#Bloggiesta Finish Line

I have been part of the Bloggiesta party for most of the weekend, and while I started out with the plan to focus mainly on writing posts, things didn't turn out that way and I spend way more time on doing those typical Bloggiesta things. I did wrote a total of 6 posts though, and one of them was published by accident ;)

Anyway here is the stuff I did manage to do on my 2 blogs, this one and She Likes Bento:

Small Stuff:
- Back up blogs
- Remove cookbook challenge button (SLB) from sidebar and clean up sidebars
- Add favicons
- Install English spelling control in my browser (only had Dutch, but it seems you can't have both on at the same time)
- Make a bloggiesta grocery list
- Update copyright notices
- Update UC review page for 2013
- Update review policy

Larger things:
- Think what I want to do with this blog (make it more personal, so I will update more often..? You can read the outcome of that here.
- Make a "She Likes Bento" map on Pinterest and pin all the recipes from my blog.
- Go through my bloglovin'. Read some of those over 1600 posts, and sort out which blogs I still want to follow.
- Clean out my inbox - Still In Progress. I started out with about 750 mails, about 400 remain.

And something I did not plan on was making About me pages for my blogs. In the twitter chat this Saturday, everyone said About pages is the first thing a visitor looks for and a big part of the choice to follow a blog or not. I never knew that! Because honestly I don't. I look if I like what I person writes about first and get to know a person second. So I never realised that what I am reading blogs isn't how the majority of the people do it. Anyway, I have an About me page now!

Write posts:
- Lemonies recipe (SLB)
- Review "Pompoenenboekje" plus recipe pumpkin lasagna (SLB)
- Tomato Clafoutis recipe (SLB)
- Mexican Spoonbread recipe (SLB)
- Book review: Speechless (UC)

Mini Challenges:
- Through a visitors eye - Part one is good to go - and that is all I did ;)
- StumbleUpon

I didn't do so well on the mini challenges, all though technically I decluttered my sidebars too, but that was part of my original plan. It was not that they were not interesting, but it is is all about the fact that I didn't want to create much extra work for myself at this point in time. That is why I decided not to participate in the Book Depository Affiliate challenge or the review in many place challenge.

I also joined the twitterchat on Saturday and I might join the Sunday one that is still need to happen, but that one starts 10PM my time, so I am not sure.

Anyway, I am quite happy about what I did this Bloggiesta but a bit sad that I wasn't as focussed as on my previous ones so that I still have a lot of posts to write. But I guess that is just the way it is ;) I had fun though and maybe I will see you tonight while chatting, and if not, hopefully I will see you around ;)

Tweet

Blogging my way! (Blog Brainstorm for #Bloggiesta)

One of my tasks and maybe even THE task of this Bloggiesta is to figure out, there do I want to go from here? I haven't been very active since the fall Bloggiesta. Around December everything fell kinda apart blog wise and I just didn't have the time to pick it up.

I have a lot going on in my life atm, and I have been pushed over my limits for a few months straight. Now I finally put a stop to that but it takes me longer to recover than I would like. I haven't been feeling like reading and knowing that I "have to" write reviews only puts more pressure on reading. I haven't been able to focus on just any book for some time now. If a book doesn't sweep me off my feet at this point, I am not likely to finish it, even though otherwise it would be fine book to me. I am currently more into watching series, movies and playing video games because it seems to relax me more at this point.

So because of this a Blogging brainstorm is in order. I found out that I need to give myself permission that it is okay to do whatever I want to do. Blog about the usual subjects? Great! Blog about personal stuff? That is allowed too. Want to talk about a movie I just saw? Awesome! Want to blog about any subject that makes my heart happy and causes that little spark of inspiration? Go for it! And if nothing comes and you don't blog for weeks or even months? That is fine too, you will be back when the time is right. It is all about giving permission. Even if that means letting go for a while.

Another big thing is that writing long posts is something that I seem to not be able to so easily at this point. The solution is to stop doing it. A short impression is fine too! If that keeps the reviews going. I don't have to write out all the info, because that is what Goodreads is for. A link will do. If this is what it takes to start me to read again and share it in the process, then that is totally fine. I don't have to live up to certain standards. I don't get paid for this. Blogging is not my job, but my hobby. So I can say as much or as little as I like.

I know that Bloggiesta is all about making your blogs better, and that is not a bad thing, it's a good thing. My blogs got better. The quality of my posts went up. My layout got more together, and of course I will still keep all those benefits. But for now all those quality standards are stopping me from doing what I like. I use to love blogging! And I want to start loving it again! And in order to do that I need to do it my way. And if that means not having a blogging schedule so that people know I will always post each Wednesday and Saturday, then that is okay. Normally I love to have those schedules but now is not that time. So for now I am just going to toss all those unwritten blogging rules out of the window and just be me. And that just has to be good enough, because why wouldn't it be? :)

Tweet

#Bloggiesta starting post

It is that time again! And of course I have to start with the same speech about how I have neglected my blogs. But I am not going to do that. This weekend (mainly tomorrow and Sunday) I am going to spend time working on my blogs. So let's get this Bloggiesta party started and do join in if you can.

I have 2 blogs, this one and She Likes Bento. I am focussing mainly on the latter one this time around because I feel more motivated to do that.

Small Stuff:
- Back up blogs
- Remove cookbook challenge button from sidebar and clean up sidebars (SLB)
- Add favicons
- Install English spelling control in my browser (only have Dutch now)
- Make a bloggiesta grocery list
- Update copyright notices
- Update UC review page for 2013
- Update review policy

Larger things:
- Think what I want to do with this blog (make it more personal, so I will update more often..? I am still in a reading and blogging slump)
- Making a "She Likes Bento" map on Pinterest and start pinning the recipes from my blog.
- Go through my bloglovin'. Read some of those over 1600 posts, and sort out which blogs you still want to follow. (and of course add the new wonderful blogs I will find during Bloggiesta)
- Clean out my inbox - In Progress
- Make About pages for both blogs

Write posts:
- Lemonies recipe (SLB)
- Review "Pompoenenboekje" plus recipe pumpkin lasagna (SLB)
- Tomato Clafoutis recipe (SLB)
- Buttercake with apple recipe (SLB)
- Date squares recipe (SLB)
- Vegan cheese sauce recipe (SLB)
- Review Happy Herbivore Abroad + vegetable masala recipe (SLB)
- Spinaci con uovi recipe (SLB)
- Review D'lish Deviled Eggs + recipe (SLB)
- Red cabbage with pear and feta recipe (SLB)
- Mexican Spoonbread recipe (SLB)
- Vegetarian Moussaka recipe (SLB)
- How I won a month free vegs and fruits (SLB)
- Book review: Speechless (UC)
- Book review: Paaz (UC)
- Book review: Grenzeloos (UC)
- Book review: Alice Bliss (UC)
- Book review: The Kitchen House (UC)
- Book review: Thirteen reasons why (UC)
- Book review: Chocolat (UC)
- Book review: Shelter (UC)
- Book review: Shatter me (UC)
- Book review: Zoet als zure kersen (UC)
- Backlog 365 posts (UC)

(I have even more recipes and reviews)

Mini Challenges:
- Through a visitors eye - Part one is good to go
- Reviewing in many places - Decided not to do this, because I want to destress - not add more work ;)
- Getting to know you
- StumbleUpon

 Maybe more mini challenges as I come across them.

- Join the Twitterchat on Saturday

Tweet

Mini Bloggiesta starting post January 2013

*Yawns* It is time for Bloggiesta again! Normally I would be super enthousiastic about this however I only had 2 hours of sleep yesterday. I dread the grammar errors I will make when writing posts.

Ole! In this mini Bloggiesta that will take place today and tomorrow, I want to write posts because I am still so very much behind.

Uniflame Creates:
- Pin It and Do it post
- Book review in Dutch: alles wat er was
- Book review: The Kitchen house
- Library challenge post
- backlog 365 posts
- More posts?

She Likes Bento:
- Weekend cooking post: one of many recipes I still have to share
- Weekend cooking post: Happy Herbivore abroad review + recipe

Both blogs:
- I need help with the blogger spam problem. Any advise would be of great help!
- Spell check any posts I write on Saturday on another day.

There are a lot more posts I could place on here... but seeing how long it takes to put this post together... Let just see how far I will come and maybe tonight I will sleep so I can write tomorrow.

Want to join? Go to the Bloggiesta site.

Tweet

Bloggiesta Wrap up post

Awww Bloggiesta is already over... well for me at least. I have written so much over the weekend that I am kind of pooped out ;) But I made a good dent with the backlogging and I have scheduled posts all through October on 2 blogs!

I will edit this post later when the official Bloggiesta wrap up post is up. But for now, this is my list of accomplishments. I am going to back up my blogs last, because to me it doesn't make sense to do that when Bloggiesta starts and when I am going to write so much over the weekend! I have written 26 posts over the weekend btw!

Uniflame Creates:
- Make back up
- Write and schedule 19(!!) book reviews (10 down)
- Write Library Loot post
- Deal with the spam comments on this blog
- Write Pin it and Do it challenge post
- Hunt for cute little owls to use as new rating system
- Make owls suitable for review system
- Backlog project 365 posts

She Likes Bento:
- Go through my recipe list and list vegan recipes
- Make back up
- Write and schedule several bento posts (all 6 down)
- Write and schedule 2 snack reviews
- Weekend Cooking post
- Maybe more backlog recipe posts (1 down)
- Make banner for Cookbook Challenge

Met een Strikje:
- Make new signatures
- Write some reviews or other posts in advance (1 down)

Mini Challenges:
- Join Twitter party on Saturday
- Organize books by using Microsoft access
- Step out of your blogger comfort zone
- How to use blogger journal and calendar
- Catch up on reviews
- Give and Get great guest posts
- Photo copyrights
- Changes with feedburner (read it but didn't really get what should be done)
- Build your blog audience
- Evernote
- Lets get personal
- SEO (old)

Other:
- Sort out NetGalley books
- Install Photoshop (oops)
- Check up on reading challenges progress and plan books accordingly

As a bonus: Here are my lists from the use a blogger journal and calendar mini challenge:
My posting schedule for October for this blog

My reading schedule for the rest of the year

If you click on them you might even be able to read them ;) Oh and those books... that is probably more than I can read ;)
.

Tweet

Bloggiesta Starting post

It is time for Bloggiesta again! Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, I will spend most of my time working on my blogs! I can not work whole days on my blog like previous time though, mainly on Friday, I have some other stuff that needs to be done as well. But I do intend to put some hours into this!

I will probably have to edit this post somewhere tomorrow, but I already wanted to make a list of things that I need to do.

Uniflame Creates:
- Make back up
- Write and schedule 19(!!) book reviews (10 down)
- Write Library Loot post
- Deal with the spam comments on this blog
- Write Pin it and Do it challenge post
- Hunt for cute little owls to use as new rating system
- Make owls suitable for review system
- Backlog project 365 posts

She Likes Bento:
- Go through my recipe list and list vegan recipes
- Make back up
- Write and schedule several bento posts (all 6 down)
- Write and schedule 2 snack reviews
- Weekend Cooking post
- Maybe more backlog recipe posts (1 down)
- Make banner for Cookbook Challenge

Met een Strikje:
- Make new signatures
- Write some reviews or other posts in advance (1 down)

Mini Challenges:
- Join Twitter party on Saturday
- Organize books by using Microsoft access
- Step out of your blogger comfort zone
- How to use blogger journal and calendar
- Catch up on reviews
- Give and Get great guest posts
- Photo copyrights
- Changes with feedburner (read it but didn't really get what should be done)
- Build your blog audience
- Evernote
- Lets get personal
- SEO (old)

Other:
- Sort out NetGalley books
- Install Photoshop (oops)
- Check up on reading challenges progress and plan books accordingly

As you can see there won't be done so much to make changes, but I am going to use this bloggiesta to work on my backlog of things ;) There is another handicap on this one and that is that it seems that I can't spend so many hours behind a computer anymore as I could before. My shoulders start to hurt and I get headaches these days. So it remains to be seen how much time I can actually spend on the computer this weekend.

Tweet

Bloggiesta sign up post!

I know I have neglected this blog quite a bit. I have read enough but I just didn't have the motivation to review and I rather blogged about foodstuff on my other blog. But now there is a new edition of Bloggiesta coming up, I have a chance to play catch up!

This time Bloggiesta will be held on 28 to 30 September. Our hosts are Suey of It’s All About Books and the 1st daughter from There’s a book.

I will be using the weekend to make approvements on all the blogs but mainly to write all my backlogged book reviews and other posts! If you want to work on your blog, please join in too! Sign up here!

Tweet