I am a big believer in sharing fun stuff when you find fun stuff. And I’m also a big believer in encouraging other women. Paying a compliment, sharing a blog post, and just encouraging and appreciating each other is something that is invaluable to me.

That’s why I continue to post these reads for your weekend. I want you all to read the amazing blogs that I read and follow the talented, inspiring women that I follow.

-ONE-

Tara Marie Photography- Ava Turns One

I follow Tara on Instagram, and her feed is one of my favorites. Her photos are so beautiful and so happy. Her family is adorable. And I’ve recently started reading her photography blog.  When I saw this precious baby girl’s first birthday party on Tara’s blog, I knew I had to share. It’s so pretty and feminine and happy!

 

 

-TWO-

Naptime Diaries- Wild and Free

I just loved Jessi’s declaration for her 29th year. I have found that we learn more about ourselves with each passing year, and in the process, life gets a little bit easier. We decide to just let go and have fun while focusing on the important things. Jessi also introduced some absolutely beautiful new watercolor notecards in her shop this week, and I couldn’t wait to place my order!  (And Jessi is offering 29% off in her shop using the code “BIRTHDAY” for Saturday!)

 

-THREE-

Holley Gerth- You Don’t Have to Do More

Well if this post wasn’t intended for me, then I don’t know what was. So many times, I have come here and written about how I feel like I’m not doing enough. (Here’s one and here’s another) About how I feel like my role in life (currently a stay-at-home mom to my kids) isn’t enough, and I need to do more. Volunteer more. Plan more. Do more more more. And, sometimes, that tug is the right tug in the right direction. And sometimes it’s a big fat lie that we’re not enough. I love Holley’s post so much, and I think a lot of you that struggle with your current place and situation will feel the same way.

-FOUR-

Life {Sweet} Life- Teacher’s Favorite Things Printable

My friend Sarah has this adorable printable for your child’s teacher to fill out where he or she can list their favorite things. This is so great, especially if you’re the room mom in charge of getting the teacher gifts for Christmas, birthdays, and end of the year. Seriously. Go look at this printable, pin it, print it, use it. Trust me!

-FIVE-

Kelly’s Korner- You Can’t Hurry Love

Oh my heart. This post just really touched me. Kelly talks about how she spends so much time telling her girls to hurry up and get in the car, get dressed, hurry, hurry, hurry. And I know that feeling so well! And they’re so little, and they don’t know why we want to hurry. They want to stop and look at the trees and jump in the puddles. They get distracted easily. And I don’t want to rush their little lives away.

-SIX-

The Busy Budgeting Mamaand House of Rose– VLOG: Being Married to a Blogger

Mandy’s husband and Natalie’s husband got together to film a little vlog about what it’s like being married to a blogger. This is absolutely hilarious, y’all! Go watch the video!

What fun posts and ideas have you seen this week? Please share!

 

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

We actually don’t have any plans except to just hang out and enjoy each other’s company. Thank you so much for all of the sweet comments on the Peter Pan Party post. It was so much fun to plan.

I never got to share my favorite reads with you last week because we were up to our knees in Peter Pan party plans (try saying that five times fast), so here is a super-size edition for Memorial Day!

DIY Creaseless Hair Ties from Life in the Green House

My sweet friend, Jennifer, shares a super easy way to save money and make those adorable creaseless hair ties we all love! And you don’t need a sewing machine.

When the Negativity and Pessimism Are Getting to You from A Holy Experience

I just loved this post so much. I’m sure we all have people in our lives who are always negative and pessimistic and I just loved reading Ann’s perspective.

My Son is Being Bullied by Emily Powell from Courtney DeFeo.com

This post broke my heart just a little bit as Hudson is growing up and is facing more and more social conflicts. But I love Emily’s way of dealing with a really sensitive issue.

Disney Extravaganza: The Planning from Glamorous Life of a Housewife

Disney Extravaganza: Art of Animation, Disney Extravaganza: Day 1, Disney Extravaganza: Day 2, Disney Extravaganza: Day 3

My friend, Whitney, went to Disney World recently and she is blogging all week about her planning tips, the resort, the different parks. I’ve LOVED getting to read her tips and ideas! This is a must-read if you’re planning on going to Disney World anytime soon!

The Responsibility of a Megaphone from Marriage Confessions

I think most veteran bloggers would tell you that blogging has high highs and low lows. It’s hard to come up with new, interesting content day in and day out. And I just love Katie’s post about how she’s sorting through that and why she is going to continue blogging. Community means SO much to a blogger.

The Days When Being a Working Mom is Hard from The Land of Cotton

My friend, Emily (we met in grad school) is a beautiful writer and has the most beautiful baby girl. She wrote this week about the hard days as a working mom and I just loved her perspective. This is a must-read for any mom.

Summer Pasta Salad With Baby Greens from Skinny Taste

Yum! I need to make this this weekend. Maybe I’ll go carb-free next week!

Here’s the thing. from Loves of Life

Katie wrote a really great post about why Pinterest isn’t to blame. I wanted to give her a standing ovation. She echoes my feelings that I expressed in In The Interest of Pinterest.

With all of the fun events from the past week, I forgot to share some of my favorites with you. One of my very favorite things to do on this blog is to share with you some of the amazing women and blogs I’ve found. So here goes, a little bit late!

1. Sister Fitness

Okay, y’all. You need to add Sister Fitness to the list of blogs that you read. My sweet, stunning friends (who are also sisters), Hillary and Natalie, are the writers behind this blog. But they’re also the fitness instructors of an incredible fitness class and ministry at Madison Park Church in Anderson, Indiana. They have beautiful hearts for fitness, faith, and community. They also share their hearts in their blog posts and have been linking up with us for Build ‘Em Up.

These two girls were great friends of mine in high school, and I just love what they’re doing. Y’all… you would not believe the number of women that show up for their classes every week. It is incredible. I just wish I lived closer and could attend their class more than once per year!

To see a fun introductory video about what they’re doing, look at this post. And you can even take one of their classes online! So fun!

2. Courtney DeFeo

I’ve shared my deep appreciation for what Courtney DeFeo is doing before, but I really want you all to subscribe to her blog. She has put together a great group of contributors, including some great friends of mine. And Courtney, herself, is a fantastic writer and a beautiful sharer. (And I’ll be posting over there once per month.)

If you’re looking for some encouragement and some life-giving reading material, you need to subscribe to her blog!

3. Living With Marble Countertops, a cautionary tale from Life{in}Grace

This post made me laugh and it was super informational. I love Edie’s voice, and love her style. If you’re considering a kitchen remodel or are building a house, like we are, this is a great post about marble countertops.