I heart organization

I love organization, I love planning, I love people who inspire me to organize... I love Molly Gold. I may just have to become her stalker.

I recently heard Molly Gold, one of the NC Mom Bloggers Beach Conference's most energetic speakers, give a class on "Your Organized Blog." Molly is the brains behind My Go Mom, which teaches moms how to be organized and scheduled.

This was my first bloggers conference and I admit that I was being a little shy, so I never actually carried on a good conversation with Molly. However, I did manage to snap her photo while I-pretended-she-didn't-see-me-when-I-knew-she-was-really-wondering-why-the-heck-this-crazy-woman-was-snapping-her-photo." Now I keep waiting for her to tweet and looking at her Web site. See? I am officially cyber-stalking!

In all seriousness, though, the reason I was so impressed by Molly was the fact that although she has a great Web site and works hard at making her own small business a success, she is also very dedicated to her family. One piece of advice that a lot of us took away from her presentation was that before we block time out for our social media/business enterprises, we must first block time out for our family.

"Remember, you are a mother first," Molly said.

Here are five of her organizational tips for bloggers:

1.    Think like a project manager
2.    Have a "family" time block
3.    Have a "work" time block
4.    Keep your planner handy
5.    Multi-task with a purpose

I happily spent time taking notes during Molly's presentation and was sooooo excited with the prospect of sharing my notes and ideas with my extremely unorganized, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants friend Nancy. Imagine my disappoint afterward when Nancy informed me that she didn't want to look at my notes or even discuss the presentation. She actually likes being disorganized and never planning for anything. Sigh. I still have high hopes for Nancy, though. One day....

Day Three: NC Mom Bloggers Beach Conference

Day three of the conference turned out to be the most informative. We had open discussions on how to cultivate online relationships as well as how to stay safe and what should be private vs. public in the blogging world. As far as monetizing a blog goes, we learned what big marketing and PR reps are looking for, as well as what small businesses are looking for from bloggers. In the above photo, on the right, is Erin Lane, a PR rep for Scandanavian Child, one of the sponsors of the conference. Her presentation focused a lot on the art of making a pitch. I've never done that, but who knows what the future will hold?

I'm going to leave you with some photos I took of the beach during one of our breaks from learning, networking, and socializing. I will definitely be returning to the conference when it comes back next year, and in the following weeks I will be using my blog to introduce you to some of the wonderful ladies I met on my trip.  

Beach weekend

One more night to enjoy with the other women at the NC Mom Bloggers Conference!

Day Two: NC Mom Bloggers Beach Conference

 This is my first blog conference, and it was really interesting to see a room full of women with laptops in front of them.

Part of Friday's session focused on our sponsors, without whom the conference wouldn't have been possible. Eat, Think, Smile's all natural cocoa products with antioxidants blew us all away. Imagine, if you will, a room full of women who have just been told that this chocolate is actually good for us. Eat, Think, Smile was great about bringing us all tons of free products to try. I pigged out on their clusters, crispy thins and bars for lunch.

We got free swag from other sponsors, too. There were just too many to mention in one post.

I spent a bit of time walking the beach, too, even though it was extremely windy.

This is the back of Ocean Isle Inn as seen from the beach. My room is on the middle floor, all the way to right. That's my balcony behind the short palm tree. Below is the walkway and stairs leading from the hotel to the beach. Wish you were here!

A weekend with no kids

What happens when two grown women get a weekend with no kids? Little things like trying to take a photo on a very windy day on the beach send them into fits of giggles...

Day One: NC Mom Bloggers Beach Conference

Tonight was the first night of the NC Mom Bloggers Beach Conference at Ocean Isle Inn. Above is my friend Nancy after the beach themed party that kicked off the conference. This was our first bloggers conference, whereas everyone else we ran into seems to have gone to many more. And I have to say, it's been a long time since I have had to walk up to strangers, introduce myself and start a conversation. If tonight was any indication, I need to brush up on my skills. I have forgotten how to mingle!

I did have a few good conversations, though. And the food was fabulous! Check out these cake confections below. How cute are they?

I am loving Ocean Isle Inn. The administrators have been great - they're so friendly. And we have an ocean front room just steps from the beach. Standing on the balcony, this is the view from the left. See the pier?

And this is the view from the right, of the pool, gazebo and beach. It's a little chilly but really not bad at all considering it's February. Tomorrow we will begin our social media learning sessions. I plan on learning a lot!

Lacy lives!!

A few days ago I posted about how I accidentally ran over and killed my Polish chicken, Lacy. She was bleeding from the nose and mouth and not moving. She was barely taking a breath every now and then. Nobody had the guts to put her out of her misery, so we laid her beside the coop. The next morning she was gone. We assumed she had either wandered off to die or, more likely, had been taken by a coyote or other predator.

Imagine my surprise (and delight!) when, several days later, one of the kids came in to tell me that Lacy was running around outside. I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes, but there she was... happily pecking the dirt with the other chickens. There's not a scratch on her. She acts like nothing ever happened. I'm not sure what the deal is, except that it seems a miracle has occurred.

And they say cats have nine lives...

Book review: Operation Bonnet

Operation Bonnet David C. Cook; New edition (February 1, 2011) by Kimberly Stuart

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Kimberly says:  I am a writer of comedic fiction, and would like to suggest that you laugh regularly when reading my books. Let’s also try for one to two teary moments. If you are crying more than that, you don’t understand my sense of humor and should move on to another author.

I grew up in a book-loving home. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. My mom loves books. My dad loves to read the first chapters of books and then make us all listen as he recites his favorite passages. I, however, enjoy reading books in their entirety and came into writing as a result of book-love. After earning two fancy degrees in education and Spanish, I promptly let the thinking part of my brain take a breather and instead became pregnant. (I’m sure a lot of other things happened between early literacy and pregnancy but I don’t really remember any of that. If you also have shared your uterus with another human, you understand.)

In an effort to author a book that would entertain my sassy, irreverent, breast-feeding/drooping friends, I wrote my first novel, Balancing Act. People were so nice to me after that, I decided to continue with writing. Also, I can’t craft, knit, or scrapbook, so what else was a nice, Christian girl to do?

In addition to writing books to make my friends laugh and cry, I observe the chaos at the home I share with my unfailingly supportive husband and three offspring. We’re doing our best and so far, no one’s been to prison.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Twenty-year-old Nellie Monroe has a restless brilliance that makes her a bit of an odd duck. She wants to be a private investigator, even though her tiny hometown offers no hope of clients. Until she meets Amos Shetler, an Amish dropout carrying a torch for the girl he left behind.

So Nellie straps on her bonnet and goes undercover to get the dish. But though she’s brainy, Nellie is clueless when it comes to real life and real relationships. Soon she’s alienated her best friend, angered her college professor, and botched her case.

Operation Bonnet is a comedy of errors, a surprising take on love, and a story of grace.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Operation Bonnet, go HERE.

MY REVIEW:  Operation Bonnet wasn't really what I expected. It surprised me from beginning to end. Some of the surprises were pleasant, and some weren't. I always like it when the heroine isn't quite perfect, and Nellie Monroe certainly isn't. Her red afro that she can't seem to do anything with and her quirky ways endeared her to me. I also enjoyed some of the other characters in the book, especially the Amish grandmother and her high expectations.

In an odd way, this book was all about relationships. And the one that appealed to me the most was Nellie's affectionate relationship with her own grandmother. The grandmother is in the early stages of Alzheiemer's or dementia, which my own mother suffered with before she passed away. The novel focuses on the positive aspects of the relationship instead of dwelling on the negative.

I would have really liked to have seen the relationship between Nellie and her best friend fleshed out a little more. I won't give away the surprise concerning the two, but I will say I wish the book had focused a little more on the best friend and a little less on the Amish-trying-to-be-English-and-not-really-succeeding guy.

If you enjoy a quirky, comedic novel, Operation Bonnet would be perfect. But if you are serious about a serious romance, it may not be your style.

Watch the book video trailer:

Conference on the beach

I was grateful to get a small tax refund this year. It wasn't enough to do much toward getting a place, but it was enough to do two other things. I paid up some small bills, which wasn't so fun and... I'm going to a the NC Mom Bloggers Beach Conference!

I've wanted to go to a bloggers conference for years, to meet and network with other bloggers and to learn how to better my blog (and possibly monetize it). My friend Nancy was going to this particular conference this year and I really need a break from the five kids and all the stresses I have in my life right now, so I decided to go, as well.

One thing's for sure... you won't find a better deal on a bloggers conference. For less than $200, I get a room overlooking the beautiful Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina - for three nights! The cost also includes entry to the conference!

All of our breakfasts are being provided by the hotel, Ocean Isle Inn, and our dinners are being provided by conference sponsors. Add to that the fact that attendees will get enough swag (free promotional products) to cover the cost and, like I said, you won't find a better deal on a bloggers conference. Ocean Isle Inn is only about three hours from my house and Nancy and I plan on driving my van down there.

I desperately need a distraction right now, and I am greatly excited to be attending this conference. I still can't believe I'm getting three nights on the beach and a conference (I love learning new things) for less than $200!

This is a small conference with a maximum of 50 attendees, so it's perfect for my first bloggers conference. And did I mention it's on the beach???

RIP Lacy

Lacy is dead, and I killed her. That's just the hard truth of the matter. In the past few years that I have had chickens, only one died, and that was due to a prolapsed ovary. Last spring when I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my life or even where I was going to live, I gave all my chickens to my friend Nancy. Nancy lives in the country where there are a lot of predators and her flock has had issues with disease as well. Due to this, several of the chickens I gave her have died. But it was different in a way, because it wasn't my fault and it wasn't on my watch, if you know what I mean.

But a couple of days ago, I became an inadvertent killer. Nancy's chickens free range, which means they wander around the place at will. If you have been reading my blog, you know I moved in with Nancy last summer. The chickens here often congregate under one of the cars but they always move when you start the car up. Last Saturday I went out to get in the van and noticed several chickens underneath. Presuming they would move like they always do, I didn't pay much attention. I just put the van into gear and backed out. When I felt a thump, I knew exactly what had happened. I got out to look and discovered I had run over Lacy.

Lacy was a silver-laced Polish hen. The Polish hens are what we commonly refer to as "tophatters," and you can see why. They have huge crests that often obstruct their eyesight, which may explain why Lacy didn't see the van moving (although you would think she would have heard it).

Lacy is seen below with her best friend Goldie, who bit the dust last year (Nancy said she can't remember exactly how Goldie died). The tophatters are not easy to keep alive in a country setting. Their reduced eyesight also makes them more susceptible to predators and all kinds of other dangers. I never thought I would be dangerous, though. I have never hit so much as a squirrel on the road, but I hit and kill an animal (or fowl) in my own driveway. How sad is that?

 

Lacy was well past her laying days and was just enjoying living with her other chicken friends and gossiping with the hens.  Rest in peace, Lacy.

Trials of the unemployed

After seven months of searching for a job, I have decided that I probably won't find one in this small town (or anywhere around it) unless I "know" someone.

It's not for lack of trying. The first three months I was a little picky. But eventually it got to the point where I decided I will take almost any job that I think I can actually do without having a nervous breakdown. I put in an about three resumes/applications per week. I wouldn't mind putting in five or six.... but there are just not that many places. And I'm not simply looking for a job in my "new" small town (population about 1,300). I go in a circle around the town and hit every city within about a 45 minute drive. There just aren't many jobs out there in a rural area for someone with my particular job skills. Down here people get a job and tend to keep it for their entire life. On top of that the unemployment rate in the county is about 14%. I have even applied at grocery stores and discount stores, but my only retail experience was when I was 19 years old. Not to mention I feel like people think I would never work for the amount of money they would offer (little do they know). I had one potential employer (who didn't work out for a completely different reason) tell me my resume was "extremely impressive." Too much so for the local grocery store?

Anyway, everyone around here knows everyone... except me. So I have decided I need to get out and meet some new people. I am going to a new church... but it's a tiny one. Does anyone have any ideas on how to meet new people in a tiny but charming town?

Some statistics of my new city (from city-data.com):

Population in July 2009: 1,325. Population change since 2000: +0.5%

Estimated median household income in 2009: $28,880 (it was $25,833 in 2000)

Children's book review: God Gave Us the World

This is my family's second book from the "God Gave Us" series and it was as cute as the first one! Once again, Little Cub's mom gently answers her questions and leads her to the right conclusions - this time about God and our world.

I always feel inadequate trying to answer those tough questions about why things in the world are the way they are, and I always appreciate any help I can get. Lisa Bergren does a great job fielding those questions from a Christian viewpoint.

The theme of this book centers around why we are all different and come from different backgrounds. Mama Bear talks to Little Cub about how big God made the world and how we all fit into it in our own special way. There's even a little side lesson about how our world is strong but fragile, and how we need to take care of it.

This is one of those adorable books that I love to read together with my little boy. It left us with a warm, fuzzy feeling and a better understanding of God's word.

God Gave Us the World ($10.99) by Lisa Tawn Bergren is published by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.


I received the product mentioned above for free via Mama Buzz. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Children's book review: The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari

Two little boys spend the night outside in a tent. They're scared, but use their big imaginations to have a great night together. Dreaming up jungle animals and campfire stories, the two of them have a blast and somehow get through their night without giving up and going inside. Personally, the story wasn't my cup of tea. But for my 7-year-old son... it was great!

The "boys" in the story are a turtle and a young dragon, which would appeal to any little boy's mind. Their wild imaginings, which I thought were a little dumb, kept pace with whatever was in my son's imagination. He said the book was one of the best he's read with me lately.

The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari is definitely geared toward little boys as opposed to girls. The action was enough to keep my son's attention. At the same time, it wasn't too scary for him. My son is very sensitive and scares very easily, but this book was just right for him.

Surprisingly, his favorite part was also one of my favorite parts. We both liked when the dragon and the turtle overcame their fears enough to rescue a cat from a tree in the middle of the night. His least favorite part was that the dragon and the turtle talked in a decidedly British (or Australian, or whatever) way. Phrases like "my good fellow" were sort of self-explanatory but some words like "mum" and "a capital idea" took a bit of explanation on my part.

As a "mum," I was especially grateful for the discussion questions in the back of the book, which center around the dragon and the turtle's concern for each other and how to encourage each other in scary situations. As a Christian, I was really happy to see a bible verse at the back of the book - one which even a little boy can directly relate to the story.

The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari is recommended for ages 4-8. I would probably go with 5-8, as the difference between the dragon and the turtle's imagination and what they are really doing (camping in the back yard) could be a little confusing for young minds.

The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari ($11.99) by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark is published by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.


I received the product mentioned above for free via Mama Buzz. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.