And in the door she walks...I'm back!

You may have noticed I didn't show up for Open Slather Monday last week.

I'd spent the prior four days travelling and visiting with my sons family in Macquarie Fields, south of Sydney.

It had been 12 years too long for me, and seven years for Jake, since either of us had seen them.

My son and I travelled five hours in the car, then flew from Avalon, near Melbourne to Sydney airport. After all that I was even stoked to then jump on a train out the southern suburbs. It had been too long since I had stepped foot on a Sydney train. 

The next few days were amazing. A piece of my heart will always be in Mac Fields, with this family. 

There isn't any place on earth that makes me feel so alive, so at home, so free to be...myself. My heart again, became immediately entwined. Leaving hurts so much, like chunks of meat separating from the fibres of my heart, glued with the strongest adhesive that is love, acceptance and an unspoken understanding. 

The trip home was hard, from the goodbyes at departures to the last leg of the road trip home, where I shook my head, my brain telling my heart to STOP IT, a knowing smile on my face.

I had the chance twenty years ago to pack up and go. Something stopped me, and I can't help sometimes to dwell on it. Especially this last week. I have to realise that the past is the past and I can't spend too much there. What ifs are just that. What was will never be again. My son however, is so blessed to know and have them in his life.

I woke on Sunday morning at 5 am. Jake's nan dropped us off at the airport, we flew at 7:45, then drove again, five hours home. I was knackered and emotional. Emotions I kept to myself, because how can I go back to my husband and tell him I had doubts about leaving my sons father those years ago. I was grieving in a way, of what was. I've been weird all week. 

I know it is all for the best now. But last week I didn't have the physical or emotional energy to blog. I gave myself a break. 

It was quite the trip. It's been a long time since my son and I had travelled together, after all we've been through over the last few years. He handled it like a champion. Even with me crying on the plane home, he asked me in the most beautiful way if I was alright. I told him I always get sad leaving his family. Again his strong yet gentle, caring ways shone through as he told me, "It's alright Mum". And at that moment I knew that everything was alright. 

This trip was meant to happen, the timing was perfect, and the way I was feeling was normal. 

Life is all about the learning, sometimes it's lessons are hard, on our minds and our hearts. The most important thing to learn is that life does go on, and we must embrace every day for what it is, a new beginning and to live in the gorgeous moments that every new day brings. It's also about knowing when you need to cut yourself some slack...

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How to share effectively on Twitter

Whether it be sharing your work, or what I like to do, share others work, here are some tips to help you do it more effectively and win at this Twitter bizzo.

1. Use share buttons

Most sites these days have a plethora if ways you can share straight from the page you are reading.

On blog sites, this is usually at the end of a post, or a pop up that comes out from the side of the page. I prefer the ones that are located at the end of the post. Those pop up ones are sometimes really annoying and only serve to cover up most of what I am trying to read.

If you have your own website, I cannot stress enough to make sure you have sharing options available, and to make sure they work. I want to share your work, and other people will want to as well.

Important as well, if you have a 'follow' Twitter button, make sure, when clicked it takes the reader to YOUR Twitter feed, so they can easily follow you.

2. Use your tweet to your optimum advantage

What I mean by this, it to make sure you use every available character (you have 140 of them to use) to your advantage.

Some tweets from a web page will have room to add something else. So hashtag the hell out of that tweet. Add a hashtag in front of any relevant word in the tweet.

Most twitter users search for hashtags, and a lot of tweets are liked, retweeted or shared again in online publications, because of their subject matter.

As of late last year, the 'favourite' option, with a star icon, was changed to 'like', with a heart icon. I have only just cottoned on to this.

From 87 characters remaining, to the one below, tagged to the shitter with 4 remaining characters left.

3. Tag the author of the post you are sharing

This lets the author know you admired their work. It lets them know who is sharing and what. If you are lucky (or the person you tagged has good twitter etiquette), they will retweet you, or like your tweet.

4.  Be a gracious tweety bird

If you are retweeted or you tweet is shared on an online publication, be gracious and thank them for retweeting/including you.

I feel so glad when something I have shared, is shared on a wider scale, beyond Twitter. I love seeing someone else being recognised for their work all because I shared it in the first place. Plus I get my gorgeous mug(totally tongue in cheek) and twitter handle shared about as well. Which really is good advertising for my blog, and good karma coming back at me.

The middle tweet from My blogworld, telling me one of my tweets has been shared in their online publication.
The shared tweet below in that publication.

5. Choose your handle wisely

Your twitter handle is the words after the @ sign of your twitter user name. Mine is @alleychook. I wish I had chosen wiser.

Early in the process of blogging, I had no idea of social media and unifying all my accounts with my blog name. In hindsight I should have made the name of my blog my twitter handle.

It makes it easier for people to remember when tagging, and makes it easier for people to associate your blog, with your tweets. 

Being a part of Twitter definitely has it's advantages. I am not an active user as in browsing the millions of tweets that happen everyday. Who has time for that shiz?! I have found it invaluable for sharing my own and others work on the interwebs though.

Bonus tip:

Create yourself a unique hashtag over all of your social media accounts and spread that shit like glitter.

I have created #openslather, #onemotherkitchen, #onemotherkids, and #onemothergarden. If someone searches or clicks on one of those hashtags, all of your relevant work will come up. Easy share, and easy exposure. In theory. You have to do all of the hash tagging work.

Do this in the tags on your blog posts, photos your share on social media and posts you share on social media.

Happy Tweeting!


Are you on Twitter?

How have you found your Twitter experience?

Are you using your social media to the best of it's ability?

 

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See ya later 2015.

It's obvious looking at my #2015bestnine, that my flowers posts are most popular. I am in disbelief that there is not a food post there at all. My hubby does not understand why I photograph my food, let alone share it. I love my #onemotherkitchen posts.

I posted a photo of flowers on Instagram yesterday, that too is getting lots of likes. It seems this may well be a focus for me in 2016. I have been missing flowers in my house of late as I've been to bat shit crazy busy to get out and pick a bunch. The scorching hot days we've had haven't helped much either. Most of the flowers have been fried by the hot sun.

A photo of me made it as one of my highest liked. This was significant for me, in that it was taken after one of my evening walks, 15 weeks ago. Being more active and eating well has seen me lose 15 kilos in the latter half of last year. It was a turning point in doing something for me, I feel so much better for it. Although the last few weeks have me feeling a bit thick around the middle and a little emotionally worn out,  that 'time out for me' walk after dinner will have to make a return.

I love that my only crafting project of the year, a cross stitched table cloth made an appearance. A friend of mum's gave it to me, god knows how long she had it for. It was a pattern from an ancient New idea magazine. I still haven't used it, it's folded up in the linen cupboard and will probably stay there for a while longer. I'd need to get myself a plastic table cover to protect it from my messy kids. And then there's the mandala I coloured in. The only thing I coloured last year, and probably the last I will ever. I have not embraced the colouring craze.

What did you learn from your #2015bestnine?

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Biding my time with gardening and art

As I gardened yesterday morning, I had thoughts of some smug little bastard looking down on me, smiling and nodding, all Mr Miyagi like. He'd be all happy I was learning some patience. Not that I need teaching. I think hubby needs that lesson. The lesson for me was to slow down, to live in the present, I am sure of it.

You can't get more down to earth and living in the present that doing some gardening. I deadheaded roses and cut back some perennials that had had their moment in the sun. Their flashy show of colour. Instead of wishing my present away, waiting for the keys to our new holiday house, I was tending to the house we already had. A garden that needed tending to, before it is neglected in the excitement, of a new house, that will steal our attention for a while.

I have been busy making my own art to hang at Casa Pelicano. We really can't afford to go all out and buy all the stuff. I have seen the stuff, even pinned it. I've just gone out and made it myself, for much less. It's the only way I can have said stuff!

I bought two canvases, two picture frames, brushes and paint for $23, from the cheap shop. A sheet of MDF for $10, and learnt to use(not very well) hubby's jig saw. 

The two canvases

The two frames with free chalkboard printables

rainbow fish made with old wood offcuts, painted and glued to a sheet of MDF.

A pelican for the front door and a sign for kitchen

I am suitably impressed with myself, even though they are not perfect, they are me. They are folk arty, like the way peasants have decorated their homes for centuries.  I like them and that is all that matters. 

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Pouring happiness

I was reminded of this saying last week. I wanted to share it with you.

It isn't hard to be tolerant of people who are different.

It takes real character to be compassionate. To be understanding when you really, don't understand.

To be generous with your time, without thinking how much it impacts on you, but how much it will make someone else happy, is the greatest thing you can do.

No one could maintain this all the time though. I know I need time for myself, when I need to take care of me. But one kind deed, has a follow on effect, that makes many people smile. It makes them smile, with that warm fuzziness that makes days seem sunnier, puts a spring in a step that may have otherwise been laboured.

What will you do, to spread happiness today?

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