So Long 2012 ~ Hello 2013

Yeppers........Dashing will be completely out of the question for 2013! Going to enjoy every minute (or so I say)!! Been reading a few blogs today, 1) some wish you a Happy New Year, 2) some list "the 12 most popular", (which I truly love especially when it comes to FOOD) 3) and some just continue on as if it is just another day. Me, I think I will go back to January 1, 2012 and see what my expectations for 2012 were and if I met them........

Did you all make any resolutions for the New Year??? I thought about it, but sometimes they are just too hard to keep. I might just try continuing what I started in 2011.

1. continue on my journey to lose some weight and reverse diabetes.
Still working on that and probably continue on into 2013.

2. paint a room or two this year....been awhile since I painted and redecorated.
Nope, no room painting in 2012.

3. this spring, paint the porch floor.
Nope, no porch painting...thought about it though.

4. get some cards into a few beauty shops.
Nope.

5. get the kitchen ceiling fixed.
Nope.

6. these are long shots.........get a new or used stove and couch.
Got the couch and did look at a used stove, but nope, did not get one.

7. more mini-vacations on Lake Winnebago and a vacation this year.
Nope, no vacation but many mini-vacations on Lake Winnebago.

8. more blogs then last year.
Yes, I did manage that by 22 more blogs........2013? 25 more.

9. learn something new.
Guess I didn't, cause I can't think of anything.

10. lose an old habit, what that is I don't know as yet.
Ha...probably gained some old habits, but lose, Nope!

11. continue on in my personal relationship with Jesus.
Yes!

12. make a new friend.
Not sure I did. Oh wait, I did make a blog friend, does that count???

13. weed through the house, get rid of stuff not used for a couple of years.
Yes!

14. garage sale this summer?
Yes!

Well that is 14 things to work on, there probably are more, but this is a good start. Will have to remember these resolutions are here so I can keep reading them every now and then.
Guess I did not read them enough, cause many were not accomplished. So there you have it, shall I continue my quest for perfection in 2013......kinda' hard to attain perfection, very unattainable to me.

What to expect for 2013???
 I have no idea what to expect. Peace would be a good thing to expect, but with the way this world is going, it's hard to foresee. I find it very hard to understand how people can continue living without a relationship with Jesus Christ and still survive living in this barbaric way of life. Killing and being killed, and sometimes for no reason at all, then to just kill!!! 
A very sad commentary for "modern" man!!! Everyone blames the other guy and sadly does not look into the "mirror of truth" to see one's self-deception. We deceive ourselves daily, thinking we are good, when in reality we all are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. There is a scripture in the Bible that says to this affect. "Whoa to them that say good is evil and evil good..." This is fast becoming very familiar in our society. Very sad, very sad indeed.

Well, guess it is time to close this blog for 2012.....see you all in 2013 Lord willing. So you all keep looking up for your redemption draweth nigh. Cheers ~ Louise
 Hello 2013

Friday Ramblings........

Hi there, how you all doing?? I am fine and surviving the Christmas and New Year's activities. Plus doing some resting too. Caught some kind of cold, the residue is a bunch of flemmy junk and cough in the morning, but once that is out of the way, everything is fine. Sleeping in has done wonders, guess that is why we are told to drink lots of water and get plenty of rest. You might get rid of the cold quicker, instead of it lingering for weeks on end.

Well, I found the above picture someplace on the internet and thought it was worthy of being placed on this blog, so here it tis. ENJOY and I hope it brings a smile on you face!!!

 Listening to the radio while typing. My favorite talk shows are Rush, Sean and Mark........they talk so much of this "fiscal cliff" I wonder what it really means. Is there really a fiscal cliff or is it all just a scare tactic, getting people all worked up for nothing. I don't know, these politicians sure can make up stories to cover up other stories. They should be ashamed of themselves. What is so hard about speaking the truth??? Guess truth does not make money.....hummmm?!?!

Weather is snowy today. I was going to go to the store today, but JP said the streets are slippery. We can go store hopping tomorrow and pick up his meds and some food.

I think I finally got my computer fixed, it was running soooooo slow. I knew there was something plugging it up, but just did not know how to get around it. Finally clicked on Norton again and there is a program Norton has that finds virus's that are deeply hidden and fixes the problem. Plus let's you know if there are other things not working right. So I jumped through those hoops and now things are running better. For now. Have to check out a few other programs I was having problems with before the "big fix".

So what are you doing for New Year's......I think we are going to a friends house, they live on the Fox River. From their home can be see the fireworks and the ball dropping....that should be fun watch, can't remember ever seeing fireworks on New Year's Eve.

Well, time to close this blog for today, probably will say hi again on the 31st and say "Good-bye" to 2012 via my blog.

You all have a great couple of days and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day



Christmas Eve dinner was steak, shrimp and red pepper grilled on the George Foreman grill. The steak was to perfection and was still pink on the inside. No special seasoning except for my "no salt Greek seasoning" also on the plate was fried mushrooms. I tried to plate it to look tantalizing, not sure 'Gordon Ramsey' would be impressed. Also, on the menu was "Crispy Mashed Potato's" (you will find the recipe in the previous blog) salad and celery with dip and onion rye toast. JP had a bowl of fruit and yogurt for dessert. We enjoyed our dinner very much.



Christmas Morning ~ this is JP looking at his new scrape book I put together for him. The original scrape books were falling apart after 40 years!! I thought I would just get a couple of pages done, but managed to get 23 pages done from 1972 and into the start of 1973. Over the years, pictures and newspaper clippings were taken out and misplaced. So I had to really work hard at piecing it all back together again. (just like humpty~dumpty)

I really enjoyed doing this scrape book, so now maybe I won't be so fearful to try another one. I do have plenty of pictures that can be scrape booked using many themes.....my next book, (which I started about 4 years ago) are all my dogs. Now that Hyko has left us, I guess it is time to get that started again.



Here is a page from the scrapbook, I took a picture cause I wanted to see how it would turn out. So maybe during the course of the next couple of months I will take pictures of the scrape book, so you can see the lay-outs and what the book looks like. I know, I know, "you say.....I have seen plenty of scrapbooks" Ah....BUT, you've not seen this one!! Anyways, this is a picture of JP winning a feature race in his old car "169" in 1972.

 As I said, I really enjoyed putting this together as it brought back lots of memories. I was really looking forward to giving it to him......now I can finish it without being rushed. Christmas eve I received some racing paper and stickers that I had ordered last week. So I was able to organize the book a little bit more before giving it to JP for Christmas.



Christmas Day we spent a few hours at Jim and Arlene's house. Ham, dressing, peas and carrots, baked potato, pear salad, berry pie and tea. Then we opened some gifts....Arlene likes to go "thrift shopping" so I got a cook book full of cookies, JP got a doggie calendar and a picture frame with a picture of a cut-out doggie that looked like Hyko. The didn't know Hyko had died, and so the dog looked like Hyko. (sniff-sniff and sigh)

It was a nice visit, as we sat around talking about the Lord and reading and speaking scripture. JP and Jim can really banter back and forth pretty good and JP usually knows what address that scripture comes from. They both know the Word really good.

We left about 3:30pm and came home.......I guess I was tired, cause about 5:00pm I closed my eyes and did not wake up till 7:30pm...........whew, where did that time go?? So about 8:00pm I made a lasagna in my new little casserole dish from Kylie....can you imagine she paid $3.99 for it. Guess that is another picture for another time. (smile)

You are going to like this........so I made the lasagna and put it in the oven about 8:20, set the temperature for 400 degrees and FORGOT to turn the "ON" knob, soooooo needless to say the lasagna sat in the oven for 1 hour without being baked...........GOOD GRIEF where were my brains!!! So when I realized the lasagna was not baking, it was about 9:20pm. So about 10 minutes after 10pm we were eating lasagna............it sure was good, and well worth the wait or should I say weight....I think it was the new casserole dish that made it taste good.

Well, I guess this blog is getting a bit to long and no doubt you are getting bored with all my rambling. So I shall close for now. Hopefully I will get another blog in before the New Year. So you all take care and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Wanted to wish all my blog friends a Very Merry Christmas.

Well, the busyness of shopping, making cards and sending them, decorating, making gifts and cookies, (still working on JP's Christmas present) is coming to a climax. Whew, so, so busy. Plus I was dealing with some kind of cold that put me down for a week. Still not feeling that well, but much better then I was.

Tonight for dinner I am making a little steak and shrimp, salad and crispy mashed red potatoes........sure do like this little recipe, here it is:

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

4 ~ 1 1/2 inch red potatoes
olive oil
salt and water
seasoning (your choice) or kosher salt and pepper

Scrub potatoes and in a pan big enough to hold the amount of potatoes you want, add water and some salt. Bring to boil over high heat. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes or until "fork tender" or until the fork meets little resistance.

Preheat oven to 450. Add olive oil to a nonstick baking pan with an edge. Use enough to have it "pool" a lit not just coat. Add the potatoes and "smash" to about 1/2 inch thick. I used a potato masher or fork.

Brush top with more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and anything else you want.
Bake until brown and crisp. About 20-25 minutes. I like extra crispy, so I leave them in a little longer.

Takes about 1 hour to make but very worth the time.

Happy eating and enjoy tonight and tomorrow, Christmas Day. We are going to Jim and Arlene's house for ham dinner at noon. Probably spend a couple of hours with them. Then home and relax.....not sure when we will open gifts between JP and I, maybe when I get his present done????? Gosh, that could be next week.....hahahahaha

Well you all have a great Christmas and enjoy the season, it will go all to fast. Keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

BIG Storm "Briana" Coming Tonight and Hibiscus

Hi everyone, how is your day going this dreary day??? No funny pictures today........probably one of those days that we need a funny picture to brighten our spirits. Will have to look for a funny picture, do you have any ideas????

Well, the above picture was of a lovely pink hibiscus flower. I say "was" because I had used www.picmonkey to change the flower into a black and white photo album ready picture. Kind of cool, huh? The program is free to play with....which makes it my kind of program. The next picture you will find what the hibiscus looked like originally, down a paragraph.

OIE!!!!! The weatherman says 6-12 inches for the Fox Cities........well, as long as I don't have to drive in it.  Looked around for some pictures of snow, but could not find any. So, no pictures of snow today, maybe in a couple of days. Weatherman says this will be a big storm..........and guess what ????? our snow blower does not work. JP called Northside to have it picked up $35 and then to work on it, who knows what that might cost. Nothing like waiting to the last minute......procrastination!!!! Well, I guess we weren't the only ones waiting till the last minute to get our snowblowers fixed. Looked like there were 3 other blowers on the trailer also. Our neighbors are coming home today from their trip to Michigan..........soooooo he will be happy to know we are without our blower. Maybe the spirit of "kindness" will fall upon him and he will do our side of the driveway also. JP and John usually take turns doing the drive, as it is connected, so we will see what happens.....when "Briana" makes her appearance.

Pink Hibiscus flower.

Getting a lot of my Christmas planning done. Decorations finally all up, just have to light my Christmas Village. Was debating on whether to bring a box of figurines up, might still do that yet. Still working on JP's stock car racing album. It has been a real 'kick' and I'm enjoying doing it....brings back a lot of memories, that I kinda forgot. Hope JP likes the album. Want to make some pumpkin cookies and a cherry pie yet, the stuff is on the counter waiting to be prepped into what they are supposed to be. Cards are all out, except for one card........Biz, I am still waiting for your address!!!!! Otherwise, maybe I can just kick back and enjoy Christmas now, what there is of it to enjoy. 

Wonder if "Christmas 2012" will be the last Christmas as we know it..........like, what is ahead of us in 2013 with Obama getting a second term, will his agenda roll out into reality? If you saw the movie "2016" our future is not very bright.......and I have a foreboding of what will come of "America" in the next few years if Obama has HIS WAY!!!! Not a very pretty sight. Sad, how the agenda of one man can destroy the lives of many. (like the CT shootings of all those children) I wonder sometimes, where God is in all this, but, HE IS. Do you think that it may be possible that the people of America are getting exactly what they wanted, a dictator??? God allows things to happen for a reason, hopefully in the end it draws all men to HIM and what better time then now......At Christmas time!!! 

Well, I think I shall close this blog for today. Time to get JP off to work, he has been worrying all morning and afternoon about the storm, I keep telling him, there is NOTHING you can do to stop it so just relax!!! His worry sure does drive me crazy!!!!

You all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh! Jesus may be coming sooner then we think............of course if that "end of the world" Mayan prophecy comes true on the 21st............that would be Friday, but then NO ONE knows the time and day of HIS return. 

CHEERS ~ Louise

Pleassssssssssssse Can I Come In?????

I know, I know, another animal picture, but I like puppies and kitties, so what can I say. 

Well, today's agenda is to make some "pumpkin cookies" and get the rest of my Christmas cards out. Finally got my stepfather's Christmas present mailed yesterday, a $3 stuffed doggie and a box of homemade cookies. $9.50 to mail that box and he will get it by next Wednesday.......well at least it's arriving before Christmas this year....hahaha. Things to still accomplish, 1) finish decorating my little tree and 2) put up my mini village and figurines. It will get done this week-end, 3) then I can concentrate on making JP's "race-car" scrapbook. 4) Wrap presents.

Just heard on the news about the Conn. school shooting, 18 kindergartners and 8 adults. The shooter is dead, but a 2nd person is being questioned. A parents worse night-mare. A school is supposed to be a safe place......not anymore. Why in the world do these things happen??? More and more I am beginning to see, it's true, if a person does not have a faith and belief in Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, these things WILL happen. When the Bible and prayer were taken out of the schools, that is when everything went down the tubes. When will people learn, "you cannot run from God, cause he will eventually catch you"!!!! No one is exempt from God and everyone needs HIM.

Well, it has been a week since we put our sweet dog Hyko down. I still miss him and have sudden crying jags every now and then. Hyko had so much personality and I miss those big brown eyes looking up at me, he sure had a will to live. Maybe in the spring, I will make a walking stone to mark his little grave, right now there is a big blue ornament and orange rose to mark his spot. My other dogs Anna, Poppy and Truffles had daffodils planted on their graves. I guess eventually, the walking stone will be for all our doggies. (sigh)

Well, time to close this blog for today, you all keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

PS I promise to be more up-beat and newsy in my next blog!!!

♥Wordless Wednesday♥

Doggies can be counted on...............

Keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.........Cheers~Louise

A Funny Picture Today

HaHaHaHa..........I needed a fun picture today and found this in my stored-up pictures saved on the "stick". Sooooo today is MONDAY!!!!! What have you got planed for today and for the rest of this week???? Fifteen days till Christmas and I still have lots to do.

Made some peppermint cookies last week and some cut out ginger and butter cookies yesterday. Today I need to decorate them. Will be putting a little box together for the step-father out in Las Vegas along with a stuffed doggie. Picked him up for $3 at the thrift store. Pops usually complains. "Don't send me money, don't send me crossword puzzles, don't send me candy".................maybe someday I will not send him anything, see how he likes that. Sometimes situations like this, can take the joy of giving out of Christmas.

Still have some cards to make and a few gifts to make. Still have JP's gift to make, his race car scrapbook. Hopefully I can get a few pages done, so he gets the idea of what it will look like, wrap it up and put it under our little tree.

We have been invited out for Christmas dinner, so that will be nice, don't have to cook Christmas day. The pastor and his wife treated JP and I to my birthday (Nov. 21st) dinner yesterday, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and carrots. There was enough for take-home and another meal, so I didn't have to cook yesterday either. AAHHH those little bonuses in life, aren't they grand?

Well, there is no sense stressing over Christmas, it is not worth it, if things get done, they get done, if not, there really is no one to impress, I still have our little tree to decorate and put up my Christmas village. So I guess in the next 15 days will be busy. Then comes January and TAXES!!! Uge, that is when I shall stress!!!! You all enjoy Christmas and have a great time but still keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

R.I.P. Dear Hyko ♥

Hyko standing on the word of God.

Fall time in the backyard.

Enjoying a summer day on the front porch.

Hyko and Kylie looking pretty, they both had their grooming session so they looked especially
nice for the camera.

So Hyko, I will miss you very much, you were a great little dog, a bolognese from Bolognia, Italy, a purebread, your papers said. We got you from the Animal Shelter in Appleton back in 2005. You seemed so lost and looking for your previous owner. We found out you were abused and not taken care of, your hair was all matted and you had to be completely shaved down.....you looked so funny. You had your own personality, a tough macho dog and nobody, or no other dog better cross your path and you were not afraid of big dogs either cause you gave them a piece of  your mind. Not much of a snuggler but you had your ways of letting us know what you wanted. You sneezed so much, Kylie started copying you....and we would say "God Bless You Hyko" You know what.....I think God did bless you and now you are running around in "Doggie Heaven........where ever that might be. Missing you very much and looking for you in this house and all the places you slept, in the bedroom on the old quilt, on your pillow, on the couch, the lazyboy, on my trampoline. Now you will be sleeping in the backyard, forever along with Truffles, Poppy and Anna.
Sleep well my little friend, see you again someday.

Glimpses of Thanksgiving, Birthday and Pizza

 Glimpses of Thanksgiving Dinner. Oh it was a wonderful meal!!! I talked about this wonderful meal we had on Thanksgiving, but did not post pictures to this blog. The turkey was so moist, with gravy, mashed potatoes, squash, cranberries, in the forefront you see the asparagus that was baked on the crescent rolls with lots of mozzarella  and pumpkin pie....a very good meal set for a KING!!!

Glimpses of my Birthday cake 6 candles = 66. Don't often make a cake for my birthday, but this year I did. A very moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting........what can I say, delicious!!!



A glimpse of "hash browns potato pizza" Now this was a great pizza!!
1 package of hash browns, oil pan well, even leaving extra oil on pan. Spread hash browns out evenly on pan and sprinkle a little oil on top of hash browns. Because you will want the hash browns to brown on the bottom at 400-450 degrees for 10 minutes.
Spread some pizza sauce or tomato sauce on baked hash browns.
spread, chopped onions, peppers, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and cheese....whatever your desire.
Bake till the cheese melts (vegetables are done) and you have a crispy bottom.
Not sure how I came upon this recipe but it sure is delicious!!!



Glimpses of my cards the votive, made this collage on a new site I found. www.picmonkey.com  Take a peek at the site, you might enjoy playing with it.

Etsy, oh Etsy why are you causing me so much grief???? Yes, it is true. Since Thursday, I have tried listing some Christmas cards and a pretty votive and cannot seem to list. I go through the motions, jumping through all those hoops, answering the questions, uploading the pictures, and writing the description..........which all takes time, then I go to "list preview" and NOTHING happens. I am really bummed, 9 times I have tried listing and to no avail. Emailed Etsy to let them know the problem. It seems it is not their problem but on my side. This is the 1st time in 5 years that I am having this problem. Have upgraded Internet Explorer and now have to upgrade Google Chrome. They told me I would have to find a new browser..............no............these are the only two I will do, not adding any other browsers like AOL, Foxfire, or whatever they are promoting. I find it hard to understand why other people are NOT complaining............very strange.

Well I guess I shall close this blog for today.......need to see about upgrading Google Chrome and try getting a few cards in my shop. Talk to you later and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

Some Christmas Stuff

My Christmas Voltive. Using my Cuttlebug and snowflake die, this little Voltive was produced with etching cream. This is a very fun project that makes lots of great gifts. Will be putting this little candle in my Etsy store, the price ~ $7.00 + shipping and postage.



My Christmas cards. Decided to put 4 of these cards in my Etsy store, plus make enough to send out......as yet that has not been accomplished. But who knows........just need a few hours on NO interruptions. Selling these cards on Etsy for $2.75 or $11.00 for 4 cards plus shipping and postage. The background of this card is embossed clouds with  a sticker star.



Here is the same card but in red, the background is swiss dots with a gold star.

So there you have it, a few of the things that I have been working on. This will be a short blog for today.....as I am on the hunt for work pants for JP at the local thrift shops, found a nice pair yesterday at Goodwill, Levi Strauss black jeans for $13.00......hope that was a good price.....they should last him awhile.

Well, talk later, have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draweth nigh!! Cheers ~ Louise

Time Out Today........Celebrate B-day ♥

Kylie my doggie encircled in pretty snowflakes, holly and corner scrolls. Heard about a new program  called www.picmonkey.com  You can play with your photos, add text and edit, add things (like I did above). Be going there more often to see what else I can do.

Today we celebrated my birthday going out to the "Outback" again. Steak again with aussi fries and asparagus. JP had a fried chicken steak and garlic potatoes/beans. We shared one of those blossom onions with that special sauce. MMMMM~good!! (not a whole lot of calories.....NOT!!!)

Bought a new coat at "Burlington Coat Factory". We have lived in the Fox Cities for 25 years and I have never been to that store.........amazing!!! Guess I will go back there again, kinda liked shopping there, they have everything!!!! Anyways my coat is a 'Calvin Klein" coat which of course was made in CHINA!!  It was a $120.00 coat and paid $60.00, it is black and the material is soft. I like this coat very much as it has snaps, no buttons and no zippers. I just did not want to fool with buttons and zippers. My old coat had buttons and lost them a couple of times. The lining needed to be redone and the coat cleaned. I was figuring it would cost $100 to have cleaned and lining fixed. So I shall wear my old coat around the house......looks like an old rag....but I still love it.

Still have not finished my Christmas cards, maybe in the next few days they will get done. Got my first Christmas card today.......nothing like being really early. Finally figured out what I will send my 87 year old stepfather. He doesn't want me to send $$$, he can't see to do cross word puzzles anymore, no sense sending him food or coffee, cause I don't know what he likes. He liked a little toy I sent him last year that could be wound up and it flipped backwards. He said he liked that. SO I thought today, I will send him a stuffed toy dog..........for the person you don't know what to send......send a stuffed toy ♥♥♥

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day at a friends house. Food was delicious and turkey out of this world. She cooked it in a nesco so it made the turkey VERY tender. I really need to get a turkey for JP and I, as we really like turkey sandwiches and casseroles. We sat around watching football. She got new front room furniture.....the recliner had a massage and heater.....was that ever comfy to lay in, could have fallen asleep several different times.

Well, time to close here. Want to go downstairs and ride my bike for a couple of miles and make a few more cards. So talk to you later and keep looking up for  your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

Bizzy Daze Ahead...............

Needing ALOT of coffee in the daze ahead, hahahaha!!!! Hope my little 1970's Melitta Coffee Maker can make it. Can you believe I still have this little coffee maker? It's a one cupper chugging along since the early 70's!!! Probably got it right around '71 or '72 before JP and I got married. I have seen a few Melitta Coffee makers on the Internet...and they were still in their original box. But they were asking $50 and $60 because they are considered an ANTIQUE...........CAN YOU IMAGINE!?!?! Thinking when this little machine conks out, gonna buy one of those Kering coffee makers, just a one cupper, cause I only drink about 2-3 cups of coffee a day......if I made a pot, then I would think I have to drink the whole pot. And that's where I would get into trouble..........don't want to have another bleeding ulcer drinking so much caffeinated coffee. Although decaffeinated shouldn't do as much harm and at just 2 cups per day.

I have been drinking Organic Roasted Dandelion Root tea lately. It promotes a healthy liver function. Since being pre-diabetic, my liver functions poorly. Since drinking this tea 3 times a day, have actually been feeling a little better and my side has not been aching as much and blood sugars are down a bit......so maybe this is a good thing. Jillian from the Biggest Loser said drinking Dandelion Root tea works as a diuretic also, my body seems to retain water which adds weight to the body............oh it is a losing battle at times and especially since I am turning 66 years old tomorrow.....Happy Birthday to MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Well, let's see, gonna make my birthday cake today.....carrot cake with cream cheese frosting....oh yes please!!!! Tomorrow (my birthday) doing nothing special, (just baking 3 pumpkin pies, coleslaw and cranberries for Thanksgiving at Sandi's). We won't be going out till Saturday, as JP has to work. So Saturday is my "birthday celebration and time out". Guess we will hit a few thrift stores, JP needs some pants and maybe I will find something for Louise. JP has his accordion on lay away at the Pawn Store, so maybe we will put some money down on that, so he can have it in time for Christmas......oh joy!!!!

I have a gift to make for someone today, and really need to get my Christmas cards made this week. Have a few more etched glass candle holders and vases to make. Plus work on JP's Christmas present...revamping his Stock Car Scrapbooks....now for some reason that could be a chore to me, so if I even get 3-4 pages done and wrap it up to give, then finish it after Christmas just might be the way to go, so I am not so rushed. Finally found some pictures that were missing, JP's first and second race cars that I wanted to add to the scrap book....so we shall see what I get done.

Well time to close this blog till after Thanksgiving....maybe I will blog again on Friday, so you all have a great day and enjoy Thanksgiving and don't forget to Give Thanks to God for all he has given you......that is what it is all about.............after all God has given us much to be thankful for. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and watch how God works there!!! Keep looking up for you never know when you redemption draws nigh!!!!
Cheers ~ Louise

Happy Birthday Louise

There's a cute shop on Etsy......and the lady makes clothes for her dog....this is the cute dog that models her handmade stuff above. Just could not resist, he looks like my dog Hyko and he is ready for a party!!!!

Well, this week on the 21st. (the day before Thanksgiving,) I turn 66 years old~~yikes!!!!!!
Where did all those years go......just like the bible says, we are vapors, like a puff of smoke and then it is all gone. When my mother was 66, I was only 46, thought that was pretty old then, but this is REALLY old. Now I suppose someone who is 76 or 86 would say to me......ah, you are still young.......BUT, I have never been this age as yet, so this is all new to me, guess this too will pass.

Soooooo, to celebrate, making myself a carrot cake. For thanksgiving we are going over to friends house. I am bringing the pumpkin pies, cranberries and coleslaw. So, I will be doing a little bit of cooking on my birthday, which will be okay. Not sure where we will go for my birthday dinner on Saturday. (Yes, I am celebrating all week) Would like to go to "The OutBack" again....we will see. They have a special on Saturdays, $10 Entrees from 11am to 4pm. Steak and french fries, salad and cheese cake would be a nice Birthday dinner for a 66 year old....lol!!!!

Well, time to close this blog for today, have quite a few things to accomplish and have not even tackled even one project as yet. Eventually I want to get downstairs and make a few craft gifts, and my Christmas cards that really need to be done by the end of this week. Oh my........so much to do and so very little time to do it.

You all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

So Missing My Flowers

Hi everyone.......thought I would post a little something tonight. Not much happening this weekend, which is fine with me. Life sure can get hectic at times, tis good to have a quiet weekend.

I forget what the name of this flower is.....thinking it comes from the onion family, it sure was lovely this summer. I am missing my flowers already and we are not even into the winter months yet. Not really ready for snow yet.

Was working on a few cards and an etched candle holder with snowflakes on it tonight...........thinking I will keep this one in my possession for awhile. Really should put one of my creations into my Etsy shop, this week perhaps. Need to make time to make some Christmas cards and get them out the first week of December. I don't have many gifts to make or buy so I can put all my time into scrapbooking. Sure do have alot of pictures to sort through, or maybe just throw them away......I don't know, not too many people would be interested in seeing them, except me.

Made an interesting little recipe this week end, I might just use it as a Christmas present.
Home made butterfingers...........gosh were they good and probably loaded with SUGAR!!!! All it is, was a bag of those candy corn pieces  melted in the micro, then I added peanut butter, microed, till soft and easy to work with, laid it in a pan to cool, sliced and covered with melted chocolate............wow really good and one piece isn't enough, I could see my blood sugars sky-rocket, so really one piece was enough for this old girl.

Well, I am going to close for now as it is getting late and I need to get some rest. Talk later and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.........Cheers ~ Louise

New Creations and the Elections

My newest addition to my creations. A frosted etched glass dish. Picked this dish up along with 8 other dishes at a rummage sale. My first thought was to break the dishes and turn them into stepping stones. (I still may do that with a few dishes next summer) For now, they will be.....maybe....large candle holders or a serving dish for _______, fill in the blank. The snowflake was made with my Cricut cutter, cut the snowflake on vinyl then put it on the plate. This particular dish had 3 coats of etching goop applied to it. It was a lot of fun to make and most likely will make a few more.

My second creation is this cute little candle holder with snowflakes on all four sides. The snowflake is from a die-cut which was run through my cuttlebug. The etching goop was applied and left on for 15 minutes then washed off with cold water. I have 3 more to make and probably will put one in my Etsy shop in the next few days. Will also make a few for Christmas gifts. Will have to sell the candle holder for at least $10, as the light and candle holder alone were priced at $4.50. Have not found a place cheaper as yet, but will be looking around.

Also on my agenda is putting together a scrapbook for JP's Christmas present. 40 years ago, when JP was still in stock-cars and racing, I put together 2 scrapbooks in 1972 and 1973. Those books are falling apart now, so I thought it would be fun to put one together. I am hoping to get at least 3-4 pages done (maybe more) before Christmas.......as I get them done I will post them here. Bought this big blue photo album and extra pages for the smaller pictures and actually found some racing stickers and 12x12 racing paper. Should be fun. So far I have about $40 into this project. Hope JP likes the album and doesn't ask me "how much did it cost?"

Still working on my Christmas cards, better get going on them SOON, cause Christmas is right around the corner and I have at least 25-30 personal cards to make and also put some into my Etsy shop. As you can see I am just a little busy, craft wise. There is always something cooking on the stove in my home.....hahahahahaha!

Well, the elections are FINALLY over. I think I am "politics saturated" and ready for some R & R (rest and recuperation) from politics, although I still like listening to Rush Limbough, Sean Hannity and Mark Levine. I had hoped that Mitt Romney would have gotten elected but that was not the will of God...........He is in control of everything and that includes these elections. I don't really understand what it is we are to learn from this, but whatever it is...."All things work together for those that love God and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Well you all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption is drawing nigh......getting closer everyday♥
Cheers ~ Louise

170 Mile Challenge Accomplished ~ Whew!

Whewwwwwww!!!! Finished the 6-week-170-mile-challenge last night, peddled the last 7 miles with an exuberant HOORAY!!!! Never lost any weight, but have managed to maintain my weight for the last 6 weeks. I have been riding my stationary bike for a year now and have put on close to 1800 miles since last October, now that is a feat for me. Because "one of my bad habits is to start things and not finish them," so said my Step-father many, many years ago.

Why do words from the past seem to always haunt us in later years????

Haven't done many cards in the past couple of weeks. So if you have not received a card from me lately, please understand, I have been busy too! So just relax and cut me some slack. The card will come, in my time and not in your time.

This computer business is still driving me crazy. Thought I had the problem remedied but it looks like I have not. Still waiting for it to do it's thing and run through the motions of starting and stopping, type a few words or a sentence and then wait.....wait.....wait!!!!

The next step, a new computer I guess, why can't things be made to last instead of having to invest in something new every couple of years....not everyone can afford new technology every time something new comes out.

The phone is ringing off the hook today and probably for the next couple of days till the election. It ceases to amaze me how you can be on a no-call list and still get called.

Why are politicians exempt from this no-call policy??????

Been working on my cricut machine lately, playing around with "glass etching" which I think might become one of my favorite techniques. Once I finish a few pieces I will take a picture or two and put them in my blog for you to see.

Well, I have had about enough of this computers shenanigans so I will close for now. Don't forget to VOTE on Tuesday and do please follow your heart on this one, cause it will have far reaching effects on America in the years to come. So you all take care and keep looking up for your redemption truly is at nigh!!!!! Cheers ~ Louise

PS. DON'T FORGET TO TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK TONIGHT - DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!!!

Last Post for October and Challenge

Isn't this just the sweetest picture???? I love the look on the little monkey's face......"So in love are we two that we don't know what to do......so in love, so much in love."

As this is my last post for October, really didn't want to post anything about Halloween. Just not really much into Halloween and don't like what it stands for. It's a pagan holiday and a lot of pagan worship to the evil one. Something I just can't get excited about like other people do. It's a wonder to me how people, even Christians still play around with it and dress their kids up in innocent characters.....but yet....they are still playing along with Satan and eating right out of his hand of deception. Oh well, to each his own.

Two more days and the 170 mile challenge is over with. I still have 29 miles to put in between tonight, Thursday and Friday. I am not sure if I will make it or not, but at least I tried.

So sad for the people on the east coast and in NY and New Jersey, Staton Island and other cities along the way........gosh, now they are looking at the fear of gas leaks and possible explosions. The pictures are so horrendous. So many people lost EVERYTHING. The thought of having to start over is so traumatic, I just don't know what I would do. But then if one is a believer in Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, He will give you the grace to go through times of trouble. Tribulation in ones life causes patience. I think we as a country have become VERY impatient....maybe this was a blessing in disguise for many people on the east coast.....I don't know, just thinking out loud while typing this blog.

Well, time to go and put in a few miles on my bike. I will let you all know, to whoever reads this blog. How I did on Saturday morning. You all take care and please keep looking up for you never know when your redemption will draw nigh, and you lose everything, but your life!!! 

Cheers ~ Louise

Cards, Life and Computers

These are some Christmas cards in my Etsy Shop. I deleted them from my store as they were selling separately. I then put them back into my store as a set of 11 cards for $23 + postage and shipping. That's about $2.10 a card. A nice deal for an array of pretty cards. If they do not sell after this season they will not go back into my store and I probably will use them next year to send out to friends and family. You can only try to sell for so long and then comes a point that you just have to give them away to whom ever. Oh well, that is life, I was never a good seller of my crafts.

When I was still young and looking for direction in my life and what I wanted to do when I grew up. My dream was to become a graphic artist. I loved drawing and painting and majored in art all four years in High School. BUT my stepfather said, "you will starve before you make it as a graphic artist" So, I went into Hair Design.........he didn't like that either. I never could please the man and still can't. I am not sure what he wanted me to do. I know my mother wanted me to go into the Airlines, or work for the telephone company. But these things were not what I wanted to do. It wasn't till after the fact, that my mother said if I had kept up with my art work.....Pops would have sent me to the Art Institute in Chicago.
"Why, did they not tell me that earlier??" Things might have been different for me.
Oh well, such is life in the big city and the little hamlet.

So, I put myself through beauty school and went on to become a hairdresser that lasted for 18 years. I loved doing haircuts and sets, designing hair, coloring and perming. Worked in some really good shops working with some fun people. The ladies that followed me from shop to shop were really nice and tipped very well. Those were some good years from 1966-1984, working in 9 different shops for 9 different bosses. I learned a lot of different techniques and styles. Some shops were fun and laid back and some were tuff and strict, but learn I did and enjoyed what I did.

Hairdressing is a form of Art and that is probably why I enjoyed it.....but then I left that profession becoming a Secretary and jack of all trades, wearing many hats to satisfy those around me. JP and I got involved with the Salvation Army, I for 14 years and JP for 12 years. Those were some fun and chaotic years, again I learned a lot.

So here I am today, retired and still looking for my nitch in life and back to graphic arts and making cards. ART has always been a part of my life and maybe it has been my life-saver, keeping me sane all these years. My goodness how in the world did I get off on all the above info????

Computer: FINALLY got my computer fixed. the cost??? $63.12 for more memory and $41.99 for instilation. $105.11 to get it running properly with less stress. Guess that is okay as I will get another couple of years out of this machine. It is working really well right now. Joe said for the age of my machine is was pretty clean but ran slow because it needed more memory. I did alot of preventative maintenance, cleaning cookies, defragging, PC registry cleaning and Mr. Norton doing his thing every day.

My next step towards a new lap-top will be to 1) get a wireless router.....2) a new printer for the lap-top....3) the lap-top. These 3 steps will not drain me financially. Joe said to buy everything right away will cost close to $1000, this way doing it step by step will alleviate financial stress. While still doing all this I still have a computer THAT WORKS!!! Windows XP will be obsolete by the end of this year and I will not be able to get it fixed at Office Depot. So I guess I got in at the wire. Joe also said that my computer is 10 years old and is going on 5th generation now. XP, Vista, Windows 7 and now Windows 8 - did I miss a generation????? (will have to google this and find out for sure).

Well, I guess it is time to close this blog, sort of rambled on a bit today, maybe because this computer is working and I am not having to wait for it to do it's thingie, it has been a pleasure to do this blog today. So you all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

Cards, Flowers and Garage Sale Stuff

My newest card is in my Etsy store. "The Flying Duck 2". I love this technique, really a lot of fun to do. Using the duck template, I stamped a scenery stamp on card stock, then dabbing around the edges of the duck to finish it off. Embellish any way you would like.



A cluster of beautiful mums in my front yard.



The last of my brown-eyed susans. Hopefully next spring there will be an abundance of daisy's growing.

Still have some garage sale stuff for sale. A lady emailed me who saw my ad on Craigslist and wanted to know if I still had some plants and plant stands, pots and stuff. Took some pictures and emailed them to her....take it all for $20....haven't heard from her yet. Guess I was supposed to mark it all for "FREE"

Taking my computer in on Friday to get cleaned and more ram put into it. Gosh, sure do hope this all will help. Been fiddling with this computer, typing a few words at a time into this blog......good thing "Nashville" was on so it didn't matter how long it took for this machine to do it's thingie.

Well, time to close, need to get the husband's dinner going, ride my bike and do some dishes so you all take card and take Jesus and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

Sweet Baby......and a "Star" Clementis

Sweet little baby from the past...............not really sure where I got this picture, must have been on the Internet someplace. I tried saving her along with some other old pictures to a CD, but it would not work. So, just moved the sweet baby to my pictures and then I thought the baby needed to go on my blog.....so here she is.

My computer is still not working the best, but it is workable. Deleted a few things, removed a program and defraged. Moved some files and cleaned some files. Well, hopefully the memory sticks will show up on Monday so I can take this computer in for a thorough cleaning and the memory added.

JP and I cut down my Star Clementis today......gosh was that ever a mess. Never cut down the old growth last Fall, so the new growth grew over the old and the vine was humongous this year. As you can see in the above picture. "Star" in all it's glory. During my garage sales, people would ask me what kind of flower the vine was and I didn't know. Then one lady showed up and said, "Oh your star clementis is beautiful, I have one just like it, what are you doing to care for it?" Wasn't really doing anything except watering and a little bit of fertilizer was all.

So today, we chopped it all down. Hopefully it will grow back in all it's glory. Next spring I want to dig up a few roots and bury them in the backyard and get these beauties growing on a fence that needs some flowers. I have a purple clementis growing in the back yard, maybe I can get a few cuttings and start them along side my star clementis...........we'll see. Really need to think about rearranging my backyard. I might be getting a fountain with alot of flagstones, so I need to decide where to put the fountain.

Well, it's time to close for the night so you all keep looking up for your redemption drawth nigh.

Cheers ~ Louise

Computers ~ Computers ~ Computers!!!!!

Can't live with them and can't live without them. Well, at least I can say my computer was not peed on like this one...hahahaha!!!! Thought I would be off-line for a couple of days but that did not happen. Thank God.

Took the computer to Office Depot and "Joe" figured out that I needed more memory. What with all the things I listed that were wrong with this machine. So, he had me go to www.newegg.com to order 2 Add-On - Memory Upgrades which will come to my house. (my computer is 8 years old, so Office Depot does not carry the memory sticks for my machine anymore). Once the memory sticks show up, I will have to unplug everything and take it back to Office Depot. Then they will clean my PC and remove a few programs that I tried removing that would not budge.....Joe said he would rip them out with a program he has.....that would be fine with me as a couple of these programs are causing problems.

Joe works Monday, Tuesday and Friday's so these two memory gadgets must show up tomorrow or Monday the latest. Tuesday will mean no computer till Friday, then I really will be off-line for a couple of days, like maybe 3 days! Yikes, will I survive????? Thinking I will bring the computer up from down stairs and plug that in and see if it works.......maybe this transition will not be as hard as I am thinking.

So, what did you think of the great debate on Thursday??? I am getting a great feeling about these elections. I love the way Obama is crying foul and calling Romney a liar. Romney on the other hand is standing firm and pointing out all the things Obama has NOT done in his 4 years as President. "Do we really want another 4 years like these last 4 years?" No, I sure don't. The liberals sure have been grasping at straws lately, will be interesting to watch. We are in BIG trouble if Obama gets back in the White House.......Mrs Obama says "If my husband wins, we are going to party hard that night." So my question is, "Isn't that what you have been doing these past 4 years??????"

Well, guess I shall call this a day. Need to go ride my bike tonight, work on shaving some more miles off the 170 mile challenge. I have 85 miles to go by November 2nd. We'll see how far I get.

So you all have a great evening and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

Off Line for a Few Days

Yep..........that's what I look like when this computer is not working properly, it is driving me
NUT-SO!!!!

I am taking this computer to Office Depot today, I have literly had it!!!! Not sure what I will be doing without not having a computer in the house, shucks, maybe I will get some stuff done around the house. This is going to be quite the sacrifice, but I guess it has to be done for my sanity. Don't want to be looking like that poor puppy dog above.

If I take the computer in today, might get it back tomorrow so that won't be too bad of wait. Well, I do have some money to put towards whatever it might need and if they try to talk me into another computer.......we will see.

Well, I guess I shall close here, time to get ready to face the music.
Talk to you later and you'se all take care and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh!!!
Cheers, cheers, cheers, ~ Louise

A Saturday Haul of Money and Stamping Supplies

Today is Saturday and it became our "Date Day", which can always be a fun day. So, once I got myself going, after waking up with a headache, worked out the kinks in my neck and took a Tylenol, I was fine after we got going.

We first went to Neenah for a "Stamping Rummage Sale". There must have been about 25 vendors there, tables were set up the length of the room so there were A LOT of stamping supplies. I spent $21.50 for a stamp, little red bows, 3 reinkers and a Copic reinker, 10 acrylic blocks for clear stamps, tape, embossing folder and 6 sheets of silver cardstock...........a great haul. Following are some pictures.

Sorry for this first photo, could not figure out how to turn it right-side up once it got on my blog. It was right when it downloaded into the computer, but somewheres between the download and upload into blogspot, it turned around. I am sure you got the idea of what I bought.

This picture turned out okay, you can see the embossing folder and silver cardstock a little bit better in this picture. After the rummage sale, we went back to Appleton and ate at "The Windy City" restaurant, where everything is Chicago style. After eating it was off to Kriegers Jewelery where I sold some old jewelry to them, making $175!!! (So with the garage sale and this $$$$ the total is $400....just $400 away from a new computer and boy do I need one SOON!!!!

Next on the agenda to sell is more jewelry and then the foreign and US coins and money!!! I have a business card of a coin dealer that will come to the house to check out my stuff. He showed up at my garage sale last Friday........so I just may call him.

After the jewelry store, we headed to the Antique Store where I bought these old fashioned cards. Thought I could re-print them and up-date them into the 21st century. Their price, 50 cents a card. Also found a cookbook marked down 50% to $2.50....there were a few recipes that looked pretty good.

Well, I think I shall close for now as this computer is driving me NUT-SO because it is taking so long to type even a few words....it has been  auto-saving every couple of seconds....So you all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise