Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I want to go everywhere I haven't been, and back to everywhere I have been.

Monday, October 8, 2018

PASSION......AND MY BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT!


My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


What's your passion?

People aside (that's a given!), what is it that..........

Gets your juices flowing?
Puts a spring in your step? 
Makes your heart beat faster?
Has you doing a little tap dance?

It's no surprise to many of you that my passion is.......
 Travel.

Even when I'm not physically traveling, it's always on my mind.

My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


My picture frames are filled with places we've been.
I'm always thinking about where to go next.
My bookshelves are loaded with travel books.
I'm reading about intriguing destinations in the newspaper.
Souvenirs I've collected are all over the house. 

My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


My travel bucket list is longer than a CVS receipt.

My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


When I first started Ms. Toody Goo Shoes five years ago, 
I barely knew what a blog was.
I was eager to start writing, and so I focused on a number of things that interested me........
Baking, home decor, gardening, travel, and a bunch of other random things.  
I always felt like my blog was a hodge-podge........
not that there's anything wrong with that;
it just didn't feel right for me.

My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


If I am completely honest with you,
I never felt I was 100% in my zone.

I never pretended to be an expert in anything.
I simply wrote about things I liked,
 with an "if I can do this, it can't be all that hard" attitude.

For the first few years of blogging, I enjoyed staging photos.
Finally, all that stuff I had collected for no apparent reason found its way into my posts.
Somewhere along the line, I grew tired of the time and effort it takes to do a blog shoot.
 I wondered whether I should give up blogging altogether.
Becoming an Instagram blogger wasn't the answer,
because it's not the way I want to tell my stories.  

My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger



After a bunch of soul searching, 
I realized that I still want to blog.
I love writing, taking pictures, and telling stories. 
I want to use my photos and my words in a way that comes naturally to me. 
I don't want to say, "Wait! Don't eat till I take some pictures!"
(unless it's while we're traveling, wink wink!)
And, mostly, I don't want to clean up my house in order to take pictures for my blog. 😀

My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


An idea had been percolating for awhile.
When the answer came to me, it was.......
As clear as the sky in Santorini.......

KAMARI BEACH, SANTORINI | My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


As clear as the turquoise water in the Caribbean........

ST. JOHN'S ISLAND  | My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger



As clear as the church bells in Europe. 

Amalfi Cathedral | My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


I want to write about travel.


My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


Simply put, I want to take pictures of places,
and use them to tell stories.


My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


And so, friends, I'm officially switching gears. 
You may now refer to me as a travel blogger, thank you very much!

True, I don't travel constantly like other travel bloggers do.
SO...........
I'll just have to be a little creative. 😀

When I do go somewhere, I'll write about it, of course, 
but not all of my posts will be
"Here's where I went, and this is what it was like."

Frankly, I'd get bored doing only that. 

I plan to do themed Travel Collages like this or this,
 using pictures from places around the world.

I live close to New York City,
and I'm going to focus on that more intensely.
Heck, it may not be a travel destination for me,
but it is for 99% of my readers! 

Travel doesn't have to be a plane ride away...........
It can be a cute little town nearby, can't it?

Who knows...........I might even do a recipe here and there 
if it is something inspired by my travels.

And..........I do plan to continue my monthly Photo Diary,
as an excuse to use pictures of my dog and flowers and such! 😜

My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


For now, I'm keeping the name Ms. Toody Goo Shoes,
but I have changed a few things.
I've modified "About Me" on my sidebar;

made some changes to the tabs at the top of my header,
(new tabs include Travel Collages and New York City),
and revised my tagline.

My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger


So there you have it. 
 
Grab a seat in your favorite armchair,
and let me be your virtual travel guide! 

Oh, the places we'll go! 

My goal is to bring travel into my everyday life!  | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #TravelBlogger



LINKING WITH:
Best Of The Weekend



 

Sunday, January 10, 2016

I Don't Want To Lose You!

Did you sign up to follow my blog by clicking the 
Join this site box
 on the sidebar of my blog? 

The one that looks like this: 


If you did, and you don't have a Google account, 
I might lose you as a follower, because as of tomorrow...
Monday, January 11, 
Google is going to remove non-Google account profiles from Google Friend Connect. 

 "...Starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.

We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow." 

I sure wish I got this post out earlier. 

You've got two options: 

1) To continue to have my blog added to your reading list,
sign up for a Google account, and re-follow my blog.

OR...

2) Use the box to the right to subscribe by email.

If you want to read the Google announcement in full, click here.

I really don't want to lose you.
Please make sure we stay connected!

Friday, January 1, 2016

My Pinterest TOP FIVE of 2015


My Top Five Pins of 2015 | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes #Pinterets #TopPins #Pins


Wouldn't it be cool if there was an award show 
for the year's "Best Pins" on Pinterest? 
It would be called...

The Pinny Awards! 

There could be a "Best Pin" in different categories, 
like "Best Chocolate Dessert" pin, and "Best Tiny House Decor" pin.
How about a Pinny for Best Original DIY?
Best Adapted Recipe?
The possibilities are endless.
The award show could be simulcast on HGTV, Food Network and DIY Network.

I really think I'm on to something here, folks, 
so if it happens, remember you heard it here first. 
 Until then, I'll have to hold my own awards show 
for my most popular pins.

There is no official counting of the ballots 
requiring the assistance of Ernst and Young;
just some help from Pinterest Analytics. 

Ladies and Gentleman, in the category of 
Ms. Toody's Most Popular Pins of the Year...
may I have the envelope, please?

And the top five winners (working backwards) are...

#5: How To Feng Shui Your Desk and Improve Your Life
How To Feng Shui Your Desk - one of my Top Five Pins of 2015! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

#4: Brown Sugar and Walnut Rugelach  
Cinnamon Walnut Rugelach - one of my Top Five Pins of 2015! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
 
#1: Working with Fondant: A Piece of Cake
How To Decorate a Cake with Fondant - one of my Top Five Pins of 2015! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Oh my gosh, I'm so nervous, I never expected this...
I didn't even prepare a speech!
I'd like to thank the academy...everyone who reads my blog...
anyone who has allowed me to add my posts to their link parties...
 and, of course, all those who have taken the time 
to pin my creations!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 
I am honored to accept this award!


Linking With:

Thursday, December 17, 2015

A Winner! Stress-Buster Giveaway!


Are you ready to find out who won my Stress-Buster Giveaway?

Before I tell you, I want to thank everyone who participated. 

It wasn't a big gift card...
It wasn't a free trip...
It wasn't a new car...

It's just my little way of saying thank you 
to all of you who stop by and read my blog.
It makes a girl feel special :)

And now...it's time to announce the winner!

Mr. Goo Shoes did the honors.


Congratulations, Dayle!


Dayle is the blogger behind A Collection of Days.
She is a talented and thought-provoking writer,
who scribes about her family, home, 
and whatever thoughts are forefront in her mind.
If you aren't familiar with Dayle's blog,
I encourage you to stop by, and be inspired by her words.

Thanks again to all who participated in the contest!
See you tomorrow at Best of the Weekend --
it's the last party of the year! 

Dayle, your package will be in the mail tomorrow!



Monday, November 9, 2015

Guess Who I Met!

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Would you ever get together with someone in person, that you met online?
Normally, I would say NO WAY!
However, when it comes to meeting blog friends,
well, that's another thing, entirely.
 
When I first started blogging, 
it never entered my mind that I would form relationships...
But, yes, "blogger friendship" happens,  
and every once in awhile, you get lucky enough to meet those friends in person.

Two weeks ago in New York City, 
I had lunch again with Julie from Julie's Lifestyle
We met Ginnie from Hello Little Home, for the first time.
 She is one of my co-hosts at Best Of The Weekend

Julie's blog covers a little bit of everything --
 cooking, crocheting, make-up tips, etc. 
Ginnie is also a lifestyle blogger who shares recipes, decor, DIY and fashion. 
We has so much fun gabbing, and sharing blogging stories,
that we forgot to take a picture! 
Ah, well, I guess this just means we have to do it again.  

Ginny                                                          Julie

A few days later, this time in NJ,
I had the pleasure of meeting two more bloggers...
Doreen from Househoneys, and Cindy from Cloches and Lavender.
Cindy's friend, Audrey, came along, too.
(If you read Cindy's blog, she talks about Audrey a lot,
so I felt like I knew her, too).
Cindy doesn't have a picture of herself on her blog,
so I wasn't sure who was who when I walked in

Doreen writes a lot about her log cabin, and life in the Berkshires
as well as recipes, home decor, and adventures in their new RV.
Cindy's blog is about the new home she and her husband built, 
their dogs, Peanut and Reeses, 
and her awesome furniture-painting and DIY projects.
Audrey is considering starting a blog.
You know we gave her lots of encouragement! 

There was never a lull in the conversation.
and we made sure to get a picture taken right away
before we forgot.     

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
Doreen and Amy (standing); Audrey and Cindy (seated)

After lunch, we exchanged little gifts.
Cindy gave each of us a pretty flower pot that she decoupaged
filled with chocolates.
I've been admiring these on her blog, and I'm so happy to now have one of my own!
Doreen gave us some of her delicious chocolate-dipped walnut biscotti.
 Soooooo yummy! 
My gift to the ladies was a little carton of brown sugar and walnut rugelach. 

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes




Do you live in the NY area?
Are you planning to visit?
I'd love to meet you, too!