Thanks to Trop 50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 fabulous wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to help grant a friend’s wish!

Today I’m going to share my five favorite bloggers with you!  As a blogger I really appreciate the “art” of blogging and I honestly read so many great blogs that it was SO hard to choose!  The five I chose are the ones that I always make sure to read first. So if my Google Reader says 200 unread…I scroll through to find these five first and then if I have time, I read the rest!  So yeah, they’re pretty special!

The first Fab blogger I’m going to introduce you to really needs no introduction.  She is a highly popular blogger.  But a few weeks ago I made her Cinnamon Rolls and told everyone that they were from The Pioneer Woman and nobody knew who I was talking about!  I was shocked! So I asked some family members if they knew who she was and they said no!  Do you people live in a hole?!  So, I think she is well known among other bloggers, but not necessarily among the general public.  I thought I definitely should mention The Pioneer Woman because she is obviously not well known by my faithful readers (ie my Mom).  She is by far my favorite!  I love her recipes, her photographs, her humor, and her style!  She chats with you in her posts like you are her bff and you’re sitting down with a cup of coffee.  I think I model myself after her a little bit in that area when I blog. I really do want it to feel like we are friends chatting as you read my words. (How am I doing?!)  The Pioneer Woman just published a book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels which is her and her husband’s love story.  I want it NEED IT as soon as it comes out as well as her cookbook which I am way behind in owning, because, helllloooo, I’m her biggest fan.

My next favorite is a fellow Mom.  She blogs about her life at I Should Be Folding Laundry.  At first, I thought, “Why do I want to read about someone else’s life as a Mom?  I know how that story goes.”  But the more I read, the more I wanted to know about Beth.  When she writes, she bears her soul.  She is real. So real.  Among the tragedy in her life she has found hope and I so admire her for that.  Beth is also an amazing photographer and I just love reading her tips on taking pictures and seeing the amazing shots she takes.  For all my Indiana friends, Beth is in NW Indiana and is always looking for new clients for her photography business, Beth Fletcher Photography.  Read her. Love her. I do!

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam is one of those blogs that is just all around helpful. Jen provides recipes, inspiring thoughts, fashion advice and lots of practical tips on saving money and living frugally.  Every recipe that I post on Tuesdays is linked to her Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods which is one of my favorite ways to browse for new recipes and new blog friends!

Diary of a Dairy Queen – First of all, her blog title makes me want to get a DQ Blizzard.  But anyway.  I recently met Alison on Twitter and fell in love with her blog right away.  It’s simple but so very full of goodness in every corner!  I especially love that she is a local Vermont gal and I really love supporting a fellow Vermont blogger!  One of these days, I’m going to meet her. Without stalking her, mind you.  Follow Alison on her adventure of living on a farm in Vermont, married to a dairy farmer.  Does it get any more charming than that?! 


Motherhood in NYC is the blog I read for just plain fun. “Marinka”, as she is known on her blog, makes me laugh.  She makes me laugh so hard I cry sometimes.  She is irreverent and blunt and the total opposite of me.  Which is why I enjoy reading her blog so much.  She says things I would never say and then I laugh.  It’s a good relationship we have.  And I will happily share her with you! 

Don’t forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to support a friend’s wish. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.

When I was asked by The Clever Girls Collective to write about the Heart of Haiti project, I immediately said YES.  

I love that this project stands for helping families reclaim their lives together in an artistic way. Since the devastating earthquake that happened one year ago today, Haitians have had a very difficult time trying to make a living.  Raw materials were wiped out and the general lack of sanitary living conditions made it impossible to resume life quickly and easily.


By purchasing a handcrafted masterpiece from Heart of Haiti hosted by Macy’s, we can directly benefit Haitian families.

Each item is handmade by local Haitian artisans.  I love all of the pieces but I think I will get the watermelon bowl and maybe the pineapple bowl too.  They are really beautiful pieces of art!  And the story behind them makes the purchase so meaningful.

You can go to Heart of Haiti – Shop For A Better World to browse all of the products.  They are priced really well (the watermelon bowl is only $16!!) and there is even free shipping with some purchases!  For each purchase you make, 22% of the retail cost goes directly to the Artisan themselves! And I love, love that the items are signed by the Artisan.


It’s such an easy way to help a family thrive in Haiti. And it’s so much more than just a paycheck for the Artisians as well. Check out this blurb from the How It’s Helping section of the Heart of Haiti website:


Heart of Haiti also offers new opportunities for artists to collaborate with US designers, strengthening artisan associations and inspiring and energizing their communities. Men and women are working together, gaining confidence and hope for the future. Master artisans who planned to leave the country are now staying behind to train the next generation. The tradition of rich and unique Haitian art lives on… through the generosity of many like you.

Please consider purchasing something from the Heart of Haiti and make a difference.  Thanks for joining me in support of such a worthy cause!

I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.