tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47335311210949540502012-02-16T13:33:13.762-05:00My Etsy shop, my cats, yarn, NASCAR, and periodic ranting against the healthcare establishment. Usually in that order.Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-8463898206516159362008-10-17T00:00:00.005-04:002008-10-17T00:30:14.067-04:00

On September 14th, my parents and I went to see the NHRA drag races at the new Zmax Dragway here in Concord, NC. We're big drag racing fans and while my dad had seen and even driven those kinds of cars before, I'd only ever seen them on TV. Gary Scelzi does a burnout in his Funny Car.We got there early, spent some time walking through the pit area (where I got Ashley Force's autograph), and

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-29881046056077866822008-09-04T00:12:00.003-04:002008-09-04T00:21:04.020-04:00

I've made this twice now and it's just so good I had to share.8oz sliced baby portobello mushrooms1.5 pounds small yellow squash, sliced1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup2T minced garlic1/4 cup milk1/2 cup breadcrumbs1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup shredded cheeseground mustardseasoned saltolive oilPreheat oven to 350 F. Sautee garlic and mushrooms in olive oil until tender. Add squash and sautee

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-81027590458965604412008-08-05T11:27:00.002-04:002008-08-05T11:37:14.689-04:00

I've made it a point to stay out of political discussions and to just cast my vote and keep quiet about it. I'm breaking that just for this post.I'm 26 years old. I registered to vote when I was still in high school, but only because one of my teachers was giving us extra credit for it. I never "used" my regstration, and I'm pretty sure the card got left in a pocket and put into the washer.Then

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-80845658944020105512008-07-10T03:13:00.002-04:002008-07-10T03:29:26.689-04:00

So Tony Stewart is going to make the move to Haas CNC Racing at the end of this season, and take a majority ownership role (making it into Stewart Haas Racing). I can't say I'm surprised, but I wasn't really expecting this, either. I think it will be a good thing, though, for Tony and for the sport. NASCAR needs more owner-drivers, and especially smart, articulate, and unabashedly outspoken ones

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-20151219141774808902008-06-26T01:32:00.004-04:002008-06-26T01:38:46.944-04:00

I haven't blogged in a long time. It's nothing in particular that kept me away, but then lots of little things.I was working on my first-ever wholesale order, so that took all my waking hours for quite some time.I was scrambling to get new inventory made after that because I'd neglected my shop while I made the wholesale order.I'm feeling spectacularly cruddy lately, so once I've done all the

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-68394803327706590742008-05-18T00:04:00.005-04:002008-05-18T00:50:41.799-04:00

A few weeks ago I was watching an episode of SPEED Network's program "Unique Whips" in which a crew remodeled NASCAR driver Tony Stewart's hearse. Fancy seats, lights, a big new engine under the hood, all kinds of cool stuff. It was truly impressive. At the end of the show, Tony came to pick up his car. He got in, and that's when I got concerned. He drove out of the shop's parking lot, and

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-80667940649743014382008-05-02T23:37:00.003-04:002008-05-07T11:40:18.001-04:00

I went to to the doctor this past Tuesday, and they ran some bloodwork to check (again) for rheumatoid arthritis. I've had the more common test for it multiple times with a normal (negative) result, but I'm having some symptoms that are indicative of the disease, so I had an anti-CCP antibody test done. It's supposed to be more likely to catch the disease in the portion of people who get a false

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-38493591745487656722008-04-17T17:22:00.004-04:002008-04-17T20:28:27.123-04:00

A couple weeks ago I started selling yarn that I'd hand dyed. Or more accurately, I began offering it for sale. No takers. I listed four skeins, and decided that I would not order any more yarn to dye until I had sold some of my current stock. I waited and waited, and still no takers.So this afternoon I finaly said to hell with it, I'm ordering more yarn. Not two hours later, I finally sold a

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-32621927820708450272008-04-14T12:26:00.003-04:002008-04-14T12:36:24.472-04:00

From the beginning, I've tried to treat my Etsy shop as a real business. I've got a big file for all of my receipts, I track my sales, I registered my LLC, and am currently navigating the forms to get my Sales and Use Tax permits squared away. But there is one aspect of "real jobs" that I have neglected. I've been working 7 days a week on this since November 2007, and have not taken a full day

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-4565281599710851492008-04-07T00:33:00.004-04:002008-04-11T11:46:01.276-04:00

A while back I tried my hand at dyeing yarn. One skein and I was hooked. So, I ordered more yarn and bought more dye, and now I'm really addicted. I am, however, being at least partially rational and realizing that I have very little time to knit/crochet for myself right now, so I'd better sell this yarn, rather than keep it all. I listed one skein today, and more will be appearing in my shop in

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-81356306851091855512008-03-20T02:02:00.003-04:002008-03-20T02:32:24.511-04:00

All the other home based business people out there will know exactly what I'm talking about here. Just because I work from home and don't put on "real" clothes unless I have to leave the house does not mean I'm not working. It doesn't mean I'm watching soap operas and eating bonbons (to my knowledge I have never had a bonbon in my life). It doesn't mean you can call me to talk about absolutely

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-48557227891006438822008-03-15T01:43:00.003-04:002008-03-15T03:19:35.036-04:00

A friend on the Etsy forums started a thread tonight asking people if they ever felt like the life they're living isn't the one they had in mind for themselves. That really got me thinking.I started working retail jobs in high school, and that continued into my 20s because me and college just didn't really mesh. About 6 years ago, though, I started having some escalating health problems. It

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-66250911632205409522008-03-01T14:36:00.005-05:002008-03-15T01:42:56.466-04:00

I just tried my hand at dyeing wool yarn with Wilton cake icing coloring (juniper green). So far I think it's going perfectly. I'll know for sure once it's cooled, rinsed, and dried.It was so cool to watch the dye cook into the yarn! I could actually see the water turning clear. Next time I do this I may have to try to get pictures of that process in action.ETA: It's the next day now, and the

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-73715856831935339752008-01-09T00:49:00.000-05:002008-01-09T01:30:28.268-05:00

TIME Magazine and TIME.com don't seem to have time to check facts or state things clearly and accurately anymore. I ran across their list of the top ten medical breakthroughs of 2007 on TIME.com just now, wherein they list the use of a drug called Lyrica to treat fibromyalgia as the #7 breakthrough of the year. (You can read all five sentences they posted on the topic at http://www.time.com/

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-21796323155267446362008-01-06T23:39:00.000-05:002008-01-06T23:54:10.151-05:00

I did the best I could with the photos I originally took for my Etsy shop, but they weren't too good. For the hats, which make up most of my inventory right now, I didn't have anything to display them on (and I didn't like the way they looked on me) so I did what I always do if I need something I don't have and can't just run out and get... I made one. In this case, I crocheted myself a display

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-37549437282741142452007-12-27T01:10:00.000-05:002007-12-27T01:46:01.033-05:00

So finally, on December 11 2007, I opened my shop at http://jenhintz.etsy.com, selling my handmade knit and crochet items. It took nine days before I made my first sale. Then it took about 3 hours after than for me to make my second sale.Then I made two more sales the next day.Then two sales and a trade with another merchant the next day.So in the space of a few days, I went from "gee, I hope I

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-61500593418240722702007-12-27T00:53:00.000-05:002007-12-27T00:56:58.181-05:00

The following is a recipe for home-cooked cat food. After the recent rash of pet food recalls and my own cats' health concerns, my vet and I came up with this recipe. Never begin feeding your pet any home-cooked diet without consulting with a vet who is familiar both with your pets' particular needs and with veterinary nutrition. "Turkey Stew for Cats"16-20 oz ground turkey1.5 cups frozen

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733531121094954050.post-60451770930271384032007-10-14T19:11:00.000-04:002007-10-14T19:17:55.114-04:00

Please excuse the current lack of content; I'm creating a larger online presence for myself in preparation for opening an online store on etsy.com. I'll add more shortly. In the meantime, please check out the Etsy.com site. It's a great site for anyone who wants to buy or sell handmade or vintage goods. My store isn't up yet, but there's tons of others to browse.

Jen Hintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03755443957527347406noreply@blogger.com0