I’m sorry if you’re viewing my blog using Internet Explorer. It’s looking very funky right now, with half the screen blocked in blue. I use Firefox so I wasn’t even aware of this problem until someone wrote and told me.

Apparently, it’s something to do with a change in CSS coding as a result of an IE update. It will be a while before I can get it fixed, as my designer is currently writing a book and is very busy!

If any of you have experienced this problem and know what I can do, please let me know. Otherwise, I apologize, and I hope you can view using Firefox. This kind of stuff is way beyond my comprehension!

A few weeks ago, I joined the Christian mom bloggers who’ve been interviewed by the wonderful ladies at 5 Minutes for Mom. I love this site! Twin sisters Janice and Susan have so much going on over there.

I encourage you to take a peek and then stick around and do some Christmas shopping at all the fantastic Mom-Owned webstores they have listed. You’ll find everything from little rocking toys for toddlers, kids golf carts for preschoolers, to collectible coke machines for retro fans.

It’s a nice idea to shop with moms first and spread some extra Christmas cheer to work-at-home moms.

If you love photography, you’ll love the Wordless Wednesday gatherings at 5 Minutes for Mom. Bloggers may send a link to a photo they post on Wednesdays. Talk about inspiration — wow!

Tackle-it-Tuesday is another ongoing collection at 5 Minutes for Mom. I’ve been amazed at Janice’s basement and closet organizing projects — and I’m huffing and puffing along behind her, trying to tackle my own household hot spots. It’s nice to feel like we’re not alone when we’re plowing through STUFF that we hate to do. (It’s not so distasteful when we can blog about it. heh.)

Also, if you like to read positive, encouraging articles about growing in your faith, you’ll want to visit FaithLifts at 5 Minutes for Mom. You can be a guest contributing writer to Faithlifts by sending in an article for consideration here.

You can contact me at:

heather ivester at gmail dot com

If you haven’t voted yet … here are my three picks for this year’s Weblog Awards:

Best Educational Blog. Three cheers for Spunky Homeschool! Even though she’s not blogging anymore, it would still be a great honor for all homeschoolers. When I voted, she was in second place. Click here to vote — once a day until the 15th.

Best Parenting Blog. If you’ve ever participated in Works for Me Wednesday, give Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer your support. YEA! She represents all of us Christian Mom Bloggers, and as of today she’s in a very close second place.

HolyMama! is a finalist in the Best of the Top 1001 – 1750 Blogs. She makes us all laugh, so vote for her too!

The blogosphere is still reeling from Spunky (Karen Braun)’s announcement on Tuesday that she’ll no longer be blogging at Spunky Homeschool. She has built a loyal readership of homeschoolers and others who enjoy her inspiring faith and wisdom. Her popular blog was recently chosen a finalist in the “Best Education Blog” category of the 2006 Weblog Awards.

Karen is one of the best researchers and writers I’ve ever come in contact with, and I hope she’ll continue writing in some other capacity.

Her last post, titled See Ya ‘Round, explains a little of why she’s decided to stop blogging for now. She says:

Please accept as I have, that at times it’s necessary to end one activity and move on in order to continue to walk with the Lord and in His ways.

That’s all. There isn’t a reason for leaving, but a calling to go forward. What that is will unfold as I obey and take the first step in leaving this behind. Is that being secretive? No. It’s telling the truth as I always do. If there were more to tell I would tell it. You deserve that from me.

We’ll certainly miss Spunky. I’ve gotten to know her as a fellow reviewer for Active Christian Media. I wish her the best in life — and look forward to reading one of her books one day. If you’ve enjoyed Spunky Homeschooling, I hope you’ll click over and leave her a comment. She says she’ll keep her archives up for future reference.

Karen, along with her husband Steve and their six children, specialize in living history presentations of the Civil War time period. They also conduct a variety of workshops through their business, Liberty Family Resources. I read on their website that Steve has an extremely popular military drill for ages 10 and up. The site says:

It’s the perfect history lesson for any homeschool support group, private or public school, or church youth event. We bring Civil War history to life! Join us for the fun — leave with a new appreciation for the sacrifices of our ancestors.

If I lived somewhere closer to Michigan, I’d love to see their presentation! You can see some beautiful pictures of the Braun family here.

I hope you’ll take a minute and go check out the wonderful nominees at the CWO Sweet Scent Awards.

These Christian ladies all demonstrate a “sweet savour of Christ.” The only problem you’ll have is choosing which one — because so many of my favorites are among the nominees!

From now until Dec. 15, be sure to cast your vote for these: Best Friend Award, Most Joyful Among Us, Best Home Maker Award, Better Half Award, Most Humorous Award, Best Group Blog, Best Mommy Award, Best Home School Award, Best Scrapbooker Award, Artistic Blog Skin Award, and The Unified Heart Award.

Hope ya have a great week. I’m up to my ears in tangled Christmas lights, wondering WHEN I’m going to get it all done. When I need a breather, I’ll pop in to visit some of these refreshing blogs.

Here’s a great post about how to add graphics to your blog, book, or presentation. Hat tip to Hsien Hsien Lei of A Hearty Life for passing along this informative link.

Obviously, as you can tell from my blog, I have NO talent whatsoever in this area — and I’m amazed at people who have this gift. One day, I’d love to learn how to design simple booklets that would incorporate pictures and words — just for my own kids. It would be so fun to make a “Day in the Life” type book — something for my kids to look back on someday.

Alas, I’m still afraid of our digital camera. (red in the face here). I still take pictures with our old camera, though I know it’s time for me to enter the digital age. I’d love to take some kind of “graphics for dummies” class with a teacher who would understand my phobias. My biggest fear is that if I try anything new, I’ll crash our computer … and probably burn supper while freaking out about what I’ve done.

If you’re interested and have time, this post and the comments that follow make for an interesting read.

I’m still writing my women’s health blog at b5 media and learning a boatload about blogging in the process. Barely anyone where I live knows what blogging is, but how would they respond if I said I’m a “problogger.” Say what?

There are several ways to get paid to blog; you can run ads on your own site, or you can write for someone else who does all the legwork for you. That’s what I’m doing now. All I have to do is write, and b5 now has full-time employees who take care of advertising.

I’ve been writing my Lively Women blog for five months, and it’s still fun. The b5 media home page has recently undergone a major facelift, making it very easy to see what the company is about.

If you’re passionate about a particular topic and wouldn’t mind writing about it several times a week, you can visit the b5 media job board and see what’s open. The network has over 150 blogs, 14 vertical channels and two million unique visitors a month, with new blogs being added all the time.

For me, it’s an interesting way to stay up on the latest news in women’s health and wellness, a topic I feel passionate about. And being part of a network makes me feel like I’m not alone. It’s not a bad way at all to build a writing platform while I’m staying home with my children.

It’s also nice to know that my efforts are being validated … with a paycheck.

The Royal Family has joined the blogosphere. Yes, it’s true. I heard about this from Melodee at The Amazing Shrinking Mom.

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has joined the ClubMom blogging team. Can you believe it? Take a deep breath. If you’re a blogger, you’re now in royal company.

For some reason, I feel validated. Blogging is hip. Maybe the Queen herself will be posting one of these days — or at least leaving a comment.

Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, is passionately committed to improving the lives of children. The Duchess travels the world to build support for a number of children’s causes …

The Duchess of York balances being a mother to two daughters, Princess Beatrice of York (age 18) and Princess Eugenie of York (age 16), and charity work with a diverse international career.

Pour yourself a cup of hot tea and check out The Duchess Diaries. And remember, in England, they call us “mums,” which doesn’t mean a flower. Say that with a British accent, “I’m a mum. Would you care to join me for a cup of tea?”

Maybe I’ll invite her for a visit here someday, if she’s not too busy doing duchess-y things.

P.S. I left a comment at Duchess Diaries. hehe. I wonder if she’ll read it. I feel like I’ve chatted with a royal this morning (don’t tell her I’m in my bathrobe and slippers).

On a whim, I checked my TTLB status the other day just to see if I was still a Flappy Bird in the blogosphere, and I was surprised to see that I’m now a Large Mammal. Thanks to you. That means a lot of people are linking here. I really appreciate that!

Just in case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, blogs are ranked by The Truth Laid Bear site by how many other blogs link to them. I don’t know how all this works, but here are the rankings:

Higher Beings
Mortal Humans
Playful Primates
Large Mammals
Marauding Marsupials
Adorable Rodents
Flappy Birds
Slithering Reptiles
Crawly Amphibians
Flippery Fish
Slimy Molluscs
Lowly Insects
Crunchy Crustaceans
Wiggly Worms
Multicellular Microorganisms
Insignificant Microbes

Here’s how the TTLB site describes this weird ecosytem they’ve created:

The Truth Laid Bear began as a humble BlogSpot blog over three years ago, and has since evolved into a fully developed portal to the blogosphere. The TTLB Blogosphere Ecosystem is widely regarded as the definitive weblog ranking system, and TTLB receives an average of 3,197 visits and 7,016 page views per day.

A few months ago, I got stuck in a rut comparing myself to other bloggers, wondering what made some blogs popular, and others not so much. I felt kind of bad that I’m not one of the cool bloggers who sponsor a weekly carnival, meme, or award. But then I let all that go and decided I’m just writing for the one person who might connect with my post for the day. That’s what really matters.

But hey, I’ll enjoy this possibly short-lived status as a Large Mammal. Definitely beats being an Insignificant Microbe. LOL.

If you’ve linked to my blog, thanks!