600 New Pinterest Followers in 2 Months!

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600 New Pinterest Followers!

I have decided to post a Social Media update on the first of each month.  This is my way to track my social media growth so that I can tell what is working to increase the numbers and to increase my page views.

On July 1st, I posted Social Media, Google +, Twitter and Pinterest
detailing my initial journey into those social media sites.

On August 11th I posted How I got 375 Pinterest Followers in 6 Weeks telling you how I was increasing my Pinterest Followers and my strategy using Pinterest to increase my pageviews.

On July 1, I had approximately 1600 followers, on August 11th I had exactly 1979 followers.  As of tonight, I have 2193 followers. That is an increase of close to 600 followers in the last 2 months!

If you would like to follow me, I'm at Pinterest

500 New Twitter Followers!

On July 1st, my Twitter followers were listed on Social Media, Google +, Twitter and Pinterest.

On August 14th I posted my strategy for increasing  my Twitter followers  Get Twitter Followers.

On July 1, I had approximately 300 followers.  As of my August14th post I had 728 followers.  As of tonight, I have 813 followers. That means I have increased my Twitter followers by over 500 in the last two months.

If you would like to follow my on Twitter, I'm at https://twitter.com/FamilyBetty

700 New Google Plus Followers!

On July 1st, my Google Plus followers were listed on my post, Social Media, Google +, Twitter and Pinterest.

On August 12th, I posted about my strategy for increasing my following on Google Plus, Increasing Traffic with Google Plus.

If you would like to follow me on Google Plus, I'm at https://plus.google.com/111104380733193312807/about

Facebook

I started a facebook page yesterday.  I have 127 friends, and 37 likes as of now.  I will update this monthly too!  Please like me on facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/Agutandabutt


Sverve

I have 99 followers on Sverve.  If you want to follow me I am
at http://www.sverve.com/profile/Betty-Taylor-NTA3NQ==  I haven't done any campaigns on Sverve yet but I plan on trying to do one soon.

Klout

My klout score is 53.  If you want to give me a K on Klout my Klout is.

Stumbleupon

My Stumbleupon is bringing me pageviews but I haven't really gotten much in the way of followers.  I wrote a post about Stumbleupon Increasing Traffic With Stumbleupon.  I only have 4 followers as of now.  If you want to follow me I'm at Stumbleupon.

If you follow me on any of the social media sites please let me know so I can follow you back.

The New PINcentive Blog Hop Is Coming!!

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It's almost time!  The new PINcentive Blog Hop is getting ready for take-off!  You really want to be here for this brand new concept.  Can you imagine having 31 pinners pinning your posts. Especially pinners who have a large number of Pinterest followers.

Beginning, Tuesday, September 3rd, you will have the chance to link up with The PINcentive Blog Hop.  Just stop by and link up at www.croppedstories.blogspot.com.  There will be three featured bloggers each week who will be selected to have their posts pinned 31 times.
You could be one of them if you come and link up!!!

Feel the Magic!!

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My magic powers!

I have been bestowed with magic powers!  I bet you wonder how, all of a sudden, I got these powers, don't you?  Well they were given to me by the ladies at Finish the Sentence Friday.  Our sentence for this week is  If I had a magic wand, the first thing I'd do is .........

So now that I am all magical and everything, I have to come up with the first amazing thing that I would do.  They didn't tell me if I could continue to use this magic or if they were going to grab it away from me after I used it once.  Hmm?  That could make a difference!

Peace in Syria  

Well, that makes it simple.  My first wish is to us the wand as much as I want.  That means forever!!!  Now I get to have all the wishes I want.  Ha!  Now I am really powerful!  Where should I direct that power.  Should I do things to help the entire world.  Maybe I should make instant peace in Syria.  That whole situation over there is just so awful.  This is supposed to be fantasy so, after that, maybe something a little more fun!

Cinderella and a Night in the Glass Slippers

Okay, now I have this wand and I can't think of any big things I want.  Do I want to be like Cinderella and go to the ball.  Not really!  Of course, I already have Prince Charming.  I have been married to him for a long time now.  You guys know about my relationship with high heels.  We split up a long time ago.  So no glass slippers for me.

Paris, the city of my soul

So, here goes!  I am going to magically transport myself to Paris.  I am going shopping along the Champs Elysee.  I don't know about the rest of you but it's all designer clothes for me from now on.  I remember shopping in one of the big designer stores when I was there in November.  A sales clerk knew that my friend and I  didn't really belong in there.  We were looking for some small item to take home as a souvenir.  She mentioned that maybe we would like to shop on the third floor.  Maybe I'll turn that store clerk into a rat or something!!

Reality Bites

Okay now reality sets in and I realize that I would do things for my family first and it would probably be just practical things.  I am a mom, you know!!

Your Turn

So what are you going to use your magic wand for?

Friendship Friday

• If you had the time to do just “one more thing” each day – what would it be?
• Do you tend to fill every moment of your day with “stuff”? What would a free day feel like?
• Do you tightly keep tabs on your time (calendars, organizers, to do lists) or do you go with the flow?

Well these questions are easy!  

First, since my son left for college, I have loads of free time.  I always had something to do when he was home and involved in everything.  I did get a call from someone from the football team asking if I could help them with something, but mostly, all the things I have always done are through. 

I am starting to find things to fill my time.  My blogging takes some time.  I have also spent lots of time researching and growing my social media.

I have always been a go with the flow person.  I don't like planning too much.  I like to be flexible.

I am linking up with a few other blog hops.  They are listed on my blog hop page.

Should I Keep My New Hair Style?

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My New Hair Style

I went to get my hair cut on Friday.  The girl really messed it up.  I should have taken pictures but I didn't.  I had to go back today and get it fixed, so they had to cut more off to get it fixed.  

The first 2 pictures were taken today.  The following pictures were taken over the last 8 weeks.  It seems my hair length changes a lot. My hair has been growing fast.  I regret that I didn't get pictures before I had my hair cut fixed.  I cut some of it on Friday after my best friend and my husband agreed that it really looked bad.  It is hard to describe but it was really a mess.  

What do you think?  Should I keep it shorter like it is now or let it grow back out a little?

Weight Loss Success!

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Another Successful Week!

I have had another good week.   I have seen pretty consistent losses and it is really starting to show.  I have had lots of people comment on my weight loss recently.  When I look in the mirror I really see it in my face now.  

I have been following The 100 diet, which is basically a Paleo/Primal/Low Carb type of diet.  The diet allows you to have 100 sugar calories per day.  All carbs are sugar calories.  You take the number of carbs in something and multiply it by 4.  

I try to eat mostly non-processed foods.  Fresh foods are just so much better for you.  This has been the easiest diet I have ever been on.  I really don't even consider it a diet, I have just changed my lifestyle!  

I did have some pizza on Saturday.  We were with friends and they bought pizza.  I was really hungry and I did eat a piece.  I didn't overdo it at all and I had no cravings afterwards.  This will not be a common occurrence.  I intend to continue losing weight until I get to where I feel the best.  I haven't decided what that weight will be. I am almost to a normal BMI range.  I think I would like to be further into the range and not at the upper edge.  

At my current rate of losing an average of a little of a pound a week it could take until the first of next year to get to the weight I intend to maintain.  As of now, I am wearing a size 8 that is getting lose on me so I am happy with my weight now.  The additional weight will just get me into a better weight range.


My Weekly Weight Loss


Loss 31.0 pounds total

Starting weight - 184.5
Week one - 180.0
Week two - 179.5
Week three - 179.0
Week four - 178.5

Week five - 177.0 
Week six - 176.0
Week seven - skipped, was on vacation
Week eight - 181.5  
Week nine - 174.0
Week ten - 172.5
Week eleven - 172.0
Week twelve - 171.5
Week thirteen - 170.5
Week Fourteen - 172.0
Week Fifteen - 167.5
Week Sixteen - 169.5
Week Seventeen - 168.5
Week Eighteen - 168.0
Week Nineteen - 167.5
Week Twenty - 161.50
Week Twenty-One  161.0
Week Twenty-Two 159.5
Week Twenty-Three 160.0
Week Twenty-Four 159.0
Week Twenty-Five 157.5
Week Twenty-Six 156.5
Week Twenty-Seven  154.5
Week Twenty-Eight 153.5

My scale is 3 pounds light! 

Increase Traffic With Stumbleupon

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PKwpnXneag


Can you increase your blog traffic with Stumbleupon?

I have been researching Stumbleupon for a few days and have some interesting information.  First, I found this video that gives you some good tips.  If you are interested in Stumbleupon you really should take time to watch the video.

It seems that if you handle it right you can get lots of views for your blog from Stumbleupon.  

I have been posting to Stumbleupon, but I haven't been getting many views.  It seems that I have lots to learn.
  
When I first started posting to Stumbleupon I got many more views. I was posting a couple of other blogs, in addition to my own.   Lately, I have only been posting my own blogs.  Apparently, that is a big mistake.  According the the video, you should probably post one of your blog posts for every 7 or so others.  

I read lots of other blogs so I could easily post the blogs I read and help others out as I post my own.  I usually just post once a day so that wouldn't require posting that many.  It really wouldn't take much in the way of extra time.

Getting Followers

In the video they talk about getting followers.  I will have to take some time to get more followers.   As of today I have 2 followers. 

I can post other people's blogs to Twitter and Pinterest, and follow them.  If you are trying to grow your blog it does take time and requires some work.  I really think once you get started and figure things out you can grow the social media sites in just a few minutes a day.  Learning the process takes the most time.  

Loading the Stumbleupon Toolbar

The video suggest downloading the Stumbleupon toolbar.  Go to www.stumbleupon.com/downloads and download the toolbar. There is also a Stumbleupon button to add to your web page which makes it easy for readers to stumble you to Stumbleupon.

It is very easy to stumble posts.  I have the little Stumbleupon button on my sidebar and use it to stumble my own posts.  

I also added the Stumbleupon app to my iPad.

It's time to try Stumbleupon!

If you haven't tried Stumbleupon take a few minutes to try it out.  It really is a great site.  They have lots of interesting posts there.  If you follow me I will certainly follow you back.  I will post some information after I have gotten going with it more and let you know all the stuff I learn.

Paleo Recipes

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Paleo Recipes

I have been eating Paleo/Primal/Low Carb for a while now.  I have been trying to find recipes that allow for a little fun now and then.  I have been totally staying away from sugar, but someday I may want something that is a little sweet.  I would like to be able to fix something that my family would enjoy.

Now, for a snack I take Pineapple slices in their own juice and sprinkle cinnamon on them and bake them for about 20 minutes.  It makes a nice sweet dessert and no added sugar.

I probably won't eat any of the following desserts for quite a while, but I am collecting recipes that I might like to try at some time in the future.

I found this Chocolate Chip Scone recipe at elana's pantry.  It looks delicous and is made with coconut flour.  It is sweetened with honey.  The entire recipe only has 1/4 cup honey.  It is made with about 3 ounces of dark chocolate chunks.  The recipe makes 6-8 scones.  Here is the recipe Paleo Chocolate Chip Scones.

Next I found a recipe for Coconut Whipped Cream.  It could be used on some fresh fruit to make it a little more festive for a special treat.  This whipped cream is made from a can of coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract.  The recipe for 
Easy Coconut Whipped Cream is from The Detoxinista.

The next recipe that I found is a cheesecake.  The crust is made with dates, pecans, and flaked coconut. The filling is made with cashews, coconut oil, agave nectar, lemon juice and vanilla extract.  I found this on corkboard inspirations.  If you want the complete recipe you can find it here Cheesecake.

The recipes all sounded great and the ingredients are okay for my new eating plan.  There is no processed sugar in them. They 
are made with natural sugars and there isn't really much sugar in them.  
If any of you try these before I do, or is you have already tried one of these items please tell me what you thought of them.

Salad in a Jar Update

Last week I made salad in a jar a put it in the refrigerator and waited for seven days to eat it.  The salad was still fresh and crisp!  I thought I would update you on how it turned out.  The lettuce was as fresh as the day I put it in the jar.  I think this is a great way to pack healthy, low cost lunches.  You can use fresh, organic ingredients and pack them on Sunday and have lunches for the entire week.  

Lose Your Weight!

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Do you want to lose your weight?  I have found that eating the Paleo/Primal/Low Carb way is a great way to lose your weight.  I try to eat mostly real foods.  

My diet:

Lean Meats

Fish

Fruits

Berries

Vegetables

Natural Oils and Fats

Nuts

Eggs

Cheese

Cheese doesn't fit into the Paleo category, but I seem to do well eating it.  

I have lost weight and really lost belly fat.

I have found that eating real foods just seems to be so easy and you don't have the cravings you get when you eat processed foods and sugar.  

I am not perfect with eating real foods, but I use this as my guideline and try to keep a large percentage of my foods within the real food category.

Healthy Weight!

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Healthy Weight!

I have 5 pounds to go to get to a healthy weight on the BMI calculator.  5 more pounds puts me in the normal range!!  I have now lost 30 pounds!

For those who wonder what I am doing.  I am eating a Paleo/Primal/Low Carb eating plan.  I am not staying completely Paleo because I eat cheese.  I eat meats, eggs, cheeses, nuts, and lots of fruits and vegetables.  I have also been following The 100 diet.  I don't restrict the amount I eat, I just eat when I'm hungry.  I have never been one to cut back extremely on calories.  

Following The 100 diet you eat a maximum of 100 sugar calories a day.  That doesn't sound bad but all carbs are sugar calories.  Each gram of carbs is multiplied by 4 to determine the sugar calories content.  So basically you stick to 25 carbs per day.  I haven't kept a close count on my carbs.  I do eat fruits and vegetables and the sugar calories add up.  I stay mostly with vegetables, but if I am wanting a sweet taste then I have some fruit.  Fruit taste really good and sweet if you haven't been eating sugar for a while.

I have noticed that if I eat something that has sugar in it I can tell it immediately.  It tastes way too sweet for me.  When I eat out sometimes the food is prepared with some added sugar.  I usually don't like the taste because it is too sweet.  And yes, I do eat out!  I have to have a normal life or I can not maintain my new lifestyle.  

The great think is I don't feel like I am on a diet anymore.  At the beginning I did.  On the first four weeks of The 100 the diet is very disciplined.  The give you a meal plan or food options to stick to. One of those weeks I dropped 6 pounds.  I guess if I wanted to eat like that long term I could lost much faster.  I am happy with the weight that I am losing.  The fat is just melting away.  I can't believe how much flatter much stomach has gotten!

My Weekly Weight Loss


Loss 30.0 pounds total

Starting weight - 184.5
Week one - 180.0
Week two - 179.5
Week three - 179.0
Week four - 178.5

Week five - 177.0 
Week six - 176.0
Week seven - skipped, was on vacation
Week eight - 181.5  
Week nine - 174.0
Week ten - 172.5
Week eleven - 172.0
Week twelve - 171.5
Week thirteen - 170.5
Week Fourteen - 172.0
Week Fifteen - 167.5
Week Sixteen - 169.5
Week Seventeen - 168.5
Week Eighteen - 168.0
Week Nineteen - 167.5
Week Twenty - 161.50
Week Twenty-One  161.0
Week Twenty-Two 159.5
Week Twenty-Three 160.0
Week Twenty-Four 159.0
Week Twenty-Five 157.5
Week Twenty-Six 156.5
Week Twenty-Seven  154.5

My scale is 3 pounds light! 

My Son is Moving From Home

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Moving From Home

Well, it has taken me 40 years to get to this point.  I am going to have an empty nest.  My older children are 40, 38, and 36.  When my 36 year old left for college I had a baby who was under a year old and still nursing.

Now I am helping my youngest son pack to move from home.  He will be moving in with a roommate at college.  He has lived as an only child for most of his life.  He has had two rooms or more since we had several bedrooms.  He will be moving into a little room with another person.  I'm sure he will be fine!

 Me, my mom, and my son when he was a few days old.

It's mom and dad who are nearing a breakdown.   Today when we where taking things out of his closet it hit me that he would never really live here again.  I know he will come home on breaks, but he will never really live here again.

It was all I could do to keep from just going into a total meltdown.  I don't want him to feel guilty about leaving.  I  want him to be excited about the new opportunities that will be coming his way.

He is going to college and will learn who he is and what he really wants to do with his life.  That is what we raised him for.  We are so proud of him and I know he will do fine.  

Our life has been focused on him for almost 19 years.  He was one of those kids who never sat in his room alone.  He spend time watching TV with one of us.  He talked to us all the time.  We all ate dinner together almost every evening.  He has been active in sports his entire life.  I can probably count on my hands the number of his sporting events that I have ever missed.  I spent summers traveling with him to play travel baseball.

The two of us in Switzerland last year

He has just been so close to my husband and I.  He still comes into our room on weekends and sits on the bed and talks to us. My husband has been having an extremely hard time for a day or two. Now that things are being packed it makes it seem so real. 

In a few days we will pack up everything and take him off to college.  We will drive away and head home alone.  We will go back to a house without any activity and a very sad dog will be waiting for us.  She will miss him too!  

I hope I can leave him without having a meltdown.  I don't want to make him sad when we leave. 

I have lunch plans the next day and plans with my daughter and grandson on the weekend.  I will have to make plans to do lots of things over the next couple of weeks.  This is going to be harder than I ever thought it would be.  

My husband is the one who worries me.  He wrote a letter to our son after he graduated to let him know how he felt about him.  He is a very emotional person and takes things so hard. His mother has been really bad lately.  We got through a spell where we though she was dying in the spring.  She was able to pull out of that, but she is just getting weaker all the time.  We took our son to see his grandmother on Sunday and when he left he said that will probably be the last time I get to see her.  It's obvious that she is getting very weak.

If I don't write for a few days it will be because I am busy or I just don't feel like writing.  I will try to write because it makes me feel better.

Does Eating Protein Grow Hair Faster?

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Does Eating Protein Grow Hair Faster?

I have been eating Paleo/Primal/Low Carb for about 2 months.  I got my hair cut in early July and took a picture to put on my blog July 10th, shown in the first picture.  I took a picture today and you can see how much my hair has grown in a little over five weeks. 

My hair seems to be extremely healthy.  My hair has always grown fast but I really think it is growing faster and is healthier.  I don't know if it has to do with eating more protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, or just eating less processed foods.  

I have to get my hair cut in the next week or two.  I think the first picture was a week or so after my last haircut/color.  I am anxious to see what my beautician has to say about how fast my hair has grown.  I have trimmed my own bangs a couple of times since my haircut.  She doesn't usually like me doing that but I can't stand them when they get too long!

Heathier Nails

Well to start with this picture is not my nails.  I haven't done my nails lately so I didn't want to take a picture of them.  I have been just too lazy to get a manicure or pedicure lately.  What I have noticed is that my nails are growing like crazy and they are healthier.  I was having lots of problem with my nails chipping and breaking.  There is no breaking now! They just seem to be getting stronger all the time.  

Does protein help grow hair faster?  I really don't know the answer to that question.  I do believe that a healthy body grows hair faster and that everything on your body works better when you are eating healthy foods.

Date night: We're the Millers!

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We're the Millers




We laughed so hard and gasped a few times.  I saw things in this movie I have never seen before.  What does a tarantula bite to the testicles look like?  Not sure if the bite was realistic but I never want to find out!  This movie is rated R for nudity and bad language.  It has plenty of that!

I would watch the movie again!   My husband doesn't like many movies but this one had him laughing.  This unlikely scenario makes for a funny plot, and it even has a happy ending.  The four main characters are a group of misfits that try to pose as a family and after all their escapades they have become a real family.

The best scenes are the above mentioned spider bite and according to my husband, the Jennifer Aniston strip tease.  If you have seen the movie I hope you give me your opinion on it!

Date Night....

My husband and I have started going to movies again!  We haven't gone to movies for years.  Our son is moving away to college and it's just going to be the two of us.  I guess we are dating again.  

First we had to run and help out our older son.  He had car problems so we went to jump his battery.  He took it to the auto supply store and got a new battery.  Yes!!  That was all he needed!

We went on to the movies.  Of course, we went to a matinee.  We have a hard time spending money for an evening show.  We have at least 4 years of college yet to pay for.

The movie was crowded.  Most of the matinee fans were married couples and older women in groups.  I told my husband most of the couples could only afford the matinees.  Their kids have all their money and the kids get to attend the prime time shows.  We were some of the first people in the theater and by the time the movie started there were people all around us.  We had hoped to have a little space to ourselves, but people filled in the seats beside us.

After the movie we went to the Red Robin nearby.  We were sitting in the restaurant talking and I got a text from my youngest son.  He told me he was at the same shopping center we were at.  He was with his girlfriend.  I told him we were at Red Robin.  He sent back and told us so was he.  We were sitting in the bar.  He and his girl were waiting for a table.  We couldn't invite them to sit with us because in Indiana people under 21 can't sit in the bar.  

After dinner, it was back home to feed the dog and let her out.  We were home by 8.  It was certainly not like the date nights of our younger years, but still very enjoyable.

I didn't have any popcorn or snacks at the theater.  My husband ate the popcorn by himself.  

Packing a healthy, low cost lunch!

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Packing a healthy, low cost lunch!

I may be going back to work soon, so I have been thinking about how I will continue to eat healthy in the workplace.  I am not great at packing a lunch.  I tend to grab things at a fast food place or go to a sit down restaurant and eat.  

Since I am trying to stay away from processed foods and am trying to eat healthy, I need to come up with some alternative lunches.

I have seen these salads in a jar on many Pinterest sites in the past and decided it was time to give it a try.

When you pack salads in a jar they are supposed to last longer than any other way.  I am excited about the possibility of packing healthy lunches on Sunday's and using them for the entire week. Pinterest users say they last 5-7 days.  It probably depends on the freshness of your ingredients to start with.

I purchased fresh organic vegetables and uncured ham, and used my own fresh tomatoes.  It will still be much cheaper than buying salads out.

My Salad Recipe:

Salad Dressing (I used Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar)
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Mushrooms
Lettuce 
Uncured Ham
Sliced Almonds

I saw on Pinterest that the order of the layering is important.  The lettuce should not be in the bottom with the salad dressing or it will get soggy.  If it is layered higher up it will stay fresh and crisp.

I am going to leave my salad in the refrigerator for a few days and then eat it to see if it still tastes fresh to me.

When I do start back to work I will make salads on Sundays for the week.  I have found several different recipes, but I really think you just put what you like in the salads and vary them so you don't get tired of them.

They also layered vegetables in the jars, without lettuce for a healthy lunch.  

I am going to do some experimenting on different types of things that will create a healthy lunch and change it up for variety.

When you purchase salads at restaurants, even fast food restaurants they are expensive.  This way I will save money and only use fresh, healthy ingredients.

These jars were pickle jars.  They were such nice jars that I decided to keep them when I emptied them.  They worked great!

Here are a couple of blog posts I found with different salads they used.

Mason Jar Salads With Recipes and Packing Order! Lunches that last a week in the fridge!

Mason Jar Salads!

They even packed layered fruits in jars!!

I can't wait to try my salad!  If you have done this, please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

I used to love you....

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I used to love you.....

This week's Finish the Sentence Friday sentence is I used to love....

Well, I used to love you high heeled shoes.  I used to love the look of you, the feel of you, the way I felt while walking in you.  I used to love when you made me feel really tall and elegant.  Well, guess what?

You broke my heart!  You started to hurt my feet and legs.  It started slowly.  If I stood in you for a while my legs hurt.  Now I can't wear your beautiful, elegant heels any more.  I have lots of you still in my closet, but you just hang out there with other shoes now. I barely ever pull you out, and for me to take you out for an evening on the town, I just can't do it.  

I miss you but, you have just hurt me too much!!!

Friendship Friday

• What hobbies do you enjoy participating in during your spare time?
• What hobbies have you always wanted to learn?
• Have you ever tried a hobby that just wasn’t your cup of tea?

My hobbies are scrapbooking, crafts, reading, genealogy and so many others.  I like doing all kinds of things.  I don't get bored I find something to do.  When I start scrapbooking I go on marathon's and don't stop for a while.

us

It's hard to select one.  I like learning everything!  Something I haven't really done is quilting.  I used to watch my mom and her friends quilt and I always thought that was pretty neat.

I am not good at painting.  Like painting pictures.  I don't think I have any talent for that.  I can paint walls just fine.

Enjoy Friendship Friday.

I am linking with other linkys that are listed on my Blog Hop page.

Get Twitter Followers!

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How do you get Twitter Followers?

My first social media post gave the amount of followers I had on my social media accounts.  

This week I have been doing an update on how to increase followers and to report how many followers I have increased.

I wrote a post about gaining followers on Pinterest and the way Pinterest works.  

I also wrote a post about the ins and outs of Google Plus and how to gain followers there.

My Twitter Report

I have been really interested in figuring out how social media works.  I am one of those people that really enjoy figuring out how things work.  I certainly haven't figured it all out yet. I have found things that I find interesting and I thought I would share those with you.  I am not a tech person just someone who is learning to use social media.  I hope it helps other like me.

I started on twitter sometime after the first of the year when I started blogging about my family history.  I followed a few people that were involved in Genealogy.  I had no idea how it worked.  I thought it was on of the craziest things.  What are all these @ buttons and #hashtags.  I really didn't do much with Twitter because I was busy working on my blogs.  Then I got busy trying to figure out Pinterest and Google Plus.

Since school got out in June I have started trying to figure out how Twitter works and how to increase my followers.  I have heard many people say that Twitter really sends readers to their blogs.  I started by following lots of Mom Bloggers.  I got some follow backs.  By the time I wrote my first Social Media post on July 1st I had just barely over 300 followers.  

Then I got a notice from Twitter that once you follow 2000 people you can't follow anymore until you have a ratio of following to followers.  I guess that is so you can't spam people.  You can only have 110% more people that you follow than people who follow you.  I didn't know that until then.  Like I said I am learning as I go along.  As of now,  I have 728 followers.  That means I have grown over 400 followers in the last six weeks.  Most of them in the last month.

First off, my problem with following too many people.  I found an app for that.  I got the app justunfollow for my iPad.  It was free and it will go through the people you are following and see if they are following you back.  I still am following 1336 people who aren't following me back.  The app justunfollow allows me to unfollow 50 of the nonfollowers per day.  If I wanted to take the time I could just go through the list and write down who they are and just go to Twitter and unfollow them.  I am hoping that if I just unfollow 50 a day I might just have some of them decide to follow before I get to them.  You can also buy an app from them that allows you to unfollow more per day.  I don't know the details on that.

Twitter is a site where people expect lots of interaction if they are going to follow you.  I had no idea how to interact with people.  The tweets really made no sense to me.  I started doing some research about twitter and found out what some of the things are about.  
When you want someone to know and be contacted that you posted something about them you put their twitter name @FamilyBetty. The @ tells Twitter that you are talking about the Twitter name that follows.  You can talk about a few people in one tweet and they will all be notified.  If you are all talking about the same thing or you have something that you want other people to be able to search you put a hashtag # in front of it.

When you do a hashtag # search on twitter you can find out what is trending or what a lot of people are talking about.  I found a group on Sunday evening that are a bunch of mom bloggers that talk about #SundaySupper.  They ask questions for people to answer.  
Share recipes that are on their blogs and just talk to each other. After my first #SundaySupper I picked up several followers.  

Here is a video talking about Twitter and how to increase your followers.  It's about 40 minutes long but it does have lots of good information.




I also found a great way to get new followers and meet people is through Blog Hops.  I had been doing regular blog hops for awhile when I realized that there were also blogs hops for Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus, Facebook and Instagram.  

Here are some of the Blog Hops I have visited to gain Twitter followers.  I think all of these have multiple social media hops on them.

Hop Till You Drop

A Hump Day Hop

Twitter Hop 2.21

I just go through the list and follow each one of the hoppers.  Then I send them a tweet telling them that I am following them.  Something like this.  @FamilyBetty I followed you from #hoptillyoudrop with @Breex3333.

That way they know why you are following them.  If anyone searches for the blog hop they will find my page.  Also I can connect with others who are tagging the hop.

I have not attended a Twitter Party yet so I really can't tell you about them.  I assume it works the same as #SundaySupper.  People at the party are hashtagging the Twitter Party name.  I believe they have giveaways on those.  Anyone who has a good explanation is welcome to leave it in the comments.

My Other Social Media

I also have other social media accounts that I am still trying to figure out.  I use Instagram(just barely), Facebook(for personal use), I started a Facebook Fan Page, (I haven't been able to make it work independently of my Personal page), StumbleUpon, Digg, Klout,  and Sverve.  I still have to learn a bunch more about those before I can relay any information.

I am hoping to learn lots more.

I plan on posting all my numbers of followers on the first of each month so I can keep track of the growth rate.  I do accounting, I like numbers.

I actually delivered a resume for a full time job yesterday that looks promising so I may not have time to research those for a while.  

Since I haven't been working and my life has slowed down over the summer I have had lots of time to get into some of the social media information.  Please if you have written a blog post that explains any of the social media leave a link in the comments.