Not Worth the Stress

After 4? 5? days of trying to get my blog to migrate to Typepad, I think I've given up. I really only kept going because I was so grateful for winning the free year of Typepad from Hollywood Housewife - I am really hoping they will refund the credit to Laura and let someone else win. My blog is just too ding-dang big to go to Typepad without major complications.

All of this does have me thinking, and I may be attempting a move to Wordpress in the near future! I have ALWAYS wanted their commenting capabilities so I can interact more with my readers. All of the incredible Wordpress plug-ins would make it well worth a move, I think. And my sweet Mr. V, who was a computer science major and STILL couldn't figure out how to make it work simply, told me I should do whatever will make me cry the least.

Thankfully, due to some Blogger miracle, I was able to restore most of my design. That's what was causing me tons of stress! I hated thinking of people visiting my site and not seeing all of it!

So that's the update on life at Vanderbilt Wife. I am seriously hoping for a CALM and NORMAL week. We've had a little too much sickness and turmoil the past two weeks for me. I'm reading One Bite at a Time by SimpleMom, and it's doing me a world of good. So I think for now I'll turn off the computer, drink a cup of tea, and try to relax and go to bed early. How about you?

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Top Ten Recipes of 2011

It's still January, right? So it's completely valid for me to share my Top Ten Most-Visited Recipes of 2011.  Need something for dinner tonight? Look no further!

1. Five Minute Spinach Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette (OK, the vinaigrette doesn't have vinegar, so let's just call it a "juicy salad dressing." - Super customizable, tasty, easy. A trifecta of yummyness!

2. Chocolate Coconut Oat Bars - A great recipe for cooking with kids, this was my first month in the Secret Recipe Club. And it just might give you a hint of what's coming for my February Secret Recipe Club post ...

3. Mexican Corn Dip / Oreo Truffles - The fact that I don't have any pictures of these hasn't stopped the traffic to these delicious recipes. They're both on the same post, "Party Food." Just a few ingredients and you'll be the talk of the party with my "Magically Delicious Corn Dip."

4. Summer Bow-Tie Pasta - Mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and basil are summer staples. This warm pasta salad is enough for a main dish and bring your normal caprese salad to a new level with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

5. Mom's Enchiladas - Thanks to a lot of traffic from Once a Month Mom, this remains one of my biggest posts ever. Thanks, Tricia!

6. Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies - Totally worth upsetting my husband over changing his mama's pumpkin cookie recipe. These tasty treats are an incredible combination of coffee and pumpkin and reminiscent of the Starbucks fall drink.

7. Scalloped Corn - One of my family's holiday go-to recipes.

8. Chocolate Avocado Cake with Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting - Divinely moist without the addition of eggs or milk, this chocolate cake is perfect for allergy-sufferers. I'm sorry the frosting isn't vegan ... but it is amazing, too.

9. Broccoli and Cheese Soup - This Cooking Light favorite is one of my oldest recipes and still just as good. 

10. Tilapia with Honey-Tangerine Sauce - Beautiful and tasty. Pretty enough for a dinner party and fast enough for a worknight meal.

Risking a little bit of egotism ... do you have a favorite recipe from my site? (OK, or any blog?)

Added to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda.
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Blogging Recap: 2011

source: Mike Licht

2011 was like making a fresh blogging start for me. In July, I celebrated five years of blogging with little fanfare. Is it a great accomplishment? I'm glad to have stuck by something for such a long time, but it's certainly not earth-shattering. Just me, in my little corner or desk chair, click-clacking away about my life, my kids. Just words.

Somewhere in the collection of months that made up the year, however, I made a decision to stop caring about numbers. I rarely look at my traffic, stats, subscribers. I like to see what posts do well, but I try not to focus on that.

While I pursued some private advertising in the Spring, I decided to let it go. I was worrying a lot about making $15 here and there, feeling that somehow I needed money to defend my space of the universe here on this domain.

Yes, I still use affiliate links and have up Google ads. As a blogger, I think it would be stupid NOT to use these readily available moneymakers. But I've stopped worrying when it comes to blogging. I don't worry about making money; I make enough freelancing. I don't worry about stats. I don't worry about writing with SEO or what will bring new readers or what I can link up to certain carnivals.

source: Mike Licht

I write what I want. I write what's burning on my heart, for the most part. And personally, it's created some of my favorite posts ever this year: heart-revealing thoughts. My comments are down. My traffic is down. But I am happy.

I hope by baring my soul a little, I will show other women that we don't have to pretend to have it all together. We're all struggling in one way or another, whether we want to talk about it or not. And if we are going to grow at Christians, as women, as friends ... we need to let others see the dirty, deep-down places we want to ignore.

I hope you'll travel with me into 2012 if you enjoy my writing and feel encouraged. I'd love to know about you, my reader, if you might take the time to leave me a little comment with your name and blog link, if you have one.

All of that said, here are some of my favorite posts from 2011.
A Good Measure
Appearance of Love
Be Wise, Be Innocent
The Pieces That Make Me
For Libby
Rainy September
Cloudy October
Love Loss Hope Repeat.

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Why I Took a Blogging Break ... And What I Learned

Gratuitous Adorable Baby Picture

I was sure that my house would be cleaner if I stopped writing my blog. I was wrong.

A while ago, I had reached a point where I was dreading coming up with something to write here. For me, that is when I know I need a break. I look back at times when my writing flowed so freely and am jealous - of myself!

I am such an internal processor, and I think that is what makes me a writer. It takes me time to work out my thoughts and balance emotions with sane thought. Often I am just writing my heart here, figuring out things for myself and hoping to send across the message that Christian women don't have to be perfect. We're not. None of us. Some just hide it better than others.

It seems I am alternately overflowing with words and dry as a desert. Sometimes I look at prompts or carnivals and try to get inspired. But my number one rule is not to force myself to write. I don't believe force creates authentic, good prose.

My break was good and bad. It was good to not feel like I needed to be on the computer nonstop. It was good to spend more time at night with my husband.

I quickly discovered, however, that the blog is not my main time suck. It's a combination of obsessive e-mail checking, Facebook, and Twitter. Of walking by the computer and thinking I'll just check my e-mail and instead spending time clicking through various things and spending 20 minutes online while my children run amuck.

Toward the end of June, the blog break combined with a vacation started to result in less time on Twitter, Skype, and other various sites. I enjoyed the feeling of freedom. I am still living there.

But did not blogging make me a better wife, mother, or housekeeper? Not really. So I have to face the fact it's other distractions that keep me from excelling in those roles. It's something I don't like to face, but I certainly need to.

For now, I'm glad to be back. I have a lot to write about, including a series on doing Disney with a toddler and baby, how I ran a 5k, and hopefully about successful and quick potty training (we're in day 2 of potty boot camp!). Hope you'll stick around here with me as we live life imperfectly. 

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Gimme a Break, Gimme a Break ...

It's been three and a half years since I went more than a week or so without posting on Vanderbilt Wife.

Wow.

I love writing; usually, keeping up here is not work. The problem is, some days I prefer it to my "real life": freelance writing, housekeeping, being a wife, and parenting two precious children God has entrusted to me.

I need a few weeks to detox from the blogging world. I'd like to not feel the pull every time I pass by the computer to check email, Tweet, check Facebook, etc. I'd like to pay more attention to my kids and my house. I need to find some balance.

So I am going to take the month of June off from blogging. I will probably still Tweet some, although I'm not making any promises and I am not going to keep Tweetdeck up all the time like I have been. If you subscribe by email, you'll know when I'm back; you can always unsubscribe later.

I still remember reading this post from Stephanie at Keeper of the Home over a year ago. I don't want my kids to just remember me staring at my computer screen or saying "just a minute." I want them to remember us having fun, learning about Jesus and the Bible, going places, living life.

I hope you'll still be here when I return. I know I'll be itching to write.


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How to Find Free Blog Design

When I wrote about ten tips for beginning bloggers, one of the tips I meant to include was about blog design. But I get distracted (SQUIRREL!). I was so full of ideas for that post I may need to make a part two!

For now, I want to talk about some easy and free blog design.

What Is Blog Design?

Blog design is what your blog looks like when someone stops by to visit. As much as we want it to be all about the writing ... honestly, if a blog looks bad, I'm probably not going to stick around.

I had a generic Blogger design when I started blogging in 2006--and for at least a year and half. I didn't know any better, and I didn't know that anyone was reading my blog anyway.

If you are just writing for family to keep up with your kids or a journal only you want to read, you can stop reading here. As with my tips for blogging, these tips are really for people who want to generate traffic to their blog.

That said, if you are interested in increasing your traffic and your blog looks like one of these:

... you may want to consider some design. (Any identifying information obviously blurred or distorted to protect the innocent.)

Blog Design Options

Your mind may go to paid blog design first thing. My current design I paid for, and I think it's well worth the money! (Jo-Lynne from DCR Design created it for me.) For a year or more before that, however, I had a free but very unique design.

I can't find it anymore, but it was based off this illustration:

For a blog subtitled Trying to Be the Housewife I'm Not, I think this was a GREAT find for a template. And I never saw another blog with the same design, even though it was free!

To recap, we have three choices in design: generic templates served by your blogging platform (Blogger or Wordpress, likely) [free]; paid design from a skilled designer [not free]; or free design found online [free, but takes time].

Where to Find Free Blog Designs

My favorite way to find free blog design is simply to Google "free blogger template." If your blog has a theme or niche, I would throw that term in there as well. Let's say your blog is about fashion and is hosted by Blogger. (Honestly, I don't know very much about Wordpress, so I'm going to stick with what I know here.) So you would search (on Swagbucks, of course!) for "free blogger template fashion." Let's see what we find.

Pretty quickly, I found all of these free designs.

The third one I found by going to a site that had "fashion" templates. On the sidebar, it listed their different themes, and I clicked on "shopping," since the two are pretty related in my mind.

I think all three of those are pretty cute and unique and would be way more interesting and relevant than any of those above.

Alternately, you can use backgrounds from a site like these, which may not be as unique but are at least a little different from every blog out there:

Cutest Blog on the Block
Hot Bliggity Blog
Blogaholic Designs

I will continue this next week with how to implement the design on your site!

I'm adding this post to Things I Love Thursday, because I love a blog that looks good! And don't forget to prepare your posts for Why I Friday! Also, I hope you will take this as helpful, not critical. There was so much I didn't know when I was starting out with blogging, and I want to share information.

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Ten Easy Blogging Tips for Beginner Bloggers; Or, What I Wished I Had Known in 2006

When I started blogging in 2006, I didn't even really know what blogging was. It seemed like a normal progression from those livejournal entries of my high-school days and the written journals I kept before - and after - then. I stopped journaling about the time I started dating my husband, unfortunately.

Most people today know what a blog is; I presume many have read one or even read one or two on a regular basis. So I think people who begin blogging probably do so with a purpose. Is it to inform your friends and family of what's going on in your life? Voice your opinions for the general masses? Try to make some money?

If your purpose falls into those latter two categories, here is some quick advice that I wish I had received five years ago.

Ten Tips for Beginning Bloggers

1. Buy your domain.

I was shocked at Blissdom '09 to find out that it only costs $10 a year to own your domain. Ten dollars! (Now it appears to be $12 if you want a .com and less if you could deal with a .us, .me, or .org.) It's super easy to redirect your site to a domain. I am always flabbergasted at the amount of sites that still have ".blogspot" in their URL. "Vanderbiltwife.blogspot.com" just doesn't have the same ring as VanderbiltWife.com.

If your domain is already taken, you might consider renaming your blog, inserting a number instead of a word, or something similar. Be creative!

2. And while we're talking titles, choose something with zing. Be original. What makes you uniquely you? What exactly is your blog about?

3. Make yourself accessible. 

Please, please make it easy to e-mail you from your blog's homepage. See that little "e-mail me" button on the sidebar? I wish everyone had one. Because sometimes I just have a burning question about you or a post that is too long to post in a comment, or maybe too personal.

Using Twitter and starting a Facebook fan page are great, too, if you're going to use them.

4. Set up a profile on Blogger (whether you use Blogger or not) so it's easy to comment on Blogger blogs. MAKE YOUR EMAIL VISIBLE. (If you use gmail or other Google apps, you already have an account ready, I think.) Lots of blogs are Blogger-based (like this one), and it's a pain for a blog author to compose a whole e-mail reply to someone who commented just to realize that their e-mail is not there.

I would respond to nearly all my comments if their e-mails were available! (I try to respond to many as long as that e-mail is visible. PLEASE MAKE IT VISIBLE.) Blogging is about conversation and we authors want to respond!

5. Blog hop. See what other people are doing. Leave comments. See if others want to guest post on your blog, or do a series together, or just chat on e-mail. Follow lots of people on Twitter, if you use it. Share links. Be generous. Be genuine.

6. For the love of Pete, unless you are Ann Voskamp (and that's still iffy), do not have music auto-playing on your blog.

7. Install Google Analytics. At some point, you might want to see how people are getting to your blog, what they search for to find you, or how many pageviews you are getting. Go ahead and do it now! I wish I had!

8. Apply some simple SEO (Search Engine Optimization.) This is MUCH EASIER to do on the front end than after you have 900 posts. (Not that I would know. Cough, cough.) Tara has two excellent slideshows with easy tips.

9. Link to carnivals. You know Menu Plan Monday, Top Ten Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday? Those are carnivals. Linking will bring you a little traffic and checking out others' links will expose you to blogs you might never have found otherwise.

10. Don't underestimate your worth. You probably don't have The Pioneer Woman's traffic, a book deal like MoneySavingMom, and the striking good looks of Jill. That doesn't mean you should settle for a toothbrush as payment for a review, or bend over backwards for a company that does nothing in return. Determine your worth and stick with it. Only do what you really want to do. And don't force yourself to write when you don't want to ... the content will never be as good.


If you're a veteran blogger, what would you share? If you're a newbie, are these tips helpful at all?

Added to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda.
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Ultimate Blog Party '11

'11? How can it be '11 already? How can it already be April when I still don't think it's 2011? It might have something to do with the fact that I have a 3-month-old baby who doesn't love to sleep and my brain is basically fried. Maybe.

I love to look back at my posts from one or two years ago and see how much has changed! At the 2010 Blog Party, I had recently moved to Chattanooga and became a stay-at-home mom. (I was also pregnant with David, my son, but didn't know it yet!) In 2009 I was obsessing over swaddling and running around as a full-time working-outside-the-home mom. I also went to one of the Ultimate Blog Party in Real Life things.

*Speaking of the fact I've been blogging for YEARS, my five-year "blogiversary" is in July. And I have some big stuff up my sleeve. So you should definitely subscribe to Vanderbilt Wife so you don't miss out! You'll also get some great recipes, thoughts on God and faith, writing and grammar tips, and some general nonsense.

This is me and my precious little boy, David. He's about as sweet as they come. And he's very squishy.

And this is my little stinker 2-and-a-half-year-old, Libbie. She is a handful and a half, but she's certainly funny. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll probably hear a lot of "Libbie-isms."

Anything you want to know about me can probably be found on my About Me page. Anything else, you can always email me on the sidebar there. I'm pretty much an open book.

So, want to win a $100 Target gift card? I have a great group of blogger friends and we call ourselves the #sisterchicks. We're pooling together to offer this great prize to one lucky UBP visitor! Here's what you need to do:

• Find all the words to the quote in pictures on each of our blogs. Each blog will send you to the next word (in order), although keep in mind that I might not be the FIRST word. 
• Once you have the quote, e-mail it to sisterchickies@gmail.com with UBP11 in the subject line.
• Wait to see if you've won the grand prize! We'll announce it after the UBP ends (it's April 1-8). We will also e-mail the winner
• If you don't respond within 48 hours, you give up $100 and we pick someone else!

 Ready to start? Here ya go!

For your next clue, go visit OhAmanda!

And if you are a regular reader and have no clue what I'm talking about, all the Ultimate Blog fun is happening over at 5 Minutes for Mom!

Please visit my wonderful sponsors, MoxieMandie and Mimi's Babies!
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Linkin' Around

I'm always up for a new linky, so I'm adding my favorite post from February--A Good Measure--to Elizabeth Esther's Saturday Evening Blog Post. I realize that she posted this a while ago but ... I am way behind in my Google Reader! So you all should be late in linking up as well.

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FIve Minutes on Mail

It always astounds me when I get e-mails from people who read this blog, long emails with advice or compliments or suggestions for what I should write my next grammar post on.

I recently told someone how it freaks me out a little bit when I find out people I know read the blog--especially male people. Cause sometimes I put it all out there. Even about, ahem, my upper body.

It's not like I ever forget this is out there for the general population; it feeds into my personal Facebook account and is linked at the bottom of each of my e-mails. And yet I choose to ignore that those closest to me can read it--along with our leasing agent, the workers of our former day care, choir members at church, and anyone else who darn well wants to.

There's a comfort in writing. I keep writing because I have to. Long ago I used to think it was strange that I narrated my own life in my head. Now I just write blog posts in there instead. Changing my life, tweaking it to make it digestible for general consumption. Adding quirky tidbits and baby pictures.

I do love those emails from the unknowns. It warms my heart that someone cares about me and wants to minister to me. One recently said, basically, "Been there, done that, praying for you. It gets better."

I believe you.

Keep writing.

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Nonsensical, perhaps, but with 23 seconds to spare. Part of The Gypsy Mama's Five-Minute Writing Exercises. [After I wrote this, I realized it was last Friday's prompt. Oh well! Posting anyway.]

(photo source)
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Five Fabulous Bloggers

Thanks to Trop 50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 fabulous wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to help grant a friend's wish!

This week is a little bittersweet for me. For the past two years, I've been able to attend the Blissdom Conference in Nashville. Going to #Blissdom '09 really changed the course of my blogging--and had me come home with some new great blogging friends!

I am not going to the conference because David will be less than 6 weeks old, and I figured I wouldn't actually get to go to any of the sessions. I would spend most of the time nursing him somewhere. But I am sad I won't get to see many of the fabulous bloggers I've met. And I am missing the chance to connect with new friends who "get" what I do here.

The Clever Girls asked me to write about five fabulous bloggers and I couldn't pass up the opportunity, especially in light of my unrequited bloggy-friend love this week.

It's no secret how much I love Amanda (OhAmanda, Impress Your Kids, Motherhood Your Way). I've read her blog longer than anyone else's and consider her one of my mommy mentors. I've never met anyone so passionate about teaching her children about the Bible and Jesus and that is something I want to emulate! I've been lucky enough to count Amanda as a "real-life friend" now that I live a little closer to Atlanta. It's so much fun to get to spend time together in person.

How could I not love Mary (Giving Up on Perfect, (in)courage), with our shared love for grammar? As with most blogs, I have no idea when I found hers, but I am glad I did! (I know it was after Blissdom '09, because Mary was there but we didn't know each other and didn't meet.) Mary is fun, honest, and not afraid to share her struggles. I admit I am jealous of her ability to crank out quality writing each and every day at Giving Up on Perfect. Her posts are always well thought-out, well-written, and cohesive. Unlike someone's I can think of ...

I've already given you 10 reasons I love Robin (Pensieve, (in)courage, Therapon). Mostly my reasons haven't changed: she is kind, sincere, fun-loving, and willing to step on some toes. And she wants marriages to thrive, so much so that she will talk openly about the s-word. Plus today I got word she was making me pecan pie for a post-baby meal, which is enough to gain my love forever.

I just recently subscribed to Mylestones, written by Jo. We found on (in)courage that we have very similar stories right now when it comes to waiting and having to forgo our plans. She is a superb writer and I am so glad to have found her and her blog!

How can you not love The Nester (Nesting Place, (in)courage)? She is quirky, hilarious, and willing to share mistakes and successes. Trust me, I have zero decorating mojo so it makes zero sense for me to subscribe to a decorating blog. But Nester makes me believe some day I might be able to do it.

Do you subscribe to these ladies' blogs? Do you have a favorite blogger of your own? Share the blog in the comments!

Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to support a friend's wish. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.


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Recipes I've Tried

It's super easy to find recipes online--blogs, AllRecipes, cooks.com, food magazine sites. (I mean, what magazine doesn't have recipes??)

What it is not easy to find is whether these recipes are any good. Especially on blogs, people rarely come back and give a review after they've made the recipe.

I try a LOT of recipes out. I love to cook new things. So I thought periodically (take that to mean, when I feel like it) I would post reviews of some recipes I've tried. Hopefully you'll have similar success with recipes that I like! (Assuming you follow the directions. Ahem, Mary.)


Tropical Carrot Bread - I substituted in whole wheat flour and coconut oil instead of vegetable or canola oil. I took one loaf to a baby shower in October and froze the other loaf, which we ate a few weeks ago. I think the frozen one was even better than the fresh! I thought it was delicious and moist, and Libbie ate it, too. And since there were carrots in it, I count that as a near-miracle. Would make great muffins if you prefer those!

Lemony Chicken Bake - I find that the lemon slices are a little lemony overkill for me in this, but Mr. V likes it that way. Other than that, you can't get much easier than this simple baked dish that has veggie, starch, and protein!

Chicken Cobbler Casserole - I made this to freeze as part of some batch cooking I did in November pre-baby. I was anxious to try it, so it barely made it in the freezer before it came back out! I subbed chicken broth for the wine (and used ridiculously expensive organic cream of mushroom soup. Need to start making these cream soups from scratch when I use them.), and I thought the casserole was delicious over mashed potatoes. It was a little heavy on the onions for me, though. Mr. V didn't care for it. He doesn't like mushrooms so it's possible that's what turned him off.

Cranberry Vanilla Muffins - Personally, I think the uncooked cranberries are way too tart in these. (Which is probably why I still have an entire gallon bag in my freezer full of muffins...) The rest of the flavors were yummy, but if I were to make them again I would pop the cranberries in a saucepan or let them sit sugar a little while.

Fish en Papillote - I may make my adaptation of this recipe a blog post, but if I never get around to it, here you go! I used yellow onion, put lemon juice in with the veggies instead of lemon slices, used tilapia, omitted the wine, and cooked in brown paper bags coated with Pam instead of in parchment paper. (Creativity: what results when you REALLY don't want to go to the grocery store with two kids.) I thought the fish had a wonderful, delicate flavor and the vegetables were absolutely delicious. Perhaps slightly more appropriate for summer, but you could always sub in seasonal vegetables.

Ham and Potato Frittata - Another meal made because "that's what we had," this egg dish was delicious. The flavorings are just right and I love the ham, potato, and eggs together. Cumin gives it a slight twist. Definitely a simple weeknight dinner I will go back to!

Your turn: have you cooked something recently from the web you'd like to tell me about? I am always ready to hear about new, great recipes!


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Guest Post: A Grammar Geek's Goals for 2011

This post, friends, is why Mary and I click like we do. Love her! I'll do my best to adhere to these rules this year as well.
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photo © 2008 Nic McPhee | more info (via: Wylio)



First of all, let's get something straight. This year is pronounced, “twenty eleven,” not “two thousand eleven.” After all, that's how the good Lord – and the Associated Press – intended it.

Now, on to this grammar geek's goals for the year.

What? Don't tell me you don't have grammar-related goals? Crazy.

Well, for those of us who lean toward the nerdy side of things [insert raised hand here, right after I push up my glasses and adjust my suspenders], here are a few resolutions I'm making this year.

1. Learn to edit my own writing.

For the love of all that's good and grammatical, I must learn to proofread my own work better. How can I ever hope to truly own my nerd status – not to mention my fledgling freelance proofreading business! – if I miss typos in my own prose?!

I'm determined to make 2011 the year that I no longer need to make excuses (e.g. I'm just not good at proofing my own stuff!).

2. Quit critiquing people I don't know.

You know you've done it. Pass by a sign at the grocery store . . . or library . . . or gas station . . . or, well, you get the point – and do a double take when you see a misspelled word or misplaced apostrophe (or worse, both). Immediately, your blood boils and/or your mouth curls into a sneer. Before you know it, you're snapping a photo with your cell phone and uploading it to your social network of choice with a snippy comment.

Let's make 2011 the year we all give each other a break – and lower our blood pressure – by ignoring the ignorance of those inexplicably responsible for writing and posting announcements and warnings.

3. Stop correcting the people I do know.

We all have our pet peeves. For some it's “could care less” that puts them up a wall, while others hate hearing someone say, “Amanda and I's favorite color is purple.” Still others have in-laws who say things like “brung” and “going on the line” without batting an eye. I'm just saying.

These things are irritating. They might even be classified as fingernails-on-the-chalkboard irritating. You won't find me disagreeing with that. But, please, let's all work on our relationships by not “helping” our friends and family improve their use of the English language.

All right, who's with me?

Will you say goodbye to being a grammar cop this year? Or is that just as unlikely as me giving up carbs and remembering to floss every day?

Mary is mom to a {usually} sweet, {always} sassy preschooler and wife to her high-school sweetheart. When she’s not snapping photos left and right, reading a good book or organizing her to-do lists, you can find Mary {avoiding housework} curled up on the couch with her laptop. Mary blogs about her imperfect life at Giving Up on Perfect, where she writes about family, faith, books, diet-friendly and fiber-filled foods like granola bars and nachos, celebrity look-alikes and chick flicks. You know, the important stuff.


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2010 Blog in Review

 Jo-Lynne does this fun bloggy recap carnival each year. It's a good way to take a walk down memory lane and for you to catch any interesting posts you might have missed! So here we go.

January: Well, it's time once again for the rundown of my reading for this year. They might only be interesting to me, but I like sharing what I've read here. This was everything I read in 2009.


February: I've really been longing to go to a "whole foods" or "real foods" sort of diet for a long time. This was the start of my Whole Foods in a Hurry series, where I created and prepared a once-a-month cooking menu. I can't say I've done the BEST with staying whole foods, especially since I got pregnant not long after this. But we've definitely made leaps and bounds this year.

March: This Friday, I will officially have been a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) for two months. A Top Ten Tuesday and one of my favorite posts from this year. {I am cheating at least on March and April because my real first posts there were just referrers.}

April: This is less a recipe and more a technique, but I had to share because Libbie is crazy about these. Yummy potato cubes! Of course, Libbie won't touch them anymore. She only likes foods for 5 minutes.

May: Ten things that have caused Libbie to have a tantrum in the last 4 hours... Unfortunately, this still sounds mighty familiar.

June: There is not much lately that does not overwhelm me. This pregnancy was not easy for me. Physically, emotionally, spiritually.

July: Since it's a holiday weekend, and I am not terribly inspired to post anything else, here's your weekend linky love! Some fun links. Linky posts make me happy.

August: Sunday: Chicken and Pasta Alfredo  (didn't get to last week). Menu Plan Monday.


September: Libbie, 3 days old. (Wordless Wednesday. Bathtime!)

October: I sank low in the beginning of this pregnancy. Part of my two-part history of depression series.

November: For starters, the birthday girl in her Dr. Seuss dress. Halloween pictures.

December: I think maternity pants must be made by men. And now we've reached the angry late-pregnancy posts!

Thanks for hanging in there with me through this wild 2010. Happy New Year!!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Posts

I was looking back over all my old Top Ten Tuesdays to find something I could repost for inspiration and came across this post I did in October 2009 of my top ten posts of all time. This, of course, sparked my interest in whether they had changed or not in the past 14 months.

So, here are my current Top Ten Posts of All Time.

1. Whole Foods in a Hurry, Week 2: The Menu

I am so glad this is good content for me! I loved doing this series with Once a Month Mom and hope it was helpful to others looking to change to a more whole-foods lifestyle and still freezer cook.

2. Family Recipe Fridays: Mom's Enchiladas

This yummy recipe was on two Once a Month Mom menus. So I thank Tricia for all the linkage to this post!

3. Family Recipe Fridays: Scalloped Corn

Hmmm ... I guess I shouldn't bother posting about anything unless I think I can get Tricia to link to it ...

4. We Came, We Cooked, We Conquered

This was about the first once-a-month-cooking experiment I did with Meredith from Like Merchant Ships. So fun!

5. Recipes for Black Beans

Two yummy and fairly simple recipes for the resilient black bean.

6. Family Recipe Fridays: Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

YUM! This is one of my and Mr. V's absolute favorite recipes, ever. Heavenly. Thick. Rich. With a crunchy, sugary topping!

7. Menu Plan (with recipes for Taco Bake and Parmesan Fish)

Two great South Beach Diet recipes I've used for years!

8. Whole Foods in a Hurry, Week 1: The Why

9. Dear Male Readers, Please Don't Read This

Hey! It's not a recipe! Instead it's a post about breastfeeding and my boobs. Awesome. ;)

10. Sloppy Chicken Pizza, My Way

And one last yummy recipe.

It always sort of pains me to look at what drives my traffic ... because sadly, it's not my superb writing skills. It's recipes. But that's OK. I am never going to be a food blog. I will always be a little bit of this and that ... because my attention span is just not that long. I don't know how food blogs come up with something new to write about all the time! Plus, I might have to learn how to take pictures then.

I do find it interesting how much my top posts have changed since a little over a year ago. I didn't include my About Me or Recipe Index in this list, by the way, even though they are technically top posts for me.

What's your top post, ever? I'd love to know!


Added to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda.



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Cyber Monday: Get a Great Discount on Amazing E-Books at Heavenly Homemakers

If you look at my menu plans, it's no secret that I LOVE Heavenly Homemakers. Laura is one of the most genuine, funny, down-to-earth bloggers, and I read her site often. I even wrote a feature article on her and her family for the November 2010 issue of ParentLife! 

Part of Laura's ministry is the writing of many affordable e-books on whole foods cooking, homeschooling, and hospitality.

Until midnight tonight (11/29) you can use the code PINKFRIDAY to get 25% off anything in her shop! Woohoo! If anyone wanted to buy me a crocheted Swiffer cover, I wouldn't complain. ;)

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We're also giving away 19 items at the ParentLife blog and you have until tomorrow morning to enter. Great music and books! Just comment! Please!

I do make a small commission if you buy something from the Heavenly Homemakers store by clicking one of my links. Just as an FYI. But my love for her is completely sincere and I've been reading her blog for years.

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I Think the Universe is Trying to Tell Me Something

A few weeks ago, I went to the Once a Month Mom Tweet-Up in Atlanta. It was great fun, and there were some wonderful door prizes. I won a little bag from Skin Solutions. Which, honestly, I was not that excited about. I am notoriously bad at taking care of my skin.

Then, last weekend I had the privilege to attend the Face2Face event hosted by Robin of Pensieve. The event was to publicize Therapon Skin products. Therapon is social-media-savvy, and they are utilizing some great bloggers on their own blog, as well as hosting three of these events across the country.

I was excited about getting a free massage, but found the true gem of the day was getting a blissful facial. The one facial I had ever had before this was in Mexico on our honeymoon and was not a pleasant experience. Comparatively, this facial was heaven. I loved the mild scents of the products, the feeling of having my rough skin polished off, and especially the results.

My skin looked awesome! Seriously! I don't have a ton of blemishes or real issues, but after the facial I was glowing. And it lasted. And I Tweeted.

I am doing something now that I have almost never done: using skincare products every day. (OK, so the instructions say wash your face twice a day, but THAT sounds like hard work.) I think my skin looks amazing, better than it ever has. I am sold on this Therapon stuff. It is all-natural, and I love that! It smells great but is not overpowering at all.

I thought maybe I should go ahead and open my Skin Solutions bag, too, after I made this exciting new discovery that washing your face does make it look nicer. I appreciate the Solar Recovery spray and lip exfoliater from them, too! I am sure the recovery spray will come in handy this summer. And after labor and during nursing, I am positive I will need some major lip upheaval.

So, this is my revelation: it's good to wash your face. Who knew? Thanks Therapon and Skin Solutions for nudging me in the right direction.

This post is unsponsored and unbiased and no one asked me to write it. I get no money if you buy anything from either of these sites. Just my opinions!


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Once a Month Mom Tweet-Up in Atlanta!

There is nothing more fun for a blogger than hanging out with other bloggers in real life. That's why we go to conferences. That's why I've driven to Atlanta several times just to see some good friends!

I'm so excited to announce that most all of the #sisterchicks will be part of this fall's Once a Month Mom Tweet-Up in Atlanta!

You can see the fine details on Tricia's post, there, but the lowdown is:

When: October 23, 6-9 p.m. but tickets are released THIS Thursday, October 7, at 7 p.m. EST
Where: Bread Beckers in Woodstock, GA, outside Atlanta
Why: So we can get together, have fun, eat, and test products
How much: It's FREE! But only open to the first 75 people who register.

So if you live anywhere near Atlanta, you should come out and meet me and the other darling #sisterchicks! (And we will miss you, Jen and Mary!!)

• Mandi of It’s Come 2 This (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Amanda of Oh Amanda and Impress Your Kids (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Staci of Simply Staci (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Becky of The Violet Fig (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Jessie of Vanderbilt Wife (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
• Christine of I Dream of Clean (Nashville, Tennessee)
• Jill of The Diaper Diaries (Grand Rapids, Michigan) – YES! She is flying in for this! Woot!
• And of course, Tricia, the famous Once a Month Mom I have the privilege of being related to :) (Dayton, Ohio)

We're very thankful to the sponsors of this great event:

The Bread Beckers is more than a Kitchen Store. It is everything you need to make fresh bread at home grinding your own fresh wheat flour and more! They sell grain mills, mixers, grains, beans, baking supplies and ingredients, bake ware, bulk food co-ops/buying clubs, and cooking classes. What is more perfect for an OAMM function than a store that sells in BULK!!! They also have a BEAUTIFUL kitchen/classroom that we will be using for the event. You are going to be so excited when you see this venue! They are located in Woodstock, Georgia.

CUTCO Cutlery is the largest manufacturer and marketer of high-quality kitchen cutlery and accessories in the United States and Canada. Vector Marketing is the exclusive marketer of CUTCO products, which are sold throughout the U.S. and Canada by authorized sales representatives. Both CUTCO Cutlery and Vector Marketing are subsidiaries of CUTCO Corporation.

Additional Product Sponsors:

• Imprint Anti-Fatique Kitchen Mats
• General Motors/Chevrolet
• FujiFilm
• Crocs
• Rubbermaid
• Longaberger
• Blue Avocado
• Cheryl & Co

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BlogHop '10

 It's that time of year again. The time where it seems that everyone in your Twitter stream has the same agenda: going to BlogHer.

In actuality, I don't know THAT many people who are going compared to how many people I follow on Twitter. But every year, it manages to make those of us who are still at home, changing poopy diapers and mopping the floor, feel a little "less than."

Honestly, I wouldn't even like to be at BlogHer. I get frightened in big crowds. I am not good at schmoozing, and I don't really party. I wouldn't mind being in NYC by myself for a few days, but I'd rather spend my time eating, shopping, and sleeping in a big comfy bed by myself.

All that to say, thanks again to Robin for organizing the BlogHop for those of us left at home. I am blessed to know such a fun girl--online and in real life! Yes, you can all be VERY jealous that Robin and I live less than half an hour apart and she has come to my "I-have-no-family-in-Chattanooga-and-I'm-going-insane" rescue a few times. :)

If you're visiting from the BlogHop, I'm Jessie. I've been typing out posts here for 4 years, and during that time I've become the mother to two little children. I have a 21-month-old daughter, Libbie, who is the cutest curly-headed thing you've ever seen in your life. And I am due December 22nd with a little boy!

I mostly write about parenting, cooking up simple but delicious recipes, my faith, and grammar, along with a little memoir-type reminiscing. You can see my BlogHop '09 post if you want to see a little more about my quirky self!

 My family

I have a kid crying in her bed, so it's time to start the day. Today I'm going to a study at someone's house where we're discussing 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter--it's usually the highlight of my week! Then I'll be coming back to work on a freelance writing project and trying to clean up since we are having friends over tomorrow. Somewhere along the way I'll be whipping up Sloppy Chicken Pan Pizza for dinner. And I might be fitting in a few episodes of Big Brother (THE SHAME!!) and Project Runway.

What are you doing today??

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