Food Fun Family

Cruella Didn’t Like My Dopey Costume… #PSF #TypeACon

Lolli — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 02:48:52 +0000

It’s been an insanely busy but productive and enjoyable day here in Atlanta. We kicked off Type A Conference with a fun dinner out, followed by a party with Disney Parks. I dressed up in an outfit inspired by Dopey, the adorable dwarf. I admit I didn’t look much like Dopey, but the outfit was fun anyway. Honestly, I could have ditched the rest of the outfit and been happy with the purple slouchy hat I crocheted last weekend.

Cruella De Vil, however, was not impressed with my Dopey costume and let me know of her disapproval.

Yes, she was hilarious and had all of us cracking up.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter for conference updates and tips that I learn over the next few days.

And now I’m going to try to get a little bit of sleep.

It’s your turn! What have you been up to lately? Link up your posts (any posts with photos in them) below. Have a fabulous weekend!

An InLinkz Link-up

Top 5 Reasons to be Excited About Blogalicious #BYOE15

Lolli — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 10:00:52 +0000

Note: I am a member of the Blogalicious Social Squad, which means that I will be volunteering at the conference in exchange for my conference pass. All thoughts are my own.

I’ve struggled over the last year+ with maintaining a balance – in my personal and family life, in my work, in my health. I took on too much, which meant that I wasn’t doing anything really well. I also wasn’t sleeping much, which naturally made everything else I was trying to manage harder to keep up with.

In the spring, I decided that I needed to make some changes. Change is not something that comes easily, but my 27-day road trip, sandwiched in between 2 trips with members of my extended family not only kept me away from my desk for the majority of the summer, made it just a little easier to break free from a few habits and commitments that were tying me down.

The kids just started back to school this week, and I am easing back in to a more normal work routine….a work routine that leaves room for lunches with girl friends and a mid-day bath every now and then. My new schedule is focused more on living life instead of working my way through it.

One of the keys to making sure I have time and energy to LIVE my life the way I want while still managing my blogging business is to spend my time and resources wisely. This past year has taught me a lot, but it has also made me more aware than ever of the things that I could be doing better. I decided that it was time to take a break from my blogging conference hiatus and head to a conference to up my game.

While I was preparing to leave on my road trip back at the beginning of the summer, I decided to apply to be a member of the Blogalicious Social Squad…which means that I will be joining an amazingly talented, energetic, focused, driven, and fun group of volunteers at Blogalicious in Baltimore next weekend. Basically, I’ll be one of the people helping the Blogalicious conference weekend run smoothly. I’ll be making sure that conference attendees get through registration without a hitch and walk away with a badge, a swag bag, and a smile on their face.

And I promise that when I drive home after the conference, I will be wearing a bigger smile on my own face. This year’s conference theme is Build Your Own Empire, and it will be taking place September 11 and 12 in Baltimore, Maryland, with a special add-on VIP day on the 10th.

Here are a few more reasons that I’m excited about Blogalicious this weekend:

The Learning – With sessions like these, I know I’ll be filling my brain with ideas on how I can do what I’m doing even better. There are so many things I need to learn. Yes, after 8 years of blogging (count them…EIGHT years!) there are still days that I feel lost. In addition to the classes, I am also excited about the networking and sharing of ideas between bloggers (that’s where I get some of my best ideas!).

The Friendships – I am so excited to see some of my long-time blogging friends at Blogalicious, and I’m excited for the chance to not only meet but work closely with a whole new group of friends. Because I know we WILL be friends. I also have one of the most inspiring, amazing roommates at the conference hotel EVER.

The Connections – I value the brand connections that I make at conferences. Some of the connections that I’ve made at past conferences are still going strong after several years. Why? I believe it’s the value of the face-to-face relationship. Next week, I’m particularly excited to participate in an intimate “board meeting” with Toyota and a handful of other bloggers.

The Focus – Blogalicious is focused on building up. Whether it’s building individuals up or helping individuals build their businesses, I love the focus of this group!

The Renewal – And I need it. I can’t wait to soak in the enthusiasm that I have already noticed on social media from my fellow Blogalicious attendees. Hopefully I have a few things that I can give back to them. We’re a community, as diverse as we are as people, and as diverse as our websites and businesses may be. We are connected.

Another bonus reason I’m excited about Blogalicious – it’s in my own backyard this year! I love finding conferences that are within driving distance, and since Blogalicious is in Maryland this year, I know I’ll be seeing some of my favorite local blogging friends.

Will I be seeing YOU at Blogalicious next week?

Behind the Scenes at a Food Blogging Workshop #PSF

Lolli — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:00:09 +0000

I LOVED teaching the hands-on food blogging workshop at Digital Family Summit (linked to “class notes”), even though preparing for it at the last minute certainly did add a little bit of stress to an already busy time of year. Although my food photography confidence is not as high as I might like it to be, I am passionate about food and admit that I do it well. I was grateful to have the chance to spend some extra one-on-one time with Robin Zachary, a professional stylist, to gain a few tips on making my food pictures a little more visually appealing.

I’m still working on that (Honestly, I could use a few more weeks of throwing ideas around).

My two youngest kids and Robin’s son were critical in setting up the room. We had a crafting table FULL of supplies and paper, pens, and glue.

We had a props table, which included a mock photo shoot to the side to spark ideas and inspiration.

And there were backdrops and table clothes galore for the attendees to chose from.

Really helpful tip: grab a bunch of foam core board from the dollar store and cover it with your favorite pretty wrapping paper. Voila! Instant fancy background for your pictures!

We had a cupcake table with 150 fresh-baked cupcakes and almost as many cups of colorful sprinkles (that the kids organized by color).

And, of course, we had the frosting station with trays full of ingredients, mixing bowls, and carefully guarded hand mixers and mega-bottles of food coloring (the blue has finally worn off my hands).

The lesson: hands-on cupcake-decorating, prop-wrangling, photo-taking workshops are a whole lot of work to put together but they are so much fun.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

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Digital Family Summit in Photos #WW #Digifam

Lolli — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 20:42:16 +0000

Three of my kids and I headed to Digital Family Summit in Baltimore this past weekend, and while I was busy preparing for and leading my workshop on food photography, my 10 year old took over my camera and took all of these shots (minus the one with her in it). I think she really captured the essence of the conference, and I’m totally going to hire her for my next event!

30 Inspiring Quotes from Type-A Parent Conference 2013

Lolli — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:23:43 +0000

It’s hard to sum up the awesomeness that was my 3rd Type-A Parent Conference this past weekend. The keynotes, the sessions and the hands-on workshops were inspiring, educational, and uplifting. And, as usual, I’ve got a list of dozens of things that I want to change and do better.

Type-A Parent Conference is the ONE conference that I will not miss. Apparently, it has just the right combination of information (I always leave feeling like I learned SO much), good people (these are people that I relate with, enjoy being around, and aspire to be more like), and fantastic brands (some of my best long-term brand relationships have been born inside the Type-A expo hall). I can’t say enough good about it.

I’m still feeling slightly overwhelmed since I’ve gotten back (to the tune of a few hundred pictures and a list of 8+ posts that are due soon), but I know that I need to get some of my thoughts down while they are still fresh in my mind. The majority of my Type-A conference notes were taken on Twitter, as I live tweeted many of the sessions that I attended. Since those short but to the point sound bites seem to so accurately represent the feel of the conference (plus, they say what I want to say so much better than I can say it right now), I thought I’d put together a list of some of my favorite quotes from Type-A.

What is your favorite quote from the Type-A teachers?

Disney Inspiration via @Gary_Jerry:

1 – “Pie Crust Promises” are easily made and easily broken. Date the idea, don’t marry it!

2 – Curiosity keeps leading us down new paths – Walt Disney {Have a short memory and look ahead!}

3 – I would rather entertain someone and hope they are educated than educate someone and hope they are entertained — Walt Disney

4 – The difference between what Buzz called a “laser” and Woody said was just a “little light that blinks”….Imagination!

5 – “If you’re coasting, it means you’re going downhill.” -Walt Disney

6 – When you create content, remember the human element.

7 – “It’s not where you take things from. It’s where you take things to.” – Jean-Luc Godard

The importance of email marketing for bloggers via @phollows

8 – 5 mailing list tips: above the fold, social proof, incentives, respectful popups, don’t get complacent…test!

9 – Instant gratification matters…and works. Reward readers for joining your email list.

10 – Social proof – people like to feel like they’re not alone when they join a list.

11 – A FB like on a post is like an air kiss. When a reader becomes an email subscriber its like buying curtains together

12 – Seth Godin: “I get 10x more response to my blog from my email subscribers than I do from anyone else.”

13 – Make sure your email marketing is mobile friendly. 40% of emails are opened on mobile devices. wow!

Working with brands and firms:

14 – Be real, be you, and create great content for the brand & you’ll create that lasting partnership

15 – Yes, companies are looking at your community, no matter how small. The ROI doesn’t always exist with the big numbers.

16 – Don’t be afraid to negotiate! It’s not about greed, it’s about worth.

The value of the written word via @AnissaMeyhew and @postpartumprog

17 – Put more volume into what you say…not filler words!

18 – Remember brevity – when someone new comes to your blog, you’ve only got a few seconds to impress them and KEEP them.

19 – Don’t become paralyzed by what other people are doing and what you are NOT doing.

20 – When blogging…Keep it fresh – pay attention to what’s going on outside your content area.

21 – Be passionate about what you are writing about! If it’s not there, figure out a way to maintain OR move on.

22 – Be awesome + be authentic. Words to live by.

23 – Bad grammar is just as bad as auto play music on blogs! I so agree!

Courage…via @AmberCadabra

24 – Cultivate resilience. Regret is a much heavier burden than failure.

25 – Remember…you are not the only one “faking it” – beware if real life Photoshop. We all have struggles.

26 – “Having it all is…having enough!” So true! We don’t have to balance everything.

27 – I want to die empty. To have all the laughter, joy, fear, anger dispelled from me. (something to aspire to)

28 – Every successful person puts big things on the line. Also…sometimes its ok to quit things.

29 – Whatever is scaring you and holding you back…forget them. Take big risks to get big gains.

30 – Courage is about being afraid and doing it anyway!

The We Still Blog finalists read their inspiring, often tear-inducing, sometimes laugh-out-loud, always incredible posts on Sunday.

Were you at Type-A? What was the most helpful thing you heard or learned at the conference? If you weren’t there, what do you wish you could have learned?

*All pictures in this post were taken by me, as one of the official Type-A Atlanta photographers. A ton of my pictures will be added to the Type-A flickr stream and will be available to share soon.*

Let #TypeACon Begin! {#PSF – Give Me Your Best Shot}

Lolli — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 23:19:17 +0000

After a super-early morning flight from Baltimore to Atlanta, I arrived at the #TypeACon conference hotel. I got here in one piece, but boy am I feeling my lack of sleep. I ran into one of my favorite people on my way out to grab some dinner. Jennifer and I have worked together for what feels like ages, spent hours on Skype and email, but haven’t met in person til tonight.

It’s going to be a great weekend!

What have you been up to this week?

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

The Best Moments of #BlogHer12 Through Instagram – #PSF Give Me Your Best Shot

Lolli — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:08:51 +0000

The other day, I posted some of the photos that I took on my “real camera” during Blogher last weekend. Although they are certainly better quality, these shots that I took with my HTC One S from T-Mobile (no, I am not being sponsored to say this…) truly highlight the best moments of BlogHer for me.

I’ve discussed this year’s BlogHer with a few of my friends who were also there, and came to the conclusion that as enjoyable as my time there was, the conference simply didn’t meet up to my expectations. Despite the fact that many people view what I do either as a time-consuming hobby or as a constant party, I like to treat my blog as a business, and conferences are where I network and make contacts to pull me through the upcoming year. As much as I tried to make meaningful connections with brands at BlogHer (hello! Two brands that I am fiercely loyal to – Canon and T-Mobile – were sponsors at BlogHer), I felt like I was just one in the crowd of faces and business cards.

Luckily, my experience with my sponsor, Dodge, was fantastic, and I DID get some one-on-one time with them. Like I said before, my time at BlogHer was enjoyable…and I am so grateful for the chance I had to go. But I wanted to get a little more out of the conference than a few new t-shirts and a bunch of new re-usable bags for grocery shopping.

And now to move on to the happier things. From Radio City Music Hall to Newsies to fantastic views of New York City, it WAS an incredible weekend.

Please note: Amazon affiliate links are used within this post.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

To Miss and Be Missed

Lolli — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 02:44:20 +0000

I’m finally back from Blogher (a full week in New York City is intense!). I had every intention of writing some kind of Blogher recap post…or at least a photo post or something.

But as little as I’ve been on my computer this past week (conference internet really stinks) being on my computer is the last thing I want to do tonight.

Today I was welcomed home by a very energetic 7 year old (and some reserved but happy-to-see-me older kids). Tomorrow, my two oldest girls leave (one to a week-long camp and the other to Utah to visit a friend, followed by a week with family) and I want to soak up as much time with them as I can.

I have so many thoughts swimming around in my head, so many experiences I want to share, but it’s all going to have to wait. Sometimes there are more important things to take care of.

Like laundry folding, dinner prepping, shoe shopping, milkshake drinking, vacation packing, book reading, gift giving, and mommy cuddling.

It’s good to be home. It’s good to take these times for myself, but it’s even better to come home. To miss and be missed.

Caution: Hot #WW Wordless Wednesday Linky

Lolli — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:24:06 +0000

Yes, it has been beyond hot in Maryland, with record highs (ok, I actually don’t know that for sure, but it surely FEELS like we’ve had record highs). But this Wordless Wednesday photo was taken in Philadelphia at the Digital Family Summit a week and a half ago when I was touring the hotel’s amazing kitchen. This chef was a doll!

For more inspiring photos, check: High Impact Mom, The Bonafide Life, Shanamama, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Mom Blog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist and Zensible Mama and link your own photo stories.

Linked up to Wordful Wednesday, Wordish Wednesday, and Wordless Wednesdays all over.

Are you playing along with Wordless or Wordful Wednesday today? Link up!
Want to grab my button?

Type-A Parent Conference 2012 in Pictures #WW

Lolli — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 02:59:58 +0000

I returned from my second Type A Parent Conference a few days ago and just barely made it through all 1000+ photos on my camera’s memory card. How do I wrap up 4 days of friends, fun, and learning? In a photo collage, of course…

Linked up to Wordful Wednesday, Wordish Wednesday, and Wordless Wednesdays all over.

Are you playing along with Wordless or Wordful Wednesday today? Link up!
Want to grab my button?