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