Problem customising space in a list

I've having a right headache trying to reduce the space between text and dividing line on my blog here: http://uk451.blogspot.com/

If you look at the widget titled TOP 3 POSTS in my right sidebar, you'll see the titles of three posts, but you will notice that the spacing between the text and the faint grey divider line is much bigger than it is in the list of CATEGORIES and ADMIN headers.

I can change the spacing of the text using either .popular-posts ul li or #PopularPosts1 ul li and a negative bottom margin, but this doesn't move the divider line and the text ends up laying over the top of those divider lines.

I'm simply trying to get the spacing on the TOP 3 POSTS list as tight as it is on both the CATEGORIES and ADMIN lists.

Where am I going wrong?

Hello OurJud,
In your 35782388-widget_css_2_bundle.css you have the following line -.PopularPosts .widget-content ul li{padding:.7em 0}

Remove that top and bottom padding and your list resembles the others.

Oh, God, I know I must sound like such an effing buffoon, and I suspect us bloggers are the bain of the coder's life, BUT what you see in the souce code when you use firebug and other such tools, isn't what I have in the template I have access to. I'd post the whole template here, but I'm not sure it'd fit in one post.

I know .PopularPosts .widget-content ul li{padding:.7em 0} shows up when you view the souce through firebug, etc, but it's not in my template code.

I'll try putting that in manually and remove the padding - see what happens.

Thanks for your patience.

Thank you thank you thank you! I put it in manually and it did the trick!

BUT what you see in the souce code when you use firebug and other such tools, isn't what I have in the template I have access to.

Yes, blogger templates, WordPress, any similar bundled web app ... We try, and some here are much more experienced with them than I am. Sometimes though, you get better help from their support forums.

Sometimes though, you get better help from their support forums.

Well you'd think so, but the official blogger/google help forum is laughable at times. Some of the questions on there make your teeth itch, and replies are a very limited supply.