It's Been a Minute!!

Thought I would update my profile pic too!

April 2015

Oh wow, I haven't updated my blog in ages!!  Well that surely doesn't mean I haven't been crafting and enjoying life to the fullest!  I've just failed to share and shame on me!!

So now, I play catch-up!  I'll be brief - - - - ok, I know, I know, those of you that know me and love me are quite aware that I'm NEVER brief!!!  Oh well, I WILL try to keep the catch-up short and get to the good stuff and the crafting!

First, I'll share that for the past few months ( 8 months to be exact ), I have been spending my week nights in Alabama, 5 minutes from my office, with a very gracious hostess who is a good friend and former co-worker.  This arrangement began not long after we faced tremendous cuts at the hospital including reduction in hours (but not in work-load!), as well as salary cuts across the board.  This has been necessary to keep the hospital above water after VERY inappropriate mishandling of monies by our FORMER administration.  Needless to say, it's affected so many, but we've stuck it out and we do a whole lot of praying daily and things are turning around!!

SO, to help in fuel costs since I travel 120 miles per day for work and to ease the stress of the 55 minute each way drive, I began bunking with my friend Dot during the week.  It's been great and I've really enjoyed it!  She's really spoiled me (she's an awesome cook!) and I had a very nice and comfortable 'suite'!!

BUT, since my craft Studio is here at my house, I haven't been transporting any Scrapbooking or Card-Making projects and/or supplies.  I HAVE picked up Crocheting again and LOVE it and I've made several projects that I'll share soon.  That was a little more mobile and let me be a little crafty while staying away from home.  And Dot is a very talented crocheter so we made like little old grannies and crocheted most evenings!!

I'm staying back at my house now, simply because I miss Home Sweet Home and my family and my Studio!!  And I'm getting a lot more papercrafting done in the evenings.  Yay!!!!  I sure miss Dot's yummy cooking and I'm sure I'll have to sneak by for dinner very soon.

Stay tuned . . . . . . . . .
Jenn

Welcome 2012!!

Whew ~ Fresh Start!!  Thank you, Jesus!

I thank God for a great year in 2011 (tough times & bumps in the road, right along with the smooth & happy times!).  December 31, 2011 found us all in good health and all together at the close of the year.  Lots of changes and adjustments are taking place in our family BUT we're so blessed to be a close-knit family that is grounded in love (unconditional love) as well as sharing a mutual faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  We're so grateful for His Grace & Mercy!

After bringing in the New Year together, we enjoyed two awesome services at church on the 1st!  What a way to start the New Year!  I thank God for our precious church family and for our pastor/friend and his sweet wife.

But this new year also brings new challenges, as well as those changes and adjustments I spoke of - so for that, I ask all my praying friends and family that visit my blog to keep me and my family in your prayers, as I will you & yours!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and may each of you experience God's Love, Grace, Mercy and tremendous Blessings and live with JOY!

Jenn

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a wonderfully blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be enjoying a scrumptious dinner with my family this evening, a little shopping tomorrow, AND some much-needed 'crafty-time' thru the weekend!!

I LOVE the lyrics to this old song:

"Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me"


Verse I 
As the world looks upon me, as I struggle along 
They say I have nothing, but they are so wrong 
In my heart I'm rejoicing, how I wish they could see 
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me 
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Chorus
There's a roof up above me 
I've a good place to sleep 
There's food on my table 
And shoes on my feet 
You gave me your love Lord 
And a fine family 
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me 

Verse II 
Now I know I'm not wealthy, and these clothes , they're not new 
I don't have much money, but Lord I have you 
And to me that's all that matters, though the world cannot see 
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me 

Repeat Chorus, then: 
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me

I truly do thank my Lord for so many blessings!  AND not just today, but everyday!!
For Salvation and the promise of an abundant life and an eternal life
For my precious, precious family
For my church and church family
For our health, our homes and our jobs
and for all our beautiful friends!!

I'm truly blessed!
Jenn

Introducing . . . . !!

My new business venture ~~  I'm so excited to announce that, as of Wednesday, June 15th, 2011, I'm officially an Independent Consultant with Thirty-One Gifts!!

My family teases me about being a 'Bag Lady' because of my love of bags, purses and totes but now I'm an official Bag Lady!!  I'm guilty of carrying several bags anywhere I go, to contain many things I may need at any time!  Know what I mean??!!  I need one for my Close To My Heart Idea Book and business supplies/samples, one for work, a bag for my lunch and drinks, etc. etc.  PLUS my purse!!  So you can imagine how thrilled I was to be introduced to this awesome company back in April while at the Scrapbooking Retreat in Weatherford, Texas!

At first glance of this Large Utility Tote, I had to know more . . . . . . . .

A fellow Scrapper sitting adjacent from me had a TON of Close To My Heart Paper Packs and other items organized in the Large Utility Tote that is shown on the left in the above picture.  I checked it out and it was gorgeous, to begin with, and so sturdy and roomy!   THEN, she pulled out her awesome little 'Skirt Purse' and let me try it out!!  Well, I was totally SOLD on the products right then and there! 

But the most impressionable thing about Thirty-One came once I got back home from the Scrapbooking Retreat and began googling this company!  It's faith-based and it's very name is derived from Proverbs 31!  The more I learned, the more I knew I wanted to be  part of it!

I really believe the Lord led me straight to my Sponsor / Director, Laura Aridgides!  I came upon her fabulous and informative videos and immediately felt connected and comfortable with her.  Then I contacted her and the rest is history!! 

There was a freeze on recruiting at that time, so I collected a catalog order, earning tons of free products and half-price items to start my collection.  I was on pins and needles waiting to get the e-mail from Corp that I could sign up!!  SO, as of June 15th, I'm officially an Independent Consultant with Thirty-One!!!  You can shop with me right from your seat at my website:  www.mythirtyone.com/JennLee

My Enrollment kit will be here tomorrow afternoon and I can hardly wait!  I'll be sure to post pics of it's content and hopefully tempt you!! 

If you would like to be kept informed of specials and other info, and you have a Facebook account, please look over on the right side bar here on my blog and click on 'Like'. 

I'll thank you in advance for considering me for all your Thirty-One Gifts needs (wants!!)!

So excited!

Jenn

My Biscuit Pillow!!

It felt so great to be back sitting behind my sewing machine again Sunday afternoon!!  Sewing was a passion of mine for a long time when my children were small and I've only sewn off and on since then.  But Jessica received a very nice Singer sewing machine for Christmas from her mother-in-law, Robyn, and has graciously let me 'try it out' !!  I love it!!  It's quite a bit different from my old Singer as far as threading and how the bobbin is loaded but other than that, it's awesome!!  I'm seeing a new sewing machine in MY near future as well !!!

I posted a picture of the charms packet I purchased at Jo-Anns before Christmas (refer to this post!) and due to time constraints I never got to make any of those projects I had anticipated for Christmas.  SO . . . . I'm on them now!!!  My first project was the Biscuit Pillow for my mama and this fabric from the charms packet was so perfect as it is 'so her'!!  Back in the day when I first began making them, I made smaller 'biscuits' and actually made a ruffle to go around it.  I changed it up a bit and made the puffy biscuits an inch larger, made the backside into a biscuit as well, and didn't add the ruffle.  And the lap throw isn't actually a 'lap' throw because I ran out of fabric!!   I don't know what it will be but when mama receives it, she will love it and find a place and use for it!!  She's such a grateful recipient of anything we present to her, especially hand-made gifts!  It's nothing fancy or extraordinary but as I said in the above mentioned post, the fabric reminds me of her so much and she had mentioned how she always loved those pillows I had made years ago, so it did my heart good to make her one!!

Now I'm off to my day-job - but I've already cut most of the pieces for my next project that I hope to start working on this afternoon or tomorrow evening!  It feels great to be sewing again! 

Jenn

Happy Birthday to me!! Plus "Piece of Cake" Stamp of the Month!

How lame was my title!!!  Oh well, I've had a great day!

I so love Facebook!! Yes it was my birthday today and through FB, I received more ‘Happy Birthdays’ on one single birthday than I ever have!! It was so cool!! All day, my IPhone was beeping that I had another birthday wish and/or message on FB! These birthday wishes were from family and friends, plus several old school friends that I don’t see regularly or haven’t seen for years, Close to My Heart sister-consultants as well as customers, plus friends that I’ve worked with at some point in my life or have gone to church with!! Of course I had to work a few hours after church today and I get very little phone reception in my office but the messages came through! So I want to say thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes today!

Birthdays never bother me as far as getting older. I’m so thankful to be pretty healthy and definitely happy in my life and oh so blessed with my beautiful family, my church family, my home and my job.  For me, it’s simply a number because I really don’t FEEL older – yes my body has slowed down a bit - there’s not quite as much energy as there used to be!! I know this sounds goofy but I still feel like my parents’ little girl!! They still treat me like it too!! I love it!!

I share my birthday with an awesome Close to My Heart sister-consultant, Melissa Laverty!! I was blessed to meet her at Leadership Conference 2009 in Long Beach, California, after having followed her blog for awhile. She’s a beautiful person with a great personality and just inspires me so much with her enthusiasm and her artwork. Her blog is listed on the right under the 'Blogs that Inspire Me' and you can visit by clicking on ‘fancyMelissa’ or you can simply click on her name above.   She’s even made a cool video showcasing our awesome My Acrylix Stamps! Check it out!

I thought I would share the link to the beginning of the February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  These are sites of some very talented consultants that participated in SOTM blog hop so be ready to be inspired!  The stamp set is A Piece of Cake and you can purchase it at a great discount or receive it absolutely free with your $100 order starting tomorrow, February 1st.   Click here to place your order via my CTMH web-site!!

You’ll begin the blog hop at Jen’s blog, RoxyBonds and she’ll direct you where to hop to next!! Enjoy!

Jenn

Wow!! 2010!!

Happy New Year!!  I pray that 2010 is a year filled with happiness, love, laughter and prosperity for all!

We're so blessed with wonderful family & friends, our home, our jobs - but most importantly with a Savior who loves us and promises us and all who believe in Him, Abundant Life and Eternal Life!!  Thank you Jesus for loving me, for salvation and all the merciful grace you extend to us!

My prayer on this new day of this new year is that all will come to know Him and receive this gift of salvation that He so longs to give!  God is so good! 

Happy New Year! 
Jenn

Home from California!!

Wow!! That’s all I can say!! Leadership Conference 2009 was simply incredible!

I’ve been home since last Monday night but went straight back to a very busy week at my day-job; that’s why I’m just now back to my blog!
Leadership was held in sunny Long Beach, California. I actually flew into San Diego a day prior and my gracious upline, Bren Yule, hosted me in her home the evening I arrived. Of course, I was in awe of her craft room!! It is fabulous! Bren challenged me to try something new every day so that first night, she treated me to an awesome dinner at her daughter and son-in-law’s restaurant, Harney Sushi!! That was definitely something new for me, actually incredible. I enjoyed several dishes I had never eaten before and the ambience was wonderful. We walked through some of the historic part of San Diego and I really enjoyed that! The weather was just right and Bren’s a great tour-guide! Then we went to a precious little scrapbook store on Thursday morning before we got on the road to Long Beach for the conference. The store was beautifully decorated and had tons of scrapbook and paper-crafting supplies. Of course, I’m pretty loyal to Close to My Heart products and supplies, but I DID purchase a cute little brown (chocolate) and pink (blush) organizer!! Lunch was on the deck of a quaint little place called Cody’s at La Jolla, CA where I enjoyed another new entrée while looking out at the Pacific Ocean !! It was a beautiful sight – actually breath-taking to me.

Thursday evening began this year’s Leadership Conference with a focus on artwork! We got a sneak peak at a new Workshops on the Go™ project along with new products from the Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book. You’re going to love it!! Our new products were introduced via a runway show featuring our founder & CEO, Jeanette Lynton, along with two fashion divas, VPs Kristine Widtfeldt and Monica Wihongi!! CTMH models walked the catwalk holding covers of each of the past Idea Books up through the NEWEST and the AWESOME Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book!! Included on the runway was a sampling of the hottest new products for fall !! New products were given away to many in attendance and each consultant received a newly redesigned Shoulder Tote!

The highly anticipated Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book was the show-stopping finale! The Idea Book, which had an ‘extreme makeover’ with a newly designed look and layout, was handed out to each Consultant in attendance!! The business classes taught at this year’s event were fun and informative and filled with other exciting announcements. Not to mention the fabulous fellowship and networking with fellow CTMH’ers!! It was an awesome week and I can hardly wait to get my hands on all my new products! My package actually came on Wednesday, filled with the bundles I purchased on Saturday of Leadership!! Attendees are able to purchase the new products in bundles while at conference and then they’re practically waiting on your doorsteps when you arrive home!! I’m telling you, you will love all the new stamp sets and paper packs!! I’ll be getting a display board prepared with some of the new products this week and plan to post pics toward the end of the week.

Although I had a wonderful time at Leadership Conference and spending time with Bren, it was also great to get home!! My little welcoming party included 3 little munchkins who were proud to see their Mammy!! I was feeling the love!! Little Madalyn learned to crawl while I was away so she was crawling up my legs a little, Cooper hunkered down on my left leg and Nick positioned himself under my right arm!! We sat like that for about an hour – they even sat through looking at some of my pictures and loved the videos I took of the take-off and landing of my plane! California was terrific and I had a great time, but it was even more wonderful to be back home and with my family!

So another week begins in less than 12 hours but things shouldn't be too hectic this week now that we’ve completed our Month-End Process; hence, the plan to get some artwork created with my new stuff!!! Did I tell you how much you’re going to love, love, love the new Idea Book and all the new products??!! Well, they’ll be available September 1st !! So stay tuned !!!

I’m sorry this was so long!! Just felt like I needed to catch up! I’ve missed blogging!

Jenn

Counting Down the Days 'til Leadership Conference!!

I just read where my fellow Close to my Heart Consultant, Melissa Laverty (fancyMelissa), had blogged her excitement about our upcoming Leadership Conference next week AND I had to SECOND that excitement!!!

I literally have butterflies in my stomach and feel just like a child at Christmas!! I've been counting down the days for about a month now! I leave one week from today (July 29th) and get to spend 3 fabulous days with hundreds of CTMH consultant friends ~ some I've met, more I'll meet next week for the first time! We'll be attending a great line-up of classes that are geared toward helping us take our businesses to the next level. We'll be hearing about all the awesome new things that await us through-out the coming months as well as spending time creating with our new Product line being introduced in the Fall/Winter Idea Book. Oh! My! Goodness! I can hardly wait!

I was a hobbyist/semi-consultant for so long (until I attended my first CTMH Conference last year - see my previous post about my history with CTMH here ) - but through a wonderful program that CTMH began last year called Journey to Director, I've already brought my business up a level and am now a Supervisor, having 2 new members on my team! This program was created to help consultants reach the upper management levels in the company that, actually, I never thought would happen for me. But through the awesome training we receive, the literature and networking available and very importantly, our Journey to Director Bulletin Board, it is SO achievable! I'm reaching higher!!

And by all means, if YOU would like to be a part of this awesome company, please contact me at Rather.Be.Scrappin@GMail.com .

Did I mention how excited I am !!!!! And the great news is that you can share in this excitement too!! Close to My Heart is open to Business Builders as well as Personal-use Consultants, which is where I began. July is a great month to begin your own business as a CTMH Consultant - when you sign up during July, you get to choose five fabulous products from our Favorite Five list for FREE - with no additional shipping or tax. What this means for you is that you'll be getting product worth up to $100 for no charge, just for signing up in July!! How awesome it that?!! For your sign-up fee of only $99 you'll receive about $400 total retail in product! It's an incredible deal that will really jumpstart your business and your artwork!

Again, you can contact me via e-mail at Rather.Be.Scrappin@GMail.com or phone at 601-479-3053. Hope to hear from you soon!

Jenn

Look what I received today . . . . .

(Remember, you can click on the image to get a larger, closer view!)

I’m so excited!! Look what I received today:
A beautiful charm from Close To My Heart that features the signature “heart key”! It’s a Congratulatory gift for reaching a milestone in my Close to My Heart business – my 5 year Anniversary! The letter included states, “At this special time, we want you to know how deeply we value your loyalty, energy, and creativity. We’re honored to have you as a member of our family.” And a family it is!! It’s amazing the bonds you create, over so many miles, with people (most of whom you’ve never met) who share your love of preserving memories through the art of scrapbooking and paper crafts! AND with a company as awesome as Close To My Heart, wonderful friendships are formed, memories are created thru meetings and Corporate Events, and business goals are met uniquely for each Consultant. I feel so blessed to be a part of the Close To My Heart family! Thanks to our founder and CEO, Jeanette Lynton and everyone at Corporate! And thanks to all my sister- and brother-consultants for all the inspiration and encouragement! Here’s to many more years with Close To My Heart!!

ABCs of Me!

ABC’s of Me!
I found this on Karen Pederson’s blog -http://karenpedersen.blogspot.com/2009/05/abcs-of-me.html while surfing my favorites tonight and had to join in on the fun!
You can participate too - just copy and paste this list of questions and change to your answers and post it on your blog with a link to mine – http://sharingmysweetlife.blogspot.com. Then leave a comment here so I’ll know you’ve done it, including your blog address and I’ll visit and learn more about you!!
ABC’s of Jenn ~
Age: 43
Bed size: Queen
Chore you hate: folding laundry
Dad's Name: James
Essential start your day item: E-mail
Favorite actor(s): Kevin Costner, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Denzel Washington, Jennifer Aniston, Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks
Gold or Silver: Silver
Height: 5’7"
Instruments you play(ed): Piano (I’m the pianist at my church, my mom’s the organist, and my dad is the assistant Music Leader!!!)
Job title: Close to My Heart Supervisor (fun JOB!), Information Systems Coordinator / Application Support (Home Health agency) – my day JOB!Kid(s): Jaime, Alison (daughter-in-law), Jessica, Alex (son-in-law), Amber, Mike (son-in-law), and Josh
Living arrangements: own a home in Quitman, Mississippi and live with my husband, Don and our one remaining child at home (who graduated Friday night from High School and will be commuting to Junior College in the fall !!)
Mom's name: Patricia (mama, Mrs Pat, Granny, Aunt Pat, Shug (to my daddy!)
Nicknames: Red (wonder why??) But mostly I’m called Jenn.
Overnight hospital stay other than birth: tonsillectomy at 18, near fatal DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) after major blood transfusion following still-birth of my last baby in 1997 (story for a later time).
Pet peeves: Loudness/Obnoxiousness
Quotes you like: If you don’t stand up for something, you’ll fall for anything.
Rightie or Leftie: Rightie
Siblings: one sister, Theresa
Time you wake up: 6:30 am (clock is actually set for 6:00 but I have to snooze a couple of times!! – my husband HATES this!)
Umbrella: yes
Vegetable you dislike: tomatoes
Ways you run late: too much time spent on the CTMH Bulletin Boards as well as surfing blogs! Plus I’m OCD about some things so before I leave the house, I have to check all the bathrooms and the kitchen to make sure nothing's left plugged in – I check at least 3 times before I leave and have sometimes gotten in my truck and cranked up, only to unlock the door and go BACK in to check again!! WEIRDO!!
X-rays you've had: left foot and left hand after tripping over the baby’s stroller in my office
Yummy food you make: All my Pampered Chef recipes!! My family’s favorite is the Taco Ring and Chicken Broccoli Braid. We also have a great recipe for Chicken Roll-ups that are their absolute favorite. Plus they say I make a ‘mean’ home-made Spaghetti!
Zodiac: Aquarius

Jenn

A more current picture of me!!

** Several people have commented that I look young to have grown children plus grandchildren!! But as I stated in a reply to one of the comments, the picture I chose for my profile pic was the only one I was not too embarrassed to post and I needed something quick for my blog. That picture was actually several years ago and at a very happy time in my life. I've sinced gained alot of weight due to some health issues and I've lost alot of hair as well (and of course, I've grayed some too!!! What do you do for natural red hair that's graying??) So I don't let anyone take pictures of me very much and if they do, I pretty much try to hide them.

** But I didn't want to seem dishonest because that's not my intention - I actually DO still look exactly the same EXCEPT for the weight gain and thinner hair!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I'm posting a more current picture of me - actually last year. That day, I had tried straightening my 'naturally kinky' hair with the big fat curling iron and you see how it turned out. I kind of liked it but once I stepped outside in the humid Mississippi air, it frizzed right up!!! So I don't straighten it much - just let it be natural and curly. And I guess I couldn't conjure up a smile for anything!!

** I want to lose weight so badly and actually started Nutri-system last year. It was wonderful, I enjoyed the food and I honestly stuck to it. I didn't cheat AT ALL. The first month, I lost 15 pounds, the second month, I lost 12 pounds. Then it got to be too expensive with me still having to buy groceries and cook for my hungry family!! I had to make the hard choice to cut out spending somewhere and it had to be there. I was so disappointed because it was the only thing I had every tried that actually worked for me. I was doing it with a buddy and that made it even better.

** It is SO HARD to lose weight the old way - limit your portions, stay away from sweets, fried foods, processed foods and sodas, increase water and walk 100 miles every day!! I've even tried to sweet talk my hematologist into some popular weight loss pills, and he let me know real quick that due to my health issues, I was crazy for even asking or considering!! Then he proceeded to break down a meal plan for me and showed me some exercises to do and just thought that I would whip out a magic stick and cast a spell on myself!!! At that point, that's what I thought it would take to get me to stick to it and lose weight that way. I know it takes will power and determination and I haven't had that. The 'want to' is there but no 'get up and go' about it. So it's my fault.

** But it's been 'weighing' (no pun intended!!) heavily on my mind for a couple of weeks that I really do need to suck it up and get on a good diet and exercise plan and get this weight off of me. For my health and for me. I want to feel better physically and feel better about myself. I want to be IN PICTURES with my family, not just always TAKING them.

** Ok, well that's off my chest and you can see what I look like now!!! I think I'll leave my profile pic up for encouragement to myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm still 'happy'. I have a wonderful life and a precious family whom I adore - I just don't smile as much BECAUSE of how I feel about MYSELF. But that's all about to change!! Time to stop being so negative about jennifer and do something to change what I CAN change. The age doesn't bother me at all. I'm proud to be 43 - don't even mind the gray hair (just want to KEEP it all!!) I just NEED to lose weight and get healthy again. And I'm GOING to do it! Whisper a prayer for me??!!

I plan to post some artwork tomorrow night if I make it in from work at a decent time. I got inspired by some beautiful pictures in a 'Southern Accents' magazine that I saw at my Doctor's Appointment today and even sketched out how I wanted to do it!! Remember, I don't go anywhere without my Idea Book and a notebook/pen!!

** Well, if you stuck with me through to the end here, thanks for listening!!! Just got started and didn't know when to quit, I guess!!

** Until tomorrow,

Jenn

Let me introduce myself!!

My name is Jennifer Lee and I'm a blogging-addict!

Well, I'm actually addicted to fellow scrapbookers' / paper-crafters' blogs as I had not yet ventured out to start my own blog ~ hence the creation of "Sharing my Sweet Life"! And a 'Sweet Life' I'm living!!

I'm blessed to be married to my soul-mate, Don, with whom I share 4 children and 6 grandchildren!!! We are so very blessed!! I work a very 'full-time' job outside our home as the IS Coordinator/Application Support for a Home Health Agency ~ ~ but my favorite position is a Consultant with Close to My Heart, a leader in the scrapbooking and stamping industry!

I look forward to 'Sharing my sweet life' and my passion for scrapbooking / paper-crafting with you!

Until next time,
Jenn