I HEART You!

and it's not even February! 

This past year has been filled with a number of friends and acquaintences being diagnosed with heart disease -- unfortunately for some, the diagnosis came as a result of their autopsy.  Morbid yes, but the reality is heart disease is real -- it impacts our lives, whether directly or indirectly. The good news?  There is much we can do to help combat it. 

You know what is coming, don't you...yes, with minor modifications to our daily routines, we can make positive changes to help prevent heart disease.

I recently took part in the French Hospital HeartAware program, a FREE cardiovascular risk assessment that took about 7 minutes to complete and:

•Assessed my current cardiovascular health status and identified those medical or lifestyle conditions that may lead to development of the disease.

•Shared what I could do to take action to reduce my level of risk, including making you aware of the many services available through French Hospital Medical Center.

•Offered FREE continuing education via e-mail about my specific cardiovascular health and risk factors, if I so desired.

In addition, at the end of the online assessment, I had the option of obtaining a FREE 1/2 hour consultation with the HeartAware Coordinator.  The consultation included a review of my assessment findings, a FREE cholesterol check and the opportunity to have a $99 calcium CT scan to check for any potential problems with my arteries.

At the end of the day, my heart is fine.  I have however taken some steps to ensure that my heart stays healthy -- I stopped eating sugar about a month ago, I have cut out my daily caffiene habit, I'm eating a lot more veggies & whole grain foods, and a lot less junk! 

So what is next on the road to the healthier me agenda?  Walk more!  This is where you can help!  I (along with my dog Zoe) have joined the FzioPed's HeartWalk team to help raise awareness for Heart Health.  The walk will be in October and will benefit the American Heart Association.  Until then, Zoe and I will be preparing for the walk and raising funds to help support the cause.  If you would like to support us in this endeavor and either walk with, or donate to the cause, please go to our Heart Walk web page. As a special thank you for caring, Zoe and I will be making a special PawPrintArt HEART card that we will send to each person who signs up at Heart Walk web page.

Thank you for your support!  ~Deborah & Zoe

Break Time is Now OVER!

Not that I’ve actually taken a break in life, but the blog break is officially over. These past couple of months have been busy with work, household chores, the book, family and friends. In other words, LIFE!


My finger is doing better, but I have a feeling it will never fully recover. I have limited strength and an ever-present “pop” every time I bend it. So, I guess I just need to put on my big girl panties and move on!

My jewelry wardrobe continues to grow, as I “experiment” with the whole jewelry-making process. My sister gave me a jewelry making book for Christmas and a charm bracelet book for my Birthday. All my husband has to say about it is, “Oh No!”

Last month I had the pleasure of organizing a bridal shower with a friend, for a friend. It was a small, intimate affair, and so instead of a cake we had cupcakes. I made them, and wouldn’t you know, it led me in another direction. Cake Decorating Classes! In my attempt to make something “pretty” for the shower, I realized I hadn’t the skill to create what I wanted, so I did my best

and signed up for the Wilton Cake Decorating class at my local Michael’s store. You can be sure I will now include cake decorating as a topic for future posts.

Work on the book continues.

Zoe's PawPrintArt will be expanded to include paintings painted with a paw print paintbrush the I made in Corel Painter.  The paintbrush was created using an image of Zoe's paw and will be used to paint entire paintings.  It's kind of a strange concept, I know, but here is a very fast, very rough painting that I painted so you could see what I'm talking about.  It is a Celtic Knot, done in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

If you look closely, you will see that every bit of this painting was painted using Zoe's PawPrintArt paintbrush that I created in Painter! 

Well, I guess that's the past couple of months in a nut shell.  I'll be back with regular postings about art, jewelery making, cake decorating, the book, and whatever else I can share with you.

Today's Quote:  "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today."  ~James Dean

Introducing the Zoe Chronicles -- A Dog Blog

What's on my Easel...

My easel is currently filled with whimsical, dog and animal art work. 

Why, you ask?  Well, it seems lately my husband and I have been hearing about dogs, horses, animals (and people) who are struggling and in need of assistance.  My husband and I decided that through a collaborative effort, we could help support animal (and human) rescue. 

So, we've come up with a new "dog blog" featuring our dog Zoe.  It is called, "Zoe-Chronicles" and in it, we will share stories about Zoe's life (from her perspective of course), provide training tips, links to animal related sites, and offer Zoe's PAW PRINT ART for sale -- with 30% of all sales profits being donated to animal (and human) rescue.

So, please check out the Zoe-Chronicles at http:zoe-chronicles.blogspot.com/  Tell people about it, and if you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us.

Together we can make a difference!

Today's Quote...
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank