To be true analytics are not my favorite part of blogging. However, it is good to track how things are going. I’ve started posting a lot, I think the original goal was once a week, but for whatever reason content is coming to me in droves.

I use google analytics to track how my site is doing. Since I’ve started blogging more, my site traffic has gone up exponentially. Today the percentage is that I’m up in traffic 721.18%, woah!

So, tis true, more posts = more traffic.

I’ve also started using networked blogs on facebook instead of importing my posts as notes. This is for several reasons.

1. It requires users to actually go to my site, instead of just reading the post within facebook.

2. It drives the conversation up in my site up!

3. It’s a network of blogs!

Eventually, I’d like to be a tent blogger and make money off this blog, but unfortunately right now, this is what I’ve got!

Do you use analytics to track your blog? If so, have you noticed any trends?

Now, to improve that bounce rate!

Last night in my small group we were talking about how your spouse will let you down every now & then, and that it’s better to expect it than to get womped in the face when you realize that he or she is not perfect.

We’re going through a great book by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend called, “Rescue Your Love Life.”

It reminded me of a post I wrote and a talk I listened to before Jeremy and I got married. In fact, about a year before we were engaged. It’s a talk called, “How to Avoid Marital Failure” the talk is excellent.

Here is the re-post:

I have this little audio clip from Alistair Begg that Jeremy sent me days after we met. So interesting that now I will be marrying the guy that sent me a clip titled “How to Avoid Marital Failure.” Nonetheless, these little nuggets of wisdom ring so true to me that I thought I’d share them with the blog world.

Before Alistair launches into his main clip about marriage, he first addresses the single population, speaking very highly of them, challenging them to pray for the marriages around them. That God uses singles to minister to marrieds more often than you might think.

Here are the ways to avoid marital failure according to Alistair Begg:

1.Do not be so foolish as if to maintain as if it could not happen to you.

2.Do not allow the business of life to disguise neglect

3.Don’t make the mistake of taking each other for granted

4.Be daily in prayer for the health of your marriage and the harmony of your home

5.Be sacrificial in the expression of your love for each other

6.Be imaginative, daring and occassionaly extravagant in displaying your affection (he adds righteousness is not a synonym for boring)

7.Be sure you don’t use your children as the glue that holds you or the wedge that separates you.

8.Be ruthless in resisting anyone and anything that will draw your affections from each other.

9.Be ready to listen to and ready to speak about whats going on inside each other’s heads.

10.Be certain that a great marriage is possible with divine enabling and human effort.

11.Be aware of how quickly time is passing and seize the day.

Audio below:

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Thoughts?

Most of you know, that a few months ago I started a graphic design & web design business. It has evolved and shaped and continues to do so. I’ve had the opportunity to work with lots of fabulous brides & grooms, business owners, and start up companies!

I found that focusing on both business design & invitation and party design became a bit difficult. Besides that I never fully felt like the name & title kcs design fully captured who I am. I am more than the sum of my initials.

That’s when I thought it would be great to start a second avenue, called lovebird joy. This is the wildly creative side of me, the things that I couldn’t ever do with a corporate name of initials. It’s more fun from a marketing angle and it gives me the opportunity to use a bird in my logo, and makes sense!

I seriously love design. From all aspects. If I could do this for free, I would.

how does your garden grow?

I started my seeds! I am so excited about this! I’ll have to admit it felt a bit weird giving those seeds so much water, but that’s what they require. Lots of water, and lots of sunlight!

Here was the process.

soil & water into the peat pots

cilantro seeds

thyme & cilantro labels in their proper places

the seeds packets in a safe place

Keep these because the backs of these seed packets contain tons of useful info.

instant greenhouse!

Most of these seed packets say they will germinate in 7-10 days. So, by next week I should have some sprouts!

There are lots of things that can & should be said about leadership. There are several people who say it best. One of them, Seth Godin, makes several pointed remarks about how we lead, and how it’s different from management.

Exclusive interview with Seth Godin from GiANT Impact on Vimeo.

Speaking of leadership and learning, check out the Chick-fil-A leadercast which will be simulcasted at Port City Community Church on May 6th, 2011. Lots of respectable leaders are on this panel, including Seth Godin and a fave, Dave Ramsey.

All of this talk of gardening and planting got me thinking about a great book I read last summer.

I mostly read this with my toes in the sand, beach chair at the edge of the water, day dreaming of the day I could eat mostly locally. I had no idea where to start, a garden seemed like a good place, but I didn’t even have a patio, much less a yard. I visited the farmer’s market with regularity, and was already getting deliveries by the produce box, but it didn’t really seem like enough.

This year with our move, I now have a patio and a garden, at least in containers is a real reality. I’ve even been monitoring sunlight the last few weeks in order to gauge the true growing possibilities of herbs and vegetables.

So tonight, with gusto, I picked up Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, once again in hopes that inspiration would flow, and it did! It struck me that I lot of people think they should buy and eat locally, but do they know why?

Well, here’s one reason -

The average item on a US grocery shelf has traveled further than most families go on their annual vacations. (about 1,500 miles)

A quick way to improve food fuel-economy would be to buy a quart of motor oil and drink it. More palatable options are available. If every US citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of organically and locally raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by 1.1 million barrels every week.

Becoming a less energy dependent nation, may just start with a good breakfast.

I’m starting small. With a small garden of herbs and veggies, a commitment to buy local produce that is in season instead of something being brought in by a refrigerated truck halfway across the country or world, as it may be. The longest wait will be for those red & ripe tomatoes that will surely make their way into most of our meals.

Find a local farmer, or farmers market, or CSA in your area and begin doing your part.

Are you starting a garden this year? If so, what are you planting? Do you typically buy foods locally?

Here’s to wringing out most of the petroleum out of our food chain!

What books and blogs do you recommend for knowing/learning mommyhood and baby?

Also, what things should I absolutely, without a doubt register for, and what things should I skip over?

Any advice from knowing-mommies is much appreciated!

I am getting my {container} garden ready with all of the supplies I need.

I did tons a little bit of research that suggested the following supplies.

Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Peat pots (for starting seedlings)
Soil (flower & vegetable potting soil mix)

Seeds (my choice of seeds for this year are: thyme, cilantro, sweet pepper, chives, (zucchini and cucumbers (not pictured))) – every garden needs to start somewhere!
Round  plates for watering

And from the Target dollar section:
orange shovel
orange gloves
garden labels

I’m well on my way. From my research, most of these plants need to be started towards the end of March, based on our last frost. It’s a wonder I haven’t spontaneously combusted and just gone to town planting all of these little seedlings! But, I’m so glad I didn’t. I heard on the radio this week that Lowe’s was running a deal on seeds, BOGO, and last weekend I purchased each individual seed pack, so I returned them this week, and re-purchased. I saved about $3.50 just from that one little trip. Hey, it adds up.

Can’t wait to see them planted and on our patio. Oh so lovely. And can you imagine how much money this will save us this summer (if they actually grow!)?

$6 for a year of glamour magazine! Go to the Asheville, NC groupon page to get this deal! Hurry before the deal runs out!

A new deal I found on Amazon.. I’ve been wanting this magazine for a while, and I always grab it when Jeremy and I go to Barnes & Noble to read their plethora of magazines….. can you guess what it is?

Better Homes & Gardens, $5.99 for a one year subscription on Amazon!

I know this isn’t anything especially new, or in beta, but it’s been so cool to use tweetdeck for chrome the past few days.

This little program (opened in your browser – chrome) will somehow combine your twitter accounts & your facebook into one feed, flawlessly. The notifications in blue above are from facebook.

Here are a few more things I love about it (so far).

1. Because of the flawless integration of facebook and twitter accounts mentioned above this prevents me from having to open facebook 16 gazillion times a day just to see if I have any notifications.

2.  I can refresh it by using the browser’s refresh option.

3. Notifications for facebook & twitter come through as little pop ups, a bit reminiscent of growl.

4. It’s all tucked up into my browser, so I don’t have an additional program running.

5. If I close the tab, opening a new one is a cinch, and I don’t have to wait on the reload process.

6. It may take up the whole screen (something that previously intimidated users about tweetdeck), but it’s inside the browser, making it less intimidating. I hope.

7. Uploading media is faster than the original tweetdeck.

My only dislike so far is that I can’t see my facebook messages. Once there is a way to add these to the feed, I won’t have to open facebook ever again. Okay – maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but at least I won’t have to open it as much as I used to.

What do you think? Have you tried tweetdeck for chrome? Or, if not, what is your twitter client of choice?