5 Question Friday and A 5 Step Blog Hop How-To

I recently got an email from a fellow blogger asking how to link up to blog hops. To be honest, I am terrible at explaining things that I know how to do easily. My brain only works in auto-pilot in certain situations, and breaking it down step by step becomes super difficult. Is it just me, or are other people the same way too?

I was thinking that the easiest way to break it down, might be able to "instruct" as I go along.

Step 1: Find a blog hop you want to particpate in. I find most of the blog hops I participate in, through the blogs that I follow. I am not sure whose blog I found Mama M. through, but today, we will be participating in 5 Question Friday, with Mama M.

Step 2: Write your intro.Usually I would write something like this:

Today, I am participating in 5 Question Friday with Mama M. @ My Little Life!

Step 3: Link back to blog of origin:

Today, I am participating in 5 Question Friday with Mama M. @ My Little Life!

To do this, I first copy the adress of the blog post of the hop itself. Next, I select the text that has the name of the hop, in this case 5 Question Friday and click above, where it says Link. A dialogue box appears, and where it says Link To: I make sure that web address is selected, and paste the address I copied from that post. Sometimes, I will also add a link to the home page of the blog on the name of the blog itself in my intro, as I have done above.  You can take a shortcut sometimes and post a button, like is available at My Little Life, and most of the time, that will do the linking back for you!

Easy Peasy!

Step 4: Do whatever is asked of you, to participate. In this case, you just copy and paste some questions and answer them.

1. What do you think makes a good friend, or friendship?

I think that the truly good friendships, are usually the ones where there is a spark in the beginning. I believe that sometimes we fall into friendship, similarly to how we fall into love. Sometimes, when you are lucky, you meet someone and instantly you connect, feel comfortable, are able to make each other laugh. Not all of my friendships start that way, but those that do, those where I feel like I have known someone since the moment I met them, are friendships that I know will always be there no matter what. The best part is, you can fall into friendship with multiple people, and it is never considered cheating!

2. What is the last thing you bought & later regretted?

I just spent $60 on groceries in a hormonally fueled binge. Kozy Shack flan, really?

3. Have you ever had a prank played on you?

Hmmm. Little ones maybe, but nothing epic or memorable. I don't think I have a very prankable personality.

4. What is your favorite theme park?

I haven't really been to many. I am one of the few people who makes it to adulthood without ever visiting Disney. If I had to choose, based on the parks I have been to, I would say Busch Gardens in Willimasburg, Virginia. It is one of the prettiest theme parks I have ever been to!

5. Have you ever seen someone else give birth?

 

I was around for most of the labor of an old friend of mine. She was 16 and so was I. It was pretty intense, but my memory is hazy now. The only thing I really remember, is that I had fallen asleep on a couch and I awoke to them breaking her water. Omigoodness. Omigoodness.

 

Step 5: Publish your post, and then add it to the Linky of the host blog.

After you hit the orange PUBLISH POST button, copy the address of the post where you particpated in the hop. Make sure that you select the link to the individual post as opposed to the home page on your blog. On the host blog, scroll through the list of others who have linked up, and at the bottom of that, you will see something that says something like, "You are next, click here to enter." After clicking, you will see two boxed. One usually says, Link Title or Blog Title. Usually, I will put Kacie@ And Baby Makes Two. Creative, right? In the box that says Link:, paste the link to your post. Hit enter your link, and you are done!

I hope that makes sense to you, you-know-who, and I hope everyone enjoys there weekend. I'll be at work this weekend, so if you are hanging around blog land, I will see you around!

Take Care Y'all!

Before I Was a Mama...

my skinny jeans still fit.

I knew the name and artist of every song on the radio.

the weekend started on Thursday.

my phone rang constantly.

morning started whenever I decided to wake up.

there was no time to watch t.v.

but there was plenty of time to read.

a meal could last an entire hour...or even more.

I could even put makeup on if I felt like it.

whenver I shopped, I thought of myself first.

money didn't matter.

love always had boundaries.

friends came before family.

roller coasters weren't scary at all.

I loved life, and was excited for the greatness to come.

Since becoming a mama, all of those have changed.


Except for one.


*I am linking up to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. Check it out!*

Drumroll Please...

And the theme, for Gemma's Birthday Bonanza 2010 is.........

MERMAIDS!

Cute right? And the full sized version of the teaser picture:

This cake is my inspiration. I want something similar to this, minus the fish and brown seaweed at the bottom. My color scheme is going to be that lighter blue color (what would you call that?), with light pink, dark pink, and pearl...and maybe some gold splashed in. I was going to bombard you with inspiration pictures today, but maybe instead I will post them as the plans really shape up!

In other news...I got an award!

Thank you Sarah at No, Don't and Stop!

The rules are simple, pass it on to 10 bloggers and also list 10 things that you don't know about me. Passing it on is always the hard part, so I will do that first. (Hard because I am awkward, not because there aren't a bajillion great bloggers!)

Kayleigh's Adventures in Motherhood

Beth Anne

Renee's Ramblings

Natballs

King J's Queen

Fanged Faerie Princess

Love Comma Ashlee

Mommy Monologues

Pickles and Cheese

And Back Atcha Sarah!

You ladies all deserve it! And check out these blogs!!!

Now, 10 things about me!

• 
  
  I HATE cilantro.
• 
  
  I have a small chest deformity called pectus excavatum. It's not that bad, but when I am topless, you can tell it's there.
• 
  
  I bought 3 car seats today, and I don't even own my own car.
• 
  
  I studied Public Relations and Sociology in college.
• 
  
  I want to go to grad school, but I am not sure what for.
• 
  
  When I was younger, before I went to bed, I used to day dream that I was Ross and Rachel's daughter.
• 
  
  I love finding blogs written by people with a completely different perspective than my own. It's kind of thrilling to see so much of something that is so unknown...
• 
  
  I feel like a new person when I get my eyebrows down.
• 
  
  I used to smoke cigarettes, but now I have replaced that addiction with soda.
• 
  
  I don't have a favorite color because I think they all serve a special purpose.

Alright, y'all, I am off to read blogs. Have a happy (what's left of) Monday!

Getting to Know ME...How Many Times is This?

It is that time of the week again, I am participating in Getting to Know You and so should you! 

Time is of the essence this morning, so I am going to do my best to keep my answers short and sweet. 

Have a Happy Sunday Y'all!

-Kacie

1. If a person has a booger in their nose. and you can see it, do you tell them?

It definitely depends on how big the booger is and how well I know the other person.

2. What are you passionate about?

I am most passionate about treating people well. I think it is important to love all with an open heart and an open mind.

3. How long have you been blogging?

A little over a year. I started this blog as a countdown from 101 days until my daughter was born...she is 9 months old now!

4. What is your favorite "summer" drink?

Fresh lemonade.

5. What is your favorite type of music?

Dirty rap music and girly singer-songwriter kind of stuff are my faves.

6. Something I do before I go to bed is......?

There are a lot of things I usually do, but none that stick out. I am gonna say kiss my sweet baby :)

7. My Summer vacation plans are...?

None, as of right now. I'm a slacker.

8. My favorite must have, can't live without, beauty product is?

I am so bad when it comes to stuff like this. My most recent beauty "find" though, is the knock of Cetaphil from Family Dollar. I don't even know why I grabbed it (or why I was in Family Dollar, ha) but it works SO WELL for like $2!

Party Update

Have I seemed a little quiet this week? I sure feel like I have. Blogging has become such a part of my life that I definitely miss it when it is not there.

Wanna know why things have been quiet around here?

I am BOILING hot. Like ridiculously, I can't focus, can't breathe, and I am starting to get a headache because it is so freakin' hot, hot. The air conditioning in my little office space is broken, and the heat is unbelievable. I do most of my blogging from my work desk, and the heat just zaps any energy I have for blogging. Along with my will to live.

Have I mentioned before that I can be a bit dramatic?

Despite the heat, I still wanted to stop and update on the super important first birthday party planning and thank everyone for all of their great suggestions. 

As far as other ideas that have been tossed around, I have considered puppies, bees, rainbows, gold fish, giraffes, and pretty much every other children's party thing you can think of. I have poured over websites, party blogs, and the party aisle of every store within a 10 mile radius...

Finally, have a theme. 

Well, probably.

I wanted to leave you with a sneak peak of the theme I chose. Any guesses?

(Oh, btw, when posting this I remembered that Mrs. Muffins did a similar sneak peak of her little girl's party, so I just wanted to shout her out here!)

P.S. A few of you mentioned straying from party packs, and that is the plan. Any links to sites for inspiration?

One For the Baby Book

Blogworld may not care...

but I'm excited.

Gemma FINALLY crawled tonight.

She was tempted by a sock.

It's My (Baby's) Party and I'll Cry if I Want Toooooooooo

I was going to start this post by saying that now that Gemma is 9 months old, I have begun planning her first birthday party.

That would have been a lie.

For about...3 months now, at least, I have been planning THE party of the century.

I had a theme picked out. I knew what my menu would be. I knew the location, date, and time of the party.

And then that stupid movie came out. What movie you ask?

This one:

All of a sudden my Alice in "ONE" derland inspired, Mad-Hatter's Tea Pary at the park seemed a little less cute and a little more...creepy. And not only did it seem creepy, but I also started to notice MY PARTY popping up everywhere. I can't stand jumping on a bandwagon, no matter how unintentionally. So the theme had to change.

Alice in "ONE" derland was so not happening.

This weekend, I came up with a plan. I wrote about 10 different party ideas on slips of paper, and then stuck them into plastic easter eggs. I threw all the eggs in the bucket and Gemma pulled out a yellow egg.

The theme?

Cowgirl.

In theory, I thought the idea wasn't a bad one. The whole, "How the West Was 'ONE'" thing made me giggle, and don't get me started on the idea of my sweet pea in cowgirl boots and a hat. Silly but adorable...or so I thought.

When I finally had THE THEME I had a one on one sesh with my buddy Google and came up with a lot of images that looked more like this:

                                        

Than the sweet and pretty variation of a classic theme I had envisioned. Apparently, vision only takes me so far, because page, after page, after page, of Cowgirl got me nowhere.

The Cowgirl theme...not happening.

And now, I feel totally back to square one. I feel like I have researched so many parties, that I may be...over-inspired?  Is that even possible?

Now, I know that Gemma won't even remember this party but I will and I want it to be pretty, damn it!

Where is a girl to go from here?