We are here.
We hope you like it, but don't tell us if you don't. Just kidding. But don't. Seriously, be honest. But conceal all critical thoughts!
At least for a few days! We are taking a plunge here with the thought that we can fix things but if we don't GO, we'll never go, because we are unreasonable about expectations. Sound familiar?
We wouldn't be here if it weren't for dear Lauren, whose giveaway at Santa Clara Designs we won eons ago.
Poor Lauren, she had no idea what she was getting into when she made her generous offer. Between the sheer size of the blog (and all your wonderful comments, which no way were we leaving behind) and our immense capacity for dithering, well, we were a handful for her. She has been our patient guide
Any unfinished business you find here is the sole property of Rosie and me. The extent to which we engage in understandable, excusable, and/or random, self-inflicted distraction is mind-boggling. I mean yes, weddings, babies, life-threatening illnesses, fine. But disappearing into ten million pictures of embroidered chickens, why? Why do we do this? (Well, you have only yourselves to blame for the chickens! and you know it!)
The Chief always says that you can't let the best be the enemy of the good. So we will keep organizing and tweaking and cleaning up. We have stored away all the comments you have already left us in the Frequently Asked Questions post and elsewhere, fear not. (Some of them haven't quite made it over yet, including the comments from most of our most recent posts. But they'll make it here eventually!)
To keep you occupied while we continue our path to blog perfection or whatever, here are some adorable and easy mittens that I made for Pippo for Christmas (I made a similar, smaller pair for FX but at the last minute, too late to be photo'd!). I actually love the wool. It's easy to get at JoAnn's. It's Paton's Classic Wool Tweeds in brown tweed. It's worsted and with 90% wool, warm and, I hope, sturdy.
I used #4 needles and knit tightly. Captain Pepper said that he checked Pippo's hands to be sure they were warm after playing out in the snow for about an hour, and they were! Yay for old-fashioned mittens!
I'll put the specs on my Ravelry page.
Meanwhile, come visit again soon!
Hope you like it here!
I know, change is hard!
Kimberlee says
Welcome to your new home! It looks lovely! Congratulations!
And can I say I am overjoyed to see you are a .org and appear to be ad-free!
Love how the chickens look so beautiful and dignified-like over there in the header. The mittens look wonderful too! I like how they have a fierce guard dog watching over them.
Mary says
I love it! It looks fabulous and I like how you have so many posts on the home page. Very nice. I am lifting my mug of hot chocolate to ALL of you for doing such a fabulous job and making the change. Cheers to new beginnings!!
Kelly says
Congratulations! Once again, you are so adept at finding the humor in our (we mothers and daughters across web-land) shared reality! And as to sharing a criticism , why, one would have to know much (or at least something!) more than the one whose work is being criticized in order to, well, criticize! And have a longer neck to stick out than the one already doing so! We’ll keep you honest! Or, actually, we say: We’ll keep you! Honest! As for my daughters and myself, we love (what I have long called your blog and now this) your apostolate! May God continue to bless you and your multi-generational family!
Leila says
Kelly, thanks for keeping us! Honest! 🙂
Carrie says
Your blog looks clean, fresh and pretty! Thank you so much for all the thought and work you put in to this space. May God bless you all.
corina says
I love the header! I confess I was skeptical about how you would have kept the chickens and still managed to bring something new about it, but you did it in the lovliest way! I also like the new “Tutorial” category and that you have kept the “Happy at home” posts well organized in the sidebar. But what I love most is the bright and clear and uncluttered look! Congratulations and thank you for your effort!
Jen says
Lovely! Fresh and clean, with the feeling of being in a warm sunbeam! 🙂
On my iPad the first “Like” is cut off and so is most of the word “because” in the header. Perhaps a small formatting glitch?
Robin says
I share in the chorus of accolades for you. So sleek and clean!
Also, I am missing the left part of the header. Nerdy info: I’m on my laptop using Firefox. I’ve noticed other sites, when switching over to a new format, have these glitches and need this kind of info.
Rosie says
Yes, thank you Jen and Robin – helpful! We’re working on that…
Robin says
Ermmmm, I also don’t see any sidebars or such. Just the posts. Again, not a criticism, but hopefully a helpful suggestion.
Rosie says
Are you on your phone?
Robin says
Nope. Laptop/Firefox. If I were, I really wouldn’t see anything because it’s dumber than dumb. ;o)
Jen says
It’s all there now! 😀
Terri B. says
It is beautiful! Congratulations on your new space.
Cynthia H. says
I like it, too. It is calming to the eyes. Love the lack of clutter. Thanks for all your work!
Robin says
Also, also, how do we switch our RSS feeds?
Way too much nerd happening…..back to caffeinating……
Theresa Anne says
Lovely…so glad to see you up and running (or maybe sitting and pondering) this morning!
Mrs. B. says
Oh my! Last night I happened to check the website and I got a black page saying it was unavailable, or something to that effect. Then I knew you were working on the new platform – funnily, it reminded me of Apollo 13, when the astronauts go around the moon and have to give up their connection with Houston for a while… I thought: LMLD has gone dark!! Now I can say: Welcome back you all, we’re so glad you’re back with us!
Dusa says
“LMLD has gone dark” made me laugh out loud at my desk!
It’s looking awesome: I echo everyone’s positive feedback (esp. the warm sunshine comment)
Gwenny says
You’re finally here! Hooray!
Liz Lockhart says
It looks lovely. I was a bit anxious when I got a notification telling me you didn’t exist anymore, and whilst I was having the vapours this appeared! I love the index is still on the side, I can find the bread recipes and bits I like easily. Thank you!!
Jessica says
It feels fresh and light. Not bad to get your spring cleaning done in January! I am so happy for all of you!
Lisa says
I really love it.
Donna L. says
Well done and good on you! So happy to see the chickens at the top–and the lovely photos all down the side–new and yet, still you!
God bless you all and prayers for the best year ever!
Lisa says
Oh and thank you for the large print! I can see it! Love the mittens. I really need to make some for my grandson.
Emily says
Everything is lovely, fresh, and inspiring! Three cheers for a new beginning and the courage to pursue it. Perfection really IS the enemy of the good!
Susan (DE) says
I like it a lot. The sidebars (for me) are fairly LOW, but that’s not a big problem. I agree (I know you’re working on it) about the cut off part of the lettering above, and PERSONALLY, I would make the chickens and their background a little DARKER. They look quite pale to me, and a bit “far away.” Just an opinion from someone who admires what you have done!
Angela says
Good for you, ladies! It’s looking good to me. You have all been an encouragement to this easily distracted west coast Protestant mom. Despite the differences in our lifestyles I feel a kinship which is a gift from God. Thank you!
Nancy says
Looks great and organized nicely!
briana says
Yay! Spring cleaning, all spiffed up!
Kelly says
Oh my, it is lovely! It is so bright and organized, excellent job ladies!
Lindsey says
Exciting! Looking good. Nice and fresh. 🙂
In Chrome the header looks a teeny bit washed out, but the chickens look good!
Caitlin says
Oh this is just lovely!!! So fresh looking without being too modern/flashy/boring. Thank you for keeping the chickens, because for some reason I developed a bizarre attachment to them. Everything just looks clean and easy to navigate!
Lindsey says
I also love the handwriting in the header! Is it Auntie Leila’s?
Rosie says
Yes, it is!
Kathy@9peas says
Wow, it all looks so good – I love it!!!
priest's wife (@byzcathwife) says
Bravissimo!
Anne says
I love the mittens. So cute. My kids have some mittens that are knit but not out of wool :(. They love them and I love that I was able to easily make a little rope between them by crocheting a chain that attaches to one glove, is long enough to run up one coat sleeve and down the other with the second glove attached at the other end. This means they always have TWO gloves. Remarkable. Plus they look so cute dangling there when not in use.
Anne says
Also, a question, how much yarn did it take to make this pair of mittens?
Leila says
I wish I remembered stuff about how much wool it took. I made both mittens out of the same skein and had enough left over to make the cuffs and heels (but not both toes) of a pair of men’s socks. So two or three small mittens per skein?
Deb says
Hooray! You look MARVELOUS! 🙂
Pam says
When I deleted the link to the old blog in my bookmarks, I actually felt a stab of panic. But I’m relieved to see the delicious, varied, informative, encouraging, if-I-can-do-it-so-can-you, get busy and feed your family, use-it-up, plan ahead, save-a-step, and (my personal favorite), “how to take a shower” – directory to all the great body of knowledge stored here. I have pointed several young wives, and indeed my own daughters to your site. It is our favorite, and my place to run for encouragement and fresh thoughts about managing a household and, indeed, living a devoted life.
natalie says
this blog is like an old friend; I quickly scanned and saw all my favorite archives and such and smiled;)! Love the new look!! so fun:)
Mary Ellen Barrett says
I love it!
sibyl says
Well, as a conservative by temperament, I am not sure how I feel about this new look; I can only say that it is very classy and non-cluttered, which are both good things.
Can’t wait for more Auntie Leila!
Anitra says
As a sometime web designer, I can say, converting this blog site must have been quite a task! Kudos to you and also to Lauren.
I love old-fashioned knit mittens for my children. Even when they’re made of cotton, they seem to be superior to the fleece or unknown-micro-knit that you can get in a store. (Says the woman who still wears fleece gloves most of the time.) Something about the chunky knit offers a lot more protection from the snow.
Shannon says
How very lovely !!
Sara says
It’s beautiful! Now you need a chicken as the little picture next to the url. 🙂
Leila says
I know, Sara — favicon — need to get it up there!
CarlynB says
Well, I like it, but what keeps me reading this blog is the wonderful advice and content. I’ll always be grateful that you took seriously the e-mail I sent you asking about dealing with a son moving into the teen years. I will follow you forever, like a puppy, no matter what your blog looks like. 🙂
Leila says
Aw, Carlyn, thank you!
Jennifer says
The website is very nice! I am so thankful that your family is so generous in sharing your wisdom and adventures with all of us. Even though I have never met you, I feel like I know you rather well and have learned a lot from you. Thank you for the website. It is sort of a gift to all of us, right? 🙂
Joy in Alabama says
So sophisticated! Love it!
Meredith says
Bright and clean–perfect for the dark winter days! I think it makes the cozy photos of your home really pop.
Amy says
Like the modern clean look. As always look forward to all your post.
Kim F. says
I don’t like change. Ever. But I love the new look. As a visual person, I love all the white space and uncluttered-ness of it. It’s beautiful.
emily C says
It’s nice, but the font of your main posts on Chrome on my little netbook running Linux is rather difficult to read, with some letter strokes seeming much darker than others. Specifically the “w”, “v”, and “y” characters.
I’m not a big fan of the font as it appears to me. I’ll try a different browser.
In good news, your mobile site is LOVELY. But the redirect from the old site didn’t work at first.
Katie Beth says
Finding the new link to the new look this morning was like waking up to a snow day. Pull back the curtains and, oh! Something happened overnight! So clean and white. A strange mantle over everything, but then it resolves into the familiar landscape underneath. And the potentialities of forts! snowmen! snow angels! Plus a bit of shoveling and plowing to do.
Also, hello! What better occasion to join the comments than in honor of the incipient site. Your archives have been my favorite companion for the past 8-9 months while sitting and nursing my first, and I’ve been following along in real time too. Grateful indeed for the lovely things I read and learn here.
Donna says
I have been reading Casti Connubii this last month and catching up with your series from last year. Last night (or was it the night before), I too got the dark screen! I’m glad you’re back! Now I can finish my reading; just a few more pages to go (I hope to finish tonight). Your posts and summaries, along with the discussions that followed, have been true food for thought. And I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you provide here at LMLD. The new site is beautiful!!
Shayla says
It’s lovely. I was a little worried about not being able to find older posts like your mac and cheese recipe, but the old link redirected me there just fine. I do have a question though. What is the letter “G” in your little tab icon?
Claire says
Love it! Love you! Thanks for all you’ve done!
Tiffany Tinley says
Hooray! I have been following you around for well on two and a half years now! When I had my first child, I discovered I didn’t know the first thing about maintaining a reasonably clean home. Or laundry management. Or many other “collective memory” items. So easy to skate by with little homemaking ability pre-children! Ahem. Anyway, I didn’t get PHFR in my inbox this week. Or bits & pieces (had dinner last night with that title, too, thanks for that! Much more glamorous than “fridge-clean-out-meal”). I started to panic. But, lo and behold, you arrived in my inbox at long last in a gloriously simple, easy to navigate, beautiful new site! But you transferred EVERYTHING I often reference over! And you kept the chickens! I’m not quite sure which of those two are more important to me at the moment, so thanks for being thorough. Wading through 1000’s of photos of crocheted chickens sounds slightly terrifying, so I just want to personally thank you for that. And for this blog. Both of them. The end.
Mrs. B. says
I really like that it’s Leila’s handwriting in the header! It just makes this space so personal and real: it makes me think the LMLD team means serious business here, it’s not the usual internet vain fluffiness.
A suggestion/request: I am very fond of the light blue you picked for the background of the {phfr} button – would it be possible to use a bit of that same color for the header, too?
But hey, it’s your blog, so it’s your playground – have fun!
Lisa G. says
The blog looks fine – so similar, which is what you want, I imagine. The mittens look very large, however. ha! Of course, it’s ridiculous, but I’m looking at the dog, and they look very big. And very cozy, and warm.
Amy says
Your old site seemed slow on my computer before but this new one is zippy!
Amy says
One other thing…tabs up at top for the different categories (like the happy home series, tutorials, recipes, child rearing, etc.) would be handy rather than having to scroll down so far to see them on the side.
Rosie says
They’re in the works, Amy!
Ashley says
Oh yay! I will be thrilled to have those tabs. I love the sidebar and use it all the time, and I would be tickled pink to have the content so much easier to access. You all have done such a lovely job on the redesign – thank you for always making this such a welcoming place, wherever it’s hosted.
Lisa says
I am just glad you are still here! Thank you for all your kindness in sharing with us! It has blessed me more than you can know! 🙂
Valerie says
Ooooh…Aaahhh! Love it.
The header definitely sets the tone. Magnificent.