Sharing Isn't Always Caring.

I spotted this funny e-card on Facebook ages ago and it tickled me pink. Oh OCD if only you were the cliché everyone believed you were ;). Also...I wrote a post about OCD months ago and I don't really want to share it. I then wrote a post about home schooling and I don't want to share that, either. I also have a bunch of photographs and stories to go with them but I don't want to share those, either. I'm just not sure what's okay or not to share on the Internet these days and quite frankly I don't want someone reading this blog, my Facebook or any other sites I use and feeling like they have some juicy gossip on me or those in my family. I feel myself closing up and closing in on myself, becoming more private than I've been in a long time. I just don't want to share a thing about my life; the good, the bad and the private. 

I'm not really sure where this leaves my blog. It's a teeny tiny blog anyway and that's how I like it. If I never write another post again then I'm not sure it would matter or have a huge effect on the world - I don't write to effect changes in the world and it's not my job to be held up as an example of modern day motherhood or how people should live their lives but I enjoy the writing, I enjoy telling stories from my point of view and I used to enjoy sharing, too. These days? Not so much. So how does one own a blog, keep writing, but also remain fenced off in areas they'd like to remain private? I'm trying to work that out. I'm also trying to work out if all these thoughts are due to hormonal changes in my body - big, strange and new changes I haven't gone through before - or if I'm simply growing up and realising that sharing isn't always caring. 

P.S: I don't have OCD...

Changes And Voting.

Buy this poster HERE. It's brilliant, isn't it?

Hello regular and new readers.


To my regular readers:


All your comments are gone! I installed a new way of commenting only to realise (after it was done) that it wiped out all your comments. After two years (this month) of blogging all my comments are lost :(. While this is terribly sad for me, the new 'system' will make commenting easier for everyone - apparently you can even comment through your Facebook, which I am still admittedly figuring out, and although I'm fairly certain most of my regular readers had found their feet with my old commenting system I just wanted to make it a better experience for everyone.


Not only do you have several platform accounts you can comment from (Facebook, Blogger, Wordpress etc) where you couldn't comment from before but I can REPLY to comments properly! :D. I'm excited. It isn't horribly complicated but if you run into problems then please either email me (on the side) or contact me on Facebook directly (where there happens to be an interest chat about honeymoons, too! Did you go on one? Or were you like me and 'deprived' of one ;)? Well, add your voice to the topic - I want to hear suggestions and get ideas!).


To new readers; hello! Welcome to my little blog. 


I hope that the new way of commenting really makes things easier, it was frustrating me not being able to reply and I knew there was a risk of all my comments going bye bye but I'm looking forward to many more being added.


On top of this I have a small favour to ask you. I'm 220000 on the list at Top Baby Blogs and this makes me sad :(. I would really like to be in the top 10 and while I've tried to do this on my own it's just not possible - support and asking for help is the only thing to do in this scenario.

It makes me a little squeamish asking for help in this kind of thing...but I really want to make this blog my own little special something. At this point in time I'm not sure what that means for me, but I just want to share my life with anyone it can help and inspire. After all if it wasn't for blogs, I wouldn't be doing my own 366 Project so I believe blogs can give back and I'd really like to do that.


I've been feeling like changes need to happen over the past few days and I'm just getting ready to put those ideas onto paper and make this blog to be the best it can be but I really need your help in doing that! So, vote for me (daily if you can), pass the link round your friends, Tweet about it, blog about it - all help is appreciated and will be rewarded with invisible cupcakes and internet hugs from me.


P.S remember that commenting has changed - easier, quicker and more fluid than before! Woohoo.

Return of the Jedi.

I'm making a return to blogging tomorrow. It's not quite a week since I said I was taking a break but I've felt it was 'long enough.' Long enough to leave my 366 Project - and my mum - lying in wait. 


I've added a few new things to the blog: 


1. Side pages. Just a few pages to go over some of the things I am asked quite often but don't always reply too - whoops, sorry, at least the pages make up for it, right?


2. Header description. In other words; some text in with the header to 'describe' the blog. I felt that 'Life. Photos. Food.' wrapped things up pretty nicely around here. Life, my life, my trials, my lessons learned; it's what I share. Photos, again this is obvious and while I might not be the best or the kind of photographer I want to be...I share my photos. Food, well it's my other passion in life. I hope to share more because lately my life has been all about fresh, natural and wholesome foods. I've also been discovering new recipes just from dreams I've had or ideas that suddenly pop into my head. Safe to say I'm bordering on food addicted ;).


3. A little profile. I was starting to feel as though things were maybe getting a little too...impersonal? The minute you land on my blog you can read all about who I am on the right hand side of the page, which is far better in my view :).


I've got lots of other fun ideas for this blog in the coming weeks, as well as a few guest posts on other people's blogs next month - I haven't done of those for a long time, but now I feel more confident and as though I actually have something to share so I'm excited.


I'm going to be sharing more food stuff, as well as recipes that are mine. Like I said I've been daydreaming up lots of ideas for food, as well as having some very interesting (and detailed) dreams about food and I'm overly excited to share those. As ever, I will be doing my daily updates on my 366 Project and living my life :). 


In my personal life: Our rental agreement runs out in July so I'm mulling this over, too. I love my home but there's so much work that needs done on it! 


- I just found a burst pipe outside my kitchen window - which doesn't seem to be effecting us, but oy vey I could live without that if something does go wrong. 


- The bath needs to be completely ripped out, a new one fitted and we need a new panel near the taps.


- The mold* from every room (excepting the kitchen and bathroom) needs scrubbed off the walls (for the millionth time) and well I think the doors and our living room need a paint make-over. 


*Is it mold or mould?

Blog Design DIY - Make-Over.

This blog has had a make-over.


I liked the 'old' style but it was only ever temporary until I had a spare moment to myself to update to something easier on the eye. I like white, I like to keep things simple and I like my blog as it is. It's not perfect, it's not for everyone and I enjoy my little space on the Internet.


For a while I've been agonizing over the fact that I have 54 followers but then I decided: it's okay. If I was playing to a large audience I am pretty sure there would be massive pressure on me. And having this amount of followers allows me the freedom to actually get to know my readers, to read their blogs, sometimes leave comments and be a part of my readership in a way that a lot of the bigger blogs out there can't physically do.


The purpose of my writing was never intended to be taken to a large audience and I have fulfilled my own wishes. I also believe that if it were meant to be that I was going to have a massive influence or change in people's lives that the opportunity would have already come or is waiting to happen. 


Either way, I'm blessed. No pressure or deadlines are heaped on me and my whole livelihood doesn't rest on my readership, opinions I express or blog posts I share. I can just enjoy my experience. And if I touch a few lives along the way, all the better :).


Anyway, with all that said, I thought I would share my 'how to' on this blog's design. It's fine if you want to pay someone for their design services (and I would encourage you to do so) however if you feel you have the confidence enough to design your own blog I would also encourage this, too. And it needn't cost a penny - just your time.

1. I used Facebook for my picture. I simply uploaded a selection of photos onto Facebook, went to my Timeline (previously known as a 'wall') and pressed the 'print screen' button. On my keyboard that is just above my 'delete' button.

Once I'd pressed print screen I opened up my Windows 7 version of Paint. Once here I selected the 'paste' option which essentially pastes the print screen capture onto the blank canvas in Paint.

Once I'd done this I needed to crop out the section I wanted to use. In this case, it's the above group of photos you see here. 

2. I opened up a blank space beside the image. You can fill this with colour if you please but I preferred to keep mine white simply because I knew the colour of my blog was going to be white :).

Also, it's worth noting that the above image text needs to be re-sized. I'm just impatient. You can adjust the font, size and style to suit whatever design you'd like.

Once you've done this, your header image is complete!

3. Upload to Blogger by clicking on the 'Design' and then 'Layout' menu. Click edit on your 'Header.' Make it 'shrink to fit' and be sure to click on the 'Instead of title and description' option so that your header won't be interrupted by text.

4. Press 'save layout' then view your blog. Voila! A new header, made in your computer, all by yourself :)!