Check It Out!

I have some really cool things going on over on my main blog, my kids are my world.  I have a couple of contests running.  One is for some pretty neat hair tinsel (which really works on think hair...not so much on thin).  The other is for a $40 gift from Frecklebox.  You can find links to both contests in my sidebar.  Right at the top.  Under the "follow me on Twitter" button.  Oh, and speaking of that, feel free to follow me on Twitter too.

I also wrote a post this morning about how evil FB can be for teen aged boys.  I would love some opinions and advice on that one.

I hope you'll take the time to hop on over there and check things out.

Deleted. All Gone. Now I Regret It A Little Bit.

A little over two years ago I had my breast reduction.  The weeks (and months) leading up to it, I chronicled on a blog.  Then stuff happened, and I deleted the entire thing. 

I wish I hadn't done that.  I was feeling so many different things at that time, and it would be nice to have a look back, especially since a friend is now facing the same surgery, and therefor the same fears.

If only I could go back...

Changes????

I'm thinking about changing things up a bit around here.

I love my header, so that won't change, but I think it needs some more color.

I just can't decide what color.

Let this be a warning to you if you come by over the next few days and things are a little wonky.

Maybe I need to consult a professional???

Who's Hosting Your Blog?

I made the decision several months ago to change this blog from a free domain name to a dot com. I had to do a lot of research before hand, because I was not sure what that entailed. Luckily I had a very good friend help me make the switch. She walked me through all the steps necessary to redirect my traffic, and I have been very happy ever since.

I was unsure who to use for my web hosting, and finally settled on GoDaddy, simply because it was the only one I knew about at the time. I wish I had found a site like Web Hosting Geeks, where they compare web hosting sites side by side and show you the positives and negatives of each. Based on several different factors, Go Daddy is number nine on their list. I, personally, only used them to purchase my domain name. I still use Blogger for my blogs, and I am happy this way. It took me too long to figure them out, and I have no desire to drive myself insane trying to figure out something different. I hate change, and am a creature of habit.

Now, if you are thinking about web hosting, make sure you check out Web Hosting geeks. Seeing the opinions of other users can help you make an informed decision about which web host is right for you.

Protecting My Blog, And My Identity

More and more of the blogs I read on a daily basis are switching to their own domain names. I know in the last year, I did this with two of my blogs; this one and my kids one. I thought long and hard about choosing the right web host when I changed over, but in the end decided to stay with blogger. I knew that I needed to do more research before deciding, so I started asking all my friends who they use, and I also found a great site that compares all the webhosting sites out there, and puts the results side by side. This made is easier to make the right decision.

I was also reading an article about protecting your site, and it was really interesting. The part of the article that struck home with me was about creating strong passwords. My brother is a computer guy, and he tells me all the time that I have weak passwords. I don't use the same one for everything, which is good, but the ones I use are kind of predictable if you know we well.

I really do need to go around and change some of them, to protect myself, and my identity.

Are You Kidding Me?

Last week, the page rank on this blog went from a 3 to a n/a. At that point, I decided it was the perfect time to switch to a dot com, because doing so would drop my page rank anyway.

So what do you think happened this morning?

I went to ppp, checking opps, and one of the ones I qualified for said "PR3".

WHAT?

Sure enough, google gave this blog back it's page rank, but under the blogspot url. The dot com is still n/a, ppp just hasn't switched it over yet.

Is there a way that I can contact google and have them switch the PR to this url, since the blog content itself has not changed? Would they do that?

I'm Now A Dot Com!

For those of you who link to this blog, I am now a dot com.

It's www.jennsbeautifulcreations.com.

A new URL to go with the new look.

I want to thank Anna for helping me make the transition.

She is the BOMB!!!!

The Girls Blog

My girls have been bugging me for a while to set them up a blog. Last night, I told them to decide on a name, and I would set one up for them. They chose a cute name, and I let them pick out a cute background, too. I made them a header, and it looks so good. Go over and tell them hello. It's called Mom's Girls. Too cute, right?

Free Templates

I love playing around with the look of my blogs. I like changing the colors and the pictures, but I don't know a thing about designing a template. I have to use Free Website Templates. All you have to do is pick the template you like, and they will email you a link to the one you chose.

Now I feel the need to make some changes around here.

Closing It Down

I am thinking of closing down my weight loss blog. I hardly ever write over there, so it's just collecting dust. I can write about all the things I wrote over there on either this one or my kids blog. And to be honest, nobody reads it, so it won't be missed.

I am also thinking about giving my blogs makeovers. I haven't decided for sure yet, but maybe they need a little something. Once I start playing around, it usually takes a while to get it exactly where I want it, and I'm not sure I want to put out that much effort.

We'll see.

PR Update

Did anyone see this coming?

I didn't. I have the toolbar that tells me the rank of every blog I visit, and I was on my kids blog and it said 2. I went to ppp, and sure enough, it's a two. The bigger shock was that this blog is now a 3.

I was doing my little happy dance.

How did your blog do?

New URL

I am excited to say that my other blog is now a dot com! It is now www.mykidsaremyworld.com, so if you link to me, I would be forever grateful if you updated your links. I was thinking about doing this one too, but one step at a time. It was easier than I expected getting it all switched, and that was because of my amazing friend Anna, who walked me through every step.

Oh, and I missed Harper's Island, so I have no idea who died or what happened. Did anyone see it? Wanna tell me what happened????

Headache

I was blog hopping today, and ended up on the cutest blog on the block. I know they have popular templates that I see everywhere, so I wanted to check it out. While I was there, I found an article about designing your own background.

This can't be too hard, I thought.

Boy, was I wrong!

I am having the hardest time using the program they recommend. I am so computer stupid it's not even funny! I spent hours playing around, and am no closer to having a finished product than I was five minutes after I started. Maybe I need to take a graphic design class, or read a book about it, or something.

I Need A Makeover

I haven't been blogging very long, only about eighteen months. In that time I have learned a little about web design, and how important it is to have a user friendly site. I know there are bloggers out there who do their own sites, but I am not one of them. Even the simplest of changes confuses me. And you can forget about HTML and flash. It's like speaking a foreign language to me.

Luckily for me, and many others I'm sure, there are companies that specialize in Creative web design. You can work together with them to design the look you want, with the functionality you desire. This web design company can help you market your company, or blog, with banner ads, widgets, and even animation tools. There are so many sites out there on the internet, that if you want to be successful, you need to have a site that is easy to use, and attractive. I can tell you from personal experience, that if I go to a website and find it too bold or that has too many things going on, I will not stay to look around. I prefer a simple color scheme, and easy navigation. I hope to someday soon be able to have my sites done up by professionals. I know I am in need of a makeover, and I also know enough not to try it myself.

Blog Traffic

Are you looking for a new way to get traffic to your blog? If so, you should list it on this blog directory. Every day, they highlight a different blog, based on the number of unique visitors sent by that blog. The blog of the day then gets that days traffic from Myblogdirectory.net. I am on my way to add mine.

Mom's New Blog

My mom started a blog, and I made the header. It's pictures of all of her grandkids, in birth order. I think it came out great! If you want to go say hi to my mom, her blog is My Family, My World. Make sure you tell her how great I am! :)

New Header

I made the new header this morning. Not sure how I feel about it. I like that it had pictures of all my crafty things, but I'm not sure about the writing. Maybe I'll leave it for a while and see if it grows on me. What do you think?

Need A New Look

I am thinking about re-doing this blog. It needs a new look. I gave one of my others a face-lift today, and hopefully by next week I can do this one. It needs a little pizazz, I think. Hopefully I can come up with something great!

New Blog

I started a new blog for all the pictures I take. I know you all think my kids are the cutest kids ever made...well, except for your own...but I know you get tired of seeing the endless pictures. Especially now that I have my pretty new camera and am taking a bagillion pictures. So, if you want to look, it's my world in pictures. Make sure you leave lots of comments about what a great photographer I am becoming...lol!