I got more fun blogger news today!

Click here to vote by “liking” NTTC!

I’ve been nominated by Skinny Scoop

for their “Best Weight Loss Blog” award!

For this nomination, I can “win” by having the most votes (AKA ‘Likes’). Click on the image above to vote… thanks in advance!!!

In honor of such a fun blog-related week with this new fun nomination + Fitbloggin’, I felt like I just had to complete All the Weigh’s FMM this week! Such a fun topic for all of us going to Fitbloggin’. Thanks, Kenlie!!!

Blog Stuff

1. Have you ever met anyone through your blog that led to an in-person friendship/relationship? I actually haven’t met anyone through my blog yet… but I am going to meet a lot of folks this week at Fitbloggin’! Including Kenlie at All the Weigh, Hilary at the Big Weight, Gina from Skinnytaste and Ashley at Coffee Cake and Cardio.

2. Most bloggers have a specific niche. What would you discuss if it didn’t seem inappropriate on your blog? I’d like to talk more about my spiritual beliefs. I’m a pretty spiritual chick… and a little bit of that seeps into my blog, but I’d love to write more about how I’m inspired. I hesitate because it’s outside of my niche, and I really don’t want to impose my beliefs on others… not my style.

3. If you could meet three bloggers, who would they be? I will actually have a chance to meet most of my faves this week! Outside of my Fitbloggin folks, I’d like to meet Cely from Running off the Reese’s. She is literally one of the funniest people I’ve ever read. CRACKS. ME. UP. Yes, she’s snarky… and I would have to work to keep up… but that lady rocks!

4. If you had to choose between Facebook or Twitter which one would you choose? I really enjoy them both. I’ve become pretty fond of Twitter as of late… but I get to post more pics on FB. Don’t make me decide!

5. Do you vlog (video blog?) I’ve only done one, and it was just a few weeks ago. Click here to see it, if you’re interested… I’m learning video editing at work, so who knows… maybe I’ll vlog more in the future!

6. How many blogs do you read on an average day? I read quite a few… maybe 10 a day. I find that my blog reader makes it easy for me to catch up if I get behind, so I make it work!

7. What is the coolest thing that you’ve seen online recently? Hmmm…. that’s a tough one. Maybe the recipe for the cake I show you below??

8. If you gave your blog a new name what would it be? Right now, I have no good ideas… I kind of like my name and it’s easy to remember. The only thing that I don’t like about it is people think at times that I’m anti-cake. That is clearly not the case based upon this recent concoction.

Uh-mazing. Click here for the recipe for this Red Velvet Magic

9. Have you ever attended a blog conference like Fitbloggin? If not, would you? Fitbloggin’ will be my first! A little nervous (truth be told), but I’m so excited to meet folks and to LEARN….

10. In the past I have asked why you blog. Now I want to know why you read blogs? What do you take from it? I learn SO much from so many people that I read. I gain inspiration. I’m honored that so many people let me into their lives via this unique medium.

If you’re interested in completing FMM this week, click on Kenlie’s blog All the Weigh for all the details.

What's on the Agenda for 2012?

Holy Blog Makeover + The Loss of an X

Email from Readers: Connecting with NTTC

Today, I am pleased to share with you my very first guest post. And, interestingly, it actually comes from one of my very first friends.

A long time ago in a land far far away, Shannon and I became friends in grade school. This was during my very early and impressionable years when I lived in Ohio, and boy, did we have fun! We were both talkative little brunettes who bonded immediately. We loved to dance (yes, me) and we loved to have sleepovers. This I recall vividly.

When I left Ohio for Tennessee in 1991, Shannon was one of many friends I left behind. Through the miracle of the internet, we’ve reconnected via social networking and have been able to stay in touch ever since.

Now, when I say stay in touch, I mean it in a VERY bloggy way…. We read each others’ blogs. I learn all about Shannon’s beautiful girls and her life in Ohio, and she gets to hear about all my Western living adventures in weight loss.

Snannon and her beautiful family at Disney

Shannon, too, blogs about healthy living and has made a commitment to raising her family in an active healthy fashion. She blogs at Waits and Measure(ment)s,, and I believe you too might enjoy her stories. One of my favorite features she’s started is Feel Good Friday, where she blogs about great things that are going on in her life. Her very own version of the “glad game”, I’ve become a fan.

Without further ado… here she is! Thanks Shannon for contributing to NTTC this week!

Hello NTTC readers, my name is Shannon and I am the blogger behind Waits and Measure(ment)s, a blog designed to help create a healthier and happier life for myself and my family. I am THRILLED that Kelly asked me to guest blog while she is away, especially since her blog is what inspired me to start writing mine!

I love September! Part of the joy that September brings to me is purely selfish. My birthday is in September. Couple that with the fact that I get to share my birthday month with 2 of the most amazing girls in the world (my daughters) and it seems that there could be nothing better. But guess what? There is one more thing, how could this be…I can feel your anticipation…September is the heart of apple season, and I heart apple season!

Every fall when I was a kid, my parents would take us to the Hartford Apple Orchard. It was awesome! We were able to climb the trees and pick apples and “test” a few as we filled our bags. I loved it. Apple picking meant birthday, and fresh homemade applesauce and pies and cookies and all sorts of other goodies. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. When my oldest was little we took her to that same orchard that I had loved and I was excited to see how much she enjoyed it. Another generation from my family enjoying a favorite pastime. Sadly with the economy, my beloved Hartford closed the following year. Now, my family and I live in the greater Cleveland area, and when my oldest was young we were East siders (there is a very strong line between East and West side in Cleveland, but that is for another post). There is a BIG orchard on the East side called Patterson’s Fruit Farm. It’s a great resource for fresh apples, and we had fun…but it wasn’t the same experience I had as a kid. Now that we have moved to the (South) West side, we found a place that is perfect. Its’ called Pick and Save Orchard and it has the tall trees and a pumpkin patch and berries to pick. It makes me flood with nostalgia just thinking of it.

My little one eating an apple she picked last year on my birthday

I look forward to apple season every year, and it’s made me stop and think about food and the seasons. We go to the local farmers market quite frequently, and I have never given much thought to the various foods each week and how they change. Sounds silly right? I mean, we don’t go with a shopping list in hand, we just go and buy what we need and what looks extra tasty that week…or what the girls want, but it (obviously) does change throughout the summer based on what is in season. So I have started doing some homework and am trying to incorporate into my recipe rotation foods that are in season. My hubby hates buying apples in March from the grocery store because he knows they have been flash frozen or shipped in from some random place in the world. By learning about and focusing in on what’s in season locally, I am making sure that I am giving my family the freshest food I can, and teaching them (what should be) very basic knowledge about food. I am also teaching them that just because you CAN buy something at the grocery store at any time, it doesn’t mean you SHOULD.