My favorite 11 posts of 2011.

 

Canning Tips and Links

My Canning Cabinets

Grandmothers Hope Chest

The Wearing of the Apron

 

Cutting Guys Hair

Modest Bathing Suits

Advent Starts Tonight

Celebrating the Sabbath

Passover

Purim

Shavuot

 

Let me know which ones were your favorites!

See Linda’s Recipes 2011 for all the great recipes I shared this year.

I love books. I have thoroughly enjoyed reviewing books here.

I thought there might be others who love books and would like to know where to get books for free to review on your blogs. So I thought I’d share where I get mine.

 

FIRST Wild Card is a Yahoo Group that you join. Once your membership is approved, you can start to get books.

 

The 3 links below also give books to bloggers for review purposes.

 

 

 

 

Hope it helps another book loving blogger.  🙂

Since moving from Blogger to WordPress and becoming a .com, I’ve been hit with a LOT of spam.  Some of it is so ridiculous, it’s funny. The kids and I have had a few good laughs. Then I installed a good spam filter.

Here are just a few of the really funny ones:

 

On test post that was only a code – no actual text:

“i tried adding your post to my digg account as i liked it,but seems someone has already submitted this to digg,hence i just voted it. i found it very interesting because of your perception on the subject.”

There was no actual post, just a code! roflol

 

On Homemade Baked Beans Recipe:

“It’s pretty interesting that the mainstream media has changed the way it looks at this recently dont you think? What once seemed like a never discussed issue has become more prevelant. It’s that time to chagnge our stance on this though.”

I wasn’t aware that the mainstream media was reporting on homemade baked beans. Never discussed issue? I didn’t mention beans occasional after effects. lol Change our stance on what? Eating homemade baked beans, or the after effects? roflol

 

On a Wordless Wednesday post that had ONE sentence about kick ball:

“your site ranks high on yahoo and i must say your consistent writing style deserves your blog to be such high in rankings.i relished your writing style.keep it up.”

ha! It was ONE sentence! roflol

 

on a Thursday’s Giveaway post:

“you know actually i got on this blog by an accident,didnt mean to search this.but still this post was a good read but surely agruable one.”

 

It’s all links to giveaway posts. What’s to argue about? Whether someone should enter giveaways? I’ve won several, so I’ll keep doing it and encouraging others to, as well!

 

On the Sponge Cake recipe post:

 

“Honestly i am in two minds on whether to take stand for or against. you are simply sharing your own point,i appreciate it. For some it will ring true for others it may not resemble their experience at all. I’m simply encouraging dialogue in the hope others will get the support they need.”

Well, if you can’t decide to take a stand for or against sponge cake, then don’t make it! lol

 

On a What’s For Dinner? post:

“Not a bad post,in fact really fine.but I really miss that you didn’t express your opinion in detail, but its ok you just have different approach to writing.”

It was out weekly menu. I don’t think my approach to writing menus is very different from anyone elses. Unless you count trying to eat low carb and lots of veggies. lol

 

Funny stuff!

 

 

 

I’ve been learning a lot since moving to WordPress. Some things are easy, some take longer to learn. Like embedding videos.

 

I like to post videos. Especially on Sunday’s. So I set out to learn how to do this. It’s complicated in WordPress. You can’t just take the embed code from places like YouTube and place the code in a post like on Blogger.

 

There are plugins available that are supposed to help. I tried one, and it wouldn’t work for me. So after some more searching, and reading lots of comments, here’s what I learned.

 

How to Embed a Video in WordPress

Click on:

settings

media

embeds

auto-emeds – check  “When possible, embed the media content from a URL directly onto the page.”

Save changes
Then in your post,   in HTML tab, (not visual tab)   place the URL   (not the embed code)   for the video you want in your post.  No extra html code needed, just the URL

Publish post as usual

 

It worked for me. Let me know if you try it and it works for you!

As everyone knows, Blogger was down yesterday and most of today. They’re back now, but they haven’t restored all the posts. One of mine is still missing.

I wasn’t looking forward to re-writing the review that was lost. Then I remembered a way to get the post back.

I subscribe to my own email feed, as well as follow myself with Google Reader. So it was just a matter of copying and pasting and I had my post back!

If you don’t subscribe to your own emails and follow your own blog with a reader, you really should.  You can see right away if there is a problem with one of your feeds. And in a case like this, it’s a great time and sanity saver!

I made Blogging Goals in 2010, then promptly amended the goals, lol I did complete all my goals! yay! Now it’s time to set new goals for 2011. And I won’t let myself come back and amend them. lol

• Make a blog header. I know what I want, I just have to do it!
• Make a Welcome page for Linda’s Lunacy Facebook page
• Start a weekly homemaking linky
• learn more about SEO, rankings, etc and use what I learn
• Continue with reviews and giveaways – I would like to have at least one giveaway a month
• Comment more on other blogs 
• Blog every day – I have joined The Blog Dare on BloggyMoms

Now, these next 2 goals are different. I will most likely not be able to mark them as done. However, I consider these the 2 most important goals for 2011.

• Use Linda’s Lunacy to make a difference in someones life
• Use Linda’s Lunacy to glorify God – in everything that I do and say here

For more 2011 Goals and Resolutions, visit:
5 Minutes For Mom
Savvy Blogging
Simply Stacie