September 26, 2015

I made it home again.

So, I'm back!! Argentina was very hot, freezing cold, exciting, exhausting, so much fun and in one word: amazing! I'll probably share more details in a/some future post(s) but right now, I just wanted to let you all know I made it back alive, the plane didn't crash and that there were no bus accidents. Below you'll already find a very brief overview of the fantastic people I've met, the breathtaking sceneries and the delicious food. I want to go back already!

September 11, 2015

5 blog posts that will help me improve my blog.

I originally wanted to call this post '5 blog posts that helped me improve my blog'. Until I realized I had only 9 followers so I wouldn't call my blog exactly 'a success'. Which doesn't mean that it can't be... you know, one day.
Anyway, lately I've stumbled upon a lot of very useful blog posts that will help me improve this blog because well... they educate me. I didn't even know there was a thing called 'SEO' or 'CSS'. And man, Google Analytics is still rocket science to me. But not for long, because with these blog posts, my blog can only improve... There's no way but up!

1. 5 quick SEO tips for bloggers

Like I said, I didn't really knew what SEO was (it's Search Engine Optimalisation... if you're wondering; yes, I had to google it... again) let along that I used it on this blog. I still don't use all these tips often enough, I think but I do try to repeat my blog title in the introduction, give a name to the photos I use. Small things that will hopefully make a difference.

2. Google Analytics Tutorial

I only use Google Analytics for a couple of months... and I'm lost. I really feel like someone should explain everything to me. Just sit down with me and explain every graphic, every dot and every table to me because really... what is it all about? This blog post of Helen in Between at least gave me some perspective on what is happening and how to interpret the different numbers that you get, which reports are useful, etc. . Not that I'm an expert now, I still need to go back to this post often and I still need to google lots of things but the base is here, I believe.

3. Maintaining a low bounce rate

You can imagine that if I didn't know what SEO was, than I never heard of a bounce rate until I opened google analytics. This, people, is one thing I understand from GA: the bounce rate should be as low as possible. In this blog post it's clearly explained why and you get some tips on how to get your bounce rate down.

4. Photography tips for food bloggers

I wouldn't call myself a food blogger but it is one of my main hobbies. Since I live back home with my parents, this side of my blog got somewhere in the back but once I find the time and opportunity again, I'd love to feature more food related posts here. Of course, your food has to look at least as good as it tastes and this is exactly what I'm struggling with. I'm no photographer, not at all but I do love taking pictures! The only problem is: I don't know what to look for or how to use my camera properly. So I have lots of posts saved somewhere which are all related to photography (not just food) which can be useful one day. As food to me is an important part of this blog, I already bookmarked these tips for the future.

5. A new related posts gallery for Blogger

Of course, in order to have successful blog you need to know something about HTML and CSS. You probably hear me coming but... I don't. Every feature that's not standard on Blogger (or maybe is but I just don't know about it), I got from this website: Code it Pretty. The related posts gallery that you see below? Got it here. The icons to my pinterest page, instagram, mail address? Got them here. Really, for an amature like me, this sight is SO helpful.

September 2, 2015

Summer 2015.

If the plane hasn't crashed and I didn't get eaten by sharks, than I'm in Argentina at the moment (oh yeah!). This means that the best part of summer - for me - is happening at this very moment. Nevertheless, I already had a great summer so far... as you can see from the pictures below.
1. The Boyfriend's family was on vacation which meant we were home alone... so we had a little barbecue... // 2. ... with just the two of us. It was delicious // 3. A couple of days later, I made the Boyfriend's favourite dish: shrimp pasta and I experimented a little and added spinach (it was a success!) // 4. The Boyfriend and his brother... Aren't they cute? // 5. I went to Hapje Tapje in Leuven and could have desserts of the Werf again! yummie! // 6. A week later, I was back in Leuven and I got a little nostalgic. This is the university library. // 7. I met some friends at the Skybar in Antwerp ... // 8. ... where we had an awesome view over the city // 9. Our dinner afterwards. We ate a burger at Ellis // 10. One of my colleagues had a birthday and we got these homemade Oreo cupcakes // 11. Our lunch vouchers got traded in for an electronic version and my card is the coolest with these cherries on it // 12. Sunset at Disneyland Resort Paris // 13. Yes, I went to Disneyland Paris!! and this lady totally photo bombed my picture // 14. I comforted myself with this delicious hot chocolate. As you can see: I was in Disney mode // 15. Of course, I took a Disney selfie with the Boyfriend // 16. and back home, it was the annual fair which means: waffles!