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