Lexington Comic Book & Toy Convention, aka Lexington Comic-Con, is coming up next month.  The dates are March 7-10, and will be held at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky.  I've had my tickets and hotel reservations for several months now and am looking forward to attending.  So far, my son and I have not missed a single day of the convention since it began in 2012.

Besides artists and writers of all types of comic books, there will be several guests from movies, tv shows and wrestling.  These guests include Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeannie), Shannen Daugherty (90210), and Sgt. Slaughter and Rick Foley (wrestlers).

For a list of all the guests and other information, you can check out their site at http://www.lexingtoncomiccon.com/.

I'm so sorry that I haven't been on here for quite a while.  Things have been rather jumbled over the last few months in in my family life which has caused me to neglect my blog.  Covid didn't help matters either, with having to pretty much stick close to home for the past couple of years.   Things are beginning to get back to normal and I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things.  With that being said, here's a few things I can update you on.

1.  Lexington ComicCon 2021 was finally held in September.  There was a really good crowd and everyone seemed to be glad to finally get out and enjoy things.  I hope to post pictures on my website soon. 

2.  ScareFest 2021 was held in October and was the best year yet for them.  They were very pleased with the turnout and they are already planning a big lineup for this year.  Pictures to come soon.

3.  Lexington ComicCon 2022 was held this past March.  I got to meet Ron Perlman of Hellboy and the original Beauty and the Beast tv show.  Also got to meet Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox of television's Chips.  Pictures will be posted as soon as possible.  

4.  ScareFest 2022 will be held October 21-23 at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington, Kentucky.  This is the former Lexington Civic Center next to Rupp Arena.  So far, there will be a Nightmare on Elm Street 4 reunion (including Freddy himself, Robert Englund), Friday the 13th 3 reunion, and a Return of the Living Dead reunion.  For more information about this year's ScareFest, visit their website at scarefestweekend.com.  If you're interested in being a volunteer at this year's convention, you can apply here. 

Hopefully I can add more to my Etsy shops soon.  When I do, I will definitely let you know.  Please feel free to come back and visit soon.

 

We have uploaded 40+ photos to our website www.sharrysplace.com.  Included in the photos are some that were taken June 12 at the Kentucky Renaissance Festival in Eminence, Kentucky.  Other photos include animals, birds, bugs, flowers, scenic and skyline. 

On our sister site, www.afamilyaffairboutique.com, we are now offering sublimated mugs.  These make great gifts for moms, dads, spouses, birthdays, Christmas, co-workers, sports fans, retirement gifts, etc.  We hope you will check them out.

New hosting setup finally finished...

I recently transferred my website hosting from GoDaddy to SiteGround.  For some reason, however, the servers with the new host had problems reading the html/css coding I had written for my site.  The GoDaddy servers had no such problems.  Due to this, I had to redo the site, which took me several days to do because of the number of pages my site has.    The site is finally finished and I must say I think I like the looks better than what the original was.  If you're interested in visiting, you can click on this link...Sharry's Place Photography. 

Moving my site...

For years, I used GoDaddy as host for my website, Sharry's Place.  Over the last few months I realized that I was getting unwanted links/coding added to my site, which I found out one day by simply googling my site.  I then paid GoDaddy a steep price for a 2-month package for web security in order to prevent the unwanted items.  The hosting price itself I had no complaints with; it was the fact that after figuring the monthly hosting cost with the website security package added, I was paying over $30 a month just for hosting & security.  Plus, I didn't have a SSL certificate, which was considered an extra charge.

After much thought and research, I decided to switch host providers.  Don't get me wrong, I really do like GoDaddy, they are my go-to for purchasing domains.  A lady I took graphic design classes from has her site hosted with SiteGround and she highly recommended them.  I was very pleased to learn that a SSL certificate was included in the package and the price was a lot less than what I was currently paying.  So, I took the plunge and moved my hosting package and paid for the first full year.  That wasn't much above what I was paying for a 2-month web security package at GoDaddy and that didn't include the hosting package.

The only thing that bothered me after I switched hosts was my site menu wouldn't work.  The coding I was using would enable a dropdown list when you hovered your mouse over the links, but it wouldn't work with SiteGround.  When I contacted them, I was told it had something to do with the javascript used.  I was surprised by this since I had had no problem with it before.  I've spent the last few days redoing my site...I wanted it to look very similar to what I had been using but just redoing the menu.  I am very much a novice when it comes to html and css coding, but I did quite a bit of playing around and googling codes until I was able to get a menu that would work without using javascript.  

Both GoDaddy and SiteGround are great and easy to use.  I do recommend that if you are looking for a place to host your site and/or blog...do your research.  I'm sure there are other host providers out there that are just as good; you just need to find the one that provides what you personally need.

Grand Opening...

For those of you who are looking for graphic tees, why not visit The Purple Gnome Studio.  They offer apparel with sublimation designs, which is a special type of ink that is heat pressed at a high temperature onto a shirt.  

The Purple Gnome Studio will be uploading new designs as often as possible, so feel free to visit them often to see what they have to offer.

Update...

I haven't kept this blog up-to-date for awhile, but that is going to change.  I will no longer be using Word Press for my Sharry's Place, so if you come across that blog, it will not be used any more.   I have 2 other blogs on Blogger.com and I find it more convenient if all 3 are together.

This particular blog will be dedicated mainly to my photography hobby and everything connected to that.  Nanny's Chaos (which is my newest blog) will be focused my home based businesses...A Family Affair Boutique and The Purple Gnome Studio (which hasn't gone live yet).  

Please bear with me as I switch things up a bit and I hope you will visit us often.

Long time, no post...

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post, and I'm sorry about that. There always seems one thing or another coming up and my blogging keeps getting pushed to the wayside.  

The grandsons are playing pitch ball this summer and I'm having a blast going to their games.  My business, A Family Affair Boutique, is going good.  Between "local" and online orders, I'm staying busy.  I've also been trying to work on getting the pictures I took at the 2018 Lexington Comic and Toy Convention this past March ready for uploading to my photography site, Sharry's Place, which I hope to have done here shortly.

On my last post, I talked about the weight loss surgery I had done on January 3rd.  The weight loss is going slow but surely.  My 6-month checkup/weigh-in is coming up on July 5th.  I'm hoping to have lost at least 70 lbs. by then.  At the present time I'm having some issues with my back which is preventing me from exercising like I should/want, and will be discussing that with my doctor.   I do NOT regret having this surgery whatsoever, but I have to admit I do miss not being able to eat certain foods, such as sandwiches.  I knew going into this that there would be sacrifices.

Making a lifestyle change...

For those who know me personally know that I have been overweight for several years.  As much as I hate to admit it, I was considered by the medical field to be morbidly obese.  Being more than 100 pounds heavier than I should be, I was having several health issues because of it.  The excess weight was causing issues with my joints (I have arthritis) and my back (degenerative disc disease), as well as my having problems with water retention and having sleep apnea, just to name a few of my health issues.

In 1985 I took prescription diet pills and did a lot of walking which helped me lose 54 pounds.  Then I got pregnant with my daughter and shamefully let myself gain all that weight back plus a huge amount more.  A few years ago my husband and I discussed my having either the adjustable gastric banding (aka lapband) or gastric bypass surgery done, but that's as far as it went.

In May 2017 my daughter told my husband and me about a couple of people she had met at work who had lost over 100 pounds after having sleeve gastrectomy (aka known as gastric sleeve).  Since I had been overweight all her life, she asked me to look into this type of weight loss surgery to see if I would be a candidate.

After doing research on the gastric sleeve procedure, I found a weight loss surgeon who was located in the next county, who also held free monthly seminars on the different types of surgery he offers.  At the end of the seminar the husband and I attended, I filled out a form asking for more information.  When they called me, an appointment was made for me to have a one-on-one with the doctor.  

My husband and I agreed that I should go for the gastric sleeve.  Over the next several months, I had to have several tests done, as well as a 6-months monitored weight loss program with my general practitioner.   The tests I had to have included a psychiatric evaluation, heart echo and stress test, and an endoscope, which were all done by the end of October.

The earliest date for surgery I could get was January 3rd of this year.  Prior to surgery, I had to do a 2-week liquid diet which was to help shrink my liver.  My surgeon said the liver shrinkage would help in accessing my stomach.  I was definitely worried that my liver hadn't shrunk enough for him to do the surgery, but my husband said the doctor was really pleased with the way surgery went.

I will be the first to admit that the lifestyle after having weight loss surgery isn't easy.  However, it is so well worth it.  I wanted to be healthy, and as long as I was as fat as I was, being healthy wasn't gonna happen.  I also did it for my family.  I have 2 small grandsons I want to be able to have more fun with.  My weight and the pain it was causing in my back and legs prevented me from being able to run and play with them like I wanted to.

 

If you are considering weight loss surgery but are afraid, please go for it.  My doctor's program includes monthly support group meetings which consists of patients who have already had surgery and a nutritionist who are more than happy to answer any questions people who are considering the procedure may have.  If your potential surgeon doesn't offer this, ask and/or look around for one.  There may be family and friends in your life who may try to talk you out of having surgery, but do this for yourself.

I'm lucky in that I have had a great support system throughout this journey.  I do not regret for one second having this surgery.  Having been addicted to food/eating, it is hard mentally knowing I can't have a lot of the foods I ate before surgery but I can handle it.  I started this journey knowing that I would have to make a drastic change in my lifestyle.  As I said previously, I'm glad I started this journey and I'm grateful to my daughter for telling me about the gastric sleeve.  I probably would never have done anything if she hadn't encouraged me.

NOTE:  As of yesterday I have lost 51 pounds.  This is weight I would not have been able to lose without the surgery.

 

The lapband surgery is uses an inflatable, adjustable ring to create a smaller gastric pouch, limiting the amount of food it will hold at any time. That means you’ll feel comfortably full with less and maintain that fullness for several hours, reducing the urge to eat between meals. Adjustable gastric banding is the least invasive weight loss procedure.  Due to complications, the adjustable gastric banding is being phased out by some doctors.

Gastric bypass (also called "Roux-en-Y”) involves making a small pouch out of the stomach and bypassing the small bowel. Rapid weight loss occurs by limiting the amount of food you consume and the calories your body absorbs. It also requires lifelong follow up to monitor essential vitamin and nutrient levels. 

Sleeve gastrectomy decreases stomach size by about 80%. You’re left with a tube the size of a banana, which limits the amount of food you can hold and promotes a longer-lasting feeling of fullness.

Another Lexington ComicCon Under The Belt...

Doug Jones

 

 I am home from experiencing another awesome comic book and toy convention.  The Lexington ComicCon, held March 9-11 at the Lexington Convention Center in Kentucky, played host to such stars as Chuck Norris (Walker, Texas Ranger), Doug Jones (The Shape of Water), Jonathon Frakes (Star Trek Next Generation), John Barrowman (Dr. Who), Jason David Frank (Power Rangers), and Ric Flair (WWE Superstar).  Other stars included Pauley Shore (comedian), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars), and Lou Diamond Phillips (Longmire).

Lou Diamond Phillips

The crowd on Saturday was very overwhelming at times; I am looking forward to hearing what the actual attendance was.  The lines to get in were 3-4 people wide and longer than I have ever seen.  I was told by a volunteer working the convention that the organizers were very surprised by the number of people attending, and the attendance was approximately 40% more than last year.  As with any convention that experiences such growth there are hicups to be expected, such as crowd control.  The aisle leading to Rupp Arena (where the stars were) was extremely mishandled and people wanting to leave to visit the vendors had a very hard time getting through.  This being said, the organizers realized their mistake of not having a  better entrance/exit made sure that on Sunday rope petitions were set up.  I must give them credit for learning from this mistake.

Jonathon Frakes

One of the upsides to the convention was the security checks; this was the first year this type of security was implemented.  With the number of shootings being reported around the country, I can understand why this was done.

Though there were a few complaints, which is to be expected since you can't please everybody, I am positive the organizers will learn what needs to be changed or improved upon for next year.   The organizers have apologized to their fans for the issues caused by the overcrowding and that's good enough for me.  They always have great guest stars and vendors and I look forward to see what they have in store for us next year.

I have been to every Lexington ComicCon since the first one in 2013 and will continue to go as long as I can.

New Craft Ideas...

Though things are going great with my Etsy store, A Family Affair Boutique, I'm in the mood to try new crafts.  The two ideas I'm thinking of trying are making/decorating wood signs and painting mason jars.  

I am really pleased with the selection of wood signs I've ordered and plan on putting vinyl decals on.  Some I may use stencils to paint designs on these signs.  I plan on sitting down after this weekend and look up what "sayings" are the most popular.

Painting mason jars are really popular.  There are lots of things you can use the jars for, such as soap dispensers, toothbrush holders, canisters, and piggy banks (just to name a few ideas).  

I'm in the process of googling Pinterest and Etsy for ideas and supplies.  As soon as I get a few projects done, I'll post pictures for you to see.  If I'm happy with my end results, I plan on start selling them online.  

Merry Christmas...

I'd like to thank everyone who has read my blog, as well as visited both A Family Affair Boutique and Sharry's Place this year.  It means a lot that you would take time out of your busy day to check in with us.  

As Christmas Day draws near, please remember that JESUS is the REAL REASON we celebrate this time of year.  The story of His birth can be read in the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke.  I highly recommend making an annual tradition of reading this on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

From my home to yours, may you have the merriest of Christmas seasons.

Another One Bites The Dust...

The 10th annual ScareFest convention was held the weekend of September 29-October 1 at the Lexington Convention Center in Lexington, Kentucky.  I must say I definitely was not disappointed.  FYI...ScareFest is a convention dedicated to horror films and the paranormal.  Stars from both movies and tv shows come to the convention to mingle with their fans.  One of the stars that comes almost every year is Kane Hodder, who is probably the most well-known actor who has played Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th movies, having played the role in 4 of the movies.  Another celebrity who comes every year is Chip Coffey, a medium who was on Paranormal State.

Each year on Friday night of the convention, a  VIP party is held for the stars and people who have bought the Platinum or Golden tickets.  This year it was held at the Manchester Music Hall.  On Saturday night, the annual costume contest followed by the Costume Ball is held in the Prefunction Area of the Convention Center.  The picture to your left was taken during this year's Costume Ball, and as you can tell, I was having a great time with the official ScareFest music spinner, The Rockstar DJ Tre aka Scott Fisher.

Besides Kane Hodder and Chip Coffey, some of the stars at this year's ScareFest included Robert Englund, Freddy Kruger of Nightmare on Elm Street, Danny Trejo from the Sling.tv commercials and Machete movies, Ghost Brothers, Tennessee Wraith Chasers, and Amy Bruni & Adam Berry of Kindred Spirits.

At the present time, I am in the process of getting my photographs ready to upload to my photography website, Sharry's Place.  As soon as they are uploaded, I will let you know.  Also, next year's ScareFest is already under way, so please visit their site for more info.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

I apologize for not posting for awhile, but things around here have been rather busy with the new business my daughter and I have gotten into, which offers custom heat press vinyl designs.  We opened an online store on Etsy.com this past February and it's getting rather busy; at least we think so.  Even as I'm writing this I received a text asking about a particular shirt on the online store. :-)

We were asked a few weeks ago to come up with designs for a football youth league, which went over really well.  Everyone seemed to be very pleased with the designs we offered. 

We recently got an order from a business owner for decals for his truck.  This was the first time I had to try to come up with a 24" design consisting of 2 different colors.  I was concerned that it wasn't exactly what he wanted; however, he told my daughter he was very pleased with it.   

For those of you who are interested in visiting our online store, you can do so at AFamilyAffairBoutique.com.  Also, feel free to follow us on FaceBook.

On top of staying busy with the business, I'm in the process of trying to loose a bunch of weight.  I've been working with my physician since this past May, and though I've lost a few pounds (the doctor is satisfied), it's not coming off very fast.  I have a gym membership, but it's hard getting to go as often as I should.  I've also had several medical tests run due to being short of breath.  An echo-cardiogram and stress test are scheduled for the first week of October.

On top of that, the weekend of September 29-October 1 is my annual mini-vacation to attend the ScareFest convention in Lexington, Kentucky.  I'm really looking forward to it this year because it's their 10th anniversary and I'm looking forward to meeting several of their guests.  These include Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Danny Trejo (Machete), The Ghost Brothers, Tennessee Wraith Chasers, and 4 members of Mountain Monsters. 

I hope to do better in the future about posting here.  Thank you for visiting.

Scarefest X 2017 Commercial 1

@TheScarefest #TheScarefest

Busy, busy, busy...

It's been pretty busy around here trying to design shirts to add to our store, uploading them to our store, keeping our FaceBook page updated, and putting out orders for clients. 

 

Forty-one (41) designs were uploaded to our store just this morning, and we've got several more in the works.  Our designs range from monograms with or without frames and sayings & quotes to sports, animals and professions, just to name a few.

FYI...if you have an idea for a shirt, let us know.  We will try to see what we can come up with for you.  A picture of a shirt with the graphic for your approval.

Remember to follow us on FaceBook and Instagram.

If you would like to check out what we've got so far, just visit us at afamilyaffairboutique.com.  Please feel free to ask us for more information.

Newest shirt designs...

We've recently added a couple of new t-shirt designs to A Family Affair Boutique.  Sizes available range from S to 2XL.  T-shirt comes in several colors.  You can also visit us on Facebook, where you will find several photos of other shirts and decals we have done.  We also do monograms.

A Family Affair Boutique will also do custom orders.  Just contact us and let us know what you have in mind.

Let's go shopping...

In the event you are not aware, my daughter and I have our own business doing custom design vinyl decals and monograms, which we've been doing since last summer.  Our FaceBook page features the shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, and other items we have done.  Yesterday we took the plunge and set up shop on Etsy; you can check out our store by clicking the Etsy button on your right.

Need decals, wall sayings, or a shirt?  No problem.  We love getting requests for customized orders, so please feel free to contact us for more information on what we can do for you.  We strive for fast turn around on orders, and will be up front with you if there are any problems.

March Madness is coming...

It's that time of year where college basketball is getting rather hectic with lots of heated games where teams are trying to make it to both the division tournaments and getting selected for the NCAA tournament.  During the NCAA tournament, each of us have a favorite team we hope will win the whole shebang.  Several of you will be either attending or hosting tournament parties and will be sporting apparel with your team's name and/or logo.  If you're wanting something new to wear this year, why not check out A Family Affair Boutique?  They will work with you on design and colors.  A Family Affair Boutique offers t-shirts (both short sleeve and long sleeve), raglans, hoodies, and sweatshirts.  Their prices are reasonable and they strive for a fast turn-around.  Visit them today.

Updating...

I am in the process of trying to update some of the links on my site.  Some are being deleted and others are being added.  Also, my photography website has been updated with several new photos.  You can check them out at Sharry's Place.  

Come back again and find out what's new around Sharry's Place.