I have openly been talking about you here...just flat out spilling whatever it is that you've been telling me either behind the scenes in email or even in comments. Let's finish out the week in that vein, shall we? I think I am learning a few important things.
Yesterday, in comments, Ellen said that she never knows what she'll find here. She said it very nicely, too, referring back to a line from Forrest Gump. No, she did not say, "Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir fried..." Thank goodness. Because if I were describing this blog that's as good a metaphor as it gets.
So what am I to take from Ellen's comment? Perhaps that I should, after nearly seven years of blogging, say right up front what a person can expect to find here. If I only knew. Sigh. I'm open to suggestions because I'm getting ready to change my profile picture and all that profile commentary that I used to think was cute, but doesn't actually say anything.
I live with my beloved and a small cat in a small town, in a small neighborhood, in a small house, at the edge of a bird sanctuary, also small.This blog is award and word verification free. ☺ (The yellow arrow? It returns you to the top quickly from any point on the page.)
Then, same friend who gave me what-for about the aged sheet music background, let me know that my sidebar looks a fright. Cluttered. People don't like to see that. It's like walking into a home and seeing game pieces on the furniture or little socks tossed willy-nilly into corners or books stacked precariously or old coffee mugs that need taking to the sink or goldfish crunched on the carpet (cracker goldfish that is). Pardon me, that was way too easy to describe. Ahem. So, perhaps I will get rid of all those inspirational posts and maybe lower things to the footer, though I am keeping my followers list in the sidebar. ( Aside: Thank you to all who have recently followed. If I can find you, I ordinarily follow back. Qoogle+ can = a pain. [Yes, I know that I misspelled that.])
So, if you wander in here and things have changed, yet again, please think nothing of it. I'm only taking your suggestions to heart. I'm starting with that sub-header(√). I can't bear to see my name in lights that large.
What's the latest best thing you've done on your blog?
Vee, I think we all love you because you're so open and honest, and can take criticism with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteI use a blog designer for all my needs and the latest thing I had her do was put pretty media icons all together at the top.
Nothing, that's what I have done. I am 'much afraid' to change it since when I tried, it all went away. When I got it back, finally... I thought, that's it! Hearts it is! :) I have nothing but admiration for the way you can change it around and it is alwayspretty and fun, so keep at it!
ReplyDeleteVee, I am sounding like a repeat parrot..your blog is fine. Truly it is. Change is good, in small quantities (wink & smiles). This is your blog, you talk about whatever comes to mind, and I like that about ppls blogs, again, your photos, topics and what nots/evers are inspirational. Blessings
ReplyDeleteI like the side bar the way it is - it's like an additional resource to me. BTW - Love the icon for Friends and Favorites!
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday!
Leann
You are too funny. Love the new header. Happy Friday!
ReplyDeleteDear Vee - I love everything about your delightful blog! Change it all you want but I'll still love it. I haven't done anything on my blog's look of late and it's high time. You've inspired me to do so. BTW I really like your idea of featuring different cups of tea....so lovely!
ReplyDeleteI think it is very sweet and cozy here Vee ~
ReplyDeletebut I am always good with change too.
However you have it I will find it amazing.
But I like your profile info! It IS cute and memorable and tells me that you have a dry wit.
ReplyDeleteBut whether you change it all or leave it all same or something in between, your own inimitable style will shine through and I'll love coming here to hang out with you. :D
I've said many times that visiting your blog makes me feel like I am sitting across from you in a cozy chair sharing tea. I rarely change anything on my blog for fear of losing everything these days!
ReplyDeleteI hope you two will have a great weekend.
First, I ADORE your blog, and you personally. I think you are smart, witty, interesting, clever and just plain fun to read. That admiration stated, the subject at hand: change is good. Sometimes. I haven't done any changes because my daughter always tells me that people identify to headers and changing them too often leaves them disoriented and disconnected. Not sure I agree, but that's why I haven't changed.
ReplyDeleteThing is, as with a book cover, it is the content that matters to me. Funny thing is there are SO MANY lovely and beautiful eye candy blogs that are just smoke and mirrors - nice to look at, but w ith no substance or quality to their content. I like them to skim and browse - but to really READ, blogs like yours does it for me. But isn't that the best thing about reading and writing blogs? There really is something for everyone. Keep up the good work - and feel quite free to put your name up in lights, my dear. ♥
I like coming to your blog. Some people come to blogs for one reason. Some what to read only about diy or gardening, crafts, well you get what I mean. My blog is about whatever I am up to.
ReplyDeleteI would not worry about the people who make complaints about your blog, maybe they just want attention from others reading their posts or want to make somethone unhappy about what they post because they are unhappy.
You have a beautiful blog and do what makes you happy, not someone else. I wonder if the ones making the complaints have a blog and what theirs is like and would they what someone saying something bad about theirs.
Betty~
DeleteI am taking this as constructive advice, not criticism. I think that things are looking better around here already. Next thing is to move that yellow arrow button, write up a new profile, move more things to the footer...
Wish I could feel this inspired about housework!
My computer is dead..using son,s notebook and don,t know how to post with it or put this info on my blog.
ReplyDeleteOrdering new...no posting til I get it.. Wanted you to know I''my not dead or been kidnapped.
Love, bj
Gotcha! Hope that it comes soon! How will we get along without you?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAckkk, Chris, I apologize. That was a lovely compliment and, in trying to respond, I've managed to delete. Thanks for popping by. I hope that you will again.
DeleteI am getting entirely too "delete" happy over here today.
DeleteNow I am REALLY thinking I am the nerd in the corner at the cool kid party!!!! Thank you for the response!! :-)
DeleteAnd I hope other bloggers will start to respond to those of us who are blogless but do so enjoy reading and commenting. Inclusion is always a good thing!! Thanks!
DeleteVee I am afraid to ask what others think of the look of my blog, lol!! It's old fashioned but me! I did clean up my sidebar some but left the things I love on there. I like variety and surprises so just keep on being you.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Change is good Vee. We are all constantly changing and our lives go into different directions sometimes. I change my blog all the time. Be yourself and enjoy. Life is too short! The newest thing about blog designs is the footer. many widgets and posts can be moved there. One suggestion is to find a background that covers your entire blog. Some designers make background only to fit 800 px. xo Linda
ReplyDeleteOh no! This knowledge is too vast for me!
DeleteVee, I love coming to your blog and seeing what's going on in your life or your thoughts for the day. I also love the look of your blog. I haven't changed mine for a long time and it is getting boring. I need to do something about that soon.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.
Well, Vee, as a new blogger (4 months), I don't know if it's encouraging or not to think that I still won't know what I'm doing in 7 years!! haha. I am still trying to figure out what my "niche" is. the problem is, I don't want a niche. I just want to blog about things that interest me and that I think are beautiful. That seems the best thing -- just be yourself! It sounds like everyone really likes you for who you are. And I'm happy to be a new follower too!
ReplyDeleteI have been cluttering up my sidebar to look "legit" haha but think I'm going to remove some stuff. I've been told it takes longer to load and just looks messy when you have too much stuff in sidebars. Others say it's valuable real estate, use it. hmmm . . .
Deborah, you were born to blog! I enjoy visiting you very much. I cannot, however, comment there nor can I find a place to follow. (I refuse to join Qoogle plus so that may be the reason.)
DeleteThank you Vee. Yes, everyone hates google+. It was the only option I had when I starting blogging in November. I have been having trouble following people on GFC lately. I will go to follow and I get a note that says, sorry you can't do this right now, come back later. I've found that if I click on the options button, then I can follow. Maybe I should put this on my blog.
DeleteI love your blog, Vee. But it's not your blog I'm coming to visit with, it's YOU, my friend. Your turn of phrase, your sharp observations, your friendly welcome mean much more than your background or sidebars.
ReplyDeleteHowever, your question made me squirm as I realize I've done nothing to update my blog lately. For a very long time. I'm in a blog funk.
Love the new profile description.
I updated Brain Food, Inspirational Places, and My Soup List ... all sidebars that I like to have on my blog (which is cluttered and full of photos and junk that I like). I like blogs that are chock-a-block full of stuff to explore. That's why my blog will probably never have advertisements or too polished a look ... it will always look like my house ... pleasantly full of doo-dads and dust bunnies ... a true reflection of me and my sensibilities.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog because you have wonderful design elements and can do things with banners and headers and images that I don't know how to do ... it's always fresh looking and fun!
Well I can honestly say I still don't know why my ramblings about MY life would be the least bit interesting to anyone, lol. They are all soo similar was what I was thinking the other day and wondering what I could do to spice them up a bit. But I always come back to the same thing. I started blogging to keep as a journal of my life as it is now that my kids are all raised etc... my thoughts, feelings, dreams and hopes, for my kids and grandkids to read some day, so it is really kind of full of personal things. My posts are TOO long, TOO similar, TOO boring AND way TOO much about sewing and projects. lol And yet, it is the old....the way I am, lol. Some days I think I would love to have a HUGE following and say something of real significance and eternal value, but so far it remains as it was from the beginning. I don't know why I've told you all this except to say I LOVE blogs like yours. It makes me laugh, cry, think, in addition to being just plain old entertaining, and I thoroughly enjoy it. So keep up the good work. Oh, and honestly other than an interesting and new header, I rarely even notice what else others have on their blog pages. Does that make me weird? lol Enjoy your week-end Vee!
ReplyDeleteJust want to make it very clear that my comment was a compliment of the highest kind. I like adventures and I like coming to your blog and I like the new and old things you do here. Ha! I'm a total chicken to click on buttons that change things. I've gotten in big trouble doing that. No big changes on my blog. Hope I'm not boring people to tears with my layout...
ReplyDeleteYou are a blogging blessing, Vee!
Just to be clear, I took it as a compliment, too! Thank you.
DeleteIt did make me ponder and that is a good thing.
I am so stuck in 2006 when it comes to my blog. I have not changed a thing on it. It is always fun coming here and chatting!
ReplyDeleteNow, wait a minute! You have a new linky party that looks like great fun!
DeleteI finally created a new header! You don't need to change a thing, love your blog! I especially love that teacup and your lace on your sides!
ReplyDeleteI think your blog is just lovely. I change the background on my blog with the seasons and/or holidays. I also just added pictures into the sidebar. Every once in a while I just want to make it different.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is looking quite nice. I do love the little checks in the header.
ReplyDeleteFor me... I haven't even taken down the snow header. I just don't have very much time to devote to it right now. Once I retire I'm sure I will make a much nicer design.
OUCH!! Whoever left the negative comments for you, please don't send them to my blog or they might suffer a coronary event. Your blog belongs to you and you can fix it whatever way suits you. I like your header and your background and your posts!! And I like mine the way it is too. :-)
ReplyDeleteChange is good Vee and I like the changes you've made although I liked it before too. I always liked your little blurb about yourself but your new one sounds more like you and what your blog is about. I should do some editing too. And I need a new profile photo. Selfies are horrible. I love visiting your blog and feel like we are friends that can enjoy tea together anytime and have a visit and chat about life. Thank you for being 'you'. Sending some snow your way if you want it. {it's snowed all day!} Hugs. Pam
ReplyDeleteHi Vee!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! You always make me smile! I truly feel that a person can do whatever they want to their blog, it's nobody's business what you put as your background or on your sidebar, it's your blog!! There are things on blogs that I find distracting, like pop-up ads, and loud music, but if I don't like it, I don't look at them, it's that simple.
I try to change up my blog occasionally, but I'm not very good at it, heck, I'm not very good at keeping up, let alone making too many changes! And, I have gotten myself in trouble trying to make changes, so I just try to keep it simple... ;0)
Hugs,
Barb
I'm with Barb. Do whatever you want with your blog. Think of it as your parlor. If you want to change the pillows on the couch or roll up the rug, go right ahead. We are all guests here, and really come to hear what insightful, pithy things you have to say. I think you are witty and entertaining and am not the least put off by finding new headers, backgrounds or buttons or links or whatevers. Have a ball with it. I'll keep coming 'til you ban me.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your blog - ALWAYS. It surprises me that people tell you what to do with your blog. It is YOUR blog after all.
ReplyDeleteI've just put up a new header picture.
Holy Cow, I need to update my blog then. I did clean it up quite a bit with the pages, but still have too many "tossed socks" on the sidebar. It hadn't occured to me to toss them to the bottom of the block. OR I could create another page with "this is my politics", etc. Thanks for the inspiration and ideas.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I always think your blog is nice and I'm not smoozing (unless there's money in it? Nah? Rats.). It really is classy. Mine looks like a 10 year old got a hold of it. At any rate, it definately says ME. ~:)
The latest on my blog was not the greatest. A few days ago, many of my buttons that separated my blog lists were gone. I had them so long, I couldn't even remember what they were....but it was very noticeable that they were missing. I haven't fixed that yet. I also need to check a lot of links on my blog list because some have stopped blogging. I just don't take the time for 'maintenance'. I would rather visit you and see your blog updates! heehee! Have a nice afternoon! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI like your new welcome note. I think your blog is fun because it is different every day. I like variety and you are not really a "niche" blogger (nor am I.) I come to your blog because I think if we lived in the same town I'd be knocking at your door. You seem to be the kind of person that would welcome friends in for a cuppa without any call ahead. Don't change your blog, be yourself, And I do like your new header.
ReplyDeleteAs long as these changes please, you, Vee, that is what matters. Suggestions are fine, and somewhat appreciated by moi, haha. But i HATE carbon copy blogs, with the all white background and the same row of tedious social media buttons to stay connected. Yes, I have that,
ReplyDeleteYour blog always looks nice. Hey, can I have that lamb in your header picture to go in my collection? :D
ReplyDeleteas well. This I Pad is going to have a hammer taken to it very very soon. Sorry for the disjointed comment.
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny and exactly what I say about my own iPad.
DeleteI have been blogging for 7 years too, After reading all the articles on SEO and how you have to have a main theme, and narrowing down what your blog is about, I threw it all out the window. My blog is my own personal world and I've always said I'm not taking suggestions. I don't expect everyone to be fascinated with every golden word I write. Lordy, I was amazed all those years ago that a stranger would even leave a comment. I don't think we all have to be about any one thing. I'm no super decorator, DIY'er or anything else you can put in a box. I'm just me and that's enough. I think you should be just you and know that is enough for us to want to visit:>) It's comfy here and you're a real person. I appreciate that. As for what to change? I can't think of a thing. I think the last thing I changes was my header and I am getting the itch to do it again.
ReplyDeleteVee, I love coming to your blog, just as it is, changes or not. I never worry about "not knowing what I will find". In fact, that's half the fun!! Variety is the spice of life, after all....Whatever you have posted about, it's always interesting, witty and thoughtful. It is YOUR blog. Take the criticisms of your sidebar, etc. with a grain of salt. Good heavens, this whole blogging thing is supposed to be fun!
ReplyDeleteI rarely leave here without a smile. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI noticed the new header, and the ongoing theme of it immediately. I find that it's terrific! I tweak regularly...so much so that I can't remember what I did last. Moved some stuff around, changed header picture, took something off.....
ReplyDeleteI'm so very glad I met you, and if we all had the same style blog, or even similar content...where would be the fun and learning new things. I change my header like I change my underwear and I do it for ME. Is that selfish? And I write about everything in my life. My adult children are not blog friendly so I have to steer clear of anything about them or posting pictures of them. (However my youngest daughter, Jill is ok with me posting our new grandson Tristan.
ReplyDeleteWhen blogging become tiresome to me... I would probably stop...but heaven knows I love blogland and all of you new gals I've met in the past few months.
You can run...but you can't hide...I a forever follower...HaHaHa...Talk about a rant...I'm sorry!!!
Love and Hugs and smiles dear Vee.
Hi Vee, I love your blog and anything you do or say is okay by me! After all, we're all different. Just as our homes reflect our own personal style, so do our blogs. xxoo
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
Vee
ReplyDeleteI have been told the same thing about my blog! I've done a little cleaning and up-grading, which I actually enjoyed.
I will be visiting whether you ever change anything on your blog!
I love visiting your blog, Vee! It's like chatting with you over the back fence. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been having trouble commenting this week - blogger is being difficult. So glad I finally could comment!
xoxo
I think our blogs are our personal "home of the computer" and it is very rude if someone criticizes the way they look. "Blog Rules" are a bunch of phooey--who put anyone in charge of how. or how not, a blog should look? I say do what makes one happy, and your blog, Vee, always looks cheerful and cozy.
ReplyDeleteI recently took some stuff off my sidebar that was outdated and I updated my grandchildren's photos. Other than that it is status quo. Maybe someday I'll pay someone to make social media buttons for me, as that would condense the ones I have in one spot.-that is about the only thing I wish I could add myself.