So glad you stopped by :).

My name is Sherry (although I've been known online as ChiaOwl since 1994 online), and my passions are serving Christ, my family, my pets, and music. My favorite things to do are creating great low carb foods for my family and friends, church activities, and playing my keyboards (a Yamaha PSR-9000Pro and a PSR-E413). I'm definitely not a professional, and only play for my own enjoyment, worship, and passion, but I have a few of my music pieces online on YouTube. Also, having recently had my eyesight restored, I'm looking forward to trying some of the things I did years ago, such as sewing and reading. I don't know if I will still enjoy them as much as I once did, but am looking forward to trying.

(Regretfully I have had to close Itty Bitty Birdie Bites due to health issues, and no longer make or ship any of my products. Please contact me if you have any questions.)

My husband Pete and I live in the lovely town of Houghton Lake, Michigan, with our pets: dogs Bing (elderly yorkie/pom), Pharaoh (minpin), and Curly (recently adopted shelter chihuahua mix); parrots Precious & Punkin (peach-faced lovebirds), Klinger (cockatiel), Miracle (aka Girlfriend, greencheek conure), Elliot (meyers), Maxwell (red-bellied), Chloe (white-capped pionus), and Phoebe (bronze-winged pionus). We also adopted a long-haired black shelter cat earlier this year, Sleepee. Daughter Casey and grandson Leelan live nearby, and much of my time is also spent babysitting.

Husband Pete recently started a new job. I work seasonally (since 2001) with The Bug Man, a downstate pest control company that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone. My job is to answer the phone and schedule appointments, plus I keep their website updated when they need me to. We attend a small church in Roscommon. I'm passionate about our low carb lifestyle also, and share some of my experiences, recipes, and links on my Cheap'n'Easy Low Carb blog. I also have my ChiaChatter blog, the one where I share the more personal details about my life, my views and opinions, and everything else that's important to me. And THIS is the blog where I share my 12/1/10 Nissen Fundoplication surgery, as well as my recovery period and how it has changed/is changing my life.

As my mother's guardian, I've also got a personal interest in Lewy Body Disease, which is often misdiagnosed and mistreated by medical professionals - so many of them consider all dementias to be equal, but many of the standard dementia treatments can harm or even kill an LBD victim. Resources for more information include The Lewy Body Dementia Association and the wonderful support group LBD Caregivers yahoogroup - now on Facebook also. This group has an extensive list of resources for members' use as well as an incredible wealth of experience among the members.

And just some words for the search engines: I attended Siena Heights College (now University), graduating with my BA in music in 1980. Prior to that I spent a year growing up at Schoolcraft College after graduating from the now-defunct Garden City West High School in 1975.

I have a few Yahoo groups but am not very active on them anymore, preferring Facebook and Twitter for the majority of my online interactions. You can also find me on Skype as Sherry48629.

Whether you're here by accident or out of curiosity, thanks for stopping by!