Laina Turner's Blog, page 58
February 27, 2015
Fab 5 Friday
Here are some posts I enjoyed this week. Hope you do too!
Honestly WTF – Coffee Stains…beautiful art and she likes Sons of Anarchy. That’s my kind of gal!Librarian for Life and Style -
Librarian for Life and Style – Husband’s Style on a Casual Day Out…love it when the guy participates on the blog.
Helene in Between – Best Blogging Tps…ever…OMG this is hysterical. MUST READ!
Simple Moments Stick – Simple Moments Stick is Three…I just LOVE birthdays.
The Crafty Side of Sarcasm – Trying New Things…I’m excited for anyone trying yoga. It’s awesome!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
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February 26, 2015
March Photo Challenge
I’ve mentioned it before on this blog that I’m a bit photographically (is that even a word) challenged. Even if you haven’t read my past blog posts on the whole photography thing it’s pretty obvious, I got a C in my photography class junior year of high school. I’m also not what one would call a talented graphic designer either as evidenced by my PicMonkey created artworks, but it’s photography where I want to improve.
We all know the first step in improving is practice, and frankly that’s part of my downfall. I have been committed these last 6 months in utilizing an editorial calendar and planning out the content I want to write about. It’s been a huge help for me in the writing aspect and it’s helped my blog, I have consistently grown in page views over the last few months.
Though when looking at my blog business plan and where I want to be by the mid-year point and what on my blog could improve the most to give me the biggest bang for my buck. It’s photography.
Even though I have my editorial calendar and my posts planned out softly a month in advance and writing them 2 (ok usually 1) week in advance I struggle with planning out the images. I usually forget about the images until I’m under the gun. Even then if I can think of some great picture to take I run out of time, or I try and it won’t turn out the first 10 (100) times I try and take it so I give up and head to PicMonkey.
So I decided to up my game.
For the entire month of March, I’m going to challenge myself to use real live pictures for every post I post.
With one exception…any of the posts that are about my fiction books will probably have the cover as the lead image.
Two exceptions…my Fab 5 Friday posts that highlight other posts I love. I use the images from the posts I link to and put them in a collage.
Three exceptions…just kidding. Just those 2.
Other than that, no PicMonkey fall backs. I will still use PicMonkey to enhance my photos. Adding layers and text and all that fun stuff but they will START from images using my DLSP camera and one of the 3 lenses I have that are supposed to do awesome things.
I’d be lying if I said this doesn’t scare me. The only thing that makes me feel a little bit better about being able to achieve this is I will be in Ireland for a week this month. I’ve planned on a weeks worth of Ireland related posts with pictures so at least those won’t have to be thought out as much. Or at least that’s what I’m hoping. You may see a lot of pictures of drunken people at the local pub.
I’m also not going to cop out and get away from my 7-day a week posting schedule. Though really only 5 days will need original images.
Regardless of all the exceptions I’m still nervous. It’s going to take a lot of pre-planning and thinking of what to shoot well in advance.
But I’m going to try and hopefully by April my photography skills will be noticeably improved.
What are you going to challenge yourself on for March?
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February 25, 2015
How to Effectively Use Google Plus
First, I want to say CONGRATS to Meghan M. for entering and winning the drawing on my Instagram post last week – and for your helpful tips!
Second, I want to say thanks for all the great input on what I can/should do to improve my Instagram engagement. It was very helpful and I am implementing some of the great tips. I will definitely write a follow up post in a few weeks to let you know how my Instagram engagement has improved – or not.
I’m hoping it’s improved.
So today I thought I would talk about another one of my social media platforms that is a bit of a struggle for me.
Google +
I’ve been using Google + for a couple years but didn’t seriously try and figure it out until this past fall. In looking at my Google analytics I could see I was getting decent traffic from Google + even though I wasn’t really working it. So I realized it was something I needed to do more with.
Just what?
I read something somewhere at some point (I know, I wish I remembered where too) that Google + was a cross between Facebook’s frivolity and Linked In’s professionalism. That was very helpful for me to figure out the tone to take on this platform.
I also knew that Google+ was important because it’s tied to Google and Google’s search engines and that the more your posts on Google + gets Likes and shares the higher up your content will rank.
But how to get more juice for your site besides the plain ole posting your blog daily?
Make sure your post titles are catchy (which you should be doing on your site anyway) but maybe even change it up a little for Google +.
Join communities that reflect your interests and niche. Just like any other social media platform it’s not a one way street. You want to interact with people and get them to interact with you. Not just jam your posts down their throat.
Use images. Google loves images and so does everyone else. Hence Pinterest and Instagram.
Don’t just re-post your posts but post thoughts, comments, and the occasional frivolous thing. I guess I mean show people who you are. Not just what you write.
Be consistent. Spending 5 minutes a day is better than 30 minutes 1 day a week – in my opinion. If you get one every day to post, like, and share you not only will get to know the platform better but you’ll also get to make friends. And THAT is the most fun part of social media.
What have you found that works on Google +?
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February 24, 2015
Yummy Bran Muffins
I realize the name Bran Muffins might not sound all that enticing. It’s not like double chocolate muffins or apple cinnamon muffins or even a plain ole blueberry muffin might sound better than a bran muffin. But trust me these aren’t too bad.
I love muffins because they’re easy on the go food and am always looking for a recipe that is low in fat and high in protein and fiber.
I decided to try and make my own version of the bran muffin I had years ago from a Weight Watchers store using some of the leftover Hooray Puree I had from last week.
I found the original recipe online from SparkRecipes but made a few changes.
Bran Muffins 2015-02-23 16:02:37 Yields 12 A healthy bran muffin recipe.
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Save Recipe Print Ingredients 2 c All Bran cereal 1 1/4 c almond milk 1/3 c brown sugar 2 egg whites 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 c Hooray Puree sweet potato 1 c whole wheat flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions Mix All Bran, almond milk, and brown sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add egg whites, vanilla, and pureed sweet potato. Mix thoroughly and then add remaining ingredients. Grease muffin pan and spoon in batter evenly in all 12 cups. Pre heat over to 350 and cook for 15-17 minutes.
Laina Turner http://www.lainaturner.com/
By my calculations, each muffin is 104 calories, 4 g fiber, 4 g protein, 7 g sugar, and 1 g fat. Not too shabby.
What’s your favorite muffin ?
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February 23, 2015
What to Write About?
It’s no secret that when it comes to blogging that content is key. Along with photography but for today my focus is on content.
The whole goal of having a blog is that someone will read it. To get people to your blog there has to be something worth reading. The ‘what’s in it for me’ syndrome. What’s in it for your readers?
If you’re anything like me, you tend to wonder why anyone would want to read anything you write because nothing seems all that entertaining. But then I tend to be my own worst critic.
Because I want to make my readers happy, I spend a lot of time putting together my editorial calendar. This is to make sure that what I’m planning on writing about people will find entertaining and informative.
I try to do the following each week:
A personal post. About me, my life, the kids, you get the picture.
A helpful post. Whether it be about blogging, social media or writing. Just something that contains information that may help someone else.
A food post. Not because I’m some awesome cook (pretty much the opposite) but I do enjoy cooking and I find it fun to try new things and blog about them. This is actually the one area that when I started blogging I never thought I would be doing. But I love it.
A post about something I’ve done or tried. I guess this also falls into a personal type post but rather than just a personal essay type thing this post actually contains information. Whether it’s useful or not, only you can be the judge.
Then I end the week with a Fab 5 Friday post, which contains 5 of my favorite post from the week or I spotlight another writer or blogger. This gives me a chance to share and give back to other great bloggers.
This list of blog post types is fairly consistent year ‘round. But then I do mix it up here and there depending on my overall monthly goal and theme. For example, March is about travel so I will probably write some of the personal posts with a travel theme in mind and one or so of the helpful posts of the month will be on travel.
April is going to be about spring so I can brainstorm how spring topics can fit into the type of posts I want to write.
Knowing this is my basic line up then makes the job of coming up with specific post content that much easier. Plus people know what to expect and they can look forward to what’s coming.
There is no one right way and this schedule of mine isn’t set in stone. I can change it up any time a mood strikes me but it helps me to plan better and not have to scramble at the last minute trying to figure out what to write.
How do you plan your posts?
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February 22, 2015
Quote of the day!
Have an amazing Sunday!
Ever notice how ‘What the hell’ is always the right answer? — Marilyn Monroe
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February 21, 2015
Cupids & Crooks Book Trailer
Cupids & Crooks is the 7th installment in the Presley Thurman series, Cupids & Crooks.
Presley was thrilled when Cooper surprised her with a trip to an all inclusive resort in Cabo San Lucas. No work and all play was what was on her mind until well-renowned Mexican soap opera star, Lucia Vegas, turned up dead in the hotel pool. Accident it was not and Presley couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. Then she met reporter, Belinda, who told her the theory that Lucia was just one of a string of murders targeting young actresses. Vacation or not, Presley had to find the murderer!
Check out the new awesome book trailer! and Grab your copy today!
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February 20, 2015
Fab 5 Friday
My favorite posts from the week.
Eat Yourself Skinny – 15 Delicious Avocado Recipes….love me some avocado.
Natalie Patalie – My Favorite Hate Watch TLC’s “Sister Wives”…some shows you just can’t tear yourself away from.
All My Happy Endings – Monetize Your Blog…because while we all love to blog a little extra change never hurt anyone.
Wife Mommy Me – Guess Who’s Back…anyone who talks about Eminem on their blog is a friend of mine.
Into The Gloss – Started at the Bottom…we all have to start somewhere and you learn a lot at the bottom.
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February 19, 2015
Engraved Jewelery
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
The Spring Trends Report from Stella & Dot is in! It features accessories to add some edge to your wardrobe or even a pop of color. My favorite trend is all about personalization.
From engravable lockets to cuffs and charms, Stella & Dot has everything you need to personalize your accessories for Spring! Plus it’s a great gift idea!
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5 Ways to Stop Wasting Money
I wrote a post a few weeks ago about budgeting and the cool new app/program I bought YNAB (you need a budget) and how I was going to tighten down and start tracking my spending so I could better budget (or rather budget, in general).
YNAB is fantastic! And the good news is I’ve been pretty good at inputting all the money I spend (my significant other not as much), and I’m getting a much better picture of where the money is going.
The bad news is I waste a lot of money on unnecessary items. I knew that before so it wasn’t a complete shock. But since I’ve tried in the past to not pay attention to what the amounts added up too seeing the totals for January were eye opening.
Now that February is half over and after looking at my totals so far I’m kind of disappointed in myself. Knowing I overspent in January, how was I not more cognizant of what I was spending?
After beating myself up a little, I thought about what were the triggers or root causes that keep me spending more than I need too. I came up with 3 main justifications.
Time
A finely honed skill in justification
Lack of patience
I talked to a few of my friends, and it seems like a common theme. It’s easy to not pay attention to what you’re spending or to not look for the best deal when you feel rushed and short of time.
It’s also easy (at least for me) to talk myself into why I need something that I don’t really need.
Patience is something I struggle with because I hate waiting. Who doesn’t? So instead of putting off a purchase to save money for a bigger and better purchase I cave and buy what I want now that will make me happy. Even though, it will be temporary.
The key is how can these things be overcome to get spending on track with what it needs to be and to save for those big purchases. A house in my case.
Use cash. This sounds so simple yet it really works. It’s easy to overspend when you’re using a debit or credit card. Kind of the out of sight and out of mind philosophy.
Write a list of your saving goals and when you are getting ready to spend pull that lost out and look at it. Is what you’re getting ready to buy going to get you to that goal?
Think. When you want to buy something, really think about if you need it. Even step away and sleep on it overnight to see if you still want it that bad the next day.
Have an accountability partner. I know I have friends who want to curb their spending so if anytime you are about to make a purchase that isn’t a necessity you call/text each other to talk about it.
Pay yourself first. If you wait until you have extra money to start saving, it will probably never happen. I mean who really has extra money? Instead work your savings into your budget and make sure that account is sacred so you don’t tap into it.
It takes commitment and desire, just like any other goal, but it you do it and follow through it works. In the end, your bank account will thank you.
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