Good morning, and happy Daylight Savings! It’s a blustery Sunday morning here in Philly, which is pretty typical for early March, I guess. In like a lion… as they say. I don’t really care what it does out there because I’m stuck inside anyway. Last night, I was coming down the stairs here at home, and I missed the last step and came down hard on my ankle.
Ironically, it was my “good” side… not the one that had a torn tendon and a stress fracture a few years ago and still swells up and causes me grief. So, I guess now they’ll match. Ha! I was in so much pain, we were afraid I broke it, so we went to the ER, but they think it’s just a bad sprain. I can’t put any weight on it, so for now, I’m on crutches. Good times!
That means my trip to Nashville with Cyndi is canceled. We were planning to stay in a historic hotel in nearby Franklin, Tennessee, for a few days this week. We had tickets to the Grand Ole Opry, and everything! I’m super disappointed, but we will reschedule. Fortunately, I was able to cancel the hotel and my plane ticket without any penalties. The most important thing is to rest and heal so I can make it to all of the events we have on our calendar during the next few months.
It’s our younger daughter’s last year of high school, and we are smack dab in the middle of her Indoor Percussion season, so there are lots of events and even a couple of trips coming up that I’m looking forward to, including a Spring Break getaway with my family. So yeah, I’m trying to be a good patient and take care of this ankle, so I can get back to my life as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, I guess I have some extra time to work on the blog. There are some older posts and pages I want to update now that my new design is installed, and that’s the perfect segue!
Introducing… My New Blog Design
By now, you’ve probably had time to poke around and get to know the new site. If not, I hope you will. There are some new pages and features, so if you usually go directly to my newest posts from my emails, I invite you to visit my home page and click around and see what’s new.
If you usually read blogs on a computer, you may notice that I no longer have a sidebar. This means more attention on my content, but we also had to re-home some of the features typically found on a sidebar.
The banner at the top (pictured above) is designed to introduce myself to new visitors who might find themselves on my site, and it links to my shiny new About page.
Below that, you’ll find The Latest blog posts. You can click See More Posts for all of my blog posts, and from there, you can easily sort by category. (And if you are one who likes to access my old Recipes, they are under the Lifestyle tab.)
Then there’s a section below The Latest blog posts that features some of my favorite Everyday Looks, which I plan to update several times a week. Originally, this area was going to be for my daily outfits, but those mirror selfies aren’t as pretty as my professional pictures, so I’ve been pulling from those. Do you have any preference? Is this section helpful?
Incidentally, I love how this section looks on desktop, but I don’t feel like it’s a very efficient use of space on mobile, so I’ve asked my design team to work on that.
The section below that features my Top Articles, which are some of my most popular posts in each category. This section might be more helpful to new visitors, but it’s also a good way to bring some older “evergreen” articles that you might have missed back to the home page.
I really want to do more Beauty, Travel, and Lifestyle content; and I’m hoping by having this section front and center, I’ll be more consistent with that.
My navigation menu bar is pretty much the same as on the old site. When you’re on a computer, these are the links at the top of the blog.
If you’re on mobile, you’ll need to click the 3 bars at the top left corner for a dropdown menu. I specifically asked for these to be large and easy to click, and also easy to close. I hope it’s easy to find and navigate.
If you look under the Shop tab, you’ll find a link to Looks and Products, where you can toggle through a few different pages I’ve created for shopping widgets, as well as my Daily Outfits and Instagram Looks.
I’d love to know what you think of those extra shop pages I created. (Specifically, Recently Featured, Shop My Closet, and What’s In My Cart.) Do you find them helpful, and will you use them if I keep them updated regularly? They aren’t easy to organize, without a lot of additional upkeep, so I feel like it’s kind of a mish-mosh of stuff. I actually asked Logan to delete them, but he hasn’t gotten around to it yet, so I thought I’d get your feedback.
Under that same Shop tab is also a list of recommended retailers under Where I Shop, which replaces the text links I had in my sidebar. If you like to shop through my links to support my business, you may want to bookmark that page so it’s even easier to access.
I think that about covers it! If you see anything not working right, or you miss a feature I used to have, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do. We will get those links opening in new tabs, and the Pin It button back on my images. In fact, I think I can do that now; I just need to re-install a couple of plugins I had before.
I want to give a huge shout out to Brooke at NARI Creative for her beautiful branding and website design. Here’s some of the inspiration we used for the branding.
Working with Brooke has been a dream. Not only is she amazingly creative and talented, but she is organized and punctual, which is a remarkable combination for a website designer. Trust me, I’ve known quite a few!
I first reached out to her because I wanted help with my graphics, but I ended up redesigning the whole blog so I could have her design eye and consistent branding across all of my platforms, and I’m so happy with how it turned out.
And I also need to give a shout out to Logan at Argyle Interactive for the site development. Logan has been super responsive and incredibly patient with this picky client and her gigantic, fickle, 18-year-old website.
We’re still ironing out some of the kinks on the back end, but I have no doubt that it will be perfect when all is said and done. Plus, I have Logan and Brooke on retainer so they can help me keep everything in tip-top shape and running smoothly.
Alrighty, with that, I think I’m ready for a nap. I’m not sure how sitting around with my foot up all morning can make me tired, but it sure did. I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday! Stay well, stay safe, and beware of that last step. It can be hazardous to your foot health.
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65 Responses
So very sorry about your ankle! Hope you heal quickly!
The new blog design looks sophisticated and modern; it’s really nice. I know you’ve put a lot of time into it so you must be happy that it’s all done now. I used your “Travel” link recently to get ideas on Rome and think that’s a nice added feature. SO sorry to hear about your ankle and having to cancel your March travel plans. Hopefully you’ll recover quickly. Take it easy! Where are you headed for Spring Break?
Back to Florida! 🙂 This time, we’re staying on the east coast, close to some of our family we plan to visit while we’re there.
I am so sorry about your ankle. Last year I broke my foot and used a scooter instead of crutches. that was a game changer. I could get around far easier. I hope you are all healed real soon.
I need to get one of those. These crutches are a liability.
I love seeing your daily looks, it’s one of my favorite features. No, the mirror selfies aren’t as polished as the professional photos, but that makes them more authentic and relatable. Your blogs mix of polish and real life is what has kept me coming back.
I love your new blog design! I always read on my mobile and wow- it is SO much easier to read. I don’t know if you changed the font or font size or what, but my 50 year old eyes love it! I also think your pictures stand out more – be it photos of you/outfits or featured items.
Hope you ankle heals quickly!
Same!! I always read on the mobile site as well and this is so much easier on the eyes!
Prayers and hugs for a quick recovery! Love the new design! And you and Cyndi may have dodged a bullet by not going to Nashville as the SEC NCAA Men’s basketball tourney is there this week!
I’m so sorry about your ankle! I’m sure you know this, but I’ll share anyway. If it’s not healing as quickly as you think it should, please see an orthopedic doctor for an X-ray.
I was going to say the same thing. Sometimes breaks don’t show up right away, I’ve been told.
Yes, I’ve heard that too, so that’s what I did. He thinks I may have a fracture they missed, but he’s more concerned with the ligament damage. We’ll know more after an MRI.
I’m so sorry to hear about your ankle.
Prayers for a quick recovery!
So sorry about ankle. Just glad not more serious .
Jo-Lynne,
Sorry to hear about your mishap. Get well soon! And bummed that the trip got canceled because I was looking forward to seeing some pics of you and Cyndi together! You gals are my faves! Hope your ankle heals quickly!
Your poor ankle! I hope it heals up quickly. I have a weird but useful tip for using crutches: get an apron with big pockets or a fanny pack/belt bag to wear. That way you can put your phone and anything else you might need to carry with you but can’t because you don’t have your hands free! That’s what I did when I was on crutches for a broken ankle a few years ago..because women’s clothes often never have pockets big enough to carry much of anything.
Great idea!
Sorry to hear about your ankle, I did the same thing a few years ago and it is so painful! Last night I stood up from a chair and tore tendons in my knee, so I will be sidelined along with you. Funny how once you turn 50, everyday activities can land you in the hospital 🙂 Take care!
So sorry about your mishap. Prayers for quick healing!
So sorry to hear about your ankle! I had a foot injury with a cast and on crutches for a very long time. Hope you heal quickly and feel better soon. I was looking forward to hearing about your trip with Cydni. Love you both but taking care of yourself is the most important thing right now.
I am so sorry to hear about your ankle. Been there a few times and it was broken. The inflammation covers the break. Hope you feel better fast
Rest and elevate the foot. Hope you are feeling better soon.
I just checked out What’s in my cart and Shop my closet. I really like those. I also love the typeface and color/design of the website. It looks so nice and clean.
That’s good to hear, I was afraid the typeface would be too light for some people to read, even though I like it. I did have them make it larger than they originally did. So glad you like it.
The new site looks fantastic! Approachable and professional. I am sorry to hear about your injury! The timing sounds frustrating, as we head into a busy spring. I have been told that using an ice machine is one of the best things to speed up healing, as it increases the blood flow so dramatically. And ditto on the knee scooter, so much easier than crutches.
That’s funny that you should say that because when I was talking to Brooke and explaining my brand and my audience, I told her that being relatable was very important, and I didn’t want it to be too glossy and unapproachable. I love that you used that description.
I hope you heal quickly JoLynne ! I did the same thing at the height of Covid in 2020 and unfortunately did break my ankle and needed surgery . It’s the worst thing to not be mobile . It’s a great time to catch up on some Netflix shows !
Yeah, I am not a patient patient, lol. I’ve been here before and I know how long and now it can be and how miserable is not to be able to wear real shoes, especially considering my job, but at least a lot of my work is done on the computer.
Hi Jolynne!
I love your new blog design! It looks really fresh and clean to my eye.
My youngest daughter is graduating from university this year. Do you have any suggestions for graduation dresses for the mom?
I’m so sorry to hear about your ankle! I hope it heals quickly! Thanks so much for all the love and effort you pour into your blog! I look forward to it everyday and, although we’ve never met, I think of you as my blog friend. 🙂
So sorry to hear about your ankle! I hope it heals quickly!
Warmly,
Heidi
Thank you, that is so nice to hear. Evereve has some nice choices, and LOFT, and White House black market. That’s a good idea for a new collage and product round-up.
The link for your daily outfits says page doesn’t exist – will that be coming back? I loved that feature in the old version – it was easy access to outfits you wore with links provided. I didn’t realize how much I used it until this past week!
Weird, it should be there. But it will definitely stay, either way. I will check it out.
Oh no, so sorry to hear about your ankle. I am so concerned about missing that bottom step that I always count in my head (5 steps up, 7 steps down). Reminds me of Cassie “Sugarplum’s” ankle mishap on vacation. Thought it was a bad sprain, didn’t get it x-rayed for weeks, discovered it was broken and spent a lot of time in cast, boot, scooter, etc. Yikes!! But, we pray that isn’t YOU! 🙂
Your blog does look spectacular on my laptop! Definitely worth all the time, effort, and $$ you have put into it. Kudos! I don’t read the blog regularly on my phone, but I’ve checked it out and it’s behaving very well! Easy to navigate, for sure.
Yes, I was thinking of her. I went to the ER and they x-rayed it and did not see a break but I’m going to follow up with my foot and ankle doctor this week. I expect he will want to do his own x-rays, and probably order an MRI to see what kind of soft tissue damage I’ve done. I just hope I can get in. Praying and he has a cancellation this week that I can hop in on.
So sorry about your ankle! I hope you have answers and healing asap.
Hello Spring!
I’m so sorry about your ankle, I hope you progressively improve and will be back on your feet sooner than you think.
I’m so sorry to hear you sprained your ankle. On my 41st birthday more than twenty years ago I broke my ankle. It was a crack and I had to have a cast and use crutches. I was scared to death of falling. I think the knee scooter thing would be ideal. I just got over being sick last week. The good thing is my plantar fasciitis went away. I remember you saying yours went away when you were forced to rest. Prayers for fast healing. About your website I adapt pretty quick to changes. I like it and so far I don’t see any issues. I’m going to check out some of the features you mentioned.
So glad your PF went away. Sounds like a silver lining!
So sorry about your trip, but glad y’all can reschedule without losing your money. Hope your ankle heal up quickly! Love the new blog design, so elegant. I didn’t realize there were so many extra features (I’m always reading on my iPhone and just go straight to the newest post). I’ll definitely have to go exploring!
Love your new blog design! It’s refreshing! So sorry about your ankle, hope you feel better soon. BTW I splurged and Paul Green Sneakers at Nordstrom today! I have terrible feet and hope they will be ok(felt fine), while I love Ecco, I just couldn’t pass on the Paul Green
Good to know! I might need those now. At least sneakers are trending. The last time I did this, they were not, and I felt so frumpy when I was trying to get back to life.
Jolynne,
I’m so sorry to hear about your ankle. Try and be a good patient, even though I know how hard that is, so you heal quickly and can get back to life.
Amy
Love the new layout! You can see the effort and time you put into your blog not to mention the endless details you provide🙌🏻
I especially like the posted outfit picture with all the items listed separately with links. Makes shopping easy!
Sorry to hear about your ankle! Rest and take it easy ! Hopefully it’s better soon💕
Thanks for that feedback! (And for the good wishes.) I’m trying to be a good patient so I don’t prolong the healing process more than necessary.
So sorry to hear about your injury and missing your trip to Nashville.
I have to say that is one of my biggest fears… canceling a trip especially after spending a fortune on airline tickets. How were you able to get a refund?
I never buy non-refundable plane tickets. Life is too unpredictable. (I also never buy travel insurance unless it’s a major thing, like Italy.) This particular set was purchased with points, which made it even easier. They just reinstated my points. 🙂
Oh Jo-Lynne……I’m so sorry to hear about your ankle and having to cancel your trip. I know you both were looking forward to it. I have a friend who missed the last outside step at her sons in the dark on Halloween and she has been down with one bad broken ankle and the other bad sprain. She could not be up for months and now after 4 months she is back to work. I don’t know how she did it. She is single and relied on all of us in our church and small town to help out where needed. So I’m so happy you didn’t have a break. She has so much metal in her ankle now. You are right, stay down now and heal to be up and ready for things to come. I’ll have to check out your blog on my lap top. I usually look at it there but now on my cell. Bless you and feel better.
That sounds terrible. I guess things can always be worse! Grateful I have 4 adults living here to help me out.
So sorry about your ankle – sounds like you’ll be doing things you hadn’t planned on, but could be time well spent under the circumstances!! Take care of yourself & heal!!!
The new website is great!! I’m sure everyone will get used to it in time!!
Have a great week!!!
So sorry to hear that has happened to you.🥲 Hope you get healed up quickly and back with it. I had an older friend once tell me she thinks things like this happens when we are going in every direction and the Lord sits us down. I think she was probably on to something there. Please take care to yourself . I am loving your new upgrades on your blog . Very beautiful!
That sounds like something my mom would say, lol! Well, I’m sitting down now. 🙂
Oh sweet lady, I hate to hear this about your ankle! I broke mine a few years ago tripping over our big dog! I got some padding for my crutches and that was a game changer. I ordered a new set from Amazon for my son when he broke his leg a couple of years ago. I also got a small backpack to carry my essentials around the house. My house is too big/spread out to be trekking all over all day so this was a lifesaver! Lol!
Although I really really really dislike change, I must say your new blog looks very nice! One thing that I use constantly on your site is the search feature. At a quick glance, I did not see it. (It was a little magnifying glass in the top left corner when reading on my iPhone.) I really hope you didn’t have to get rid of that!
I will be praying as you heal up from this injury. Hopefully it’s just a sprain and will heal quickly and completely. ❤️🙏🏻
It’s still there, but definitely not as prominent. The magnifying glass is one of the little picture icons (beside Instagram, Facebook, etc.) I can ask for that to be another text link in the dropdown menu.
Great to know! Thank you!
Hi JoLynne,
I can feel that last step! I did the same thing carrying laundry down to the basement in the dark. The pain was worse than a break. I highly recommend this device: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013HKAH84?starsLeft=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_sms_apin_dp_8B4YT36TMBKPGQPD4C46&th=1
It sped up the healing process. PT was important and at the tail end of my healing, my ankle didn’t want to give up the swelling and wearing compression socks for awhile got rid of the last stubborn inflamation. I have become very protective of that ankle. Take care!
Interesting! I have had so many foot and ankle issues over the years, and finding a way to ice it is one of the most challenging parts. I am definitely ordering this.
Thanks for the link! I bookmarked it for the next time we have a sports related injury. My son had a severe high ankle sprain last fall and this would have helped tremendously. My friend (who is a PT) said that reducing inflammation is key. We rotated through lots of Arnica, essential oils like Frankincense, Epson salt soaks and ice plunges, as well as anti-inflammatory supplements. But it was still a painful and frustrating few months for him.
Praying for a speedy recovery with no complications for you JoLynne. Thanks for all you do with the blog. Lots of inspiration. Lots of learning alongside you. I definitely agree with the comment that your blog is both professional and approachable.
I forgot to add…
I purchased this ankle/foot strengthening device off of Amazon to complement my son’s PT. I don’t have an injury but I’ve used it too. Anything that helps with balance and posture!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09X1M3KTS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The doc said that a high ankle sprain is what they are looking for on the MRI – it is far worse recovery than spraining the lower ligaments, evidently. He also thinks the ER doc missed a fracture. So that’s fun. Although apparently, that’s a secondary issue, and it’s the soft tissue injuries that are hardest to heal.
How often did he do Epson salt soaks and Arnica applications? I have both.
We tried to do the Epson salts 2-3x/day. He actually liked that a lot better than the ice. But our PT friend was pretty emphatic about the ice. And so we kept the ice packs on throughout the day. We homeschool and so he was able to keep it iced and elevated pretty faithfully. Oh, and Arnica….he was probably putting Arnica on 4-5 times a day. Sometimes we’d use essential oils instead….but more often I’d put those in the Epson salt soak.
His ended up being an impact fracture – he basically dented the bone, rather than having a crack. But it was the sprain that took the longest to heal. And in his case…. we wanted the ankle well healed before he got back on the basketball court. He was able to walk around without the boot and crutches far sooner than he could actively or safely play sports.
In following the link yesterday, I actually saw a few more items that I bookmarked that would have worked well in our case….
This pillow would have been helpful….we were just using all the extra couch cushions and regular pillows. But this might have provided more support and been more comfortable.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BB9SSTJK/?coliid=I1K9AEQXCIB669&colid=13BLR9TI0WZKH&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it
And I probably would’ve bought an ice pack like this if I’d seen it at the time. We had a hard time keeping the ice packs we were using in the right place for his sprain.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5RCZY2M/?coliid=IIEAY08YOMD9X&colid=13BLR9TI0WZKH&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Best wishes! We all continue to pray for speedy healing and grace and patience as you wait.
Thanks, Nicole, that’s very helpful.
When I click on shop on your blog I get this page doesn’t exist. Anyone else have this problem?
I see that now, I had to log out of my blog for that to happen to me too. I’ve let my developer know.
I dont mean to be unkind, just sharing my personal experience and perhaps helpful feedback. I may be in the minority, but I never access your blog on a computer. I always use my phone. I only ever click on new emails. And I click on links at the photos of items. A few times in the past, I have tried to find something I liked from a previous post, but I’m almost always unable to find it. Maybe that would be different with new design. I will also add that I find the new thinner, lighter font to be more difficult to read. Of course I can read it, the old darker font was just easier.
Hi April, that constructive feedback is helpful. I wondered about how the thinner font was going to go over – I was actually surprised no one else mentioned it. I can have them make it a little larger/darker.
When looking for a previous post on the new design, you can go to the home page of the blog by tapping the logo at the top. When you scroll down, you will see The Latest section with the 3 newest posts, and then you can tap the SEE MORE POSTS underneath those 3 and get a page with all of my blog posts in reverse chronological order. I hope that helps!