January Photography Challenge Link Up!

Welcome to the Photo Challenge for January!  This months theme was: snow.  The link up will remain open through the end of the month so everyone has a chance to join up!

Please be sure to visit other blogs on this hop if you link up and leave a comment on their photo!

Remember you can link up to a post with the photo you want to show off, or to your instagram photo that fits the monthly theme.  Please do not link up to your blogs main page, this link up is for the photography challenge only!  

Last month we only had two participants so I am making them both our featured photos!  Check out their holiday themed photos:

Meg from Borrowed Heaven

and

Niki from Glossy Blonde

Thanks for linking up, ladies!

Next month's theme is "heart."  Very open to interpretation!  The link up will start on Feb 20th and remain open through the 28th.

If you have any photos of snow this month, please share them in the link up below!

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Blogging Tips: How to Link Up with a Blog Hop

A few of our members have requested this post, which I think will also be a great read for any new bloggers as well!

Many people might not know what the terms "blog hop" or "link up" mean, especially when they are new to blogging or have never participated in these types of things before!  Both terms refer to generally the same thing- a list of blogs or other websites that you can add your link to as well.  Often times a "hop" refers to a link up where you are supposed to put your link and then hop along to the next persons link on the list, therefore going from blog to blog.

Links ups don't have to just be for a blog post, they can also be for a social media page such as pinterest, twitter or Facebook.  Just be sure to read the directions on the blog where the link up is hosted so you know exactly what to do!

Here is how to link up:

 In this example I am showing our Facebook link up from this past week.  To add your link, scroll down and find where it says "Click here to enter".  Please note that there are several different services bloggers can use to create a link up list, so the screen may look a little different.  Some of them say "Add your link" or "click here to add link" or the like.

 Next you will see a screen similar to this.  Add your title, link, email and name.  Make sure you add the correct link for that link up!  If the link up is for Facebook, for example, be sure to add the URL to your Facebook page.  If the link up is for a specific type of blog post, be sure to add the URL to that blog post, not just your mail blog page.

 You'll notice here that this link up is requiring an email address.  Some link ups require an email AND name, some only email or neither.  We require an email for two reasons: to prevent spam link ups and in case we need to contact you about your link for any reason.  Generally, only the owner of the link up can see your email address, it is not publicly displayed.

Last but not least is Step 4.  Not all link ups have this step, but a lot of them do!  This is the picture step.  You can choose to add a picture from the web link you linked up with or from your computer or use the generic picture provided by the linky tools website.  Above I have selected "Let me crop my own image" just in case I want to crop it after I choose it!  You can also choose auto crop and they will just crop it for you, but it might not look exactly how you'd like.

If you link up with your blog or blog post it is very easy to choose a picture from that blog.  If you link up to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin or Instagram, I would recommend choosing the "File from your computer" option for your picture.  Otherwise the picture options will be slim and/or very blurry!

Either way, you just chose the picture you want to use, crop it if you'd like and then press "Enter your link."

Again, this example is using the Linky Tools service to link up, which is what Northeast Bloggers uses.  However, other blogs may use different link up services, so just be sure to read the directions if the screen looks different!

I hope this helped those of you who were questioning how to join our link ups/hops and will encourage you to participate in more of them in the future!

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Blog of the Week: Juggling Act Mama

This week our Blog of the week is Juggling Act Mama written by Ang!

Meet Ang:

Hi, I'm Ang!  I’m a mother, wife, daughter, sister, auntie, and friend, attempting to do it all – because, well, I want to. People have joked that I’m not happy unless I’ve got a hundred things up in the air, all at once, and I suppose I can’t deny it! ( Hence, the name of my blog, Juggling Acts!) I’m also a writer, crafter, scrapbooker, amateur photographer and Pinterest addict. Long before Pinterest, I developed an addictions to books, snapping memories of my kids, and chocolate desserts... or chocolate anything...or...ok, just sweets in general - don't judge me! I love being creative. I do not need to be perfect, and I try not to take myself too seriously. Seriously.

I’m married to my best friend and high school love (we've been together for more than half my life now, and married for 8 years). He's a very supportive albeit, handsome dorky guy - I have live-in tech support! He can also make me crazy, and I'm not talking about the good crazy: I'm a multi-tasker that swears by lists; he's a realist that detests them. We have two beautiful children – ok, I’m biased, but who isn’t when it comes to their kids, right? Our sweet, silly, smart son, Ethan, is four, and our darling, dimpled, diva daughter Olivia (Livi) is one. Oh, and we have a cat named Pumpkin that wants nothing to do with our children, or anyone elses, and loves to drink out of my water glass in the middle of the night. I am the proud owner of an Etsy shop called AngelFlowers, where I sell some of my handmade hair accessories. Oh, and I also work full time at an awesome start-up, as an office manager, (this company has the potential to rock peoples worlds, in ways no one has imagined before). More about my amazing job later! So maybe I have my hands a little full... but don't we all? 

Despite my family living all over the country, my parents and sisters – especially my Mum – are huge influencers in my life. My Mum is my best girlfriend, and I hope you’ll enjoy some of the things we craft, create, deliberate, or experience together as much as I do!

I don’t have a special space for crafting, and I don’t have a huge kitchen for cooking. I’m just a regular mom with cheerios on the floor, trucks on the sideboard, and always a load of laundry that needs to be washed, dried, or folded. Or all three.

I love making delicious and easy recipes for my family – and am always trying to sneak fruits and veggies into my baked goods! Livi is a fantastic eater (so far, knock on wood!), she tries everything. Ethan has a list of approved food items, and although it is growing, slowly, it's still a short list. Mealtime is a constant battle of trying to get Ethan to eat what we're having, and making sure Livi hasn’t run out of food. They are the most amazing (and messiest) things we've ever created!

It's so fun to come up with simple and fun projects for the kids, even when Livi's involvement is limited to her eating whatever materials we're working with... I think it's important to have one-on-one time with them on things that really suit their interests, so sometimes Ethan and I do a craft together, while Livi naps. And later, we do more age-appropriate things with Liv. And whenever I need some Mumma-time, I do my own creative thing after they are safely tucked in at night ! 

  Thanks Ang!  Be sure to check out her blog, Juggling Act Mama this week and say hi!   Connect with us!