Learn from yesterday, live for today…My Blog Celebrates One Year on April 12th!

By Jodee Weiland

One year ago on April 12th, 2013, I decided to make it official and took my blog, Learn from yesterday, live for today…, to the next level. I had actually been blogging for about a year before that on my previous site, but mostly only for family and friends. The goal was to share my recipes, travels, and thoughts with my targeted readers. Very few people outside of my immediate inner circle ever visited that site. There were a few visitors, who happened upon my site, but not nearly as many as there are today. I really did very little to promote my blog before that time, and any traffic other than family and friends was coming from search engines.

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That all changed when I finally admitted to myself that I actually had something to share with other people, outside of my family and friends, that might be of value to them. And so it began…I took everything off the old site, and began reviewing and rewriting it all one piece at a time…eliminating any pieces I felt weren’t good enough. From there, I went forward with my plans and began writing new ones. I started researching and learning about what I would need to do to make my blog more professional. I even began looking into how to create a blog environment for my readers that would be more user-friendly and make it easier for them to navigate my blog. But it didn’t stop there because I continue to do all of this and more every day!

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I just attended my first conference for bloggers this past weekend in St. Louis, Missouri, the Bloggy Boot Camp with The SITS Girls. This wonderful group of young women not only taught all of us some great things about blogging, but were inspiring and left everyone in attendance motivated to do more! Mirassou Winery gave a lovely reception for all of us at the end of the day and gave us an opportunity to connect with them as a possible sponsor. All of this was a wonderful experience and opportunity to learn more about the blogging process, while being able to connect with other bloggers. The bloggers who attended would become an invaluable source of support and information as well, but most importantly, they would become new friends!

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Improving my blog, Learn from yesterday, live for today…, doesn’t stop there though, because I am also taking various online courses to improve different aspects of my blog, such as photography and artisan bread making. While attending the conference, I purchased the book, Social Media Engagement for Dummies to help improve my skills in that area of blogging. I want my readers to love coming to my blog to visit and to know how important each and every one of them is to me, so I want to make it the best I can in every way! How will I do this? As I approach the one year anniversary of my blog on April 12th of this year, I will be celebrating, while I continue working hard to make it even better in the coming year ahead! So what do you think? Is this a blog you want to come back to often?  If not, what can I do to make it more appealing to you? Hopefully, all of you will continue to come back and share your thoughts with me as I move forward with my blog, and always remember to enjoy!

 

Seaport Village on the Beautiful San Diego Bay

By Jodee Weiland

When visiting the San Diego Bay on our recent trip to southern California, we walked down to Seaport Village to have a wonderful seafood lunch at the San Diego Pier Café, a dark brown building built out over the water and overlooking the harbor. This bay is the third largest natural harbor along the California coastline after San Francisco Bay and Humboldt Bay. It is absolutely beautiful, and no matter how many times we go to San Diego, we will never get tired of looking out across the deep blue waters and watching the beautiful sailboats gliding across the waters.

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Another gem on this bay is the Seaport Village, where you will find over sixty unique shops and restaurants to visit while being entertained by musicians in the courtyards. People of all ages will sit and listen to the music, while others are eating or shopping. It is not unusual to see young children dancing to the music or riding on the Historic Carousel, the 1895 Looff carousel. There is a fountain and gazebo amid the shops and restaurants as well.

https://learnfromyesterday.com

https://learnfromyesterday.com

If you are hungry, you can eat in a bay view restaurant, such as the one we chose, or you can find a wide array of casual dining from authentic Mexican cuisine to Greek specialties to Chicago deep dish pizza and more. People ate inside restaurants or grabbed a quick bite to eat outside while enjoying the music and beautiful sunny day!

https://learnfromyesterday.com

https://learnfromyesterday.com

The shops are just as diversified as the food choices available in Seaport Village. You can visit shops that sell international flags, personalized wooden toys, distinctive clothing and accessories, kites, Indian jewelry and artifacts, shoes, artwork, holiday items, and more. The list goes on and on, but the most unique aspect of shopping and eating at Seaport Village is that while doing so, you will continually catch glimpses of the beautiful San Diego Bay with any number of sailboats gliding gracefully across the waters.

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https://learnfromyesterday.comThe brochures they hand out in Seaport Village will tell you that this is “Where the magic of the sea comes to life.” From my personal experience, I have to agree with this description. On a sunny day, walking anywhere along the San Diego Bay and looking out at the harbor is an experience, you’re not likely to soon forget. So if you get the chance to visit San Diego, visit the harbor and Seaport Village, and enjoy!

 

What is Gazelle and Why Would I Use Their Services?

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Since 2008, Gazelle has paid out more than $150 million for unwanted technology and kept millions of gadgets out of the landfill. It truly is a win-win-win business. Gazelle buys high-end, used consumer electronics, and sell it to those who otherwise couldn’t afford buying new. It’s called reCommerce, and Gazelle helped pioneer the category. Because you are a valued reader of this site, if you click through to Gazelle you will earn an extra $10 on any iPad with a trade in value of $25 or more! (Offer expires 3/21) Visit Gazelle today, and see what your device is worth!

**FTC Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links which means that I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase.

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots

By Jodee Weiland

It’s that time of year when we all start thinking about the corned beef and cabbage we’ll be making for St. Patrick’s Day! When I was growing up in an Italian family of six, we all celebrated just like everyone else. Mom would make her corned beef and cabbage, and it was always delicious. She may have been Italian, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make a great St. Patrick’s Day meal with the best of them. That’s how I learned to cook Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots, and I love it!

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As a young woman and later, I was always mistaken for Irish. People would look at me and insist I was Irish or at the very least, part Irish. I usually had to go through the list of our family names of both paternal and maternal parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents, before they believed me when I said I was one hundred percent Italian.

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Everyone in our family had blue eyes, my father’s eyes being such a vivid blue that they were frequently commented on by those who met him. My mother had very fair skin, so fair that she wore big hats with scarves over them in the summer to keep her face from getting sunburnt whenever she was in a pool. Consequently, I had the blue eyes and fair skin that most would associate with being Irish. I can’t tell you how many people over the years wished me a Happy St. Pat’s and added, “It’s our day to celebrate!” Well as a result, naturally I always feel it’s a must for me to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style, and this meal helps me do just that!

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Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots

3 and 1/2 to 4 pound corned beef brisket
Water (enough to just barely cover the meat)
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 small onion chopped
3 to 4 garlic cloves chopped
2 bay leaves
Spice seasoning packet (packaged with the brisket)
1/2 large cabbage head cut into wedges
6 small potatoes peeled
6 carrots peeled and cut into large pieces

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https://learnfromyesterday.com

Put the corned beef brisket in a Dutch oven with just enough hot water to just barely cover it. Add the white vinegar and bring to a boil. After a few minutes, skim off the white foam that will form on the surface of your water. Then add the chopped onions, garlic, bay leaves, and the seasoning packet that was packaged with the corned beef brisket. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pot and cover with foil to keep it warm. Before doing this, remove the excess fat from the top of the brisket.

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https://learnfromyesterday.com

Put the potatoes and carrots in the pot and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the cabbage wedges on top of this in the pot. Cover and boil for another 20 minutes. When done, slice the corned beef brisket, slicing across the grain in about 1/4″ slices. Serve the potatoes, carrots and cabbage with the brisket and your meal is ready.

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Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots is a delicious meal with which to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or any day for that matter! The corned beef is tender and delicious, while the vegetables are cooked just right and compliment the flavor of the whole meal. This meal is a tradition in our home, and we love it. If you give it a try, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at just how good it truly is. So my friends, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and enjoy!