5 Aussie bloggers doing kick arse things with video

I am still very new to the world of YouTube and video.

12 months ago, I had never even watched a video on YouTube, let alone taken the time to watch a video on Facebook.

But since discovering Facebook Live earlier this year, I'm all over that!

And I thought it was high time to sing the praises of these lovelies who are doing kick arse stuff with their videos.

My 5 takeaways from pbevent

After trying to recount each day at ProBlogger last week, I realised that I needed to take a break from even thinking about the weekend at all, and put all thoughts out of my mind for a few days. I've only just sat down with my notes again today, and I'm struck by how many notes I actually took, and how clear they are! We're able to access the event recordings now, and I plan to sit with my notes and take more notes on the bits that I missed, in order to flesh them out a bit.

The biggest thing to come out of the weekend for me (besides Sophie finally night weaning) has been recognising that my One Little Word® for 2016 has already appeared to me. As big as BRAVE has been for me this year, my word next year will be equally as strong.*

So, did I learn anything from the speakers? Well, yes, of course I did. If you followed my instagram or facebook page, you would have seen me hashtagging everything with #iamaglowstick all weekend. This made so much sense to me, both from the bending to be brave perspective, and the shine like a glowstick idea. It's something that I'll embrace again.

So, in no particular order (except the order of my notes), here are the stand out quotes for me, and why.

1 the wellbeing of my blog is tied to the wellbeing of me Darren Rowse kicked off his keynote speech with this line, and I started nodding my head. It wasn't until I started making an effort to move my feet this year that I realised how much of a slump I had been in. Granted, it's not totally sorted out, and I have some days where I feel like sitting in a corner rocking from the overwhelm, but just getting out in the sun can make a small difference. Now if only I could solve the overwhelm, I think I might be on to a winner.

2 a business has paying customers, a brand has ambassadors Jadah Selner from Simple Green Smoothies took the mic next. This quote stood out of me as I reflected on my own buying habits - when I buy things from people, I generally buy everything they produce, and shout out to the world how fabulous they are, but not on first meeting, only after we've partied for a time.

3 the need to be inspired is universal Ruth Soukup from Living Well Spending Less shared a powerful keynote address at the end of the weekend, but this quote came from her Pinterest101 workshop. And while I don't necessarily have issues with pinterest (I've found that one of the best ways to grow is to pin, regularly, every day), it was interesting to hear Ruth's advice for images and inspiration.

4 stop researching keywords, start listening to customers Kate Toon from The Recipe for SEO Success shared these words she got straight from the mouth of Rand Fishkin. I listened intently, because researching [everything] is something that I'm prone to do; overthink and forget to actually act. {replace "readers" with "customers"}

5 share, don't consume I can't remember if these words came from Carly's mouth, or Christina's, but like the quote before, I'm an excellent consumer, but a crap sharer. I need to get better at sharing, because I read so many amazing things that other people should read, too.

And what of the one thing I'm going to action [for now]? I've vaguely had a goal in mind that says "grow email list" for most of this year, but I always grapple with making specific, measurable goals**, so I waffle. A couple of months ago I had an even vaguer idea about starting a new list and sending a weekly email, but I binned the idea when I missed the arbitrary date I had set myself to get the first issue out by getting sick.

But ProBlogger made me realise in a way that I've been avoiding with BRAVE, that I'm my own worst enemy, and I need to get out of my way. So the Hello Monday*** list was born. And a stern note to actually send the monthly newsletter**** each month. because you know what they say, if you want something done, ask a busy person.

* There's only 119 sleeps to Christmas, meaning there's only 126 sleeps until the New Year. You're welcome.

** The goal for both lists is 100 people by Christmas. One newsletter is closer to this goal than the other.

*** Launching September 7th, the Hello Monday newsletter will be a welcome to each week, thoughtful articles to read, and ideas to help reframe our Mondayitis.

**** Sent on the 15th of each month, sporadically over the past year but with a schedule for the coming year, Foot in the Door provides a peek into the month that was, and the month to come with links to favourite blog posts, thoughts on adventures, and life.

And just like that, the ProBlogger wrap up is done. Was it worth it? Totally. Even the workshop I didn't walk out of gave me something to learn. Would I go again? Yes. Although I'm not sure I would go a third time (but never say never), I think I need to go a second time, because the nerves wouldn't go with me, so all those things I didn't do this year I could do with ease a second time. I've got my fingers crossed that the dates, when announced, won't fall in September next year!

5 tips for facebook groups

Facebook groups are fast becoming the way to gather people together with similar interests. They're easy to add people to, keep information in the one place, and you can add files and images to groups, making them great for classes and sharing information. I admin a few groups, and have gathered a few tips to help you get the most from the groups you're in.

1. if you're in more than one group for a particular niche, don't ask the same question in every group at the same time. For example, I'm in no less than six blogging groups, some general and some for specific purposes. A lot of Aussie bloggers are in the same groups, so questions to each group are visible to the same group at the same time. A better way to make your question visible would be to stagger your posts in the different groups, making it more visible to people at different times.
2. try to search for your query before asking. This can be a little difficult, because you can't search groups from mobile devices, but if you've at least tried to search, you won't frustrate people who've answered your question 3 times this week already. And previous answers may have been more detailed than provided this time.
3. scroll through posts occasionally. Posts bump to the top of the feed each time someone comments, so take some time to scroll down the page and see what others are posting
4. don't just click like. Groups are for interacting with others and building relationships in a way that you can't in newsfeeds, so take the opportunity to comment and connect with others. You get out what you put in.
5. when you've finished with a group, leave. When your interest in a group wanes, leave the group, it will clear up your newsfeed, and make room for the next group to come into your life.

Do you have any tips for using groups? How many groups are you part of?

5 ways to style a maxi skirt

I'm not a fashion blogger by any stretch of the imagination. My idea of dressing up these days is a new tshirt and let's not discuss how much angst was caused by the dress I wore to my sister's wedding!

So it was pretty random when I decided to by a maxi skirt before we headed away. I wore it (instead of scrunching it in a ball in the bottom of my bag), and I think I'm converted! I absolutely loved the feel of it! (And it's long enough that I didn't have to shave before wearing!)

But once we were home, I realised I didn't know what to wear with it. So I headed to Birds Nest for some inspiration.

Dark Rose

I love the pattern of this skirt, with small pops of colour.

Timeless Love Letter

This is totally my style (twenty years ago)

Red Bird

The skirt I bought is a black knit, so this simple, elegant styling is perfect.

Jingle Bells

A simple top with a bold colour skirt is perfect for entertaining on Christmas Day (only 132 sleeps!)

Flags and Stripes

 A  maxi dress isn't far removed from a maxi skirt, this styling looks nice and casual for summer days.

I have lots of ideas for my next shopping trip!

5 tips for beating the hump day blues

I mentioned on my facebook page yesterday that I've had the blahs a bit this week - sick kids and a sleeping husband and general stress has caught up with me.

And then I came up with a list to beat the blahs, and did everything on the list.

1. wear something different. I wear jeans and tshirt every day. Even wearing yoga pants leaves me feeling as if I'm wearing pyjamas some days. So yesterday I put on a maxi skirt that I randomly bought before we went away, and felt a little bit dressed up all day.
2. set a timer for 5 minutes, and clean the living room. I put toys away, picked up little scraps of rubbish, and Sophie trailed behind me, throwing toys out again, but the room was neater.
3. get out of the house. Achange of scenery can make such a difference, even if it is just the supermarket.
4. do something you love. I love to bake, so whipped up a batch of muffins for afternoon tea, and everyone was happy.
5. talk to a friend. In this instance, I woke Steve up a bit early and caught up with all the work gossip.

How do you beat the hump day blahs?

5 goals for october

It's been a long time since I've set myself any goals, but I'm struggling to get anything done at the moment, so I'm going to try some small simple ones, and see if that helps me get things done. I'm hoping it does!

1. update the Christmas card list. I like to do this every year, dropping people off and adding others on. I love sending Christmas cards every year!
2. print all project life photos to date. I've kept taking photos, writing notes, sketching ideas, now it's time to print photos and start putting them in the album
3. decide on handmade gifts for this Christmas. Because if I decide, then I'm one step closer to starting the making process.
4. keep menu planning each week. This is really helping our weekly budget, and my sanity at dinner time.
5. sort out the bookshelf beside my desk. It's become a dumping ground over the last twelve months, and I can't find anything any more.

Do you goal plan each month?

5 tips for tricking yourself into a better mood

"Morning sickness" is the bane of my existence at the moment. Actually, it's not morning sickness, it's all-day-nausea, and it's debilitating. When it was at it's worst, before Christmas, I avoided going out, even to the supermarket. So when a social engagement came up that I really didn't want to miss, I had to do something to make myself feel better. Here's how I tricked myself.

Get a haircut My haircut was already booked before I remembered I had been invited out. I went from feeling shaggy to feeling lighter.


Wear something different this wasn't so much a choice as nothing-fits-the-growing-bump. But I found a skirt with an elastic waist, and started with that.

Put on some makeup I don't wear makeup, but when I went to Melbourne, I discovered Garnier's BB cream. For me, it's the perfect product to cover up the blemishes from pregnancy, and the pale, sickly skin I seem to have at the moment.

Say "yes" to the invite I'm very good at cancelling at the last minute if I can't be bothered, but I was determined to push myself out of the house.

Participate in the conversation Just like cancelling, it's easy to sit back and watch without participating. I felt better when I left because I'd had my say on things that interested me in the conversations.

Do you have any tips for tricking yourself into a better mood?

5 goals for january

I've done monthly goal posts sporadically over the last couple of years. They usually involved a project I wanted to complete, or something I wanted to introduce into our daily life. This year, in keeping with my word, I'm going to choose activities that actually stand a chance of being completed. {I do hope I'm not setting myself up for failure as the year progresses and gets busier!}

Source: chloeroseboutique.tumblr.com via Cate on Pinterest

Project Life this is my biggest-concern-for-failure. I haven't really scrapbooked much in the last couple of years, but I'm still taking photos, and have stories to tell, so I thought I would try putting it together in a project-life-style album. My weeks will run Monday to Sunday, so I'll share my first pages in a post next week.

baby#5 I shared last week that we're on an uncertain journey at the moment with this pregnancy. When I visited the hospital earlier this week, they changed my due date based on the nuchal scan, so I'll be having amniocentesis before the end of the month, which will lead to decision making.

12 on the 12th album except for November, I took photos on the 12th day of every month last year. As part of the membership at Simple Scrapper, Jennifer created an album template that I'm going to use to put all my 12 on the 12th photos together.

School holiday fun There's only 3 weeks until school starts again, so we're going to have some small adventures, in between vacation care days.

Getting ready for school The kids need new shoes, uniforms, school bags, heck, they need everything new this year, so we've got some shopping trips ahead of us.

Do you have goals for this month?

5 things I'm letting go of this season

Source: abrightcorner.com via Cate on Pinterest

I'm not doing an advent-anything. My kids just don't seem to get the idea of waiting, or taking turns, or sharing, and I hate the idea of individual advents. Maybe next year we can try again.

Source: howsweeteats.com via Cate on Pinterest

I often cook lots of veggies on the day, but they rarely get eaten. I'm undecided about whether we will completely skip this one, because asparagus and bacon sounds pretty awesome.

Source: weddinggawker.com via Cate on Pinterest

Beautifully wrapped gifts are not going to happen until all the kids are older and can admire them for the treasure they are.

Source: childhood101.com via Cate on Pinterest

Cut-out cookies of any sort. I hate the rolling and cutting process, and would probably hate the decorating process, too. If it can't be rolled into balls, or sliced from a log, I'm not doing it.

Source: designdazzle.blogspot.com via Cate on Pinterest

Handmade santa sacks. This isn't the year to decide it must be done. Maybe next year.

What are you letting go of this holiday season?

 

5 ebooks I've recently downloaded

{alternative title - 5 ebooks I purchased this month}

It is said that to become a better blogger, you need to read more and write more. I've certainly been fulfilling the read-more part of that statement since I got an iPad - it has truly opened me up to getting things read!

I use 3 apps to read - iBooks, which is part of the basic iPad software; Play Books from Google, which is free to download when you purchase from the shop; and the Kindle app, available to download from Amazon.

Melissa reviewed this book at the start of August. I haven't read it yet (this is about books I've purchased, not read), but as I shared in my comment over there, Douglas' mum was a Mormon and knowing a bit about her religion might help understand her. And Mormon women are very prominent scrapbookers, I've always wanted to understand a bit about their beliefs.

I had forgotten that I registered at Chookooloonks to be emailed about the next running of Path Finder, so when the email popped into my inbox, stating that it wouldn't run again this year, and maybe not next year I quickly signed up. (Then I immediately had buyer's remorse, because the day before I enrolled in Susannah Conway's Blogging from the Heart.) But it had been a while since I read Chookooloonks, so I decided to buy the book. {I have started reading this, and am really enjoying dipping into the stories. Quite a few things are speaking to me.}

I follow Ella Publishing on Facebook, and was lucky enough to score a code to buy this book for $US2! (I recommend following them, because it's not the first book I've scored a code for!) I have also started reading this book, and love the albums Elizabeth Dillow has shared.

Click here to view more details
{Affiliate link}  Tell It's Story blew my mind. I've read it twice now, and love the simple concept, something that I'm trying to figure out how to apply to my stuff.

Shift is another great book from Amy Schubert at Lemon and Raspberry. It's free. And worth getting. I stumbled on Lemon and Raspberry while researching blogging or creativity (I can't remember which, but she falls into both categories!)

And just to prove I can read fluff-stuff, this is the first of three short stories, available only as ebooks. They're a stand-alone story, but part of the Odd Thomas series if you're a Dean Koontz fan. I found them on Google Play, and have read all three books.

What ebooks have you downloaded lately?

5 constant commenters

Back when I shared my 10 on the tenth post, I mentioned that I wanted to share some blog love. But as is usual in my life, the month got away from me, so I knew that it had to be the very first five that I did for August.

So, without further ado, here are the five ladies (and their blogs) who comment here most, even when I haven't commented on their blogs in who-knows-how-long! I met all of them through scrapbooking (probably from taking Blogging for Scrapbookers), and even though it's been three years since the class first ran, they still visit at least once a month!

Alison lives in Spain! I love seeing her photos of the country - it's kind-of Queensland-esque in it's sunshineyness! She blogs at Life in the Slow Lane.

Beverly is from North Carolina (which I think is in the South? Because she's always pinning yummy Southern foods!) and blogs at BE glorious.

Deb is a school secretary in England. She tells some pretty funny stories about students and teachers over at Deb's World.

Kirsty is another English lass. When Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers ran in 2010, she scored herself a makeover from Shimelle, and is still rocking the woodgrain background with purple and green - I wish I could move in! She blogs at Handmade by Kirsty.

Melissa is a Texas girl (that's South, too, isn't it?) who has great adventures with her husband in between remodelling their home. She blogs at Daily Life - Bits & Pieces.

Thank you every single one of you for your constant-ness here. I smile every time I see a comment from you, even if I'm slack and never comment back.

5 random keyword searches

I've been focusing on learning more about my blog this month, and building it into a better-for-me system. An idea that is repeated in a lot of the ebooks I've been reading is to choose 3 keywords, based on previous posts, and make those the focus of your blog, even if you blog your personal story. I like the idea of tighter focus (or maybe guided focus), and using keywords as umbrella topics, so I headed into google analytics to see what searches have people finding me. (I often share keyword searches on my facebook page, if you want a giggle)

Someone landed on my blog by searching "weekly goals." And they even found a post! "What do chicken pox look like first" is pretty easy - Natalie was diagnosed with chicken pox when I was pregnant with Riley.

"Chicken feta spinach filo" and all variations is the most searched for term ever on my blog. You can find the recipe here.

A guy knocked on my door last week, collecting money for a children's charity. He was English, and in our discussion, I asked him if he really thought kangaroos could be seen hopping down the main straight. He said "yes." For the record, kangaroos live in the bush. I don't live as close to kangaroos now as I did when I was a kid (although wallabies were visible near Chloe's school last year.)

I can't imagine which post "handy Cate" led to. Although I am pretty handy.

"Mums in stockings" found a hit. The mind boggles.

Have you ever checked your keyword searches? What was the weirdest?

5 things I learnt from my blog buddies

The concept of "blog buddies" and mentoring groups isn't a new one, it's been very popular overseas for awhile now. But when Trudie from My Vintage Vow suggested that our Queensland bloggers group try something like it for extra support, lots of us jumped at the chance to be involved. The group close to me includes Renovating Italy, Blunder Mum, Mrs BC's House of Chaos, Redcliffe Style, Sew Cook Laugh Live and Bagni di Lucca.

When someone suggests bringing a plate, you get a huge variety of food.

iGadgets or paper and pen only work if you use them.

We all had knowledge to share.

I've got ideas for at least three more blog posts.

3 hours goes quickly when you're comfortable with the people

5 ways to procrastinate

1 - boil the kettle, walk away and load the washing machine with clothes. Boil the kettle again, then walk away and load the dishwasher. Because it is essential that you have a cup of tea before you sit down and finish the paperwork/read those magazines from last month/plan next terms scouts program.

2 - write your grocery list on a random scrap of paper, a cupboard wall, and with the weeks menu plan. Don't take the lists with you, and fill the cupboards with unnecessary items that won't get eaten.

3 - buy every ebook available on the topic you're researching. Take weeks to read them, then don't refer to them when you finally get around to writing that piece you can't remember the idea you had.

4 - don't buy all the items you need for a super-cool project, then say "I'll do it next week", forgetting that the kids are on school holidays next week.

5 - delegate to the kids. It means that it will never be done, and you can blame them.


Disclaimer - I may or may not have done any or all of these in recent times.

5 {to-dos this weekend} on friday

I don't have a hugely busy weekend coming up, but there's a few things that I need to get through.

bread and butter pickles

Our scout group is holding a cake stall fundraiser at a community event next weekend, so amongst all the baking I'll be doing next week, I thought it might be interesting to try my hand at making pickles and jams and chutneys. Because I like putting myself under undue pressure. And people like the horrible stuff. (I'll make it, but I don't like it) So, cucumber-dependant, I'll be making jars of pickles on Sunday.

On Saturday, I have a whole day of leader training to attend for scouts. It was supposed to be a whole weekend activity (you can imagine how impressed husband was about that!), but branch has been unabe to get a leader to teach skills to my section (you can imagine how happy my committee is about that - I can't be a leader-in-charge until I've done this training!)

Next week's colour for And Sew We Craft is green, and I was inspired by yesterday's post to create a project for that. Just need to find the perfect fabric in my stash.

I've been reading each day's prompts for Cover to Cover, but I'd like to start putting some of my thoughts down on paper. I'm truly coming to understand how handy technology can be, because I'll use my iPad to do that while sitting in front of the tv at night.

Husband and I have been sucked in by Revenge and Game of Thrones. We have 3 episodes of Revenge and s6 episodes of Game of Thrones to watch, because we like to watch a chunk at a time, rather than wait each week. I think this weekend we'll spend a little bit of time watching Revenge.

What's on your to-do list this weekend?

5 {things I'm packing for camping} on friday

We're off on a camping adventure this weekend. And today I'm procrastinating about packing. Because I'm taking photos instead of actually packing-into-boxes.

A pen, because I always think of something we should bring on our next trip.

Nail nippers, because I always break a nail.

Tools, because the one time we forgot them, we needed them.

Marshmallows and Milo, because the whole purpose of camping is to have an open fire to toast marshmallows and drink hot chocolate in front of.

A new beanie for mum, and gloves for the kids, because we think it's cold in our house in the mornings, but we know it will be even. colder. sleeping under canvas.

Do you go camping? What's on you must-have list?

5 {things right now} on friday

Thank you for all the support with the whole Chloe situation. I can't share more about it, mostly because I don't know any more, but it's also not the sort of story I want out on the internet. To be perfectly honest, it's the sort of situation where I am going to lose my daughter, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

I bought a pair of skinny legs jeans recently. My first-ever. They are super-trendy coloured jeans from Emerson at Big W. (I bought the burgundy, because the purple was too. big!) They feel beautiful to wear, nice and soft (I was asked if they were velvet), but jury's out on the skinny leg cut. Maybe getting some super-cute (and almost impossible to stand for long periods of time) ballet flats, instead of my tap-tappy black shoes, will change that feeling.

I was lucky enough to get my own iPad a couple of weeks ago. (The new iPad3 has awesome graphics!) I have always loved printing out class materials, but I'm also loving the flexibility of loading PDFs onto my iPad and reading them wherever I am. (I only figured out how to load PDFs onto Steve's iPad the week before I got mine. That's kind-of why I wanted to get one.)

The food at retreat last week was simply awesome! But would you believe, I was the only person photographing the food?! (except breakfasts, forgot the phone) Coming soon to a layout. (and I'm working on a retreat recap post for Sunday)

This girl has been sick this week. And she's home from school today for the second time. The weather is cooling down, and she's my asthma baby (Chloe is, too, but that's a whole other story.) Night coughs suck when they lead to vomitting.

What's on your mind right now?