Happy New Year - 2011!!!!

The New Year is about to begin for us....in about 6 hours........I maybe down stairs watching all the festivities of the New Years programs and will most likely watch the ball drop in New York City. We had no plans for partying tonight, as it all depended on the weather.....as of now it is foggy out.

We did go out to dinner at the "Taste of the Windy City" JP had a gyro and I had a cheeseburger.....oh yummmmmm. I missed going to Inches A Weigh today, as my car was getting fixed, another $249 dollar bill again. Well, so far we have invested $500 into the taurus and we have had it almost 2 months. YIKES!!!! Going to keep a running tab on how much this car costs....when it hits $5000.00 we are getting a newer car. HA HA HA!

Have you made any resolutions for the new year? I haven't, can't keep them anyways. I am thinking I will try and lose a few more lbs, not sure how much, by the end of March I am quitting Inches A Weigh. It has been 2 years of going regularly and sad to announce has not been a success for me......I have felt like I have been under much stress for two years more than anything.....and that is not the way to feel. This whole experience should have been a good one and I have not found it that way. Plus, it has been very expensive and now I have a car payment plus extra upkeep. So "cherio Inches A Weigh" we are off and running in a different direction.

As for Etsy and my card making, I would like to do a little bit more, been alittle lax in this area. The merchandising has slowed down a bit, which is fine with me, maybe now I can focus on card making and get my cards out there more. I really see a few changes coming on the horizon in the next few months, I just hope I am up for all these changes, good or bad......I am not sure.

Well, see you in the new year 2011 for now this is ~Louise~ signing off for 2010.....Cheers!!!

Boeuf Bourguignon a la Julia Child for Christmas Dinner....mmmmmmmm

Well, here it is.....Julia Childs "Boeuf Bourguignon" made in my new dutch oven. Was a long and envolved recipe......but very much worth the time spent on making it. I think I will make this again but using larger chuncks of meat next time. Gosh this was delicious. My new tradition at Christmas Time....tr la la la la la...... Here tis Christmas dinner, all set up with a relish tray of olives, celery and carrots and dip. Cole slaw and garlic toast with Julia's boeuf bourguignon over noodles. If you would like the recipe I used, you can find it at: http://www.food.com/ and type in "boeuf bourguignon a la Julia Child" When going to this site you will find many other recipes for beef bourguignon.....take your pick and enjoy!!!!! There even is a weight watchers beef stew.

Well, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, may your new year be the best ever, thankfully spring is not far off when we get into the new year, but enjoy and take rest cause the busy season of planting gardens and flowers will begin again.

Blessings ~ Louise ~

I'm Dreaming of a WHITE Christmas by whatshername on Etsy

I was picked to be in a treasury by "whatshername" that was a neat Christmas surprise. Click on the following link to see my "White on White Christmas Card"

May your Christmas be Merry and 2011 be your best ever year!!!!
~Louise~

Click on this link:
I'm Dreaming of a WHITE Christmas by whatshername on Etsy

Merry Christmas Blessings

Here is a Christmas card I made and sent out to friends. Colored her in with pens, H2o's and sprayed her with glimmer mist and placed her in a pre-made card. Wa-La a pretty lady wishing you Merry Christmas Blessings.

Almost done with preparing for Christmas.....which is only 5 days away. Where in the world did this year go? So much has happened and what have I learned throughout this whole year? I am not sure, will have to sit down and write everything out, month by month, day by day. Shall give myself two weeks to reflect and maybe I will come up with a blog report after it is finished.

I received my Christmas present plus birthday present from my Step father. He gave me $100 to spend for whatever. I bought a Mini NuWave.....oh gosh is it ever a neat little appliance. I made a whole chicken in it the other day, was it ever delicious. Last night we finished up the bird and then I turned it into chicken soup. Yummy!!!!

My Christmas present........... finally got a Dutch Oven!!!! Only paid $30 for it compared to even Walmart's Dutch Oven which was $60, the brandmark is "Better Homes and Garden" I guess you are paying for the name. So in this case, cheaper was the way I went and still have a nice pot. I have made a few things in it. A vegetable soup that was out of this world. And a stew that came very close to being out of this world!!!!!!

I am thinking that for Christmas I want to make that lovely Beef stew that Julia Childs made...Boeuf a la Bourguignonne. I found the recipe so, if I make it, I shall take a picture and give the recipe right here on this blog!!!!!

Well, I shall close for now, as sometimes I can get pretty wordy at times, so you have a great day and talk to you soon.
~Louise~

Winter's Greeting Snowman

Winter is here, whether we want it or not. We got 11 inches over the weekend.....whew, guess that is better then rain, as our roof leaks into the ketchen, so snow is better at this point. Well, here I have a snowman card, he is a "Winter Greeting Snowman" as I have finished the Christmas cards. Now it is on to Valentine and Winter Cards. I am going to put him in my etsy store, probably tonight, you can go to http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ to see all my other cards. This particular card will be $3.00 + postage. You will receive one free card of my choosing plus a bookmark.

Well, you have a great day and see you in a few days as I am trying to get ready for Christmas and get all my cards out to friends and family. Take care and take Jesus!!!! ~Louise~

Silent Night

"Silent Night, Holy Night".........this is my newest card, made and put in my Etsy store last night. The price is $3.00 + postage. Go to: http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ to see how I made the card. Going to make a few more of these cards to send out to friends and family. But I have to get a move on if I want them out this week end. Cheers ~ have a great day ~ Louise

An Iris Fold Christmas Card

Made this card last night, using my own templete (not hard, just cut out a square)layed it on a snowflake Cuttlebug folder and cut it out then smudged with red ink. Used ribbon for the iris fold (following a templete), the iris is gold wrapping paper. Topped with a ribbon for a bow then covered the snowflakes with red speckles then added Merry Christmas. This is a closer look at the Iris Folding with ribbon.

I am going to add this to my Etsy store tonight, the price will be $3.50 + postage. You will receive one free card and a book mark for free, so total cost will run you about $5.00 tops, if it goes over I will pay the rest. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! The card will come with an envelope and clear plastic envelope for protection. The inside of the card says "Thank God for His Son♥ His Gift too wonderful for words. 2 Corinthians 9:15"

Go to http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/

~ A Choice We Must All Make ~

~ Please read John 3 ~

Mr. Snowman Card and White Chili

Here's a little card I made tonight.....made the snowman a couple of days ago and was trying to decide what to do for the background. Got an idea today laying on an exercise bed.

Ran dark blue cardstock through a snowflake cuttlebug folder then a dabed a white ink pad on the snowflakes and wa-la......layered Mr. Snowman on burgandy cardstock then on the blue background. Tied a white ribbon round him just to add a little pazaazzzzzzzzz! If I don't sell him tomorrow (as I am taking him to my exercise class) I will put him up on my Etsy store for $3.00 + postage.

Tonight I am making some white turkey chili.........as soon as it's made and plated, I will take a picture of it and add that to this post along with the recipe.

The recipe:

1 lb chicken breast or cooked chicken or turkey cut in pieces

1 med. onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tbl vegetable oil

2 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can 14 oz chicken broth

2 cans 40z chopped green chilies (I used 1 can of tomato and chilies)

1 tsp salt (didn't use salt)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I used chili powder)

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup sour cream

Saute chicken, onion and garlic salt in oil. (if using cooked chicken or turkey, just add when onions are soft. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to boil and reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 30 min. Remove from heat and stir in cream and sour cream. Serve immediately

The above white chili is delicious!!!!!

Talk to you later~Louise~

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Happy Thanksgiving to you all that might be reading my blog today. Our thanksgiving was small (JP and I) and quiet, but a very good day. A new vegetable was added to the turkey menu, and that was swiss chard. I hadn't used swiss chard since the 80's when I planted it in my garden. Saw a recent cooking show with Curtis Stone using swiss chard and thought, now that looks fun, even down to the cutting of the chard, quick and easy and healthy no doubt!!!

We had turkey, with the potatoes and carrots thrown in with the turkey the last hour of cooking, dressing, pumpkin souffle', swiss chard, gravy, real cranberry sauce, relish dish, and pumpkin pie! All for just two people...........did not know anyone that needed a meal, guess we are out of the loop of important people to invite or something. That's okay though, we enjoy each other's company......good thing after 39 years. I have already turned some of the left overs into turkey soup, so meals today will be easy and then tonight....turkey dinner again.

Today being Black Friday, I shall be one of those that "stays home". Never was interested in venturing out and fighting the crowds of people........no, don't think so, not today. Plus a big factor would be "no money"!!! My next investment for December will be a "Dutch Oven" which I have been wanting since I first saw the movie "Julia and Julie". A bigger pot has been on my mind for making soup for quite a long time and a "Dutch Oven would fit the bill. Of course I am saving for one.....so it will be awhile before I get the one I want, which sits at Walmart, a red one for $70. That will be my Christmas present.

Well, time to close this blog for the day..........and get something done around this house, have a good day and Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.
~Louise~

My Free Birthday Dinner

Well here is my Free Birthday Dinner from JB Clancy's on Sunday, November 21st...........my it was delicious! I really splurged on the french fries, certainly not on my diet, oh but they were gooooood!!!!! Along with the steak and fries I got a beautiful salad and bread with honey butter and coffee. For dessert it was chocolate ice cream with a candle on top. Sweet and yummy. JP and I shared this special treat. It's not every day one celebrates their 64th birthday! Some people do not even make it to 64. Thank you God for 64 years, you have been generous and loving to me.

On Friday the 19th I went out to lunch with Shirley. That was a lovely lunch at Carmalitta's Italian Bistro. I mentioned to the waitress that it was my birthday on Sunday, not thinking there would be a reward.......hahaha! For lunch I had a Chicken Ceasar Panni and side salad. No camera for this one, so no pictures....I wish I had though, it was a lovely meal. After we finished our lunch, the waitress brought a mini boston cream cake with a candle on the side and chocolate spritz across the plate, it was as pretty as a picture. All in all I had a wonderful birthday, with a few birthday cards and birthday wishes on Facebook.

After our meal at BJ Clancy's, JP and I went to an antique mall and I bought a pitch fork for our compost pile, a cook book with hundreds of soup recipes, a fenton vase and fenton dish that holds candles. My stepfather had sent some money for my birthday, so I was able to get a few things for my stamping addiction, some spices for my cooking addiction and some tea .........for my tea addiction. I am putting a little to the side so I can buy a Dutch Oven, the one I am looking at will run about $70......so I have $30 set aside. Maybe if I add a little each week, by Christmas I will have enough to buy the one I want. Can hardly wait!!!! In the mean time I will make soup in my small pot for the time being. Without a vision the people parrish, well, I have a vision, at least for a month or so. :)

One more blessing on my birthday took place.......my $1.50 Hibiscus that I bought at the end of summer bloomed for my birthday. She was sooooo very pretty and made me very happy!!! Will be fun to see how she does during the winter. Maybe by Christmas we will have more blooms. (another vision?)

Well dear friends, I am off to get ready to go out and get some errands done. We got our turkey today......JP got a free 12 lb turkey at his place of employment........which is nice. So that looks like we will have turkey soup and lots of left overs for the freezer and many meals, yummmmmm. There's a storm coming this afternoon, so I need to get some plastic up on one of the basement windows and we need to move the snow blower to the forefront of the garage today.

In my next blog I will show you a couple of Christmas cards I have been making which will probably end up in my Etsy store, just in case you don't have the address, here it is: http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ So have a blessed Thanksgiving and enjoy your families.....you never know when that may crumble and there will be no more get togethers for what ever reason.
~Louise~

Just found this unique way to make a card.

Just a Few New Cards Added to Etsy

This Thanksgiving card is in my Etsy store: http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ selling for $3.00 + postage. Used Mark It pens to color in the pilgrims and indian then layering on black and gold cardstock which I ran through the cuttlebug.

My Christmas card is a set of cards, 8 in all, same design but layered on red, green, silver and gold foiled cardstock. The set of cards are $16.00 + postage and you can find them on my etsy store. I will put up a few more cards for the christmas season as I finish them and take pictures and download them.

Have a great day, oh and my car is working great!!!!

Louise

My New Silver Bullet #2

Here is my new car...TA DAAAAAAAA!!!!!! 1997 Ford Taurus

We paid $1400 verses $1300 for new brakes on my old 1996 Buick LaSabre.....was hard to see my LaSabre go, BUT God always brings something good out of something bad, doesn't He!?!

Well, here's to better days ahead!!!!!!!

Louise

My LaSabre Died (sniff)

Sad to see her go, she was very loyal and trusting and when she broke down, she broke down really good!!!

She has been a part of my life since January 8, 2005, not quite 6 years, (sniff, sniff). I feel like I went to a funeral, watching her being pulled up on the truck leaving to be junked out at Gibsons and we only got $225 for her. Not much for funeral expences.

"My Silver Bullet" rusted out on the bottom and the brakes stopped working and were leaking all over. We were told it would cost $1300 to fix and then that could open a can of worms and possibly the fuel line would need to be replaced also. We were told it would be better to invest in another car rather then sink more money into My Silver Bullet..........I was really bummed out.

Here she is being pulled up on the truck to be hauled away, I looked underneath her and truly she was a real rusty mess.

Here is "My Silver Bullet" leaving. I will miss her, she was a good car. But now I have a "Silver Bullet #2" a 1997 Ford Taurus, it has a little rust, brakes are good, tires good, drives good, all it needed was an alignment. Good to go for now. The people that had it took good care of it, so hopefully this one will last for awhile.

I will show you pictures of the Ford in my next blog as I have not yet downloaded the pictures as yet. So till another time, TTYL ~ Louise

"All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purposes" Romans 8:28

Jeff Markin: Back from the Dead, Reborn Into the Light

Jeff Markin: Back from the Dead, Reborn Into the Light

This is a "Must See." All that's needed is the faith of a mustard seed and you will see miracles. Oh and, OBEDIANCE when God asks you to pray!!!!

Winter is a Coming

Yep, winter is a coming........I will miss our dinners on the front porch. It was like going on a mini vacation each time we sat out there.

This might be last years dinner on the porch but it was still delicious and enjoyable. I guess we ate on the front porch so much that taking a picture of the meal became old hat.

This years mini vacations were a little less because the mosquitos and bees were so bad. But we still had quite a few meals on the front porch.

We have most of the garden cleared and all the summer ornaments in........the first frost has not struck yet so the tomato plants are still growing.....but not many tomatos on them. The rose bushes are covered.....ah shucks....it feels like winter is coming.

Now, I shall zero in on my cards, been laxed in this area. Well, need to get ready for work, so talk later, have a great day ~ Louise

My $1.50 Hibiscus Plant

Here is my newest plant that I aquired from Walmart last week. A Bush Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinenis) and I paid $1.50 for it....amazing, guess when Walmart wants to unload something they REALLY slash the prices!!!!

Today the flower began to open up, there are a few more buds to open, hopefully we will be able to keep this plant over the winter and enjoy her in the spring and summer. The second picture shows the next bud that will begin to open....aaahhhh can hardly wait to see it opened all the way....maybe tomorrow.

Worked in the yard today and raked some leaves into my little gardens for mulch. JP sprayed for weeds. We have a terrible run on creeping jenni all over the yard, it's taking over every inch of grass. The neighbors got it too, but they killed it off, then rototilled and planted new grass. Coarse their yard is in better shape then ours and they are all fenced in so the varmits can't take over like they have here. We have two big trees, one needs to be cut down and the other trimmed....the one that needs to be cut down just may come down next month and hopefully next spring we can have the other tree trimmed, depending on how much it might cost.

Well, I am going to shut this blog down for tonight, talk later, hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather.

Louise

My Newest Card~Mr. Scarecrow

Here is my newest card which I just put in my Etsy store last night. Mr. Scarecrow was colored in with Mark-alot pens and glazed pens then I covered the scarecrow with a clear coat of glaze. The corners were punched and lines drawn from each corner with a glazed pen. Layered on orange paper that went through a cuttlebug, the background are pumkins which I inked with green. A little ribbon embellishes the corner of the card. The inside of the card says "Have a bountiful Harvest" This card will sell on Etsy for $3.50 plus postage. You will also receive a free card, a bookmark and little thank you card for ordering this card. Go to my etsy store at: http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ You can use paypal or a Visa or Master Charge to pay.

So you all have a happy fall, enjoy, because it will go really fast and soon we will see the snow fly.

Blessings~Louise

What's New?

I have a few moments and thought I would put a few thoughts down in my blog and show you some pretty flowers growing in my garden. To your left is a white flower clementis. This is the second year of growing and it over took all three trelis's.....amazing. This is the inside of the porch. I took pictures on the outside, but have to find them. These pretty little white flowers have given much privacy for us on our porch, sad to say, we have not ate on the porch alot this summer, too many bees and mosquitos. We've done alot of cook outs this summer with charcoal, which has been alot of fun with our little $20 grill.

I should look for a picture of food on the grill.....just a moment. Be right back. Okay, I found a lovely meal cooked on our little grill. MMMMMMM looked so good, I could almost smell the aroma. Veggie shishkababs and chicken. that was sooooo delicious. These pictures were taken back in July 31st......my how time flies.

Been working on a few new cards, but have not put any up on my Etsy store lately. I will be renewing some Christmas and Autumn cards, but nothing halloween.....I actually hate halloween, it's worship of the Devil and I am not into worshipping the Devil. So there you have it, people have been so blinded by the evil one, they cannot see.....if someone held a spoon before their eyes and they were told it was a spoon....guess what, they still would not see that spoon. Satan not only has people blinded but also brainwashed. I prefer to have my brain washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. There is no other way to live.

So what else is new???? We are looking to have a tree cut down in our backyard......we got the first estimate today......I could not believe how much the estimate was.......guess......just a quick guess.......give up? $2,284.oo yep.....hard to believe huh? No we are not going with him, that is for sure.

I will be taking some pictures of our front yard. JP and I landscaped the front with lots of wood chips and today I bought some stepping stones so we can walk through our little front yard garden. I am looking forward to opening up the whole front with lots of flowers and a Zuchinni plant or two.....I can't get over the fact that I planted 12 zuchinni seeds. 6 plants made it and out of those 6 plants I have yet to get 1 zuchinni.....ground too wet I guess. The back yard got flooded twice. Been a frustrating year to grow things, I am beginning to think I am losing my green thumb!

Well, I think I shall close this blog for tonight, talk to you later~Louise

Made a New Card Tonight

Here is one of my little girls smelling a rose which made it on a card tonight. A tri-fold card made with my mini score board. Then I outlined the lines scored. Placing the little girl on top after cutting her out on the right side. I needed something to fill in and thought a lovely flower would do the trick and a little greeting at the bottom "Just a Note". The inside of the card is blank to write a small note. Which is what will happen to this card as it is going in the mail box tomorrow to a friend. We exchange cards, it is always fun to receive a card from her.

I do plan on making a few more cards like this one in different colors and will probably add one of them to my etsy store. http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ The price of the card will be $4.00 as there is alot of work involved in making this card. I am sure you would agree once you see it. This card will come with an envelope and a clear plastic envelope for protection. As a bonus you will receive on free card and a bookmark. Well, you have a safe Labor day and enjoy your day off.~ Louise

Hyko and Kylie

Here is Hyko, he is about 12 years old. We've had him for about 8 years, now that is hard to believe. Seems like he has been with us forever. He is a Bolegnese, kind of like in the Bishon family. We got Hyko from the Appleton Animal Shelter, he had been given up by his 1st owner who abused him pretty bad. Hyko was afraid of men and stayed away from JP for awhile.....now JP and Hyko are best friends. Hyko has alot of ailments but he just keeps going like the energized bunny. Bad heart, teeth, a tumor on the bladder, he is getting hard of hearing and his sight is getting bad. Oh well, just like we humans, everything starts to wear down.

Then there is Kylie, she is about 5 years old or so. She was maybe about a year old when we got her from the OshKosh Animal Shelter. Kylie was found running homeless, she might have been dropped off and left to fend for herself. She was very fearful of us when we first met her. But she sure did take a liking to Hyko, it was love at first sight for Hyko and Kylie.

Kylie is a Schnoodle, (part poodle and part schnawzer). She is pretty healthy and likes to eat and run and sleep, go for rides and walks.

Cards in the Making and Some Already Made

Here are some pictures of my Little Girl Smelling Roses from Door County. 16 girls in the process of being bleached and painted with Twinkling H2O's. Just started painting the bottom 3 cards last night, so not quite finished. I used different colored cardstock to see how they would bleach up. Will be interesting to see how they turn out, each card will have it's very own personality when finished.

This card is in the process of being made into a card, right now I just have it laying on a white brick background. Have not decided how to embellish it yet.

Have you got any ideas, leave a comment.In this picture, the card is in it's finished state. I had another card almost like her, but in a different colored dress, she was cut out and mounted on fancy vellum, she sold for $4 right away!!!

I was pleased.

So there you have it for this blog. Go to my etsy store, www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com I am going to put up my little girl for sale there today and see what happens to her. In the next few days I should be putting up some cards I made but they did not make it to Etsy.

Hope you are having a "Glad Day" (Psalms 90:15) in the Lord Jesus Christ!!

Louise

♥37 Years of Marriage and My 1st Wedding Ring♥

Yep, that's right, you are reading the title right!!!!! It was our 37th Wedding Anniversary on Friday. This was the first time ever that JP bought me a ring....and a wedding ring at that. As you can see there are 3 rings, the pinkie ring is my mother's which I inherited, the middle fingered ring is a ring I bought at Kohls maybe about 15 years ago and that lovely ring in the middle is my new wedding ring. Can you imagine it was in JP's budget too. The pawn broker said to take it to a Jeweler for an appraisal, you might be surprised at how much it is worth......I shall do that.

FOOT NOTE TO THE READER........Now you might ask, why was JP buying me a wedding ring now, after all these years? When JP and I got married (by the Justice of Peace in Chicago in 1973) I had to buy my own ring, cause he didn't have time to look and/or buy a ring for me cause he was in the midst of racing and just could not take time off. He just did not have time to get married and a marriage licence, he felt, was not that important. It was to me though. He thought we could live together forever, but we had found a house and I said "I will not move into that house unless we are married". So he repented and we got married at 11am August 27th, signed the papers to the house at 3pm and moved into our little house in Arlington Heights, Illinois by the late afternoon.

So here we are in August 27, 2010 and JP is buying me a ring for our 37th wedding anniversary and we are beginning the hunt.

We went to a couple of pawn shops, and a jewelery store. At the first pawn shop, there were at least 5 large cases of rings to choose from, found a couple of rings but they were way out of JP's budget. He had saved $90 and had an extra $10 to top it off. Many of the rings were $200, $300, 4 and 500 all the way up to 1k or more. The salesman showed us the 50% off rings and the 30% off rings.....I would pick a ring and he would take it out, one ring at a time. Finally came up with 3 rings I liked. Then I had it narrowed down to one ring which was $149.00 ~ just a little over JP's budget, oh gosh but did I like it. We ended up not buying it, we left that store to go to another, thinking we would come back.

We were told to go to a jewelery store where they sell estate rings. So we tried there, didn't really see anything I liked, really didn't know what I was looking for, but you know......when you see what you like, you will know that is the one. It will yell out your name and say "I am the one ~ buy me"!!!!!! The saleslady then took us to some "NEW" wedding rings (gosh, I just knew they would be out of JP's budget for sure) Well, wouldn't you know it, I found the perfect ring, it was gorgeous and fit perfectly......but alas..... it's sale price was $2,800.00.....just out of curiosity I asked if there were any discounts and she calculated and came down to a whopping 2K. Gosh I liked that ring alot. We left there, I was alittle bummed, cause I really liked that ring (LOL)

We decided that Saturday we would go looking again, I had to go to the Share program and would stop at "Mr Money" on the way back home. This was a little-er pawn shop....with one case of rings, there the lady showed me the rings one and two at a time.....till finally I said, show me rings for $100, then she started bringing rings out and telling me what she could give them to me for.....then I spied this ring you see at the top of this page......tried it on and said.....this is the one. They were asking $149 but could come down to $110....I said I would bring back my husband.

To make the long story short, we bought the ring.....cause it was calling my name. Plus it just looked like it belonged on my hand.......don't you think???? We ended up paying $120 for the ring and that was including tax, I think we got a good deal, and both JP and I are happy and HE FINALLY BOUGHT ME A RING!!!!!!!!!!!

We had a "glad day" all day going out to eat at Red Lobster then shopping around for a ring, nice date, here is a picture of JP and I. Hope your days are glad too!!! Louise

ANOTHER FOOT NOTE......I had an extra $20 to add to the total cost of the ring.

♥New Cards a'brewing and Computer Follow-up♥

Here is a new card in the making. It is a bleach technique, which is really lots of fun.

1-Ink the stamp with versa-mark and stamp on the colored cardstock you want to use.

2-Embossed with black embossing powder.

3-Filled a cup with bleach and used a soft pointed blending tool and filled in the places I wanted bleached....which was all of the little girl.

4-Let dry, then give her a second coat of bleach and let dry thoroughly before coloring.

5-My first attempt to color her in I used colored pencils.....looked nice and looked almost antiquey.

6-My next attempt was using Twinkling H2O's, I like this technique, hard to see her sparkle, but she is. Now I shall turn her into a card tonight along with the other little girls I made. I probably will sell one of these little girls in my Etsy store. Hopefully I will have her up in the next week or so. Go to http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ I probably will sell her for $3.50 as there were alot of steps to making her. AND this is a piece of art....and maybe even one of a kind. If you like this "little girl smelling roses" stamp, I found her in Door County at Oscars Stamping store.

As a follow-up to my computer problems.....it didn't end when I brought the computer home. I ended up taking it back to Office Depot, because it kept shuting off and rebooting at least 10 times. They could not find anything wrong with the computer, so I took it home and hooked it up. Again, the computer ran like a champ for 3 days then acted up by shutting off and rebooting, so I pulled the plugs and started all over again.......this time I found there was a short in the monitor, took the old monitor off and brought up another old monitor from down stairs.......The computer has been working fine for over a week now with no problems. Although the screen is much smaller now, maybe someday I will invest in a larger-flat screen. But until then, this one is fine for now and is working.

It is our Anniversary on Friday, we've been married 37 years.....where has all that time gone? I guess we are truely vapors.....puffs of smoke, here today and gone tomorrow. JP is taking the day off and we might go to Red Lobster for lunch. We should have a little money saved for that special day. Well, time to end this blog for now, watch for another blog in a week or so, once I get a couple of cards put together.

Blessings~Louise

My computer was SOOOOOO Sick!

Well, here is the inside of my computer after I dust sprayed it....had this computer 6 years and never once dusted the inside. The guy that fixed my computer was shocked....I could tell it on his face. I never was told that the inside of computers needed to be dusted...I didn't even know how to get the side of the panel off, let alone dust.

It all started when my DVD player was hiccupping and would not play properly. I thought I would blow into the player and a big wad of a dust bunny flew out....oh my gosh I was shocked.....then I thought to blow the dust spray in there, then clean it with the CD cleaner. I tried everything and still...to no avail. I thought I was going to have to get a new DVD player.

Oh my computer was running sooooooo slow and I was getting more frustrated and just about ready to throw this computer out on the streets! Finally I could take it no more and called up Office Depot, took it in and found out it needed more ram....only $39.99....cleaning and tune-up was 69.99.....labor was $30.00 plus tax........guess that is cheaper then having to buy a new computer though.

Joel said that I needed to spray dust the inside and run the Norton virus scan. This computer is running like a champ now and oh what joy, feel like I have a NEW computer. Joel says that every time I get an oil change in the car to also spray dust the inside of the computer too. It should be done 3-4 times a year.........I sure don't want my computer to look like it did, just never realized it had to be clean on the inside as well as on the outside to work well.

It's sort of like our spirits.....we can look clean and good on the outside but if we are dirty on the inside we have defeated everything that God is trying to do in our lives. Suddenly our talk does not match our walk........believe me this past week was a real trial for me....people will say God is testing us, well, I flunked the test again. It's like I have to start from ground zero again, two steps forward and five steps back, never quit making it to first base.

Oh well, God still loves me even when no one else does and especially when I am in a hate mode and just want to give up. Thank God for his mercy and grace, without that we would be lost.

Well, I think I shall end this blog for today. I know now it will be easier to blog because my computer is working much better. Yall have a great day in the Lord.

Louise

♥My First "little" Harvest♥

Well, here you have it my first little harvest of the season.....oh my, how delicious the beans, tomatoes, pepper and celentro were steamed altogether!!!! The pepper plant and bean plant were from Walmart. Tomatoes came from the hardware store and the calentro was from seeds I planted in my upside down planter. Got a little cucumber the other day. Looking forward to some zucchinni in the next couple of weeks...oh my we will have alot of zucchinni if all the plants produce. I planted 12 seeds and there are 8 plants growing....may be sharing alot of zuc's this year. Last year I had maybe 3 plants and only got 5-6 zucchinnis.....was a bad year for vegies from the garden.

We had a big storm the other day.....3 storms passed by, the last storm brought flooding in the back yard and 1 inch of water in the basement....plus our roof leaks very bad....so we had a flood in the kitchen also cause the bucket wasen't place in the right spot to catch the drip, drip, drip of the drops leaking through the roof into the ceiling. May be a long time before we can get that fixed....we need a ship to come through for us.

Well time to close this blog for now. You have a great day and keep smiling!!!

Louise

"Showers of Blessings" in this case "Flowers of Blessings"

To your left are "Miranda's or Bee Balm". When you rub the leaves together they have a spicy smell to them. I have seen them all over town and wondered what they were............finally a neighbor lady on Onida Street was out in her beautiful garden digging up some flowers. I decided to stop, not knowing who she was, but always admired her garden and ask her what the name was of these beautiful flowers. "Miranda's" she said. Would you like some? Yes, I said. So she dug up some for me along with some pretty little white flowers and also some plants that look like geraniums and will have purple flowers. All these plants are perennials and will spread. Hopefully, they will spread and suffocate the WEEDS!!!!! Here is a close up of this lovely Miranda flower.

Well, we got all the plants planted in their new homes. The one thing Chris said was that all the plants be planted, because she has given plants to other people and they never got planted.......I said, oh yessssss these plants will have a home at my place.

Today, Sunday, we went to True Value for some more plants and got 3 more perennial plants, a "small lily, shasta daisies and little purple flowers" I also splurged on herbs, greek oregano, caraway and German Chamomile. I also got some mosquito spray, because I am finding I am very allergic to bug bites. Saturday the mosquitos just about ate me up alive. Today, I sprayed with Cutters Skinsation mosquito spray and got only one bite............miracles upon miracles!!!!!!

JP and I had a great day, doing the backyard. Pulled weeds and dug up an area for more flowers and laid some mulch down. I still want to finish off the middle section with a different colored mulch, this will be our camp fire section where our "smoky joe" is standing. It should be a nice area after it is finished.....I have so many ideas whirring around in my head, but not alot of money to accomplish those ideas. Oh well, so what else is new. Try to use what we have and hopefully the money will be there when everything is on sale!

Here is another picture of all those flowers I received on Friday from Chris. In my next blog I will take pictures of their new homes along with what we did in the back yard. Time to close for now, you have a happy day and a happy week and enjoy these last few days of JUNE!!!!

Louise

"Garfield's Scale" makes it to a Treasury on Etsy

See Garfield's Scale in the upper right hand corner? How exciting to see one of my cards make it to a treasury! The lady who put the treasury together said when she saw Garfield, it cracked her up....yep, Garfield can do that. I have not yet looked to see how the treasury looks on the blog, hopefully it will be easy to see.........well, I am sure you will get the idea.

From this treasury, I got the idea for my "Flower Power" cards in the previous post....putting together a set of cards to write a little note on. Through looking at some of the artists cards, I saw a card with one big flower and a little sign saying "just a note", now that was a good idea I thought, and I went about making a set of cards. The green card to your right is one of those cards.

Going to close this blog for tonight, have to get dinner ready for the husband. He will be home in about 2 hours and I still need to watch "Hell's Kitchen" which I recorded before I left tonight to go make cards. So talk later and have a good day.

Louise

My Newest Set of "Flower Power" Cards

Here's my newest set of cards............aren't they cute? They are blank inside so you can write a note of greeting to you're friend or lover.

Got the flowers at Archivers and was actually going to use them for another project, but they landed on these cards. The flowers colorfully coordinate with the different colors of cardstock. I had the circular salutations in my backstock of embellishments, so thought they would look neat on the cards. Mr. Cuttlebug came to my rescue again with a lovely background and Wa La a lovely card! As you can see, each card says something different, Hi, Smile, Love and Happy Birthday.

I have these cards in my Etsy store. So if you are interested in buying them, go to: www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com They are $10 for the set + postage. You will also receive one free bonus card and bookmark for shopping in my store.

Well, so much for today, I am off to go plant some flowers in my gardens, have a great day!

Louise