ShoppePro.com and Our New Website!.....well, almost.

This may not be a newsflash to those of you who know me best, but I have been known to have a bit of an impulse control problem.   Not about everything now mind you.  For example, I never jump into the deep end of a pool without first testing the water.  (In fact, after testing the water, I generally tend to forfeit jumping into the pool at all.  See, that would be a lot like exercise, which is another thing I don't impulsively jump into.)  BUT, I digress.  

There are certain facets of my life in which I leap before looking, however, which leads me to the topic of this post.  My sister and I have a new website!  We have decided to go with Shoppepro.com, which is a fabulous e-commerce site that targets entrepreneurial women like us.  I wish I could tell you I'd found Shoppepro first, but the impulse-control impaired portion of my brain would not allow me to be patient and wait until I found the site that was a perfect fit for us.  I foolishly assumed, since I have a little bit of photoshop knowledge, that designing a website would be a piece of cake.  As a result, we have two domain names, both hosted by other domain hosts.   After four false starts with other web hosts, three major glitches  from a different e-commerce site, two downloads of website building software, and too many failed attempts at building a website template to count, I am officially humbled by the skills of website designers. 

The moral of this story is simple:  Do a little bit of homework before jumping into the deep end of website design and domain hosting.  There is a perfect site for you, and I am grateful to have found ours in Shoppepro.  They wrote the manual on how to be user-friendly, and they included no codes of any kind!  Their customer service is also second to none!   So far I've only had to contact tech support twice, and they were very prompt in responding to my questions.

So....back to our new website.  Our address is www.jbguess.com.  We are still under construction so you'll see links to our etsy shops.  Bookmark the link and visit often, though, because we'll be adding all kinds of new goodies.

Thanks ShoppePro!!....and thank goodness for free trials.

Chicken Fiesta Soup and the New Weight Watchers

I am no stranger to dieting. I've tried almost every weight management strategy known to man, with a few notable exceptions. I say "almost", because there are a few diet strategies I have steadfastly refused to try. Among those are the placement of bands in locations where bands do not naturally occur, the stapling of any portion of my body (including my ears), and the surgical bypassing of certain portions of my digestive tract that God felt were important enough that they should not be bypassed.

Pretty short list, huh? Well, now you get the picture. Like so many, I have struggled with my weight for most of my adult life. I've tried Atkins (in which I discovered I'm not really all that crazy about meat anyway), Sugar Busters (lasted about 2 hours), the Carbohydrate Addicts diet (yes, I'll willingly admit I'm a carb addict...next!), the hot dog and boiled egg diet (which came with it's own unique set of side effects), and the colon cleanse (trust me, you'd really rather I didn't blog about that one).

Twenty-five years ago, needing to drop about 25 lbs, I decided to go with a friend to a Weight Watchers meeting. The meetings were held in the fellowship hall of an Episcopal church, and were led by a sweet lady by the name of Mildred, who would begin each meeting by introducing herself and telling her story. Mildred had lost 125 lbs on Weight Watchers. Sometimes she would bring her "before" photos, and sometimes she would bring a pair of slacks that she wore pre-Weight Watchers. She could fit her entire post Weight-Watchers self in one leg of those slacks. Mildred was very inspirational. I never got tired of hearing her tell her story, and I also loved hearing her say, at every single meeting, that we could have a hamburger from Burger King and stay on plan.

It became my routine to go to my Weight Watchers meeting each Tuesday night (always wearing the same outfit, because I knew how much it weighed). After the meeting, I would drive through the Burger King on the way home and treat myself to a Whopper. Within about 4 months I had lost that 25 lbs, plus a few more, and had won the coveted Lifetime membership. With that membership came a gold "key to the future", and a little plastic card to carry in my wallet. I'll always remember that night, because I was so gratified by my accomplishment, but also for the little extra tidbit of info that Mildred provided in that meeting. As always, she encouraged the members to treat themselves to that Burger King burger, but, for the first time, she followed that comment with, "Not a Whopper, though....just a regular hamburger!" Really???? Oops. The very next month I discovered that I was expecting my first child, and with that news, I stopped going to my meetings. I did not, however, give up those Burger King Whoppers.

So.....twenty-five years later, and carrying almost double what I needed to lose the first time, I decided to take the plunge and give Weight Watchers another try. I'd lost my key to the future, but had managed to hang on to that plastic card, so I whipped that baby out and proudly showed it to the cute little girl who was handling registration. As it turned out, my little card created quite the stir. The Weight Watchers ladies had never seen a card like mine, and they were quite impressed that I had managed to keep up with it all these years. I briefly pondered the possibility of loaning it to the Smithsonian, but decided that I would rather use it to save myself the thirty dollar registration fee.

Like so many things, the 21st century Weight Watchers is new and improved. It revolves around a point system, which is really simple to follow, especially with a nifty little points calculator. The meetings are led by a cute, bubbly lady by the name of Kristi, who has lost 82 lbs and gone from a size 18 to a size 2. I haven't seen Kristi's pre-Weight Watchers slacks yet, but I have seen her "before" photos, which are very inspirational. I've been listening intently for some mention of Burger King, but so far have heard nothing. I'll tell you this, though. One of the first things out of Kristi's mouth at that first meeting was, "If you want a Krispy Kreme doughnut, have yourself a Krispy Kreme doughnut....5 points". Wonder if that's for a regular glazed doughnut, or an eclair? Oh yeah. I think I'm going to like it here.

I've been Weight Watching for 2 weeks now, and have lost 5.5 of the 43 lbs. I'm hoping to shed.

One of my family's new favorite foods is Weight Watcher's Chicken Fiesta Soup. I triple this recipe and freeze it. Indulge yourself!

Weight Watchers Chicken Fiesta Soup

1 can fat free low sodium chicken broth
1 10 oz. can chicken, or 5 chicken tenders, boiled and chopped
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
2 cans whole kernel corn
1/2 lb 2% Velveeta

Mix first 5 ingredients and heat until boiling. Reduce heat, and add cubed cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

1 cup = 1 point

I Have Great Friends...and They're Funny, Too!

Those of you who know me best know that I love to laugh, and thank goodness life presents plenty of opportunities for laughter! I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to laugh at myself, and it's a good thing, since I am a bit of a goofball. I also have some wonderful friends, online and off, who share my twisted sense of humor. Laughter among friends really is the best form of therapy, too, don't you think?

Have you ever heard that saying, "If you want to appear intelligent, you need to surround yourself with intelligent people"? Well, as luck would have it, my friends are funny, which comes in very handy in view of the fact that I create funny greeting cards. (Now, in saying that, I don't want you think my friends aren't intelligent, because they are...so don't go telling them I said otherwise.)

Most of my buddies know I create snarkalicious greeting cards. They realize that I pretty much keep my nose to the ground, constantly sniffing around in my pursuit of wittily wicked inspiration, and they readily give me the green light to take their words and run with them. Here are just a couple of examples. This card came about about as a result of a life observation made by my friend, Pat.

This next card was created a while back, and came to me during a conversation with my friend, Bren. She was actually referring to a family pet in making this observation, but it occurred to me that this philosophy has some merit where human beings are concerned as well.

The last card was inspired by a conversation between myself and my friend, Stacey, about those awkward moments when we run into someone at a store, have a nice conversation which always ends with a "we need to get together and catch up", and parting ways all while completely clueless as to that individual's identity. Now if this has never happened to you, then you can just do us all a favor and keep that little tidbit of info to yourself....because I can guarantee you that it will happen, and when it does I'll be around to make a card about it.

Thanks Bren,Pat and Stacey! These cards will be making their maiden voyages to you!

Southerners and The Big Chill!

Since Rex the weatherman had been telling me for several days to prepare for the "Arctic blast" that was surely headed our way, I did what all good Americans do, and headed to Walmart to pick up the necessary supplies. Apparently the necessary supplies do not come cheap, because my bill totaled $145.
Southerners can prepare for a hurricane with one hand tied behind our backs, but we do not know what to do with extremely cold weather. We don't have chains, snow plows, or de-icing equipment. We don't invest in heavy winter clothing, because we just don't use it enough. Sometimes many years go by without even so much as a glimpse of a snowflake, and on those rare occasions when we do see snow, we declare a national holiday! Schools and businesses close, with all news outlets devoting the vast majority of time and space to coverage of the white stuff. We sit around and reminisce about the great snows of the past, when as much as 2-4 inches fell. We remember where we were and what we were doing during these momentous events.

Today I sit, hibernating in my warm house, thankful for Willmut Gas and my central heating unit. I look out my window and see a beautiful blue sky. There is no snow. Just bone-chilling, body aching, face burning cold. It is 23 degrees outside, with a wind chill of 11. My friends from the Northern states would probably call that a warm snap, but down here we call it a brutal shock to the system.

Do I sound like I'm whining? Well, maybe I am, just a little, but I'll try to put on my big girl britches and deal with it. I will not, however, be leaving my house. Today looks like it's shaping up to be a good day for creating some new art.

Who wants chili?

About New Years Resolutions

First of all, let me just say thanks to my 23 followers for not dropping my poor neglected blog like a hot rock. It's been a little boring around here, to say the least. You see, my life has been so hectic that I figured I could either hang on for the ride, or stop to write about it. As you can probably tell, hanging on for the ride won out.

Which brings me to the topic of resolutions. I have decided not to call them resolutions this year. There is just something about that word that is a little, umm....pressure inducing. You see, I've never been any good at keeping resolutions. Oh, I make them. Every year. The same ones, over and over again. There is nothing imaginative about my resolutions either. Lose weight, exercise more, get organized, blah...blah...blah.

So, I have decided that the problem might be with that word, "resolution". I mean, who really uses that term anyway, except at this time of year? I prefer the term "annual goals". (That might have something to do with my background as a special educator. My paperwork is full of annual goals, and there is no option to blow them off, either.)

Through my etsy shop I have found a camaraderie with a group of ladies, most of whom are within a few years of my age. We share artsy tips and techniques, but also chatter about our similar personal experiences and interests. We confide our joy, our fears, our triumphs, and our disappointments. We laugh, cry, and pray together. I've met these wonderful people through the world wide web, and have frequently struggled to come up with a term that accurately defines my relationship with them. I've called them e-friends, virtual friends, and cyber-buddies. There was just something about these terms, though, that didn't sit quite right with me. It occurred to me recently that I don't have to make a distinction between these ladies and my local friends. They are, quite simply, my friends, and I am truly blessed to have them in my life.
So, my first goal is to make a point of coming here to my blog at least once each week to chat with my friends.

Now, about my second goal. I have it in my head, but I think I'll wait and tell you about it next week. Stay tuned! :-)

Check Out This New Snarkalicious Christmas Card!

This is my newest digital collage greeting card, just in time to start planning for the Christmas season! I used an exquisite background from the very talented artist Debrina Pratt's "Land of Enchantment!" Debrina's work is a feast for the eyes and the imagination! Pop over and visit her Etsy shop here!

Just a Little Flighty

I created this digital collage in response to a challenge presented by my fellow mixed media/collage friends to create a piece of art based on the word, "flight". You know, sometimes people refer to a person as flighty and don't necessarily intend that as a complimentary term. However, according to Princeton University (and those guys are pretty smart!) the word "flighty" is defined as "guided by whim or fancy". I kind of like the sound of that. So...from now on, if someone calls me flighty, I'm going to take it as a compliment.

To purchase this or any of my other cards, click here, and go to Serendipity Collections!

New Digital Collages. These are Snarkalicious!

Well, I have stayed up way too late tonight. But, I had a couple of collages rattling around inside my brain, and they wouldn't let me rest until I released them! These are a little on the snarky side. Hope they make somebody smile!

Digital Collage Snow White Let Herself Go!

I've never been one to leave the poor fairy tale characters alone. I'm once again on poor Snow White's case, this time for getting a tad too comfy in the dwarf's woodland home. Looks like she might be still hitting the juice a little too frequently.

Yet Another New Passion! Digital Collage

I have found a new love! This one I plan to keep around for a while, though. It's digital collage, and I have been having a blast with it! I am fortunate to be a member of a fabulous flickr group, which gives me access to these exquisite images. I imported the images into my trusty little Photoshop elements program, and just let my imagination take care of the rest! These are among the first two digital collages I've created. I printed these out onto clear transparency film and slapped them into a black frame with no back. I must tell you I am very happy with the final result.

One of the great things about digital collage is that it doesn't take a plethora of "stuff" to create. Artsy "stuff" has a tendency to take over my house, so this is a huge advantage for me.