Monday Mood

Good Morning!!

I suppose its almost afternoon and I'm not going to lie it feels like it! I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights and this morning I got up at 5:30am with Jason's alarm and couldn't get back to sleep. It wasn't a huge deal on account that GE was suppose to be here between 8am and 12pm to fix the dryer but its 11:20am and they still haven't shown up. Go figure. (The literally knocked just after I typed that).

I had intended to post about our new truck and truthfully our old truck today but I am just not into it. I have the whole post planned out which would lead you to believe it would be easy to write but sadly I'm just not into it. Maybe I am still a little emotional about getting rid of our old truck, except the new one is pretty epic! This week, I promise!

I feel like the next few weeks around here the posts are going to be pretty sporadic so I really wanted to make an effort to get here this week and post regularly because the two weeks that follow I'm not sure how much I will be around but honestly I don't feel like I have anything to say or post about.. which I suppose happens.

I feel like with settling into the apartment, getting things we need, the new truck, installations (you read that we've already tried two internet/cable providers), maintenance issues and so on we have been pretty busy almost every day! Not that I'm complaining about that on account that I am looking forward to going home and the time we've been here has been flying but also because lets be honest it is always good to be busy!

Our weekend was really good, Friday we had our cable installation for Comcast which went great and we couldn't be happier with the service. This is exactly what we had in New Jersey and we definitely prefer it, so although I am pissed at Verizon Fios for their crap customer service I am happy that we made the switch because we are much happier.

Saturday we did a bunch of running around in the morning and then got together at Dave and Lindsey's for a pizza making party which was fantastic! Dave made homemade pizza dough and cooked them directly on the grill and I was so impressed with how they turned out! We all crafted our own which I love and after they were done Blanca turned me on to topping my pizza with arugula and balsamic vinaigrette, it was amazing!! We had a great night!

Yesterday was laid back, we were both up early so I got the apartment cleaned early and then we headed out to run some errands and get grocery shopping done for the week. Its been SO HOT out this last week so we spent the afternoon at the pool before coming home for dinner. I am all about summer weather but for some reason the unrelenting heat is getting to me just a little, I was so happy to wake up to thunder this morning and I wont lie I hoped it was going to stay gloomy and stormy all day but the sun is really trying to peak out!

Overall we had a great weekend, its so strange that Jason is home so much on this job but I really love it! We get a ton of stuff ton and so much time together and its been great!

Anyways because I've been up since really early I thought I would share some interesting articles I've read this morning with you all, I haven't done a post on articles I've been reading lately but I should.. maybe this week!

• How scary is THIS????

• THIS is so terribly sad, regardless of the fact that we had an idea it was coming its absolutely heartbreaking. 22 years old is far too young to leave this world, I really hope they find answers to what lead to her demise. Read more HERE. 

• I read THIS article this morning and had to wonder why two 14 year old boys were even out in a boat alone in the ocean, is this allowed? I thought you had to be driving age (16-17) with a boating license. 

• I am dying to read THIS book and see the movie. Have you guys read it? If so, what did you think?

• I will take all the help I can get, read HERE for 10 superfoods that will help you sleep. 

• THIS cracks me up, you have to love Blake's sense of humor.. but can I just say I am entirely SHOCKED still by their sudden divorce. 

• If you don't follow The Daily Tay, you really should! She is HILARIOUS! Check out today's post HERE. 

• One of the bloggers I have followed for years recently started her own boutique and she has some amazing stuff, if you are a clothes lover like myself I highly recommend checking out the Ollie Marie Boutique HERE. 

So that's it for today guys! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are soaking up all of this summer weather we are having! Thank you as always for stopping in! 

Have a great day!! 

Browser Hijacking? Say Wha?

Good Afternoon,

I hope you guys are staying warm out there is this NASTY weather people are calling winter.. I prefer to refer to it as a big giant pain in the ass.

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Seriously though?

I would rant about how much I want to go home, and may very well be on a plane at this point but they are getting the same cold, in the south.. what the hell? Winter is just depressing, I know I pretty much complain about it here daily but good lord why won't it go away. 

Yesterday Tanya and I went into the city, I got all bundled up to walk to the PATH station so I didn't freeze, then you get to the subway and its literally sweltering so I strip down (appropriately.. hat, gloves.) and wait to get on the subway which is going to be so full with people you are going to sweat even more! Then you get off the subway and go outside and you freeze, worse now because you have just been sweating. Do you remember the days where you don't have to wear 12 layers to go out the door? I miss those days. I know my flip flops miss me, I just know it. 

Anyways as I have mentioned around here for the last little while I have been having a lot of trouble with my blog. I was convinced it was a virus and couldn't understand for the life of me why our virus protector wasn't picking it up. I had Jason look into the pop ups I was getting and play around with things and when that didn't provide results I had Geek Squad go over our computer twice and see what they could find. It always seemed to be a temporary fix and a day or two later the pop ups were back and guys let me tell you I would sit here and cry out of sheer frustration. 

Throughout all this time I did a ton of research online just with Google and seeing what Blogger itself offered for resources and I wasn't really finding anything that was helpful. I will admit I am by no means technically savvy and although I try I definitely wasn't getting anywhere. I found a forum the other night and was reading it not sure if it would help, and when I mentioned to Tanya the next day what I was dealing with she looked and came across the same forum so I decided to post a question hoping someone could help. After a day I was referred to another forum where they felt I would get more answered. I have to say I was super impressed with the response that I got. 

The gentlemen who responded to my question said that it sounded like the problem I was experiencing was "Browser Hijacking" , not only did he provide that exact link so I was aware of what I was dealing with but he gave links to websites he thought would be helpful in getting rid of my problem. Basically he advised going into my 'add and remove programs' and finding anything that I don't remember downloading and get rid of it. So after some searching for that, as I said I am not technically savvy I came across a whole bunch of crap that I know I didn't download. However instead of just deleting willy nilly I figured I should consult Jason on it, I showed him the information I was given on the forum and he spent a good hour or so screwing around and apparently it worked because here I am with no issues. I am praying it lasts!!! How frustrating the last two months have been every time I try and blog. 

Anyways I don't really have a lot to say today, but I wanted to stop by and make sure my blog was actually working pop up free and I figured while I was here I might share a few articles with you that have been interesting to me that you might want to check out. 

As you all know if you have been around here for awhile we are currently living in Jersey City. Tanya sent me this article the other day that I found interesting but not really surprising. You can read it HERE.

As I mentioned in last weeks HF4F post I have been drinking more Dunkin Donut's than Starbucks, shocking I know. I guess I just get tired of Starbucks because I generally get the same thing, its not very often they switch up their menu except for holidays and I pretty much only drink one or two of their holiday drinks. They did add the Cinnamon Dolce Latte recently but I feel that's a drink you have to be in the mood for. Tanya and I were talking about it the other day as we passed by a Starbucks and had a conversation stating all of the above mentioned... Yesterday Tanya sent me THIS.. its like they were reading our minds! 

If you know me at all you know I am not a very patient person and one of my biggest pet peeves ever is a lack of social etiquette. Hold the door for people, walk on the right side of the sidewalk, don't take up the whole side walk, pay attention to your surroundings, use MANNERS and so on. I think its just common decency but let me tell y'all nobody here has it. Maybe I am at a disadvantage growing up in Canada where people are just nice, always.. then we moved to the South where people literally run ahead of you to open and hold the door for you, no one can help you enough, its incredible. Here it is nothing to have someone let the door slam in your face, walk towards you on the WRONG side of the sidewalk and expect you to move for them (Its actually hilarious when you just stand in front of them and stare waiting for them to move, it totally freaks them out) and so on. No one here has any manners at all it seems, so when Tanya sent me THIS article yesterday I was in stitches.. if you read no other article I have talked about here, at least check out this one. 

Nothing overly exciting but none the less some things that have interested me this week. I did finish reading a book this week but I am not going to review it here because I don't have anything good to say about it, but if you are interested in checking it out (don't waste your time) you can view it HERE. 

I have one last book around the apartment to read and then I am on the hunt, with these cold days I need good things to read. Any suggestions? What are y'all reading?? 

So that's my scoop today, nothing very exciting and a whole lot of rambling. You're welcome! 

Thanks for stopping by guys, have a fantastic day!! If you are all about the Thursday night ABC shows like I am.. ENJOY!

Bloggers I'm enjoying & Why

Good Morning,

This weeks posts have been a lot of "hey look what I'm doing" and such.. I generally started to blog for that exact purpose to make a long story short but for awhile because our life is really actually pretty boring I got to posting about a variety of things and I really enjoy that as well. The great thing about the blog world is there is a million different blogs about a million different things, I personally tend to follow more of the lifestyle blogs because that is generally what I enjoy reading but still the great thing about most Lifestyle blogs is you tend to get more than just info about their lives, because they have kids, hobbies, interests, etc.

I would hate to think that people didn't come around here as often because they got bored with the content and although I know I could be better about posting at time and better about the content at times I do make the effort to provide a variety.

I have a post in mind about my feelings on the blog world and putting it all out there, but that's for a different time.

If you follow my blog, multiple blogs or are interested in the blog world I cannot recommend the site Bloglovin' enough. It is a great way to have all the blogs you follow in one place and keep up with them, and as a blogger its a great way to get your blog out there and obtain followers. I use Bloglovin' religiously as my blog is linked, therefore every time I hit publish my blog is automatically posted to Bloglovin' and to the feed of every person that follows me. I have a link over there on the right if you do not already follow me on Bloglovin' please do so, it is a free sight! Not only for following my blog but do some research, I bet you could find a TON of blogs that are of interest to you!

I currently follow 125 blogs which probably seems like a lot, I will say since opening a Bloglovin' account the blogs I follow has changed frequently and the bloggers I have stuck with have changed their blog content and post amount as well. I often apologize for my crap content or lack of posting but all bloggers do it, life happens and life changes and depending on the purpose of your blog it can often be pushed to the back burner. Heck there have been bloggers that I absolutely love and read religiously who randomly fall off the face of the earth, I actually really hate when that happens... but none the less it does!

I follow a variety of blogs, some super popular (the blog world is huge but sometimes seemingly very small and everyone follows the same people) and some blogs that have few followers but relate to me or an interest I hate in some way! There really is something out there for everyone. So there has been a lot of rambling but I thought I would stop in here today and share a few of the blogs I follow and tell y'all why! Lets get crackin' shall we?

• The Life of Bon

Bonnie is absolutely HILARIOUS! She is a married high school English teacher and new mom who tells fantastic stories and more so than anything else tells it straight about whatever it is that she posts. I like people who are matter of fact, say it like it is good or bad, regardless of the judgement they may face and that is totally her. Her content has a great variety, she tells hilarious stories about her students, shares the highs and low of being a new mother, advertises wonderful products and every once and awhile posts about whatever is going on that she just needs to get out there. Her blog has become extremely successful but she stays true to what she believes her content should be and represent and I love it. Bonnie posts regularly, generally 3-5 times a week and I look forward to every single post. Although our lives are completely different I find that I can relate to things that happen in her life often which I think is great and is probably a lot of what keeps me back to read more. I believe right now if I could recommend any blog this would be the one!! Check her out on Bloglovin' or clicking the link above!

• Lauren Elizabeth

I have followed Lauren since the beginning and absolutely love her and her blog, I also link up with a blog link up she started every Friday "High Five for Friday". Lauren's blog is a lifestyle and fashion blog combo which I really like, she shops at stores that your everyday person would stop in at while out, she post beauty tutorials which is great and than talks about every day life that a lot of us can relate to. Lauren lives in Chicago, is in a serious relationship and owns her own business which you should definitely check out called Elizabeth Ashlie which is handmade jewelry! Lauren's content is fantastic and she posts on a regular basis, although her blog has an extremely large following her content is not based on advertising and she very rarely if ever has guest posts (I don't think its a bad thing if people do). I really enjoy Lauren's blog and feel that if you are a female 20 or older you would really enjoy Lauren's content! Check her out by clicking the link above or find her on Bloglovin'.

• Notes from Nessa

I started following Janessa almost two years ago when I came across her story on Instagram! At the time Janessa has recently become a new Mom to baby Penelope who was facing open heart surgery. Her story was heart wrenching but reading her blog was so inspiring, I couldn't imagine dealing with something so awful and she was nothing but hopeful and graceful. She documented their journey as a family and Penelope is now a happy and healthy toddler. Janessa is married and recently had another baby (Lucy), she teaches Zumba and has her own photography business - Janessa Parker Photography. I love Janessa's blog, the variety of content, and the fact that shes absolutely hilarious. She keeps it real, good days, bad days she tells it like it is but always has a sunny disposition. Her blog is refreshing and sometimes downright sweet as her love for baking shines through and the yummy recipes she shares as well as her absolutely precious girls. Although she is a busy Mom her blog has regular content, as well as her photography blog and she is always a breath of fresh air! Check out Janessa by clicking on the link above or find her on Bloglovin'.

• The Laurel Gazette

Are you a candy lover who enjoys reading the most outrageous tales of drunken escapades and fantastic adventures? If so than this is the blog for you! I look so forward to The Laurel Gazette popping up on my Bloglovin' feed as I know I am in for a laugh, this girl holds nothing back and makes no apologies for it.. she is a total card and I love it! I think if you read her blog for awhile and didn't know she was a law student in Washington, DC you would probably be shocked, girlfriend drives the hot mess express and I think she takes pride in it, and so she should.. shes fantastic! Laurel is always on an amazing adventures, with her friends, Husband Jake (they are currently in Scotland for his new hobby, pheasant hunting) or her dog Kobe. Her blog content is all over the place and truly I feel like that's the best part, I never know what she is going to write about and therefore I can always look forward to reading, If you are offended easily I probably would recommend this blog to you, but if you have a fantastic sense of humor and need a little excitement in your life..this is where you are going to find it! Hop on over to the Laurel Gazette for a good laugh, or raging debate or check her out on Bloglovin'. 

I am telling you at the end of every recommendation to check them out on Bloglovin' but I will just state for the record every recommendation I am making they can all be found there because I follow them all... Just so you know and I can stop repeating myself!

• The Small Things Blog

Kate is another favorite.. oh how I absolutely LOVE her blog! She just happens to live in Raleigh as well and it kills me that I have never run into her because I would love to get my fan girl on.. probably lucky for her though. Kate's blog is EXTREMELY popular because her content is amazing, she writes article for different magazines all the time, as well as online magazines.. yes, she is that good! Kate is a hair dresser who is recently on extended maternity leave as she has a soon to be one year old and a new baby due in February (brave girl!). Kate tends to talk about this and that, all kinds of real life stuff pertaining to her life, motherhood, etc as well as makeup and hair! She does the most raved about hair tutorials which I am sure if you have ever searched Pinterest you will have come across, she does monthly favorites videos religiously to talk about the products shes been loving. When you read her blog or watch her videos you automatically want to be friends with Kate (who is also the real life sister of Lauren Elizabeth who you read about above, they actually started Elizabeth Ashlie Jewelry together), she has a great sense of humor, she tells it like it is with impeccable poise and grace and when she had David (soon to be 1) I was terrified she would blog less and never make videos but girlfriend has drive! Kate has made it a priority to keep her blog full of variety as she did not want it to become a mommy blog and I will say she has done a fantastic job of keeping her usual content but including David and new motherhood. If you are a women, a mother, a fan of makeup, looking for simplified hair tutorials or need a laugh, check Kate out over on The Small Things Blog, over there you can find a link to her Youtube channel as well. 

• Princess Burlap

Dayna is an amazing writer with an amazing stories who bares it in the most beautiful way and somehow reading her blog just makes me feel smarter. She inspires me to want to write better, be better and look at the things I feel I am struggling with and put them into perspective. Dayna's blog bares all, to the good and bad of life with an Autistic husband, the struggles of infertility, the pain of tattoo removal, the joy of a fairy tale wedding, the struggles of a writer and the peacefulness of a photographer. I cant say enough about what an amazing write both Dayna and her husband are (check out her blog to see her husbands recently released novel) and no matter what she writes she does it eloquently. Dayna's blog is a lifestyle blog but unlike any other I follow and I very much enjoy it. I really wish I could describe it with all the grace that it deserves but I really feel like I am not doing her justify, whoever you are.. if you are reading this go check her out!! 

So those are just a few of the blogs that I am loving with now, the ones that I would most recommend at the moment but here are a few honorable mentions...

• A Perfect Lily - Patti Rice, the Mom of 11 kids, her 10th having Down Syndrome. She home schools all her children, she is an amazing women and I highly recommend not only checking out her blog but her instagram (link can be found on her blog), if you find nothing more in her blog you will find a smile from the pictures she shares. 
• Baby Boy Bakery - Jacqui and her husband Dan suffered the most unimaginable loss or their 3 year old son. She has documented their journey of grief and healing in a very raw and in depth way. She is an inspiration, a true trooper to cope with this unbelievable loss. 
• Essie Button -  I love her! I am addicted to Estee's Youtube channel as well as vlog channel which you can find links to both on her blog as well. Estee is Canadian but living with her boyfriend in England, she is beyond hilarious and I learned about her via Kate from The Smal things blog. If you are interested in hair and makeup and all the products associated check her out! Often her blog posts are associated with videos she has made and posted on Youtube. 
• Lil Blue Boo - I promise you she is not at all what you are thinking by the name, if you are thinking anything at all by the name. The theme of her blog and life this year is "Year of the Hemlock" as her little family recently left their California life for a little piece of heaven in the middle of the mountains in North Carolina. Check out Ashley for amazing writing, tales of simplistic adventures and the story of finding glory in the little things. 
• Skinny Meg - Meg is inspiring as hell! Her weight loss journey is nothing short of inspiring and let me tell you she has the cutest kids ever! If you have any interest in fashion and weight loss than you need to be reading Meg's blog! She goes in depth about weight loss, proper eating for the workouts you are doing, she shares recipes, fashion details and so much more. 

So there ya have it.. blog I am enjoying! What blogs are you reading, please do share!! 

Blog Post Ideas

Good Morning,

A common question most bloggers receive is how do you have enough to say that you manage to write everyday? Truth is I don't write everyday and I don't always have a lot to say, but I love this little place of mine so much and all my readers that I look for things to write about besides our life that will keep y'all interested and wanting to come back and read. Not to mention the fact that part of this blog starting and maintaining it is because I really love to write, a lot.

Its not always easy to feel inspired to write, I have a book I keep dedicated to just blog stuff and when an idea strikes me even if I don't plan on using it at that time I jot it down so I have it for the future. I have found that if I feel inspired to write and have the time to bust out three or four posts at once I do just that and then when I don't feel so much like writing I have something waiting to be published, this has proven to be really successful for me.

As much as I would like to take credit for all the posts that appear here, the content may be mine but the ideas come from an array of places. I appreciate that bloggers share their ideas everyone once in awhile, publishing posts dedicated to giving others inspiration.. its just one of the things I love about this blogsphere.

Naturally one of the best places to look and store ideas is on Pinterest, I have a board strictly dedicated to all things BLOG to which I save bloggers posts with ideas and inspiration, I save font ideas for if I ever do take the plunge and change my blog design, or information for if I choose to change my blog from something that is strictly recreational.

So I have been thinking lately that because I appreciate the sharing  of ideas and just the camaraderie amongst bloggers that I would join in and share some of the ideas I have floating around in my little book of all things blog.

• Whats in my Bag - Share photos of your purse, the contents and why those items are essential to have with you at all times. For Example:

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• Share a recipe. Step by step, take pictures, share the recipe as is and the changes you make to make the recipe your own. Most importantly have a picture of the final product. 
• Give a shout out to bloggers you follow and why. How do you choose the bloggers you follow and what makes you continue to follow them? What are the blogs you are most interested in, beauty, lifestyle, food?
• Where do I write? Share a photo of your home office, your computer and the perfect conditions to inspire greatness. Example: a warm cup of coffee, a great smelling candle. 
• Vacation Destination Wishlist. 
• A cause you are passionate about. 
• Someone who inspires you, in what way and why. 
• Share something you are good at but may not have always been and how you became an expert. 
• Your feelings on social media. 
• Share something you recreated from Pinterest, a DIY. 
• 5 things you cant live without. 
• Things you wont hear me say...
• Confessions
• Share a new years resolution - do you even believe in them?
• Top recommendations for things to do where you live. 
• Letter to your younger self. 
• Share goals for your life, blog, week. 
• Favorite beauty finds. 
• Home decorating ideas
• Share books your are reading/ have read or want to read. What did you think?
• Favorite things to do in the current season. 
• Does your Zodiac sign suit you, how so?

There are a few ideas I have floating around or that you may have seen around here recently. Inspiration can come in the most unexpected places and if you're like me you always have paper and a pen somewhere to make sure you don't forgot. 

Blogging isn't always easy but when something isn't easy you don't give up. Some days I don't post, and that's OK. When I feel inspired like I said I write as much as I can about all the things I can so I have posts waiting. Sometimes I start a post and don't really know where I am going with it so I save it in the drafts and go back to it when I feel clarity on the subject. Writing it a funny thing, embrace it, make it your own, speak your mind!

Also when you are really stuck participate in blog link ups! There are tons of them and not only is it a great way to get your blog name out there and interact with other bloggers but it gives you something to write about! 

I love this place and I love writing, and if there is anything that you would like to see around here please feel free to let me know! I will take all the ideas I can get. 

Hope this is helpful to any bloggers out there looking for inspiration, and for your non-bloggers, my apologies as this is not the most exciting post for you! 

I hope everyone had a great weekend, I will be back later in the week with a post about mine! 

If I was Technically Inclined, My Blog May Look a Little Different..

Guys.. it feels like its been a really crappy week and I for one cant wait for it to end. I haven't been sleeping great, feeling great and I feel like the hits just keep on coming! I have been miserable and although I want to be by myself and stew about it all I have been forcing myself out and that's been for the best. Just one of those weeks I guess where nothing goes right, you can't catch a break and you want to spit at anyone who looks at you in a remotely annoying way, no? just me? Anyways. Hopefully next week will look up, it really cant be worse or so I have to believe in order to drag my ass out of bed in the morning. Funny how a month ago I was in sheer stressless bliss and now I cant sleep at night because I cant turn off my thoughts, how I love that!

Anyways enough of my complaining, I didn't post yesterday because for some reason my getting on a roll with having posts ready in advance went down the drain! But I plan to get it together tomorrow hopefully as I have nothing on the agenda and a list of things I want to do.

I've been giving my blog a lot of thought lately, where I want to go with it and what I would change if I could. You see I am not technically inclined at all and the idea of sitting down and trying to learn coding to be able to do what I want seems incredibly daunting.

When I started this blog it was strictly to avoid writing a million of the same emails. Living away you want to keep family and friends in the loop of whats going on in your life and with the Alaskan time difference talking on the phone wasn't always feasible so I figured what better what to keep everyone up to date then a blog! I picked blogger because it seemed like the most popular template, from what I could tell it was easy to navigate and it was free. Not being very technical I was able to set up my blog with one of their templates and start writing in a matter of a few hours, easy peasy!

I have a crappy memory so truthfully I don't know how much I posted back then, I think a decent amount as I would share tons of photos of all the amazing things we were doing in Alaska and the amazing scenery! I enjoyed keeping people up to date on what was going on and honestly didn't care about what the blog itself looked like I was more anxious about the content and how easy it was for my readers to navigate. I did choose to make it private for awhile but let me tell you that is just a pain in the ass for everyone but there was a part of me that didn't like the idea of my life being out there for all to see. Obviously I meant strangers but on top of that I wasn't too keen on people I knew reading either.. weird maybe? I don't know. I see a lot of bloggers say that they think its weird that people they know read and I can relate although I'm not sure why.. maybe because this blog, its content is a lot more personal and actually means more than I often admit.

I have gone through periods of posting a ton and then when not much is going on in our lives posting a lot less. When we went to Estevan last summer I wanted to bath with the toaster and desperately needed an outlet. I felt that the blog wasn't it on account that I had absolutely nothing to write about as our lives there were beyond BORING and the place sucked, what was there to write about? Its not like I have never considering making the blog more than just our lives journal especially because I love to write but again I didn't know how anyone would feel about it. Would I be writing strictly for myself and if so was that a problem? It was then that I decided that I wanted this blog to be something bigger and better and I was going to write about the things I wanted to write about and if people wanted to read they would and if they didn't they wouldn't, simple right?

It was really at this point I found this amazing world that is the blogsphere! I can't say I really followed any blogs at that point or realized this amazing world there is to be apart of! Being stuck in that awful place this blog and bloggers really helped me survive it. I decided after following blogs and really exploring the blogging world I wanted to do something more with my blog visually if I was going to expand the content but I knew I couldn't do it myself. It was pretty easy once I got looking around who I wanted to design my blog, and it just so happens that my friend Paula had also recently used the great Aubrey Kinch for her blog design so after chatting with her about things I was anxious to get started. I visited Aubrey's design website and saw all that she had available along with her portfolio of designs, I won't lie it seemed overwhelming as I really wasn't sure what I was looking for so I decided to just email Aubrey, explain where I was and what I was looking for in the final product and she was incredible. Aubrey and I stayed in contact via email throughout all the steps, she was gracious and answered all my many many questions with detailed answers. In the end I was really happy with the product she produced and much like having a good space (office) to write having a great platform made the new array of content come quite easily.

I have had this look now for over a year which isn't really a long time but for me I get bored easily and like to have options and sadly because I do not know coding myself I can't exactly change everything on a whim. Don't get me wrong I don't dislike the look of things around here but there is part of me that is ready for a change. I think all the time about transferring my content to Wordpress, changing my template, changing my content.. you know. But its not easy, or cheap!

So what would I change? Definitely the colors, the picture, definitely the blog header, design of the social media buttons, maybe the grab button.. haha everything right? There are so many designers out there now and its hard to decide who I would pick and mostly what I would want. I went in completely blind before and really allowed Aubrey to do what she wanted while I picked colors and design options, in the end what she came up with was a complete surprise, a pleasant surprise! This time I would like to have more of an idea of the end result before I start but I just don't know, if I am going to spend the money again I want to know what its going to look like and make sure I am going to love it.

These are some ideas I have...

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I am loving these water color social media icons, I am not sure I would keep them in purple but I really like the artsy look to them, they are different from what I have and fun. I like that it looks like someone painted them rather than something more digital. 

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Some blogger washi tape? YES PLEASE! I love washi tape, I use to all the time sending cards and letters, how much would I love to dress up some blog posts with some washi tape? A LOT! 

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I really love these resource buttons, there is the option on my social media set to email me but I think the email me option is important and therefore having a bright stand out icon like this would be something I would be interested in! 

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I know I would be in the market for some font changes! Although I think it is very important to have an easy to read font, especially for the actual posts I really would like to dress up my header as well as change the font for the post titles. I do believe picking a font may come last because the actual overall design would set the tone.. glam, grunge, artsy, you get it. 

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Check out those headers.. I mean the options are endless with what these designers can do!

I wonder if I could do it... do I spend the money on design books and countless frustrating hours all to potentially screw up what I have and have to pay someone in the end anyways? Yes, I know I am more optimistic than most!

Anyways that is just a few things I am thinking about in regards to my blog and its design! I know I miss a day of posting here and there but I am really enjoying this blog more and more and its content. I am planning some guest posts which I am really looking forward to and you should too! Who knows where this blog will go and the changes it will undergo but I know one thing, I love this place and don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon!