Blue Eyed Beauty Blog: January 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Blog Update: Recipe Page

Hi readers! Just thought I'd let you know that I've redone the recipe page!!! It's an all new layout and much simpler than I had before. I think this will be a whole lot more user friendly than the all photos of each recipe I had before. Let me know what you think, please! :)

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Words On Sunday | New Endings

I found this via a friend's blog awhile back...unfortunately I can't remember which blogger that was so I can't point you in her direction...maybe I'll find the little note I left somewhere on my laptop...anyway, I thought this was a good point to ponder as we enter a brand new month on Friday. Start fresh & make new endings!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Things I Heart | The Ocean

Once upon a time I lived in South Carolina...I was a little girl then so I don't really remember it, but for some reason I've found that listening to a CD of "the shore" or "ocean waves" really calms me down and helps me to sleep at night. Actually, my Cognitive Therapist told me right after the wreck that in order for me to be able to settle down enough to sleep I needed to find some relaxing music to listen to. So I did...and it is just the sound of ocean waves lapping the sandy shore line. I love it! Speaking of...maybe I should look for that CD and start attempting an earlier bedtime? :)

All photos found via Pinterest;

original links listed below each photo!

(photo via Outdoor Photographer)

(photo via Pinterest)

(Photo via Blue Eyed Beauty on Tumblr)

The coast in Alabama.
(photo via Pinterest)

Cancun, Mexico.
(photo via Pinterst)

(photo via Pinterest)

Tasmania, Australia.
(photo via Ninbra on Tumblr)

(photo via Pinterst)

(photo via Visualize.us)

Limnia Port, Chios, Greece.
(photo via Tumblr)

Boardwalk in Florida.
(photo via Film North Florida)

Scotland.
(photo via Pinterest)

(photo via Busy Being Fabulous)

Friday, January 25, 2013

Wedding Week @ Let Them Eat Cake!

I'm super excited to be a part of Rebecca's Wedding Week over at LetThem Eat Cake! For the past few days different ladies have been sharing posts on all things wedding! Proposals, Preparations, Marriage Advice, Day of...the whole nine yards! It's been a fantastic week! Be sure to stop over and check out my post! I'm sharing some wedding details that haven't been shared here at Blue Eyed Beauty Blog so you won't want to miss that! View more of the wedding posts here!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Blogging Tips | How To Find Your RSS Feed

I think more times than not I forget how to find the RSS feed for one of my blogs...and so in order to help myself remember the steps to the process I am writing up a tutorial for myself and to hopefully help out some of you guys too! :)

Step 1: Go to your blog Layout.

Step 2: Hopefully you already have the "follow via email" option you'll need to add it...at least until you find the RSS feed and then you can remove it if you want.

Step 3: This new little window will pop up. Click "View stats and learn more".

Step 4: Select the blog you want to find the RSS feed for. As you all {probably} know I have a lot of blogs, thus all the feeds.

Step 5: See that tiny icon on the top left of the screen? You probably recognize it...It's the RSS feed icon. Click on it.

Step 6: Ta Da! You're on the RSS Feed. Copy that URL and use it for what you need to! Such as creating one of those cute social media icons on your blog! (Nope I don't have a tutorial up for that yet, but I will eventually!)

Find more of my tutorials and blogging tips here!

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Cooking For 2 | New Recipe Series!

When I get married I'll have to change a whole lot about the way I cook. I am used to cooking food for 8-10 people on a regular basis and so most of my recipes have a lot more ingredients in them than would be needed for two people to eat. Granted you could always make that amount and freeze the leftovers for later use. However, I don't plan to cook like I'm feeding an army when it's just me & Autry who need to eat so I'll be starting up a new series of recipes specifically for two people! I already have a few ideas in the making. I'm sure this will probably be starting in either late February or in March...I'm not for sure when exactly since I'm not planning to blog much during the month of February. Anyway, you'll have this to look forward to when I do get married! :)

In the meantime, if you have any food suggestions I'd love to hear them! I'm always in need of a good recipe to try and would love your suggestions!

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Monday, January 21, 2013

The Survivalist Post | Sandy Hook...Was It A Fake?

Okay, so back when all those bloggers were doing the "blogger day of silence for Sandy Hook Elementary" I was like: "What's going on? What happened?" I'm not a person who watches tv, reads the newspaper...or keeps up with most news in general so I really had no clue what was going on. Well, since then I've had friends email me links to different things related to the Sandy Hook shooting and I have to say that I think it was a fake. If you're not sure for yourself, or don't know much about this situation you might find this Youtube video really interesting:

Either way it really has some interesting points in making you think more about some of the recent events that have gone on in terms of shootings/acts of terrorism.

In case you can't view the video here on my blog click this link and it will take you to youtube where you should be able to view the video just fine.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Wedding Planning with Helen | Bridesmaids & Groom's Men Style

Okay first of all I have to admit that planning a wedding is MUCH harder than I EVER expected it to be! There are just SO many details involved! Wow. Anyway, as you *should* have seen recently I shared with you the dress I'll be wearing for the wedding! It's just GORGEOUS! Today I'm back to share with you what the Bridesmaid's and Groom's Men will be wearing for my wedding to Autry! Also, I finally completed our registry at WalMart! That was a long process since I had no clue what I was doing...but I think it turned out pretty well! Check that out here, if you're interested of course! And as always, all wedding details are shared over at The Story Of Us: Love...Forever & Always!

Bridesmaids

Let's first start with the bridesmaid's since {in my opinion} their outfit is MUCH more fun than the men's outfits! lol. For as long as I've had a Pinterest account I've found lovely ideas for what I'd want to do when I got married...I never knew how big of a role all those ideas would play in my wedding...and the bridesmaid's outfits are a classic example. I found the photo just below of the bridesmaids wearing long skirts on Pinterest:

{photo via Elizabeth Ann Designs}

The Outfit

~Floor length black skirts

~High neck black lace tank tops/t-shirts

~Grey cardigans

~Silver heels

~White fabric bouquets

On to the men's outfits for the wedding!

The Groom's Men

After much discussing with Autry & Aunt T (his aunt) we finally came up with an outfit for the men that we were all pleased with! This was quite the feat, but I really do think the outfit will really compliment the bridesmaid's outfits and the theme of the wedding (which is vintage/rustic).

The Outfit

~Nice jeans (aka no holes!)

~Black button up shirt with grey pinstripe

~Cowboy boots

*Black suit jacket for Autry only*

There you have it! The next piece to the Stafford-Deeds/Brawley wedding!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Guest Posting Today @ Pamela's Heavenly Treats!

Hey readers! I'd love for you to stop over at Pamela's Heavenly Treats to view a brand new recipe of mine: Chocolate Espresso Brownie Cake! It's a special recipe I made up for my sister who LOVES both chocolate & coffee. She absolutely loved it! And that made me feel so wonderful! Make sure to stop by to view the photo & recipe! :)

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Official Wedding Dress

More wedding details to share with you!
I have a new dress!!!

This is the official wedding dress! I am in love with it and it fits me like a glove! I only need to fix a few small things to the front and back before the wedding but it's much less stressful than trying to make my own dress that is FOR SURE! A friend found this wedding dress at a thrift store...it was only $40! I am so glad! It was a wonderful find! Check out the official Wedding Blog for more wedding related details!

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Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays

Monday, January 14, 2013

Winter Fun Blog Walk!

Welcome to the first annual Winter Fun Blog Walk!

We now have SIX BLOGS participating and we are SO excited to share our fun posts with you!

Linda @ Two Succulent Sisters:
Feather Paper Crafts

Debi @ Adorned From Above:
5 Fun Hot Chocolate Recipes

Myrna & Joye from The Busy Bee's:
8 Warm You Up Meals in Bowls

Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures:
6 Winter Sewing Projects

Kathy @ Life on Lakeshore Drive:
Winter Wonderland Wreath

Helen {me} @ Blue Eyed Beauty Blog:
My Winter 2012 Bucket List

The Winter Fun Blog Walk will be in the sidebar of each blog for the month of January. We hope you take a walk on through each post and see what fun things are happening out there!

If you would like to participate in our next Blog Walk, send one of us an email {my email is here!} and we will add you to the list.

Linda, Debi, Myrna, Joye, Marci, Kathy, and Helen {me!}

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Sunday, January 13, 2013

Co-Hosting The Famous GFC Hop!!!

It would seem that January is my month for co-hosting blog hops! And that's quite alright with me!! I've had such a blast & met SO many new bloggers! Wow! :)

Today I'm sharing with you another one of my favorite hops & I do hope you'll link up and become a regular member! It is really awesome and there are always plenty of links to visit each week! And if this hop isn't famous yet...well, it should be!!!

Welcome to another week of

I Love My Online Friends 'GFC' Blog Hop.

For more info on the hop and guest hosting,

please read HERE.

Well, are you ready? Let's go hopping!

RULES FOR THE HOP

1. Please follow your host and the fab five on Google Friend Connect (GFC). They are Numbers 1 through 6 on the linky.

2. Link up your homepage and start hopping around. Remember, this is a blog hop, you've gotta do some hopping in order for it to truly be worth your time. When you get a new follower it's always nice to return the favour. Visit their blogs, leave them a comment and/or return the follow.

3. You are not required to, but it would be great if you could tweet/like/pin/share this post and/or grab the button and share it on your blog. The more people that see this hop, the more blogs for us to visit and the more followers we gain.

Thanks and Happy Hopping!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Announcing: The Official Wedding Blog!!!

The Story of Us: Love...Forever & Always. The official wedding blog for Helen Deeds/Brawley & Autry Stafford! I was going to create a website via theknot.com, but I was having too many difficulties trying to get that to work. Finally last night I just decided to give up on it and create a wedding blog since I would then have complete control over everything and could write so much more than I think I would've been able to on The Knot.

(Our Wedding Details via The Story of Us)

The Wedding Date is February 14, 2013 at 2 p.m. I created the above photo for the wedding blog but decided to share it here as well! I am SUPER excited about the wedding and cannot wait to share the latest details with you all!!! I will still be running the Wedding Planning with Helen here on BEB Blog, but to keep up with even more details please go over and follow The Story Of Us!

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I Gotta Try That Link Party

Monday, January 7, 2013

Liebster Award Nomination #3

Thank you so much to Carolyn @ Diary of a Tall Girl for my 3rd and final nomination of the Liebster Award! I was awarded on December 7th and am just now getting this post out. I do realize that I now have over 200 followers, but at that time I had around 150...I think co-hosting That Friday Blog Hop as well as running The Great Blog Train really made the numbers swell up so quickly in such a short period of time.

I would also like to thank Nicole @ This Is The True Story for the #2 Liebster Award Nomination in November{read my post here}.

And Julie @ Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk for the #1 Liebster Award Nomination in October {read my post here}.

You ladies truly made my day on each of the nominations & I am greatly honored that you chose me to be one of your 11 nominees!

11 Random Things About Me

(photo via SomeeCards)

1. When shopping I usually pick out the most expensive thing...and then have to put it back because I can't afford it. That's why I now stick to WalMart and Thrift Stores since I can usually afford what I see at those places lol.

2. I hate back pain. I seriously wish there was a way to ignore it.

3. I have a huge love of beautiful, vintage things!

4. I'd rather $20 in my pocket than a $20 gift card. I can take that money and buy so much more at a thrift store than I could at a regular store!!!

5. I am nauseated almost every single day of the week. This has something to do with the brain injury & medication I take for it, but it's very annoying & I hate it as well.

6. Romans 12:12. Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing constant in prayer. I read this one verse over and over so many times when Autry & I were still separated by many miles {long distance relationship for 9 months, read more here}.

7. I am nervous about moving out & getting married because I've never been away from home before.

8. I love dannon yogurt frozen into drops {recipe here!} & eating almond butter by the spoonful!

9. I am stubborn. Very stubborn...even when I realize I'm wrong, I'll still keep at it because I don't want to admit it.

10. I am completely addicted to blogging!

11. I don't read books very often.

11 Questions From Carolyn

1.If you were to get a tattoo, where and what would it be?
IF I got a tattoo? Well I don't believe in marking my body...so this question has no answer...

2.What's one food you refuse to eat?

Goat milk. I have had it on several occasions and never has it tasted pleasant. I refuse to try it anymore no matter who says their goat's milk is the best!

3. If you could be a designer for any clothing company, which would it be and why?

I would actually like to design clothes for my own company...and I do design everything I sew for myself to this point. Of course I've used inspiration from photos found online, but then inspiration has to come from somewhere...right?

4. What was your nickname as a kid? Where did it come from?

Helen Jean the Jelly Bean. I do believe my momma gave me that nickname. I'm not sure why though...

5. Who was your first celebrity crush?

Honestly I have no clue...but it might've been Aaron Carter...you know the song "I want candy?" I remember that from when I was a kid.

6. If you could only eat one kind of cake for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I'd have to go with white cake. Because it really doesn't taste too bad...especially if I use MY RECIPE which I created a few months ago. I really could handle eating only that for the rest of my life!

7. If you won the lotto and you couldn't keep the money, what would you do with it/who would you give it to?

First of all I wouldn't be buying lottery tickets so this would never happen...but if I did win a bunch of money I would donate it to Hunger Relief International so that children in Haiti & Guatemala could have better homes, schools & food to eat from their own country.

8. Are you a grammar Nazi?

Nope. If I notice something is spelled wrong I usually just skip over it...unless its in my own work. And then I run to edit it! lol.

9. Where do you typically sit/stand/etc. when you're blogging? (i.e. the couch, your bed, blah blah)

I am usually on my bed, the living room couch or the floor...yes I do sit on the floor to write blog posts. Usually I'm sitting on my bed or the couch though. The bed is most comfortable so that's my favorite place to blog from.

10. If any, what was the first piercing you got?

Well, years ago I had 5 piercings in my ears...but I have since taken all the earrings out. I don't have any other piercings, nor do I plan to get any more. I think I was 6 when I got my ears pierced for the first time.

11. What motivates you to keep up your blog?

The readers! I absolutely love all the comments I receive!!! I just wish I had time to respond to each and every one of them. I love writing and being able to share what I know with others & I love having a connection outside of my normal, boring-to-me, everyday life.

11 Questions For My Nominees

1. What word do you most hate to spell?
2. Do you stay up late to write blog posts?
3. How many children do you have? or how many children do you want?
4. Where did you meet your husband/fiance/boyfriend?
5. Does your family know about your blog? or is it a "secret"?
6. Does your blog offer at least three different ways to follow you? For example I (Blue Eyed Beauty Blog or Exercise Encouragement Group Blog) offer the options to follow via email, facebook, or bloglovin...and more.)
7. Are you associate with a group of bloggers? If so, which one(s)?
8. What are you most looking forward to this New Year?
9. Which one do you prefer: flats or heels? Why?
10. Which do you like best: white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or all three?
11. What are the top three blogs you read most often but have more than 200+ followers (aka you can't nominate them for this award but you'd still love to give them a shout out!).

11 Blogs I've Nominated

Always Sparkling

Joyous Jules

Julie Unplugged

Simply Free

SecondHand Couture

From Thick To Thin

One Red Shoe

Sew Much To Say

Get A Taste of Nutrition

From A Daughter

Stone Cottage Adventures

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Apostolic Links Updates #11 | News on the Pinterest Link Up

Well things have been quiet, but we did have a new link added to the Pinterest link up!

6+ boards, 218+ pins!

Meet Bethany. Apostolic Pentecostal girl who is very proud of it! Check out her Pinterest profile here!

Be sure to "like" the Apostolic Pentecostals on Pinterest on Facebook so you can keep up with the newest adds to the link up there!

If you're pinterest lovers

be sure to check out

these boards I have!

~Apostolic Blogs

~Apostolics Hair

~Apostolic Tops

~Apostolic Skirts
~Apostolic Dresses

~Apostolic Style

Guest Bloggers WANTED! {Closed}

Ladies I'm looking for guest bloggers!!! I will be getting married February 14th & would like to have as many posts as I can for the days of & after that for the month of February! I'm hoping many of you will take me up on this offer and have the opportunity to write for new readers & possibly gain new followers while you're at it! I know I've always enjoyed guest posting in the recent past & would love to offer that opportunity to you as well! This will help me, but in return help you too!

I'm looking for posts about:

~modest style: skirts, collarbone necklines, sleeves to the elbows or longer

~tips for prepping, stockpiling supplies, or even what you did or are doing to prepare for these winter months

~blogging tips...although if it's one I already wrote about that won't be shared so be sure to check here before submitting under this topic!

~DIY for home, health, beauty (NOT makeup), crafts, etc.

~posts about your favorite ways to spend cold winter days
~posts about home decor

PLEASE NO RECIPE POSTS! However, you CAN submit healthy recipes to Exercise Encouragement Group Blog {a side blog to BEB Blog} and I'd be more than happy to share it there!

Exercise Encouragement Group Blog
I'm also looking for people to submit recipes & tidbits to Exercise Encouragement Group Blog! Feel free to check out that info here. Submit a Tidbit here OR submit a healthy recipe here! Do you blog mostly about health & fitness? Or topics related to that? Get featured on Exercise Encouragement Group Blog! More info here!

Contact Me!

Let me know if you're interested by commenting below {PLEASE leave your email address so I can get in touch with you!!} OR by emailing me! Option two would actually be best, but if you do that please comment below since I sometimes get behind in emails and would then know to look for one from you!!!

Guest posts will need to be submitted for the month of February by the end of January so that I can have them all lined up and ready to go & won't have to worry about them as I enter the final weeks before the wedding! If you're interested in writing a post then NOW is the time! :)

What You Can Include

Okay so obviously guest posting is SO much more than writing up a tutorial or regular post. Start with a photo of yourself & an introduction to you & your blog (aka what you blog about, why you blog, etc.). Then share your tutorial/post, and finish with the links to any of your social media for your blog. ALL PHOTOS must be 800x600 or smaller. I can & will resize, but of course I want you to have the opportunity to write the post yourself so have away! Please email the HTML code for your post and I'll let you know your date. Slots are First Come, First Serve!

How Many Bloggers?

I have a minimum of 21 slots open for guest posts! Basically it's first come first serve. If I have more than 21 people contact me I will of course open up more days...but that is a lot so we'll see how things go from here!

New To Guest Blogging?

Not a problem!!! Just leave me a comment below and I'll walk you through the process! :) It's easy and fun & totally a great way to gain new exposure for you blog!!!

Slots Taken
I would like to have more than 21 Bloggers! Yes I know that's a huge amount, but it's a totally reachable goal! As I get the HTML codes from you who are guest blogging I will be updating this list below so you know what days are open, etc. Slots are first come first serve! So as soon as I get your HTML code I'll give you a date & time! That way you can prepare a post to go out on the same day to direct your readers here to see what you're writing about!

February 8th: Myrna & Joye @ The Busy Bee's

February 10th: Rebecca @ Let Them Eat Cake
February 11th: Mary Beth @ Being at Home by Nature
February 12th: Lauren @ Simply Free
February 16th: Wendy @ Young Heart
February 19th: Kora @ Eclectic Darling
February 28th: Susana @ Susana The Deaf Lady

Thank you ladies!!!

I can't wait to see how this goes!

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Words On Sunday | The 3 C's of Life

(photo via Pinterest)

I thought this was a perfect 'word' for us today since it is the first of the year and many of us may have made some New Year's Resolutions to work on throughout this new year. I know I did! I think this fits perfectly though. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change. Happy New Year's everyone!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Share Your Blog Hops & Link Parties on BBN!

(click photo to view group!)

I was too excited about this to wait for Wednesday! lol.

Okay ladies, I don't know how many of you are connected with Better Blogger Network but I am and LOVE it!! I've met so many awesome people & visited their blogs because of it! I would totally suggest you creating an account if you don't have one...a good reason for that is there are a lot of groups you can connect with (100+ to be exact) and share with other bloggers with similar things in common.

I just created the group Blog Hops & Link Parties!!! The purpose is for anyone and everyone who blogs to add their link to the group so that the word can spread & their parties & hops will grow! I really hope it goes well. Anyway, if you ARE on BBN go ahead and stop by the Group and leave a comment with your link party or blog hop URL. Please leave the URL that leads to the page or label where the hops can be found at all times otherwise I'll have to delete the message!

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Adorned From Above Wednesday Link Party #22

Things I Heart | The Beautiful Sky

There is such a range of photos which cover the beautiful sky we live under! I have never see the same sunset twice... I also love skies with random bits of a cloud thrown about and landing here and there... I love photos of sunsets, sunrise, clouds, storms...I love them all!

All photos found via Pinterest;

original links listed below each photo!