Welcome back! Coffee's always on around here. Pull up your favorite chair and a grab a cup. Enjoy your visit today! And don't forget to stop back by again soon.

{Weather}

The weather here in the Seattle area has been just absolutely gorgeous lately! I’m really enjoying it. It’s still cold in the morning and at night – about 30-36?- and warms up to the mid 50’s by noon or so. Quite nice! Things that don’t normally bloom until Spring are starting to blossom already and there are a lot of birds as well.

{Shoulder}

I think I must have inadvertently slept on my shoulder last night because it and my arm are incredibly sore this morning. Not just sore, actually, but downright painful. I hope the referral for my MRI comes very soon. Kinda getting tired of waiting. I want to know what can be done about this pain before it gets any worse.

{Weight}

Now that it’s been almost a whole month since my doctor changed my blood pressure medication, I’m absolutely sure it was what causing the weight gain. Since I began taking the new medication, I’ve lost 10 pounds and I haven’t changed anything else – foods, exercise, etc – so I know for sure that’s what it is. This is very good news! I am so glad it was the answer.

Let me tell you – being “in touch” with your body and what’s going on with it is very important. If I hadn’t been, I’d still be taking the other medication and my weight would still be climbing. Many people don’t understand those subtle things about their bodies and aren’t really in tune with what’s going on. You owe it yourself – and your family – to understand your body and your health. Taking care of yourself is paramount.

{Cane}

My cane arrived last Thursday and I went grocery shopping with my mom Friday. Using the cane was so nice. I was able to take the pressure off my leg a lot and that really helped my endurance. My back didn’t start really complaining until we were nearly finished with our shopping. And I didn’t have that odd grinding feeling in my back every time I took step. I think this is going to turn out to be very helpful indeed! Glad I decided to go with it.

{Projects}

I’ve got two major projects going on right now. Both are for my cousin’s hair and nail salon. The first is designing a website for her home salon and make up line. It’s been fun and challenging! The second is a web-based application I’m building with Ruby on Rails for her to keep track of her client information. I’m having a good time learning RoR as I go along and I think the application is going to turn out well.

{Snow Leopard}

I finally took the plunge and upgraded my MacBook Pro to the latest OS X operating system – Snow Leopard. It’s running great and I like the updates. Lots of new features that I didn’t have in the Tiger edition of the OS. Some of the improvements are just little changes but those are good too. My system is now running faster (although it was never really all that slow) and I gained a few GB of space on my hard drive. That’s pretty cool! Before SL, I had 24gb of hdd space and now I’ve got 30gb, so that’s a bonus.

{The Husband}

My husband has been in college since last Spring, taking the AA degree program in welding. He’s almost finished! Yay! He gets to take a certification test next week and then he’ll actually be qualified to work in the industry in Washington State. Then, he has Spring quarter plus a couple more classes over Summer quarter to complete the full degree. Being that he’s never really finished anything in his entire life, this is a huge milestone for him. Now, hopefully, he will find a good job in the industry and stick with it.

{Miscellaneous}

I think I’ll do an “Around the Web” update this week and maybe even a few other things. Haven’t done those in a while and I know everybody always enjoys those. So look out for that, probably Wednesday or Thursday.

And have a great week!

Until next time -

Be blessed,

Lots of things to write about today – if I can remember all of them! LOL So let’s get crackin’ before I forget . . .

First, I’ve started a new “store” on shopify selling Reusable Bags. Because I think the Earth and our environment is a gift to us, on loan from the Creator. And it’s our job, our duty to protect it and cherish it. I use reusable bags when I shop and I love them. Since it’s something I do and whole-heartedly believe in, I thought, “Why not?” I’m still adding products to the store but it IS open if you’d like to take a peek! You can even buy something if you’d like – the shopping cart and payment gateway are all set up as well. Just head over to In The Bag.

Second, the “Around the Web” is going to be starting again soon, likely next week. I have several things and places to share with you that are scattered all over the web. Some are other blogs, some are specific posts on those blogs and some are just stuff I think is cool.

Third, a quick story from yesterday -

My mom and I went grocery shopping yesterday morning and on the way out of the store parking lot after we finished shopping, was a young man and his dog. He was holding a sign that said the dog needed food. After discussing it for about 10 seconds, we looped around, went back into the store and got some dog food, a box of dog biscuits, a couple bottles of water and some sandwiches. They were so thrilled and appreciative, it was a sight to watch! Jack (the dog) was a cutie and very well mannered. I think his boy even got a little misty-eyed.

Fourth, I think I’ll bring back the Reading List. Haven’t done one of those in a while, either. Got lots of good books on the shelf that waiting to be read and it’s time to get ‘er done! Any books you’ve read lately that you’d like to share?

Fifth, this blog now has, according to my feed stats, about 575 subscribers via the RSS feed and several hundred more who are subscribed via email. Why are you all so QUIET??? Speak up! Post comments! Talk to one another! I want to hear from you. This blog isn’t just about me – it’s about you, as well. Please, tell me what you think.

Sixth, my oldest child is turning 16 tomorrow. I can hardly believe how times flies! I keep thinking there is NO WAY I am old enough to have 16 year old! LOL But sure enough, she is. And I’m delighted she’s my daughter. Sure, she can be difficult – like any kid – but she’s the reason I’m a mom and I’m glad she’s part of me and my life.

Seventh, have you picked out a ThemeWord for 2010? Mine is CREATE. What have you created lately? Please share! I want to know what you think. It would be fun to really CREATE a community around this, this year. That’s part of my goal.

So, if you’re out there and you’ve never commented here or you haven’t commented in a while – what are you waiting for? Introduce yourself!

Be blessed,

Even though I’m not one of those uber organized people, I would like to be exceptionally more organized than I am. And I used to be – way back before I had a house full of kids running around. Not so much anymore. I still try, though.

One of the things I do, is make forms for myself. It helps me keep things on track and pretty much eliminates missed or forgotten things. Plus, I like to write (who knew?). Anyway, I have 3 forms to share with you today that I use regularly and I thought you’d like them as well.

The Menu Planner. It’s fairly colorful, easy to use and simply designed. But anyone from a small child to an adult can follow along and see what food is planned for what meal any day of the week. Even my youngest has learned to tell which color block is which.

Student Assignment Sheet. Even though I no longer homeschool my kids, I kept this form for myself and it’s been nice to have on hand for my college courses. It’s a plain form – no color embellishments or anything here, but it’s still simple and easy to use for most grade levels if you need to keep track of assignments. It’s 2 pages long and has lots of room for all the details you’ll need to know what assignment is due and when.

Mini Character Sheet. This is a form I use for writing fiction stories. It’s a simple sheet where I can put all of the details about a character when I’m sketching out a storyline. It lets me get to know the character and help develop a background for them. There are 2 character sheets per page which I usually cut in half but sometimes, it’s nice to leave them together. Depends on how many characters I’m sketching out.

I hope you enjoy them!

And please, let me know if you use any of them and what you think. Also, if there’s a form you’d like to have, whether for business or school or home, let me know. I’ve made so many different forms, it’s likely I have something similar to what you want.

Be blessed,

{ write * design * blog }

Just over 24 hours from now, it’ll be 2010!

There’s just something refreshing about a New Year. Like the slate gets wiped clean and one can just start over from the beginning. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but that’s how I feel about the turning of calendar. (Yes, I do realize I said “just” at least once in every sentence in this paragraph.)

And I’ve already posted about New Year’s over on margin of {error} so go ahead over there to read all about it. It’s a short ‘n sweet post.

Be blessed,

{ write * design * blog }

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with love and joy.

We’re going to hang out with family and friends and just enjoy visiting.

The Christmas Song
(Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa’s on his way;
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother’s child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I’m offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
A very Merry Christmas to you

Be blessed,

Out of all of life’s little pleasures, the one I had hoped most to impart to my own children was a love of reading. But it seems with the digital age, reverence for the library and a good book have gone by the wayside. That makes me sad a little.

When I was growing up, if I wasn’t outside riding bikes and what-not, I was inside curled up with a book. And a cat. Especially during this time of year when the weather turns wet and cold here in Western Washington. Nowadays, the kids have their noses stuffed in a computer screen or video game or a cell phone all the time. I suppose you could – maybe – loosely define some part of that as “reading.”

When they were little, I read to them every day and we went to the public library at least once a week. And of course, they saw (and still see) me reading often. You know, the whole “be the example” kind of thing.

I’ll admit – I do, do a fair amount of reading on the computer these days but I also still read regular, hold ‘em in your hand, bound, paper books as well. (Although, if the reading gods are listening, I’d really, *really* like a Kindle for Christmas.) (Hey, at least it’s still a book!)

Still, it makes me a little sad and I wonder if any of my children will ever be bitten by the reading bug . . .

Be blessed,

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~Author Unknown

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~Charles W. Eliot

If you resist reading what you disagree with, how will you ever acquire deeper insights into what you believe? The things most worth reading are precisely those that challenge our convictions. ~Author Unknown

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

Well, I guess I’ve already broken my goal of blogging every day this month. And you know, that’s ok. Just like rules, it seems goals were also meant to be broken.

So there.

Now, let’s move forward . . .

A few weeks ago (ok, hold that thought . . . the moving forward one, I mean).

. . . a few weeks ago, my cousin, who owns her own hair and nail salon, colored and cut my hair in exchange for redesigning the salon’s website. Even though there are still a few tweaks to do and some info to add to the site, it is up and looks good. I think it managed to reflect the salon’s attitude and image without looking too dull or too flashy.

Now, aside from the bio’s of my cousin and her co-workers and a few minor things like that, it’s complete. However, I know there are ways to improve it and I’ll likely keep tweaking things here and there over the coming weeks so that hopefully what we really end up with is something both she and I are proud of.

Doing her website and the conversations we had about the salon business sparked something else – an idea, a thought – and so I’ve started looking for ways to put that into motion. As a result, I’ve spent hours over the past few weeks researching and learning Ruby on Rails.

Since I learned C and C++ back in the day along with a few other now defunct or obsolete programming languages, RoR (or Rails) has proven to be fairly simple for me to get a handle on. I also like the fact that some of my favorite web apps are built on Rails (Basecamp, Twitter, 43things, A List Apart, Blinksale).

And so that now brings me to moving forward . . .

There are 2 things I am planning to build, 2 different web apps I am now in the process of creating. One of those is a revamp of a project my husband I started a couple of years ago for builders and building-related companies in the Seattle area. I’m not entirely sure yet what all I am really going to include in the project and I probably won’t get into it much until after the first of the year. I’ve decided, though, that the best way to implement the components we want to include, is to rebuild the site on Rails.

But the other one, I am diving right into. And that is a project inspired by my cousin’s hair salon. In fact, it’s going to be a web app FOR salon owners and employees. I still need to pick my cousins brain as to exactly what she wants in the app and how she wants it to work but I know it will include things like a calendar for scheduling, charts for hair color mixes, product ordering, product sales and I don’t what else.

Since it will be an online app, they’ll be able to access it from anywhere, from any computer they might be using and it will tentatively be able to be set up on their own server. I am toying with whether or not I should create/provide a hosted version as well. And I think I probably will just to make it easier for people. I’m thinking it’s going to be kinda like a Basecamp for salon owners.

We’ll see how it goes as things get rolling.

Be blessed,

My 5 year old came home singing a rather interesting version of Jingle Bells today – ” . . . dashing through the snow, with stitches in my head . . .” I’m afraid to ask what the rest of the song sounds like!

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.