Friday, October 31, 2014
BLOGGER PROBLEMS: THE TALE OF FIFTY-THREE LOST PHOTOS

BLOGGER PROBLEMS: THE TALE OF FIFTY-THREE LOST PHOTOS

Friday, October 31, 2014

It was a beautiful cloudless day when I popped the camera card into my computer. The anticipation of editing photos while listening to music was making me hyper. I was bouncing around my office with childish excitement. "These might be the best pictures yet!" I thought to myself, proud of all that I was learning about taking blog worthy photos.

I had really grown to love editing, and could spend countless blissful hours behind my computer screen working. "I'll make it one of those tested from Pinterest posts!" I proclaimed to only myself, earbuds happily blasting out Taylor Swift's Shake It Off. If only I had known how that song would ring in my ears.

Baby, I'm just gonna shake shake shake shake shake. 

Uploading pictures had become old hat. I did this multiple times a week. I had found myself collecting many shots with my coal-black Canon Rebel. It had become my very best friend; swinging gaily from the strap it hung on around my neck, on a regular basis. I cheerfully inserted the camera card into my Mac and waited for "NO NAME" to spring up in iPhoto. Nothing. "I've done it in the wrong order." Though no specific order had ever been needed in the past, I reasoned that I must close iPhoto and reinsert the camera card, and let iPhoto open when my Mac acknowledged the camera card's presence. "Let's try this agin." I muttered to myself. Nothing. Frustration began to set in. "Are you kidding me!" In the midst of my mild frustration I rushed upstairs and rummaged through some things on the desk in my room."HA found it!" I ran back down to my office with the newly acquired USB cable that belonged the my Rebel. "I'll just plug this bad boy in and upload them that way."

I was back in my bubbly bouncing mood. Surely this would solve the problem. I had no valid reason for thinking this, but I had quite comfortably settled into denial about the entire situation. With Mr. Probz Waves playing in the background, I had unplugged my pearly white earbuds and music flowed freely throughout the room, I plugged the USB cable into my computer and waited with misguided confidence. Fifty-three photos. All fifty-three within my grasp. Would you like to upload all 53 images to iPhoto? blazed across my computer screen. "Yes, yes I would!" 


I pressed on, minimizing iPhoto, while I listened to two more tracks from my Vibe playlist on Spotify. Ignoring the pictures while they uploaded gave relief to my nerves. Perhaps if I didn't watch them upload I would have more success. I put some finishing touches on a new blog header as Stevie Wonder's Superstition finished playing. I knew the pictures had finished uploading from my "NO NAME" camera card. 

I just knew it.

"This isn't happening." A small pop-up window informed me: the following 53 unreadable photos could not be uploaded. "Unreadable?!" The computer was wrong and obviously malfunctioning. "No, nope. It's all a terrible mistake." Somewhere between rage and despair, I brashly snatched the USB cable out of the port on the side of my computer. "This. is. not. happening." I decided to start from scratch. With Eye of the Tiger keeping time for my hate fire, I closed everything out and began again. 

It's the eye of the tiger. It's the thrill of the fight.

I was now burdened with glorious purpose. I was going to win the fight with my expensive blogging paraphernalia. I forcefully plugged the USB cable back into my Mac, switched the Rebel on, and dared iPhoto not to submit. This would all be forgotten once I found victory. The pictures would be edited, and the post would be published. No one ever had to know of the battle waged behind the scenes. But it was not to be.

The following 53 unreadable photos could not be uploaded. 

Those words burned the deepest part of my blogger soul. It was over. Forever trapped on that unnamed camera card, those shots of perfectly baked healthy cookies would never be gazed upon. The evidence that those pins you never get around to testing actually do work out sometimes. Proof that not all Pinterest recipes are tricks. I had gone from childlike bliss to utter despair. The fight was over. The photos were lost. 

I sat back in my chair while Sarah McLachlan serenaded my broken blogger heart... I will remember you.

"Yes, yes I will." 



That's the tale, in all its sarcastic playfulness. Bonus points if you caught the Loki reference! The entire camera card is corrupted and I'm not sure how.  What about you? Have you ever lost photos, or an entire post?






  


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Wednesday, October 22, 2014
BLUEBERRY KALE SMOOTHIE

BLUEBERRY KALE SMOOTHIE

Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Blueberry Kale Smoothie Recipe, green smoothies, healthy smoothies, kale smoothie, blueberry smoothie, smoothie recipes

Happy Wednesday, friends! The beautiful fall weather is finally making its arrival and I couldn't be happier! The gentle crisp air of fall breathes new pumpkin spice latte filled life into each Autumn day. The South likes to take a slow and steady approach to the cool weather shift. I blissfully frolicked off in my leggings, oversized sweater, and scarf, only to be slapped in the face with an eighty degree day.  But that was several weeks ago, and I'm finally donning such apparel without breaking out in a sweat!  Amen! Hallelujah!

I'm somewhat of a picky eater so I have to find creative ways to get my fruits and vegetables in. My favorite way to get some healthy goodness is to whip up a smoothie.. a smoothie that tastes good. You know those pretty green smoothies that beam with spinach filled radiance? Yeah, those don't taste so great. In honor of the few warm days left, I'm sharing my go-to smoothie recipe. This simple blueberry kale smoothie is tart and refreshing! There's not just kale and blueberries in their either, a little carrot to add some sweetness, and tart cherry juice to boost the flavors are delightful additions to the recipe. The perfect healthy treat to keep you full and energized. And hey, who says you can't have cool treats during the brisk weather months!


Blueberry Kale Smoothie Recipe, green smoothies, healthy smoothies, kale smoothie, blueberry smoothie, smoothie recipes
Blueberry Kale Smoothie Recipe, green smoothies, healthy smoothies, kale smoothie, blueberry smoothie, smoothie recipes

THE BENEFITS 
Blueberries are loaded with fiber which keeps you full longer. Just a handful can satisfy your daily fiber requirement. Blueberries are also a great source of manganese ( a mineral that is found in nuts, seeds, legumes, tea, leafy green vegetables, and whole grains ) which plays an important part in bone development, as well as converting carbohydrates and fats into energy! Blueberries are also a fantastic source of Vitamin C; containing almost 25% of your daily value. 

Kale is high in iron. Iron is essential for good health; it aids in the transporting of oxygen to various parts of the body, proper liver function, cell growth, and much more! Kale is also high in Vitamin C, A, and K. It is also an anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale contains omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight against arthritis, autoimmune disorders, and asthma. 

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A in the liver. Beta-carotene has  been shown to protect against macular degeneration. The high levels of beta-carotene also aid in the repair of cell damage done to the body through regular metabolism. So it essentially helps slow down the aging of cells. The Vitamin A found in carrots helps prevent acne, dry skin, premature wrinkling, and uneven skin tone. 

  The components in tart cherries and tart cherry juice have been shown to deliver high levels of protection against degenerative and inflammatory diseases like cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.  The anti-inflammatory properties in tart cherries also help prevent muscle injury ( for my fellow gym rats ), as well as, offering relief from arthritis. 


Blueberry Kale Smoothie Recipe, green smoothies, healthy smoothies, kale smoothie, blueberry smoothie, smoothie recipes

BLEND IT UP
___________________________

1 cup of frozen Blueberries
1 cup of Kale
1 small carrot peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups of Tart Cherry Juice

Bend frozen blueberries, kale, carrot, and tart cherry juice until smooth. The frozen blueberries keep this smoothie nice and cold. Because of the blueberries and tart cherry juice, this smoothie will turn a delightful burgundy color. This smoothie is quite tart. You can play around with this a bit if you're not really fond of tart things. You can cut the Tart Cherry Juice down to 1 cup and add 1/2 a cup of Orange Juice or water to take it down a notch. Of course, if it is too thick for your taste, just add a touch more liquid. You can also use mixed berries instead of just blueberries!

+ Also, I use my Ninja blender to make smoothies so this turns out super smooth for me. If you have a different setup it may have bits of berry or kale not quite pulverized. So make sure you blend it long enough!

Blueberry Kale Smoothie Recipe, green smoothies, healthy smoothies, kale smoothie, blueberry smoothie, smoothie recipes
Blueberry Kale Smoothie Recipe, green smoothies, healthy smoothies, kale smoothie, blueberry smoothie, smoothie recipes






Wednesday, October 1, 2014
HOW TO: CUSTOMIZE THE "NEWER + OLDER POSTS" ON BLOGGER

HOW TO: CUSTOMIZE THE "NEWER + OLDER POSTS" ON BLOGGER

Wednesday, October 1, 2014
How To: Customize the Newer + Older Posts Links in Blogger, blog tutorials, coding tutorial, customize blogger, blog design

Fifteen days. Fifteen days without blogging. I can't believe I did it, but sometimes you just need to take a step back and breathe, right? To kick off my return from my blogcation. Making up words again. I'm sharing a really simple coding tutorial for my blogging friends that like to take designing into their own hands!

If you're brave enough to scroll on down to the bottom of this blog you'll see a little button that says "previous posts" ( there's a picture below instead because I love you guys and don't want you scrolling your life away! ). It's a small link, but the font is the same as other important links on the blog. Little details like that are important to the aesthetic of your blog. The default in Blogger for these links is "Newer /Home/ Older posts". With just a few coding adjustments, you can customize those links to say and look like whatever you want!

How To: Customize the Newer + Older Posts Links in Blogger, blog tutorials, coding tutorial, customize blogger, blog design


| REMEMBER TO BACKUP YOUR TEMPLATE BEFORE ALTERING THE HTML/CSS

The first thing to do is find the code that you want to alter. Login into Blogger + Template + Jump To Widget + Blog 1. You're going to look for <b:includable id='nextprev'>...</b:includable>. Click the black arrow to the left to expand. The code that you need to change will become visible. It looks like this..

How To: Customize the Newer + Older Posts Links in Blogger, blog tutorials, coding tutorial, customize blogger, blog design

How To: Customize the Newer + Older Posts Links in Blogger, blog tutorials, coding tutorial, customize blogger, blog design
How To: Customize the Newer + Older Posts Links in Blogger, blog tutorials, coding tutorial, customize blogger, blog design

|Replacing the Links with Images.
Replacing the links with images allows you to really be creative, because you can design the images/buttons any way that you would like. It gives you a lot of freedom. A simple code replacement that contains the direct image url to your image is all you need! Just replace <data:olderPageTitle/>, <data:newerPageTitle/>, and <data:homeMsg/> with this <img src="IMAGE URL"/>. You can see in the image above, on line 1520 and 1527, an example of this within the HTML.
    
<b:includable id='nextprev'>
                                <div class='blog-pager' id='blog-pager'>
                                  <b:if cond='data:newerPageUrl'>
                                    <span id='blog-pager-newer-link'>
                                      <a class='blog-pager-newer-link' expr:href='data:newerPageUrl' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_blog-pager-newer-link&quot;' expr:title='data:newerPageTitle'>
                                        <img src=" IMAGE URL"/>
                                      </a>
                                    </span>
                                  </b:if>
                                  <b:if cond='data:olderPageUrl'>
                                    <span id='blog-pager-older-link'>
                                      <a class='blog-pager-older-link' expr:href='data:olderPageUrl' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_blog-pager-older-link&quot;' expr:title='data:olderPageTitle'>
                                        <img src=" IMAGE URL"/>
                                      </a>
                                    </span>
                                  </b:if>
                                  <a class='home-link' expr:href='data:blog.homepageUrl'>
                                       <img src=" IMAGE URL"/>
                                     </a>

| Changing the Text of the Links.
If you simply want to alter what the text of the links say, rather than replacing with an image, just change the text that is shown for newer posts, older posts, and the home link ( the blue text below ). You can change the text to anything that you would like "previous posts" " go back" "next page". Really anything.

<b:includable id='nextprev'>
                                <div class='blog-pager' id='blog-pager'>
                                  <b:if cond='data:newerPageUrl'>
                                    <span id='blog-pager-newer-link'>
                                      <a class='blog-pager-newer-link' expr:href='data:newerPageUrl' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_blog-pager-newer-link&quot;' expr:title='data:newerPageTitle'>
                                        <data:olderPageTitle/>
                                      </a>
                                    </span>
                                  </b:if>
                                  <b:if cond='data:olderPageUrl'>
                                    <span id='blog-pager-older-link'>
                                      <a class='blog-pager-older-link' expr:href='data:olderPageUrl' expr:id='data:widget.instanceId + &quot;_blog-pager-older-link&quot;' expr:title='data:olderPageTitle'>
                                        <data:newerPageTitle/>
                                      </a>
                                    </span>
                                  </b:if>
                                  <a class='home-link' expr:href='data:blog.homepageUrl'>
                                       <data:homeMsg/>
                                     </a>

There you go! You're one step closer to being a blog designer! Messing around with code can seem daunting when you're unfamiliar, but it really isn't so hard once you get the hang of it. So have fun and happy coding!







  


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