Hello fabulous friends! It's Abbie from Grumbling Grace and I'm so excited to introduce you to Christina from The Whole Cook. 

How gorgeous is this gal? Photo via The Whole Cook

I was first attracted to Christina's vivacious and hilarious self on Instagram but was completely drawn in by her witty writing style and stories. Her focus on family and faith is evident throughout her work and can we say FOODIE?? Her recipes are to die for. I recently tried her Family Favorite Guacamole and Holy Toledo. It's amazing. 

Go make this. Seriously. Oh my word.

But enough from me. Let's hear from Christina. I'll just be over here stuffing my face...


Let's start with family life. How old are your kids?




What is something that people might be surprised to know about you?

I knew we shared similar interests outside of blogging. ;-) Speaking of blogging, what inspired you to start your blog?
 
I've always been a writer at heart. Whether it was starting (and not finishing) truly horrible novels, writing training manuals, or crafting sales pitches I just needed to do it. Putting words to paper (or blog) was and is so important to me. I started this blog because I wanted a place to pour out my heart. That's what blogging has been for me. It's where I talk the highs, lows, and hilarity of motherhood. It's where I talk about food (and how I'm always hungry). It's where I share my faith. I am always amazed that anyone reads what I write and so very grateful for those interactions.

 
Jeans, loose fitting shirt (usually white), sandals with a lot of bling, sunglasses, and red lipstick. I wear some version of this almost every day. It's comfortable but feels like maybe I look like I tried at least a little. That's how I justify it to myself anyway.


Do you enjoy gardening, sewing, decorating, painting or photography? I know I loved seeing your daughter's dresser DIY recently on Instagram!

I love gardening and DIY. Refinishing furniture, creating party themes, or even painting walls. I enjoy any project where I can see big results quickly because I'm not very patient.


Thanks for giving us a peek at the babe behind the blog, Christina!
 

And last but not least, here a few of Christina's recent fabulous posts to get you started:

READ MORE...

READ MORE...

We have made it through our first Create28 Style Challenge with The Blended Blog!  TBB contributors have had lots of fun creating new-to-us summer looks based upon the Create28 prompts.  The daily style suggestions gave us a fun little way to look at our closets with fresh inspiration!

Here are our looks from the first three weeks:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3

We hope that you used our prompts to get dressed this month!  If so, please link-up your looks below and use our hashtag (#theblendedblogstyle) on Instagram!

Here are our looks from the last week of Create28:


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Hellooo spring and hello stylish ladies! Are you ready to get your style on? 

Let's start with a recap of the fun and fabulous White Pants Styles with Sarah from last week, shall we?  Here's how the ladies of The Blended Blog styled their pale pants:
 
 
And congratulations to these incredible gals who rocked the link-up by posting one link following the prompt! This week's second highest most clicked-on ladies were in a dead tie. Everyone loved...  

The vivacious Vanessa over at X-tremely V:

This is just one of Vanessa's looks Go check her out other looks here!

 
The ladies were also loving the alluring Alison over at Puppies and Pretties:

I don't know about you, but nautical style gets me every time. Check out her full post here!

And last but not least, with the most number of hits this week... and I'd like to preface this with the fact that I am not just using this platform to self-promote, but that I truly believe people were just amazed to see me out of my pajamas...  
It's me! Abbie from Grumbling Grace!

Oh hi! I showered! Full post here.

Onward.
 
Last week as I was looking forward to this week's challenge, I thought "Who came up with this prompt?" Oh yeah. Me. And even though "Patterned Blouse with Neutrals" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and likely won't make into a top 40 hit song this week, I stand by it.  I'm one of the newer members of the Blended Blog and I need you to know that I'm a certified mombie (mom +zombie) of two little ladies and when I manage to get out of my yoga pants, I demand fashion that can be easily washed (and forgotten 6 times in a row in the washing machine), that is fairly comfortable, and that can hide stains of all varieties.   


Patterns should be marketed as the camouflage of mothers everywhere masquerading as put-together humans.
  

Now that my secret's out, I've been working to wear everything in my closet and post my weekly outfits, so I'm going to be hitting you with a few different combos that work for me. Here's how I've been styling my patterns with neutrals for spring in Saskatchewan, Canada. 
 

The awesome Deena from Shoes to Shiraz took these photos on a balmy spring afternoon in Saskatoon. I love these grey cargo pants and I consider forest-green booties to be a neutral. Comfy and the baby loves chewing on that necklace. Win win. Please note that I'm wearing a Fitbit. Next step, actually get moving.

I blame Deena from Shoes to Shiraz for what happened next. The rest of the afternoon was a happy blur but I woke up with a new dress that I'm going to call a "blouse" and here it is. In the words of Edith Piaf, "Non. Je ne regrette rien." 
 

My friend Katie told me to stand in front of my garage so I did. I feel like there's a message somewhere about heads in ovens and not jumping off bridges but her advice is pretty sound, so back off, moms. Also, florals are a fun way to play with pattern for the spring. Here's how I paired mine with 6000 calories at the amazing Little Bird Patisserie this last Sunday.

Colour and more colour (that's 'color', U.S. friends) may mean that the only neutral here is me. I'm in neutral because I haven't slept or had enough coffee yet. Let's try again.

There we go! Pairing my patterned blouse with neutral sandals or booties, black pants and a purse (neutral nautical stripes and taupe) has me back in the patterns and neutral game!
 

It's not weird at all to be laughing at my hallway while holding a selfie stick. This is a strange strange time we're living in, friend.

More hallway ponderings. Reflecting on the quiet and calm of 36 teenagers in my classroom over two children at home. Le sigh.

Selfie face. Why?

I can't wait to see your looks! Here's the full calendar and the other ladies of The Blended Blog. Make sure to link-up below and come back next week for even more fun!
 
 
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