Blogging

Well, Blogjam is happening again and I have all the feels about it!  Excited, nervous, stressed…

This isn’t my first Blogjam – I went the last two years, which you can read about HERE and HERE.  The first year I knew no one and I was speaking during one of the sessions.  Because I knew no one, I had to get outside my comfort zone and introduce myself to complete strangers!  Eeeeekkk!!  Stressful for even the most outgoing of us, I think!  But the next year I had made some connections and brought a friend along so it wasn’t nearly as stressful, thankfully!  Besides, I got to sit back and just enjoy without the stress of presenting.

Now, this year is different yet again!  I’m heading down extra early to take in a workshop, hang out with my friend, Jennifer,  and then….gasp….do another presentation on Sunday!  This year’s presentation is going to be fun – it’s not just that I’m doing a presentation, Heather and I have decided to partner and do the presentation together!  And guys, we think we’re really funny!! I’ll let you know if anyone else thinks we’re funny.

Prepping during the lunch break back in 2015

Over the course of the last year, I’ve connected with so many other bloggers and it’s going to be one giant weekend long hangout while learning about blogging, social media and the such. I haven’t quite decided which sessions I’m going to, I probably won’t decide until the last minute.  I’ve also volunteered to help with whatever over the course of the day, too.  One of the main organizers, Kerra, has a new baby so I’m happy to lend a hand, especially if it means baby snuggles….although I suspect there will be line up for Brooklyn snuggles!

I can’t wait to meet more of the friends I’ve made online finally and get to know some others even better.  I feel like the internet has changed friendships and the way they evolve and develop.  There is something to be said for finding your tribe.  I’m amazed at who has crossed my path that I’ve connected with that I probably would never have known otherwise.  It’s fun!!!  These women inspire me to work harder at blogging and they show me the potential that’s out there.  They support each other and celebrate victories and come around each other during the hard stuff, too.

Anyway, I have a million things to do between now and when I hit the road!  I best finish this cup of coffee and maybe pack a bag and clear up breakfast.  Wish me luck tomorrow!!

To be continued,

Lori

My journey into the world of blogging started 5 years ago! Hard to believe it’s been so long now and the road that I’ve been on.  Join me as I walk down memory lane for a bit!

My blogging story started by flipping through decorating magazines and finding a website and diving down the rabbit hole of blogs.  One blog would lead to another and another and another.  Some of those original blogs are ones I still follow – like Jeanne Oliver who has inspired me, taught me and draws me into her life in Colorado.  I even got to be a long distance part of her first workshop in her studio which you can read about HERE.  I’m so thankful that I found this creative outlet, a way to document our life here in rural Nova Scotia and share it with those who are interested.

Farm Fresh Style started on the free blogging platform that is Blogspot.  And for me, starting out it was perfect – easy to use and not overwhelming.  But when I made a career change, I knew I needed my blog to work harder for me.  So, with the help of Christine, we switched my blog over to WordPress and developed my website and farmfreshstyle.ca came into being.  Makes it all official sounding, eh? And now, a few years into working with my site as is, I know I want to give it a refresh and change how a few things function.  So….maybe by Spring it’ll have a makeover, hopefully making it ‘fresher’ and more user-friendly. Stay tuned….I’m not tech-savy….but thankfully I know people who are!!

When I started blogging, we were living in our mini home just over the hill and the girls were little.  When I think back, Hannah probably doesn’t remember when I didn’t blog and drag the camera around taking pictures for the blog.  I mean, seriously – look how little!!!

We have since moved into an old house across the road and have spent the last three years making it our own.  Currently, the exterior is being painted so hopefully in the next few weeks I’ll be able to show you what it’s looking like now.  But HERE is the post where we announced that we were moving!!  This house was a part of my younger teenage years and I love that I get to call it home now.  It’s come a long way from move-in day!  I think I probably owe you guys a tour…but I need to finish some stuff first!  You can look back at the house HERE, HERE and HERE!

We’ve expanded our family with the addition of the girls’ bunnies, Lucy and Lacey.  And then along come Buttercat, followed by Ebony, the pony.  And now we sort of have another cat, too, that adopted us named Cuddles.  I love the addition the animals bring to our yard.  There is life around us and we enjoy the company of our furry, four-legged friends.

The other big change since the start of Farm Fresh Style all those years ago is the changes my career has gone through.  I was working in New Glasgow as a decorator but shortly after we moved into our new house, I left that job, which you can read about HERE and announced I was starting my own business doing decorating, markets and other fun creative things.  I also did some work at The Lifeshelter in town, which since had to close it’s doors, unfortunately.  And now I’m working for a design firm in Truro, Costandi Designs, and loving that.  I’m also the Design Consultant for At Home on the North Shore, a lifestyle publication based in Pictou.  So, my days are full and I love what I’m doing.

Over the course of my blogging history, I’ve joined a few social media platforms.  I started my Facebook page back around the same time I started my blog.  And then there was Pinterest which we all know is quite the rabbit hole of ideas, inspiration and loads hours spent scrolling!  I joined Twitter and I can’t say I post much there, but I do enjoy some of the threads of random conversation that happens over there, not the drama so much, though.  But then there’s Instagram.  Instagram has my heart.  I so enjoy the community that I have found through that platform.  I have made new friends through Instagram and stayed connected with old friends.  I highly recommend joining if you haven’t already!  If you’d like to connect with me through any of those platforms, please do, I’d love your company!

Over the course of 5 years, I’ve written lots of blog posts…most saw the light of day and a few didn’t. Writing is an outlet for me to share my thoughts and a place to document some fun things we do as a family, as well as some of the creative things I do.  When I started with the new website, I developed my tag line – ‘creating a country life in full colour’ and I try really hard to keep it real here for you.  I won’t air my dirty laundry, that’s for sure, but I do want to share authentically.  Are we perfect over here? Certainly not.  Is my house always clean? Nope!  Am I the best mom ever? Absolutely not.  But, I want to honour you, my readers, and so just like if you were coming over to visit in real life, I would offer you my best and since I am inviting you into our lives and home virtually, I still offer you our best.

It’s fun to look back over the years to see which posts are the ones you read and shared the most.  And which ones keep popping up, week after week.  The house tours tend to capture people’s attention, especially this one of a random, welcoming stranger, which you can read HERE.  A more recent one that is speaking volumes is THIS one….comparison is such an issue these days!

I would be remiss if I don’t give a shout out to the amazing blogging community that I am a part of now, the East Coast Mom Media group.  They have been a huge support and encouragement, as well as a wealth of knowledge.  Everyday I’m learning new stuff because of this crew and starting to tap into the potential that is out there.  And honestly, some of these people I am honoured to call my friends!

So to celebrate, I thought I would do a little give away! Because it’s fun to spread the love! Comment on the blog, on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with your favourite Farm Fresh Memory for a chance to win a  custom-made sign of a place close to your heart!  Your memory might be a post a wrote, an event that we attended together, a project I made or a decorating project I helped you with. I’ll be making my selection on Monday, September 4th!! You can see an example below of the one I made during a workshop…

Thank you for following along this journey, for stopping me when I’m out and about and telling me how much you enjoy the blog, or to those who introduce me to their friends as ‘you know, Farm Fresh Style’….seriously, you guys are why I keep sitting down and pounding out a post every now and again.  I truly enjoy writing and am thankful for the opportunity to do this.

To be continued,

Lori

A meeting at the fabulous Oceanstone Seaside Retreat with the East Coast Mom Media was a no-brainer…I had seen so many posts about the wonderful place from my fellow bloggers that I didn’t want to miss out!  Join me as I show you my day and then hop over via the links at the end of the post to see their take on the day!

Oceanstone Resort has been on my list of places I wanted to explore after I saw all the beautiful posts that my fellow bloggers had shared on social media.  So when the next East Coast Mom Media workshop was being hosted at Oceanstone, I knew I wanted to be there!  Not only to explore, but to connect and to learn, too. So, I shuffled my schedule, booked a carpool buddy and we hit the road for Oceanstone a couple weeks back.

First off, when selecting your carpool buddy, pick someone who is energetic, willing to grab coffee first and who is game for pit stops at iconic Nova Scotia sights.  This trip my carpool buddy was Sara of Dashboard Living based in Truro.  You need to check out their blog!  She was great company, very inspiring and encouraging!

So we roll in and wander down the path to the main lodge and meet up with the group of other bloggers.  Lizzie from Oceanstone greets us with a warm welcome and we go on tour of the nearby restaurant, Rhubarb, and some of the sweet cabins and rooms available to stay in there.  I’ll let the cabins themselves tell you how adorable and well thought out they are!

I mean, seriously, right?  I could stay in any one of the spaces we looked at.  Some are tucked along the ocean and some are tucked among the trees and paths.

Here’s some shots of the grounds, again, equally as charming as the cabins.

After our tour, we made our way back into the main building.  I couldn’t help but snap a couple of pictures of the sitting area by the reception – doesn’t this make for a warm welcome?

Oceanstone made us feel so welcomed and spoiled, we got a cooking lesson from their chef, who was not only a great chef, he was very entertaining and personable….now if only I could remember his name…Steve maybe? Hmmm…..apparently I need to take better notes. Anyway, he got us involved, this next photo shows Thanh of Love and Sundays and Kayla of Short Presents slaving away over a hot stove….er, cutting up veg for the salad.  They fed us an incredible meal, along with a tasty dessert and had drinks set up for us all day long, too.  Seriously, they treated us so well!

This is what happens when you get a bunch of bloggers with smokin’ social media in a room….photos of the food before we eat the food!

After our tasty lunch, we got down to business.  Blogging business, actually.  The East Coast Media Moms, Erin of DIY Passion and Colleen of Curtains are Open, lead us as we discussed Content Planning and  Scheduling. { Sidenote: I’m writing this at 5:30am and the post is due to go live at 7am…I think I need to take our talks to heart and look at the calendar and plan my content and time more wisely… }  As always, the discussions are lively, interesting and humourous and we may have gone off the beaten path a few times, too.  But I learn so much from my fellow bloggers, they are so supportive and willing to guide and help.  I feel like I’ve learned more in the past year or so than the previous 4 years of my blogging.

These types of events are so great.  To be able to explore new places and learn new skills, or hone the ones we have, is so important.  Plus getting spoiled while hanging out with bloggers who have become friends is win-win all around.  Jennifer of Simple Local Life is especially dear to me, so any time we can meet in the middle-ish and chat is a good day in my books!

Before we knew it, it was time to go again.  All goods things must come to an end, I guess.  I love that one of the last things we did was take the little jars that Lizzie from Oceanstone left for us and wander down to the beach, looking for tiny treasures to tuck inside to remember our time at the charming Oceanstone Resort.  It was the perfect way to wrap up our time!

They also sent us away with a bag of goodies, too, and when I say goodies, I’m not even kidding!  Hello, I mean Lure Caramels, a s’more kit, Fisherman soap and a sweet hand written note!  I’m telling you they spoiled us!

As we rolled out of Oceanstone Resort, Sara and I took a right and headed to the iconic Peggy’s Cove as it’s so close by and I think it’s a rule that if you are that close, you have to stop, right? It’s so stunning.

From experiences to learning to run my blog better to chatting with new and old friends, these ECM Workshops are a win in my books.  I’m so thankful for businesses who see the value in what we do and are willing to host us and for fellow bloggers who are willing to invest their time in us, coaching and teaching and offering opportunities – what a great day!

Be sure to follow the other links to see what the other bloggers who I hung out with have to say about their time exploring and learning at Oceanstone!

To be continued,

Lori

I was provided this opportunity to explore Oceanstone through their generosity and through East Coast Mom Media but my take on it is just that!