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geeky WordPress stuff

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I have been installing a few new WordPress plug-ins to my blog and doing a bit of behind the scenes fixing up around here:

I sorted through all the plug-ins on my blog and upgraded to newer versions and got rid of some useless ones. You can now see a listing of all the plugins I use on this site (in case you want to use any of them too) and you can use Viper’s Plugins Used plugin to make your own list.

I installed the very handy OneClick Installer plugin - this genious bit of code installs any plugin or theme without having to download, unzip then upload via FTP. Sometimes if the folder structure of the plugin is different to normal, this autoinstaller doesn’t do the job properly (in which case you just download, unzip, upload and install as before) but it works for the majority of plugins and is a real time and hassle saver.

I have done up a new people-friendly Site Map, that displays all the previous posts sorted into categories, using the Site Map Generator plugin.

I did a very quick upgrade of WordPress 2.3.2 to 2.3.3 just to be tidy. If you have multiple posters on your WordPress blog, you need this! Just for info, if you haven’t got yourself the Automatic Upgrade plugin then you are crazy. I used to dread upgrading my blog as I have customised it quite a lot but this tool takes care of everything for you, even ensuring you do all the necessary backups before you begin.

I improved my Contact Form. I used Contact Form with Spam Protection plugin so that it now blocks pesky robot spam.

I changed the Permalinks on my site so that for instance, www.jenleheny.com/archives/158 is now www.jenleheny.com/pillowcase-dress-instructions and I used a Permalink Migration plugin to ensure that no bookmarks or links from other sites were disrupted. This means that if you have a post of mine linked in the old format then you don’t need to update it - the magic of the plugin will still send people to the right place.

I added the fun CommentLuv plugin to show a link to the last post from the commenter’s blog just below their comment here on my blog.

I used the Dashboard Editor plugin to give myself a much more useful first page on the Admin side of things.

I set up a cool StumbleUpon-like random post link using the Random Redirect plugin - you can try it out here.

Can’t have a post without a picture!

new_computer

Phew! I have been busy.

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just write a post already!

Hello and happy new year to all my lovely readers, if you are still here. And thank you to those people who sent me nice little emails asking if I was alright and was I coming back soon - very sweet.

Sorry for that little unauthorised blog absence - before Christmas I was just way too busy (I had heaps of markets to sew for) and then it was Christmas and New Year and then it was going away for a week’s holiday time and of course it’s BLOODY HOT and I just melt in the heat, and then you factor in that my lovely children are on school holidays (we have a 6 week Summer break) and there is bickering to sort out and activities to supervise and all of that, and… well, you get the idea.

RI_labels

Have you ever put something off and then just kept making excuses to yourself and then the longer it went on, the more you couldn’t be bothered and then before you knew it, it had been AGES and well, after a break like that the first post ought to be something interesting at least and oh, dear it’s so HOT and you keep making excuses, and then you know you just have to get started again and do a post already!

button_necklaces

So here I am, posting again and I have to get back into the swing of things because I do love doing this. I think I just have to keep the momentum up or it gets too easy to say “tomorrow” and as we all know, tomorrow never comes.

Now that I have got the ball rolling, I can stop being such a slacker. I do have a few bits of interesting news and some interesting photos for you, but today is not the day for them.

wristlets

More soon, I promise. YAY! I’m back!

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modern patch

I have been making a few new things just in time for Christmas!

new_cushions2

I’ve made some lovely cushions - fabrics used are a combination of designer cottons and fabrics handprinted by me, backed with a sturdy sand canvas.

new_belts

Patchwork style belts. Quality nickel military buckle and end tip to keep it secure. The belts are stiffened and stabilised with sturdy non-roll belting.

All available from my online store: www.redinstead.com.au

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goodbye bad habits

So what have I been thinking about lately? Bad habits and how to replace them with better ones.

Yes, it’s time to lose the mummy tummy. Get rid of the jelly belly. I have set up a weight loss blog to track my journey over the next six months or so as I get healthier and trimmer.

Have you been to www.mvm.com and created your own weight loss motivational images? You should get over there - it’s free and it really gives you an idea of what different weight amounts correspond to on an actual body. No that’s not me there in the red swimsuit, but it does give you a good visual. Here are the “before” shots that show what an 86kg (189 pound) body looks like.

mvm_before_86kg mvm_before_86kg_side

mvm_before_86kg_side2 mvm_before_86kg_back

This is the shape I hope to look more like by next April:

mvm_after_60kg mvm_after_60kg_side

mvm_after_60kg_side2 mvm_after_60kg_back

My “healthy” weight range is calculated at 57 - 63 kilos which is why I chose the goal weight of 60 kgs, but I would be very happy at 65 I think.

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