These are a few of my favorite blogs...

A friend of mine asked on facebook, what your obsession is. Being silly, I put "blogs." But then later on my mother-in-law sat down next to me while I was reading blogs on my google reader and asked "those are all the blogs you read?" Um, yes. I took a look at the list and suddenly felt like I needed to explain myself... "well, most don't post every day."

I just counted and I follow 50 blogs on my Google reader. (Hip2Save is the one that posts most often - which is why you see it in the picture above.) Twenty-two of these are friends' blogs. Several are people I admire, including several pastors and Diana Gabaldon, my favorite author. Several are ones that post daily and are fun to read. And others are great ideas for crafts, cupcakes and balloons.

I thought I'd share my favorite blogs and maybe introduce you to some interesting (and safe) sites online. (Click on the name to go to the link.) How I wish I could make these rhyme and fit into that song from the Sound of Music. I'm not so talented, so here's just a list...

1. Cake Wrecks - This site posts professional cake wrecks Monday through Friday, and "Sunday Sweets" are awesome looking theme cakes. I check this site for my daily chuckle. But humor isn't just the horrible cakes, but the writers are often funnier (and wittier) than the cakes.
2.  Epbot - Geekery, Girliness, & Goofing Off. This is written by the same people as Cake Wrecks and the topics are different, but the sense of humor is the same. Love it!
3. Diana Gabaldon - What do you do while you're waiting for your favorite author to finish the next book? Read her blog! I love getting insights into her real life, her dogs, and her travels.
4. Hip2Save - Great deals, coupons and freebies! I've gotten all sorts of free samples, including coffee, lotion, cat food, and I even got 3 Zoya nail polishes for free! They don't offer these deals, they just tell you where to find them. (Be prepared, there's 20-30 posts a day, maybe more.)
5. Darrin R. Ballman Photography - I follow several photography blogs, but I have to post Darrin's because he was our wedding photographer. Of course he posts great photos but he always seems to end up in the most interesting places!
6. this is reverb - I also follow several pastors' blog, but this is a pastor I've never met. I started following him because he's a Vineyard pastor (Westside in Cincinnati) who also travels to Honduras regularly, and has a ton of tattoos. He's also a great photographer with photogenic kiddos, and he's authentic, which I guess is what draws me to his blog.
7. The Dampiers - I follow several friends' sites and this one is my favorite. I've know Misty & Pete since before they got married and now they have two little boys. I've learned that hilarious witty people have hilarious witty children. (Misty also went through a lot to have the boys, so she understands what I've gone through.)
8. For Bloggers, By Bloggers - the best advice for blogging. Period.

And now a list of Honorable Mentions:

• This Old Crack House - Gary Leitzell (now mayor of Dayton) has been blogging the renovations of his old house for the past six years. (Wish he'd blog more often but he's now kinda busy with that mayor stuff.) ;)
• Mommy Confessions Blog - a couple of friends started this blog. I'm not a mom but I still follow it because I know them and their kids. And once in awhile they have a give-away I can participate in. ;)
• Portraits by Teresa - another photography blog. Teresa is based in Ashland, KY; I met her through a friend of Jason's.
• MacLean Blessings - A family in Olive Hill, Ky but originally from New York. They have seven kids with number eight on the way. Heather inspires me and hopefully someday she'll tell me how she does it.

Obviously there's a lot more blogs I follow and I could probably add another 10 links to the Honorable Mention list, but I'll stop while I'm ahead. However, feel free to plug your blog below - if it's new, I'll start following it. If you'd like a suggestion to a blog (for recipes, cupcakes, or balloons perhaps), just let me know and I'll post it below.

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