Simply Free {Giveaway}

I have a special giveaway for you today....

but first I am going to share today's blog topic for the Every day in May challenge! Sorry, no mood board this week :(

Day 7:The thing(s) you're most afraid of:

This is probably going to sound cliche but I think I would say I am most afraid of failure. I am afraid of disappointing people that I love. Sometimes I just expect too much out of myself. To fight this fear I just remember that the best way to learn is by making mistakes.

source

Now what am I physically afraid of?? Spiders! Also: snakes, sharks, (basically deadly animals) illness, war, death, natural disasters (tornadoes,fires, etc)

~GIVEAWAY~

As summer is so very near, and Simply Free hit 300 followers a few days ago,  we wanted to share a little summer love to you wonderful readers as a BIG thank you.

We have teamed up to share some awesome goodies with you, because y'all are awesome, so take a few minutes and show each of them some love and see what YOU could win below.

ONE lucky reader will win over $200 + of goodies from these lovely bloggers!

Check out each blogger below to see what they are giving away and show them some LOVE!

1// Lauren // 1 month Large Ad Space 

2// Teressa // 1 month Large Ad Space

3// Samantha // 1 month Ad Space & Custom Design Mood Board

4// Caroline// 1 month Ad Space

5// Ashley F. // Devotional Book

6// Ashley C. // 1 month Large Ad Space

7// Lauren L. // T-shirt of Choice from her Etsy Shop
8// Clara // ten emmy-jay hair ties
9// Gayle // 1 month Ad Space
10 // Ashlee // Super Duper Skinny Ad Space
11 // Marquis // 1 month Medium Ad Space
12 // Joy // $20 Target Gift Card
13// Logan // 1month Espresso Ad Space

Be sure to check out these lovely ladies, and enter below :)

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Blog Bestie and What I Do

Day 5, Sunday: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member

Can you guess who this is going to be? As much I talk about her I wouldn't be surprised. Before I brag on my BLOG BESTIE I want to also say that there are MANY many other bloggers that I have become great friends with and if I could talk about each of you I would. So now I will profess my love for Veronica @ Passion, Pink and Pearls. She emailed me shortly after I started blogging and asked if I wanted to swap buttons and told me how to make a button!! We emailed back and forth for a long time and I realized we always had something new to talk about. Finally one day I asked if she wanted to skype? So we did and guess what? She is one of the sweetest, most cheerful and kind hearted girls I have ever "met" and I do plan to ACTUALLY MEET her one day (hopefully sooner rather than later) :) We text each other almost every day and I am constantly discovering more and more things that we have in common. Now we have exchanged addresses and she will be receiving some mail from me shortly! So glad to know you girl!

Day 6: With out saying what your job is, what do you do?

What I do:

I love.

I comfort and cuddle.

I talk and listen.

I cook.

I eat...and eat.

I blog.

I shop.

I succeed and fail.

I laugh and cry.

I pray.

I create.

I dream.

I work and rest.
I dance and sing.

I teach and learn.

I am ME!

source

Scripture Sunday {4}

Did you guess what May's topic is going to be??

Well if you didn't.....its COMMITMENT!

I really enjoyed diving into the scriptures last month and sharing Gods love for us with you. Now I want to talk about how important it is to commit yourself to Him. I am definitely not perfect and very guilty of putting myself and my needs first. We often think we should follow our own plans and goals and they may not be what God has in store for us. In talking about commitment, we must also focus on trust. If we fully trust God, it will be easier to commit to living our lives through him.

Here are 5 steps we can take to commit to God:

1. Pray and ask God what his plans are for you
2. Read and study the bible
3. Go to church 
4. Share your faith with others
5. Surround yourself with people strong in their faith

These are in no way definite steps you have to take. These are just guidelines to help take you in the right direction.

Do you have a topic idea for June? I would love to hear it!

Design in Your Home- April Features and May Link-up

Its time again to feature some wonderful bloggers and their homes. This month there were 12 people linked up. Since its not quite as many I am going to share 2 pictures of each but you should still go and see more of their hard work on their blogs.

Thanks to all of these ladies for sharing their designs with us (and some for joining in a 2nd time!)

If you have been featured this month or a previous month, please grab a button:

</p> </p> <p class="p1"> <p class="p1"> <a href="http://designerinteal.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q698/shorseman26/designhome_zpscd1e4fb8.jpg"/></a></p> </p> <p class="p1"> <p class="p1">

The Neutral Retreat
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof

 The Mid-Century Marvel
 Lindsey @ Living, Laughing and Loving

The "Crafty" Cottage

Erin @ Cali-Land Chic

The Moodboard turned Reality
 Lesley Myrick Art + Design

The "Framed" Living Room
Rita @ Suburbs Mama

 

The Soothing Bedroom Suite

Rita @ Suburbs Mama

The "Designer in Teal" Inspired Living Room
Sara @ You and Me are We

The Elegant Entryway
Carissa @ Carissa Miss

The Patriotic Porch
Amy @ The Blissful Bee

 

The Ravishing Rental

Sarah and Sara @ Design for Renters

Designed From Head to Toe
Michelle @ Decor and the Dog

The Accessorized Abode

Liz @ My Life in Projects

For future months, to help this link-up grow I will be looking someone to host with me. You must have a blog related to design. If you are interested, please send me an email.

NOW JOIN IN on the May link-up...

Rules:
1) Please follow your host via GFC or Bloglovin.
2) Please only link up your own home. You can show off a bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen, etc. You get the idea. Exteriors/patios are also welcome!
3) Have FUN!

If you do not have a blog but still want to show off your work, you can email me the pictures! samantha.n.shipley@gmail.com

My life....abridged!

Ready. Set. Go.

Post 1- THANKFUL!

You already know what this about, don't you? I reached 200 followers last night and I just want to say thank you. I will be emailing/commenting to you newbies soon!! I am also really close to 200 on twitter :) 

This is also how I felt about it!

source

Also, did anyone notice that it's MAY? WOW! I need to be working on a goals post ASAP and a new Design in Your Home (April Features and May link-up) so stay tuned for those. May is going to be a big month! Tim is graduating in less than 2 weeks. And Mother's day is right after that. This will be my first year celebrating with a mother-in-law as well. One of my best friends Olivia's birthday and wedding shower are coming up. Sorry in advance if I don't post as often.

Post 2- Five Truths

So glad that Kaitlyn tagged me for Five Truths. It was the perfect timing. You new readers are gonna learn a lot about me and fast!

1.  I am addicted to TV. Here are all of the shows that I have been watching lately- Big Bang Theory (ok I always watch that one), The Following, Walking Dead, New Girl, The Voice, Men at Work, Property Brothers, the list goes on....what are your favorite shows??
2. I am pretty sure I will never be content with my closet. I LOVE shopping and I actually just got some new clothes this past weekend. However, I have also been switching back over to spring clothes and trying to purge. While doing that I realized that quite a few pieces were lack luster. Maybe I should start shopping by outfits instead of individual clothes. Don't get me wrong I am SOO appreciative of what I have. I blame all of you fashion bloggers....haha
3. I am NOT a morning person. I shower at night and take only about 40 minutes to eat and get ready in the morning. If I can sleep an extra ten minutes I WILL. I do spend longer getting ready on the weekends and special events.
4. I have cereal almost every single morning. I rarely switch it up. And I love it as a night time snack too! Although it ends up leaving me hungry by about 11am.
5. I have very sensitive and dry skin. I can't get my eyebrows waxed because I will break out. I have very limited options of sunscreens/foundations that won't irritate my face.

I tag...

Sara @ You and Me are We

Veronica @ Passion, Pink and Pearls

Lauren @ One Sweet Fairytale

source

source

Post 3- Every day in May Challenge

 

I can't guarantee I will be posting every day but I like a lot of the topics so I am going to maybe double up on some of them or add them into another post. 

Day 1: The story of your life in 250 words or less (or one paragraph... no one will be counting your words... probably)

I was born on June 26, 1990 in Charlottesville, VA and only lived there for a few months. I grew up on a farm with my parents and younger sister, Ashley. The house previously belonged to my great grandparents. My granny, aunts and uncle lived there as kids. I didn't move again until I left for college. I did ballet, cheer-leading, marching band and tennis throughout the years. I started dating my future husband in 10th grade. I also took my first missions trip that year with him and his church to NYC! I became really involved in Relay for Life my senior year and its still a passion of mine. I was 5th in my graduating class (of course it was a small school). I got into my 1st choice (only choice, jk I applied to 2 others just in case) of schools, Virginia Tech in Interior Design. I had 4 amazing years in Blacksburg and then married Tim a short 3 weeks later on June 9, 2012. The wedding was at Tim's parents house. We honeymooned on a Carribean cruise which was the first time I've ever left the country. Now we are living as newlyweds in Richmond, VA and I work as an Interior Designer for Courtney Ludeman. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next.