Oct 07

Write To My Blog Tool

Another Blog Tool I found is Write To My Blog… It is completely web based, so nothing to install. Check out the cool things you can do with it…… I couldn’t get it to set up my blogger blogs so I didn’t use it for this (I’m giving Live Writer a Try)… but if you can get it set up it looks like a good alternative if you don’t want to install software on your pc. 

The service is completely free with no membership required. It allows you to post entries to multiple blogs, view and edit your recent Posts, and it works with all major Blog platforms, not just with Blogger.

Main Features

• Web based (online) Blog Client.
• Advanced word processor.
• No membership required. Completely free, no strings attached.
• Works with all major Blog programs and protocols.
• Can insert tables into your Posts.
• Can style and control text within your Posts.
• Can insert and wrap images into your Posts.
• Can insert layers and CSS within your Posts.
• Multi language Ajax spell checker.
• Include tags (Technorati) with your Posts.
• Can setup and Post to multiple Blog accounts.
• Can view, preview, edit (right from within WriteToMyBlog) and delete Posts.
• WriteToMyBlog does not view or store any of your posts or Blog account details; it simple acts as an interface gateway between you and your Blog program.

Blog services supported

WriteToMyBlog has been tested with the following Blog services: Blogger.com, TypePad, WordPress.com, WordPress and Movable Type.

(This is an Example Post Created Using WriteToMyBlog)IMG_0256

You can use WriteToMyBlog to get control over your posts. You can use headings, fonts, sizing, positing, color, highlights, wrapping, linking and so on. If you want more control over the way your Blog displays its content then use WriteToMyBlog , it’s feature packed but still easy and familiar.

Are you a good speller? I’m a terrible speller, but it’s a lot easier having our built-in AJAX multilingual spell checker. Didn’t understand what I just said, don’t worry all you need to know is it works. Try it out for yourself.

Heard of tagging? Get’s a little tiresome having to insert the HTML code manually; we’ll you can now tag the easy way, just type them in the tag field.

The Easy Way to Have Tables in Your Posts
WriteToMyBlog Makes Adding
Tables
 To
 Your
Blog
 Posts
 Easy!

Oct 05

Windows Live Writer

If you blog Windows Live Writer 2011 is a tool to check out.  Information is available at: http://explore.live.com/windows-live-writer?os=other  I also have Scribd installed and like it, but Scribd has been doing something funny to my Blogger Blogs.  To be useful for me, I need a tool that can post to Blogger, WordPress, and more.  So far with Writer I’ve started setting up one of the blogs and it is going pretty well.  It looks like using Windows Live Writer also links to your Live account allowing it to share with your contacts through Windows Live also.  I can’t wait to give it a try.. but first I need to get all my Blogs set up.

Windows Live Writer makes it easy for anyone to tell stories like a professional blogger. You can create beautiful blog posts, and see what they’ll look like online before you publish them to your blog. Plus, you can publish your posts to any of your favorite blog service providers.

Oct 03

Side Dish (Green Beans)

I decided to make a recipe from Rachel Ray’s Magazine last night for dinner.  It looked so good and I had bought fresh green beans.  The original recipe called for Green Beans, Mushrooms, Almonds, Butter and Seasoning.  Of course I was sure I had Mushrooms in the cabinet and thought the almonds probably were too.

When I started the butter melting I looked for the Mushrooms – none. 🙁 So I needed to substitute.  Here’s what I ended up making:

Green Beans

  • Melt some Butter
  • Dice Onions and then brown in the butter.
  • Add a little pepper (for taste) – the recipe called for salt also but I add salt to nothing….  We get enough salt in everything else (My butter was probably salted even)
  • While doing that Blanch Green Beans – Turns out this means boil them for three minutes in hot water.
  • Add the Green Beans to the Onions in the pan and cook until taste done.  I think it was about 5 minutes for me and I had them on about medium temp.

Then I just put them in a bowl to serve.  We ate the whole batch!

Oct 02

Lasagna (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients

  • chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
  • ricotta
  • grated Parmesan
  • cups marinara sauce
  • lasagna noodles
  • grated mozzarella
  • onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

  1. In a bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta, and some of the Parmesan.
  2. Spread some of the marinara  in the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with noodles (breaking to fit), cover with some of the marinara, half the spinach mixture, and some of the mozzarella; repeat. Top with the remaining noodles, marinara, mozzarella, and Parmesan. (If desired add some onions to a layer)
  3. Cover and cook on low until the noodles are tender, 3 ½ to 4 hours.

Oct 01

Google Plus (and Cafemom)

This is quoted from Cafemom –

Google‘s dream of social network domination success may be about to come true. That’s because most of us — present company incredibly included — are so irate about the new Facebook changes that feel like a hybrid of a Vegas casino meets Mall of America on a Saturday plus all of your Pandora stations playing at once. (Too. Much. Stimulation. Make. It. Stop!!) It’s almost too perfect timing that they just yesterday opened the virtual gate of Google+ to everyone. That’s right — it’s no longer a VIP, invite-only situation. Anyone and their mom or dog can hop on there now and get wrapped up in Circles and get their game on in aHuddle — oh wait, no, that’s just called “Messenger” now — and take advantage of all those other colorful-sounding features the Facebook competitor has to offer.

The only problem is … there’s still no one for the newly invited masses to interact with on Google+!

Most of those early adopters are still on Facebook, complaining about Facebook, and only threatening to switch to Google+. But no one really has had the guts to, well, do it.

When faced with the new changes on Facebook this morning, I was about to threaten to quit, when I saw in the upper right ticker (the worst part of the changes, if you ask me) that a friend of mine wrote the very same thing. I “liked” it, of course, and then we proceeded to discuss whether or not a move to Google+ was in order. I concluded it’s not, because it’s pretty much Google employees and a few tumbleweeds over there right now.

No wonder they’ve invited anyone who wants to come on in!!! They’re desperate to get the party started! But I’m still not sure how that’s going to happen. The thing is, up until, really, today, they hadn’t been offering us anything different from Facebook. And who has time or need to keep up with two different social networks that basically allow you to do the same things (share, status update, chat, even video chat, etc.)?

However, today has been a gamechanger. The ball is now in Google+’s court. If they can prove they’ll offer users an experience that’s as smart as it is clean, SIMPLE, and user-friendly (like how Facebookused to be), Google+ might have a shot at stealing Facebook’s thunder once and for all! But it’s going to be up to us — not them — to truly make it happen.

Are you now on Google+? Do you think you would ever switch completely from Facebook to Google+?

This came from the Moms and Technology Group, but there are LOTS of other great groups. I get the email digest for each of my groups each morning and read up on everything from Big Brother Spoilers to great tips on the deals of the day! I can check back during the day if I find time.

I personally have a Google+ and a Facebook.  Currently I get different things from each.  Most of my friends are still on Facebook – but as if they make the switch it may go the way of MySpace.  (Anyone remember MySpace?)

 
Cafemom.com