Hi there everyone. Hope your Saturday is going well for you. This was a quiet day, nothing much going today. I am making some Mexican Meatball Soup in the crockpot. It should be ready around 8pm or so. I keep taste-testing, I am afraid by the time 8pm rolls around I will be full of meatballs and there won't be any for JP. Uh-oh!!!!!
Isn't this little poster so true???? When I look at my puppy dog I always think how sweet she is, and if she could talk, boy would she tell me a thing or two. Such unconditional love.....I believe....it's the same kind of love that God has for each and every one of us....when men fail all around us.....we still have God that loves us no matter what!!!!!....how great is that?????
Commercial Time.......So you have one more week to leave a comment on my blog, (the last one, this one or the next couple of blogs.) Even if you just say "Hi" that would be sufficient enough to be eligible for a Valentine Card from me. February 8th I will pick 4 names and those winners will receive a card for Valentine's Day. Enter as many times as you want leaving a comment each time. I will put your name in the hat....the more comments, the more chances to win.
Cannot believe this is the last day of January...my how the time flies. I had two sales for my cards (18 cards in all) in January, one on Etsy and the other from a friend....here's hoping February will be good to me too.
One thing I have to work on this month is the income tax....uge I hate that job, getting everything together for the accountant, cleaning out my filing cabinet of 2014 stuff, answering the questions, so much work....but then I have to remember, maybe there will be a refund too....and that always comes in handy, helping to pay bills.
Still working on doing smoothies everyday, watching my weight and blood sugar numbers. Didn't do very good at losing any poundage in January....maybe February will be better.
Well, time to close, hope the rest of your day is good, keep warm and keep looking up.
Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. Hope you had a wonderful Wednesday.
Yeah...it's one of those days, and I know I should post something on my blog...but just can't think of anything interesting to post.
I DID have an Etsy sale the other day and that is always exciting. I love that little rush that comes when I see...."Etsy Transaction" in my emails. Got the package put together and in the mail yesterday.
Today I re-invested the money from the card sale into more supplies to make some really neat cards. A few more die-cuts from Memory Box. I shall be looking forward to getting the die cuts in the mail within the next few days.
I'm still looking for a printer for the computer downstairs. I know what I want now, it's just a matter of waiting to see if the printer goes on sale any time soon.
Neat words above, aren't they? Sometimes I find myself looking in the past....and so very true, I am bummed out. Wouldn't it be nice to live at peace ALL the time??? Guess that is something to work on.
Don't forget to leave a comment, a "Hi how are you" is just fine. Every comment is important and will be added to the bowl. On February 8th I will pick 4 names and the winners will receive a Valentine's Card from me. It's not much, but I think it is always fun to receive a card in the mail and not just at Christmas time.
Well time to close this blog, have to go downstairs and make some cards and ride my bike for a couple of miles. Soon JP will be home from work...chicken curry soup tonight, gosh it smells good.
Have a great evening and keep looking up!!! Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. Are you enjoying your Sunday evening??? It's Downton Abby night at 8pm, so wherever I am with this blog....I shall then go and watch it....I'm a fan. The blog can wait.
Valentine's Day Card Give Away. Don't forget to leave a comment at the end of this post...even if it is just to say "Hi...how are ya". For every comment you leave, your name will be added to the bowl of names. On February 8th I will pick 4 names. If I don't have your address, I'll email you for it if you are one of the winners. I'll then send you the Valentine Card that is in my header. (Maybe not that one, but one like it.)
Thought I would post some cards I am planning on making. Note: these cards are not what I have made...but are cards that I have seen on Pinterest and copied to my files for future use. All these cards are made with the Stampin' Up Stamps called "Works of Art" I think this is the most versatile stamp set I have ever seen. I love something that has lots of uses, it tickles my creativity.
These two cards will be good for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Veteran's Day....will be fun to make.
Both of these cards, using the same set, two different ideas in making sail boats.
Most of you have seen this card...I made it for Christmas this year....Mr. Snowman was lots of fun to make.
Here is another card for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Veteran's Day. So many ideas, aren't there???
This was a fun card....Made this one as a Valentines Card and added them to my Hospice box...very fun to make.
Last but not least, the lovely butterfly, I shall try this one real soon. Maybe it will feel like Spring sooner.
Well there you have it....just a few cards on my agenda to make. You all have a great rest of the evening and keep looking up. Have a great week and I hope you get all that you planned to do...done. Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. Hope you are having a good evening. Well, I just got done watching "Master Chef Junior" My goodness, those kids can sure cook!! They must have some awesome mothers who encourage them. One of the kids, Andrew, cooks for his family. My goodness, my mother never let me in the kitchen to cook....only to do her dishes!!! Maybe that is why I hate doing dishes today, if only someone would do MY dishes!!!
When my mother finally did let me cook, I always had to peel the potatoes and boil them....."KP Duty"....well, I did watch her cook a lot. Liking to cook did not come into play till after I got married. Gosh, I don't remember cooking a lot before then. I must have gone out to eat a lot, fast food was my diet, hamburgers, french fries and pizza's, that maybe why I deal with diabetes now. Eating all the wrong things....too much sugar and too much salt and fats. Oh well, now I try to eat right and trying to control blood sugar and A1c numbers...which can be a challenge everyday.
So today I wanted to post this scrumptious looking roast beef I made.....this being my first roast last week using Biz's marinade, my second roast was from Festival, a "beef burgundy spoon roast" which had already been marinated. This is a really easy way to do your roast. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, 5 minutes per pound, (if the roast is 4 lbs. = 20 minutes) then turn the oven off and leave in the oven for 1 hour without peeking. Your roast will turn out perfect like this. You can find the recipe here , it's a very good recipe and I think will be my "go to" for all my roasts. I can then slice the beef for sandwiches during the week for JP's lunches.
I received a comment in my previous post. Angela wanted to see the card order I made for my friend. In the above picture are the cards I made. I already gave her 2 Birthday Cards....it was a nice order and I am hoping to buy a cheap printer at Walmart with the $$. The computer downstairs has a label program, but not a printer. My computer upstairs has a printer but not a label program. Here's hoping this all works out, "we'll see", said the blind mouse.
Here is a set of cards that I will be adding to my Etsy store in the next few days. $9.00 + postage. I used the Stamping Up's "work of art" stamps. I saw the idea on the Internet and liked the idea....so here is my rendition of that card. I like cards that can be used for multiple seasons and reasons. As you can see, the order to my friend also includes one of these cards in the set.
Well, the Presidents speech is done.....sounded like a Utopia type world he was talking about...."we'll see", said the blind mouse!!!!!
Have a good rest of the night and keep looking up!!
Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone....sorry for the lapse in time on my blog....things have been slow around here. Guess there are no excuses. Been doing some different cooking lately. Not sure where I heard about this, but went straight to "You tube" to see the demo's. Yes, your waffle iron can make lots of things besides just waffles. Eggs, French fries (my idea), biscuits, cinnamon rolls, I saw a hamburger grilled on the waffle iron, quesadilla's, oh my gosh, the ideas are endless I suspect.
The other night, I baked some potatoes. The next day, sliced them and put them in the waffle iron till they were nice and crisp...oh yum. A little bit of butter and sour cream....yes so good. In the pictures below, eggs and bacon, cherry juice and ketchup.
I guess I am repeating a bit, but, in the above picture I broke up some bacon and placed the pieces on the iron. Broke two eggs, scrambled them with cheese and poured onto the waffle iron.
A picture of the finished product. Yep, looks just like a waffle....but it's two eggs, bacon and cheese. I almost did not get a picture, JP had already cut into the eggs....whew almost gone!!!!
In these two pictures are the French fries....I spray both sides of the waffle iron then lay the frozen fries on the grid, cook a little bit to defrost, then press down the lid to smoosh the fries and then leave them in there till they start to crisp.
I do the same with the sliced baked potato. Bought some tator tots from the Schwan's Man yesterday, so they will be my next experiment on my waffle iron.
Today I made cheesy chicken enchiladas....making my own enchilada sauce. MMM they were good...just google "easy enchiladas" and you will get many ideas.
Monday I marinaded a 3lb beef roast. Using Biz's recipe www.mybizzykitchen.com/2013/03/10/best-beef-marinade-ever On Wednesday I took the roast out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for an hour to get to room temperature. Biz said, by letting the roast sit on the counter to room temp, the roast will be less tough.
So my next step was to bake the roast. I preheated the oven to 500 degrees (yes, you heard me right) I also stuck the baking potatoes in the oven also. When the oven was hot enough, I stuck the roast in the oven, no lid. Baked the meat and potatoes for 15 minutes. (5 minutes per lb.) then turn the oven off and leave the meat and potatoes in the oven for 1 hour. OH....and not peeking, you will let the heat escape. Again, you can google "Shirley's Perfect Rare Roast" I do believe I will make my roasts this way, for now on.
The roast was done to perfection, 125 degrees in the middle and 140 degrees on the ends and red in the middle. Oh and the potatoes were done also. So yeah, I will do that again.
As you noticed, I mentioned in my title, I have a card order. And it's not through Etsy. Wednesday I got an order for 10 cards from a friend....I was very happy about that...so I am working on those cards plus finishing up the cards I have made for Hospice. The meeting is for this next Friday...it is always fun to meet with the other ladies. We pass around our boxes of cards to the other ladies, so we can see what the other's made. We always meet at the Atlanta Bread Company....so we all usually get a good cup of coffee too.
Well, I hope you are having a good Saturday. For me, it is time to go walk Kylie. Her "stop-pulling harness" is really working. She no longer takes me for a walk and she seems more calmer on her walks. Not really sure why the harness would make that much difference....but it has become a pleasure to walk her.
I hope you leave a comment on my blogs from now on till February 8th. Every name will be put in a pot and I will pick 4 people to receive a Valentine Card from your's truly. Comment as many times as you like that will give you that many chances to win.
Have a great weekend and keep looking up!! Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. Hope you are all doing well. Can you believe.....this is my 555th post since I started blogging in 2008....wow, how the time flies when we blog.
Since this is my 555th post, I really had no plans on doing a give away....BUT, on second thought, if you would like to receive a Valentine card from me.....
1) Just leave a comment for the next 4 weeks or 26 days on my blogs (1/14 thru 1/8) and I will put your name in the pot.
2) On Sunday, February 8th I will pick 1 name or 2 or 3
(maybe even 4.)
3) The winners will be announced in time to receive a Valentine card February 14th.
4) Sounds like fun, I know it is not much, but it is always fun to send a card and receive one.
All these cards that I am posting here will be in my Etsy store, if you are interested in buying any one or ALL of them. The cards above are my "Tic-Tac-Toe" Valentine cards. Very fun to make. They will be selling for $10.00 + postage. Buy 4 cards and receive a 5th card for free. Each card will come with an envelope. The inside of the card is stamped with "Happy ♥ Day"
The above Valentine card is one of my newest cards. Actually made this last night. This may be the card that you will receive from me as the "give away" card. I will be selling this card on Etsy for $3.75 + postage.
Another set of cards, buy 4 cards for $10.00 and receive 1 card for free. Two of the cards are blank inside (little girl and the heart on far right). The two bears says, "My heart belongs to you forever". The blue card says, "Happy Valentines Day" and the pink card with hearts says, "Love".
Not sure yet how I will sell these cards, if they will be a set, or be separate....still thinking on this one. Two cards for $5+postage or Four cards for $10.00+postage.
These cards....I have had for a long time...thought I would sell them on Etsy for a set of cards, as you can see they are "Photo Cards" Cute baby on those cards....huh? I will probably sell the set of 3 cards for $12.00 + postage. Note: the pictures will not be included and the inside of the card is blank.
Well, it is time to go walk Kylie. I bought her a "Stop Pulling harness" cause she takes me on walks rather then I taking her. I tried it yesterday and it seemed to work. I get so worried when I walk Kylie, she pulls so much and I tug her back...I am always afraid I am hurting her. So, we will see how this harness works.
Well, you all have a good night and keep looking up.
Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. Burrrrrr.....it is chilly outside!!!! The kitchen window thermometer says 5 degrees......oh baby it is cold out there. I have not ventured outside for almost a week and may have to break down and do some shopping tomorrow as the refrigerator is getting low on food and I need some fruit and vegies for my smoothies.
For today's post I thought a few flowers would warm us all up and maybe help in "THINKING SPRING." Just think....a few more months and we will be seeing some of these beauty's in the next 5 pictures.
Hummmm I wonder....maybe this is why time flies, because we are always looking forward to the next season. Maybe....just maybe....enjoy where we are at for the moment. Ahhhh....take in the beauty of the moment, the snow and cold, the wind, ice and fog. All creations of God and all for a reason. Who knows, maybe diverse weather brings on and helps these flowers to do their very best to make things beautiful for us....I don't know...just thinking.
So here is my beautiful rose bush in the front yard. I do nothing special to protect her during the winter, just put a plastic covering around the base and cover her with leaves. This year I gave her a shot of coffee grounds, maybe about a cup and in the spring she'll get some fertilizer. I read some place that coffee grounds were good for roses and actually for vegetables too. We'll see, so far I think I will give the coffee grounds to the roses and experiment with other flowers for now.
My beautiful peonies.....the bush was so full this year. I actually shared some of her blooms with a few neighbors. I wanted to cut the plant in half and start another bush in the front yard, but never got around to it. Maybe this year. I may have given the peonies some coffee grounds in the fall too.
Here is my white rose bush in the back yard.....this is a newer bush and she produces long stemmed white roses....only thing is, she is a late bloomer. Last spring I thought she had died, because there were no new sprouts, almost dug her up, but then one day a new baby sprout showed up. Finally she took root!!! I gave her some coffee grounds in the fall, maybe that will perk her up some. No pun intended.
My wonderful hibiscus. I bought this plant at Walmarts maybe about 6 years ago for a whopping $1.50 and she just keeps blooming and blooming. I keep her in the house during the winter in a south window and water her every other day. Oh yes, fertilize every couple of weeks or so. No coffee here though.....yet. In the spring when the weather warms up she sits on the porch most of the summer and thrives beautifully.
Oh my brown eyed susans.......I love these flowers. They volunteer to grow where ever. I can always count on them to pop up some place in my front yard. Not sure where they came from....maybe a bird dropped a seed and that was where it started. I usually let the seeds dry on the stems in hopes that they will spread and bloom for next year. Then I cut the flowers off and save what seeds are left for the next year. For some reason, as hard as I try, cannot seem to get these flowers to grow in the back yard. I don't know.....maybe there is too much shade.
Well, I guess I shall close for now, have to go pay some bills and take care of household chores.....yep, a woman's work is never done. Have a great day and keep warm and cozy, looking up everyday. Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. How's your night going? Guess we are getting 2-4 feet of snow tonight. But maybe 2 feet would be enough if they are this big!!! HAHA!!
Well, as you know I am just joking here about two feet of snow. Not sure where I got this picture but just had to save it to my files and use it someday. Guess today was that day.
Rebuilding Together called today....we have an appointment on Monday. I guess they are going to fix our ceiling this spring. PTL!!! I hope the guys that fixed our roof in October will be the same ones to fix the ceiling. They did a wonderful job. No leaks yet.
This is going to be a short blog for tonight. Need to go downstairs and ride my bike and make a few Valentine Cards. Hospice meeting is on the 23rd so I need to get a little inventory going before the meeting plus have some cards to send out to a few people.
Have a great evening and stay warm...it's pretty chilly out there. Keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. How is the New Year treating you???? I got some kind of bug yesterday and was sick most of the day. Had a few things planned but never got to them. Ended up going to bed about 5:30 pm and slept till 10, then back to bed. Never made it to church. Better today....thanks.
So today I thought I would review some of the cards I made in 2014.....some of my favorites. The above card was pretty versatile because it could be used as birthday or Father's day. Shall have to think of another use for this stamp for a new Father's Day card, 2015.
I love this stamp....there is actually 4 stamps to make this flower. The background is a paint chip....matching the flowers up with the chips was the fun part of making this card.
My Birthday card for children....I now have 4 grand nieces and nephews.....the oldest is going on 6. So they shall see these cards in their mail box for the next 8 to10 years or so...lol!!
This was a fun card to do....lots of embossing and dabbing of ink.
One of my new Stampin' up stamps. Embossed in white on black card stock then I painted pearl-x on the petals.....lovely card.
Oh....and my all time favorite card for Christmas....Mr. Snowman. The stamp set is from Stampin'up's Works of Art. You most likely will see a few more cards using this stamp set....I can make a sail boat, butterfly and a tic tac toe Valentine card....of which I am eagerly looking forward to making....maybe tonight.
Well, there you have it...a few favorites for 2014....Maybe my next blog will be a few favorite flowers of the season. Who knows, maybe January will be called "My Favorite______of 2014"
Have a great evening and a better tomorrow....keep looking up!!
Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone and Happy New Year!!! Hope you had a good first day of this New Year!!!
My day was relaxing. I finally cooked up that pumpkin I bought back in October. Had plans of making a pie with it in November but, it never made it to the oven. Neither did it make it to the oven in December.
But here it is...January 1st and that cute little pumpkin got cooked up.....sorry no pictures in it's original state. Here it is all cooked up. I put the pumpkin in the oven for about an hour. Took it out and let it cool down a bit. Peeled off the outside shell, then sliced it and scooped out the seeds and stringy stuff.
Then I put the pieces of pumpkin in the blender and added some water....it became very creamy (Thanks Biz for the blender). See the pie shell crust? I tried something new, using a spoon, turned it over and pressed down on the crust-ridge making a different kind of design. Think I will do this from now on.
In this picture is the recipe I followed from www.cooks.com , the pie shell and the pumpkin liquid all mixed together.
Here is a closer look at the recipe....hope you can read it.....tis very simple.
AND.....wah lah....here is the pie all baked up....my crust got a little burned, next time I will add some tin foil for protection.
Here is the end result of that pie....OMG...guys was it ever delicious....this will be my "go-to pumpkin pie" for now on. YUMMY I want another piece but my blood sugars might be too high tomorrow morning, so I will reframe from having another piece tonight.
New Years dinner was hamburgers, mushrooms and cheese, potato hash browns, beans and salad. Simple but delicious. Well, time to close. I am recording "The Taste" so I want to get downstairs and watch that. (gee, I wonder if I could get the taste on a spoon of what we had tonight...that would be a challenge.)
JP is sleeping right now, he had the day off. Sooooo, my schedule changes quite a bit when he is home. Can I say, I enjoy my evenings when there is just me and Kylie. Well, you have a great day and I shall post again when something exciting happens...or not. Cheers ~ Louise
