springtime life catchup

is this still a lifestyle blog? it's been a minute since i did a good old fashioned life update post. if you read my post on 'why i scheduled side gig work hours', you can imagine i've done some reorganizing and restructuring in my life recently. these changes have been immensely satisfying for my health and happiness. needless to say, there have been a lot of changes in recent weeks - all good changes. guess the springtime is bringing some spring cleaning to my life, yeah?

i was recently asked if i was still considering moving, and it kind of caught me off guard. i haven't thought about moving in months, which is odd for me. birmingham... what are you doing to me? this wasn't the plan! i dunno y'all. but for now i'm staying put. let's just say that.

so here's what i've been up to lately...

• i finally stopped by local juicery sprout & pour to try out their juices, and i was so impressed! quench is definitely my favorite.
• alabama is currently experiencing the brief few weeks of spring we'll be allotted... so i'm finally wearing some bright colors and enjoying it!
• the other weekend, i got together with beth and rachel to work on a project of ours, and we knocked out a few blog posts in the process too... beth had a beautiful strawberry lemon cake to photograph, and i photographed my pecan crusted goat cheese bacon greens salad. YUM.
• i've gotten a lot more confident in my thoughts on marketing, social media, etc. - and i've found i actually thoroughly enjoy writing about them. my writing skills need flexing, badly, but i think i'm going to be able to maintain a linear thought process and actually write on a few of my marketing tips, tricks and experiences. so far, it's going well, and i've enjoyed the content switchup!
• still listening to being boss like it's my freakin' job. LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST.
• i ran my second color me rad 5k (read my tips from last year here) and had a blast. if you haven't done this 5k, just go do it. it's a great way to start your saturday. 

has your spring started off on a good note?

social media: scheduling vs. organic

confession: until my experience at food media south in february, i didn't even realize this was a true debate. at one of the panels, our parting wisdom regarding social media was this: don't ever, ever schedule social media.

my friends and i collectively flipped out.

scheduling social media has been my saving grace. without tools that allow me to do this like hootsuite, or buffer, i'm quite positive i would have lost my sanity somewhere along the way. there is a true beauty in being able to sit down and proactively plan your brand/blog's voice - even if you only plan a few days in advance. knowing that your social media is active, present and there while you're busy is comforting.

but what are the cons?

during the panel on social media at food media south, one of the cons expressed was, undoubtedly, the potential for your scheduled tweets/posts to render as insensitive due to events unfolding at the time of their scheduled posting. in today's world of rapid citizen based reporting, it's almost inevitable, however, that many posts can be classified as insensitive simply because they are posted during a certain time, their content irrelevant.

say a national weather tragedy strikes - floods overtake the great plains. you own a pool installation company in this region. you sit down and plan your tweets for the week on a certain day, far in advance. during the frantic tweets about flooding, the iphone videos of water overtaking a house... there's your tweet: "want a better way to relax? GET WET with our SOAKING summer deals!" hmmm, well damn, i think everyone is surely wet enough....? and now you look like an asshole.

but what makes sense for your brand? consider this: are your scheduled posts relatively neutral in their content? could they stand among frantic weather tweets and not look silly? i mean, let's face it - tragedy does not stop the world from uploading youtube videos, making vines and snapchatting. what does this mean for your blog, business or brand?

unless you have a full-time social media person to manage it for you, 24/7 organic posting for many is, simply, impossible. for some brands who post 1-2 times daily across all media, sure, it's feasible. but for most, who are trying to stay afloat in the never-ending chatter, scheduling is a must, and at minimum, must be used to supplement organic posting.

social media scheduling do's

• DO decide how often your posts need to be written. once weekly? every 3 days?
• DO write content that is neutral, but aware. think about the time of day you're posting. draw attention to this - if you're posting a link to an article at 6am, prompt the "early birds" to click & read over their morning coffee.
• DO keep your social media outlets on your phone with (if you can stand it) notifications on. this way, your scheduled content is published, and you can still reply, favorite and retweet in real time.
• DO write organic posts in addition to scheduled ones. if you spot an article, remember a factoid, or feel the need to have something put out there - do it. don't schedule it. just whip out your phone and tweet it.
• DO stay on top of your "voice" in your posts. don't sound robotic.

social media scheduling don't's:

• DON'T write your posts for the week and never glance at your facebook or twitter again until it's time to write more posts. scheduling doesn't mean you don't pay attention, it just means you aren't sitting at your computer all day writing.
• DON'T write posts that could be rendered irrelevant at the time of their posting - remarks about the weather, current events or newsworthy topics are best left for organic posting.
• DON'T rely on scheduling as your only form of social media interaction. mediums like instagram and pinterest require more organic thought and energy - schedule time to work on these as you deem appropriate, but don't forget about them if they coincide with your brand.
   

do you schedule any social media? do you see a benefit to doing so? why or why not?

review + recipe: lighten up y'all

i know a thing or two about southern cooking. growing up in alabama with ties to mississippi, i've seen my fair share of biscuits, sweet tea and fried okra. and i'll be damned if it's not all delicious - but man, it isn't exactly the best for you. living in the south, you're kind of conditioned to not bat an eyelash at things like "fried oreos" or "buttermilk sausage gravy".

virginia willis's lighten up, y'all is a cookbook full of lightened up renditions of classic, tried & true southern staples - baked okra, oven-fried chicken, sweet potato gratin, summer squash lasagna, light pimento cheese & so much more. the recipes span from appetizers to main courses, seafood, bread/biscuits and dessert, an ample variety for any southern cook. i thoroughly enjoyed the photography and presentation of the book, which, as the title suggests, is light, airy and delightfully reader friendly.

i set to the pages to find a recipe that caught my eye. so, so many did (basil peach chicken breasts, YUM!) but i settled on whipping up a salad that uses some of my absolute favorite flavors. i added my own spin on it, but you can find virginia's original recipe.

i had some help from the wonderfully talented rachel of stupid good rachel for the food styling in these photos. she's the best y'all. aren't these greens stunning?

 

greens with bacon, pecan-crusted goat cheese

makes two servings. adapted from lighten up, y'all by virginia willis.

you will need:

• 4 center cut bacon slices
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 apples, preferably granny smith, gala or honeycrisp, diced or thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
• 1 6 ounce log goat cheese
• 4-5 cups washed, tender greens (kale, spinach, your choice)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt & pepper

 

to assemble your salads...

1. in a skillet over medium heat, fry your bacon until cooked. remove bacon from pan and pat dry. once your bacon is cool, crumble it or break it into smaller pieces. if you wish, saute your greens with bacon grease - this is optional.

2. thinly slice 1/2 red onion, and saute slices in remaining bacon renderings for 30 seconds. remove from pan.

3. thinly slice or dice your apples, set aside.

4. form goat cheese into small balls, then roll in chopped pecans. if necessary, put in fridge to firm.

5. to make your dressing, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper to taste in a container, whisk together.

6. top greens with sauteed onion, bacon crumbles, apples, goat cheese balls and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

 

disclosure: i received this book from blogging for books for this review. all opinions are my own.

an interview with allison of sweeteacakes

disclosure: allison provided me with some yummy cake to taste test (that i thoroughly enjoyed every bite of!). all opinions are my own.

a few weeks ago on twitter, i came across a company called sweeteacakes, and i was immediately intrigued. after visiting the website and viewing their adorable products, i knew i wanted to know more! i reached out to allison devane, the woman behind sweeteacakes, to learn more about her business and how she got started.

allison was kind enough to send me some cake to sample. first of all, her packaging is adorable - who can resists the mason jars? but what's inside is even better. the cake is moist, balanced and sweet, and the lemon icing is rich and perfectly complements the cake. warning - it's rich! i split the jar with a friend and we enjoyed it immensely.

i asked allison some questions about her unique business & the inspiration behind it. i love reading her story and drive behind this business - i hope you will too!

tell me about you & the story of sweetea cakes.

My name is Allison DeVane, I was born in Germany & raised around the world (thanks air force, pilot dad!). My mother is Korean my father is African American & all of his side of the family is from North Carolina. I would say that I have a pretty diverse background and have grown up to learn & love all sorts of cultures and  enjoy traveling. My father is a huge coffee fan and as we traveled or had our father/daughter dates we would frequently visit coffee shops to try new espresso, drinks, & desserts. Over the years I became infatuated with coffee, made a barista position my first job, and it became a dream of mine to open a coffee shop.  Recently I decided it was time to make my dreams come true but I didn't want to have just another coffee shop with some pastries. I wanted to have something different. I decided to make tea into gourmet coffee drinks & instead of ordinary pastries do tea infused pastries.

Why tea you ask?  I have grown up with the tea influence considering my mother's oriental background & my father's southern roots, but to tell the truth, I was never a fan.  I felt tea tasted like flavored water in comparison to my robust counterpart, coffee. So then my thought was, why not have tea like coffee? This was a game changer. Now I can enjoy a cup of tea that has similar consistencies to coffee & even have some blends with similar caffeination levels! Not only that, but I can enjoy my tea in gourmet coffee preparations like lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, flat whites, you name it! In correlation to this robust tea, I decided to bring that strong tea flavor to my pastries. The first type/flavor of tea I thought to recreate as a pastry was non other than sweet tea. Aside my feelings towards other teas, I have always loved sweet tea. I think sweet tea embodies that sweet southern charm. Its a refreshing drink, I feel like everyone that drinks it is always smiling, when I see it in a mason jar I just think of happy families having picnics, etc. The essence of sweet tea itself is a home, loving, charming ora that I thought would be perfect to recreate into a pastry - thus the birth of Sweeteacakes.

 

your cakes are inspired by your experiences in North Carolina - is this the market you're trying to appeal to? what makes sweet tea special to you?

I am not necessarily trying appeal to just the Southern Crowd. I am simply giving the south credentials for the drink I feel they made infamous & contributed to giving the drink such sweet (figuratively & literally) associations. Just reflecting back to the times I had with my family as a kid in NC brings a smile to my face. I feel that my family bonds especially over some good home cooked food. Sweet tea is something that was always effortlessly laced into my life similar to how rice is such a common food I eat from my mother's background. It is one of the diverse components that make me, me! 
 

what are your favorite memories of the south?

My favorite memories of the south is with my family and close friends. I have the family in North Carolina, at some time some of them were in Alabama, & I have a closer friends in Mississippi. I remember when I was visiting one of my best childhood friends and her telling me how much she loved sweet tea & how it basically runs in her veins. She reminded me of the delicacies of sweet tea and especially since then it has given sweet tea more character to me. Among that and other trips to the south for example Louisiana, all I have to say or share is the exquisite hospitality I experienced. Every place I went I felt like I was treated like family even though the person may not know me. This is the southern charm that I feel is so special & what helps to make sweet tea so sweet.

tell me about the process with your tea.

My tea is a lot different from most. When you have a typical brewed cup of tea you can see right through it and the consistency is similar to water. My tea however isn't transparent when brewed and the consistency is thicker similar to coffee. When you drink a sip of my tea you can tell there is more substance and it is more filling similar to drinking a coffee drink. All of my teas have similar consistencies to coffee and some even have the same caffeination level. Basically it is an extremely concentrated tea with all the flavors and substance extracted from the leaves. In essence this is a healthier alternative to coffee!

what flavors are next?!

I have a bunch of new flavors coming out! As far as an actual sweet tea flavored sweeteacake, I will be having raspberry come out shortly. Additionally, I am expanding the tea infused baked goods selection to macaroons, cakes, & cookies. All to be coming very soon!

check out sweeteacakes here, and give them a follow on twitter!

photos courtesy of allison devane & sweeteacakes.

why i scheduled side gig work hours

writing this post, i feel silly. it's a no-brainer, isn't it? well, no - for me, it wasn't. in fact, this highly intuitive, revolutionary idea was likely the furthest thing from my mind. until i implemented it, i didn't quite understand why others did, or how it would impact my productivity and overall well-being.

here's my problem: i'm a workaholic.

if permitted, i will grab a project and run it into the ground - up till 2am making tiny kerning tweaks on text in photoshop, brainstorming what i should or shouldn't have said in that email on my way to work, planning events in my brain on my lunch hour. how wonderful, meredith, you're so motivated!

wonderful, yeah, until it wasn't. there are only so many days of that type of obsessive, work-focused existence you can lead. it was truly insightful to learn just how hard i can work, that i can jump hurdles, that i can basically go into "beast mode" & get. shit. done. i am so, so good at that. but i can't do it every day.

so, i set up "work hours" for my blog and birmingham bloggers. these are the only hours i write posts, take photos, add things to the birmingham bloggers site, plan events, schedule social media or process join forms. it's two nights a week, and one day of the weekend - and that. is. it. i may answer a rogue email out of my allotted "hours" on occasion, but overall, i try to remember something i learned in the being boss facebook group regarding emails: i am not a paramedic.

what happened was i stopped putting myself first. working, writing and constantly staying on top of things became an obsession - and i was expending so much energy planning and trying to get it all done as quickly as possible that i began to neglect the basics. all the energy that fueled my over-working tendencies could have been put towards myself. now, i've finally re-shifted. i feel balanced. i handle my life - my day job, my health, my relationships - and my side hustle jobs come next, as they should. it doesn't mean i'm not just as motivated or inspired. i still have big plans, big dreams and aspirations for where i can take my own blog, businesses and my work with birmingham bloggers, but now, i am able to be much more focused and in tune. i feel much more productive and less scattered because i have my work hours, and i stick to them.

tips on how to start side hustle "work hours"

• let go. accept that it's ok to not work 24/7. (hardest part, y'all) make a list of your priorities, and then think on that - is how you're spending your time a true reflection of your priorities? are friends/family at the top? then why are you working 70 hour weeks?  

• if you have a day job and are also balancing side gigs like a blog, small business or artistic project, take a look at your calendar and keep in mind how much you're working during the day. decide on your side gig "work hours", whether it's 3 days a week or just 1. put these hours on your calendar and treat them just like the hours you do for your day job.

• stick to them! decide what emails you must answer out of hours. but really here, be honest. are you working at a hospital? is this email going to save a life? is it truly time sensitive? probably not. it can wait an additional 12 or so hours until your "work hours" start, can't it? and in that time, what can you do for yourself instead? read a book, take a walk?
• when you do work, work efficiently. how much more work on your side job could you get done if you utilized 3-4 solid hours on 2 days a week to really dive in, and opposed to feeling scattered - watching a youtube video in between answering emails or trying to do 10 things at once. focus on the task at hand. you may find you didn't need to work as much as you thought.

do you have work hours for your side business or blog? could you benefit from them?

podcast crush: being boss

after finishing serial months ago, i got into podcasts again. and then, the other week, when i was at food media south, tina antolini's chat about her work with gravy, a podcast by southern foodways alliance, alleged that the medium was returning - with a vengeance! back in 2006-2009ish, i listened to podcasts all the time - on health, news and spirituality. they were my favorite thing to listen to on my morning drive. somehow, that habit tapered off, and i didn't launch into podcasts again until serial got popular.

back in january, i started listening to the being boss podcast by kathleen shannon and emily thompson, and i have listened to every episode since! it's a truly wonderful podcast targeted to creative entrepreneurs, be it bloggers, creatives, small business owners, or just awesome folks looking to feel inspired. it's become part of my tuesday work ritual to listen to a new episode in the afternoon.

 

some of my favorite takeaways from recent episodes...

• self care is so important. take care of yourself. prioritize. schedule your workouts and downtime onto your calendar if you have to. you are your number one employee! if your number one employee is neglected - how can work get done?!
• your personal brand matters. show up as yourself 100% of the time in work & personal life.
• if you've got a side project or career, it should be giving you energy, not depleting it. if you're feeling burnt out by a day job in addition to a side project, take a step back from your side project and take a break.
• define what professional means for yourself, and uphold those standards. professional doesn't have to mean a power business suit. consider what these standards mean for your business.

what are your favorite podcasts?

are we toning it down?

lately i've been doing some thinking about the way we all communicate. yeah, that's a fairly broad topic, no? but further, i've been taking note of emails, tone, tweets... and i've noticed some things. primarily, these interactions take place between women - and, well, as a woman, i wanted to share my observations.

i think we're all guilty of it. you know what i'm talking about.

i'm talking about changing your tone and grammar online. it's a tricky firepit to dance around - after all, we're living in an age of misinterpreted text messages and "he didn't include a smiley face. does he like me?" being a legitimate question among friends at the dinner table.

language is powerful. bold, stunning helvetica glaring at you from your iphone 6 screen can feel as if it holds the weight of a ton of bricks. what we say to one another matters, as well as how we say it, and that, my friends, is an indisputable fact. but y'all, let's just say that in a lot of my correspondences (i am 110% guilty as charged, trust me) everything feels a bit... sugarcoated.

we worry that we come across as harsh or demanding if we don't use enough exclamation points or emojis. in email, we merely make suggestions instead of asking for what we want, for fear of coming across a certain way. we insert words where they don't belong - "i just thought that maybe..." replaces the confident "i thought". unnecessary apologies and explanations litter your gmail inbox like the plague.

i'm catching my own bias here. i'm trying to think of ways to eliminate the "justs" and the "maybes" and exclamation points and still come across as warm, sincere and inviting - and my first thought is, "but i don't want people to think i sound like a bitch." but further, is it necessary to be buttery warm and inviting 24/7? who is really like that?

maybe the focus should be on cutting down the verbal clutter. don't change your words, just eliminate them. trim up your interactions to make them succinct, passionate and wholly you - minus unwarranted punctuation. we can compliment, encourage, express and ask, or even demand, without dripping it sugar, and convey the impression of a competent, friendly person. it's not about being rude, it's about being confident in your wants, needs and ideas. they're good enough. don't feel you have to frame them with emojis for them to be valid.

what do you think? are you mindful of how you communicate online?

my nashville favorites

nashville is a short 3 hour drive from birmingham, so weekend trips there are one of my favorite things. the culinary scene is nashville is diverse and delicious, the coffee is amazing, and the entertainment is second to none. now obviously, i'm not a local, but i've spent some time in nashville and have developed some go-to spots.

i'm very excited to continue exploring music venues, bars & restaurants in the music city whenever i get a chance. i am dying to try the patterson house for cocktails and etch for dinner!  if you've been to nashville, what are your favorite spots?

my favorite bites

• gabby's burgers - ok, so the great nashville burger war. i have been to the pharmacy, and honestly? i prefer gabby's. it's a burger. it's gonna be delicious. the atmosphere at pharmacy is super great. but taste wise? gabby's, hands down. best burger in nashville. cool staff. go. you won't regret it.
• silo - my favorite in germantown. described as "upscale southern", you can get your hot chicken here with a fantastic cocktail on the side. silo serves family style sides, including killer mac n cheese, jalapeno bacon cornbread with bacon butter and more. their drinks are delicious and i felt like dying and going to heaven afterwards. it's almost a year since i've been and my friends and i still talk about this place.
• barista parlor - if you want to die and go to heaven after eating a sausage biscuit, this is your place. you cannot beat coffee + a fresh biscuit here. don't be intimidated by the menu, the baristas are super friendly and will gladly point you in the right direction. 

drink highlights

• crema - i am such a fan of the cozy, mod coffee shops. they remind me of austin. crema is a really laid back atmosphere where you'll find all sorts of folks. their iced mocha is my favorite.
• city house - if you want a killer gin cocktail, this is your place. devoid of the often typical vodka + fruit combos (don't get me wrong, i love 'em), city house has a broad, diverse cocktail menu. and they're all delicious. my favorite was the samson - gin, vermouth, lemon soda, bitters & grapefruit.
• arrington vineyards - even though we aren't in california, going to a winery is so, so much fun. at arrington, it's worth it to purchase the "premier experience", which includes a tour of the property, a low down on wine production & a tasting experience with cheese. yum!

fun odds & ends

• love circle - love circle overlooks the city. it's a perfect place for a picnic or to enjoy a breezy afternoon. type it in to your gps and it might come up (i think?) but if not, ask a local and i promise you'll find your way there.
• 'i believe in nashville' sign - there are two of these in the city. i happen to prefer the larger one on the marathon music works door. the other one is located at 12 south dental studio. both are great photo ops!
• nashville predators game at bridgestone arena - this was my very first nhl game! i'm not very into hockey, but it's an experience that's fun and worth watching. a hockey team? in the south? oh yeah.

food media south recap

last weekend, i attended the food media south conference right here in birmingham, hosted by southern foodways alliance. although i am not a food blogger, i am quite the food enthusiast, as well as a member of the media, so hey, why not? i went in expecting an insightful and rewarding experience, and i definitely got one.

the list of speakers was riddled with great names - bill addision of eater.com, jed portman of garden & gun, kyle tibbs jones of the bitter southerner, dorothy kalins (founding editor of saveur), erika council of southern souffle, roscoe hall of dreamland bbq alabama royalty, & so many more.

we were treated to a wonderful lunch from johnny's in homewood, and dinner later that evening from archibald's bbq, post office pies & syke's bbq. all in all, this was a stunning roundup of local food for the out-of-towners to sample.

 

 key takeaways:

• dorothy kalins, on conducting interviews: "at the end of the interview... i usually keep one question in reserve. and then, with that question in mind, i thank the person, i start putting my papers together as if i'm ready to go, and then i kind of throw that question out, and by that time it's kind of a collegial environment where you're both in it together, like you've been working on something. revealing things happen in those moments."  
• tina antolini, on podcasts: "if you're not gathering many times more tape than minutes of your podcast, you're probably not doing enough."
• kyle tibbs jones on social media: "social etiquette is social media etiquette. don't be the loud kid at the party."
• jed portman on short, list centric/"buzzfeed" type content: "there is a sweet spot between smart, informed & shareable content that doesn't have to be click bait."
• roscoe hall on the state of food, & how food needs to be "brought down" a few notches: "food is so good right now, it's disgusting."

what fascinated me was the lack of birmingham folks at this event. hey y'all, come to food media south next year! most everyone seemed to be from out of town, and all day i kept thinking about how many birmingham bloggers would have enjoyed this conference. though not blogging centric, food media south provided an enthusiastic space for creatives and entrepreneurs of all types, with gleaming insights from some hardcore professionals with years of experience writing, creating and putting their voices out there.

i'm looking forward to attending food media south again next year, and i strongly encourage some more birmingham folks to look into this conference. i left feeling motivated and inspired to pursue a few different projects. i also felt super inspired by birmingham itself -- hosting an event like this in this city reminds me that birmingham is a growing hub for not only food, but creativity and media in general. go birmingham!