How do you like my new look? It’s a new and improved ME. I really, really love it and hope that you will too. One of my readers, Joanna, is a blog designer and I emailed her to ask her some questions about how I could change a couple of things on my blog and she graciously took over and gave me a complete bloggy makeover, with a new layout and a snazzy navigation bar. Now, you’ll see I have lots of links to click on and a whole new look. Hope you’ll look around and check out all the buttons. I think this new look will be easier to navigate and you’ll be able to find things better. Everything is still here, it just looks a little different. As I mentioned before, I’ve moved my extensive blogroll to my 2nd blog, so just click on Blog Candy to go there. Enjoy the NEW me! If you want a new blog design, I hope you’ll check out Joanna’s design service, Southern Girl Blog Designs. She did a fantastic job for me and gave me just the look I wanted.
Friday night, we got to enjoy the new dining room again and invited over some friends, Sandi and Bill from Whistlestop Cafe Cooking. Sandi and I started out as bloggy friends, but now that we’ve gotten together with them a few times now, it’s a real life friendship. We’ve been to their house for a party and so I thought it was time to invite them over to our place. Bill’s parents were long-time owners of the Irondale Cafe that I talked about here, and they sell Whistlestop cookbooks and Whistlestop cooking products too, so go over and take a look at their foodie blog.
Last week, Peter spotted a cooking class in the paper being held at Whole Foods, called School of Fish. Given his love of fishing and especially his love of eating fish, we decided to check it out and it was well worth it. They shared 3 recipes and we got to sample them all, so I fixed the salmon dish for dinner and tried out the Lemon-Dijon Dill Sauce, which is fantastic.
Bill, Sandi, and Sandi’s sister, Holly, who was in town and came along for dinner too. Holly also has a blog called Holledaze and she lives fulltime in London and part time in Boston, so check out her blog too. She just did a gorgeous kitchen reno on her blog. We sure enjoyed the evening with our new friends!
Lemon-Dijon Dill Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Mayo (low fat is fine)
3 tsp. minced dill weed
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Juice from one lemon
1 tsp. fresh minced garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
This was a wonderful sauce with the salmon, so I hope you’ll try it!
Thanks for stopping by to check out the new and improved look! Come back on Monday and we’ll talk about lighting.
{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }
Your new layout looks great–co clean and efficient too!! I love the pears under the dome as your centerpiece. Congrats on the new layout.
We love salmon. I’ll have to use this recipe. It sounds wonderful.
I’ve been wanting to tidy up my page, for awhile. I’ll make a note to contact Joanna. It might be just the gift for myself, for the 2nd anniversary at the Back Porch. Your new page looks fabulous!
I love your bloggy makeover Ms. Rhoda! It’s so clean and fresh but still sassy. And loads a lot faster! The food looks yummy too. Have a blessed weekend!
Love the new blog, Rhoda. Gorgeous! And so are your black-and-white dining room curtains. And I’m so glad you’re talking about the Whistlestop Cafe — it’s a great place and well worth the trip.
The new design looks great. Good for you for learning to cook fish. I’m afraid if I try to cook it all the neighbor cats will bombard my house.
Hi Rhoda – your new layout and artwork looks great! And yes, very easy to navigate. Always fun to redecorate our “virtual” homes!
I love the new look too! It loads so much quicker without the background page and is less distracting too. It was definitely worth waiting on but this is so much nicer.
i LOVE your new look, i read your blog everyday…..i just love it…………….especially today when you talk about food, but…….i love your decorating too and your shopping trips…..jennie in jackson tn
I LOVE your new look. Who knew it would load so much faster too!!!
Awesome cool fresh look.
Thanks for a great blog!
Your new blog layout is just perfect. Great job. Also, looks like dinner with your guests was a huge success and the food looks so yummy. Hugs, Marty
I love your new look…it took your “old” page so very long to load!!! This one is clean and fresh, and loads on the first click!!!
Time to crawl out of the woodwork I guess. I’ve been popping in to visit your blog recently and am always inspired by your nifty ideas and thrifty finds.
Your new dining room redo is FAB. How nice you’ve been keeping it filled with good friends and yummy food!
Rhoda, I like the new look! The tabs at the top are very handy. Great job~
Your new look is fabulous…dinner looked fabulous too!
I really enjoy your blog Rhoda and now its even better….your dinner looked fantastic!!
I am so thrilled about the outcome of it! It looks fabulous with all your posts and buttons and badges.
Dinner looks so good. That sauce sounds like it would be great with chicken as well.
Your new site looks wonderful Rhoda! I love all your ideas and look forward to reading more! Have a blessed weekend and Happy Decorating! (Can’t wait to try your tastey recipe too!)
I love the new look!
Love your new looks – both the blog & the dining room.
Your new look is great
!
I was just thinking yesterday that I really like a white or light background on a blog and thinking that I’d like mine to be like that. This just confirms it….I might have to check into it myself. Thanks for the tip…and your blog now loads super quick and is easy to navigate. Congrats! How fun your dinner must have been and delicious! Take care!
Suzanne
yea for the easy to navigate new site. It’s still you, but even better. I’m right behind you. I need to get off my bootie and get someone to do something with mine.
\Yea, for a dinner with fun friends.
Love the new layout! It’s very easy to find everything. I’ve had fun looking through your “top posts.”
Love the new look – it loads a lot faster now too!
Rhoda! Its just as pretty as you are! I love the new look and the easiness of it. I bet you are just so exicited. Joanna did a great job. She was one of my very first blog friends when I started. Very talented lady I must add. Enjoy~
The new design is GREAT! Found you through Joanna’s blog (she did mine as well).
But after seeing that dill sauce.. I’m going to add you through RSS… because my guy and I grill a ton of fish, and this would be wonderful with it!
Yummy salmon!
The new blog design looks PERFECT!
Lovely! I love your look. I sort of want to live in your blog.
Rhoda, the new look is wonderful! I always end up drooling on my keyboard at your site. Wonder why? Yummy! ♥
This looks really good,Rhoda! She did a gret job, but then, you have a great blog for her to work with!
Glad y’all had fun at your dinner party!!
Hugs,
Susan
We love grilled salmon in the summer with grilled asparagus! My husband concocted a dill/cream sauce and it sounds very familiar.
p.s. love your new bloggy look
Your new blog design looks great! I love salmon. Your sauce sounds wonderful, I will have to try that soon!
Penny
your new layout looks fantastic!
Even our blogs need a little remodel every once in awhile!
Your blog looks amazing! It looked nice before, but this is so clean and refreshing.
Ok Rhoda…now I am hungry! lol
Looks yummy and beautiful!!!
Blessing to you
kayellen
Hi girl!
I like your new blog look…very nice.
I’m a bit jealous though that you got have dinner again with Sandi and Bill. The six of us must get together again soon. Maybe George and I will do some Christmas shopping there this year.
Hugs!
Kat
I love that bloggy friends become real friends! Love it!
Rhoda, I really enjoy reading your blog and seeing all the beautiful rooms and projects you are working on. With all your talk of trim and molding I was encouraged to hang window molding in our breakfast room. I would love for you to come by and take a look. Thanks, Bonnie
Wow! Joanna did a great job, of course. She made my blog button and is making a new one for my big Etsy reveal, coming the 2nd week of March! She is super easy to work with and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I am sure your new friends had a blast with you in your awesome new dining digs.
~Misti
Your blog looks wonderful and very professional.
~elaine~
The new design is fabulous…I’d expect nothing less from your fabulous self.
I love how you archived all of your content…It makes it a breeze to come back and find exactly what I’m looking for (’cause I do tend to revisit old posts. I’m a stalker like that. 
Hope you’re enjoying the weekend! It’s good to be back online.
I LOVE it!! I’m jealous because I’m working on my own myself, and I’ve been too busy to finish it.
~TidyMom
Thanks for fixing the blinkie- I added it to my blog!
I love your new blog look! It will be so much easier to navigate now, and the buttons are all beautiful!
Your new look is so fresh and clean! I think I’m due for a makeover, too. It sounds like you guys had a great get together! (I see the cute bunny platter) ~ Robyn
the new blog look is wonderful!
Very clean & fresh
Rhoda, your new page is beautiful..like eye candy! I have been following your blog for awhile now and I LOVE it! I have learned so much! I live in Gadsden, which is about 60 miles north of B’ham. I have just started a blog and would love it if you could check it out whenever you have a chance and tell me what you think! Thank you
Lou Cinda
Rhoda, I love your dining room! It really looks great and looks like y’all had lots of fun at your party!
I miss your blog roll. I always liked to see what new people you had added. And I’m too lazy to click on a button. LOL!
Love to you…
XO,
Sheila
When you set your table, put the napkin to the left of the plate. Turn the knife blade “in”.
The meal looks so yummy!
thanks for sharing the recipe. the meal sounds yummy!
Rhoda~ I am just now getting the chance to thank you for the wonderful dinner. It has been a long weekend and we are glad to be home.