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Grow Your Blog Link Up #01

19 November 2013

Happy Tuesday guys! Today I'm literally feeling like death. It seems procrastinating to get my flu shot has left me vulnerable to the flu and I am currently laying in bed all sickly with a bucket next to my bed. It's really a beautiful sight. If I've learned one thing out of this it's this: get your flu shot guys, seriously.

Anyways, vomit and delusions aside, I'm happy to announce a link-up I'm co-hosting with One Chocolate Box!

Welcome to the very first Grow Your Blog Link Up!

It's a link up specifically for new bloggers (those with less than 500 followers per social medium are welcome too). It's a chance to meet other new bloggers, and hopefully build networks and friendships.

There are no fees for co-hosting. Just email Toni at onechocolatebox@gmail.com if you're interested.

Link ups start every Wednesday at 9pm NZDT for all you Kiwis and Tuesday 9pm EST if you're an East-coaster like moi.

Each week, one participant will be randomly selected, and gets featured on the following week's blog hop. More free exposure!

There'll also be a giveaway from time to time, so make sure to check back each week.
1. Toni put a lot of work into this link- up, so go follow One Chocolate Box!

2. Follow the co-hosts! Let us know you're following from the Link Up, so we can follow you back.

3. Link up in the appropriate section using your blog URL or profile URL. Remember you can only link up in the section if you have less than 500 followers in it.

4. Visit and follow at least 1 other blogger. Let them know what you like about their blog.

5. Return the love, follow your new followers!

6. It would be super if you shared the Link Up via Facebook or Twitter. The more people join up, the more potential followers you can get.

7. I'd love you forever if you grabbed the button below and place it on your sidebar!

A big welcome to all the lovely co-hosts this week:

Kate at Odd One Out
Jennifer at Magic Cat Jenny
Chynna at The Invisible Child
Bri at Deliciously Active

Thanks so much for co-hosting ladies!
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Kate Bakes...again

18 November 2013

If you remember, I'm not much of a cook... but this weekend I got hit with the baking bug and decided to take my chances baking.

I had been craving cheese tea biscuits for weeks so yesterday I finally got off my butt and attempted to bake them. From. Scratch. The result?
Success!

To be honest, the recipe was really easy to follow. I used my mum's recipe, and since I was so happy with the result, I figured I'd share the magic with you guys.
Bake your own and tweet me a picture!

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Timing.

14 November 2013

It's a hard thing, balancing things. I don't know how those circus folk do it.

I'm of course talking in the metaphorical sense and not about literally balancing things, like say a chair on my chin which for the record, I definitely can't do. Don't ask how I know this I just do.

You see, coming out of the blogfest that was October, I was very inspired and excited to blog some more, but then more and more things started getting added to my plate (metaphorical again). I had this bright idea to participate in NaNoWriMo, and while I've made some progress, most of my time has been spent writing papers for school. I'm almost done my semester, yay! But because I've been spending most of my time writing papers (and prepping for my exams) my timing has been really off with everything else I love doing like marathoning Ravenswood and writing on the blog. Honestly, I don't know how you other bloggers do it.

Seriously though, how to you guys manage your time to do it all? I mean clearly you guys have busier social lives than I do, so you must be magic. Teach me the way of the force.

I guess I'm still figuring out my groove, and until then (or until December 15 when I'm finished for the semester) posts are going to be a little sporadic. I do have some fun posts lined up for the rest of the month, just waiting to be written out including a blog hop! Woo!

Have a happy Thursday!


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Weekends are awesome.

11 November 2013

What happens when I go home for four days and drop off the face of the earth?

A whole lot of this....

And a whole lot of this....


Also I left my phone back home as well. So all of my other pictures are MIA for a few days...

I also wanted to take a moment today to acknowledge something incredibly important. It's Remembrance Day here in Canada, and I wore my poppy with pride! I'm so thankful for the sacrifices that were made so that I could live in literally the best country ever (sorry to all you non-Canadians, the truth hurts). What the Armed Forces do for us (in any country) is incredibly brave and honourable, and I'm so impressed and inspired by you and your family's sacrifices. To all the vets out there-- thank you.

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The Story of My Life...

07 November 2013

It's about to stop being polite and start getting real up in here. Guys, I like One Direction. There. I said it. Take of it what you will, but I like them. I may even love them, I don't know. One thing I do know however is that their new single, The Story of My Life was just released along with their music video and it has all the feels. Take a gander if you don't believe me:


Being a blogger I have absolutely no problem talking about myself, and today is no exception. Today 
I'm going to share the Story of My Life...

I was born way back in 1989, June 8th to be exact.

I am the only child in my family.

I have had many pets, but two significant ones in my life, KC, my family dog, and Leia, my little devious angel of a kitty.

When I was two years old, I slipped and fell in the backyard and cracked my forehead off of the steps of my neighbours' pool. I still have a scar. I also still remember portions of the day it happened.

My Nana is the most important woman in my life. She raised a family of 6 all on her own and no matter how bad of a day she's having, she's always smiling. Plus she taught me it's okay to wear PJs all day if I wanted to.

My dad is the most inspiring man I've ever met. He's overcome a whole heck of a lot, and I love him for teaching me the importance of family.

I started this blog to hold myself accountable to some of the goals I had for 2013, and had no idea I'd meet some pretty amazing people, and be so excited to write every single day.

I'm a crier. I hate to admit it, but if I'm happy, I cry. Sad? Cry. Angry? Cry. I also cry if someone else cries. It's messy.

100% lactose intolerant. It really sucks too because I also 100% love ice-cream and cheese.

As of November 2, I became a first time aunt to my bestest friend Rach's little baby boy. Yay!


I'm curious to know, what's the story of your life?

Also a HUGE thank you to Noor for giving me this idea!

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Reading.

05 November 2013

Guys, I have a confession: Remember that post about my October reading list? And this tweet about my plans to read Allegiant all day and all night until it was finished...
Yeah well, I haven't finished reading any of these books. I know. I work in a freaking bookstore for crying out loud. I've been in a bit of a reading slump. I don't know if it's because I just had no interest to read the books on my list (save for Allegiant, I have made quite the dent, I just haven't finished it), or if I just have had a bout of restlessness and can't sit down long enough to get into the book. Regardless, I'm going a different route this month.

I have some new books on my November reading list. It's not long because I'm still participating in NaNoWriMo, and I'd like to use most of my spare time to write. However I do want to get some reading in this month so I'm able to participate fairly in Goodreads' Reader's Choice Awards.

I've picked only two books this month (not including Allegiant because I'm almost finished) and they are:

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Via Goodreads:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. 

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . . 

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. 

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. 

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. 
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. 

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? 

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? 

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
Via Goodreads:

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby. 

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential.

Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby? Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Along with finishing up Allegiant, this month is a month of YA, which I like because the novel I'm writing for NaNoWriMo is also YA so hopefully it gets my creative juices going.

What are you guys reading this week?

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Glossy Blonde


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NaNoWriMo

01 November 2013

Have you guys ever heard of NaNoWriMo?

If you haven't, it's all good. Until recently, I knew very little about it, or even what it meant. NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month is celebrated during the entire month of November. It encouraged writers to punch out 50 000 words (2000 words per day) and complete a novel.

Crazy, right?

Well this year I've decided that since my social calendar is practically booming with activity, (sarcasm) and I have lots of time, (sarcasm) and of course because I'm an incredible writer, (sarcasm) I will participate in NaNoWriMo this year. It's a tough task to take on, but I think it's a really great step in the direction to complete goal number ten.

If any of you are interested in learning more about NaNoWriMo, check out their website. Or, if you're participating in it at all, let me know!

And since it's #backthatazzup Friday, I'll be starting my novel whilst listening to some pretty fantastic jams, like the one below!

Peace Out, Kate

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