Thursday, August 8, 2013
Summer 8 Projects | Schedule Regular Blog Posts
Over the past few months I've been really proud of myself for working so hard on writing blog posts. As you may have read recently, Hubby & I are buying a house in the country, and that means less posting because I will no longer have internet. I've been really proud of myself for having a post scheduled to publish each day for the past two months and for most of this month. I've had several readers say they're enjoying all the posts and I'm glad.
After I move I still plan to post regularly, but unfortunately it won't be nearly as much as it has been every day here recently. I'm really excited about the move & plan to take lots of photos & write posts up in word documents so I can continue to share the things I'm doing & creating.
As far as My Summer 8 Projects list I think this is checked off. I'm quite excited to have been able to write & schedule so many posts & it's always rewarding to know you all are enjoying them!
I thought I'd share a bit on how I write so many posts. First I start by cooking new recipes and taking photos of the finished food, I do DIY projects and take photos of the process & then the finished project. Not only that but I like to take photos of all sorts of other things I have going on, such as random shots of my cat being goofy... Anyway, once I have photos I have plenty of things to blog about.
Another thing I tend to be horrible at (in a good way) is writing partial posts and leaving them in drafts. When I finally get the photos loaded up on my computer & edit them it takes no time at all to pop out a handful of posts in a few hours. I don't do this every day either, usually I do this one or two days a week and make sure to schedule the posts out for the rest of the week. Now I do get on my blog almost every day, but with the no internet coming up once we move I'll just be getting on when I can.
As I'm writing posts out I usually do them randomly, so to keep track of everything I usually keep a notebook and write out a line for each day of the month. On the small side to the left of where I wrote out the dates I write the days, but only once the post has been written & scheduled. The titles of the post(s) go on the right after the date. Anyway, this is just one way I am able to keep track of which days of the month I can schedule new posts I write. It's not much work, but it sure helps!
Okay so I've shared a little on how I manage to write so many posts. What are ways that help you write multiple posts a week for your blog?
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Blogging Tips | Joining Picket Fence Blogs
Back in March I joined the group Picket Fence Blogs, read that post here. I happen to really like it even though it's really not much more than a rating system for blogs that have been voted on by readers. I joined it because I was curious as to what all the little PFB buttons were on so many of my favorite blogs. Now I know!
This was from March 19, 2013.
And this was a screen shot taken on July 22, 2013!
I think that in terms of a few votes your rating can change QUITE a bit! Tip for searching for your blog in the lists: search for your blog on the top right hand bar. When you find it see how many votes you have and then go back to your blog's main category & click through the pages until you come to the one that has numbers in your area. Like for this July shot I looked for anything between 60-80 so I could find what number my blog was on the Lifestyle/Other list.
Of course here on Blue Eyed Beauty Blog I have a custom button which matches the rest of my design, but it's still pretty clear...only without the recognizable logo shown above. That's on my blog too though! It's down along the bottom under the "Groups" section. Here's what my custom vote button looks like:
Try it out and vote for my blog today!
If you're not sure how to get started with Picket Fence Blogs...
Let me help you out!
Let me help you out!
Join Picket Fence Blogs here, if you haven't already done so.
When you get your email, go log in! Here is what my logged on screen looks like.
Notice the options on the right of the screen. You can add a blog, add a giveaway, and edit your profile. I've never added a giveaway so I won't be going over that on this post, but keep reading to see thee "Add A Blog" details.
Here's part of the form you will fill out to add your blog to Picket Fence Blogs. URL you should already know, Name is the NAME OF THE BLOG, Add your RSS Feed (and if you don't know how to find it, read this other post I wrote previously to help you out), the Button URL is tricky so check step 5 for that, and then describe your blog. Don't take a lot of space on here! Keep it simple & to the point. Next select two categories your blog falls into. For example on mine for this blog I selected "Food" and "Lifestyle/Other".
How to get your button URL. If you already have a button with grab box for your blog then this will be super easy. See how I've highlighted the image URL in the grab box from my Grab A Button page? That's all you need! Copy that and paste it into the "Button URL" box on the form and you should be good to go. If you were to paste this into a blank internet window it would just show a button. That's how your button is added to your PFB Profile.
If you do end up selecting two categories for your blog you'll have to pick which one is the main category your blog falls under. As you can see on mine I chose Lifestyle/Other.
When you get the form filled out click the "Add Blog" button. You're almost done!
Time to add a button to your blog! For the sake of simplicity I'm just going to show you how to add their button. If you want to make your own custom button like I did copy the "Vote URL" (I have it highlighted in the image just above) and use that to create the button. I do have a tutorial on how to make your own Custom Clickable Buttons if you need that. If you're not making your own button just click the "buttons" link under your blogs image and it will take you to this:
Now all you have to do is select the style button you want, grab the HTML code and insert it wherever you want on your blog!
I'd suggest writing a post on your blog letting your readers know what Picket Fence Blogs is and that you've joined the group so that your readers will know what that button is and might actually click on it to vote for you!
Hopefully I got everything covered! I know tutorials can be tricky, but this really isn't too hard to figure out. I think the hares thing was remembering how to get the Button URL for the form. At least that was my hardest part! Good luck! And may the votes be in your favor!
The Great Blog Train #8 {August}
RULES
1. Follow the Hostesses. Use GFC, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Linky, Networked Blogs, or Facebook. Just let us know how you follow!
Here's how you can follow me:
2. Link up your FAMILY FRIENDLY blog using your HOMEPAGE URL!
3. Connect with the person in front of you! AKA leave a comment on the blog who linked up in front of you and tell them the link party you came from!
Now that you have your ticket you are
ready to board the rest of the train!
OPTIONAL: You may grab our "Great Blog Train" button and post it on your side bar or linky page. Also, feel free to spread the word! The more the merrier!!!
Giveaway!
This month we are hosting the first ever giveaway on The Great Blog Train!
This month's giveaway is provided by the lovely Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures.
Receive A Heads Up Next Month!
I send out 'reminder' emails for this hop.
If you'd like to be on the list just leave me a comment!
OR email me @ mrshelenstafford {at} yahoo {dot} com!
Thank you!!!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Prego With Style | All White Confessors Dress
For three straight days last November I was a busy sewer as I attempted to make a medieval style dress with nothing but a few photos on my computer for inspiration. It was a really long process, but one that paid off well with this gorgeous dress:
Recently I had the opportunity to wear it again and I was thrilled! This time, instead of wearing black under the main part of the dress I wore all white...to dress it up more. Our church did a Castle themed VBS this summer. Most of the teachers were dressed up in gorgeous velvet costumes...but they were really hot when we were outside during different activities. I was glad my dress was made out of cotton sheets! The other nice thing about this dress is the lace-up front since when I made it last fall I wasn't pregnant...and my belly has grown considerably in recent months.
I looked up Medieval hairstyles online...a lot of them included braids so to look more the part I decided to do a braid in my hair too.
I put the rest of my hair up on the side in a somewhat messy bun. I think it turned out pretty.
Posts Related To This Dress
Monday, August 5, 2013
Cooking For 2 | BLT Sandwiches
I'm sure most of you know what BLT stands for, but just it case...it means: Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwich. This is one of my personal favorite summer sandwiches and is even better if you have the tomato and lettuce growing right in your own garden!
Ingredients
1-2 good-size tomatoes
9+ leaves of lettuce, washed
8 slices of bread
6-8 pieces of bacon, halved & cooked
Ranch or Mayo
Directions
1. Cook your bacon pieces either in the skillet or in the oven (oven at 400 for 15-20 minutes, watch them so they don't get too crispy or burn!).
2. Slice your tomatoes up and get your lettuce leaves ready.
3. Toast your bread and then add your sauce of choice. I like Ranch, Hubby prefers Mayo.
4. Layer your sandwich up! I prefer to do them lettuce first, then tomatoes, then bacon, but do what works for you!
Enjoy your lovely summer sandwich!
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