How do you build a relationship with people you don't know?

Lately, I've been trying harder to build a relationship with my bloggers. I'm making more of an effort to follow back, reply to comments, and write better posts. Some of the awesome people in this small blogging world of ours are across the country. Or even continent. OR EVEN WORLD. I know. Cray.

You hear all kinds of stories about people meeting online and hitting it off.

Our car after the Groomsmen had their way with it. We did not, in fact, meet online.

So how does a Californian make friends with a Georgian? Or a Canadian? What else can I do to become a part of this great community of bloggers? 

On a related side note, Jess from Jess is More had a "Pay It Forward" post, the product of which I was the recipient. I decided to do the same thing. Which is the object of "Pay it Forward", so technically I was filling my end of the bargain. 

Except, I was looking through my books, and the only ones I'm really OK with giving away are ones that you probably wouldn't be interested in. 

Gandhi: An Autobiography

The Adventures of The English Language

Patios and Walkways 1-2-3

See what I mean? So here's what I'm gonna do. I've got a headband up for grabs. 

First person to comment that they'd like it, gets it. 

Just promise to "Pay it Forward." Somehow. 

Calling all Writing Blogs!

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Part of my new gig as a blog and media consultant is helping bloggers build their network with similar blogs. If you have a blog about writing, reading, or other book-related topics, leave your link in the comments!

Related topics include:
Book clubs or book discussions
Journalism
The writing process
Book-making or other paper crafts
Fiction or non-fiction writing

If there's any question about what topics might count, feel free to ask!

Humpday Link Love, and things I want to say

I want to say THANK YOU so much - so much - for your encouraging comments, emails, and messages after my post about getting off birth control. Thank you for acknowledging how hard of a step it is for me. Thank you for not making me feel like I'm defective because procreation frightens me.

I also want to say THANK YOU for helping me choose my bridesmaids dress in this post! The vote was nearly unanimous. So I got the one you told me to get.

I want to say that my new nannying job has seriously thrown off my groove. You may or may not (more likely may not) have noticed how choppy my social media and blog posts have been the last week. This is also because we took a glorious weekend to LA where I was unable to use my computer. Follow me on instagram (@tesiahframe) for pics of the food we ate, crazies we saw, and the Gustav Klimt exhibit we crashed at the Getty.

I want to say the gyros are heaven sent. Period. I feel a little bit sad when I remember that I'm eating a lamb, but then the meat intoxicates me and I lose all normal human sympathy. And I eat three more in one week.

I want to say that the word "Humpday" is the worst. And I will continue to use it and hate myself for it. Without further ado...

Enter this giveaway to win a jewelry bundle!

Here's something to play with while you're bored at work. You'll figure it out. Do it and tell me what happens!

Put some glitter on your booties.

This skirt makes me want to be a school teacher. In Siberia, where it's cold.

Oh, Martha. An expert at insider trading and crafts. Make this succulent wreath this fall!

A site that makes t-shirts specifically for family reunions.

Someone had way too much time on their hands. Barbie and Ken wedding pictures.

I love this mustard yellow oversized envelope clutch!

Follow me on twitter and facebook, and sign up for The Framed Lady newsletter (in the sidebar on the right) for big discounts on ad spaces and Etsy store products. (I had a big ad discount on twitter this week. If you find it you can use it)

Holy crap, this is the cutest.

Details about Humpday Link Love: Link Love is where I share cool sites, articles, and images with you! All links are safe for work. I do not post anything on my blog that is not family- or work-appropriate. If you have any awesome sites you would like to share, email them to me at tesiahwilk [at] yahoo [dot] com. Free advertising!

The thing about prayer

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The thing about prayer is that anyone can do it, regardless of religion or level of faith, regardless of sin or "worthiness" (whatever that means; no one is unworthy of prayer), and regardless of what you have to say in your prayer.

In our house, we pray nightly before bed, and before most dinners. When I think about how much I pray, it makes me realize how much I don't pray. I should pray over every meal, right when I wake up, and pretty much the rest of the time.

We've had some pretty huge answers to prayers over here.

Together we prayed for financial opportunity and a solution to Conrad's unhappy work situation. The next day, Conrad was offered a new job way closer to home, and I got a job as a nanny. Literally the next day.

Prayer is not just for expressing thanks or asking for blessings. Would you only call your dad if you needed something, or to say "thanks" for giving you that thing you needed? Sounds a little greedy.

You call to talk. You call to tell him things you've learned and the things that make you happy or sad. You converse.

I need to do this more in my prayers. I think everyone could stand to do this more.

PS- Here's a video on how prayer can work miracles.

I don't have a post for you

...but there's a giveaway going on at The Farmer's Wife! Go enter and be happy.

A Different Kind of Flair: Giveaway!

I'm really excited about today's giveaway! A Different Kind of Flair is launching their new jewelry store today, and  to celebrate, they're giving away a jewelry bundle to one lucky winner! 

"The first necklace is a 27 1/2" silver chain necklace with a mother of pearl inlaid cross. The corresponding necklace, which can be worn together with the cross or separate, is crafted of freshwater pearls. The earrings are simple dangles with freshwater pearls and silver celtic inspired crosses. The Hair Flair is actually 2 pieces; one with a simple mother of pearl button, and the second a raw silk flower with a complimentary mother of pearl button in the middle. 

These pieces are all complimentary to each other, but are also neutral enough to be worn separately. We are so excited to extend this opportunity to all of our loyal fans, as we are fully in love with these pieces and feel that they give everyone a clear sense of our design aesthetic."

They're also offering 20% off your entire order for ALL READERS who enter the giveaway! Here's something even more exciting. ADKOF has given me a challenge. 

If they pass 50 followers via GFC, they'll bump it up to 30%! So everyone be sure to follow ADKOF's blog via GFC, and help bump up the discount! I'll announce if the challenge is completed, and I'll send everyone who enters the coupon code via email. 

Aren't you excited! What a package! Get to it. Remember, more entries means a deeper discount, so be sure to share the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm a photogenic woman.

Ugh. I easily laugh out loud when I look at how bad some of these are. But for some reason, sharing them publicly is a little less easy.

Here's a tip for a really fun photo shoot: Shake your head around really hard, letting your lips and tongue fly wild. Have a friend or spouse snap pictures. Voila! You'll be surprised how you can resemble a horse. Here's a pic of Conrad in the same photo shoot.

Changes

Channeling David Bowie as we make some ch-ch-ch-changes. source. 

We've been making a lot of changes in our neck of the woods (or should I say coast?).

Conrad is switching jobs! I can finally talk about it. For the sake of tact, I didn't want to say anything until he had discussed it with his current employers, but now I can shout it from my rooftop - er, ground-level balcony. Condos don't have rooftops.

He currently wakes up at 6:20 am.
He will soon be able to wake up whenever he wants.

The hours at his current job are not flexible. He has to be there early and leave late.
His new job will allow him to come in at any time of day and work 8 hours.

His commute is currently an hour long train ride each way.
His new commute will be ten minutes away from home. (He will be able to have lunch with me, or even go surfing on his lunch break)

New job will also pay more! Not a single bad thing about this switch.

I got a nannying job!
I've also been hired as the head media consultant and brand marketer for BusyBaby! Check my post on becoming an affiliate blogger for a free BusyBaby app!
I'm building a website for a local construction company!

And the big one:

I'm off birth control. We decided it's time to stop preventing. Here's the thing: I'm scared out of my mind. Maybe some of you can help me. How do you stop being terrified of getting pregnant? Help me be excited! Give me your words of wisdom, oh ye mommy bloggers.

GFC: I'll Follow Back

I must admit, when people leave comments on my blog with their blog address, I don't usually stop what I'm doing and go follow them back.

I must also admit that I myself leave those comments on other people's blogs.

However, I'm feeling particularly follow-y right now, so for this post only, if you comment and tell my you're following and you leave your url, I'll follow you back. I promise. No funny business.

Comment! Also, if you're feeling follow-y, you should follow the other people who comment. 'Cause everyone likes followers.

How often do you wash your sheets?

This is a question for which there is no right answer. Some people (freaks, in my opinion) wash their sheets daily. To me, that is way more work than it is worth. Honestly, even weekly is too often for me.

Conrad and I are both night showerers, so we slip into bed freshly bathed. In our case, our sheets really only need to be washed every month, maybe a little more often in the summer.

I bought this book about a year ago, and it has lots of good tips on effective household care. The chapter on caring for bedding makes the following suggestion:

"Every morning, on getting up, open the window wide, pull back the duvet or blankets and top sheet on the beds, plump up the pillows and allow the sunlight and air to get to the bed for as long as possible - the optimum period is about an hour, but if you have to leave the house in a hurry, just do it for as long as you can."

Now, aside from the book's super old-school, Stepford-esque undertones, its tips for cleaning and keeping house are pretty good. Our humid climate turns our house into a playground for mold spores, so airing the sheets out seems pretty logical to me. When you consider that heat, darkness, and moisture make it very easy for mold and bacteria to spawn, you can easily see that your bed may be the prime place for grossness.

I'd recommend this book, simply for it's comical value. 1950's womanhood, wrapped in a 2007 cover. Bam.

What are some of your household cleaning tricks? How often do you wash your sheets?

Fall Projects I'm Dying to Try: A link up!

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Are you feeling the season yet? I can already feel the crisp air and smell cinnamon. There are tons more crafts and recipes I want to try (and fashion styles and colors I MUST have), but I don't think my little house could hold all of it! Follow me on Pinterest for more Fall inspiration!
Link up your Fall projects (crafts, decorations, recipes) below! No follow requirements, just be cool and follow anyone you like. Posts only, no home pages.

Calling all Mommy-bloggers!

If you have a "Mommy Blog," parenting blog, or any other kind of blog related to babies, keep reading! A new app is being released for Apple, and they're looking for bloggers to host giveaways and write posts on the product!

The app is called BusyBaby, and it's a baby scheduler and timer. Click here to read more about the app.

As a writer, you'll get the app for free on your iPhone, and they will drive traffic to your blog through Facebook, Twitter, and their website.

All you need to do:
Leave a comment with your email and blog URL! They'll send you an email with more details. Feel free to message me via Facebook, if you'd rather.

Birthday Wishes: Granted

Remember my birthday a few weeks ago? I posted this wishlist collage in the hopes that my husband might get a clue and use it as a tight guideline. He did. A little bird named Conrad told a friend to get me the phone cover, and Conrad bought me the design book I wanted. Excuse the sweats, pillows, and swollen glands. I wasn't feeling well when I wrote this post. 

Then, totally unprompted, a friend decided to give me the neon and nude purse that I had put on my wishlist! I was lusting after this purse for months, and she knew, and was SO generous to give it to me!

Take it from me, girls. Wishlists work. A little bird also told me there may be a Kitchenaid under the Christmas tree this year.

What kind of giveaways do you enter?

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I love giveaways. I love entering them, hosting them, and winning them. Lately, I find myself entering only Rafflecopter giveaways. If I come across a giveaway, but the blogger requires me to "leave 100 separate comments" for each entry, I skip it. That takes way too much time.

I can't imagine it's easier for the blogger, either. Who wants to count through hundreds of comments?

Are you guys as weirdly picky as me? Do you enter any type of giveaway, or do you prefer rafflecopter giveaways versus comment giveaways? What are your favorite giveaway items? I love ad space, shop credit, or products. I also love art.

PS- don't forget to enter the September Sponsor giveaway! Only one day left!

Help!

My sister-in-law is getting married in November, and I need to find a bridesmaids dress!

Here are the requirements:
-It needs to be modest (to the knee, cover the shoulders)
-It needs to be beige or light tan.
-It needs to be around $100 or less.

Here are some dresses I found that I'm considering.

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Any ideas? If you have a dress in your Pinterest that you think might work, leave me the link in the comments! I need all the help I can get!

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Have you heard of the new parenting trend where parents never say the word "no" to their children? The reasoning I've heard is that children learn to rebel against the word, so to curb rebellion, parents simply don't say no.

Cam doesn't say no to Lily on Modern Family.

Of course children rebel against it! But it's not the word "no" that they rebel against. They just like the idea of pushing boundaries and exploring consequences. Children will do this whether or not you say no.

I think this method is extreme. I think it's setting your child up for an entitled attitude and lack of boundaries. They'll never learn what's right and wrong. You can't always say "yes," otherwise your children will become adults who can't deal with criticism, have a sense of entitlement (or even greed), and have no desire to follow rules.

What do you guys think of the trend? Does it have merit? Do any of you practice this method? If so, enlighten those of us who just don't get it!

ROSETTE HEADBANDS

If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw my latest project. I've been busy at work making these rosette headbands! I've been wearing one everyday because I have so many colors available! The links below the pictures will take you to etsy.

Faux Denim Rosette Headband (this one goes with everything!)

Purple and Blue Rosette Headband

Brown Plaid Rosette Headband (this one is one of my FAVORITES for Fall)

Blue and White Striped Rosette Headband

Royal Blue Rosette Headband

Yellow Rosette Headband (this one also goes with everything!)

Light Green and Black Striped Rosette Headband

Plus, how to do light box photography.

'Tis the Season

I LOVE FALL. I don't know who doesn't. I'm especially excited for this Fall. I don't know why. Nothing particularly special is happening. One of these years, I'm going to force my families to come to my house for Thanksgiving (I think they know I'll ruin the turkey, which is why they don't let me host). One of these years, I'm going to throw a rocking costume party. One of these years, I'll stick to my budget for Christmas. 

I have lots of Fall crafts I'm dying to do this year. I have the time and the space, so it's happening. I'll post more about that another day. What's on your fall bucket list? 

Sponsor Group Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway