- August 31, 2016
- 1 Comments
August is over?!? What!! This was a crazy fast summer! Back to school already!Just about the only thing to look forward to at the end of August is our Month in review round-up! So get clicking and see some things you might have missed while you were enjoying these fabulous, fun and lazy, last days of summer!
Sarah, along with seven other bloggers participated in National S'mores Day and gave you eight different s'mores recipes. Sarah created the perfect S'mores Brownies that will leave you wanting more even after they're gone!
Sarah and her Mr. started the 12 day Fix about 6 weeks ago and she's giving you all the dirty details that no one else will share. If you want the real truth, here it is!
Sarah, along with seven other bloggers participated in National S'mores Day and gave you eight different s'mores recipes. Sarah created the perfect S'mores Brownies that will leave you wanting more even after they're gone!
I don't know about you, but I love fall! I love cozy sweater weather, the smell and crunch of crisp autumn leaves, and of course pumpkin spice everything.
It's Whitney here from Whitney à la mode and you may be wondering why I'm starting my Summer Series post with a love letter to fall. Well friends, in an effort to truly embrace the end of summer (as opposed to prematurely jumping into the next season), I'm here today to remind myself (and you) why this is a lovely time of the year!
Warm-Weather Tailgating
Like most of us, I usually associate football season with fall. But while we technically still have about a month of summer left, football season is in full swing! Why not embrace the best of both worlds and enjoy tailgating before the cold, rain, and even snow make an appearance? It's so nice to be able to wear my favorite Michigan State t-shirt without worrying about all the layers. You also have to admit that it's nice to indulge in your favorite tailgating finger foods without the constant pulling on and off of gloves. So let's leave those space heaters at home and enjoy the weather! Go State!
Iced Coffee
It's Whitney here from Whitney à la mode and you may be wondering why I'm starting my Summer Series post with a love letter to fall. Well friends, in an effort to truly embrace the end of summer (as opposed to prematurely jumping into the next season), I'm here today to remind myself (and you) why this is a lovely time of the year!
Warm-Weather Tailgating
Like most of us, I usually associate football season with fall. But while we technically still have about a month of summer left, football season is in full swing! Why not embrace the best of both worlds and enjoy tailgating before the cold, rain, and even snow make an appearance? It's so nice to be able to wear my favorite Michigan State t-shirt without worrying about all the layers. You also have to admit that it's nice to indulge in your favorite tailgating finger foods without the constant pulling on and off of gloves. So let's leave those space heaters at home and enjoy the weather! Go State!
Iced Coffee
The Blended Blog has always been a place where we have celebrated women and shared our thoughts, similarities, differences and this blogging world we all love! Since the blog's evolution almost one year ago, we have used Friday to feature some of our contributors' favorite bloggers. Throughout the Fall we will be featuring them once again, this time with themed questions!
You first met Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls earlier this year on TBB. She's a favorite of our very own Sarah and she has now become a favorite of us all!! Today Beth back on the blog sharing her responses to our Fall themed questions!!
You first met Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls earlier this year on TBB. She's a favorite of our very own Sarah and she has now become a favorite of us all!! Today Beth back on the blog sharing her responses to our Fall themed questions!!
1. Complete this sentence: The end of summer finds me....
Sad. Sad that I will soon be pale and bored!
2. Tell about a back to school tradition you have, either with your own children or one you had a child yourself.
Every year we celebrate a made up holiday, Back to School Eve. It consists of a day full of fun and WAY too much ice cream. We have been celebrating ever since our youngest was in kindergarten and I hope to keep the tradition going for many more years.
3. What is one of your favorite things about the Fall.
The way the air smells. Well that and pumpkin spice everything.
4. Do you have a Fall fashion favorite?
Plaid everything. I added quite a bit of plaid to my wardrobe last year and I hope to keep that going.
5. Is there a a TV show, movie or book you are looking forward to seeing/reading this Fall? Tell us about it!
Nope! Is that terrible?!? I am just so busy I don't really get into books, tv, or movies. I do love watching the new episodes of Roadkill on YouTube with the husband. I'm so not your typical girl.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Beth!
Follow Beth Instagram!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Beth!
Follow Beth Instagram!
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Happy Friday and Happy Weekend to all!
We're showcasing 3 different ways to style a striped dress today. Check out these stylish bloggers and their posts that were linked up with us last week.
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| A Blonde's Moment |
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| Sparkle and Slippers |
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| Two Peas in a Blog |
How would you style your stripes? Link up your summer style look with us today.
Welcome back for the third installment of our Styled by Someone Else Series! This time around, Whitney and Shaunacey allowed loved ones to venture into their closets to create some new outfit combinations!
But there's a twist! Both ladies had tiny stylists! Pop over to Whitney à la mode and Simply Shaunacey to check out the little ones' style skills!
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SUMMER SERIES: WHAT TO WEAR "IN-BETWEEN"
"Andrea Nine," "Fall Wardrobe transitioning," "Living on Cloud Nine," "Summer Series," "What to wear between Fall and Summer"
Hello sweet-n-stlyish people!! I'm Andrea Nine
from Living On Cloud Nine.
Oh friends I had high hopes for my turn in our Summer Series. You know some enlightening sunshiny story, some never done before bucket list, some summer vacay trip ideas but truth be told, this self proclaimed sand in my toes summer girl is over it this year!!
from Living On Cloud Nine.Oh friends I had high hopes for my turn in our Summer Series. You know some enlightening sunshiny story, some never done before bucket list, some summer vacay trip ideas but truth be told, this self proclaimed sand in my toes summer girl is over it this year!!
The kids have settled back into school and college and we've already been in the stands cheering on our son's football team. Summer in our neck of the woods took forever to get here, was stormy and after only a couple decent weeks, the heat and humidity rolled in with a fever!! I am definitely grateful for the beautiful days we did have and come January, I'll be dreaming of Summer 2017. However, I am now in transitioning mode. Ya know, the one where you stand in your closet thinking you have nothing to wear. While many bloggers are showcasing chunky sweaters and boots and they're so cute, but I still am not quite there; give me a few days, lol. Where I am is what I can wear now til Fall Fantastic arrives. I know one thing I love and you'll see a lot of is jean capris. They look so cute with generally any shoe from casual to comfy and can be dressed up or down.
I was in love with the print of this Old Navy Cami from the minute I saw it and had the perfect cardigan to go with. Camis and Cardis are a wardrobe transition staple.
Here are some more outfits I'll use to Fashion into Fall
Denim of Course
A good Denim vest and jacket are musts for any season transitioning.
And OH the Versatile Chambray
Love this soft button up from American Eagle, I wear this all the time.
Love this lightweight Chambray Jacket from Old Navy
This is my fav...a stripped racer back summer knit maxi with an easy Chambray top thrown over and knotted in the front.
xoxo
There you go. Tween Season ideas and pieces to love to get me through until the boot boxes get drug up from a bedroom in the basement and into mamas closet. Happy Monday and soak up those last few weeks of Summer! Time to go organize my scarves!!
Andrea is a regular contributor to the Blended Blog and shares her fashion, recipes, family and motivation over at Living On Cloud Nine. With the last name of "Nine", she tries to make each day as blissfully happy as possible. Much of that happiness comes from her loving husband and 3 amazing teenage sons.
The Blended Blog has always been a place where we have celebrated women and shared our thoughts, similarities, differences and this blogging world we all love! Since the blog's evolution almost one year ago, we have used Friday to feature some of our contributors' favorite bloggers. Throughout the Fall we will be featuring them once again, this time with themed questions!
August is back to school time for many in the south and the winding down of summer, so today we're kicking off our new series. You first met Gina from On the Daily Express, back in March on TBB. She's one of Lisa's favorite bloggers and friends, who quickly became a favorite of us all! Today she's back sharing her responses to our Fall themed questions!!
Thanks Gina!
August is back to school time for many in the south and the winding down of summer, so today we're kicking off our new series. You first met Gina from On the Daily Express, back in March on TBB. She's one of Lisa's favorite bloggers and friends, who quickly became a favorite of us all! Today she's back sharing her responses to our Fall themed questions!!
Thanks Gina!
1. Complete this sentence: The end of summer finds me....
...wishing it would last longer! Summer is my favorite!
2. Tell about a back to school tradition you have, either with your own children or one you had a child yourself.
For my school-age boys, new backpacks and new shoes are a back-to-school tradition. They wear each of those items out completely throughout the school year, plus their tastes change so it's a fun time to try something new for the new year. I shared some of our picks and favorites for shoes and backpacks in this post.
3. What is one of your favorite things about the Fall.
Halloween! I love helping the kids get creative and pick out their costumes, and I love going to their school for the Halloween Parade and classroom parties. Halloween is a high-fun, low stress holiday and I love it. Bonus points if we have an adults-only party to attend because I still like wearing costumes too!
4. Do you have a Fall fashion favorite?
I don't think I love Fall fashion as much as most bloggers! Summer is my favorite, and it's actually tricky living in SoCal where Fall is still quite warm, so scarves and layers don't make sense. What I do love are Fall colors, like burgundy and olive. I work those into my wardrobe with lightweight pieces in place of brighter summer colors to feel like I'm dressing for the season despite the weather.
5. Is there a a TV show, movie or book you are looking forward to seeing/reading this Fall? Tell us about it!
Dancing with the Stars is one of my favorite TV shows and it usually starts back up in the fall. It's one of the few shows on TV my whole family can watch together and find entertaining. Plus, I take a lot of dance classes myself as a hobby so the pros on that show always motivate me to improve!
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Happy Friday and Happy Weekend to all!
The Blended Blog has always been a place where we have celebrated women and shared our thoughts, similarities, differences and this blogging world we all love! Since the blog's evolution almost one year ago, we have used Friday to feature some of our contributors' favorite bloggers. Throughout the Fall we will be featuring them once again, this time with themed questions!
August is back to school time for many in the south and the winding down of summer, so today we're kicking off our new series. You first met Gina from On the Daily Express, back in March on TBB. She's one of Lisa's favorite bloggers and friends, who quickly became a favorite of us all! Today she's back sharing her responses to our Fall themed questions!!
Thanks Gina!
August is back to school time for many in the south and the winding down of summer, so today we're kicking off our new series. You first met Gina from On the Daily Express, back in March on TBB. She's one of Lisa's favorite bloggers and friends, who quickly became a favorite of us all! Today she's back sharing her responses to our Fall themed questions!!
Thanks Gina!
1. Complete this sentence: The end of summer finds me....
...wishing it would last longer! Summer is my favorite!
2. Tell about a back to school tradition you have, either with your own children or one you had a child yourself.
For my school-age boys, new backpacks and new shoes are a back-to-school tradition. They wear each of those items out completely throughout the school year, plus their tastes change so it's a fun time to try something new for the new year. I shared some of our picks and favorites for shoes and backpacks in this post.
3. What is one of your favorite things about the Fall.
Halloween! I love helping the kids get creative and pick out their costumes, and I love going to their school for the Halloween Parade and classroom parties. Halloween is a high-fun, low stress holiday and I love it. Bonus points if we have an adults-only party to attend because I still like wearing costumes too!
4. Do you have a Fall fashion favorite?
I don't think I love Fall fashion as much as most bloggers! Summer is my favorite, and it's actually tricky living in SoCal where Fall is still quite warm, so scarves and layers don't make sense. What I do love are Fall colors, like burgundy and olive. I work those into my wardrobe with lightweight pieces in place of brighter summer colors to feel like I'm dressing for the season despite the weather.
5. Is there a a TV show, movie or book you are looking forward to seeing/reading this Fall? Tell us about it!
Dancing with the Stars is one of my favorite TV shows and it usually starts back up in the fall. It's one of the few shows on TV my whole family can watch together and find entertaining. Plus, I take a lot of dance classes myself as a hobby so the pros on that show always motivate me to improve!
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Happy Friday and Happy Weekend to all!
Summer Style 7
"fashion," "feature," "link up," "summer style"
The end of summer is dangerously close and our series is winding down, but don't worry, we have some great plans in line for fall!
Make sure you stop by the posts by these beautiful women, they are both featuring some summery outfits and can provide some novel ideas.
Link up your posts with us and come back next week- maybe you'll be featured
An InLinkz Link-up
Make sure you stop by the posts by these beautiful women, they are both featuring some summery outfits and can provide some novel ideas.
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| A Pocket Full of PolkaDots |
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| Queen in Between |
An InLinkz Link-up
Happy Tuesday Ya'll! Katie here from The Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life! I'm so excited to be back here today on The Blended Blog! On tap is 10 Years Forward....our series based on the book What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. I have been reading like a Mad Woman all weekend to finish the book in time for today's post!! I didn't but am so close and totally loving it. It's about Alice who has a bad fall during Spin Class, gets a concussion and wakes up only to realize she has lost 10 years of her life and nothing is as she expected it to be. Which brings me to my 10 Years Forward!
I'm not going to lie. This has been difficult! I'm not sure if it's because I've never thought about this before or maybe because a little part of me is scared to! The rest of the TBB girls can envision kids grown up and a life with their spouses. Me, the single girl of the group, is too afraid to see any of that.
10 years from now, I'll be firmly holding at 46. I was always one to say I never had to get married, but that doesn't mean I want to be alone the rest of my life. Maybe ten years from now my prince will have come and we will be living happily...traveling together and enjoying the good life...fine wine, good food, lots of laughs and millions of memories together!
I know I'll still be surrounded by and spending time with my family and friends! Probably reminiscing about that crazy summer of 2016! Ha!
Ten years from now I will be entering my 25th year of teaching. I'll still be teaching. I know I complain about it often, but I've never wanted to do anything else with my life...and I won't! 25 years in teaching seems like a long time, but then thinking of my age, 46 is still young...I could have an additional 20 years a teaching still ahead of me! Yikes...maybe that prince I'm waiting for will be rich and fabulous and I won't have to work after my 25th year!
All in all, I just hope I'm healthy, happy and still enjoying life! Oh and I want to still be blogging, of course!!
Hi there !
I'm Nicole from Nick and Nicole + 4 and it's my turn with the summer series ! I chose to talk about festival wear for the 30+ crowd. Last year I was lucky enough to attend to festivals ( wayhome and Boots and Hearts). This year I was only able to go to Boots, but it was still amazing!
These are two very different ( music wise) festivals but the fashion was mainly the same except for the fact that wayhome ( similar to coachella) had more neon.
Here are some tips I picked up for those of us who are no longer 18,19 or 20 but want to look cool at a concert or festival !
1. Wear a hat. This helps with sweaty hair problems. Spending the entire day outdoors in the heat can kill whatever cute hair day you had planned. Wearing a hat fixes this. Here are a few I have worn.
2. Over the shoulder purse. Bonus points if you have fringe. This is a must have !! Who wants to carry a huge purse ? Or not carry one at all and lose money and keys that fall out of pockets. Not me. Yay for small purses. ( see both of us below with our cross body bags. Handy for hand sanitizer and extra toilet paper ....cause concerts are gross )
3. Accessorise. Wear layers of necklaces. Apparently glitter tattoos are cool too.
4. Bring a plaid shirt. Tie it around. Your waist. Yes I'm serious. This is not a fashion thing. It's a "it gets cold when the sun goes down and you will freeze if you don't have this " thing. Your welcome for this tip. ( see pic above. Kristy was smart with the plaid. Me- I froze )
5. Wear sneakers. Like converse. I didn't ( I wore sandals) and my feet were gross by the end of the weekend.
Other Big trends I noticed this year (mainly from the younger ladies there..)
- Off the shoulder tops (Like this one from Forever 21)
- White flowy shirts with denim cut offs (Like this one)
- Chokers (like this one)
- Belly tops (like this one)
Hopefully someone finds this useful for any concerts they are attending soon - especially outdoor ones! I'm lucky enough to be seeing Adele in October, so I'm pretty excited to outfit plan!
xo. Nicole
Good morning, lovelies! It's Whitney from Whitney à la mode and it's my first time introducing you to a blogger for our Featured Friday series. So without further ado, meet Alex from The Cheerful Closet! Alex is the very first blogging friend that I made back when she was writing under the name Undergraduate Style. Alex is so genuinely warm, kind and supportive. She's also an expert at dressing stylishly on a (formerly) student budget. I feel blessed to have "met" Alex as a college sophomore and to have witnessed her graduate from college and start her career. Now that Alex has entered the "real world" she has JUST rebranded from Undergraduate Style to The Cheerful Closet. So hopefully you will get to know a bit about her here and then hop over to greet her in her new blog space!
You can also find Alex on Instagram!
Other than blogging, what do you do for a living (profession)?
I am a recruiting assistant at a staffing company-basically a recruiter-in-training! I hope to continue my career in recruiting and then into more general Human Resources roles. I love my job because it is so satisfying to help people find a job that is perfect for them!
What would you consider your greatest accomplishment and why?
This is so generic, but honestly, graduating college from the University of Kansas in May is my proudest accomplishment! It may be that it’s just fresh in my memory, but I worked really hard and am very proud of my accomplishments while I was at KU—I graduated with a 3.88 GPA, served as president of my sorority, completed 250 service hours during my four years, and worked several jobs in order to pay my own way through school!
This is so generic, but honestly, graduating college from the University of Kansas in May is my proudest accomplishment! It may be that it’s just fresh in my memory, but I worked really hard and am very proud of my accomplishments while I was at KU—I graduated with a 3.88 GPA, served as president of my sorority, completed 250 service hours during my four years, and worked several jobs in order to pay my own way through school!
What hobbies do you have other than blogging?
I really enjoy reading, movies, TV, and podcasts of almost all different genres. In the past year or so, I have gotten really into cooking. I’ve been a knitter for well over 10 years, a sewer for 3 or 4, and a quilter as of this summer! I also run every day—I do it grudgingly because I know I should, but some people consider exercise a hobby, haha!
What is your oddest habit?
I have my fair share of idiosyncracies, but I guess I can pick just one…I wear flannel pajamas every night. I can’t sleep without them. Even in the summer, when it’s so hot, I still have to wear them and just turn on a fan. My loved ones think it’s so ridiculous, but they are just so comfy and cozy that if I wear anything else I don’t sleep well!
What has been the biggest challenge with blogging?
I’ve found that the biggest challenge with blogging has been balancing my busy school schedule with my blog. Those who pay close attention to my blog may have noticed that the frequency and quality of my content always drops off significantly at the end of a semester when school and sorority stuff gets really busy. Then, during breaks and the beginning of each new semester, I have much more time and energy to create fresh new ideas and content! However, I’m hoping that now I’m working full time, that stability will make my content more stable!
What is your style “uniform”?
My style “uniform” is an a-line dress with a cardigan and flats. I wear this ensemble to work at least twice a week—I have 10 million cardigans & pairs of flats so I don’t think I’ll ever run out of combinations!
Do you like to dine-out or stay-in and cook dinner? And, what is your favorite meal or restaurant?
I really like to stay in and cook; like I mentioned above, I’ve been teaching myself to cook this past year, and I find it’s SO rewarding to make something delicious on my own! My favorite dish to make is mac and cheese; I’m still working on finding and perfecting the perfect recipe/blend of cheeses, and I think I may be getting close!
Alex's Favorite Posts:
You can also find Alex on Instagram!
Summer Style 6
"fashion," "link up," "summer style"Welcome to week 6 of our create your own summer style. Thank you to everyone who has been linking up, we have enjoyed making new friends.
Today we'd like to feature the blogger whose style challenges were the forum that led us to one another, here on the Blended Blog. Meet Alison from Get Your Pretty On. Without her, we never would have met. Last week she linked up her August Pretty Fix and gave us another reason to buy more shoes.
What will you be sharing with us today? Come back next week to see if you're featured.
Behind the Blogger v3
"Behind the Blogger," "Leslie," "lisa," "Nicole"
Welcome to the 3rd edition of Behind the Blogger. You can read our previous interviews here. Today we'd like you to get to know Leslie from Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After, Lisa from Daily Style Finds and Nicole from Nick & Nik a bit better. Enjoy!
What's comfort food to you?
Comfort food is like an edible hug that warms you from the inside out. As a little girl, comfort food would have been my mom's fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. Had that every birthday. And her warm from the oven homemade cinnamon rolls, orange rolls, and crusty loaves of homemade bread. Now that I am a wife, mom and grandmom cooking for my family, chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings, biscuits and sausage gravy would be my top comfort foods at our house.
Pizza, Five Guys Cheeseburger & Fries, and DQ Reese's Peanut Butter Cup blizzard! (I also love beef stew and pot roast in the winter!)
Chips & Dip
Tell us about the coolest vacation you have ever been on.
In 1976, my parents took our family on a grand tour of many of the national parks in the western United States. Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Tetons, Mount Rushmore and just as many exciting cities. We drove from one place to another in the family station wagon. Good times.
As an adult, my coolest vacation was an all inclusive stay in Cancun, Mexico. Our resort was gorgeous...GORGEOUS. The food was delicious. The beach beautiful. I loved every minute of my time spent with my Prince in paradise.
I love NYC, so spending time there is one of my favorite things to do. I also enjoy spending time by the water - either the ocean or a lake. When I was younger someone in my family had a cottage at a lake - and I enjoyed spending time there, which is one of my best childhood memories. (And, where I really embraced my tomboy side, like walking around barefoot with a leech between my toes! Yuck!) I also went on an Alaskan cruise with my mom - almost 10 years ago.
Oh gosh, so many. Costa Rica is probably my fave - so much to see, monkeys everywhere. Rain forests are beautiful!
What did you aspire to do or be when you were in high school?
In high school, I read the book Christy by Catherine Marshall about a young woman who moves to Appalachia to teach the impoverished children there. I decided I wanted to be a pediatrician who worked in Appalachia. When all was said and done, I graduated with a major in art education. I did my student teaching with the poor children of the Smoky Mountains on the Appalachian Trail. And have worked with underprivileged children throughout my career.
I wanted to be a psychologist and drive a 5-series white BMW. Well, neither of those came to fruition -- I am not a psychologist, and I do not own a BMW.
An artist
Tell us something you admire about your parents.
There are so many things I admire about my parents. Their incredible work ethic. Their genuinely good hearts. Their intelligence, sense of humor and creativity. And their ability to save money!
My mom is my best friend and someone that would do anything for me. She is also a strong woman of faith - and a great witness to me who strengthens my Christian faith. My dad died suddenly two years ago. I did not get to spend as much time with him as I would have liked for many years, due to some poor decisions he made in his life; however, he was a generous and giving person. When I was younger, we loved to laugh together - and it is where I got my joking/prankster side. I miss him - and wish he wasn't gone so soon!
37 years of marriage. Something to be commended. I've seen them fight maybe 2 times ever.
What's your favourite book and why?
How can a librarian pick just one? I have a new favorite with every book I read! I guess my all-time favorite would be The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. I developed a 'friendship' with Anne and felt as though she was talking just to me through her diary entries. She shares such insight and wisdom about life and the world she was hidden away from.
I am not an avid reader, so most of my reading revolves around daily devotionals. One of my favorite devotions is Jesus Calling. From time to time, I will read books about successful people to find out about their behind the scene stories - like Delivering Happiness (Zappos) and #GirlBoss (owner of Nasty Gal).
The Red Tent. It's something different to me every time I read it. I read it newly married. Again after being divorced, and then again after having 4 kids. I think all women should read it.
About us
This blog was created after a group of bloggers started a friendship, without ever having met. What they've come to realize is that the blogworld, while huge and daunting, can be a great community of like-minded people. Welcome to our space, we hope that it can help you expand your blog circles too. Read more about us.
