What about the New Look?

Soo..... notice anything new?

I was messing around one day last week on my blogger dashboard and decided to check out the new templates available. Guess what I found out?

It doesn't have a preview button and when I clicked on a template to see what it would look like, it changed the blogs template automatically!!!

Talk about panic mode! At least it didn't delete my widgets and sidebar elements. It took me a while to get everything straights, especially since the widgets didn't want to get along with the template elements and a post decided to make everything out of synch.

But, that's all in the past now, and my blog is back up. Not quite sure that I will stick with this template yet though. I like the clean lines, but it's kind of bland don't you think? I kind of miss my old header which I had forever.

The good thing is, I kind of cleaned up and updated some things around here. For one, I consolidated my blogroll and took some links out that are no longer working. I'm kind of sad to realize how many blogger that I started out with are no longer around.

I haven't figured out yet how to reconfigure this blog according to the new Blogger. I still have my old blogspot address. But in the meantime, here we go blogging again. Don't be surprised if the template changes a few more times before I'm happy with it.

Do I Still Want to be JMom?

When my daughter got me started blogging, I didn't really put a lot of thought into my screen name. We didn't really put a lot of thought in naming this blog either. I'm sure you couldn't tell.

At the time though, it didn't matter much that I had such an unoriginal screen name. JMom. But now that everyone's mother is on the internet, it seems the moniker JMom has gotten very popular. JMom, I found out can be J for Japanese Mom or J for Jewish Mom and many other permutations. So I'm thinking it's time to give up JMom.

But how do I do that? I want a name that reflects who I am and my online persona. I wouldn't want a name like Tiramisu or Paprika or Lipofuze or bookworm or Colgate or Listerine. I know, I cook and I review products but I wouldn't want to take on any of those names.

I actually have started using my own name on some of my newer accounts. It's Jeanette, by the way, if you didn't know. However, it's still so plain. I was thinking of something more creative with words like 'domestic', 'diva', 'mistress', 'sexy' or something like that. But I'm having a hard time coming up with a name I like! Besides a lot of my friends already know me a JMom and even after learning my real name, they still refer to me as JMom. So you got any ideas? I don't know if I want to still be JMom.

Blogrolling.com Troubles

The thing about staying away from your blogs for a while is you don't always notice the problems when they crop up. Last week, my daughter was looking for some vacation photos so I sent here here to follow the link on the sidebar. That was when we discovered that when you open this blog, you get an 'unsafe site' message! That means that the few visitors we had left were now being turned away by that message.

Apparently, the blogrolling.com blogroll on the sidebar was causing the problem. I'm not tech savvy enough to know how it could have caused the problem, but the only solution I could find was to remove the widget. So now my whole blogroll is gone, along with links to shopping sites, furniture stores, jacuzzi tubs, kitchen gadgets and book reviews. Well, that was a good way to get me to take notice of this blog again anyway.

So if you were on my blogroll, don't worry. I will try to do some housecleaning and reconstruct the list. I'll probably go through all the links though and see which ones are still around. That blogroll was six years old so there were many dead links on it anyway. So if you're still around, you'll probably get a visit from me soon! See you around!

Turning over a new leaf

It's been a while since I've written anything for this blog. You could say I have been distracted. I think I may also have been just a little bit burned out. At one time I was writing posts and reviews everyday. But after a while you get tired of writing about phentermine reviews and all that non-sense. So, I took a little break and I think now I'm ready to turn a new leaf.

Today, I vowed to lay off the things that have been distracting me (like facebook) and start concentrating on blogging again. More like concentrate on making some money from blogging. Christmas is just around the corner again, after all. So I hope you haven't completely written me off, I'm back and hopefully will be back for a while. I have a great many ideas to write about and now I just have to make more time to do them all. So I'll see you around!

The door is open... AGAIN

Wow, time really flies when you get distracted and frustrated. Yes, worst than having a broken doorbell button, this house has been essentially on lock down for the last month and a half. It all started with work. I pulled off, singlehandedly, I'm proud to say, a three day workshop flawlessly. That took a lot of my time though and at the end of most days I was so exhausted that I could not even look at the computer anymore.

Sorry about that. But now, I am determined to get back on track and distractions be damned. Ultimately, I find that I only have to please myself and no one else. It's a hard lesson to learn when you have a family depending on you and a full time job that is completely reliant on your attention.I finally had to pull myself back and remind myself that I am one person, not superwoman, and no one else can be happy unless I am happy. There have been too many times these past couple of months when I wasn't happy. So that's ending today. So welcome back to our home, the door is again open for business. :)

So You Want to be a Blogger

Once people find out that I am a blogger, they soon start asking about blogging and it's not long before they ask for help in setting up their own site. I don't really mind. I love helping others discover blogging because it's something that I enjoy doingg and I love to share my love of blogging.

What most people don't realize though is that it takes time to set up a blog or a website. Sure, it's easy enough to put up a site, it's the content that takes time and if you want a more customize site to reflect who you are, then add more time to the equation. Personally, it took me years to figure out how to really blog and do some customizations on my site. But then, I didn't have a pressing agenda when I started. I was simply writing for myself and form my own enjoyment so it took years before I started seeing any audience or income which is what most people's reason for wanting to start a blog or website.

If you just want to throw up a site and start writing, then you may want to consider free sites like the one hosting this blog on Blogger.com or another good free site to try is Wordpress.com. If you're serious about becoming a blogger or are ambitious enough to know that you're in for long term website, then I seriously suggest taking the plunge and get your own domain and your own website hosting. Keep in mind that depending on your purpose, you may need a different type of website host. Do your research and if blogging is your purpose, there are providers out there who specialize in being a website host for bloggers and can better provide you with the necessary customer service that you will more than likely need if you are just starting out.

I had been blogging on Blogger for four years before I finally got my own domain and host site, but that's me, I like to take my time doing things. Once you have your own domain and host site, then you can start filling it with your content. You can just jump in and start writing, figuring things out as you go, or you can read up on how to get started and there are tons of information out there too, you just have to search for them. Like they say, almost everything you need, you can find on the internet.

A Productive Weekend

I had a very productive weekend at home; got quite a few things accomplished plus a few more. First, we (my husband and I) cleaned out the garden. Took out dead plants, harvested the last remaining tomatoes, squashes, swiss chard, and sweet potato tops. See, it's starting to dip below 32F at night and it's starting to scorch the cold sensitive plants. My husband dug up our sweet potatoes too and now I have a big bucket of sweet potatoes to cook. OH, and don't forget leeks. We got a bunch of leeks too!

By the time I finished washing, cutting and cooking everything up, our freezer is almost full again. I also managed to cook up some delicious banana muffins this weekend. I thought we'd have them for the rest of the week to take with our lunches, but I was wrong. *-*

Anyway, being that busy at home meant I didn't get to do much online. My facebook status was: harvesting for real and not on farmtown. lol! I had some reviews, blog maintenance and web directory submission tasks on my blogging to do list but I didn't get to them so I guess I will try to squeeze them in this week.

So here's to another busy week! Hope you have a productive one.

Google Ban Scare

For us who blog on Google, there was a bit of a scare last week when some received a notice saying their blog was blocked or banned. I first heard about the mess from Brent, the owner of McLinky the blog hopping widget which I use on my blog. Apparently, they thought that McLinky had somehow violated Google terms because of the sudden spike to their site. Thus, Google banned McLinky and everyone displaying the McLinky code especially those hosted on Blogger which is owned by Google.

Brent sent one email after the other to his users, which I thought was nice of him to keep everyone informed (but some people took offense to the multiple emails), in a panic, he even requested for a defibrillator. LOL! I'm sure some of his customers with AED certification would have been more than happy to comply. Fortunately, it was all some kind of big misunderstanding. Apparently, it was Google who was under attack, by hackers and their ilk, and it has all been straightened out now and all is well in the blogsphere again.

Now if you like free stuff, head on over to my other blog and check out all the giveaways listed on the McLinky widget and enter.

The Problem with Links

This is just me thinking out loud...

It's funny how making a little money from blogging has changed the way people interact with each other and with their blogs. There was a time when people would link to each other freely and not even think about it. Then, I think, they realized they could sell those links and learned that links can be quite valuable not only in monetary terms but also in terms of page ranking which is what drives the cost of links and so on... it's a big cycle. So then people started getting stingy with their links, saving them for purposes more 'worthy'.

There are those who are savvy with SEO (Search Engine Optimization)tactics and tailor their links so that they will appear higher on search engines. Most bloggers are now learning that linking to the term 'here' is actually not wise so they've learned to link to actual search terms. For instance, rather than me saying 'check out the cool selection of patio furniture HERE' it is actually wiser to say, 'Check out the selection of outdoor dining sets from Cozy Days.'

Why not link to Cozy Days? Because unless someone already knows that Cozy Days sells outdoor furniture, they probably wouldn't type that as a search term. However, the more people that link to Cozy Days with the term 'outdoor dining sets', the more likely that the Cozy Days website will come up every time someone enters those search terms on a search engine.

So you now see how important back links are to websites, right? The thing is, because of this, I've noticed that old time bloggers, with this new found knowledge have become quite stingy with giving out links. Even when they mention a site directly, they don't always put a link to it. Has anyone else noticed this?

Check it out!

I've been trying to get back to posting more photos this week. Here are a few I posted for blog carnivals:

For Wordless Wednesday:


For Thursday Challenge:


For Lasang Pinoy Sunday:

Monday Blogging Update

Blogging has been a bit slow since I am still playing catch up from two weeks without internet. However, I'm slowly getting there. Last week, these were floating around on our blogs:

IN OUR KITCHEN - some tips and hints
Kitchen Hints You May Not Know About
Stop Putting Baking Soda in the Ref
Expiration Dates on Pantry Staples
Make these homemade tasting cinnamon rolls & dinner rolls from frozen dough


FOUND NOT LOST - A book review of:
Untamed (House of Night book 4)

Jade also did some blogging/reviews for me while I was away. She blogged about textbooks, laptops, tv shows and weight loss pills. She actually did quite a nice job. Check out the posts by Bella.

AMOORES.COM
A touching letter from Obama to his daughters and to the American children

Blog Updates

Here again, if you haven't been visiting our other blogs, is what's been going on:

Amoores.com
Durham is Voting Early and so did we! Do you have early voting where you are? I suggest taking advantage of it as it's turning out to be a record breaking election. Voters are turning out in greater numbers than ever.

I reprinted an old story that is close to my heart, A Mom's Expectations. If you're a regular reader, you've probably read this story already, but it's one of the greatest lessons I learned as a mom and I live re-living it.

Cooked From the Heart - Our food blog.

On a Stick - our entry for last week's Lasang Pinoy Sundays, a weekly food photo event.

Spicy Beef with Basil stirfry - the photo above explains it all. It was delicious!

Found Not Lost - What we've read lately:
Emma by Jane Austen
A Great and Terrible Beauty
Kite Runner
Breaking Dawn

Another Blog Update

WHAT WE'VE COOKED UP:

Fried Okra Recipe - Just because sometimes I get tired of fried chicken. Surprisingly, these fried okra made for a very good meat substitute and I ended up eating 'vegetarian' the night that I made these.


Eclairs for Daring Bakers. I had a little mishap so it didn't quite turn out the way it should have, but they still tasted delicious! I have since done this recipe again (will blog about it soon) and it was a success!

IN OUR GARDEN:
I am so behind (about 3 months to be exact) posting garden updates. It's almost fall again and I haven't even posted any summer photos of our garden. So I'll have some catching up to do, but at least the photos (at least some of them) have been uploaded to photobucket.

FOUND NOT LOST:
I've been reading a lot this summer, I'm happy to say. Check out my reading list so far:

Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)
DAWN
Milkweed (Readers Circle)
House of Sand and Fog (Oprah’s Book Club) (Vintage Contemporaries)
The Kite Runner
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The World According to Garp Revisited
Night by Elie Wiesel
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt

Discoveries

I've been trying to get back into the swing of blogging, of writing something for one of my blogs daily, but it sure has been a chore. I've been having a very difficult time getting back into the swing of things. In my head, I'm always blogging, having conversations with myself. But when I actually sit down to start blogging, I am stuck. Blocked. Not really knowing where to start.

There are comments I need to respond to, but just haven't been up to writing anything. I feel deflated, especially in light of a couple of events involving my online life.

Anyway, today I vow to renew the effort.

***********

By the way, this is our latest discovery, Ichiban Kan USA.

Found the site while looking for bento boxes last month. We ordered four sets of bento boxes for less than $40! can you believe that? Just try searching for bento boxes online and you'll see how overpriced some of them are. This place is like a dollar store for Japanese items. I'm going to be ordering more from them. Check them out.

In our Other Blogs

Here's an update on what's been going on in our other blogs:

COOKED FROM THE HEART
Cherry Crisp or Cherry Dump Cake (pictured)
Fried Potatoes - cooked it up for breakfast, but could also fare well with other dishes like a nice grilled steak.
Furikake - it's a Japanese seasoning for rice. But have you ever had it for breakfast?
Eggplant Salad - another great complement for grilled meats

What's been going on with the AMOORES?
Art for the Summer - see photos of my girls when they were younger and working on their art.
The Adventure Continues - Indiana Jones continues to woo young and old girls alike.

In our BACKYARD:
See photos of our garden in early spring. I'll try to post more recent updates soon.

At FOUND NOT LOST read about my recent reviews:
Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay - a book review of my recent read or re-read
Inuyasha Bag and other Anime Items - found this website with cool Anime products
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - a big book that took me a while to read, about very interesting vampire lore.

If you don't find me here, now you know where else I am :)

Can you tell I'm Sparking?

Sometime last year I decided to quit sitting on the fence and jumped on the pro-blogging band wagon and hadn't looked back since. I'm glad I did because I learned a whole other side to blogging that I knew nothing about. Because of paid blogging, I have earned enough to allow me to do some things that I never thought to do like buying a domain and hosting.

I had to learn a whole new set of acronyms, techniques and other geeky stuff; and I've enjoyed it every step of the way. My most recent foray into pro-blogging is
SocialSpark. If you haven't heard of it yet, you need to check it out. Social Spark is like where social networking meets pro blogging. If you're familiar with Facebook, Friendster, MySpace and the like; now you can enjoy the same things in Social Spark but you can also make money at the same time.

They've just barely gotten out of alpha testing and have just gone public with their beta version so there are still some kinks to be worked out, but already the site is showing lots of promise. You don't have to just be a blogger on Social Spark, you can also put the advertiser hat on even if you don't have a lot of money to spend. There is a Spark section where you can barter reviews, posts or links with other members without costing you a cent, just a little time.

You can meet other bloggers with the same interests as you do and will be able to interact with them. It's a great way to find new blogs to read. So if you'd like to try out Social Spark and make a little money on the side, make sure you add me as your friend so we can prop each other towards making more ice cream money. :)

I have to be honest, I haven't made much money since I joined Social Spark, but I am hopeful. I've only done a few reviews but those reviews have been fun to do and I learned a lot doing them. The more I do on Social Spark, the more comfortable I am with the platform and I am liking it the more. Sign up soon, and see you there!

Make Money Blogging

Most of my regular readers know that some of the posts on this blog are sponsored or paid for by an advertiser. I have had some success with this paid blogging gig, and have, for the most part, enjoyed it too. So much so that I have created a new blog, which was actually my old testing grounds, to document what I've learned through this process of blogging and making money doing it. My blogging laboratory, Test Star is now open so if you get a chance drop by over there and pay me a visit. It's not a techie blog, it's more of a dummies guide to blogging. I can only share what I know after all, and it's not much, but I'm glad to share it and hope it can help another beginner blogger too.

All Bloggers Must Play with Templates

I love Blogger because it is so easy to play with the templates. I customized this template, for instance, from an existing Blogger template. This was one of my first attempts at 'hacking' a template and I'm quite proud of myself, if I do say so myself.

WordPress Themes, as their templates are called, are a little harder to modify especially if you're used to Blogger. They just lay their stuff out differently and use something called codex rather than straight html for their themes. I sound like I know what I'm talking about don't I? Well, just say yes to make me feel better even if you can tell that I'm a total idiot when it comes to this stuff. That is why I depend on reading other websites to tell me things I didn't know. My new find is a site that will tell you how to download WordPress on your hard drive so that you can test your themes without showing the whole internet how much you suck at designing templates.

Star Tester Update

Here are some of the things posted on the Star Tester:

1. Annoying things about Blogging
2. Should you sell links or not
3. Beware of Trojan Themes
4. A $100 a Day Blogging?

On Living Life in Peace and Style:

1. Forgive & Forget
2. Deflated
3. Living Within Your Means

Visit my new sites and let me know what you think.

Hey There Stranger!

Hey guys its me! JADE!! I know it's probably been like 2 years since I posted on here since I had all those other sites in-between. Well now I have my own site-eroo! Or my own domain that is. It's linked to the title. Bella-Umbrella is my other pen-name on this here thing called the internet.

So yes, I've missed you! And I know it was cruel of me to leave you like I did! So I apologize and hope you will find it in your heart to visit my lonely little site (bella-umbrella.net) every now and again. And perhaps tell others of it?

Please then, come to my blog--you know you want to. We have pixels and scribbles and icons and interesting tidbits of life all for the low low price of totally free!

I look forward to seeing you--you'll be on my sitemeter! Love!