I’ve been making some changes to the blog and I wanted to take a moment to share them with you. One change is subtle. I messed around with the html codes to make the body of the blog a bit wider. I have a little more room now both in the sidebar and the main post area. Brenda and I spent some time together on the phone and, between the two of us, we figured out how to do it.
For a long while, I’ve been contemplating changing the background for the posting area. I love, love, love the background I had with the faint vintage looking script and I am not thrilled with the idea of giving it up. However, when viewing this blog on other monitors and in other browsers, it seemed to me that the script fought with the text of my blog posts. Since my sincere desire is to make this blog readable to everyone, I changed the background to white. This, after trying every gosh-darned color hex code out there. I really wanted a cream color. Could I find one? No. Everything I tried was too dark. Shouldn’t there be a cream or ecru color available somewhere?
Don’t worry, I still have the code for the original background in case I want to change it back. Also, my friend Mandy, who designed my sidebar labels, graciously re-did them with a transparent background, so that I wouldn’t be limited as to my color choice.
The last change is one that I came to after a lot of thought. You know that times are tough here at MHC. We, like so many others, are struggling financially. I’ve written before about my conflicted thoughts about advertising on blogs. Sometimes, when a blog becomes full of advertising, it can become something other than it was. By that, I mean it can lose the cozy, personal quality that it once had. On the other hand, I have seen many blogs add advertising in a less obtrusive way.
The furthest thought from my mind is to make MHC anything other than what it has always been: a cozy, welcoming chronicle of my life and loves. I won’t let that happen, trust me. I am tip-toeing into the ad world by adding two small ads. In my research, I noticed that I saw these ads on many blogs, far more than I realized. So I’m going to give it a whirl. But subtly.
I always welcome your thoughts, my friends.
My mom is in the hospital again. She has a urinary tract infection and the beginnings of pneumonia. She is being given IV antibiotics and seems to be responding. Will you keep her in your thoughts?
Edited to add: My friend Diane came to my rescue! She sent me to ColorPicker and I found a much more detailed chart there. I, of course, insisted I had been there. I hadn’t. Since this post is about subtle, I’ve chosen Ivory, a subtler form of white. I’ll try it for a while and if it doesn’t work for me, back to white it is. Thanks, Diane!
Claudia, I agree on the advertizing on blogs view….However, I think that yours is so well done that it isn’t intrusive. In fact, I had to go back to the side bar and look for it.LOL It looks good to me.
Forgot to add that your mom will be in my thoughts. I hope that she is home soon.
I love the lookof it and if adds make sense do it. Talk to you later,
Mere
I like it, Claudia! But then you know I’m slightly ADD or something and I get distracted easily. Your photos look sharper. I think it looks crisp and elegant! Thumbs up definitely for me!
Brenda
Claudia, You blogs looks great I do like the wider reading area. I have your mother in my thoughts and hope she gets well and comes home very soon.
Sherry
I’m saddened to hear mom is hospitalized again – hopefully she’ll respond to treatment and be able to get home again soon – I know what a huge worry it is for you guys.
Love the look of your blog now expanded in width to accommodate your larger format pics. Everything looks good on the sidebar and I don’t see any glaring ads. I hope you can make some money from them!
Well I’m caught up with you dear Claudia and feel better about that! Now to visit other friends – can see my day will be busy……….but at least it will be here in the cool of the house and not outside in 90+ degrees like yesterday – that almost finished me off after hours working in the jungle, formerly garden!!
Sending love and good thoughts – will be checking back and keeping up with all your news – don’t leave again again until the big sub-Antarctic trip in Oct.
Hugs, Mary X
Always keeping you and your family and Mom in my thoughts and prayers! Your blog looks great! As for me when I change something I just wing it and whatever happens, happens. Hopefully, it all just doesn’t disappear! I think changing things up is one of the things I like about having a blog….another chance to be creative! Have a peaceful and relaxing Sunday, Claudia!~Hugs, Patti
Crisp, easy to navigate.
Continuing to keep your mother and family in my prayers.
– Joy
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Prayers on their way. I hope your Mom feels better soon. I love your subtle shanges to the blog. I agree with you about the color ecru…why is it so hard to find I wonder.
Blessings, Joanne
First, Claudia, my thoughts are with your mom and I hope that the medical people can keep her infections from getting worse and get her back to better health.
I love how your blog looks. It is really lovely. The changes are so well done. I too, have tried to go a little off-white on mine, but all are too dark.
Advertizing on blogs has never bothered me, but I haven’t chose it for myself because of what others have written about it. My daughter has been trying to change my mind about advertizing, because she thinks it would be a great way to make a little extra. I don’t think I would have even noticed yours if you hadn’t said something.
sending hugs…
Hola Claudia, me gustan los cambios.
Siento mucho lo de tu mamá, espero se recupere pronto.
Un abrazo
Hi dear Claudia,
I so hope your mom will have help enough from the medicine to remove the infection and the phneumonia, so she can get home again.
Your new look is lovely- and even I miss the old tected background, I very much love it is easy to read, now.
About your advertising I had to look for it, to see it :)
Hugs, to you –
Dorthe
To find the color you want for your background, you can go to either of these two sites and use the sliders until you find the color you like… it will show you the html code for that color.. then just go to the Template designer to the background selection color tab, type in the html code and see what it looks like. Until you click the big orange “apply to template” button it won’t change anything permanently on your blog… I’m always here if you want some freebie help. :-)
http://www.colorpicker.com/
Di
I liked your blog before and I like it now, Claudia. As long as a blog is easy on the eye, I’m okay with it. As for the advertisements, I had to look for them. I hope you make money out of it. I’m keeping your mom in my prayers. Poor woman, she really has had more than her share lately.
Thinking Positive Thoughts for a speedy resolution to your Mother, Claudia.
Love your blog. Looks great, as usual.
Ads may be the new way. This does not bother me in the least, they are there if I choose to read them or not.
Keep on bloggin’!
hugs
Gerry
You and your mom are in my thoughts…and I LOVE how your blog looks! I’ll bet we’ll barely notice your monitoring additions…my guess is that with your talent you’ll make it work for your style
Changed for the better.
Nice one.
Cassy from Acoustic Guitar Lessons
your blog looks gorgeous…i have always loved you header which happily remains the same. I think it is best to do ads in a less obstrusive way too, and to stick with advertisers whose services or products you really like yourself. I am sending you mom well wishes!!
Love your blog! It is always so interesting. Hopefully now that I have a blog again I can make comments to it.
Forgot to say that I have been reading the blog for awhile and enjoy all your pictures and thoughts. You have a way with words.
First things first, your mom is in my thoughts. Secondly, I think your blog is still lovely mainly because besides your wonderful pictures, I stop by to read your inspiring, funny, thoughtful posts. Ann
i looks beautiful to me….
i wish i knew how to do what you are doing..you’re doing a great job !!!!
sending prayers for your mom
blessings to you, my friend
kary and teddy
xx
It is looking so lovely. I like the ivory.
Wishes to your mother for a speedy recovery!
Until I read your post, I didn’t even realize the words were missing from the bg. The ivory look great.
Also, I’m so sorry about all the sadness you’re going through with everything.
Good wishes and prayers for you and your family.
This is the color schemer I use the most. You can achieve excellent results with it, but I’m surprised you can’t find one on the Apple Picker color schemes to better serve you, sweetpea.
xoxo,
Connie
http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html