YES! You’re in the right place! Please stay!
Things look a little different around here, don’t they?
It’s finally the day of the BIG REVEAL I’ve been talking about for weeks, and I’m so excited to show you my new blog!
Healthy Nest has been officially retired. (RIP…you were a good little blog.) Fittin Pretty is here!
I still have a lot of work to do…all of the new pages on the navigation bar are empty (doh), and I’ll be switching over all my social media names soon. Things might be a little confusing and weird for awhile, but bear with me!
Now, on to the details…
The Design
I could not possibly say enough positive things about my lovely designer, Jenny @ PBJ Designs. Jenny did my previous design for Healthy Nest, and I was so happy with her work that it was a no-brainer to tap into her creative genius again for round #2.
Jenny was outrageously patient through all of my annoying feedback (“can we do something, like, a little more, I don’t know, sophisticated?”) and my ridiculous nitpicks (“can we make the circle like two hairs bigger?”). I hope I didn’t drive her to the bottle by the end.
She also did a great job of helping me figure out what I wanted. In the beginning, we were hitting walls with the design and I wasn’t sure why–Jenny pointed out that the concept I said I wanted didn’t really jive with the personality I was trying to portray. Oops.
Once we sorted out that snafu, the design came together super quickly.
Which brings me to my next point: Jenny is extremely responsive, and I love that about her. I starting working with one other designer before I found Jenny and it was a total nightmare, so I could not be more appreciative of her communication skills and quick turnaround time.
Not only is Jenny a professional, but she’s also super cool and sweet. Just check out her blog for proof.
And if you’re ever in the market for a blog design, I highly recommend getting in touch with Jenny! I promise you won’t regret it.
I also have to give a HUUUGE shout-out to my husband, Brent, for his help in installing all the new design elements. But “help in installing” isn’t the right way to put it…he did it all for me.
I’m insanely lucky to have a web designer for a husband. He’s also put up with a lot of annoying nitpicks, in addition to my constant maintenance needs. “I updated this plugin and now my borders are all messed up” or “this widget won’t save my changes” or “is there a way to….?” I don’t know how all the web-designer-husbandless bloggers do it, to be honest. So THANK YOU babe!
The Name
I thought about changing my blog name for a LONG time. I just felt like Healthy Nest didn’t quite fit me, and it didn’t totally represent my current interests. Plus, I noticed that I was sort of embarrassed to tell people the name of my blog…that’s probably not good.
(And, honestly, it always bugged me that I couldn’t get the healthynest.com URL. It was never supposed to be MY Healthy Nest! Haha.)
When I was brainstorming new names, the most important thing I wanted to represent was the idea of a healthy lifestyle as a natural, habitual thing.
It took me a long time to get to a point where I’m not over-analyzing what I’m eating or doing, and I’m able to make generally good decisions without really thinking about it. I’m not swayed by every little thing I read, I don’t feel like a failure if I eat sugar, and I don’t feel like a leper around fitter/skinnier people. I’m not obsessed with food or exercise or dieting or calories, and yet I’m more fit and healthy than I ever was back when I was fixated on those things.
So Fittin Pretty is a play on the phrase “sitting pretty”–just being in a good, comfortable place.
And I purposefully put more emphasis on the fitness side of the things because that’s where my interests have shifted, but I’ll still be writing about basically whatever I want. (A perk of having your own blog.) Parenting, pregnancy, nutrition, general health–if it impacts or interests me, it’ll show up on here.
Yes, I’m totally concerned that when I say Fittin Pretty out loud, people will hear “fit AND pretty” and think I’m a complete narcissist. If it weren’t for that tiny hiccup, I honestly might have made the change 6 months ago. (Is it ironic that the whole concept behind the blog is not over-thinking things, and yet I’ve totally over-thought this?? Haha.)
Finally I realized…it’s a written blog…and if I need to say the name out loud, I’ll just have to be super clear: “Fittin Pretty F-I-T-T-I-N, like sitting.”
I mean, how many kids have unusual names they’ve had to spell out their entire lives, and they’ve survived.
So anyway, that’s the story of my big change! Hope you like it!
What do you think of the new name and look?
Anyone else considering a blog makeover?
I’ll be sharing tips on my whole experience–including switching URLs and names–once I’m on the other side of the process. Stay tuned!
Oh, and speaking of big reveals, we have our 20 week ultrasound on Monday, so stop by Tuesday to find out the gender of Baby #2!
Have a fabulous weekend! :)
xoxo
K
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Lovely blog!!
Love it. And, I’m ready for that change. I’ve definitely seen Jenny’s name float around blog makeovers before, so she’s totally one of my considerations. I’m just scared that I’ll be even more of a nitpick (as in, 1/2 a hair bigger for my social media buttons haha). And don’t even get me started on web design. My blog probably has laughable material everywhere. I like Fittin Pretty already :).
char eats greens recently posted…a family day + my garmin doesn’t love me
I looooove it. Super fancy and stuff!!!
Presley @ Run Pretty recently posted…Magic Kingdom: We Came, We Saw, We Rode The Train For Four Hours
LOVE the design and the blog name– so exciting!!! And can’t wait to hear what baby #2 will be!!
Katie @ Daily Cup of Kate recently posted…Fitness Friday: 5 Workouts For you!
I love it!! So cute! Especially the gold glitter effect :) Def sophisticated and a relaxing place to come and read :) Great job!! I just started the process with my web designer (she’s just re-doing the homepage, I’m keeping the blog pages/regular pages) so I’ll keep you posted! Congrats! :)
Thanks Jessica! Can’t wait to see what you’re cooking up over there. :)
Kim recently posted…New blog name and design!
Looks great and I love the new name!
Thanks Kim!
OMG I love the new layout and name!!!! I’ve been curious ever since you announced you were going to make some changes!!! I’m working up the courage to switch to self hosting and possibly a redesign…. ugh…. sounds scary… no web designing hubby!
Like I said, I don’t know how everyone does it without a web designing hubby! I told him he should offer consulting services for bloggers and he’s thinking about it–let me know if you’d want in! He actually already offers hosting services if you need any help with the switch to self hosting or are looking for somewhere to host through–I know it’s scary but it’s a really smart move if you plan to keep blogging long-term! :)
I LOVE IT!!! That’s it. It’s just perfect for you. :)
Thanks Katie :) I knew you’d approve of the pink!!
LOVE it! I also love PB&Jenny. I used her as well for my design and have been making a list of updates I need to ask her to do. I didn’t know your hubby was a web designer! That is so awesome! There are so many things I wish I knew how to do or knew who to ask but don’t know where to go to. You are so lucky!
I know I’m lucky to have him! Like I said, I have no idea how you ladies do it! If you ever want me to pass along a question to him, feel free to email. I told him he should offer consulting services for bloggers (like minor updates and fixes and on-call help) and he’s thinking about it–let me know if you’d want in. :)
I remember seeing your design in Jenny’s portfolio–I’ve always admired your site!! No surprise that Jenny was involved! :)
I love your new name and look – seems perfectly suited to you!!
Glad you went for it and quit thinking about what people might think!!!
Thanks Kim! I’m not sure whether fear or laziness was holding me back more, but it was definitely some combo of the two. :)
gush! Thank you so much for the kind words, girl :) LOVED working with you, and you did an AWESOME job putting it all together. The chevron background is perfect and the vibe around these parts is perfect :)
So glad you approve!! :) I can’t thank you enough for your hard work on this!
Love, love, LOVE it! I totally agree with everything you said about Jenny. She’s FABULOUS to work with, and she did a wonderful job on your design. Yay for new beginnings! Looking forward to reading!
Yay! Glad you like it!
Yay the comments work! :)
I love the name and I love the design!!
Yay! Thanks! And thanks for coming back to comment! :)
What an awesome surprise! I totally get overthinking stuff like this, and it’s a huge change, but in the end, you have to go with your gut. The name is catchy and your vision is both comforting and inspiring. Nice work! Can’t wait to see what’s to come (including more info on the little Krueger next week ;)!
Thanks Jenny!! :)
LOVE the new blog design and the new name! It’s simple, yet sophisticated! Congrats on finally getting it up and running!
AND, I can’t wait to read about the gender reveal on Tuesday! :-)
Thanks Holly! Simple and sophisticated = exactly what we were going for! :)
I love the new blog design! I always enjoy reading along and learning about health and fitness and following what’s going on in the Krueger family. You are definitely one of my blogger role models and someday I hope to be half the blogger you are! Keep up the great work! :-)
WOW thanks Amanda!