a perfect home growing up), The Family Stone, Brothers & Sisters, and my all time favorite; the beach house from Something's Gotta Give. Love the kitchen with the HUGE island and check out the stove!

Julia has also compiled photos of celebrity homes. Kind of cool to see how the other half lives!

Follow Friday: Let's hear it for the boys

I hope you are off from work and somewhere fun with family and friends. But if you are like me and stuck at work on this gorgeous day, I give you the gift of laugh. Last week my follow post was about the ladies but this week it is about the funny men out there. I have no idea how I came across these blogs but I'm glad I did. They keep me entertained on days like this, when all I can think about is getting out in the sun and having some f-u-n.

Ryan is the man behind the blog Pacing the Panic Room and it is a must read for me everyday. He is a photographer located in FL (the central part, as he says) and has created a blog about everything from photography to chickens to his growing family. Ryan's wife, Cole, recently gave birth to their first child, Tessa Tangerine, so his posts have slowed down a bit but you can always read through his archives for a good story. Also check out his Maternity Series where each week of Cole's pregnancy he photographs her growing belly and writes a little blurb to their unborn child. Ah mazing photography and a great way to get to know the man behind the lense.

Another great "daddy" blog is Dad Gone Mad written by Danny Evans. I think the title pretty much sums up the point of the blog. But if not, he has also written a book titled Rage Against the Meshugenah: Why it Takes Balls to Go Nuts. It comes out August 4th and I can't wait to add it to my collection of summer reads. If it is anything like the blog, it will be great read on a subject that not many men discuss but should.

Follow Friday: The Mommy blogs

Whenever I need a good laugh, I can always count on these ladies. They manage to be funny while juggling careers, husbands, and raising a family (some of them have 5 kids!!!). AND they find time to blog about it. Kudos from someone who has a hard time keeping up with life sans children. I can't imagine what it's going to be like once we add little creatures who rely soley on us for their daily needs. That is a scary thought!

Check out Carolyn...Online, Is There Any Mommy Out There, and Baby on Bored next time you need a pick me up. No topic is off subject with these ladies so you never know what a post is going to be about. I love their honesty. They put on the internet what I'm sure a lot of moms think but don't actually say.

One of my favorites is from AnyMommy where she describes what it is about her kids that would drive her to drink if she wasn't 38 weeks pregnant. Check it out here. Another is Caroylns deep south primer where she describes her vacation in the south. If you have ever vacationed in the south, I'm sure you have had a similiar experience. Free entertainment, people!

Happy Friday, y'all!

Follow Friday: Food Edition

Some of my favorite blogs are about food. They feature great recipes and amazing pictures. What more could you want, right? I first came across eat make read from a Tastespotting post on no bake cookies. They were amazing and I have been an avid reader ever since. The author lives in Brooklyn, shops at her local farmers market, and is always coming up with new concoctions with local produce. Some of my favorite posts though have been about her excursions in and around NYC. And every now and again she gives a drink recipe in her Happy Hour series.

Another blogger I like to follow is Alejandra Ramos from Always Order Dessert. That's my motto, too! She also lives in NYC and blogs about her life through food. It seems like she is always in the kitchen trying something new. I have made a few of her recipes and they are delicious.

And again, since I don't like a post without pictues, here is a picture of Meeko this morning being a sleepy head. He actually growled at me when I got him up to go potty.

Let me sleep woman!

Follow Friday

It's Friday at 3:54 p.m. The end of another work week with the weekend just in sight. I like to end my Friday by catching up with some of my blog friends. I don't always get a chance to read them during the week and my reader is full of new posts. I thought I would share some of my favorites, just in case you would like to end your work week as unproductive as I do after a semi-productive week. Did that even make sense? It's been a long day. Anyway, some of these show up in my "blogs that I follow" and some I just randomly check in on.

My favorite "design" blog is written by Erica from Urban Grace Interiors. She has my dream job of being a work-at-home interior designer. She has great style and her blogs are always fun to read. She also shares details of her life and through that I have found my next favorite blog, which is written by her twin sister. Darby's blog, titled Fly Through My Window, is about a stay-at-home mom which just so happens to be my 2nd dream job. Darby is very crafty. She is always sharing recipes and ideas on how to keep 3 kids entertained through crafts. Another great blog I found from Erica is In(side) the Loop. Courtney started her blog in Houston, TX but has since moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and started another blog, Shrimp & Petroleum. Following Courtney in her travels throughout Southeast Asia helps with my wanderlust.

Another favorite is dooce, which is written by Heather Armstrong. Somewhat of a celebrity in the blog world, Heather was fired from her job in 2001 after blogging about work and now blogs freely and lucratively from home. Rebecca from Girls Gone Child is another blog I like to check up on. She is a work-from-home mom blogging about life in LA and what it's like being a unconventional mother of two.

I have more that I'll share later. Happy reading!

*And because I think posts without pictures are boring, I leave you with this:

That's Charlie, wishing everyone a fabulous weekend!

Have you TasteSpotted today?

This is one of my favorite "blogs" to read and I go on it at least once a day. It's actually a collection of food blogs that has great eye candy and even better recipes. My friend, Susan turned me on to this site and I have been addicted ever since. Thanks, Susan!!!

Today I was looking for a smoothie recipe and came across this delicious sounding concoction created by ourbestbites.com. I've been fighting a cold all week and thought a smoothie might be a good way to get all those antioxidants.

Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie
8oz pomegranate juice
1/2 C frozen blueberries
1/2 C roughly chopped strawberries (3-4 berries)
1/2 orange, peeled
1 C crushed ice
optional: honey

Place all ingredients into a blender in the order listed. Process until smooth. If it's too tart for your liking, add a drizzle of honey!

Have a great weekend and enjoy!!!