Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 1384 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Working on My New Site

October 18, 2012 at 9:38 am by Claudia

Shredding Status: Pending.

Yes, my friends, I managed to avoid it yesterday, as well.

I have an excuse. I’m working on my new blog/website that will be devoted to helping you with your blogs. I’ve spoken about this before in this post. I’ve helped several fellow bloggers in the past, including my pal Brenda. And she’s the one who has urged me to hang out my shingle and offer my help to anyone who needs help with Blogger or WordPress. Brenda also has a new blog where she will talk about blogging, with interviews, conversation and helpful information. We talk about blogging all the time and we think our sites can work together to help all of you.

I consider myself a Blog Tweaker. Maybe a Blog Whisperer. This is how I explained it in the earlier post:

You see, I’ve learned a lot along the way during my 4½ years of blogging. I’m not afraid to play with html coding, I’m learning a lot about CSS coding, I’ve designed my own banners, I’ve tweaked my sidebar, added graphics, and many other things. I changed my Blogger blog many, many times. I figured out how to build on and tweak the design elements of my WordPress Blog. I helped Brenda do the same thing with her blog. I held her hand as she followed Sharon’s instructions on How to Move from Blogger to WordPress (in my sidebar.) I’ve helped many fellow bloggers in tweaking the elements and design of their blogs.

I am going to work on the details this coming week, but I plan to offer my services as mentor and coach for my fellow bloggers who use either format: Blogger or WordPress. I will make sure my prices are reasonable and affordable for most anyone.

But let me state clearly, I’m not a blog designer or a graphic designer. I’m not going to move your blog for you. Sharon, whose book is on my sidebar, has written clear-as-a-bell instructions on how to do that. But I can hold your hand as you cope with WordPress or Blogger. I can answer questions. If I don’t have the answer, I’ll research until I have it. If I can’t answer your question, I’ll be honest with you and direct you to someone who does have the answer.

I’ve set up the new site. I’m trying to determine how to handle pricing – which will be very reasonable. Since I will handle a variety of requests, and I’m not a blog designer offering a menu of packages, I’m leaning toward an hourly charge. If the question posed can be answered fairly easily, perhaps the fee would be for half an hour? And if the project or work on a blog were more involved…?

Do any of you have thoughts on this? Do you have experience with charging a fee for a service? I want to figure this out so I can get the site up and running – but the more I ponder it, the more confused I become. I would greatly appreciate your input.

Am I crazy for doing this?

Happy Thursday.

The Best Laid Plans

October 17, 2012 at 8:55 am by Claudia

Gosh, the comments and suggestions on yesterday’s post about my problem with paper were so helpful. And funny. Clearly, some of you suffer from the same problem. But some of you are very organized (I am in awe) and generously offered many helpful tips. I plan to implement some of them right away.

In fact, I had planned to being shredding yesterday afternoon. Don was in the city and I seem to get more done when he’s not here. But before you shred, I said to myself, you must replace Mabel’s Drip Pan Pad (a task that I have postponed for 3 weeks.) Featherweight’s have a drip pan with a felt pad that, according to Nova, collects grease and oil and is responsible for a lot of that musty smell. You can order the pads from Nova.

I opened up the Mabel’s bottom and discovered a nasty old drip pan pad, which promptly was put in a plastic bag and dumped in the trash. I took the drip pan outside and removed all the oil that had accumulated there.

There it is. The other stuff is dried glue. And now for the felt pad:

I glued it to the drip pan, put the pan back on Mabel’s bottom and the musty smell is gone.

Ta dah!

Proud of myself, I thought that I had better exit the studio and start shredding. As I cleaned up my little mess, my eyes lit on a favorite piece of barkcloth. (I ♥ barkcloth, and that means ‘love’ not ‘heart’ – don’t get me started.)

No, I said, look away. You must start shredding.

But it’s such a pretty piece of barkcloth – part of an old set of curtain panels. I’ve had it a long time.

I’ve been wanting to change up the skirt around the sewing machine table. Maybe a solid color eventually, but I wondered if I could cut around some of the holes in the barkcloth remnant and make a skirt?

No. Stop. I should shred.

Before I knew it, I found myself measuring and cutting and looking for my velcro stash and it was if I had been taken over by aliens and I plugged in Mabel and, well, here you go:

I wanted something a bit bolder in here. I love all my turquoise and pink but I needed a dash of bolder prettiness. If things start getting too matchy-matchy around here, I get uneasy. Hey, it’s only velcro…if I find something I like better, I can change it. And Mabel, trusty little wonder that she is, did all the stitching.

Now I’m thinking the chair needs to be recovered, but if you remember, I used that chair to fix something in the bedroom. And while I was standing on it, it fell over and I stepped through the woven back. It’s better if I don’t repeat the words that came out of my mouth. So maybe the chair simply needs to be replaced. I don’t know.

And suddenly it was late in the afternoon and I heard Scout pacing around downstairs and I realized that she needed to be fed and I needed some hot chocolate so that I could check in on the blog comments and ….

The shredding never got done.

Happy Wednesday.

I Have a Problem with Paper

October 16, 2012 at 9:27 am by Claudia

Please take a moment to appreciated the fairly neat look of our kitchen table. Yes, it’s neat looking, as in funky and cool, but I am referring to the fact that I can actually see the table. And my pretty DIY table runner. This is no small achievement.

You see, my friends, I have a hard time dealing with paperwork, mail, junk mail, cards, letters, receipts – all the stuff that we are inundated with every day. I blame some of this on living in a small house. Where the heck do I put everything? But in truth, I just don’t want to deal with it. So I don’t. Until one day, I start screaming about the mess and it’s fall and the air is crisp and I feel energized and suddenly I’m sorting through things and barking out questions like “Do you still need this?” to Don and the next thing you know, things are looking pretty good on the old table.

I have a shredder.

It is currently so jammed full of stuff to be shredded that I am overwhelmed at the idea of sitting down and tackling it.

I’ve run out of places to file older paid bills and receipts. And I don’t really have much in the way of storage space.

I have an aversion to paperwork of any kind. I admit it. My eyes glaze over, I stare at it and then I try to figure out where to put it. I sort through a pile and make a new pile. After a while, I give up and make some hot chocolate.

I can’t be the only one out there who has trouble dealing with this stuff. Please tell me I’m not.

And then, please share any tips you might have. I really want to tackle this once and for all. Keep in mind: I have no attic. I have no usable basement. I have a shed where mice have been known to flourish. I’m organized in many ways, but in this particular area, I’m not. I’m really not.

Don is even worse.

Help.

Happy Tuesday.

Working on My New Site

The Best Laid Plans

I Have a Problem with Paper

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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