Getting To Know You #2

During our last Getting to Know You link-up, we found out some great things about some of you ladies.  Today we are excited to bring this opportunity back!  We hope you link-up and participate with us at MS Women Bloggers!

Here’s ROUND TWO of questions…

1. What is your favorite thing to do in your hometown?
-Corinth, MS is a good, small little town where everyone "knows your name".  I love to just go to a ballgame, see people and wave.  I love small town life.

2. What is the best vacation spot in Mississippi?
-If you are a history buff, then right here in my hometown is the spot for you.  You read about it in your history books and it is (literally) at the end of my road.

3. Tell us about the most fun date night idea in Mississippi.
-Well, living in a small town has it's advantages, and disadvantages.  With that said, the number of things to do on a date night in my hometown are limited.  We have the movies, a few nicer places to go eat, and even fewer stores to go shopping at; however, we still know how to have a good time with what we have.  So to me, a perfect date night in MS would be to go riding the backroads, listening to some good music, and then ending the night with a good movie and popcorn at home. :)

4. What is one fun fact that very few people know about you?
-I actually really love giving more than receiving.  I will give my last dollar to someone in need instead of keeping it for myself.

5. Who is your favorite sports team (if you have one) and how did it start?
-Honestly, I can't say that I'm big into sports.  I like the experience of games in person, but on television I get really distracted with my phone (Hello, Pinterest!).  But I have to pick my rebels.  I went to Ole Miss so that's where I have to honor; however, Brian is a MSU fan, so I'll pull for them too.  As long as it's not against Ole Miss. :)

6. What are your top three “Best Eats” in Mississippi?
1.  BottleTree Bakery-Oxford, MS
2.  Russel's Beef House- Corinth, MS
3.  Old Venice Pizza Company- Oxford, MS

7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
-I will still be married to the love of my life, and hopefully watching over a child or two. :)

8. If you could choose an actress to play you in real life, who would you choose and why?
-I'm not really sure.  Honestly, I don't want a lot of movies/tv so to pick an actress would be sort of hard for me.  I don't get into the "celebrity" stuff like most people.

9. What is a southern tradition you and your family have? (Note: Get your guest posts on “Traditions” ready for December!)
-I'm not sure we really have any "traditions", but Christmas is always a fun holiday around my house because ever since I bought my house in 2008 I have hosted Christmas.  This will be my first married Christmas so I'm looking forward to trying a new routine out and coming up with some "traditions" of my own to start!

10. List 5 things on your Bucket List you hope to do before you die.
1. Have a child.
2. Visit NYC (again.)
3. Cruise to the Virgin Islands
4. Visit Hawaii.
5. Finish my family ancestry.

Rules:

1. Write a post answering the above questions, and post it today (Thursday, September 26.)
2. Grab the button code, and add it to your post.
3. Come back to us to link up said post.
4. Grab a big glass of sweet tea, and meet the ladies ’round our Mississippi Women Bloggers table!

P.S.- Please start thinking about what YOU would love to know about other bloggers and submit those questions to mississippiwomenbloggers@gmail.com with the subject "Getting To Know You".  We would LOVE to include your thoughts. 

Insta-ississppi!

If you follow me and are from our great state of Mississippi, then you need to jump over to MS Women Bloggers today and find out what I'm introducing! 

And if you aren't signed up with us then NOW is the time!  It's free to join! 

Sad, yet Happy.

A few months ago, Mississippi Women Bloggers was launched.  Since then we have tried to reach different angles of people's lives and get them involved.  After the website began, we have had a "routine" of days we go by regarding material that's posted.  Normally on Thursdays, we host a guest blogger.

((Be sure if you haven't submitted, or want to submit again- email us!))

Yesterday, the other ladies and I swapped gears a little an we hosted the first ever "Getting To Know You link-up".  First of all, thank you to those ladies who participated.  And if you still want to add your post, the linky is still open.  We would love to get to know YOU better.

I know I speak for myself and the other ladies who are working behind the scenes on this community, that seeing you wonderful ladies from all walks of life participate is exactly where we want this blogging community headed.  We love the encouragement we see, the advice, and not to mention the YUMMY recipes.  By the way, today McCall has a divine looking recipe for Chocolate Chip Banaana Bread that's sure to make your tummy growl. 

With all that said, I want to address something that is very sad. I had quite a few comments over the last couple weeks that I have not been able to respond to due to it being a No-Reply Blogger.  If you have been commenting on my blog and never heard back from me, this is you.  I do my best to respond to every single comment I receive, but some of you I've been heartbroken to find that I simply can't. 

I wanted you to be able to fix the problem, so I am sharing this link today that shows some easy steps.  It might not even hurt to check and make sure you're not reverted back into No-Reply mode.  Mine actually did this to me not too long ago and I didn't know until someone pointed it out to me.  So just remember even though you are set "fixed" then you might (somehow?!) change back.  So be aware!

Getting to Know You [MSWB]

It's here!  MSWB's first ever link-up!  We are so grateful for the turnout that we have had in our first couple months after launch.  If you haven't heard of MSWB yet, then please see my previous post here and here about joining in and finding some new friends.  And if you know of a fellow MS Blogger who would be interested, please pass along the word!

The Questions:

1.What part of Mississippi are you from? Born and raised in Corinth, MS.  I briefly lived in Booneville, MS and Oxford, MS during my college years.  I returned back to my hometown in 2008 and bought my very first house. 

2.How long have you been blogging?

I wrote my first blog on July 15, 2009.  However, I took a few breaks before I finally got into the swing of things.  I had to find "me" in the blogging world I guess you could say.

3.Why did you start blogging?

My friend Cassie and I had been talking about blogging.  She had started one herself and so I wanted to do the same.  At first it was just for fun, but then it turned into a way I can keep track of all life's events!

4.Tell us what we can expect when reading your blog.

When you visit my blog, you will find a complete mixture.  I'm currently in the process of planning a wedding (10-12-13!) so you will find lots of wedding talk.  You can also find home projects, a receipe here and here, and lots of just daily laughs. :)

5.What does your blog title means?

Just simply means keeping up with yours truly.  And yes, it's a spin off of Keeping Up With the Kardashians!

6.What do you love about being part of Mississippi Women Bloggers?

I love all of it, but specifically I love that I'm finding new MS ladies that otherwise I would never known about.  I'm also really excited about seeing all the wonderful receipes that have been appearing on Foodie Fridays!

7.Who inspires you to blog?

My family/friends.  I know over the last year more of my "real life" friends have began reading my blog and I'm thankful for that.  It gives me an outlet to keep what's going on in my life current.  I've been stopped many times in public and asked things about posts he/she has read on the blog.   It's a nice outlet and fulfilling to know people like to visit and read my little space of the internet. :)

8.If you could pick a favorite blog post from this past year, what would it be? 

Hands down, My Surprise Proposal.  That moment changed my life, and turned the direction of my blog.   ((Be sure and check out the Mr. & Mrs. tab on my page to find more wedding information!))

9.Do your real life friends know you blog? How do they respond?

Yes, most know.  They have all been very supportive and comment how they love to read the posts and see what's going on in my life. 

10.What is your blogging routine (if you have one)?

Lately, I used to be so much more organized with my blogging, but recently I have fell off my routine. 

So, now, my "routine" consists of:

Sundays- I catch up on all blogs that I read from the weekend and I try to get Sunday-Wednesday of my own posts typed and scheduled. 

Wednesday- I catch up on blogs I've missed early in the week and schedule Thursday and Friday.  I don't usually post on Saturdays.  I consider having the blog almost like having a job or any other responsibility and I want a "day off" to myself.  We as bloggers should always remember, if we don't take time out to LIVE life then we will not have any material to write about.  It's as simple as that for me and my blogging routine.

11.We all love social media! Are there any social media links you would like to share so we can follow you?

It's no shocker that to really grow your blog in the blogging community, then the help of social media is neccesary.  It's a great tool to boost your page, find new followers, find new faces to follow, and boost YOU.  We all love seeing our follower numbers rise and strive to be the best writer we can so we can keep these people around.  I focus my social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  I also co-pilot the MSWB Facebook and head up with MSWB IG! Be sure to follow me and the MSWB social media!

12.Name 3 bloggers who have not joined Mississippi Women Bloggers that you would like to see join us!

I don't have anyone that I know of that isn't already a member, but I'm hoping YOU do! :) Spread the word!!!

Rules:

1.Write a post answering the above questions, and post it next Thursday, August 1.

2.Grab the button code, and add it to your post.

3.Come back to us to link up said post.

4.Grab a big glass of sweet tea, and meet the ladies ’round our Mississippi Women Bloggers table!

We can't wait to hear from you! :) Happy Blogging!

Reaching Out..

If you've followed Keeping Up With Kayla for any length of time, then you know I recently jumped on board the wagon of getting Mississippi Women Bloggers Network up and going.   I wrote a post promoting it back a few months ago, but today I want to give another shout-out to all my fellow Mississippi women.

We want YOU involved.  If you live in Mississippi and blog then please come on over to our website and join.  It's Free!!! We have had a great turn-out so far, but want to be sure that we reach out to as many Mississippi women bloggers as we can.  If you know someone who hasn't heard of this webite yet, but would be a fit, please send them our way. 

Currently we work off this schedule:
Sunday: Sunday Dose of Hospitality link-up
Monday- Blogger of the Month guest posts.
Tuesday- Tech Tuesday
Wednesday- Wordless Wednesday
Thursday- Guest Post Submissions
Friday- Foodie Friday

These are fun, interactive, posts that can lead you some new blogs to read and find new friends.  We are having a great time with MSWB so far and are looking forward to the next level of things to come.  Starting in August, there will be some additional fun things coming your way so be sure and stay tuned for that. 

Please, come on over to Mississippi Women Bloggers and check us out!  We would love to hear from you!  All suggestions are welcome! 

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I Women :)

Some of you know, and some may not, but I'm a Mississippi gal, and proud of it.

A little background on me, aside from what you can find here, is that I was born on March 8, 1984.  Yes, that means I am in my last year as a "twenty-something" and will cross over into the dreaded thirties.  But the funny thing is, I'm ready.  I'm marrying the absolute love of my life this coming October and I'm ready for the next chapter of our lives together.  This past couple years I have experienced God's work in my heart and my life and I'm excited to see what challenges and rewards He provides me and my new husband in the next few years.

Brian and I will be living in my home that I bought when I was twenty four years old (and looking to get my feet wet in the "real world" after college). We have two dogs, Reagan & Roxie, and will be adding to our little family after we are settled into married life. The new addition will be a chocolate lab, Kobalt (aka Kobie).  After that, we do want children, but we are going to let God decide the fate and the timing on that one.  We want a strong marriage for our future children to grow in, so we are not going to rush into being parents at the same time as newlyweds.

I hope you stick around and be here to share with me on our wedding day, and thus after.  I have met some amazing women through this blogging community and am always blessed when I find a new woman to share life stories and experiences.  And that brings me to the point of today's post.

The Mississippi Women Bloggers website went live yesterday and we are so excited to be able to bring the women of the great state of MS a chance to unite and encourage each other.  Please, I encourage you, if you are an active blogger in the state of MS, visit the website, get a feel for who we are, and join for free!

Please be mindful that we are a new website, and just getting started into what we hope will be amazing journey for our fellow Magnolia ladies. But thanks to The Park Wife and her efforts to connect women within states,this should be an exciting journey.  We feel fortunate that MS is now on the list of other states that offer this type of community such as: Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Alabama.  [If you are in any of those states, I've provided their links as well.]

     
We are thrilled to be embarking on this journey to find new recipes, new places to visit, new activities in our state to try, and ultimately new friendships to lift us all up when we need one another.  Come on over to the Mississippi Women Bloggers website and sign up today, free.

Also, be gathering some topics & recipes. Become a member and submit your posts.  Please be mindful of these guidelines. ((You can find all this info on the website as well.))

We are thrilled to have you on board and look forward to getting to know all of you!

You can also find us on our Facebook page, as well as Twitter.  Be sure to follow on both social media to receive the latest updates!

Email with any questions/concerns you have! Can't wait to meet you!