It’s sad to see the holiday season end because the Cheer template quickly became a favorite of mine!  I’m back to my usual ITheme2 template with a new background picture.  The photo is one of many quilt blocks on barns I took while on vacation in Kentucky a couple of years ago.  Enjoy!

This blog’s main purpose is to promote my business and provide useful resources for beginning and intermediate stitchers. You will also find some posts that highlight personal milestones or simply to share some of my non-quilty side.

Thanks for reading!   P.S.  All is well with the domain transfer.

The bottle of caramel colored fizzy stuff known as Diet Coke is no longer a part of my life.

Okay, let’s wait on those who know me well to pick themselves up off the floor before I continue…

Yeah, I kicked the habit.  F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!

My association with the beloved bubbly goes back more than two decades to my college years at UGA when I was known in my business classes as Teresa with the Tab. Diet soda was my one vice for a long, long time.  Over the years, I changed my beverage of choice to Diet Coke and it remained a permanent fixture in my life until a month ago.

I knew it wasn’t healthy to drink the 2 liters+ a day I was guzzling.  Cutting back never worked for very long and going cold turkey turned me into a mean, wicked, wicked witch.  At the 36 hour mark of no Diet Coke, I was heading to the convenience store for a double shot of Diet Coke like a junkie looking for a fix.  Basically, that’s what it was.

What was different this time?  I thank the mom of Alisha & Alex – two of my READers – that’s who.  Their mom is an internal medicine physician who shared how she coaches her patients through the process. Cutting back is done in two week increments until gradually you give up the Diet Coke completely.  I cut my consumption in half for two weeks, then down to one quarter of my original consumption for two more weeks.

I enjoyed my last Diet Coke on Sunday morning.  Monday was okay.  Tuesday, I woke up with a headache and craving for Diet Coke so bad that I almost headed to the store…but I had already passed the 36 hour mark and was determined to suck it up as long as possible.  The past 24 hours have not been fun with a monster headache that wouldn’t quit, insane cravings for Diet Coke, lethargy, brain fog and the wicked, wicked, wicked witch making her reappearance.   People who kicked the habit reported it took 3-5 days before they began to feel better.  It’s right at day 4 and I’m starting to feel human again.

I took Excedrin migraine (with the caffeine) that finally dulled the pain enough so I could function.  I treated myself to a small chai tea latte from Starbuck’s this morning.  Unsweetened iced tea with lemon and lime is my new drink of choice.  I still don’t like water, but I am learning to drink it.

Since cutting back on Diet Coke and eventually eliminating it, I have slept better, endured no lower back pain (kidneys telling me whoa, girl!), and have experienced no bloating, heartburn or gas.  I understand it will take a couple of weeks to feel *normal* again and be back to my usual energy levels.  It’ll be a couple of months before all of the aspartame and other yucky stuff works its way out of my system.  A FB friend posted the following picture that kind of says it all to me:

Next up is attacking the extra weight.  Here’s to a healthy, happy 2013.

It’s that time of year in Cobb County – time to renew the business license for 2013.

The line at the Community Development Office was L-O-N-G this morning.

Our elected officials, in their crusade to stamp out illegal aliens (to correct the news folks – they’re immigrants only if they’re here legally), imposed a new set of regulations on companies establishing or renewing their annual business license.  The owner or designee now has to show proof of citizenship in order to obtain said business license, plus have two affidavits notarized.  And it’s not just a one shot deal…you have to do the same thing every year until the business ceases operation.

So, I had my affidavits duly notarized ($6 at local UPS store because I’d forgotten to ask the school secretary do the honors before we left for Christmas break) and appear in person because I refuse to send a copy of my driver’s license or passport via unsecured email.

The line was long because the county had set up a notary public/employee in the lobby who was there to check documentation and notarize required affidavits.  (This wasn’t the case when I initially applied for my business license back in the spring.) I could have saved myself $6 if I’d known this, but since I had my documentation already prepared, I was allowed to go directly to the teller window.  In less than 10 minutes from entering the building, I exited with my prized paid receipt.  My next step is to affix the receipt to the frame of my 2012 business license and wait for the new one to appear.

For those with inquiring minds, Cobb County’s business license fee is $102.00 for a business with less than $100,000 in revenues.  Most part-time businesses like mine fall well below that threshold.  And as much as I fussed about the arts & crafts retail SIC code category the business license division stuck me in last spring, it’s turned out to be the correct code as my business has evolved to include more custom quilts and sewing for hire.