Meet A Newbie... or Two!

It's meet a newbie day on Lena B, Actually!
It's quickly becoming my absolute favorite feature that I do...
I hope you are enjoying it too!

As a "bigger" blogger (and I use that term loosely), I'm always happy to help out a newer blogger by answering questions, swapping buttons, etc.... But I've always hoped to do a little more.

I put the word out a few months ago that I was looking to feature blogs that were under 200 GFC followers.  The past few months, I've already been able to bring 5 "smaller" bloggers into the limelight, and today I'm back with 2 more!

 I'm Shannon, aka Mommy!
I'm a 28 year young... Mommy of two... wife to one!

Living my life the only way I know how... with a smile on my face:)I believe that being happy makes you live longer and that the only way to be happy is to be thankful! and boy do I have a lot to be thankful for. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Dave and have the two coolest kiddos in the entire world, Jonathon and Bella. Seriously, they are AWESOME!!!

I love being creative, decorating, crafting, and having fun with my family... And I love to share all of those things on my blog! I started Bella Caiden as a way to share and document our crazy life! From turning our house into a home... to our homemade holiday decor, and everything in between!! Life is one big adventure... thanks for coming along for the ride!

Blog  Shop  Facebook  Twitter

Hello there! I'm Rachael and I blog at The Growing Tree! I am an Instagram-obsessed soon-to-be Momma of two! I love my kids, husband, furbabies, jewelery, nail polish and fashion. My blog is about life, love, and our (growing) family tree! We have a crazy life, but it is ours and we love it! I would love to meet you, so please do stop by and say hi!

Blog  Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

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I've known Rachael for a while and she has been on my sibebar off & on for quite some time... I adore her.  She's very sweet, genuine and I have no doubt we'd be great friends in real life. Shannon is a newer friend... I'm sad I haven't take the chance to reach out to her and to know her better soon.  Such amazing women...
I do want to ask that you take the moment to really get to know these ladies.  Take a peek at their "about" sections, scroll through a couple posts, send a sweet message or tweet, maybe contact them about swapping blog buttons OR offer them a promo code for ad space on your blog!


Because they rock, they're also giving YOU something!
Shannon is giving you the opportunity to win a personalized bulap pillow from her shop and Rachael will be sending someone a bottle of her favorite nail polish, and giving up her blog for a day for you to guest post!  Not too shabby, right?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Art of Taking Pictures of Yourself... in Public

Is it weird to take pictures of yourself?

Yeah, I think so.

At least, I usually feel pretty weird doing it. 

As a blogger, it's something I've gotten used to doing... but hardly ever actually out in public where anyone can see me...

When it comes to taking pictures of yourself, nobody does it better than the lovely Joanna!  And I mean that as a huge compliment (I think most of us struggle with being in front of the camera, right?) 

This chick has got it down... Her trick?

Well, keep reading to find out!

and then go check out her blog... she's my go-to fashion inspiration!

Hey guys.  I'm Joanna from ModaMama.  It's where I blog about fashion mostly:  the act of trying to be fashionable, and being okay with failing at it.  I also share my sacrastic and often wierd musings on the daily life of being a freelance actor, photographer and mother.  *Yes, I'm a freelance mother, because if I was salary I could clock out*  Sometimes I vlog about it!

As a *wannabe* fashion blogger, I take pictures of myself almost on a daily basis.  One thing I've discovered is that you are often watched by other people.  Sometimes I manage to take fun photos in my backyard....

But most of the time that results in some kind of dog or baby photobomb.

Plus, I like to have different backgrounds and generally find a way to give you a sense of what my life looks like.  So that means people watch me.  I've gotten over it for the most part too.  How?  Glad you asked.

First, I've accepted that everyone's crazy.  Those people walking by as you take photos, they're crazy too.  You just don't see it because at the moment it's hidden.  Your brand of crazy is just a little bit more out in the open. *yes, taking photos of yourself daily is a little crazy in my mind*

Secondly, I've gotten over myself.  What do I mean by that?  I'm not the most anything - beautiful, ugly, fit, sexy, hideous, awkward *though the jury's still out on that one* stylish, etc. etc. - on the planet. There's always someone more *insert adjective here*.  So I've got nothing to worry about in taking pictures.  Because all I can be is me, and that's okay.  That's what my readers are looking for.  Otherwise, they've landed on the wrong blog.

Finally, I try to remember that if the biggest problem I have in life is that someone looks at me funny while I try to take photos of myself, well the, I lead a pretty charmed life.   With all that in mind, I go ahead and confidently take photos.  Plus, if they're that interested, talk to them.  Who knows you might get another reader.

Thanks for listening to my blathering!

Our Earthquake

 

Yesterday, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook our little town... 

I was at work it happened.  The sound it made was horrible... I thought a big truck was slamming into our building.  It wasn't until my desk started shaking & co-workers yelled to get out that I realized what was going on!

I'm sure the first quake lasted only seconds... but it felt like much longer.

10 minutes after the first one, an after shock of a 4.2 magnitude shook us all again.

 

Both kids were at school/daycare.

Of course.  These things never happen when I'm with them.

 

A co-worker went to check on her son at daycare, same one Ruby attends... so I knew they were fine.  The kids were a little upset, but they had fun building ''forts'' that they were going to hide under if it happened again.

 

I went to the school to check on Memphis, and he was visibly shaken.  I tried to make it sound like an exciting experience... but for a kid that already has major anxiety issues, he wasn't buying it.  After a few hugs and kisses and reassurance that I would come back for him, I went back to work.

 

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.

The town was abuzz, of course, and TV crews from the big city descended upon our little town.

There wasn't much to see.  The quake didn't cause much damage, other than broken knick knacks and crooked pictures on our walls.

 

Passion For Fashion #3 :: for the love of shoes ::

 

See that chick up there... that's me just a little over a year ago.

 Since this linkup is all about the passion & love you have for fashion. I'm proof that fashion is fun... and the best part is experimenting with different looks!

This is me now, if you're new here...

 Also... if you are new here, there is one more thing you need to know about me... 

Shoes.

I'm obsessed with them.

Confession: this is a "repost" from LAST YEAR... so there a ton few new shoes now pictured.

Not shown in this photo are my boots.  I have a "few" of those too!

 In reality, there are far more worse things I could be addicted to, right?

This shoe obsession is totally justifiable.

Fashion is for everyone. 

Whether you're single in the city or a stay at home mom from the country...
we all have a passion for fashion!

Each Friday, Beth of Through The Eyes of the Mrs. & I will be hosting a fashion free-for-all linkup! 

Anything fashion goes!

Link up your outfit posts, a fashion recap, a fashion wishlist, get your kids or hubby in on the fun... if you've got a passion for fashion, this is the place to be! 

Celebrate your style with us every Friday!

We'll be pinning our favorite looks to our Passion for Fashion boards on Pinterest!

Best part, there are no rules!

We only ask that you link back to us via text link or button:

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.lenabactually.com/" title="Lena B, Actually"><img src="http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p226/bairdlaroche/PassionForFashion.jpg" alt="Lena B, Actually" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Of course, it would be awesome if you would visit the other fashionistas that are linking up too!
Be you... Be an inspiration!  Style is everywhere!

Style To Dye For

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Has tie dye ever REALLY gone out of style?

I'm trying to think of time when I didn't think it was cool... but that time does not exist folks.

I love and always have the quirky & random look of tie dye.
Sadly, I recently realized that I don't have much of it in my closet.

Urban Dictionary defines "tie dye" as

''Best kind of clothing there is!!
Usually when White Material is bounded up (or 'tied') in rubber bands to make a psychedellic mixture of colors. Most people connect tie-dye with Hippies. most often worn in the seventies.''

Seriously.  I would have been a fabulous hippie!

maxi dress

  I would do just about anything to be able to lounge around in that gorgeous maxi dress up there all summer long!
If you're not into tie dye, Rosie True also has some other really beautiful & eclectic pieces that I am totally crushing on right now!  You should totally check them out!

What are your thoughts on tie dye?  Is a trend you embrace or you hate?

Seems to me like there are 2 kinds of people... those who love it and those who hate it!  Which side are you on?

Be sure to come back tomorrow for my Passion For Fashion linkup! Anything fashion goes!

this post was sponsored by Rosie True, but all thoughts & opinions are my own!

Put Down The Mocha Latte!

that awkward moment you realize you forgot to put down your drink before attempting an outfit shot...and you have your 5 year old taking your pictures for you.
then said 5 year old steals your mocha latte.  yeah.  that.

 Linking up for Dress For The Day, Style Sessions, WIWW,

What We Wore/Read/Made, Random Wednesdays, Wardrobe Wednesday,

Keeping It Casual & Rolled Up Pretty

Don't forget to come back on Friday for
Passion For Fashion

  Enter my Mother's Day Giveaway HERE
Grab some blog design freebies HERE