new digs!

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Hi guys! Welcome!

This is the new site I’ve been working on for what seems like forever. I am officially  moved in from Blogger to WordPress for more bloggy flexibility and I have an idea that it’s going to be a while before I figure out all the fun new capabilities I have here.

Can I show you around a bit?

If you look at the orange navigation bar at the top there are some new tabs. I am working on a FAQs page, which I hope will be a useful way for me to answer some of y’all’s most commonly asked questions (please feel free to ask questions in the comments of this page). I’m also putting together a list/gallery of all of the paint colors in my house since that is the one question that I get the most. You ask, I answer!

You can now search my blog in several different ways. There is a categories tab on the navigation bar that will drop down and show common topics. You can also search my archives or do a keyword search at the very bottom of the page.

My tutorials page is a little easier to navigate now, I hope. I’m still fiddling with plug-in options and I’m sure it will evolve over time. But it is a vast improvement from my old tutorials page!

I also have a nice contact form that you can use anytime you have a question about something. This is what I’ll ask you to use any time you win a giveaway – these messages go straight into my email inbox.

Some of my favorite new features are at the bottoms of each post. Now you can tweet posts that you want to share, “Like” them on Facebook, Email them, and eventually I will have a button that will allow you to Pin an entire post as well. Fancy!

And, while this may seem silly, I may be most geeked about the comments. For one thing, they’re not at the top anymore!! (Can I hear an amen?) And it will be even easier for me to talk back and forth with you because now I can reply directly to your comments. I believe you’ll have to subscribe to the comment thread to be notified that I’ve replied, but you can always check back here instead if you’re expecting a response to something.

I was super fortunate to get to work with the very talented Kayla Aimee for the final two weeks of this project. She is the mastermind behind my big switchover from Blogger and she took my vision and made it into a lovely and useful new home for my blog. She was fast, too. Most days I honestly felt like I was holding her back. The only times we weren’t making forward motion were when we were either waiting on something from my host or for me to get files to her. If you’re looking for a programmer to help you out with your blog, I totally recommend her.

Also, she is southern and tiny and hilarious. My favorite quote from this process: “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition! Bless my soul that was tough!”

Told you she was a southern girl.

And, she teaches blogging workshops! And she writes e-books about blogging. (Seriously, girl knows her stuff. She has taught me so much!) AND she has a new e-book coming out in about a month. (I’ll let you know when it does. )

 

And that’s that. My first post in my brand new pile of bricks. It’s starting to feel like home already. Thanks for your patience as I work out the kinks (I’m a bit indecisive), and please, enjoy looking around! And feel free to leave me (or Kayla Aimee) some love in the new comments section.

Hurrah!

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27 Responses

  1. Jennifer 3 September 2011 at 8:03 am

    The new site looks great! I like the layout with the menu bar at top. and I like your top two photos on the side and how you introduce yourself and your family. It’s just cute. :-)

    Reply
  2. Andrea Merrigan 3 September 2011 at 8:20 am

    I love the new site and I’m jealous of your comment abilities. I am still on blogger and cant figure out a way to improve the comments, I would love to have the reply option. My blog definitely is not at the point of moving to wordpress, but maybe one day!

    Enjoy the weekend camping!

    Reply
  3. Molly 3 September 2011 at 11:31 am

    Oh wow! Love it so much! And now I can finally comment – I don’t know if it was me or you, but every time I tired to comment on the old blog I had issues. Yay for new digs!

    Also, totally jealous. ;)

    Reply
  4. Gail E 4 September 2011 at 12:24 am

    Looking good, Raechel, crisp and elegant. Know you’re relieved to have this big project completed. Always so many bugs to work out. Good job!

    Reply

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