Polishing

Other additions to my blog:

Header: made it a picture with Photoshop (LOVE!) and then uploaded it. Legit headers make such a big difference. Save as pngs from Photoshop, not jpgs. Jpgs save darker.
http://www.thewonderforest.com/2013/09/how-to-create-blog-header-that-looks.html
(Also love this blog!)

Center-justified the sidebar: all done with html code in the style section.
.sidebar h2 {text-align:center !important;}
.sidebar {
background: #ffffff;
text-align:center;
      }

That little hexcode solved my background issue with my sidebar and my posts.
.post{
background: #ffffff;
padding: 20px;
      }

White-brick blog background: found a free download on the web, and lightened it with photoshop. Then uploaded it to the Customize Template section of blogger.
http://www.pixeden.com/graphic-web-backgrounds/subtle-light-tile-pattern-vol6

Lastly, making my pages operate like pages in a website.
http://blogger-hints-and-tips.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-put-put-posts-into-your-pages-in.html

Looking good!