A Blog to Brag About

The Evolution of my Blog Character

2010-03-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have had a lot of people ask me about the adorable illustration of myself on my blog, so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about her and how she came to be!

I came across a very talented illustrator, Kei Phillips, on DeviantART.

I saw this illustration in her portfolio, and fell in love!

I bought a 16x16 print of it, and it's currently hanging in a thick black frame in my bedroom. Day after day, I'd see it on the wall, and finally I decided I had to have her design a new blog character for me!

She was so easy to work with, and was open to letting me edit the character to my liking. With some team work, we morphed my character into the girl I know and love today! Here's the stages she went through, labeled with whom made the changes:

Here's what she looks like currently:

...And here's what she'll look like as I grow out my hair!

The best part is, she'll do commission work for my clients as well! If you're interested in having a character designed by Kei incorperated in your blog design, please contact me so I can request a quote for you!

Another "WTF" Moment.

2010-03-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

As per my daily routine, I woke up and checked my email - I do this before I pee or brush my teeth. No joke. So I open my inbox, and I see an email with this subject:

"Yahoo! Groups - Please confirm your request to join JuicyHornyWebcams"

...Is a friend playing a joke on me?

...Is my email being spammed by bots?

Sidenote: NEVER EVER EVER sign up for a Yahoo! Group. EVER. One time I joined one for digital scrapbooking and I got 200+ emails a day from people trying to sell me digital scrapbooking kits. NOT cool.

I'm Awesome...Just Sayin'.

2010-03-16T16:15:00.001-07:00

I'm super excited right now, because I finished with TWO clients in the same day! Things are really hoppin'. Watch as the names in my design queue melt away over the next few weeks!

A New Look for A Blog to Brag About!

2010-03-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, let me know what you think of the new design!
I'm still working out a few kinks, so bear with me. YAY!

Recap of D.C.

2010-03-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

My Political Science professor offered me one bump up on my grade (example: C+ to B-) if I write a 5 to 7 page essay on things I found "interesting" during my trip to Washington D.C. There were TONS of interesting things, but here are a few facts that really struck my interest:

1. George Washington had a teal dining room.

2. The Smithsonian has an ultra-cool collection of lunchboxes in the cafeteria.

3. The statues Lady of Freedom and Lady of Liberty are not the same thing.

And that's all I can think of at the moment.

Ponyo and Alice: The Bastard Children

2010-03-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

(I'm starting to notice that when I create blog posts with
controversial titles, way more people bother to read them.)

One very important thing to know about me is that I'm a huge Disney fan. In fact, I'm convinced that I'd totally kick A working as a princess in Disneyland/world. I mean, not to be conceited or anything, but I totally have the face for it:

I could pass for 15/16, which is the age of most Disney princesses.
Gotta teach our little girls to whore it up young, right?

Anyway, if you're starting to pin me as a Disney fanatic, you are srsly erred. My love of Disney is far surpassed by my adulation and devotion to Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli (which is basically the Japanese version of Disney only a MILLION times cooler), and Tim Burton.

The following are some of my all-time favorite movies,
which are brain babies Miyazaki:

My Neighbor Totoro

Spirited Away

Howl's Moving Castle

My favorite Tim Burton Movies include:

Edward Scissorhands
Coraline
9 (that's the whole title)

The great thing about Disney is they're totally open to having love children with other production companies. At risk of sounding like Hannah Montana, you get the best of both worlds. I have long awaited the following co-produced movies...

... and I'm seeing them both TODAY!!

Ponyo: Bastard Child of Disney and Miyazaki

Alice in Wonderland:
Bastard Child of Disney and Burton

...And you should see them too. Peace, homies.

Sometimes I'm Kinda Dumb

2010-03-04T09:36:00.001-08:00

As some of you may know, I work as a Golf Vacation Reservationist, meaning I help people who call in looking to book hotel rooms and tee times within our little resort town.

Part of my job is calling each course and booking tee times on behalf of the client. Yesterday I was booking on behalf of a gentleman with the last name Vaughn. The conversation I had with a guy at the golf course went as follows:

Jessica: Hi, this is Jessica with the call center. I'd like to book a tee time on such-and-such a date at such-and-such a time for a party of 4.

Golf Course Guy: Okay, and what is the lead's name?

Jessica: Last name: Vaughn. V-a-u-g-h-n.

Golf Course Guy: Alright, and first name?

Jessica: *is trying to input the tee time information, where the client's name is not viewable. I'm relatively sure I remember his first name anyway* Uh.. Vince. V-i-n-c-e.

Golf Course Guy: His name is Vince Vaughn? Like the actor?

Jessica: Oh, I don't know. I've never heard of him.

Golf Course Guy: You've never heard of Vince Vaughn?!

Jessica: Maybe he was before my time?

Golf Course Guy: No, he's definitely in your time. Don't you watch TV? Y'know, like the Swingers?

Jessica: Uhh.. Doesn't ring any bells. I'll have to Google him.

Golf Course Guy: Yeah, you should. Anyway, to confirm: Vince Vaughn, party of 4, on such-and-such date for such-and-such time.

Jessica: Okay, thanks!

[Call ends and I double-check the guy's name. It's Brad.]

I Google Image "Vince Vaughn" and find this:

The light-bulb clicks on. DOH!

Jessica: *sheepishly calls the golf course back* Hi, Golf Course Guy. This is Jessica with the call center again...

Golf Course Guy: Hi, Jessica. What's up?

Jessica: Apparently I have heard of Vince Vaughn, because that customer's name is actually Brad.

[Coworkers note that I've turned bright red.]

Golf Course Guy: *suppresses laughter* Oh, okay. I'll make the change.

Jessica: Okay, thanks.

Jessica: *hangs up the phone and dies*

And that is all. Just thought I'd share.

Preparations of Epic Proportions

2010-03-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

Have you heard the news?

According to their website, the following individuals should attend CBC:

* The person who knows nothing about blogging, but wants to learn. By the end of the conference they will not only know HOW to start a blog, but how to design it, photograph for it and have inspiring posts.

* The person who wants to take their writing or photography to the next level but just does not know how. This conference has some of the best teachers in the industry available to help you learn the basics all the way to "the real deal".

* The woman who feels she is "just a mommy blogger". There is no such thing as "just" a mommy. This conference will offer her opportunities to see that her life has power as a mommy blogger.

* The person who wants to learn more about design, programming, and the importance of backing up your blog.

* The person who has a small business and wants to get different ideas on how to market better using social media. CBC'10 has something for everyone!

I know, you may be thinking: "Jessica, you're already fantastic at blogging, writing, photography, AND social networking, not to mention you're not a mommy. Why in the world would you need to attend CBC?"

Well, to answer your brilliantly insightful question, CBC is a killer opportunity to market myself to my target demographic. (whew, is it just me, or am I using big words today?)

CBC also happens to fall the weekend of my birthday, so we're making it into quite the affair. My best friends Tylynn (left) and Lacey (right) are both forking out $155 for tickets and we're all taking a road trip up to Sandy, UT just for CBC.

I did everything within my power to score a free ticket, but to no avail. (I'm not bitter or anything. Actually, I am. Very. I guess I'm just not "in" with the right people.) So, with an estimated investment of $250ish per member of my posse, you can bet your bottom that I'm pulling out all the marketing stops I can while I'm there.

My marketing preparations include:

1. Business cards.

2. Brochures.

3. T-shirts for me and my ultra-cool groupies.

...and last but not least...

A brand new look for A Blog to Brag About.

Be watching for my next post where I'll spill the deets!
(that is slang for "details," which I just invented.)

What the Freak??

2010-02-28T09:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an all around fun day for me, even though there was a little bit of drama with one of my friends. I ended up going into the city with my friend Lacey for a girl's day out. We bought SingStar Pop, which may just possibly be the coolest game ever invented, and then we met up with the guys, who grilled us hamburgers.

So I got home around midnight, and my other friend asks if I can come over and talk to her. I go, and get home around 2:30 AM, and in the time I was gone, somebody TPed (toilet-papered) my house! WTF?!?! Luckily, I wasn't the one who had to clean it up. ;)

Living Large

2010-02-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

I own the Verizon EnV3, which is a PIECE OF CRAP. I can't start typing a text message without it shutting off on me, and I've come about this close to throwing it against a wall. I had to get a new phone PRONTO, and I figured it's as good a time as any to get off of my parents' plan. There was a lot of decisions to be made!

1. Contract, or no contract?
No contract. I decided to go the prepaid route, because hidden fees and other similar BS really chap my hide. After extensive research, I went with the Straight Talk provider (mostly because they lease towers from Verizon, so I know I'd have the same bars and whatnot).

2. Unlimited plan?
Yes, unlimited. Straight Talk has a $45/mo Unlimited plan, which includes unlimited minutes, texts, and data usage. I'm so glad I caught up with the times and got internet on my phone. It sure made my 4 hour long Political Science class fly by last night... Shh.

3. Cheapy phone?
No. I went with the ultra cool high-tech touch screen Samsung Finesse, which they say is comparable to the iPhone, but it isn't that cool... Still, it's like a million times cooler than any other phone I've owned.

So yeah. Pretty much awesome.
P.S. I wasn't paid or compensated in any way to say that stuff, I'm just super psyched.

...

...

...

...

In other news: Guess where I'm going next week?

...Washington D.C.!

We're going for a family vacation, and I'm super psyched. I talked to my Political Science professor last night, and we are totally making an extra credit assignment out of it, which will bump me one step up on my grade. For example, if I have a B+, this extra credit assignment will bump me up to an A-. Pretty cool, pretty cool.

I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

Last but not least, I've added another pre-made Blogger template to my freebies section! Click on the image below to see a live preview.

Mommy Monologue

Free Blogger Template

2010-02-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

I'm very happy to say that I'm feeling a million times better today. I got home from work around 4 yesterday, and I crashed! I literally slept from 4 pm yesterday til 7 am this morning, totaling a whopping 15 hours. Sleep does a body good!

To celebrate my recovery, I'm unveiling
my first pre-made Blogger template!

The instructions for how to install the template to your blog are available on the live preview, which you can access by clicking on the image above. Enjoy!

I Feel like Death on a Stick

2010-02-22T15:01:00.000-08:00

Oh man. Prepare yourself for TMI: I woke up this morning and ran to the bathroom with the runs. Despite this gastrointestinal fiasco, I was still able to make it to work in time by sacrificing my hairdo. I threw it up in a wet ponytail.

I got to work feeling a little queasy but otherwise okay. But as the day wore on, I've started feeling soooo sick. I've had to make at least 5 trips to the bathroom. The last of which was for puking.

I caught a glance of myself in the mirror, and I've NEVER seen myself look so sick. If you scroll down to my last post, you'll see a picture or two of me. I'm the pasty redhead. If you can imagine, I was even paler than normal, and instead of having a pinkish hue, I was totally a green color. My lips were literally green.

And then I proceeded to throw up. I felt slightly better afterwards, but I'm still convinced (and I don't feel mellow dramatic saying this because I feel THAT bad) I might just die. So I thought I should let you know. :(

When it Rains, it Pours.

2010-02-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have ever been to the Mojave Desert, the place I call home, there are two things you probably observed about the climate:

A) HOT and B) DRY.

Because we see so little rain, it's a big deal when it does finally come!
Yesterday it poured! The gutters were overflowing to almost the middle of the road. Most people would think a rainy day is the worst day to be outside and take pictures, but that's exactly what me and my friends did (with the aid of my neighbor's tree).

We also went to our favorite Japanese food place, and we played the "Rain Game" over hot bowls of Miso Soup. How you play is each person takes a turn singing a phrase from a song with the word "rain" in it. If you can't think of one, you're out. The last person in is the winner! Here are some of the phrases we sang:

"I'm singing in the rain, oh what a lovely feeling I've found."

"It's raining men, hallelujah it's raining men. Amen!"

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on Kittens..."

"She's my kinda rain... Like love from a drunken sky."

"Rain, Rain, go away. Come again some other day."

Can you think of any I missed?
Be sure to leave the song title and
artist along with the line!

Just Another Day in Wonderland

2010-02-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Howdy, howdy! I am so bad at updating my blog. I'm going to make a new goal, starting today, to post at least every other day. Even if it's just a few sentences, that'll be better than nothing, right?!

I'm finally settling into a rhythm with my new chaotic schedule. It's funny what crazy shenanigans I get myself into in order to make it all balance. Sometimes it means doing homework at work, work at home, blog designing in class, exercising in the wee hours of the morning when I should be sleeping, sleeping when I should be blog designing, etc. It may sound like I'm asking for trouble. But hey, whatever works, right?

Best of all, I still find time to spend with people I love.

In my last post, I gave you all the rundown of my school schedule. Political Science, Chemistry, and Math are tough classes with way too much homework, but my English 102 class has been a Godsend. Like seriously, if every class were like my English class, I'd stay in school forever! To give you an idea, there will only be 4 assignments the entire semester. I'm on #3.

The first was to write a 500 word essay introducing myself to my professor and peers.

The Second was a "Sensory Monologue Essay," by word-vomiting everything I think, see, hear, touch, smell, and taste for 30 minutes. It didn't even have to be a formal essay! We could write a string of words, sentence fragments, etc. Our professor said he wanted the essay to be "raw," and the purpose of the exercise was to get our writing to be more descriptive in the future. It was really fun!

The third is due next Saturday. My assignment is to read an 11 page article entitled "Escape From Wonderland" Disney and the Female Imagination," the write a 1,000 word essay summarizing my perception of the movie's message and how it has impacted my life.

Your Thoughts?

1. What is your favorite Disney movie, and why?
2. What do you feel the movie's message is?
3. Has this movie impacted your life in any way?

I'm so interested to hear what you guys have to say! I'm a die-hard Disney fan. To give you an idea, I once wrote a speech on Disney movies, the stories they are based upon, and their impact on society. It was about 10 minutes, memorized, with visual aides. I performed competitively with the speech, and came very close to competing on a national level!

Needless to say, I'll publish my assignment on my blog when I'm through!

New Chapter of My Life

2010-01-22T12:10:00.001-08:00

Well, I've made it through the first week of the new semester. I'm taking two online classes: Math 96 and English 102. I'm also taking two classes on campus: Chemistry 105 and Political Science.

My math class is the same setup as last semester (i.e. I use the same online classroom program), so it's nice to have something I'm familiar/comfortable with. I don't have a very good feel for my English class yet, but it should be okay as long as I stay on top of checking the website every day.

I have to admit, I was pretty scared about my Chem class... I am REALLY bad at math, hence me taking remedial refresher math classes the last two semesters, and a lot of math is involved in Chemistry. Despite my best efforts, I ended up with a C in high school Chemistry. It was the only C of my high school career. :( You can imagine my apprehension about taking college-level Chemistry, but there weren't many alternatives.

The night of my Chemistry class came, I felt self-assurance that I can survive the class shortly into the lecture. I'm very good about looking up, making eye contact, and participating in general when a person is speaking publicly, which made me stand out to my professor almost immediately. Gaging by the amount of eye contact he made with me, it's safe to assume I was the only student looking up. The objective was to learn about line equations/conversions, but he kept going off on tangents about politics, which was much mor interesting than Chemistry! I think it will be a fun class, and I doubt it will be overly challenging.

Political Science will be my most challenging class, I think. Our professor is a lawyer who makes about an hour commute to teach our class. He had his firm partner start off the class for us (go over the syllabus and start a movie). Our professor finally showed up an hour and a half later (which actually isn't so bad considering it's a 4 hour class. 6 pm to 10 pm... yuck!). I could tell the second he walked into the room that he is Mormon. Sure enough, I was right! When he was introducing himself, he listed his LDS mission to Fiji as one of his life accomplishments. He assured us that we would be getting our money's worth from our textbooks by reading them cover to cover... Ugh. That's like 70 pages of reading a week for homework.

Homework-wise, I'll have 2-3 math homework assignments a week (25 to 75 problems each), 2 English assignments a week (the first is posting on a discussion board and the second is the essay or whatever the week's assignment may be), 1 Chemistry assignment (usually answering the questions in the back of each chapter), and 2 Political Science assignments (the first is checking the current National/World events online every day in peparation for a weekly quiz, and the second is reading the 1 or 2 chapters assigned). All together, that makes 8 assignments.

My life has undergone many other changes lately as well. There is a young man in my life that I must devote a lot of attention to. Of course there's my new job, working 36 hours a week as a vacation reservationist. I also have three best friends, whom demand my presence whenever possible.

My blog design business has "officially" been open for about 3 weeks. I'm in a little over my head, but I'm perservering. Even babysteps will get you 1,000 miles eventually, right? I've decided that I will not be taking on new customers until I get caught up with the clients I've already taken on. After I've had a chance to finish up with my current clients, I've decided I will schedule only one blog design spot a week, at least for the time being.

I still have big dreams for my business. I specialize in Blogger designs, but I've also started to offer WordPress. Eventually, not only would I like to offer designs for any blog platform, but I'd like to branch out to custom non-blog websites. In the future, I hope to switch my blog over to WordPress. When I do so, I'd like to start with a fresh look for my blog, and revamp the packages I offer.

I truly appreciate all the uplifting encouragement and support I have received from my readers, and the patience and understanding of my clients while I continue persuing a proper balance in my life.

I've had a bit of a tough time lately. I've endured my share of depression and discouragement, but I'm finally ready to pick myself up and make some substantial strides in the right direction.

A Place Called Perfect

2010-01-20T13:27:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen those Walgreens commercials
depicting a place called Perfect?

Generally, anything THAT perfect is sickening to me,
but I'd sure like to visit there to get my life in order!

I would remember to brush my teeth before I go to bed, wear my retainer, and use my Crest White Strips daily.

I would eat healthy, well-balanced meals and exercise daily.

I would do my homework on the night it is assigned, instead of the night it was due.

I wouldn't let my dirty laundry accumulate to the point that I'm concerned about having a pair of clean panties for the next day.

I would find the perfect balance of work and play.

I would also figure out how to grow a money tree.

I feel like that list should be longer because I am FAR from Perfect, but if I could accomplish all those things, I would be one happy girl!

What would you accomplish if you lived in Perfect?

Update on my Dating Life

2010-01-19T14:54:00.000-08:00

Infatuation: Big word, simple meaning.
When I hear that word, I think about you.
I think about the way things are.
The way I wish they were.
I feel so foolish,
thinking about you.
Wondering if you're thinking about me too.

--Michelle Lesser

I went on a date last night.
With whom, you may ask?

Remember HPPB?

...Nope, wasn't him. I had a crush him but that fizzled out quickly,
and now we're good friends. Ironically, I've really hit it off with his
best friend. I went on a date with said friend last night.
I'll just say: it went well. ♥

90s Nostalgia

2010-01-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

To start this story off, I was at Subway the other day
and this lady was standing in front of me in line:

Her hair was SO HUGE OMG! It actually looked larger in person. I would've tried to get a better picture, but she was darn close to me and I was trying to be sneaky. I was thinking to myself, "Wow, that is some serious 60s hair." That means she hasn't changed her do in about 5 decades.

Maybe it's one of those things that will come back into style. Her obvious attachment to the 60s got me thinking about what decade I myself identify with.

Guess which decade it is?
The 90s. Hands down.

Here are some of my favorite fads from back in the day:

Skip Its

Stick-on Earrings

Giga Pets

Polly Pockets

Tinkertoys

Jelly Sandals

That pretty much sums it up! Leave a comment!
What decade do you identify with? What were your favorite fads of the era?

The Dangling Carrot of Self Mastery

2010-01-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I'm not alone here, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't manage to perform satisfactorily in all aspects of my life. Even when I put an extra 10% into one thing, it totally detracts from another.

Some would argue that I have too much on my plate, but I'd rather be overly busy than bored and restless (it comes with being born in the multitasking generation, I suppose). I know no one is perfect and that I'll figure it out along the way, but it's hard for me, a perfectionist, to accept!

I've been feeling lame about not posting very often. I suppose it's the easiest "aspect of my life" to steal percentage points from! But I promise I'll do better. I'm designing/installing some lovely blog designs tonight. Maybe I'll post about them when I'm through!

The Brag Post

2010-01-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

We have all survived another season of holidays. Back to normal life - THANK GOODNESS! I apologize for not posting sooner, but I have been on fire accomplishing other things. And now, for my first ever post dedicated to bragging on A Blog to Brag About:

Reasons Why I am Awesome:

1. I got a job. I am now working as a vacation reservationist! It pays the same as the job I lost, and it is a much better job overall.

2. I registered for the Spring semester.

3. I have completed my first commercial WordPress design.

4. I'm cranking out giveaway prizes like a madwoman.

So yeah, that's about it for now... I'll post something more interesting/useful sometime in the near future!

Update on Reviews

2009-12-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

My first review of April Showers Blog Design was a success! Since the time it was published, I have received 20+ requests for a review of various blogs on A Blog to Brag About. As much as I'd like to do them all, time just doesn't permit! Luckily, all contact form emails are assigned a unique number, so I will draw from them randomly when I schedule time to do a review. I think it will be a fun addition to my blog and I look forward to your feedback!

Winners

2009-12-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

Giveaway Winners for Saturday, December 26

My sincere thanks to all those who participated in my 6 Saturday giveaways! I've gained a lot of readership over the last month and a half, and I've met many fun and interesting people. January 1st is just around the corner and I am so thrilled to officially start on my own clients! Without further ado, here are the winners of the final giveaway.

Winners may claim their prize
by submitting an order form by January 1st.

Standard Package:
Hannah

Premium Package:
Sherry@Coo Coo 4 Coupons

Custom Button:
Jackiedlc

Post Signature:
Katherine Sophia

5 Sidebar Titles:
Thelma

Merry Christmas to Me!

2009-12-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas. I wasn't originally going to spend the holidays with my family, but things worked out so that I was able to. We had our immediate "family" Christmas on the evening of Wednesday December 23rd.

We left the next morning on an 8 hour drive to Northern Nevada in order to spend Christmas with my extended family - a reunion of my maternal grandmother's 6 children and their families. Boy, has it's been chaotic, but tons of fun! I'm so glad I was able to be with my family for Christmas after all.

And now, a recap of my Christmas Mastercard style:

Stocking Stuffers:

Orbit Wintermint Gum - $0.95

Mini Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion - $0.99

Blistex Mint Chapstick - $1.39

Goody So Secure Bobby Pins - $2.99

Maybelline Mascara Gift Set - $13.99

Big Ticket Items:

Seagate 320GB Portable Drive - $64.82
A Gift from my Two Younger Sisters

Kodak Easy Share Digital Camera - $125.95
A Gift from Mom and Dad

Here my friend Laura and I are testing out my camera:

Being With my Family:

Priceless!

Official "Before 2010" To Do List

2009-12-23T00:59:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'm so thrilled to see that my new blog review service is a hit. As of right now (2:13 AM...why in the world am I awake and posting?), 24 out of 25 people felt that my first review was fair, which is fantastic. We can even pretend one person accidentally voted no! Yesterday alone I received 20+ requests for a blog review. Unfortunately, there's no way I'd be able to do them all! What I plan to do is randomly select a few bloggers who have made requests each week. That way I can stay devoted to my other commitments.

With that being said, it's almost that time of year again! The time we all make goals for the new year. We promise ourselves that this year will be different and we'll actually stick it out! LOL well, I'm totally making myself that promise again. You won't see my pessimism about my New Year goals until the end of February. But alas, the new year is still a week away, and before I can even think about my goals for the new year, there's a LOT I'd like to accomplish!

1.Finish the my last 3 blog designs for April Showers.

2.Make a HUGE dent in my Giveaways design schedule.

3.Last but probably should be first, get a new job.

Let's break it down with some self-motivators:

Jessy, Jessy, she's our girl!
Let's see how her goal-setting gig unfurls!

Be...Impressive! B-E- Impressive!

P-E-R-F-E-C-T...Find out what it means to me...

Kudos to those of you who matched the chant with my retarded lyrics. Yeah, I'm pretty much grasping for post content and coming back empty-handed, so I'm just gonna stop here. Wish me luck!

Review of April Showers

2009-12-22T12:04:00.001-08:00

April Showers Blog Design

I have given April Showers an over-all 4.5 star rating because her design is clean, bright, and adorable; her blog is content-rich with useful information, as well as hilariously entertaining and interesting anecdotes; her blog is easy to read and navigate; and it is all around cohesive and a joy to visit.

Design:

Inviting, original, bright/colorful, and fun. I love the theme and character illustration. Background of header might be too plain? I would like to see a cleaner font used for the blog title and menu bar.

Content:

Regardless of whether a blog has an attractive design, the content is what will make or break its success. April has a nice balance of business-related and personal posts, giving her blog charm and originality. She updates frequently with interesting posts. Frequenting her blog will make you feel like she is an old friend.

Usability:

April's blog is easy to follow and subscribe to. Her tabbed sidebar module makes for easy navigation of important information. April's blog has a LOT of content and information that readers/customers frequently refer back to. I believe a sitemap or menu bar with sub-categories would make her blog more user-friendly.