Let's Talk About Blogger and Pinterest Questions and Issues

     I have a few questions/problems that I haven't been able to answer with Google. When it doubt...ask other bloggers if they can help. If you have a question or problem, feel free to post it in the comments and maybe someone can help you.

1. I am no longer able to copy and paste HTML codes into my blog design. I can copy from another site, but when I open the Add Gadget-HTML in blogger, when I try to paste the code, it won't paste. It doesn't matter if I'm trying to change my background or trying to add a "follow me on Pinterest" link, it doesn't work. What's up with that??

2. I keep seeing discussion about changes coming to way we have or get followers in the near future. I can't find a good explanation of what is actually happening. Are we going to still be able to click the follow button on a blog to follow it? Will we still have the followers we have now? Do we have to link our blogs to our Facebook accounts? If so, why? I don't want to lose the list of blogs that I follow...so, I'm trying to decide if we need to make a written list of the blog websites we follow.

3. Is there a way to find out how many times our most read posts have been read since we posted them. I have a counter that tells me daily, weekly etc. view numbers...but, I'm curious as to how many views a couple posts have gotten over time and I don't know where to look for the info.

4. I am new to Pinterest. Many of my fellow bloggers have been using it for a while. I evidently joined through Facebook and when I go to my Pinterest settings and try to upload a different picture than my Facebook image...I am unable to do so. The only way I can change my Pinterest photo seems to be by changing my photo on Facebook...that seems very strange to me. I would prefer to have my blog photo on Pinterest and my personal photo on Facebook...help?

5. If we want to give someone a link to our Pinterest page so they can follow us...is that link simply http://www.pinterest.com/whatever our user name is/

6. I like being able to support other bloggers by "pinning" things I love from their blogs to Pinterest. I would think this would bring more traffic to their blogs or our own blogs. I have yet to figure out how to get people to follow me on Pinterest or if it is even important to have followers there...thoughts?

A Little Sunday Afternoon Project

     My china cabinet is a very old piece that we bought from a family friend of my parents, many years ago. I don't love it, but it works in the spot where I need it for right now. I would love to paint it, but my husband has a real issue with painting wood furniture and even more so when he remembers how hard he workded to strip it to the natural oak. After reading this post on Tatertots and Jello, I decided to try my hand at a dreaded "craft project" which we all know, I don't do very well.

     I forgot to take a picture of the cabinet full and with the light reflection, it is almost impossible to get a good photo. Let's just say that my love for crystal and cut glass had turned this cabinet into more of a storage piece than a display piece. I had it way too full, so I removed and washed everything and put my Fostoria  stemware which took up the entire first shelf and part of the second in the mini-kitchen in the basement.

     I removed the shelves and got to work. Jen used wrapping paper for her project, but I couldn't find any locally that didn't look like wrapping paper. I bought a roll of wallpaper at Menards and got to work. I did find that my cabinet is very difficult to work with. It is a wide piece with a narrow opening, so I almost had to crawl inside of it to put up the paper. I also found that the double-stick tape didn't want to stick to wood that had been oiled many times over the years. I finally combined foam double-stick tape and double stick scotch tape to make it hold.

     I do think it lightened up the cabinet a bit and it certainly looks better with less in it. I think painting the back would have been easier for a non-crafty person like me...but, I do like the subtle pattern of the paper.

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday!

A Little Florida Sunshine

     We are in the midst of our first winter deep freeze. The wind chill has finally gotten  up to 2 degrees this morning. I thought I'd share just a few warm photos from Christmas week in Florida to remind us all that winter doesn't last all that long!

     When we took my dad to the airport a few days before Christmas, we decided to head over for a day at Daytona Beach. My daughter had the day off, we were up early and it was in the high 70's. We spent a few hours sitting (napping) on the beach. It was a bit cloudy and the water was way too cold to get into, but there is nothing quite like the sound of the surf to make you relax.

     The drive to Daytona from Orlando is only about an hour. I spent every summer of my childhood at Daytona Beach. Truthfully, I think it has gone downhill over the years, but the beach is still very clean and I love that you can drive on it and park your car right on the beach.

     We had a bit of a shock as we were leaving the beach. We drove very close to a completely naked man stretched out on his stomach right near the driving lane on the beach. He obviously wanted to be seen. Let's just say, it wasn't pretty. Now, if it had been one of the lifeguards...I might have taken pictures...but, it was a 40-something, slightly overweight, pale guy...icky, icky, icky. Daytona Beach isn't a nude beach, so my guess is the guy has issues.

We had lunch at a cute little waterfront restaurant.

It wasn't anything special, but the view was lovely.

     The next day we went to Winter Park. It is a beautiful little town with wonderful shops and restaurants. We have often talked about the possibility we would move there when my husband retires. We found that an inner courtyard in the business district had been redone and it was beautiful. I am a bit surprised that people don't accidentally walk into the fish pond...but, I did love the look.

     My daughter has been telling us that she thinks we would prefer Winter Garden as our Florida home. We decided to make the short drive from Orlando to check it out. I wish I had taken more pictures.

     We loved Winter Garden. It is much more relaxed than Winter Park. People were shopping in shorts and flip flops instead of high heels. I think my daughter is right, we truly felt as if this might be a possible home for us in the not too distant future. The Historic Downtown has cute shops and small restaurants. The people were so friendly and when we asked about living there, they were very welcoming.

We loved the Farmer's Market, there were

some very interesting local products.

     While the downtown area is very quaint and old-fashioned looking, there is also a new area just as we drove into town that has every store you would find in a very nice mall, several restaurants, spas and gyms. What I loved was that both downtown and the new area had regular parking! I hate driving and I certainly don't want to have to go into a parking garage or parallel park just to run into a store. These things become very important when you are looking for a "retirement" hometown. We still have plenty of time to explore the Orlando area. We just know we want to be close enough to have our daughter come for dinner or baby-sit if she needs us to and yet be outside of the horrible traffic and tourists in the Orlando/Disney area. We are certainly having fun looking!

Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizers & Zoe Update

What is this stuff?

     Our beagle baby Zoe is 4 months old today and she is growing so quickly you can almost watch it happen. She is a purebred beagle, but I keep asking my husband if they mixed her up at birth because she doesn't look like the other 2 beagles I've had. She has long legs and I'm sure she will grow into them, but at this point, her legs are growing faster than she is filling out. She still only has on and off. Sometimes, she is completely wild and running so fast we can't catch her, grabbing everything she can find along the way. She pulls throws off couches, laundry from the basket, rugs, boots and shoes and loves her toys! When she winds down, she snuggles into your neck and sleeps for as long as you will let her. She would love to spend no time in her kennel, but she is simply too playful and rough for our old beagle to deal with. They do have "conversations" around feeding time. Nike will do her low single bark and Zoe responds with her newly learned high-pitched beagle howl. It is funny to watch and stops after they get fed. We love her!

The sun feels good on old bones!

I'm much quieter than my sister!

Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizer

     We love appetizers in our family. If you give us appetizers and desserts, we don't need a "regular meal". I'm always on the lookout for simple and delicicous appetizers. I found this one in an ad for Philadelphia Cream Cheese and tweeked it a little. I took it to my sister's home for Thanksgiving at it was a hit. I also put some in the freezer and had them for light lunches.

Ingredients:

2 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used actual cheese, not the green can/powdery stuff)

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

pinch garlic powder

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts (not in oil) drained, chopped

6 T. chopped black olives

bag of plain mini bagels, split

Heat oven to 375 degrees

     Mix cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in large bowl.

Stir in chopped artichokes and olives.

     Spread mixture on bagel halves and place on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden and bubbly. Cool a few minutes and cut in half for appetizers. It will take a little longer to bake them if they are frozen. Leave them whole for a nice light lunch.

I forgot to take a picture of them after they

were cooked since we were at my sister's house. Sorry!

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Please visit our wonderful hostess!

 

Disney's Beach Club Resort-Christmas Day

     Christmas is over, but I have a few pictures that I want to share with you before moving on to other things. Besides, if you want to plan for a Disney Christmas next year, now is the time to start planning. Christmas Day is anything but traditional for us. My daughter works for Disney and the holidays are so busy that it will be years before she gets Christmas off. It is nice that the managers all work short shifts on holidays, so that everyone can enjoy time with friends or family. My daughter worked from 6:00 am until 11:00 am, then we opened gifts and headed over to the Disney Beach Club Resort for dinner. The centerpiece above was in the lobby and I really wanted it to come home with me. One thing about Disney, they certainly know how to decorate for the holidays!

Gingerbread Carousel

The hotels all serve cookies and

cider on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

We had a wonderful seafood (and everything else)

buffet at the Cape May Cafe.

 

How often do you see geraniums and

poinsettias planted next to each other?

We took a stroll over to the Yacht Club Resort

which was equally decked out for the holiday.

We had a wonderful day. Food, family,

 friends and beautiful things to see.