I've been taking time to actually read and visit new blogs and old favorites lately, and it feels great. Do you know how long it's been since I've actually been involved in the blogging community I so love? Isn't it crazy how we get so busy as bloggers that we don't have time to interact with our blogging friends on their blogs anymore? Sure, showing love on Faceboook, Twitter and Google+ is a great way to keep in touch with online friends, but it's just not the same as good old-fashioned blog commenting. Hello? How easy it is to forget why we started blogging in the first place.

I'm making it a point to take time each week to visit as many blogs as I can. In an effort to keep myself accountable and to share with you all the good stuff I'm reading, I will highlight a favorite every week. No, this probably isn't exactly an original idea, but I still love the thought of spreading the blogging love. This week's Blog Crush of mine is The DIY Showoff.

The author of this breathtakingly beautiful blog is Roeshel. She's an absolutely delightful and beautiful woman who loves to share her own home DIY projects as well as those of her readers on her blog. Do you know how I know that she's so wonderful? I've met her in person, and she actually lives in my town! It's another of my blogging coincidences or things that happen for a reason. Long story short, I happened to see on another blog that she was leading a Pittsburgh area thrifting adventure, so I went to check out her blog. After dropping her a note, I learned that we actually live in the same town and have lots in common. She's such a sweetheart.

Not only is Roeshel incredibly sweet and kind. She is a super talented decorator. She invited me and my family to her daughter's recent graduation party, and I was able to see a lot of their projects in person. Absolutely amazing. Check out her kitchen:

Isn't it pretty? And those floors! Well, the rest of her house is just as gorgeous. She and her husband bought an old farm house and have been restoring it room by room, as well as the outdoor area and barn. They've done incredible things. See for yourself by taking their farm house tour. Roeshel's decorating projects have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens and This Old House, among other prominent publications. She was recently invited to North Carolina by HGTV and Shaw Floors with a select group of bloggers to show off her brilliance as well.

While Roeshel obviously loves to share her projects and talents, she is not really a show-off. She's such a generous gal that's she invites readers to show off their home projects as well. Roeshel regularly showcases the fabulous things her readers are doing and welcomes folks to share their projects. If you're a DIY'er, you'll want to stop by The DIY Showoff to see some of the inspring things happening over there and to share your own talents. Also, Roeshel's got a $100 Target giveaway going on right now, so go check that out, too!

I'm so very glad that I stumbled across Roeshel's blog and am happy to count her as one of my friends.

I just received word yesterday that both of my personal blogs, Everyday Baby Steps and Adventures in Freelancing, have been accepted to Alltop! For those of you who aren't familiar with Alltop, it's a site that lists the best online resources in nearly every topic area imagineable. I'm so honored to be a part of it.

All of my blogs are now listed at Alltop. I found out this weekend that my new blog for college students, And You Will Graduate, was accepted. I was so happy. I've known about Alltop since I started blogging, and I knew what it meant to be added to its pages. I'm so unbelievably thrilled for my "babies", my own personal blogs, to get in.

Everyday Baby Steps is listed in the Women category, and Adventures in Freelancing can be found in the Freelance section. And You Will Graduate is in Alltop's Education category. I'm so proud of this accomplishment. Thank you to everyone who visits my blogs and interacts with me. I love blogging, and all the opportunities it brings to reach beyond my small community.

If you've never visited Alltop or it's been a while since you have, why don't you go and take a look around? There are so many amazing websites and blogs to discover there.