Burrrrr....Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year to you and yours. May 2014 be the best ever for you. I for one am looking to better things ahead. If the END of 2013 is a sign of things to come........maybe it won't be so good for me. For the last 4 days my kitchen drain has been backing up and water was not going down, and if it did, it was ever so slow going. So I have plunged and plunged and plunged. and to no avail, plunged some more. Bought some Draino and  then JP attempted to plunge and plunge and then poured draino down and hot water from the facet. Then again he tried it. He went off to work and I took to plunging again. It took me 3 times to plunge and pour draino down and hot water...hot, hot, hot water from the microwave. FINALLY the pipes cleared and I could hear the sound of gurgling water going down the drain.....oh what joy!!!

I guess now I can do the dishes that are waiting to be done. My mother always said, "put a penny on the window ledge and you will always be rich in the new year. Have your dishes and clothes always washed by the last day and you will be caught up in the new year"........huh, not sure that has ever worked for me. Wonder if that works for the husband, have him all fed by 2013 and he'll not be hungrey all the time in 2014?????? He is eating a BLT right now....I have enough bacon for a couple more sandwiches.

I was frying some bacon in the oven this morning while dealing with the drains, plus trying to read some blogs...........my last batch of bacon got a little well done. I opened the oven and a bunch of smoke came out and all of a sudden the fire alarm went off......well, at least we know that works!! I ran for a pillow to wave the smoke away and then opened a window to let the cold, freezing air in and smoke out!!!!

Oh my goodness I have had enough excitement for a morning to last a week. SO, if this is a sign of what next year will be like??????? I am not sure I am ready for 2014!!!!!!

So have you set any New Years Resolutions??? I haven't, can never keep them anyways. I like the picture on my blog today.....a guitar. I have a guitar, maybe this year I will find time to learn how to play it. That would be nice, never too old to learn. Maybe I should find someone to teach me....we could barter, I will make some cards for them if they will teach me a few chords????

Well, I am hoping to see a few more sales in my Etsy store this year......hopefully a few more then what I had last year. Just not sure what people are looking for. But I am thinking maybe a set of 12 Thank you cards, a set of 12 Birthday cards, a set of 12 Thinking of You cards.........and of course the set will be a reasonable price like maybe $16 (that would be about $1.35 a card + postage).

I believe this is my 122nd blog for this year. I challenge myself to try and surpass each years number, so 2014 hopefully will bring more blogs then 2013, maybe I will try 12-15 blogs a month, 12-15 a month will be 144-150.....that will be my goal. Oh yes, I am planning on doing a "Give-Away" April 25th. I will have been blogging 6 years.....now that is hard to believe.....where did all those years go??? I have made a few new friends and probably lost some friends in 2013. Hopefully 2014 will bring new friends that I have not yet met. My "Give-Away" will most likely be a set of 12 cards that I have made. The rules will be simple, 1) that you are following my blog and 2) that you leave me a comment on a regular basis. The drawing will be April 25th and most likely I will announce the "Give Away" April 1st. So, you have some time.

I guess I will try to lose 10-20 lbs this year. Managed to keep my blood sugars down the last 6 months.....but my weight went up 10 lbs..........I have felt very uncomfortable. SO I guess this will have to be a priority for me this year. January 9th I have another blood test to see if my AC1 is down from 6 months ago....here's hoping.

I am wanting to get our roof fixed this year. We could get another grant from the city, which would mean a lien against the house again. But it would not have to be paid off till we sell the house.....if we don't ever sell the house then we don't have to pay off the loan. I have to get the papers all together and the application filled out and sent in by the 17th. So if we get the help, the roof and new gutters and possible the kitchen ceiling would finally get fixed properly. We'll see, if 2014 will be kind to us involving this situation.

Now that we have a good running car, on the agenda is a little trip to Ladysmith and see our old poll-shed home in Ladysmith. Maybe see some old friends and stay a night at the Elrancho and  then come home again.......not a long trip, just long enough to say hi. I have a good friend in Ladysmith that I used to work with....and some friends in Barron, we still send Christmas cards to each other. It's good to send cards to each other.....you just never know.

Here is a sad ending note to 2013....I got a little note in the mail yesterday. I had sent a Christmas card to an old friend from back in the 60's. Char and I were great friends back then and we had dreams of going out west together, following "Route 66" in our corvette. (Charlene made it out west to Nevada, I stayed in the Midwest) Every summer, Char would stay with her sister and you could find us playing canasta every day. We also played with cut-out dolls her sister made for us. (Darlene was an artist) We would make clothes for our cut-outs too...I just ran across those cut-outs, geez that brought back memories. Charlene's sister died about 5 years ago. Char just passed away this past November of lung cancer. I had wondered why I didn't hear from her....the note that arrived yesterday from her BIL that anwered the question. So keep your friends close, you never know.

Well, I guess in a way I have laid down some of my resolutions for this new year 2014. Here's hoping it's a good year for you and for me..........keep looking up!!!! Cheers ~ Louise

♥Valentine Cards♥Icicles♥Flowers♥

Hi everyone, hope you are having a lovely evening with not too much stress going on. Thought I would post some Valentine cards I just listed on Etsy tonight. These cards have been in my inventory for awhile. They've either been in my Etsy store for 4 months and then sat in my stock for a year. I decided to re-list them for $1.00 each and put them in a set of cards for $12.00+$5.00 postage. If you would like a closer look, just click on my Etsy Store link to the right of this post. It will take you straight to my store.

ICICELES HANGING FROM THE GUTTERS.........This can't be too healthy for our "already weakened roof" problems. Glad it is frozen up there, otherwise we would be dealing with a leaky roof and kitchen ceiling. There is a chance we might be able to get a grant with the City if we quilify, I have to download the application and see where we stand. It would be nice if they could fix.....what they broke 11 years ago.

In this picture is a shot from the kitchen window looking out the backyard. You can see how much snow we have already had and December is not over with yet. JP knocked the pretty icicles down. But I am sure more will form again. Our front porch roof is leaking now...just not sure what that problem is. I know that when the roofer took the gutters down....they were not put back up the right way, sad, the trouble one man can create.

Pretty flowers........went shopping Friday and decided to buy a bouquet of carnations for Louise. They smell so pretty. Only paid $2.99. I thought that was a good price for a little bit of prettiness. Got 3 little bouquets out of one big one. A small one in the kitchen, on the dinning room table and one right here by the computer....I can smell their aroma right now. SWEET!!!!!

Well, time to close here for awhile. Talk to you all later, hope you have a nice rest of the weekend....take care and keep looking up!!!!! Cheers ~ Louise

A New Year is Coming Soon

Hi everyone, how did your day go??? Mine was fine...went shopping today and bought half a turkey, "managers special". Just took that turkey out of the oven. JP will have baked potatoes and turkey for dinner. Frozen cranberries and string beans. Pumpkin pie for tomorrow.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We had a plumbing problem and had to call the plumber. He replaced the innards of the toilet. I am suspecting there was a slow leak that got worse these last two weeks. Maybe that was why our water bill was so high this past billing. We will see when the next bill comes across my desk.

Well I think I will close this blog for today. Only a few more days before 2014 is upon us. We have nothing planned for New Year's Eve, it will be quiet on the home front. Here's hopeing 2014 will be much better then 2013 was. In the mean time, keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

PS I hope you use the whole box of crayons this year!!! Every color will be perfect!

Merry Christmas♥

Hi everyone. Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas. All the rushing around, the buying of presents, wrapping, decorating, cooking and baking have all come to a screehing halt and finally we can actually remember what this season is really about. It's not about "US, YOU or ME" No, it's about Jesus and his birth over two thousand years ago. Of whom it was predicted would come....but no one believed and there are still some....still waiting. Won't they be surprised when Jesus comes back a Second time?

I love these pictures....although they are not quite scriptural...because the 3 wise men did not show up at the home of Mary and Joseph till after Jesus was 2 years old. Nope...they were never there, just the shepherds. Actually, it is said that Jesus was born in October, because the shepherds brought the sheep into the barns in November/December. Guess it might have gotten a little chilly about then. (Did you happen to see how much snow Israel got last week...so, yes, it just may have been cold for those that lived in desert places back then)

This is probably my favorte picture (below) of that "Holy Night" Just Mary and Joseph, an angel and the animals watching over Jesus. The greatest gift of all times is the gift that God gave us....Jesus.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son (Jesus). That whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Now...we march on to 2014....I pray this new year will be your best ever and that if you have not done so....Ask Jesus into your heart and ask Him to forgive all your sins, big and small alike. He is a forgiving God and no matter what you might have done, He'll wash it all away as if it never happened. Make Jesus your Lord and Savior, then you too can know that if you would die this very moment in time, that you will be in heaven...believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Well, you have a wonderful Christmas and keep looking up for your redemption does truely draw nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

Christmas Village.....

Hi everyone. Well the count-down begins....four more days to Christmas. Where in the world has this month gone. Used to be Christmas took forever to get here when I was younger....now it flies by. I think as of today I have everything checked off on the "to do" list, so now I can sit back and enjoy the season.

Cards made and mailed, the last of my cards with letters sent off today. My step-fathers gift was sent off to Las Vegas today. I was surprised that the lines were not long, maybe because of the weather??? Or maybe the bulk of everything was mailed earlier. Cookies and apple pie made, pumpkin pie next week. Decorations up. Presents bought for JP. I'm watching "It's a Wonderful Life" What's Christmas without that movie???? How many times have I seen that movie...and it still brings tears to my eyes.

I don't have any other gifts to buy....it's just JP and I, oh and my little dog, Kylie. JP's family is down in Chicago. We've not gone to Chicago for Christmas in a long time... As for my family it's just my step-father, Pops. He should get his present after Christmas...I couldn't see spending $16 for it to get to him sooner. As it was, his gift was $12 to send...the cookies and stuffed doggie didn't even cost that much. Oh well, it's the thought that counts.

So today I am showing you my christmas village....I love putting it up every year. And, every year when it comes down, I am sad to see it go.

Every year, I like to buy something new for the village, whether it be a building or people or whatever that might be. I am running out of space though, might have to extend the village for next year.

In this picture is the whole village. I guess I have some space yet to fill. Will have to check the stores for 50% to 75% off village accessories after Christmas sales.

Oh...I had some good news today. Went to the eye doctor. A different one from the last time. I had no faith in the last one and customer service was bad. So this eye doctor checked my eyes and said there was not much change from the last time and when he checked the eyes for diabetes, he said there was no sign of diabetes in my eyes...usually people who have diabetes the inside of their eyes have pools of blood. My eyes were clear. Thank you Jesus!!! My blood sugars have been normal pretty much. I told the Doctor that my average for 8 days was 115, he said that was a very good average. He even asked me, "how long have you been diabetic?" I wish I could say I am not diabetic anymore....that would be nice. Now if I could just get this weight controlled, I would be a happy camper.

Well, it is time to close for today. Tomorrow we are going to do some shopping and pay the electric bill. There is supposed to be a big storm coming our way, Weatherman is saying 4-8 inches.......it's going to be a WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!! You all have a great weekend and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers and Merry Christmas ~ Louise

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!

♥Coooookies♥and a Recipe♥

Hi everyone, how you all doing?? Keeping your Christmas activities "stress-free"?? So much to do in so little time it seems. Well I have a lot of loose ends to tie up. Finally got all the decorations up. Need to finish up a few more cards which usually contain a letter. I used to do those Christmas letters to everyone, but who wants to read a run-down of everything a person does in the year. My year was not that much different then the previous year...so I guess not alot of news.

Been doing a bit of baking, need to send a package to Pops in Las Vegas. So far I have Buttered Popcorn cookies and Peanut Butter cookies with almond kisses in the center. As you can see in this picture below.

Today I will be making some Georgia Tea Cakes and hopefully packing the package tonight in order to mail it tomorrow. Oh and I am adding a cute little stuffed puppy dog. I Hate to see the lines at the post office tomorrw, but it needs to get done.

The recipe for the Georgia Tea Cakes is really easy....that is why I chose them. Here's the recipe:
1 cup sugar (I might add less)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 - 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Colored Sugars

Intructions:
Mix together sugar, butter, vanilla, egg and milk. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets; sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake @ 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Center should be soft when cooled.

So maybe when I get the cookies baked, I will add the picture to this blog at the end of the day so you can see what they look like. If you would like the recipe for the Buttered Popcorn cookies here is the address: http://www.milkandmode.com/2012/11/buttered-popcorn-cookies.html?spref=bl the Peanut Butter with kiss centers is from Pillsbury Peanut Butter dough.

After reading this blog a couple of times, I failed to let you know what I thought of the Buttered Popcorn cookies....I really liked them, but then who doesn't like popcorn????

1) The dough was really good and you probably could add just about anything your heart desires to it.

2) The recipe calls for 1/3 cup un-poppedcorn which is equivilant to 4-5 cups of popped popcorn.

3) Mix the dough and popcorn all together then roll into golf sized balls. I found pressing the balls down before baking rather then waiting after they baked, they will be more crispy-er...which is the way I like them. Good Cookies for popcorn lovers.

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

Making These Tonight ~~ Buttered Popcorn Cookies

Milk & Mode: Buttered Popcorn Cookies: Fall brings many things that I like, not least of which is cookbook season. For some reason, all the good cookbooks get released sometime...

We Three Kings of Orient Are....

Hi everyone, how are you all doing? Hope you are keeping warm or if you live in a warm area like Florida or California, you are keeping cool. Time sure does fly, it's been 6 days since I last blogged, that's a long time for me, I have been trying to go every 2-4 days. Guess I didn't have much to blog about, if that could be possible. Oh I was doing the Etsy Tap Dance on Sunday, got an Etsy sale, so I was pretty happy about that, took me a couple of day to prepare the mailing. Then the weather got REALLY cold and a little snow fell on Monday. Been busy decorating the house for Christmas and getting my Christmas cards mailed out also.

We took our car in for an oil change and it seems to need a couple of belts and a thermostat...oie vey...to the tune of $350+ not exactly what we need at this time. But, I guess it is a neccessity. Otherwise if not taken care of, the motor could blow. Then it would cost even more.

So in the above picture is my 3 Kings which I made back in 1968.....geez 45 years ago. They are made of paper mache'. I must have been going to an art store and they were giving classes in different art media. I have completely forgotten how these Kings were made, can you believe, I still have the paper mache' stuff from back then. Guess I always thought I would make something else with the stuff, some day maybe.

Anyways, my 3 Kings come out every year and are placed in some royal spot. Every year when they get put away, I think, is this the last time I will see them??? Then here we are for another Christmas. Who knows, someday they will get put away never to be seen again. So I will just enjoy them this season and shed another tear as they get put away. Who knows, maybe in 20 years they can collect Social Security...lol!

So in this picture is my little Christmas tree. I like this tree, easy to put away and easy to take out and decorate. I like the lights, it goes on about 4pm and goes off about 3am. I have been known to keep my tree up into February. Last year I had Valentine hearts hanging from it and was even thinking of making a St. Patrick's Tree....but there comes a point that it is time to take it down. I left the lights on the table for another month....so I was satisfied into March and April. Maybe this year I will get Easter lights to replace the Christmas lights.

I still have my village to put up, probably this weekend. Then I can sit back and enjoy Christmas, make some cookies and stuff. I still have to get a package off to my Step-father in Las Vegas...that package might be late. Need to look for a stuffed animal to pack with the cookies...what do you get an 87 year old for Christmas????

Well, I think it is time to close, have to go ride my bike and make some thank you cards. So you all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh, oh and stay warm. Cheers ~ Louise

Made Some Cards 4 Hospice

Hi everyone. How you all doing tonight? Hope you're getting your Christmas planning, shopping, baking, card giving, decorating and wrapping done in a stress-free manner...if that is possible. Thought I would get a blog going whilst I am watching the Sound of Music with Carrie Underwood. I think it is going very well, considering it is a "live telecast" I sure don't see any mistakes. I was reading on the internet that the Von Trapp Family were not happy that Carrie Underwood was playing the part of Maria....when they heard there was a re-make of the story they had hoped Anne Hathaway would play the part because she is a professional actress and has received an Oscar....Carrie doesn't even know how to act and is just a country singer. I don't know.....I think Carrie is doing pretty good.

So tomorrow is the Hospice meeting at Denny's. Looking forward to breakfast there and seeing the cards the other ladies brought. The next 3 photos are a sampling of some of the cards I made. I think they turned out pretty good. I am sure those receiving them will enjoy them too, I hope.

In the above picture are some recycled cards. They are really fun to make and I think I will continue redoing cards....it's sort of a challenge to see what I come up with.

In this picture are some cards I created or found an idea on the internet and "cased". Of course I changed them a bit. I don't always have the same stamps, tape or colored cardstock. Oh I must add....the top card is a recycled card someone else made, I just added different colored cardstock.

Thank You cards are in this picture....all these cards getting "New Life" as a recycled card. In all, I put together 78 cards for Hospice this month. I think my first meeting was in March and altogether I donated 393 cards....wow!! Useing a lot of cards I made, or that people gave me and cards I have made in my monthy card class.

Thought you would like an up-date on my diet....so far since Monday....I've lost 3 lbs and 4 ozs. I am feeling much better and have noticed a little more energy. Today it was bananas and Skim milk and diet soup. Had some pop corn again...that might hinder my weight loss, but I need the "crunch". Eating at Denny's tomorrow could be a problem, but I am planning on doing eggs and fruit. Not sure about the toast part, because I have not had bread, butter, cheese, or pasta since Sunday. Just lots of fruit and vegies, this is kind of an expensive diet...but it seems to be working. Sunday is the last day of the diet, let you know the results and if I plan on continuing this plan of losing weight.

Well, it is getting late and I still need to get down stairs and ride my bike for 3-5 miles and make a pair of earrings. So you all have a great evening and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

A Few More Cards and a Diet

Hi everyone, hope you had a great day. I did, nothing too exciting, got a few things done around the house. Put up a few decorations and changed the dinning room table cloth to red and changed the Fall centerpiece to Christmas with red candles. Tomorrow the ornaments will go on the little tree, had to find the plastic container that holds all the ornaments.

Today, I started a 7 day diet....hopefully to lose 4-5 lbs. It's more like a cleansing type diet. Today was fruits and water. Tomorrow, vegies. Wednesday, fruits and vegies. Thursday will be wierd, bananas and skim milk and diet soup. Friday, add some rice and tomatoes, vegies and protein. Saturday, vegies, rice, soup. Oh and lots of water, 10-12 glasses a day. My choice of excercise will be walking Kylie around the block and riding my staionary bike 3-5 miles a day. I will see how it goes this week, and how my blood sugars do. The Doctor had put me on some medication to lower the blood sugars and then my weight shot up and sky-rocketed to a number I have never been before. Really have been feeling very uncomfortable in my own skin. So I thought I would give it a try. February I have to go see the Doctor and I would like to be a little bit lighter when I see him again.

My biggest battle is keeping JP fed and keeping food in the house he likes. Oh, and not eating and tasting the food I prepare for him....cause I am always taste-testing everything I make for him. I'll see how this week goes......(sigh).

I don't think I added these cards to my collection. Although, come to think about it, I did post this card earlier, but the flower was a stamped flower. This flower is made out of tissue paper. I punched about 6 layers of tissue with a round punch. Then made a hole in the middle and put a bracket through to hold the circles together then scrunched the tissue up to make it puff up. Fun to make cards.

This is my Santa card. Stamped about 10 Santa faces, coloring him in last year. Turning him into some cute cards for the Hospice group.

Well, time to close this blog for today. You all have a great couple of days, and I will be back to tell you how my diet is going. Keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise