holiday – Jean's Writing

Be smart, and avoid my mistake

Published on June 19, 2018June 14, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell16 Comments

Just before I went on a three-week holiday, I thought I’d change my plan with WordPress.

Big mistake.

With three weeks of sporadic internet service, I was unable to check-in with my blog on a regular basis. But on one of the few days I was able to connect, my favorite ape let me know the Reblog & Press This buttons had vanished from my blog. Thanks Chris!

Holy crap!

Now that I’m back home and done a little research, I discovered those buttons aren’t part of the plan I’d selected. Seems that WP assumes if you are a business blog, readers will not be interested in sharing your posts.

How to know which WordPress plan is right for you

When the new GDPR requirements came out, I thought upgrading to Business Plan would avail me of more automated information for my readers. Wrong!

I don’t know about you, but complying to this new law was a bit confusing. Sigh…

I contacted WordPress through the live chat/help link and was able to cancel the business plan and back down to the premium. Took a lot of patience on my part and most of the day, but success. Well, sort of. Unfortunately, when they republished my blog under the Premium Plan WP also doubled several of my blog posts. More work to delete the duplicates.

So which WordPress plan is right for you?

That depends on what you hope to accomplish with your blog. However, here are a few things to think about…

Cost doesn’t equate with better. Unless we’re talking shoes.
More “Plugins” aren’t helpful if you don’t need them. Just adds more clutter.
Each plan is different. What you gain with one you may loose with another.
Make a mistake? WP will help you change your plan.

Now that the Reblog and Press This buttons are back, don’t forget to share!

I do get tired of learning stuff the hard way. LOL

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AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

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What I did during my holiday

Published on June 14, 2018June 13, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell12 Comments

I rarely get personal but since I’ve been MIA for three weeks I thought I’d share a little.

First, we went to Paris, France to visit family and celebrate the high school graduation of my beautiful granddaughter.

The day started out a little overcast and cloudy with a chance of showers. Oh boy, do I wish I’d taken pictures during the ceremony but I was afraid my phone would be ruined. During this outside ceremony, the heavens opened and a torrential storm soaked us all. The tent canopy nearly collapsed before all diplomas were handed out. LOL This was one day no one will forget.

Must visit at least another museum while in Paris. This trip we went to the National Pantheon. Under the dome can be found the oldest paintings, frescoes begun under the First Empire. A crypt containing tombs of honored men and women.

Over the next three weeks, we visited the beach in Sete, France. I wasn’t prepared for a beach where the water could turn a person into a human popsicle. Brrr. Beautiful but too cold for this Texan. However, the best part was five days with my daughter and granddaughter.

The best part of this trip was getting personal one-on-one time with each of our three granddaughters. We rarely have the time and this was special.

Next, we headed to Edinburgh, Scotland.

I’d always wanted to visit Scotland, so we decided to take a quick jaunt over there this year. It is a beautiful place. I discovered a little about my roots and a lot about Scotland.

Mrs. MacIntyre's Cafe in Edinburgh Scotland — **A namesake cafe!**

Birds eye view of Edinburgh, Scotland — **Birdseye view of Edinburgh, Scotland**

There was Harry Potter stuff everywhere. Including live owls.

And of course, no visit to Scotland is complete without tasting a few good whiskeys.

Well, that’s what I did on my vacation. What about you? Big plans for the summer? I’d love to hear, so share.

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How do you keep from falling behind?

Published on September 11, 2017September 14, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell8 Comments

Wow! I was only gone two weeks. And now I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Someone sure stirred up the weather gods, while I was on vacation.

Geesh, Hurricane Harvey ushered our plane out of Texas and Irma waited for our return.

I’m so glad that my friends are safe out of harm’s way. With every email, text, tweet and blog post I was thrilled to see smiling faces and read triumph words of survival.

Houston is still cleaning up the mess Harvey left, and Florida will be cleaning for weeks to come. My heart goes out to those who are struggling. Y’all stay dry, Ya hear?

Keeping up with everyone while on holiday, in the 16 Arrondissement in Paris was not as easy as one might think. The internet connection left much to be desired. Even though I’d backed all up to the cloud so I could work a little bit while visiting.

Connecting to the internet cloud

After struggling with my cell phone, I just gave up and enjoyed my granddaughters.

So my apologies if I haven’t been very attentive.

In spite of feeling disconnected, my vacation was lovely. Spending time with my daughter and her family is always fun. Father and daughter

Not to mention the shopping, the food, wine, and laughter. Shopping in Paris

I’ve only been back a couple of days, and I miss them already. Sigh.

But, there’s always next year.

But vacation is over and it’s time to buckle down and write/blog. Hmm, maybe after I wash the mountain of clothes that sprang from our suitcases.

I feel as though I left my motivation somewhere and forgot where. Kinda like misplaced keys. LOL

Any suggestions on how to get back in the groove after a wonderful fun-filled two weeks?

In the mean time, Y’all stay safe! Because unfortunately, hurricane season is not over.

How High’s the Water Mama?

Want to know more about Paris?

Best Things To See And Do In The 16th Arrondissement Of Paris

A Francophile in France

How is everyone doing out there?

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

It’s that wonderful time of the year!

Published on December 12, 2016November 19, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Time for joy and cheer.

Thank Y’all for a wonderful year. With the encouragement, feedback, reviews and great writing tips from so many incredible writers and bloggers I managed to produce two children’s picture books.

But now it’s time to relax and enjoy family and friends.

So eat, drink and be merry! Read, rest and relax. That’s what I plan to do.

And as you’re catching up on your reading, I hope you’ll enjoy the “Best of Jean’s Writing.”

To each and everyone, have a fabulous holiday and a very Merry Christmas! – Jean

Do you have any special holiday plans?

I’d love to hear about them. Leave a comment or click the “write me” tab or look for me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

PS:

If you’re still in need of a gift for a special kid, buy a book! Click this link for a list of Amazon Best Children’s books. Or, click on the images below for my three books.