I Admit It- I've Had Some Work Done

I've been blogging now since July of 2008. That just amazes me! During that time, I've shared so much about our lives with a micropreemie with you. I've also shared about the pregnancy and birth of my third child and our move halfway across the country. My, my, how things change!

But you know what didn't change?

My blog design.

Somehow I just kept on chuggin' along with my default, generic Blogger design and layout. Boring green header. Two column layout. Nothing personal at all. Quite honestly, it's amazing I've managed to hold the attention of as many readers as I have.

Why didn't I do something about it? Well, for starters, I'm very technically un-savvy. I don't know how to write HTML or even do much with graphics. Added to that, I refused to pay for it. I don't feel as though I make enough money from blogging to justify paying for a designer at this point.

And so I stayed generic.

That all changed when Alyssa over at Keeping the Kingdom First inspired so many of us to join the 30 Day Giving Challenge for the month of November. It has been deeply inspiring to read about all the ways others are finding to give.

By sheer luck, I happened to pop over to Twitter one evening when Alyssa suggested we head over to Good, True & Beautiful and see how one of her readers was helping other bloggers out through her creative giving.

I checked it out.

Turns out, the lovely Sharon (to whom that blog belongs) was offering the extremely generous gift of a custom-designed header or button to 30 bloggers. I was staggered! I admit it- I hurriedly started counting the comments to see if I had a shot. It looked like I might!

Turns out I did.

Sharon contacted me and asked a few questions about what I was looking for and then she got to work. The result? See for yourself at the top of my blog! I simply ADORE it. It is perfect. It is exactly who I am and what I write about... the pictures of my micropreemie... the soft aqua color... the whimsical dandelion fluff... I love it. Not only did she design something perfect for me, but she also walked me through the "installation process", if you will, because-- as I mentioned above-- I am NOT savvy when it comes to these things.

Having a new, improved look? Well, that is definitely a Finer Thing.

Finding a new, inspiring blogger to read who has such a generous spirit? Well, that's even finer.

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This post is linked to Finer Things Friday, hosted by Amy.