FemCon13 Recap

Ok, better late than never, right?

I'm only 2 and a half weeks late on this!

#femcon13

So for those of you who don't know, I went to my very first blogger conference on October 26, 2013! I was nervous, excited, and really wasn't sure what to expect! It was the very first annual Femworking Small Business and Blogger Conference in Arlington, Virginia. I had a few hour hike North but not bad. Not like Haven Conference where I'd have to fly to Atlanta, Georgia, SNAP! where I'd have to fly to Salt Lake City, Utah or BlogHer all the way in San Jose, California!

The conference was kicked off by the keynote speaker, Jill Smokler of Scary Mommy. She is hilarious and down to earth. I hadn't actually heard of her blog (no babies = not big into mommy blogs) but I'll definitely recommend it to my friends with young children and babies. She brings a sense of reality and humor to being a parent. We even got a signed copy of her latest book, Motherhood Comes Naturally (And Other Vicious Lies)! 

We had a full day of speakers and discussions lined up. Everyone was bound to learn at least ONE thing per session. I say at least one thing but if anyone was like me, they learned a ton during each session! Pictured here is the Social Media Panel. Left to right it is Christen Green of Social Shop Media, Laura Harders from Beltway Bargain Mom, and Dawn McCaslin of The Crispy Sage. They gave us all sorts of great info! A few of my favorite points I wrote down were:

• Reciprocity - If you help out someone else, they'll help you out! The more I find AMAZING bloggers to network with, the more I realize how true this is! My advice, seek out and find small groups of like-bloggers that are in it to support each other. Start with specific networks/groups like DIY, real food, home improvement, etc. and also look for networks within your home state! If you can't find a good fit for you...start your own support group! 
• Write out goals for each social media platform (Number of followers, amount of scheduled posts, repins/retweets/shares, etc)
• The first 3 or 4 words of a post MUST catch your reader's attention. 
• Focus on one or two social media outlets and be great at them. 
• Have a presence in all social media forms.
• Get used to hashtags...they're here to stay and will help people find you. 

I'll be honest, I don't like that last one! I hate hashtags. Strongly dislike if you prefer. BUT, the panel stressed that in ever social media outlet, hashtags will help people find my blog. If I write a vegan cookie recipe and use #vegancookie on Pinterest, people searching for vegan cookies will find my pin! Guess I have to work on that! In the meantime I'll keep laughing at hashtags because it makes me think of this! 

We also had a business panel, marketing, monetizing/optimizing your blog, and a legal panel. Pictured her is 3 of the 4 (well, you can actually see Nicole Dash of Tiny Steps Mommy (one of the two lovely ladies who put on this conference) in the mirror on the left. Then from left to right it's Taya Dunn-Johnson of Just Another Day with MrsTDJ, Monica Sakala of Wired Momma and Maria Jose Ovalle of Very Busy Mama'. All these ladies were wonderful and relatable. No one sugar coats things around here! Some of my favorite points from this panel were:

• Listen to your voice.
• Trust your instincts.
• Get out of your box.
• No business is going to come to you and offer you money. You need to request it.
• Create a media kit.
• No one can tell your story but you. 

I couldn't find a good picture of all the speakers of the monetizing your blog session but here's some of what I took away from it:

• Have a good bio, photo and contact (e-mail address!) info easy to find and available. 
• Don't use a contact form.
• Create a media kit. Use it as your "brag' page (guess I need to get on this one...seems to be a big point!) 
• Have a self hosted blog (It's on my to-do list I promise!)
• Work with brands that work with you and your blog
• Treat your blog like a business. Because it is one!

Kelly Sanabria and Nicole Dash, the two lovely ladies who put on this amazing conference in only 3 months! We need some virtual applause, snaps and kudos to these ladies! 

After the conference I hooked up with these beautiful gals and we got dinner before coming back for the cocktail hour in the rooftop lounge of the hotel for a bit. From left to right it's Heidi from Life In Pink, Jess of Being Mrs. Beer, Britni of Play. Party. Pin., Megan of Picture This Photo Solutions, LLC. and me! 

Overall it was a great conference and a great experience!

Have you ever been to a conference? Who wants to pay my way to one of those other huge (and expensive) conferences in 2014? Anyone??

Till next time,
Catherine

Disclaimer: All photos (except the last four) were are from here and were used with permission. 

Ivy Creek Park with the Pups

Took the pups to Ivy Creek Park tonight for a little stroll around.

It was a lovely warm evening. Perfect for a walk!

Thought I'd share the few pictures I took on the way :-)

This is how you walk with two hound breeds. Noses to the ground!

Crossing the bridge. 

Pretty wooded paths.

Focus, guys! Focus! They insisted on snorting every single smell of every single person, plant, and animal that has ever been through here.

I recently learned that this is jewelweed. It's small but pretty and has a lovely citrus smell if you walk by enough of it.

Momentary pause where they lifted their faces from the ground. Well, sort of for Jill, she's always at ground level. 

Poor old Jill needed a break so we sat down on a bench in front of the lake to rest.

"Hey guys...hey! Come here, sit pretty for a picture."

"Look cute and stuff."

"Both of you look at me!"

"Oh for crying out loud." 

I took probably a dozen more trying to get one where they were both looking at me. It never happened. 

Oh well.

It was a nice evening and now they are thoroughly tired...even though it wasn't a very long walk! They're just old!

How do you enjoy the outdoors when the weather is nice?

Till next time,
Catherine

Lynchburg Virginia Blogger Meetup

Last night we had our meet-up for Lynchburg bloggers at Mangia Wine Bar!

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I was so excited to meet other bloggers near me! In our little town of Lynchburg, Virginia there were 5 of us that met for dinner from Virginia Bloggers. 

• First there's Paula from Sweet Pea which is a blog about cooking, gardening, home projects and life. You may recognize her screen print pumpkin pillow project (I think I'm getting out of hand with all these "p's") from the latest Clutch Guide! 

• Then there's Cait from Cait Makes Things which is all about sewing and upcycling thrifted finds. She also shares another fashion based blog called Two Little Bells with a friend. Check out her easy project for making cheap (and adorable) boot trees! My only tall boots are from my horse showing days but I'd love to make this project for a friend!

• There's also Carrie from Dream Green DIY, the blog about incredible DIY design on a budget. You make recognize her from a recent Better Homes and Gardens issue. No big deal. (Except it's a hugely awesome deal!) If you're local you may also recognize her and her beautiful home from the latest Clutch Guide! 

• And finally there's Megan from Rappsody in Rooms, another fantastic blog about renovating a 1960s rancher into a space that reflects her personality along blogging about life in general. Ever wondered what a year's supply of toilet paper looks like? Wonder no more. 

We sat on the patio during the beautiful evening and had a great time chatting and eating and discussing all kinds of things. We brought up one of our favorite bloggers, Young House Love multiple times, talked about networking, our families, jobs, and some silly giveaways. We talked about Haven Conference and got some awesome insight from Megan and Paula who were fortunate enough to go! Megan almost got pooped on by a bird, our waiter forgot about us and overall we had a fantastic time! We ended up having such a good time that we completely forgot to get any pictures! I'm a little bummed but I'm sure we'll get together again soon! 

If there are any other local bloggers in the area we'd love to meet with you too! 

Be sure to check out their awesome blogs and tell them Catherine sent you! 

Till next time,

Catherine

Lynchburg, Virginia Blogger Meet-Up!

If you're a blogger in the Lynchburg (Or even Roanoke and Charlottesville) area and want (or need for that matter) a night out, come out to Mangia and meet up with your fellow local bloggers!

Click HERE for more information from Virginia Bloggers.

If you're planning on going, leave me a comment with your name and blog name so I can connect the blogs/faces ahead of time. I hope we have a great turn out! I look forward to meeting you!!

Till next time,
Catherine

Upcoming Blogger Conference - Femworking Conference in Northern Virginia

Have you been pining over Haven Conference photos and posts? Are you ready to take a big step in growing your blog? Want to meet bloggers near you?

Then mark your calendars for the Femworking Blogger & Small Business Conference! This conference will be held in Arlington, Virginia on October 26, 2013 so start planning now!

There will be so much to see, do, and people to meet,  network with, and learn from!

Click HERE to learn more. Sign up before September 1st to save $$$!

I'm hoping to go because this would be an INCREDIBLE opportunity for me and my little blog! I'll have to wait and see, though.

Anyone else planning on going? If I go, I'd love to meet up with you!

Till next time,
Catherine

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Ok so the envelope has been signed and sealed but it will be delivered soon!

What's in the envelope you ask?

The registration forms and payment for my very first 5k run ever! Not only that, but there's a form for my husband in there too!!

For those of you who know me, this is a big deal. I'm by NO means a runner. Yet, for some reason I want to be! I figured a 5k is a good, attainable goal to start with!

Last year, I wanted to run in this race because it benefits a local charity that I really believe in. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. My husband and I had tried starting the Couch to 5k program multiple times but had never gotten very far. So, the race came and went and we didn't go.

Recently I was talking with a good friend of mine about running a 5k. This friend has lost a LOT of weight and completely changed her life around in the past couple of years. She's a beautiful person who has inspired me to work harder to achieve my goals. She's stuck it out through all of the hard work, sweat and tears that come along for the ride when trying to lose weight and get healthy. She's truly an inspiration and I'm so proud of how far she's come!

So we were chatting about those fun color runs that come to town but there didn't seem to be enough time to fully train for one so she suggested a local run called The Hanover Safe Place Pumpkin Run at The Ashland Berry Farm in Beaverdam, Virginia. Beaverdam is the country North of Richmond. And yes it's as country as it sounds. The Hanover Safe Place is a wonderful organization that provides services to victims of domestic violence. I'm more than happy to donate to a worthy cause.

The Pumpkin Run will be held on Saturday, October 5, 2013. I figured if I started a 5k program now and stuck with it, I may be able to run the entire thing. Including this current week (2nd full week in August) it gives me 8 weeks. The iPhone 5k app I have is a 9 week program and the one Brian has is a 7 week program. I suppose we'll get there between the two! Plus, running it with a friend will make it more enjoyable! I'm not sure if Brian will run this one with me or not, though. 

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So then at work I saw a flier for Rachael's Paws and Purrs 5k & 10k race! I knew immediately I had to do this one too especially since I missed out last year. 

The catch?

It's on Saturday, September 14, 2013. That's exactly one month from today. Only 4 weeks. Yikes!! What am I thinking???

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I'm thinking I need to stop making excuses and sign up so that I can't quit training and sit on the couch instead. 

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After our run tonight I filled out the registration forms, wrote the check and sealed the envelope. No going back. Even if I don't run the entire thing, I'm going to at least do my best!

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Rachael's Paws and Purrs 5k & 10k will benefit The Rachael Horton Compassionate Care Fund. RHCCF was started by Gentle Care Animal Hospital in Forest, Virginia after one of their dearly loved employees and her husband died in a tragic house fire. Rachael Horton would use her own hard earned money to help clients that couldn't afford life-saving treatments for their pets. RHCCF was founded to continue her work.

As you can imagine, I'm more than happy to donate to a cause such as this one as well.

I'm still a bit nervous about running a 5k in 4 weeks, though.

Anyone in or near Lynchburg want to help calm my nerves and run with me? Sign up HERE!

What was your first 5k race? Any advice for a newbie? If you haven't run a 5k, would you ever want to try it?

Till next time,
Catherine

DIY: State Paper Art

I came up with this project from combining a few simple ideas. Lately there has been this wave of popularity for your home state themed items. Frequently in art but also in jewelry and other mediums. If you don't believe me, here are some examples. All of which I can't help but love!

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This last picture is from Young House Love, my new favorite blog! They did a great segment on a local Richmond TV station where they gave several examples of quick and easy last minute Christmas gifts. The two picture frames on the table are state cutouts in pretty scrapbook paper on a solid background. Don't you just love their expressions?

My husband was born in San Diego, California but only lived there for a few years before his parents decided to move back to Virginia. I have lived here my entire life. As far as we're concerned, this is home! We absolutely love living here.  We have a desire to travel the world but Virginia will always be home. So I knew a tribute to Virginia would be a lovely addition to our home.

So for this project I combined the last two ideas and made my own state tribute. I simply Googled a map of Virginia but picked one that had counties outlined so I could pinpoint the area we both lived before moving to Lynchburg. The map I used is here. 

If you want to do this project for your home state and county, do it! It's really fun and easy and I absolutely love mine! 

You'll need:

• Two pieces of scrapbook paper, your choice
• Xacto knife or tiny precision scissors
• Glue and/or tape 
• Rotary mat (if you're using an Xacto knife)

Directions: 

Find a good map of your state. Print it to whatever size you prefer. I just stuck with 8x10 so I could easily print it with regular printer paper. 

Glue the corners your map onto your scrapbook paper. I used a few dabs of hot glue. You could use tape or a simple glue stick. Just don't glue the actual map area onto the scrapbook paper.

If you're using an Xacto knife, lay your rotary mat on a flat surface and place your paper on top. Carefully trace the outlines of the state. This part takes some time. Don't rush because you'll either hurt yourself or mess up and we don't want either of those things to happen!

If you want to cut out a heart, pick your favorite county or city and trace a heart over it and cut it out as well. 

Now just center your state onto the other piece of scrapbook paper and glue it down. I used rubber cement for this...not totally sure why I chose rubber cement over another type of glue. I doubt it makes much of a difference.

Now trim the excess of your scrapbook paper (they normally come in 12"x12" size) and slip it into your frame! 

Mine is living in our guest room above the hermit crab cage. 

The door across the hall goes to our bedroom. It was hard to get a good picture because of the shadows the light was casting. But, you get the idea. 

There you have a beautiful tribute to your home state. These would really be fantastic gifts! People are generally pretty loyal to their home state and county/city. I'll definitely keep this in mind as future gifts for friends and family!

Have you been spellbound by the state art that's been circulating lately? What's your home state and county/city?

Till next time,

Catherine

Check out some of the places I've linked up this post! The bloggers who host these parties are fantastic so go send them some blog love too!

I linked up with Life After Laundry and Sensational Creations for their Less Laundry, More Linking Party #2! 

I've linked up with Fluster Buster and This and That for their Fluster's Creative Muster Party #35!

Spontaneous Weekend Visits

Can you believe it's July 1st? How in the world did June slip by so fast? 

That's ok...bring on the fall weather!!

This past weekend my mother-in-law and brother-in-law decided to come down for a spontaneous trip! We love having friends and family visit so we were super excited that they decided to come over!

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When we got official word they were on their way and after a trip to the grocery store, my husband and I went into a cleaning frenzy. He helped, though, really. Now I don't see this as a fault and I know my in-laws and friends won't think less of me if the house isn't spotless (who has time to keep a house 'spotless'?), but when people come over, it is a perfect excuse to clean the house in record time! Works like a charm. I'm a pretty organized and clean person, but the house always looks great seconds before guests arrive! 

They arrived late Friday evening and so we mostly talked and played games. I had to work Saturday morning so everyone else stayed up and hung out when I went to bed early like the old lady I am. Saturday afternoon we all went down to the Farmer's Market to sample and buy local, delicious goodies. We bought eggs and potatoes for a super late breakfast and even bought the most delicious goat cheese from Spring Mill Farm. Sun dried tomato goat cheese is my guilty pleasure...it is to die for!

After the Market and a delicious homemade breakfast (at 2pm?!) we relaxed for a bit but then decided we should go out and enjoy the day. The hot, hot day. We drove down to Peaks View Park and walked the trails and got some sun. It was really nice, but quite hot. We were ready for some AC after a few miles!

Even Kito got to come along! He had a blast!

Don't tell but we even stopped by DQ on the way back for smore's blizzards! 

Sunday we made poppyseed chicken (delicious...recipe post in the works!) and butter! Yes, we made our own butter! It's incredibly easy but I won't give it all away now. I'll try and have that in a post for you all this week! 

All in all in was a wonderful weekend. Can't wait to have them out again!

And to top it off, now that it's July...it's officially my birthday month! This is the first birthday in about 5 years now that the camp we always work isn't happening during my birthday! Not that we don't love working camp, but I'm so excited to actually get to celebrate my birthday this year! It's also my "quarter of a century" birthday as my husband likes to remind me, so we're thinking an awesome celebration is in order! I can hardly wait!

How was your weekend? Do anything fun or productive? What are some awesome birthday ideas? I'm up for cliche´ or unique ideas! 

Till next time,

Catherine

Wally - The beagle with an amazing story (who needs a home!)

This is Wally's story.

"My name is Wal-Mart. Most people call me Wally. I was given this name because I lived outside of the Wal-Mart in Appomattox, Virginia for about 5 years. No one could catch me or touch me but many people loved me and would buy food just for me to enjoy. 

About 6 months ago, animal control officers amped up their efforts to catch me because it was realized that I had an embedded collar. My previous owner put it on me when I wasn't done growing. They managed to catch me and brought me back to the animal shelter. Soon after I was taken to a nearby veterinarian who removed the collar and stitched me back together again. I wasn't sure of anything but I was slowly learning to trust humans. 

While I recovered, I stayed in the pound. It wasn't my favorite place to be but I kept learning to trust people more and more. I stayed for about two months before landing a spot in a foster home, only to be returned because I didn't know how to walk on a leash and my first foster mom was unable to carry my 35lb frame around. 

Next I was brought back to the nice veterinarian man where they took away my manhood and tested me for diseases I could have picked up while living free. Unfortunately I had contracted heartworms and another tick-borne disease called ehrlichia. 

As if having my manhood taken away wasn't bad enough! Not to mention I hated having stitches in my tummy so I kept trying to pull them out. They stapled me, wrapped me up in bandages and put a humiliating cone around my neck! 

I stayed at the vet for many weeks while getting my first round of heartworm treatment, ehrlichia medication and recovering from being neutered. 

During those weeks I really learned to trust people and learned that they provide me with more than just food, but also love and affection! I also house trained myself. I couldn't understand why other dogs would treat their kennel run as a bathroom! Gross! 

I love being petted and rubbed. People are so nice to me! It took time for me to trust them but now I love them! After several weeks, another wonderful lady decided to foster me. She has a securely fenced yard where I love to run and breathe in the fresh air! 

One family brought me to their house for a few days to see how I would fit in. I made myself right at home with their beagle. You'd think we were long-lost cousins!

 I even like hanging around other dogs! Although, I don't really know how to play. Cuddling is more my thing.

I really liked the home and the other dogs, but, I enjoyed chasing their cat too much for their liking and they didn't have a yard for me to run in. I want a home where I can lounge inside at night but run around outside during the day. So now I'm back with my foster mom enjoying the "dog days of summer."

 This sure isn't the end of my story but I can hardly wait for the next chapter in my "furrever" home! Until then, I'll enjoy my time with my foster mom and her dogs but be dreaming of what's next."


If you know someone who may be interested (or are interested yourself) in adopting Wally, please contact Barbe with Friends of Campbell County Animal Control. He has come so far in his journey but needs a loving, forever home.

• Wally is great with other dogs.
• He may be ok with certain cats.
• He is great with kids. 
• He is shy at first but warms up to both men and women with time.
• He is house-trained. 
• He needs a home where he can run in a securely fenced in yard. Nothing he can dig under or climb over. 
• On the same point, he loves to be cuddled on the couch, so being able to come indoors and cuddle is a must. 

If you haven't guessed, my husband and I are the ones who brought him into our home for a few days before realizing it wasn't the best fit. As much as we love him and wanted to have him, we were being selfish. He needs space to run and it also wasn't fair to our cat because he was always terrified. In all honesty, I think Wally chased the cat simply because the cat ran, I don't think it was a "prey drive" chase. He's the one who ripped the bottom of our cheap-o blinds that we had to fix. He just wanted to see outside the window!

Please share Wally's story so we can find his perfect home! I know it's out there. If we had land and a fenced yard, we would have kept him for sure. He's a super sweet, loving dog with an amazing story. He deserves the best home!

I'll update this page when he gets adopted.

Do you have a rescue pet? What's their story? Doesn't Wally have the sweetest face??

Till next time,
Catherine