iOS8 Updates

Today I updated my iPhone5 to the latest operating system, iOS8. Visually there are a few changes, but nothing drastic. First, my phone gave me a few tips and tricks such as:

• If I'd like to use the swipe feature, I could just change the settings so it applied to mail, contacts and calendars.
• I can now ask Siri "What song is this?" as opposed to opening Shazam, which will be much more "hands-free" friendly.
• I can double-click the home button and then tap on a favorite or recent contact. 
• I can now share apps, music, and other things with my family-once I have purchased something, I can share it with up to 5 people in my family. I love that! The girls and I like a lot of the same music and it will be nice to share apps/games we enjoy!
• The camera has a self-timer now, and better editing features.

I looked up a few articles to figure out the best features or features I needed to know about on Forbes.com, as well. I found a few great articles with lots of information:

• A Guide to What's Great In iOS8
• Apple iOS8 Top Features

I also found an article about whether or not to upgrade to the iPhone6 on Forbes.com, here. I also found an article about how to use this new OS to help with battery life... maybe. :)

Blogging

         I have been doing some reading about blogging. I found several articles linked in Pinterest and have been going back through reading them. I found a great graphic here, at Fabulous Blogging that has tips to increase blog traffic. I loved the simplicity of the graphic, which separates bits of information like food groups. :) It references marketing more than a simple personal blog, such as this, but I liked the information.

         I have been learning more about social media, as well, but researching to learn more of the business/marketing aspect. It has been a fun journey I look forward to continuing. Any new journeys or detours for you, Reader?

What's Cookin'

This week I am trying a few new recipes! I love to do that, especially when the weather turns cooler like it has, here, this week. Love this fall weather!

• Yesterday we had grilled cheese with this Roasted Tomato Basil Soup - from Steph's Bite-by-Bite.
• Today we are trying {Slow Cooker} Quinoa Tex Mex - from Master Cook/Chelsea's Messy Apron
• Tomorrow we are having Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa - from the Cookie Rookie
• Friday our youngest daughter, our vegetarian will be having her team dinner, so we will have Sliders with Red Onion Marmalade and Blue Cheese - from Tastebook
• Saturday will probably either be leftovers or eating out, since our oldest daughter will be home (Yay! Her first visit since we dropped her off at college! Love having both my girls at home!)
• And to finish off the week, we will be at a birthday party for my nephew and niece at dinner time. 

I will let you know how they turn out. How about you? Trying any new recipes? Or sticking with some old favorites?

Dog Training

We have a puppy. A puppy who is growing like crazy-45 pounds and 8 months old. She is adorable, especially right after a nap. She is very smart. However, she is stubborn and likes to do things her way. We started a puppy obedience class last Wednesday and will be working on it for the next 7 weeks. The first week she seemed to catch onto commands quickly, until she was bored with our treats, spit them out onto the floor and laid down to watch the other puppies. That was fun. ;) However, the instructor had string cheese with her, and when she took Morgan to show her as an example, Morgan was enamored with the cheese. So, I have purchased string cheese, cut it up and have been keeping in my pocket-it has already improved her walking. She still has bad habits-it hasn't been that long... During the class, I was getting frustrated that she wasn't learning and the instructor said, "Remember, class, these are puppies! They aren't going to learn these commands in two minutes. They may, but then they may not follow through with them next week!" That was good for me to hear.

The instructor gave us the link to this video, explaining the method of training we are using. It is an hour long, no dogs are in it, and it is just a person talking... However, it was informative! It is Michael Ellis's Philosophy of Dog Training.

I also have been so lazy in training Morgan on our invisible fence. She is a puppy, so we would still have to keep a close eye on her-she would very likely eat things and get into things without supervision-but to have to keep her on the leash is a pain sometimes. She would really benefit from a good run around the yard! So, I have debated paying the Invisible Fence people to come out and train her (the lazy way to train her, as the harder way is to do it myself...) I also considered the cost and began to search for Invisible Fence Training videos. I found an actual Invisible Fence video online, but it kept saying it was illegal to copy or distribute, so I'm not copying the link here. ;) I did find this one which also seemed like a good resource.

Glad to be blogging again. :)

Do Good, Be Kind

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ― Desmond Tutu