Have you ever stopped to really look at an egg before?  They're so perfect and so beautiful.  Each one is so unique.

We get our eggs from Hubby's sister, who as chickens.  We also get eggs from Blue Jay Creek Art Farm.  For the most part, we try to grow what we can and eat and buy locally as much as we can.

Link up your Wordless Wednesday posts! We'd love to check them out!

There was a time when I used to blog for the love of blogging.  I moved to an island in the middle of one of the Great Lakes and needed an outlet to ward off isolation (though I was in love with the Island, I missed my loved ones) and to share my new life with my friends and family far away.

I blogged about my life on an island and in a small rural Northern Ontario town. Did you know that the Island is the world's largest fresh water lake island? The blog also served as a place where I planned my wedding details and asked readers for tips and advice. I asked about things like wedding etiquette, what kinds of bombonieres to give guests at our wedding, what kind of food to serve, music to play, etc. That was back in 2006. I had no idea that people other than my friends and family could read the blog until comments started filtering in.

Why would anyone other than my friends and family want to read a boring blog like mine?

All of a sudden, I had a core group of friends in the blogosphere whose blogs I frequented.  We commented on each other's blogs religiously.  We blogged for the love of blogging.  Things were different back then. I miss the daily banter between Ms.Mamma, JellyJules, Uncivil, Wisconsin Candy Dish, and Curiosity Killer.  The only one from that vintage who still corresponds via the blog regularly is CanineCologne.  Though I keep in touch with my old school bloggy friends, it's outside of the blog. Canine has actually visited us with her family twice in the past few years and is a regular fixture in our loves via email, phone calls, text messages and care packages.

Where was I?  Oh, right...

Then I ended up on complete bed rest for my high risk pregnancy, and to my surprise, blog friends around the world were watching, praying, giving me phone calls from California and New Zealand!  It's hard to describe the amazing friendships the blog brought me.  It was a community family that was built.  Genuine interest and genuine comments.

Little One catapulted herself into existence at 28 weeks gestation.  It the most difficult and the most terrifying time of my life.  Our life in the NICU lasted 72 days.  It was a long and challenging journey for us, yet she proved (and continues to prove) what a fighter she really is.

I had become a Mommy.

I was a Mom with a blog.  I guess by default, that made the blog a "Mom blog".  I blogged about life with a preemie, parenting, and everything under the sun.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.


All of a sudden, the blog morphed into something else.  It turned into a way I could supplement our family income.  I was able to put teaching English on the back burner because I was monetizing the blog.  I was shocked to see how the blog took on a life of its own.

There was a brief time a few years ago (I think Little One was two years old), when I wanted to shut down the blog.  I went on a brief hiatus.  It was turning into something that wasn't me.  I felt like I was losing my voice and losing the reason I started blogging in the first place.  Though the blog had been around since 2006, I didn't really start monetizing until 2009 and wasn't even seriously blogging until 2010.  That's when all the big opportunities started coming in.  The blog also became secondary to all the social media jobs I was getting as an offshoot of the blog.  My main job is with PTPA as their Social Media Community Manager on Twitter.  Had I not started a blog back in 2006, I wouldn't have opened up a Twitter account.  Had I not opened up a Twitter account, I would not have engaged and formed relationships like I did on Twitter.  Had I not done all of that, I wouldn't have been given the amazing jobs I am now happily working at.  It's almost dizzying to think of how one thing led to another and how so much has changed.

A girlfriend of mine shared her new blog with me and as I read, it was bitter sweet to me.  She recently moved to the Island and started her blog for pretty much the same reasons I did back in 2006.  Her blog posts made me smile.  Reading her posts made me wistful and nostalgic. That was me seven years ago.  Holy smokes! Seven years? That's crazy!

As I read my friend's blog, I remember a time when blogging was just blogging.  I remember a time when I blogged because I loved it.  I still love it, but sometimes I feel like the blogging world has turned blogs into something else.  It's not a bad thing - As long as we preserve our voice and continue to write about what we love and are passionate about.

I guess I just miss the older blogs where people used to visit and read each other's posts. I mean really read and comment.  Don't get me wrong.  I love each and every comment I receive and I adore my friends and readers.  There's a kinship I feel with those in my blogging community.  I do feel people who comment on the blog are genuine in their comments.  It's just that somewhere between the reviews and giveaways, and producing posts like you're a machine, I think we've lost something.  We may be gaining readers and followers, but part of me just misses the old school blog.

I love the blog and all it has given me.  It's an extension of me and something to keep for posterity.  It has given me so many incredible opportunities from ambassadorships and conferences, to sponsored posts and making fabulous friends (many of whom are not simply online friends, but in real life friends too). Feeling a little nostalgic and wistful tonight. Kind of miss the old school blogs.

Know what I'm sayin'?

End of rant.

Please show my friend, New Country Mama Manitoulin some love.  She's new around here. :)

Ever since the beginning, Little One just had to be unique.  She insisted on catapulting herself into existence at 28 weeks gestation.  This was a first in our family's history.  There were no preemies on either side of the family.

To this day, our four year old displays her uniqueness in the way she thinks, the way she vocalizes her opinions (Ha! So young, yet has an opinion about everything), and especially in displaying her likes and preferences.

Friends and family know that I have always been anti-pink.  Even from a young age, I boycotted pink! My aunts used to always get everything in pink for me and I resisted.  I always opted for blue!

When Little One was born, I wanted no pink items.  We ended up with everything pink.  I believe it was to spite me that everyone showered us with PINK!  Despite my protests, Little One's favourite colour is pink.  She is a veritable girly girl.  I don't know how that happened, since we haven't raised her in an environment that teaches girls to love pink and be girly girls or play with dolls.

In fact, Hubby bought her John Deere outfits and we got her toy trucks, trains, school buses and cars.  Still, she somehow gravitated to the pink and the dolls, toy kitchens, doll houses, etc.  There's nothing wrong with that at all, and we encourage her to do what she enjoys.  I just think it's rather interesting how given all opportunities to use tools and do science experiments (which she loves), she also loves playing house and being a princess-fairy-ballerina. I think it's great that a princess-fairy-ballerina can play in the dirt and play with Star Wars action figures with her friends. Why not?


Since Little One is an only child, we have no reference point to determine what makes her different from other children.  She's without a doubt, one of a kind.  She has risen over what seemed to me to be insurmountable odds of being a preemie and she is thriving.  I think what makes her unique in our eyes is how tenacious she is. She's spirited and feisty...and that may not necessarily be a bad thing.

All I know is that each child is unique and special in their own ways.  I like that Kinder Canada "gets" that.  Kinder Canada has launched their Kinder Surprise Pink and they're celebrating with a contest.




I'm a fan of the original/classic Kinder Surprise with toys that are gender neutral.  Having said this, my daughter is a fan of the Kinder Surprise Pink.  She loves the cute little animals, the jewelry, and girl toys.  I have to say that she also likes the cars and cool toys found in the blue Kinder Surprise too.

Kinder Canada is having a great Pink contest!  Tell Kinder Canada what makes YOUR child one of a kind and you can win 1 of 3 $250 VISA gift cards! To enter, "like" Kinder Canada on Facebook and enter here telling them what makes your child unique!

Disclosure: I’m part of the KINDER Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Never in a million years would I have ever imagined what it would feel like to be on the receiving end of the kind of  love and support we received over a week ago.  When I think about the tremendous outpour of concern and well wishes, I get so overwhelmed and end up crying.

Giving Thanks

A Huge Thank You to CHEO

Thank You to the Blogging Community

Giving Thanks to Some Very Special People

Giving thanks to all the special people in our lives

I was finishing up some last minute work for a campaign when I looked at the clock on the bottom right hand corner of my computer screen.  All of a sudden an overwhelming sense of sadness washed over me. The date! The date made me burst out in tears. It was a reminder of the saddest day of my life.

My grandmother passed away a year ago tomorrow.

May 15, 2012. I still cry every time I think of her.

Sometimes I feel like I'm going bonkers, because one minute life is amazing and so many fabulous things are  happening for us. The next minute, I'm just so sad. Weepy...and missing her so very much.

My heart hurts so much, I feel like I can't breathe.



Still thinking of you each and every day, Lola.

Tonight we'll celebrate your life by lighting a candle for you, saying a prayer, and cooking some Filipino food like you used to make.

My friend Lil Sugar and I have both recently met a HUGE (to us) milestone! Both of us have reached 4,000+ followers on Twitter! We both love Twitter and love engaging with our tweeps!

To celebrate, my friend Lil Sugar (a.k.a. @LilSugarMag) and I are having a PARTY! To show how much we appreciate YOU, we will be giving away 1 product each day on Twitter for the next few days! Woot! Not on Twitter? Don't worry! We have you covered! All prizes will be announced on Facebook as well!
Just follow the link and enter for your chance to WIN!

SO MANY CHANCES TO WIN! SO MUCH FUN! TO GET STARTED, MAKE SURE YOU ARE FOLLOWING US!
On Twitter - @chancesmommy and @LilSugarMag Hashtag #4000Party
On Facebook - Life on Manitoulin and Lil-sugar.ca

 **No R.S.V.P. necessary** Just join in on the fun and remember to enter daily (via Rafflecopter) to win the prize for that day! All entrants can only win once for the duration of the contest. Open to both US and Canadian residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My friend Lil Sugar and I have both recently met a HUGE (to  us) milestone!  Both of us have reached 4,000+ followers on Twitter!  We both love Twitter and loveengaging with our tweeps!

To celebrate, my friend Lil Sugar (a.k.a. @LilSugarMag) and I are having a PARTY!

To show how much we appreciate YOU, we will be giving away 1 product each day on Twitter for the next few days!

SO MANY CHANCES TO WIN! SO MUCH FUN! TO GET STARTED, MAKE SURE YOU ARE FOLLOWING US!

On Twitter - @chancesmommy and @LilSugarMag  Hashtag #4000Party
On Facebook - Life on Manitoulin and Lil-sugar.ca

**No R.S.V.P. necessary** Just join in on the fun and remember to enter daily (via Rafflecopter) to win the prize for that day! All entrants can only win once for the duration of the contest. Open to both US and Canadian residents.

#4000Party Contest #2: WrapTraps {5 Winners}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My friend Lil Sugar and I have both recently met a HUGE (to  us) milestone!  Both of us have reached 4,000+ followers on Twitter!  We both love Twitter and love engaging with our tweeps!

To celebrate, my friend Lil Sugar (a.k.a. @LilSugarMag) and I are having a PARTY!

To show how much we appreciate YOU, we will be giving away 1 product each day on Twitter for the next few days!

So many chances to win! So much fun! To get started, make sure you are following us!

On Twitter - @chancesmommy and @LilSugarMag  Hashtag #4000Party
On Facebook - Life on Manitoulin and Lil-sugar.ca

**No R.S.V.P. necessary** Just join in on the fun and remember to enter daily (via Rafflecopter) to win the prize for that day! All entrants can only win once for the duration of the contest. Open to both US and Canadian residents.

#4000Party Contest #1: Butterfly Cupcake Kit - @MeMyselfUsInc

a Rafflecopter giveaway

May is sort of bitter sweet for me. Especially this year.

In May of 2008, we discovered that we were pregnant with Little One. That was one of the happiest days of my life. It was also the 6 year anniversary of my Father-in-law's death.

May was always a happy time for me, because I got to spend Mother's Day with my grandmother and spoil her. She used to come visit us on the Island and I'd throw a big Mother's Day meal together with flowers for all the moms - My grandma, my mom, my mother-in-law, my aunt, and my sister-in-law. My my grandmother wasn't on the Island, I'd get to talk to her on the phone or go to Montreal for a Mother's Day brunch at my aunt's house to celebrate with my grandmother.

In May (end of April, actually) of last year, my then 3 year old daughter and I made the very long plane ride to the Philippines to be with my grandmother in her last days of life. She died in May.

Every time I catch the scent of Olay moisturizer (or any Olay product), I think of my grandmother. My grandmother swore by Olay products. It was her "brand".  To be honest, it makes me happy and nostalgic, yet deeply saddened at the same time. It probably sounds really crazy that a product or brand can bring back memories and have such a powerful effect on a person, but it does.

My grandmother was always so glamorous. Her hair was always perfectly in place, and she routinely applied her Olay moisturizer and her signature red lipstick.

This May marks the one year anniversary of her death. I'm still weepy. The funny thing is that every month, P&G sends me a package in the mail and recently, there have been a lot of Olay products included in those parcels!  It kind of makes me laugh, because it's almost as though my grandmother is reminding me that she's still around and living in our hearts and our memories.

I keep thinking of the fun times with my grandmother. She loved her Spa Days and getting her manicure and pedicure done!

Spa Days remind me of my grandmother. Being able to sit back, enjoy some pampering, and take care of yourself is so very important.

This is why it makes me happy to be able to give my readers a chance to enter a...

P&G Mother's Day Spa Giveaway!

Enough about me walking down memory lane! Mother's Day has always been a time for us to pamper the mothers in our lives (including my grandmother)! What better way to do so than with a Spa Day? Here's what one lucky Life on Manitoulin reader will win:

P&G is providing a Mother’s Day Spa bundle valued at $95*. The bundle includes:  

• Febreze Vanilla & Moonlight Candle
• Pantene Repair & Protect Conditioner 
• Pantene Repair & Protect Shampoo 
• Pantene Overnight Miracle Repair Serum 
• Pantene Stylers Hairspray Flexible Hold
•  COVERGIRL Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss Grapevine 
• COVERGIRL LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara 
• Olay Massaging Bar Soap 
• One Free Clairol Hair Colour Coupon 
• COVERGIRL LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm 

I use all of the above products and am thrilled to be able to give this Mother's Day Spa package to one of my readers! Good luck!

TO ENTER:

Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form. Open to residents of Canada. Ends May 13, 2013 at 12AM EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was issued a challenge.  Everyone who knows me, knows I love a good challenge. I'm also a "follow the rules" person. I need to follow the rules. Otherwise, life would be total and utter chaos. It would be like Lord of the Flies. Know what I mean?

The challenge: Decorate my outdoor living space for under $100!

Whoa!

I honestly had reservations about this challenge. I didn't think it would be possible.

Could I stay within my $100 budget? What would I get? I envisioned a beautifully manicured yard with flowers in bloom and stunning patio furniture. A porch swing? No, that would be too expensive. A screened in gazebo? Way over my budget.

On my drive to Walmart, my mind started to wander. When I entered the store, my palms began to itch! The excitement of furnishing my outdoor living space was too great!

I went to the gardening section and found lots of greenery and beautiful pots and planters. It would be stunning, but not stunning enough for this challenge.

I spotted these beautiful steel framed stacking chairs in my favourite colour! Aqua and white! I'd only be able to get two chairs and a folding table to keep within my budget. Then I spotted it. A 6 piece patio set! I quickly took photos of both options and BBM'd my husband. Thank goodness for Smartphones! I can't live without my BlackBerry Z10!

Hubby said to get whatever I thought was best. So helpful.

I ended up getting this:


I was completely shocked that this Cranston 6 piece patio set was on sale for only $98! That was totally in my budget!

The Total:
With tax, the patio set came up to $110.74.  Without tax, I kept within budget. If you include tax, I am $10.74 out. I'm not sure if this means I kept within challenge rules. Whichever way you look at it, I still think this was a huge #WalmartFrugalHeroes success!

I am so pleased, and our Little One says she wants to live outside forever and ever!


 I have never seen a four year old get so excited about patio furniture!



Hubby is very impressed that I managed to spruce up our patio at that price range. He says now all he needs is a new BBQ and we're all set for Summer dining outdoors! You can see our BBQ in the background. It's on its last legs! I'm pretty sure this is it's last year in commission.

Did you take the #WallmartFrugalHeroes Challenge? How did you do? What did you buy? Feel free to link up your #WallmartFrugalHeroes posts here:

Thank you so much, Walmart Canada! So thankful to have been invited to take part in the #WalmartFrugalHeroes Challenge!

Disclosure: I received a $100 Walmart Gift Card to take part in the #WalmartFrugalHeroes Challenge.  All the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own. 

If you're passionate about food and writing, the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference is the perfect event for you. 

This may sound crazy to some, but this conference was an awakening of sorts for me.

I've been to several Social Media conferences and events in the past few years as both an attendee and as a Brand Ambassador for several brands. Though I learned a lot from each event and really enjoyed all of them, the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference had me very, very excited.

The Food Bloggers of Canada Conference has Canadian food bloggers covered.

I have to admit that I felt a bit like a school girl does when she sees her favourite stars/celebrities/idols in person.  Anyone who is a foodie follows Dana McCauley, Heather Travis, Mairlyn Smith, Aimee Wimbush-Bourque, Mardi Michels, Julie Van Rosendaal, David Leite, Adell Shneer, Dianne Jacob, Mary Luz Mejia, Corey Mintz, Jan Scott and all the other foodie superstars present at FBC2013.

Dana McCauley is the person to follow for food innovation and food trends. I met her for the first time at the ShesConnected Conference two years ago and then when I was an official food blogger for Food Network Canada's Recipe to Riches, our paths crossed again - this time in the Twitterverse!


Heather Travis has got to be one of my absolute favourite people in the world. Why? She represents the many beef farming families in Canada like my own family. I've been done guest posts on the Canadian Beef blog for Heather and am now a Canadian Beef Ambassador. This means a lot to me, as beef farming is my family's livelihood. Being able to bridge both worlds of farming and the every day consumer and showing consumers that we are the faces behind the food people eat really is important to me.


Mairlyn Smith just blows me away by her amazing presence. I was a bit caught off guard when I met her at Food Bloggers of Canada. I wanted to tell her that I really love seeing her on BT Toronto and CityLine. I'm not sure, but the words conveyed may or may not have come out as something like "OMG. I love you. I can't even talk right now because I'm such a big fan!"  You know...things that people in Mairlyn's position probably hate hearing all the time.

One of the highlights of Day 1 of the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference for me was meeting Aimee Wimbush-Bourque! I follow her blog, Simple Bites religiously. In truth, I aspire to be like her some day. Aimee is able to tell a story with her stunning photographs. Her posts are beautifully written. She makes food blogging an art form. She creates beauty with her cooking, her writing and her photographs. You know when a writer's words "move" you? That's exactly what Aimee's posts do. They tell a story while weaving together a beautiful tapestry of words and photographs...and these images stay with you. Her love of food and of creating beautiful, healthy meals for her family really inspires me.

This also applies to Mardi Michels and Jan Scott. Both are food writers I am a huge fan of. Mardi's talent extends to more than just making macarons, though she had me at macarons! Mardi is a woman of many talents. Visit her blog, Eat.Live.Travel.Write.

I sat at the same table as Jan at dinner on the first night of FBC2013. I was amazed at how personable, helpful, and humble she was. Not to sound like a total blog stalker, but you have no idea how amazed I am by such talented ladies like Jan. I guess it's safe to say that the recipes, food photography and and just the way my food blogging heroes tell a story = recipe for success and inspiration. Read Jan's posts over at Family Bites.

My roommate, SoberJulie sat on her bed in the hotel listening to me gush about all the amazing food bloggers  and food personalities present at Hockley Valley Resort. I couldn't contain my excitement and she probably thought I was nuts. Honestly, because I love blogging about food so much and I love following the above mentioned food writers, this is a big deal to me.

I remember calling my husband from my hotel room and whispering, "Oh. My. Gosh. Julie Van Rosendaal is here at Hockley Valley Resort! Julie from Dinner with Julie! You don't even understand! I can't even talk to her...I'm so starstruck!"

Of course, my husband's response was, "That's great, hun. Just remember, they're just regular people in the end." Is he kidding?! It's Julie from Dinner with Julie!

Keynote speaker, David Leite's words will stay with me for a long time.

1. "No comment left behind."
2. "Find out what you stand for and don't waver."
3. "Be ethical to other bloggers. Be ethical to the people you write about. You have responsibility esp when it comes to Children" @davidleite
4. @DavidLeite keynote speaker at @foodbloggersca #FBC2013 "Be authentic. Be ethical...to each other."

I could have probably retweeted everything he said. I was just wowed by his words. Total and utter respect.  If you don't already follow David, check out Leite's Culinaria.

What caught my attention this weekend at the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference:

• Bloggers and Brands - best practices for a happy partnership 
• Making Dough - earning a living with your words
• Publishing - the many chapters of writing a book
• Recipe Development 101
• Food Photography and Styling for your blog
• Bookkeeping for Canadian bloggers
• Future trends in Canadian food blogging

Highlights of the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference:

•   Meeting and chatting with Mairlyn Smith!
•   Hanging out with some of my favourite tweeps (bloggers I've been friends with for ages now) - @SoberJulie @MapleLeafMommy @MBAMamaMusings @Sherriemae23 
•   Being able to get to know friends better - had a blast with @GreatMealIdeas 
• Having a little #LoveCDNBeef @CanadianBeef Ambassador reunion with @HeatherTravis @AlexaClark @neilfaba @FoodMuser
• Catching up with some special people @MBosc @JanesFamilyFd  @BurnbraeFarms (I love meeting up with these folks at events like this! It's nice to see familiar faces)
• Having the opportunity to speak with brands I love and would love to work with more @summerfresh @mushroomscanada @NordicWare @KitchenAidUSA @KraftCanada @CampbellCanada @deltafaucet @CdnLentils @TastyTurkey, +EatInEatOut Magazine, Tree of Life and more.

The Food Bloggers of Canada Conference inspired me to take my blog in a new direction.

A big thank you goes out to Ethan, Mardi and Melissa for putting together an event of such greatness! You have absolutely no idea how you have inspired and cultivated change. Many thanks for all you have done.

I have to admit, I was a little starstruck! Here I am with one of my food blogging idols, @FamilyBites!

Just this past weekend, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference at Hockley Valley Resort. What an amazing conference it was! So inspiring! Detailed blog post to come!

Above photos can also be found on the Kitchen Aid Canada Facebook Page. Photos taken by femkephotography.ca

Link up your Wordless Wednesday posts! We'd love to check them out!