It’s funny how something like this can stir up feelings reminiscent of highschool. We have to make business and networking decisions that we hope will expand our blogs; which sessions to go to, the people to hang out with, where to sit at lunch. You hope you don’t say anything stupid, or you know…..trip and fall down the stairs. And then they’re is the whole “deciding what to wear” issue. It’s about enough to make a girl go nuts. Especially someone who has never been to Blissdom before.

So just a few short tips:

The thing about the Opryland Hotel is, 1) it’s awesome.

and 2) You walk a ton. (which is good because of all the good food you eat…..)

(last year I wore these cutesy slippers when I got tired of my heels)

I never found the “perfect clothes” last year, and that’s ok. I brought what I felt good in. I’m not the most fashionable gal in the world, (which I was keenly aware of rooming with fashionable JoLynne from Musings of a Housewife) but I don’t think most noticed. I didn’t really see what other people were wearing anyways! This year I hope to do a bit better.

I also loved bringing along my datebook last year to hold all of the business cards from other bloggers I met. I just pop in a baseball card insert (from like a million years ago when I thought it was cool to collect them…….I have a bunch of cards, anyone want them?) and I can easily see the info I need! And make sure your own business cards have your blog URL, email address, and if you have room, your avatar. Sure, social media is nice to put on there too, especially twitter, but if you have all that info on your blog, you’re good to go.

If you’re going too, I recommend checking out the Blissdom blog where they talk about all of the “insider tips”; from getting there, to making your way around the enormous hotel, to getting the most out of your experience.

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

And then it hit me.

I no longer write out my to-do list. I no longer write down my yearly goals.

Back when I worked a full time desk job, my planner was always close at hand. I’d spend my day working (of course) but often times I’d jot down things I wanted to read, projects I wanted to do, or even my to-do list for the next day.

I very much enjoy a good to-do list.

And so it begins that this year I want to be able to do more. Because the work I do at home is never finished, my blog is never finished, and I honestly don’t feel like I can sit back and really feel like I’m done. That and my to-do list keeps getting longer……. So I thought I’d break up my year into more manageable pieces, and focus on each quarter as it comes around.

Personal Goals, 1st quarter: January – March

• Read four books – I used to be quite the book worm. In fact, I used to get in trouble for reading to much when I was young! Somehow throughout the years I’ve made less time for reading and more time for other things. Things that include a screen…… And while I do love to read online, I also love to educate myself with a good old fashioned book. I have a very long list of books on my to-read pile on Goodreads. Forty-seven of them in fact. Quite a few of these are actually on my shelf waiting to be read! The ones I’d like to tackle these next couple of months are:
• Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God – currently about 5 chapters in.
• Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life
• The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are – I bought this one at Blissdom last year after listening to Brene Brown speak, I’m hoping it’s as inspiring as she is.
• Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living – I just got this free for Kindle yesterday on Amazon! It’s by Tsh from Simple Mom (I currently write for her Simple Organic website) and looks really good.

• Finish eight more units in my master herbalist curriculum – I. Am. So. Slow. Seriously, a work at your own pace thing has become my downfall – I keep letting life (and blogging) get in the way of furthering my education. So I’m setting myself goals and trying to read at night instead of watch tv.

• Learn to make cheese – You’d have thought I would have already been playing around with making cheese right? Or at least attempted it! But no. I rarely get enough milk from our farm share to make milk, some weeks getting none at all. But a friend of mine is leading a cheeses making class AND our farm has extra milk right now. Guess that means I’m making cheese!

• Study three new herbs – Along with working on my curriculum, I thought it’s be fun to research and play around with one new herb each month! I’m about ready to put in my bi-yearly Mountain Rose Herbs order so I’ll be adding in a couple extra herbs I’ve never used before.

• Try eight new recipes - This may be a bit lofty, yet I’d like to begin trying a new recipe each week or two. I find that making new dishes helps me keep things fresh in the kitchen as well as expands my knowledge of food and preparing it.

So what are you currently working on?

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

That was last year.

As I stood in line for my very first ride, the excitement mounting, I was barely able to stand waiting a moment more for my turn. Grinning from ear to ear, palms sweating, clasping on to the ones closest to me. Talking faster, jumping up and down.

I greeted last year with the same anticipation. Knowing exciting things were right on the horizon. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen, what opportunities I’d be presented with.

I buckled in, my heart about ready to explode. The ride was just about to start and I was so elated I could hardly sit still. If I was any more excited I might just burst into a million pieces!

Last spring I was offered a book contract, something I never expected to happen. My 30th birthday came around in June and not only did my sister surprise me with tickets to the New Kids concert, my husband set up a surprise party for me with my family – my first surprise party ever. Life was exciting! So many awesome things were happening.

All of a sudden the ride starts and we begin inching upwards, any higher and I swear I could touch the heavens. This is it. This is what I was waiting for.

I remember so vividly the answered prayer requests, the seemingly unending joy I experienced each day. I was writing a book about natural fertility and found out weeks before it was finished that I was expecting my third baby. I once shared with a friend

“Two very specific things I’ve been praying for, for almost a decade, have happened in the last two weeks. Feeling so insanely blessed and thankful as He continues to pour out His blessings. Not that we may never have hard times ahead, of course, but we are thoroughly enjoying our life right now!! “

And then it happened. Instead of being on top of the world, I was peering over the edge. Falling and breathless, my stomach in knots. There was no getting off the ride now.

My miscarriage. The loss of my baby. The loss of a dream for what my life was going to be like, what his life was going to be like.

photo credit: kingdatoro

I normally do a year end recap here on the blog, but I just can’t get myself to do it this year. So much happened. Two thousand eleven was literally one of the best years of my life. And it was also the worst year of my life. The Lord has been gracious and kind to us in our mourning and we’ve changed and grown in so many ways. We are better after everything we’ve gone through.

I look back on this year with such mixed emotions, with hesitation look ahead to the next.

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

I spent a day last week cleaning out my closet not only of summer clothes, but the clothes I knew wouldn’t fit for months and months to come. I washed and hung all of my maternity clothes, searched the barn to make sure I knew where the newborn clothes were so I could grab them easily next spring.

I began counting down the days until we could find out the sex. I loved watching my belly begin to grow.

And then it all changed.

While the midwife didn’t hear a heartbeat on Thursday, I tried not to worry. It was still early enough where that’s considered normal – we were only 9 weeks past conception (technically considered 11 weeks along). But on Saturday when the spotting began, I just knew.

And on Sunday morning when it wasn’t stopping, my dear husband took me to the ER to see what was going on – the worry was becoming all  consuming.

We spent what seemed like forever waiting, and by the time the ultrasound tech came in, she couldn’t hurry fast enough for me. She asked if I wanted to watch (of course!) and informed me that because she wasn’t the doc, she couldn’t tell me anything. When the screen lit up and I saw my baby for the first time I was ecstatic to see that little life form…until I realized it wasn’t moving, and there was no heart beat.

The ultrasound seemed to take an eternity, for which I am grateful – I knew it was going to be the only time I’d be able to see him this side of heaven. The image of my baby is now etched deep inside my heart, although it feels like it’s burst into a million pieces.

My Heavenly Father now carries my little one in his arms just as he carries us through our grief.

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

© donielle - iphone photography via instagram

I was also able to make it to a bulk natural foods store and stock up on nuts, seeds, and whole grains for the winter, so I set about soaking and dehydrating some this week.

© donielle - iphone photography via instagram

I also made an entire gallon of water kefir now that I have some whole cane sugar in the house again. man, a few years ago I wouldn’t have known what to do without sugar! Now we go weeks upon weeks without it and it doesn’t make a difference in our meals.

Homemade yogurt is also something that I’ve been trying to make each week again, but this batch was a bit runnier than I like for snacking on a bowl of yogurt and fruit. An easy tip is to strain it with a thin cloth to drain some of the whey out! You can strain enough out for greek style yogurt or go all the way to yogurt cheese. And I like having a bit of whey in the fridge for soaking and lacto-fermenting dressings and mayo.

© donielle - iphone photography via instagram

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

And now I can finally blog again – if I remember how.

It’s also a funny thing not blogging for a while. I almost don’t miss it. I mean I do – but I don’t miss a lot of the issues that come with regular blogging, like trying to keep up with what others are doing, going after advertisers, dealing with comments and a slew of e-mails I normally receive. It’s been a nice break to be able to write and not have the added stress. I’ve also been able to come to some ideas of where I want this blog to go and what I want to do with it. All take time of course and only time will tell if I’ll be able to implement them. You see, I’m happy at where I am in life. I have two precious little lives that I need to train and raise, we started homeschooling my oldest this fall – so it’s important for me to take the time with them first. I don’t feel that God has his plans for me taking this to a full time job. I’m sure I could do it, I could really make something of myself, make good money – but it’s not the current plan for my life.

My dream has always been to be a stay at home mom – one that is present for my children. And a wife that spends time with her husband in the evenings. I can’t do all of that and be good at my primary job too.

I do have some fun things planned for the blog though, a couple different projects in the works, but as my schedule fits them.

My Next Big Project

While I’m keeping my blogging on the down-low for a little bit, as I recoup from writing almost 85,000 words, I do have one pretty big project up my sleeve. And I know what some of you are thinking, what with my dealing with adrenal fatigue over the last couple of years, that I might be trying to stretch myself to thin again in such a short amount of time. But this one is a God thing.

.

..

…

….

…..

The Lord definitely has good timing in his blessings. At 7 weeks along, the major fatigue and the icky tummy hit me hard just these last few days – and the book is done. So I didn’t have to try and write while feeling under the weather!

We’re extremely excited to be welcoming a new little one in May!!

And this is the first pregnancy where I was actually charting so we found out right away, which was fun. And here I was only charting since I thought my luteal phase was a bit short (common during breastfeeding or bouncing back after breastfeeding ends – we’ll discuss that at some point). We told our family right away, but with only one test and having a history of annovulation……I took another. You know, just to make sure.

So while I’m definitely feeling fatigued – this newest project is very much welcomed!

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

Wondering if they to can make money blogging – cause it only takes a few minutes per post {hahahaha}……..

wondering why my house isn’t cleaner…….

wondering how in the world I can say I’m busy…….

But us bloggers are a rare breed.

We spend time writing each post – the average from talking with fellow bloggers is about 1-2 hours per post. The more links and information, the longer it takes.

We deal with an influx of e-mails – most of the time spending over 30 minutes per day going through them all.

We also keep up (for the most part) with social media ; facebook. twitter, linkedin, stumbleupon, instagram, pinterest, four square….

Finding and working with advertisers takes time, effort, know how, and creativity.

And we love it.

Blogger also know how to support each other, because we know what drives traffic and we like to support others with similar beliefs, values, and some of us are downright – friends. You know….the real kind that chat regularly about family and life.

But I also got to thinking, that those who don’t blog may not know how to support their favorite bloggers they read every day/week. So here is a list of ten ways to help them out.

One. Don’t Copy and Paste.

Content drives traffic, and when our content is copied and pasted elsewhere, our traffic takes a nosedive. We are constantly battling other bloggers taking our content and posting it on their blogs, and while most of it is only because people don’t realize what they’ve done, sometimes it’s actual scammers driving traffic to sites that only steal content. They make money off of our posts. When you want to share a post with someone else, be kind and send them the link. If you have your own blog, you can publish just a small quote from the article and then drive the traffic over that wants to read the rest.

Another problem we come across are meal plan sites that allow users to copy and paste recipes and pictures into their account – and then share them with other users. Now, recipes are actually not copyright-able, but the instructions and pictures are. So when you want to share a recipe that a blogger has posted or put it into your meal planning account, just write it into your own words. And don’t copy the pictures.

And always, always link to where you found it.

In the last 30 days I’ve had my content copied and pasted elsewhere 854 times, 7 of which included pictures.

Two. Subscribe to their blog.

Now, you may think that by subscribing in every possible way can only help them more, but in reality, we want real subscribers, not those that begin to ignore us on one of our many outlets. Say you follow a blog in five different ways. Well, that’s fantastic as it boosts our overall numbers, but 1) you’ll begin to be annoyed as everytime you open your e-mail, go on facebook or twitter – there we are! and 2) your five ways of subscribing still really mean that you’re one person – it’s not as if we engage with more than one of you.

So subscribe to your favorite blogger, but don’t think you’re helping them out with multiple subscriptions. Make sure you only subscribe in ways that fit you.

Subscribing to the basic blog posts:

• RSS Feed
• e-mail updates
• Naturally Knocked Up on your Kindle

You can also follow me on many different social media outlets:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest  {a site to log and share ideas, pictures, quotes, to list your project inspiration}
• StumbleUpon

{you can check out what a lot of the above options mean: Your Subscription Options}

Three. Share Content You Enjoy on Facebook.

One of the biggest sources of traffic, especially for my own blog right now, is facebook. Sharing our links with your friends is a wonderful way to not only share good info, but very much appreciated by the blogger. Most of us now have simple sharing buttons on each post to make this even easier for you. And if you “like” their page on facebook as well, you can also tag us in your post to help others find our page.

Sharing via twitter and other social media sites like Pinterest and LinkedIn are also loved and appreciated. Again – look for sharing buttons on the post.

You can easily find my social media sharing buttons at the bottom of each post.

Four. Stumble.

Another big way bloggers receive traffic and get their content in front of a new audience is by having people “stumble” their posts. You don’t have to set up an account with StumbleUpon (though it’s kind of fun – you find a lot of different content that you’ll enjoy once you begin to stumble, or “favorite/like”, different posts) but if you find that little blue and green button with the SU on it and give it a click, it basically tells the whole world wide web that you’ve found something of importance or enjoyment and those who use stumble upon will find it while they are “stumbling” through the web.

Five. Comment.

Imagine if you will (it won’t be hard) that your telling your husband about your new favorite laundry soap and he’s not saying anything. If he’s anything like mine is – all I get is a blank stare. maybe an uh-huh. And blogging without comments is kind of like that. We spend time publishing content that we like in hopes that others do to and commenting is like the hugest pat on the back! You don’t have to comment on every silly little post, but if something struck a cord with you, you have a question about what we wrote, or want to add a bit more information we love to hear it. plus we love getting to know who actually reads our blog.

Differing opinion? I for one, like to hear what others think and am always up for learning something new. As long as you’re nice, bloggers love comments that begin a discussion.

Six. Use Affiliate Links.

Many of us bloggers use affiliate programs to help fund the expense of having a blog. {you know….domain name fees, hosting fees, newsletter fees, design and coding help, etc, etc.} So we often times recommend products that we already like, for companies that give us a small percentage of what you purchased. Most of the time we’re looking at about 10% to 30%..

I am also part of many affiliate programs:

• Vintage Remedies {books on healthy living and herbal remedies}
• Cultures for Health {starters, kefir grains, etc}
• Bulk Herb Store {herbs and accessories}
• NaturOli {soaps and natural beauty products}
• Mountain Rose Herbs {herbs and accessories}
• Keeper of the Home {healthy living ebooks}
• Kitchen Stewardship {recipe ebooks}
• GNOWFGLINS {membership based ecourses for traditional foods}
• Frugal Granola {herbal remedies ebook}
• Modern Alternative Mama {recipe ebooks}
• All That is Good {traditional foods ebook}
• Heart of Cooking {menu plan service}
• Health, Home, Happiness {grain free menu plans}
• Hard Lotion {hard lotion bars}

Seven. Visit Their Site.

With all the subscription options, and now that social media has come on board, traffic to the actual site can drop off a bit. So to show your favorite blogger you care, type in that URL every once in a while and take a gander at what they have going on directly on their blog.This helps us know that 1) people actually DO read what we write and 2) gives us a more substantial number to show advertisers.

For me: I’ve recently updated the Recipes Page and added a Table of Contents to make finding popular series easier.

Eight. Support Their Advertisers.

Most bloggers I know blog with integrity – meaning they don’t allow advertisements on their blog for products they do not endorse. I’ve actually decided to forgo being with an advertising agency as I have a hard time controlling all the ads that I may not like. For instance – last year I had some soy milk ads showing up – definitely not something I endorse! {and if you see an ad on a blog that goes against what you think that blogger stands for – call them on it! Bloggers want to be seen as trustworthy, not just out for any dollar they can get}

Often times we will recommend a company that we are working with to our readers, and while we may be receiving funds from that particular company….speaking for myself – it’s going to be a company I believe in. So check out the advertisers every now and again and see what they offer, because we’re advertising for them because we actually think it’s something our readers will be interested in.

Nine. “Buy Them a Coffee Tea“.

It’s funny really, blogging is one of the only services rendered where the actual user doesn’t pay for it. Instead of buying cookbooks, or books at all for that matter, content is available all across the web free of charge. I can find pretty much anything I need on the old world wide web; from how to use html codes and plugins for wordpress, to how to make cottage cheese and use old t-shirts. Heck, even newspapers are dying off to the instant news that is the web – and bloggers are bringing it. Providing free content is the name of the game and we’re all ok with that! But many times we get to dog gone busy to go after advertisers, and some just plain old don’t like the look of a sidebar gone crazy with ads. So using the small little donate button on blogs is a way to help the blogger fund the actual blog and keep writing. And yes – there are many in it just for sharing information, but once a blog gets to a certain size, there are fees to deal with. You don’t have to ‘donate’ any sizable amount – in fact I would highly suggest keeping it under $5.00. Why? It’s just enough for a cup of coffee tea and about the same cost as buying and mailing a card.

Ten. Recommend to a Friend.

Not only will your friends like you for sharing a great blog {well – except mine….because people struggling with infertility hate to be told ‘how to get pregnant’…..} but the bloggers appreciate it as well. It makes them feel as though what they write makes a difference. That people think it’s important enough to share.

Wanna share my site? Depending on how well you know them, usually a recipe is a great way to get them in.

*bonus number eleven. +K them on Klout

Klout is basically a site that takes into account all of a persons social media outlets and gives them a score based on their interactions. By going to Klout and giving bloggers a +K on one of their topics, helps them show others {advertisers} that they really know what they are talking about and have an audience that cares. I personally would love a +K on anything food or fertility related. Though for some reason nothing fertility related shows up in my topics…….. but they think I’m knowledgeable about salsa.

So there you have it – eleven ways to support your favorite bloggers! What have you done for your favorite today? I spent five minutes and shared a post on FB and stumbled a few of my favorite posts I’ve seen come up this week.

*this post is linked to Top Ten Tuesdays at OhAmanda

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

© donielle - iphone photography

Oh my heavens, driving around without AC in the van is not only miserable……my curls rebel! No bueno.

© donielle - iphone photography

But we’ve finally tamed the frizzies and I found hair band that’s been long forgotten. More more “Einstein” hair.

© donielle - iphone photography

Ahhhh…..garden fresh green beans and fresh kale – can not get enough of the wonderful summer foods!

© donielle - iphone photography

We have a group of local bloggers that get together once a month and this week Sommer, of Green and Clean Mom, came to show us her new book (My Mommy is a Blogger) as well as talk about working with brands. Such a fun time – sure wished she lived closer!

© donielle - iphone photography

Don’t think what the chickens eat affects their eggs? Think again!

© donielle - iphone photography

I’m sorry – but for as long as we’ve eaten “real food”…….the bakery case at the supermarket still smells amazing!! Though I don’t bother buying donuts anymore since last time I fell weak to the smells, it didn’t even taste good. So now I just savor the scents of fresh baked sweets instead of trying to indulge in them.

© donielle - iphone photography

Such a waste! One of my jars broke when making yogurt a few days ago. Learned my lesson to only use jars specific for canning.

© donielle - iphone photography

The heat sure has been a doozy this week! High in the mid 90′s and humid. My dog just can’t get enough of the sprinklers.

© donielle - iphone photography

And I shall leave you this gem to drool over! Homemade Peanut Butter Cups. Step away from the pan. Four ingredients and quick to make. Recipe is scheduled to post next week!

© donielle - iphone photography

Have a blessed weekend!

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

And my washer also broke, so that was awesome. Flooded the room every time I tried to wash a load. Luckily I have a hand hubby who was able to fix it once the part came in after a week or so.

© donielle - iphone photography

I also spent a pretty penny buying a local pastured chicken at the market last week, but it served us well for 3 meals. Roasted, soup, and then my husbands favorite dish, Italian Cream Cheese Chicken. Super great when I make it with the homemade broth from the chicken bones, raw milk, and lots of veggies. {believe me – there’s a ton of broccoli under the pasta. promise}

© donielle - iphone photography

I have some girls outside that love to party late into the night! And with the sun out so late right now, often times they’re still out pecking in the last bits of sun for the day when I’m ready to head to bed. One night I had to chase them around and catch them all up so I could go to sleep! Silly hens.

© donielle - iphone photography

Last week I also attended a blessingway for a friend of mine, due to have a baby. What a wonderful night we had, full of fellowship, food, and support. The food is always fantasticly awesome too. I made my veggie rice and it went over great! Brought a whole double batch and came home with very little. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should – it’s a great way to fit in extra veggies during meals.

© donielle - iphone photography

My pretty henna. <3 My friend Stephanie does a great job!

Shut the front door!!

While looking for a birthday card for my littlest sis, I found this gem. {why yes, I did listen to it a few times}

© donielle - iphone photography

Gluten free pancake awesomeness makes it’s appearance each Sunday morning in our home. {recipe coming soon}

© donielle - iphone photography

I’ve been known to try some pretty crazy things – not skydiving or rock climbing or anything fun like that – but my kitchen always seems to be half food prep and half science experiment. Right now I’m growing mushrooms. And they are like a weird sci-fi experiment with how fast they grow!

© donielle - iphone photography

Thanks for joining me this week – have a blessed weekend everyone!!

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

And yet, my life would feel so odd if I didn’t sit down and peck at the keys each day. I’ve grown to love the sound of the pitter patter of my laptop, the way my dog sits at my feet each time, and the sounds of my son building sky scrapers and train tracks in his bedroom for an hour each day while I work.

This spring I was solicited by a publisher to write a book on natural fertility. A real, live, ‘sign a contract’ kind of  book!

© donielle - iphone photography

After prayer and discussion with my husband, we decided that it would be a good time for me to head into this uncharted territory. So the contract is signed and I’m busy trying to figure out what I’m doing!! I now have about 11 weeks to get 80,000 words to paper, so I truly covet your prayers.

• that the right words come together, make sense, and will impact others,
• that I’m able to remain stress free and still have time for my loved ones,
• that the time I do have to write is productive,
• and that I can really convey my thoughts on natural fertility through a Christian perspective

I am beyond excited about this new opportunity!!

Shouting it from the mountain tops seems about right.

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.