Welcome to my world. I must tell you “I’ve had an idyllic life.” I grew up in small towns in West Virginia and as a child I was encouraged to play and explore. There were boundaries but they were generous. My parents conveyed trust to me and my siblings and always encouraged and supported our every endeavor.

We were active and athletic and very competitive. Every waking hour was spent outside and we “played” at everything:

Tag ~ kick-the-can ~ water balloon battles ~ wiffle ball ~
~ baseball ~ tether ball ~ roller skating ~ bicycling ~ “rabbit”
Jump rope ~ jacks ~ swimming at the pool or in the river ~
~ tubing ~ skiing ~ canoeing ~ camping ~ sledding ~ ice skating
Snow skiing ~ and much, much more!

We did it all and we had fun! I guess that’s why, at heart, I’m still just a ‘girl’ who wants to have fun!

I survived the awkward high school years and graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College, earning both a B.S. degree and a Master’s degree.

During my 20’s and early 30’s I worked as a Social Worker and was a certified “free-style” aerobics instructor. I eventually met the love of my life, got married and was blessed with a beautiful son.

As you browse my “sweetee” site, you will learn that I’ve pretty much “battled the bulge” most of my life. I’ve been “chubby” ~~I’ve been thin ~~ and I’ve been somewhere in-between. Any weight loss tip or advice I offer on my website are things that helped me lose weight and keep it off. I am not a “formally” trained weight loss expert. My expertise comes from my passion and my experience.

Keep It Simple Sweetee is a continuous work in progress. From time to time I’ll be adding to “girlie wizdom”; The Book Bagg will continue to brief books; new recipes will appear now and then; and “Simply Put” will change frequently.

I love music and it is an important part of my daily life. The music selections on “k.i.s.s.” are mostly upbeat oldies, while the movies are some of my favorite “chick-flix”!

I must recognize and thank the wonderful staff at Moonray Web Designs. Scott is brilliant and enthusiastic, Frank is a creative genius with a great sense of humor, and Caylyn is meticulous and her attention to detail is unrivaled….plus, she’s just so sweet! Because of their legendary wizardry, they have
taken my vision and created a sweet and simple masterpiece. My sincere and heartfelt thanks to them always! (if you need to develop a website, go to www.moonray.net and see some of their work….they’re the best!)

I must also express my appreciation to Emilie Barnette, the young lady who inspired and encouraged me to develop this website. Because of Emilie's encouraging words, I was inspired and motivated to make 'keepitsimplesweetee' a reality. "Thank you, Emilie! You're great!"

I hope you enjoy the sweet and simple things life has to offer!