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Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts

Saturday, May 14, 2016

My Lost Blog

I have not been able to access my blog since May 8.  In fact, no one could access it.  It seemed to have just disappeared.  Turns out I needed to fix something with my DNS CNAME settings.

ARGHHHHH!!!

I set this whole blog thing up back in 2009.  I somehow managed to purchase a domain name and get it to work with Blogger.  But that was back in 2009.  That is a long, long time in techno years when you get to be my age.  I have NO memory of what I did back then.  I do remember being quite pleased that I got it to work, but today, it's all a mystery.

Ended up calling technical support and was quickly able to resolve the issue.  Somehow an additional CNAME alias was set up for my www link.  NO FREAKIN' idea how that could have happened since I never touch it.  They had no idea either.

So glad it's all better, but has caused me some significant stress today.




Thursday, January 7, 2016

New Year...Fresh Start

I've been a very poor blogger the last couple years.  I want to correct that in 2016 and get back to at least a weekly update.  This should be easier to do because I've made the tough decision to end my short career as a real estate agent.  It just wasn't the fit that I hoped it might be.  I'm not sure what my next adventure will be, but I'm working on finding that next window of opportunity.

This year...I'm hoping to blog more about...

Cooking (these are treats from the holidays)





Gardening



 Crafting



 as well as a few of my adventures with my grandkids





More to come.  Happy 2016 everyone.




Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Welcome to My World

Why is it that whenever I'm in a fabric store, I think all the salespeople can tell that I don't know what I'm doing.  I start out the whole process a bit intimidated and then you add the whole yards thing and I'm a mess.  Where else do you talk in "yards"??  Yards are what we all have behind our houses.

I told the woman I wanted 6 yards, but fortunately before she cut it, I realized that was way too much.  I actually only needed 2 yards, but the difference between 6 and 2 seemed like too big of an error, so I told her 3 yards instead.  Seriously...this was my logic.  Three yards sounded better than two.  And since I had two fabrics, I stood there and ordered three yards of the second material too.

I am ridiculous and in desperate need of some help.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Blog Issues

Have any other fellow Blogger bloggers been having problems opening up their blogs over the week-end?

Well I could not open my blog all week-end.  I could get to my dashboard to access posts, comments and settings.  But every time I tried to open my blog, it told me the server was not available.

From what I can tell from the Blogger Forum, where I've been hanging out a lot, one of Blogger's servers was down and that server was the one my blog was pointed to.  Duh.

Why their down server became my problem I don't know, but after a shifting through a lot of unnecessary links and more tech speak than I ever care to read again, I finally figured out how to add all four Blogger servers IP addresses to my DNS.  (Just typing this made want to buy a pocket protector.)

Small pain in the arse, but things are all better now.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What's in a Word

You know how sometimes you get a song in your head and you can't get it out?  Well, this week, I've had a word in my head and I can't seem to get rid of it.  It"s been bouncing around in there since Monday.

And strangely enough...I'm not even sure if it's a real word.

Kerfuffle

That's the word I can't get out of my head.  I think this is really strange and I don't understand it.  Has anyone ever had a word stuck in their head or is it just me?

This is such kerfuffle.

Update:  This word finally left my brain.  Thank goodness.


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

I Think it's Fixed

I finally found someone at Go Daddy who helped my correct my problem.  Still don't understand how it got changed or why it worked sometimes and sometime not.  But we finally updated the IP address that I got from Blogger.

So, hopefully...I'm back.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

What Fun!


I recently received an email from the folks at Be @ Home.  They wanted to feature my little blog on their Best of the Web Feature.  I've not had anything like this happen before and I'm excited by the possibility of making new blogging buddies.

Be @ Home is part of Pocket Change, which was started by a group of bloggers who were passionate about writing about products and shopping. There are several different branches under the Pocket Change blog including Be in Style, Be in the Game, and Be @ Home. Pocket Change has been around for a few years.

Here is the link for their Best of the Web post and make sure you visit the other blogs featured.  I'm in with some really great company.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Art Inside Out in Rochester

Recently, the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA) launched it's 2nd year of a project called Inside|Out.  It's a program where they bring selections of their artwork to the Detroit Metro Area.  The art reproductions are printed on vinyl and displayed around town.

Rochester...my lovely town was one of the lucky recipients of this project and I had a blast walking all around town finding and photographing all seven of our displays.  It made for some lovely walks.

In no particular order, here's what I found...

First stop was Talulah Belle Shop at 114 W. Third Street:




My 2nd stop was at Rojo Mexican Bistro at the corner of 4th and Main Street (Rochester Road):





On to my 3rd stop at Lytle Pharmacy at 340 Main Street:





My 4th stop was the lot where the weekly Rochester Farmers Market is held.  No specific sign was available for a photo, but it's near 3rd and Water Street.



My 5th stop was at Rochester Mills Brewery at 400 Water Street:







The 6th stop was at the Royal Park Hotel at 600 E. University:








And the 7th and final stop was at a little park in town called Rotary Park at Olde Towne and Water Street right off the Paint Creek Trail:






I've decided I liked "Reading the Story of Oenone" best, but I have felt a strong connection to young Princess Sophia.  This was likely the portrait painted to find her a husband and you can't help feel for this young innocent soul.

I loved this program and hope the DIA continues it for years to come.  It's is just lovely seeing great art around town.  Also note that this same event is happening in Howell, Novi, Romeo, New Baltimore, Sterling Heights, Manchester, St. Clair Shores, Livonia, Milan and Brooklyn.  If it shows up in your town, make sure you take a walk and visit them.  Might also be a good idea to visit the DIA soon as well.

Shame on the low-life who put a cigarette out in the middle of Princess Sophia's forehead.  Truly...you have no class.  (I was glad I able to re-touch my photo and restore her to her true beauty.)

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter 2011


Happy Easter to my friends, family and all my blogging buddies.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Friday Ramblings and A Question...or Two

Spring certainly seems to be here in the Midwest...or it is the North.  I never know what part of the country we are.  When you think of Michigan...how do you think of us?  It might seem trivial, but it's not.  While growing up I was never able to identify which kind of girl I was when listening to "California Girls" by the Beach Boys.  Am I the Mid-West Farmers daughter or am I the Northern girl.  This dilemma,  may well have set the ground work for a lifelong identity crisis.  So...what is Michigan to you? 

While we are speaking of girls and growing up, something else has been on my mind a bit lately which I feel the need to share. 

As a girl learns to drive, one of the first things she ends up learning (and very quickly, I might add), is to avoid making eye contact with any cars next to you.  It only takes a time or two of some guy hanging out his tongue, making kissing faces or pointing "down there" to get her to whip her head straight ahead and keep it there.

I clearly remember having this conversation with Cait when she was in high school.  I was driving and she was in the front passenger seat.  All of a sudden she yells out, "Ewwww!"  Some guy just made a lurid face at her.  When I asked her why she made eye contact (as I had already taught her this rule of the road), she said " I know...I forgot".  Trust me...she doesn't forget anymore.

This has all been brought to my attention by the fact that my Significant Other,  (lovingly call BW, here on the blog), who looks at every driver as he passes by.  Just one of his habits.  One day I told him that there was no way he would be able to do this if he were a woman.  He asked me "Why not?" (Isn't that sweet...he doesn't even begin to realize the grossness of many in his gender.)  When I explained the female rules of the road, he was shocked.  Kept saying..."Really?"

So, I ask you...women of the blogging world...did you learn at an early age to keep your eyes on the road and avoid eye contact?  Or are Cait and I just...weird?

That's it for now.  There does seem to be something else I wanted to discuss with you...but...nope, it's not there.  Hopefully it will come to me.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patty's Day

Here are the St. Patty's Day treats I made for Ryan to take to school.  (Again...used my manual settings on my camera.)

And...today is my 2nd Bloggerversary.  I've been blogging for two years and it's still as fun as when I started.

Have a great St. Patty's Day and I hope you are wearin' some green.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

My Favorite Kitchen Gadget

I belong to this Michigan Lady Food Bloggers group.  They recently started discussing their favorite kitchen gadget.  I found this interesting, because I've been thinking about the fact that one of my favorite kitchen accessory seems to be this:


I've had this forever and it's probably the cheapest kitchen utensil I own and I've bought several other much more high tech flippers.  But when it comes to the real delicacies of flipping, this is my go to...got to have flipper.  It's just irreplaceable.

Do you have something like this that you can't live without?  I'd love to know what it is.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Look What I Got!

Right before all the craziness hit, look what I got in the mail:


It's a cookbook from a tea restaurant in NY called "Alice's Tea Cup".  I won it from Kristie over at The Kristie Sessions.  She was having a giveaway and I was the lucky winner.

It's a beautiful cookbook and I figure that there are some homemade Scones in my future.  When I get around to it, I promise to share the recipe.

Have a Happy New Year to all my blogging buddies.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

E-Zines (Although I hate that name and hope I just made it up)

Let's say it's Saturday afternoon and time for lunch.  What do I do?  I make a sandwich and grab a magazine .  Don't fully understand it, but I love to eat lunch while reading a magazine.  Must be some deep, dark pshychosis.

At work...I can be found frequently eating lunch at my desk.  I'm not happy about this fact, but it is the truth. 

I used to scramble around the office looking for any magazine I could find.  Typically they were automotive or technology based publications.  Not ideal, but they were better than nothing.  Recently though, the supply seems to have dried up around here.

So I turned to the Internet for my fix.  Most online magazines are crammed with info requiring lots of clicking to find what you are interested in and then it's hard to find your way back to where you started.  They are kind of a cluster*%^# of information.  Not exactly fufilling my need.  I want to turn pages.  I want a traditional photo and article layout.  Is that so hard??
Then I found this (Oh happy day, oh happy day):


Sweet Paul Magazine....is a real on-line magazine, where you actually get to turn the pages.  You don't have to dig down to find the rest of an article.  You just turn the next page.  Brilliant.

And oh my, oh my, the beauty and deliciousness filling the pages is indescribable.  You really need to see it to believe it.  The recipes sound so good.  The photos and styling are just amazing.  There are even some great crafting ideas. 

So far, there has been a Spring Issue, a Fall Issue and now this beautiful Holiday Issue. Go grab a sandwich and pull up your computer.  You are going to love this.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Sneak Peak at Fall Projects

I have been completely inspired by all the creativity out in the bloggersphere and I know I'm not alone on this.   Ideas and inspiration from fellow bloggers can lead you down a tricky path.  You start by visiting one of your favorite sites and before you know it, you are three blogs deep trying to remember where you started.  With a little effort, I was able to recreate the path where my current inspiration all started.

Last week I visited Kate over at  Oh Write because she posted a really cool picture of her fall mantle.  I then followed a link on her blog to a  Fall Mantle Party at Nester Place.  From there I visited site after site of amazing Fall or Halloween themed mantles.  This all got my creative juices flowing and here's what I've done so far.  (Goal here is also to keep things on the cheap.  Going to need some spending money when I'm in Chicago.)

This sort of scary house was something I bought years ago when Stinky was little.  This was back when he was a joy and treasure.  You know...before he became a teenager.  (OK...I'll stop beating that dead horse).

Cute, but a little corny maybe and as I'm not a huge fan of scary Halloween decorations, I decided the place needed a little updating to welcome the Fall season.

Using some acrylic paint (20% off at Michael's), I now have this cute little house.


I plan on writing "Welcome" down the sign on the front door.  Just waiting for the paint to dry completely.  I'm pretty happy with it.  I know the freehand windows are kind of funky, but I think it gives the place character.  (That's a nice way of saying, I suck at drawing.)

My next project utilized these frames on sale at Michael's for $4.99, plus I had the 20% off everything coupon.  I just used a couple of my leaf stamps and made some art.  Simple, but pretty I think.


I hope to have the mantle actually done sometime this week, but I've got a few more things to make.

Again...Happy Fall Everyone.

Friday, October 1, 2010

The Week in Review and Miscellaneous Thoughts

My brain is all over the place.  Here's just some highlights:

Misplaced my camera, which gave me a small heart attack.  Turns out I had just relocated to a "better" spot in my bedroom.  Clearly NOT a better spot.

Got a new car this week.  I'm super excited about it, but it's just like my last car.  2008 Red Jetta...replaced by a 2010 Red Jetta.  Is that lame?  Does it indicate a complete lack of imagination?  Or does it show that I know what I like and I like what I know?  Hmmm, makes you think doesn't it.

Brilliant episode of 30 Rock last night.  They merged with one of my other favorite shows when Tracy got into a NY cab and it was "Cash Cab".  So freakin' clever (and Ben is so adorable).

I' ve been hanging out with my good friends "Joann" and "Michael's" this week.  Very disappointed in myself.  I promised no more visits for awhile.  But,  it has been about 3 weeks, does that equal "awhile".  Had a 20% off entire purchase coupon (including sale items).  I couldn't waste a perfectly good coupon.

I need to get a new pair of jeans that fit my ever expanding waistline.  Muffin top is killing me.

Actually found a practical use for Facebook this week.  Long story, but basically found a friend that I went to school with from K-12 (and then we even went to the same college for a couple years). 

It's time to de-flower my porch and deck.  Everything has got to go.  So sad to see my home grown tomatoes go away, but I probably have enough fresh basil for one more batch of pesto.

Am I the only person in the world that hates creepy Halloween decorations.

How is it that I only find my grammer and spelling mistakes on my posts after I've published them.  Then I edit and republish again, only to find another mistake.  Keeping in mind I've already proofed it two or three times in draft mode.  

And finally...this time next week, I'll be in Chicago with all my girls.  So excited.

Happy Friday!

Monday, September 27, 2010

A Purse By Any Other Name...Would Be A City

Krissy found this very cool website.  It's from a purse designer named Jenna Kator and she has line of purses that pay tribute to our great state of Michigan.

Every purse is named after a different city in Michigan.  They are so cute and you just got to love the names.

http://www.jennakatorhandbags.com/2010-spring-summer-collection.html

There are purses for most of my favorite Michigan cities, including the one I live in.  Take a peak when you get a chance.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Autumn Refresh

This past week-end was the Arts & Apples Festival in my little town of Rochester.  To me....having lived here for for 20+ years, Arts & Apples is my official start to Autumn.  No equinox signals the start of fall for me.  Just Arts & Apples. 

Therefore, with the help of Blogger's super easy Design tool, it's time for a new blog look.

I love this time of year.  I love the cool evenings, vivid colors and unique smell of autumn. 

It signals the change of what I cook.  Time for soups, chili and meatloaf. (I love meatloaf...so shhhhh to all you who just said "Ewww, Meatloaf???")

I love pulling out my sweaters and socks. 

I can also ease up on shaving my legs so often.  (Oh hush...you don't like to shave them anymore then I do.)

Here's hoping we have a nice, long autumn.

Happy Fall!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Christmas in July

I'm participating in a Christmas Open House in July Linky thing with Carol from The Answer is Chocolate (great blog name).  I read about it over at her blog and thought it sounded fun.





Here's a card that I made for last Christmas.  These cards were the first set and I was going to make 4 more sets of 6 cards. The plan was to give these away as gifts packs.  You probably won't be to surprised to find out that I never got the other cards made...but there's always this year.




I'm really pleased with the how well the Snowman Stamp turned out.  The pack of Christmas paper that I bought, provided a great background.  The little rhinestone just set it all off.

Can't wait to see all the other Christmas projects.  Thanks for visiting.

Also linking up to Jens Weekend Wrap Up over at Tatertots and Jello.  Make sure you check out the projects over there as well.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Summertime List

I haven't done a list in a long time and since we are in the middle of a very hot summer, I thought I do a list of me 10 favorite summertime things:

1.  Sun - All winter long, we Northerners dream...imagine the feeling of the warm sun on our faces.  When summer actually gets here, it never disappoints.

2.  Grilling hamburgers and corn on the cob - The consummate summertime food

3.  Sprinklers - Taking our walk today, I just let myself get wet in a couple of sprinklers and I can clearly remember the pure joy of running through them on a hot summer day.

4.  The Great Lakes - Go ahead and pick your favorite.  Doesn't matter...cause they are all great.  Summer in Michigan always includes a visit to one of these beauties.

5.  Sitting on the deck or porch with a glass of lemonade - Wonderful.

6.  Flip flops - I just love the sound of them.  Can't you just hear them?

7.  Golf - I've only been golfing for about 5 years, but it has quickly joined my list of favorite summertime activities.

8.  Garden Fresh Tomatoes - Seriously!

9.  A good summertime read - Maybe it's a thriller or something uber romantic.  Just spending time, sitting on a beach reading a good book is so amazing.

10.  Family - Doing all of the above with my family around...Priceless.

What's some things on your summertime list?  I'd love to collect all the best and come up with a list from all of us.  Please share.