Hello, dollies…welcome to this month’s Where Bloggers Live, 05.2020 where I am sharing my blogging workspace. We had planned to talk about our offices at home last month. But went with a special corona virus edition instead, because that was everyone’s reality. Sadly, it’s still everyone’s reality, huh?
WHERE BLOGGERS LIVE
This fun series is kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes and lives? Last month we talked about how Covid-19 is affecting our world. You can read about my post here. In the coming months, this group of 7 bloggers will be sharing our homes, outdoor spaces and kitchens.
Just a reminder: Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After occasionally uses affiliate links. This means that if you click or make a purchase from a link provided I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.
Today, though, we are taking a peek at the areas in our home where we do our blogging. A sort of a behind the scenes of where and how we put our blog together. The tools, apps, etc., we use to create our posts. And how we plan our posts.
My Blogging Workspace
My blogging workspace is really just my laptop computer. That, and wherever I happen to be sitting, with it on my lap. To be completely honest, I do most of my blogging in the late afternoon or evening on the reclining couch in the den. PC is usually sitting beside me on the other side of the couch, playing computer games.
But, there is also…
My Loft
I have worked hard in the last couple of weeks to declutter, organize and generally clean up my loft so that I can start using it as my blogging workspace, too. It’s always been a kind of craft space, a devotional area, and library. But in the last week, I purchased a hobby cart and worked to put most of what was on top of my desk, onto the shelves and racks of the cart.
Now I can work from my desk.
Unless both of my kitties jump up there.
But I will still use my desk as a craft space, too. Right now, for scrapbooking and painting rocks, which is one of my spring bucket list activities.
Will be updating my progress on that bucket list on 05.21.2020. Hope you’ll come by to cheer me on.
My Library
You know I was a librarian, right? As I prepared to retire, I began building an at-home, personal library of some of my favorite children’s books. And the book shelves of my little library are sprinkled with photographs, keepsakes and gifts from loved ones.
My fairy tale shelf.
Some of my favorite chapter books and novels.
A shelf of devotional and motivational books.
And a little of this, little of that on the shelf below. See the notebooks on the right side of the top shelf? I have page protectors filled with sweet notes and greeting cards from friends and family.
My Quiet Time Space
This blogging workspace also serves as my quiet time space. Especially in spring, summer and fall. In the winter, I can often be found in bed under the covers for my devotional time. Since I’ve cleaned off my desktop, though, I have enjoyed doing my QT there.
My cross wall is also in my loft. I usually write my Spiritual Sunday posts sitting on my loveseat with my crosses beside me for inspiration.
Sometimes I wish there was a closet in my loft. And a door to the little area. Because it is so wide open and seen by anyone entering the house from the front door, I feel like I should try to keep things neat and picked up. Kind of hard when I am mid-project. No matter what, though, my loft, my blogging workspace/craftspace/devotional space makes me happy.
But when it’s cold or I am especially lazy…
My Bed
On the coldest winter mornings, my blogging workspace might just be my bed. I will see PC off to work, grab my laptop and crawl back under the covers to work on posts.
I can be hot all day long but really detest being cold!! All those years living in Panama rubbed off on me, I guess. The kitties help me with blog writing in my bedroom, too.
Blogging Tools and Apps
Afraid I don’t have much for you here. I don’t have a lot of blogging tools or apps that I use on Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After. Here are a couple of things probably every other blogger in the world uses but I will share, just in case someone out there isn’t familiar with them.
- Goodreads app enables me to share books I am currently reading and hoping to read in the future https://davidsword.ca/
- Image watermark that adds my blog name in small print on all of my images to help protect them from being used elsewhere http://dfactory.eu/products/image-watermark/
- Weather effect for the little leaves, snowflakes, birthday cakes I sometimes have falling across my blog page https://awplife.com/wordpress-plugins/weather-effect-wordpress-plugin/
- Pinterest pin board gallery that shares my latest Pinterest finds with my readers https://wordpress.org/plugins/pinterest-pinboard-widget/
- Feed Them Social allows me to share my Instagram posts on my blog landing page https://feedthemsocial.com/
Your Turn
If you are a blogger, tell me a little about your blog writing space in a comment below. Then I hope you will take a minute to visit the blogs of the other gals in this great group.
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Julia at When the Girls Rule
Leslie at Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
- June 12: Your yard/garden/outdoor area
- July 10: Kitchen
- August 14: Vacation/Staycation
- September 11: Closet Tour
In the next few weeks, I will be responding to these questions all about motherhood for 10 on the 10th. And have updates for Wellness Weekend 05.17 and my spring bucket list on 05.21.
Final Thoughts
This post should have gone live earlier today but we received word yesterday that PC’s father had passed away. Wally had been on hospice for a couple of weeks but returned to the hospice wing of the hospital on Wednesday with breathing difficulties. And he died alone, without loved ones, yesterday afternoon.
Wallace Clingan was a tough cookie. He fought diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart and kidney failure for years. My mother-in-law May was his wife, nurse and dietitian. And has cared for Wally, with the help of my brother-in-law John, in their home under some of the toughest situations.
Wally was a Baptist pastor and established a number of churches across the country. The whole Clingan family can be credited with strengthening my relationship with God. And I am grateful. Praying May can get some rest over the next few weeks, then maybe come see us for a little bit. Thankful Wally is no longer trapped in a failing body. Hope he is playing baseball up there in Heaven. We will miss you!
Hugs and kisses,
That s lovely yo see! It looks cosy. I always sit at our dinner table with vieuw at our garden. Have a lovely weekend!
Your loft looks like a cozy spot to work. After a year of renovations our balcony and condo
exterior, I am able to use my alcove again. It is a bright and cheery spot to work and decluttering in ongoing. I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your father-in-law. Take care.
It’s really interesting to see the inside of where you live, I love seeing inside other people’s homes! And homes overseas are always such a different style to English ones. Thank you for sharing.
I am sorry to hear of the loss of your father in law, it sounds as if he was influential in many people’s lives and will be missed my everyone there. It would be hard at any time, but right now with so many restrictions in place it must be horrible not to be able to quickly get to his wife’s side and give her comfort and support. Hopefully it will not be too much longer before you can see her.
Leslie, I’m sorry to hear of the loss of your father-in-law. My thoughts are with you and PC. Take care.
So fun seeing all of these spaces in your home! I love your cross-wall! I always have my Goodreads up when I’m reading book review posts!
Jill – Doused in Pink
My condolences on the loss of your father-in-law.
What a cozy space your loft is. My office space is open to the “public” as well and it’s the room everyone uses to enter and exit our house, so I try to keep it picked up but other people hamper that: coats, umbrellas, etc.
So sorry for your loss. I blog and do most everything at my desk!
Oh boy, I am so sorry to hear about your FIL’s passing. Sounds like he left an incredible legacy and the fact that the whole family brought you closer to God is a credit to his influence. Prayers and hugs to all of you, I know how hard it is to lose someone, even when you know they are finally at peace. Hugs!
xo,
Kellyann