My New Design

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you would already know that Scott is a bit of a computer nerd. In many ways he is the classic geek. He loves tinkering on his keyboard and can spend hours in his computer room, a.k.a. the pit, playing games and exploring the Internet.

He has been supportive of my blog endeavors. He even purchased my domain name and helped me set up an accompanying website (www.amputeemommy.com) for Mother's Day. Although he doesn't read my blog on a regular basis, he certainly is eager to voice his opinions concerning its design.

Scott has been hounding me over the past several months to add more pizazz to my blog. Did you notice the snowflakes flying in the background last month? That was Scott. He thinks that, from a visual standpoint, my blog is boring. He keeps finding various widgets (small programs that run on the blog, like the snowflakes) and has been trying to convince me to use them.

To date I have resisted his pleas. I don't want the content of my posts to be overrun by tacky clutter running in the background or in the sidebars. Nobody goes to my blog to find out the weather in Egypt so installing that widget, regardless of its perceived "cool factor" is unnecessary.

I have finally conceded on one issue. You may have noticed the new design of my blog. Yes, that was at Scott's urging. He felt, and I agree, that the bright pink design was fun but perhaps led potential readers to assume that the content was cotton candy fluff. I have kept some pink because it's my favorite color, but it has been muted.

I am not a graphic designer so I am limited in templates to those we can find for free on the Internet. I wanted something that was visually appealing yet unassuming. I also wanted a design that was a reflection of who I am. This was not an easy task. After searching for nearly three hours for a template that I liked, I called in my loving nerd husband who helped me download and upload it to my blog.

The moment of truth. I hit the save button. Finally the big reveal of the newly designed Tales of an Amputee Mommy blog.

Ta Da!

Uh Oh. Everything was in Spanish. I couldn't read my own blog! I wanted to cry.

After several phone calls to computer "experts," a few messages on forums, two Tylenol and three wine coolers, we were able to undo most of the translation. It took another two hours, but I am finally happy with the layout and look of the blog. I hope that you like the new look of my blog because, after that hassle, I am not eager to jump back into the world of graphic design any time soon.