Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Blog Sites You Read that Aren't About Books

It's been a while since I've made a Top Ten List over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Honestly, for a while there I felt like the lists were a little repetitive...and then I just completely forgot :(  This is one of my favorite memes so I'm very glad to participate this week.  Even though this is bookish meme, I'm honestly glad to have an opportunity to see what other readers read about when they're not reading books.  (How about that sentence for monotony?)  Seriously, my TBR shelves are overflowing, Amazon is soon going to cut off my WishList and I will never have enough money or time to read all the books I want to read.  I also LOVE to explore new blogs...I can't wait to see what others have found.

From time to time, I find myself spending more time reading blogs than writing on my own.  So, one of my first tasks of summer vacation was to clean up my blogroll a little bit.  I had created such a monster list that I would frequently miss updates that I really wanted to see.  I've also struggled with whether or not to lump all my blog reading material into one blogroll or to separate them into categorized lists.  And, yes, I've tried Google Reader...I just don't like it :(  

Anyhoo, I separated the gargantuan blog roll into categories again and created a list of blogs whose updates I do not want to miss.  I call them my Daily Distractions :) Some are book blogs, but others are not, so here they are, my top ten blog sites I read that don't have anything to do with books:

1.  Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond - Love her or hate her, she's my #1 bc honestly stumbling on her first cookbook right after it was released and reading it cover to cover while actually sitting in the bookstore is what really introduced me to what blogging could be...and then to this fabulous community of people I had been missing out on all this time.

2.  The 7MSN Ranch - Linda Carson, her dog Smooch, a host of cats, chickens, donkeys, a rawther large pig and a horse live "7 Miles South of Nowhere" in New Mexico.  I fell in love with Linda's black cat Deets (who unfortunately disappeared) but have come to love all of the animals.  Linda's known for her participation in donkey rescue as well as ranch antics with her animals participating/leading the conversations.  Funny stuff here on most days :)

**header created and owned by Linda Carson @ The 7MSN

3.  This Old House 2 - Karen lives in a big old house, which she and her family renovated.  She loves horses, dogs, her home, and finding unwanted animals new homes.  Karen's is a place I go to remind myself that one person can make a difference in the lives of shelter animals, even if she can't necessarily bring them all home with her.

**header created and owned by Karen @ This Old House 2

4. Pawcurious - Dr. Jessica Vogelsang is a fairly new discovery for me. She was a 2012 Bloggie nominee and provides vet advice as well as information pertaining to animals in an easily accessed, easily understandable way.  Dr. V., as she is called, is a personable vet and talks about all kinds of animal related issues, not just symptoms and diagnosis.

**image belongs to Dr. V @ Pawcurious

5.   Chronicles of a Country Girl - Kate, her husband and their Border Collie George live in an older home in the country in Maryland.  Kate's blog is the most peaceful of all the blogs I visit...while she has a job outside her home, and her husband is a recovering cancer patient, her blog focuses on her photography.  The pictures she takes of the nature around her are incredible, and Kate knows when to apply layers and techniques to photos in order to make them look like works of art.  Spectacular stuff here, but it never feels like a random photo blog or sales pitch.

**header created and owned by Kate @ Chronicles of a Country Girl

6.   The Coupon Goddess - Melanie Feehan is exactly what her blog title says.  She is a coupon goddess.  Her blog is not a list of specials at the store as some other coupon blogs are, and she is not one of those freaky people you see on tv.  Melanie blogs about life, her family, shares her commitment to the military in her area through community projects, and almost a year ago began sharing with her readers her long exhausting recovery from being hit by a car.  Melanie has a lot of spunk and gumption.  A strong, determined woman who refuses to give up and challenges others to live their lives to the fullest...definitely a pick-me-up :)

7.  Joyful Always - Roan Johnson - a friend of mine from college, Roan has 5 kids who she homeschools brilliantly, a husband, a beautiful home and extended family and is a runner.  Roan is concerned, as am I, about the food we feed our families, saving money, and faith.  Roan just recently was diagnosed with breast cancer and walked through the first part of her treatment and surgery with her readers.  Roan inspires me every day...I am honestly amazed at how much she manages to manage ;)

8.  Our Front Door  - Mindee is the mom of this blog.  She writes about family, school, recipes in a no-nonsense, non frilly sortof way...real life here, folks.  Mindee's sarcasm and humor keep me coming back for more, two characteristics one must have when raising kids :)

**header created and owned by Mindee @ Our Front Door

9.  Queen of My Castle - Paula is an army wife with grown children, some hers and some his.  Since I've been reading her blog, Paula has moved twice, first from Hawaii to Rhode Island and more recently from Rhode Island to Washington (the state, not D.C.).  Her blog is about life as an army seargant's wife, a stepmother, mother of the bride and brand new grandmother.  She throws in a little cooking, entertaining and home and garden from time to time.

10.   On the Way to Critter Farm - Danni was a big city girl who got tired of the high stress environment.  She moved her husband and two sons to the country and now takes care of her farm, her animals, including dog, cat, llamas, and donkeys. 

**snapshot from Danni @ On the Way to Critter Farm



So there you have it!
My Top Ten Blogs I Read that Have Nothing to do with Books :)