Hi there everyone. May 31st....the last day of the month, here comes JUNE!!! Thought I would post some cards I made yesterday. It was one of those days where all it did was rain off and on. I thought about going outside to plant some plants.....but I guess....just too lazy and didn't want to get rained on.
This next Friday is Hospice meeting....and I do not have any cards made....yikes I better get cuttin'. Since I had been sick (April 12th) have not made a single card...gosh talk about taking time off....this was ridiculous. So, I went down stairs to make a few.
I basically wanted to make some "Thank You" cards to send off to "Rebuilding Together" people for all the wonderful work they did on my house and yard. There just aren't enough thank yous in this whole world to go around to thank them all for the work and all the wonderful improvements. I think, every time I use something, I ask God to Bless those that did this and that improvement. It is just amazing to me that all these strangers would take time from their busy schedules to help me and JP with our problems. I guess all these years of helping others.....the tables have turned and now we need the help. It's strange, being on the receiving end.
So here we go....a tour of my card making. In this picture (sorry for the darkness....guess there are a few light bulbs missing in the light fixture....shall have to fix that this week.) The top 3 cards are Thank you cards.....the set is from Stamping Up. The bottom 3 cards are Happy Father's Day cards.
In the above cards, the idea is from a card I saw on the Internet using the goose and washi tape. This stamp set came with the little birds....so I thought, why not make a card using them too. Makes a nice card for a man.
Now in this card I was using a technique that Frenchie used. Using wax paper and making a reflection in the water.....I always wondered how to do this. Here is the link.
These last two pictures are the Father's Day cards. Again using the "reflection technique" and wax paper. The silver side is a metal tape I got at the hardware store and ran it through my cuttle bug then smeared some Copic markers on top to POP out the flowers with color....kind of neat huh?
I have about 4 more cards to make using this technique....most likely will send one of these cards to my step-father and maybe one for JP from Kylie our dog.
So probably this next week I will be busy making cards for Hospice....funny how we go through phases in life.....after not touching or making a card in almost 7 weeks, now I am ready to make some cards. Course my house was turned upside down, so it has taken this long to get things back to a "sort of normal". Still have the basement to re-organize, as I had to move everything away from all the basement windows so "Rebuilding Together" people could install the basement windows. Needless to say that is what I have been doing this past month....moving, re-moving, packing, unpacking and uncluttering my little house. I may be doing a garage sale in July.....my neighbor will be doing a monthly sale....so I think I will join her. Geez that means the garage needs to be cleaned.....yep, I have lots of things going this summer.
Well you all have a great day and keep looking up.
Cheers ~ Louise
PS....The Hawks won Game 7!! Yay!! Now they go to the finals!
PSS..I had my Deep Cleaning at the Dentist....the appointment went well....second half will be July 7th.
Hi there everyone. Hope you are having a nice day....well, it's Friday and we have the weekend to look forward to. Bought some hamburger and hot dogs at Jacobs Meat Market, hopefully the weather will be nice this weekend and we can grill out and eat on the front porch again this weekend.....this is our vacation time you know.....so we have to take every minute we can to enjoy!!!!
In the following pictures are the before and afters of our house. In this top picture the big bush was nice....and I really just wanted it cut back. I guess they did and there was not much left of it after it was cut back......so they took it out.....gosh that had to be a BIG JOB!!! Also in this picture you can see the basement window....all eight windows were replaced and also you see no shutters on the house.
Again, another view of the porch.....looks real sad.....the porch got painted, deck and posts and the front yard landscaped. Pat also put an electric outlet on the porch for my little water fountain and for JP when he uses the weed-eater. Pat also put a new porch light up for us.
WA LA!!!! Doesn't the make-over make a difference??? "Curb Appeal Plus" don't you think??? I didn't realize how much that bush made a difference, the front yard looks less cluttered....I am liking the new look. See the basement window? The shutters? The new Plants?
Here is a better view of the front of the house, the shutters, basement window, there is 5 new plants out front. Not sure what those purple plants are, I shall have to check out the nurseries to see if I see something like it. I like how the porch popped out. The shutters gave my house that finished looks. Gosh, it only took 12 years for the shutters to get back up on the house.
Another view of the house with the sign and showing the work done by the companies. Not sure how long it will be up. One of the neighbors already asked me how long will it be there.....don't know, I said, I am sure they will take it down when they are ready or when the house is completely done. The front door still needs to be painted and everything finished by June 15th.
I need to have the garage door opener re-programed, I don't understand the directions and can't open the door from inside the house. So if Pat shows up again, I can ask him to show me how to do that...cause I know it will get discombobulated again.
Tomorrow I have a few plants to get in the ground and a little landscaping in the front. I want to plant some rose-moss down the front walk....maybe find a rose bush for the other side of the front house now that the big bush is gone and that part will get lots of sun.....oh my so much to do and so little time.
Well you have a great weekend and keep looking up. The Chicago Blackhawks are playing the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow.....game 7...we are hoping for a WIN!!!!!
Hi there everyone. It's a lovely day today. Paid a few bills and went to Sam's Club. JP ran out of oatmeal, peanut butter and prunes....I like to buy in bulk, it lasts longer that way. JP likes his oatmeal every morning. Peanut butter on apples, bread or by the tablespoons and 4 prunes a day.....to keep the doctor away???? Oh that's right, I forgot his apples!!!! Well there is still tomorrow.
So today I thought I would do some before and after's. The above picture was taken March 21st....as you can seen not much was growing. I wanted to get some pictures taken before "Rebuilding Together" people came. I think in this picture the pond is turned over....kind of hard to see. Nope....not turned over, I have it sitting up right.
The above picture was taken last summer 2014. I still had the pond sitting on top of the ground and the rocks built up around it.....it worked nicely, but a little unclassy looking. The goose did not mind though, as long as he was near the water.
In the above picture is "After" Rebuilding Together people came and fixed my pond and added an electrical outlet on the outside of the garage. They dug a hole and placed the pond in the hole and built the rock around the pond.....Mr. Goose is most happy now and can actually reach into the pond for a drink of water. You can't see him from here....but Mr. Frog is perched in his happy place and ready to jump in. I shall have to get a better picture at a later date. The Rebuilding people added flowers and red mulch. Yes, it is very, very pleasant out by the pond......I shall enjoy my backyard this summer. As long as the mosquitoes stay away and don't bite me.....geez they are mean this year.
I have added some new lights to my yard......I love the twinkling of lights at night time. So pretty.
Well it is time to walk Kylie for her evening walk. For tonight's jobs to accomplish, I have my spices to unpack and put in the cabinet and my antiquey things to put on the shelf above the refrigerator. Gosh I guess next place to work on is the basement. I have yet to make a few cards......have just been so busy re-nesting, have not had time to make cards. Hospice meeting is next week and I have no cards to give to them....oh oh!!!
Tomorrow is my appointment with the dentist for a "deep cleaning" he will be doing half my mouth.....Novocain and laughing gas are on order for me so I don't get too nerved up. Hope all goes well and I can be so relaxed that I doze off.
Hey....'da Hawks are playing the Ducks tonight....so I need to watch that and record "American Picker" one of my favorite shows. So you all have a good night and keep looking up!!!!
Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day that included family, friends and lots of good food. Also I hope you remembered those who gave their lives that we might enjoy the freedoms we have today.
Today almost felt like a Saturday....we always seem to get lots of things done. I did manage to plant some Cosmos and sowed some cosmos seeds....so it should be fun to see them grow. Next set of flowers to plant are my Zenia's, they usually get planted along side the house, which is their regular place.
I made this wonderful salad....I think this is a keeper. Very refreshing....never thought to mix cucumbers and strawberries together. The idea came from this blog
The only thing I did different was add the salad dressing and feta cheese. On this salad I used an Asian sesame salad dressing which was very good. My previous salad had Caesar's dressing. I guess you could use any dressing you like.
This is what it looks like when the husband gets a hold of the salad.....sure glad I had my portion.
Watching the Blackhawks play the Ducks in Anaheim, CA.....10 more minutes to play and the Hawks are losing.....geez.....come on Hawks!!!!!
So this week.....the last week of May, (where did this month go????) I will be cutting a friends hair. She had asked me in April...but I was sick and not able to do it. So she waited till I felt better. Nothing planned on Wednesday. Thursday I go to the Dentist to get a deep cleaning on half my mouth. The other half will be in July. Uge, not sure I am looking forward to this....but I guess I shall survive.
I am still trying to put my house back together after having Rebuilding Together people come and make many improvements on my house.....and I am still loving all the new things added. I love my kitchen and the new ceiling.....yes, I took some pictures today....soon to be seen on this blog.
Well time to close here, I made a rhubarb crisp....so I need to go try some of that and get a drink of water....thirsty!!! (Darn the Ducks just scored and there is 4 minutes left)
Have a good evening and keep looking up!!! Cheers ~ Louise
PS....WHEW....the Hawks and Ducks are tied 4-4 and will be going into OVERTIME!!!
PSS.....'Da Hawks lost!!!! Next game is Wednesday!!!
For Serving and giving your life that we might be FREE!!!! You paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Hi there everyone. How has your week gone....I am not sure where mine went...but it went fast!!! I still have not gotten any pictures of my house and all the improvements that were made...still working on that. BUT I am thoroughly enjoying everything Rebuilding Together did. Pat still has to come back and finish up a few things. He is waiting for a warmer days to paint the front door, put the fan up and finish some electric work.
In today's post is a cabbage dish I made....this maybe on the agenda to make more of this tasty yummy dish. My stepfather made this all the time. He called me last week to let me know he had been in the hospital for 3 weeks....he fell off his mobile chair and broke his neck.....gosh that is so hard to believe for me. The Doctor wants to put him in a nursing home....but he does not want to go.
Pops has always been stubborn that way. He lives in Las Vegas....so it is not like I can go see him and talk sense....he wouldn't listen to me anyways....I am just the step-daughter.
So in these two pictures are the cabbage dish he would make. Fried cabbage and onions in bacon grease. Added some frozen tomatoes and crumbled bacon a little salt and pepper and in the bottom picture I chopped up some spinach....something Pops would never add. All in all, it was really very delicious!!!
In the picture below.....there was so much rain on Sunday the street flooded in front of our house......sure hope the sewer is not plugged up.....As the cars passed....they all made sure they went through the water spraying it up on the sidewalk!!! Watch out, children at play.
Yep....lots of rain and lots of puddles and it looks like more rain is coming for the Memorial Day weekend. One good thing though, with all that rain that fell.....
I am so glad to say our ceiling DID NOT LEAK!!!!! Yay!!!! I am still moving things back into the kitchen a little at a time.....but maybe less things will enter the kitchen to clutter it up. I bought some new curtains and want to get some tiles for behind the stove...to make it easier to wipe the walls which get so greasy.
Well time to close here...have to go do some dishes and get dinner ready for JP....pork spare ribs in the crock pot and potatoes, salad and fruit. Have a great day and keep looking up!!!
Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. Hope you are having a "Bellissimo" day!!!! HA....I was making my breakfast this morning and that word popped into my mind. What in the world???? So I asked JP, cause he took Spanish, nope he did not remember. So then I asked the computer, it knows EVERYTHING!!! Turns out Bellissimo in the Italian Dictionary means "Lovely". So yeah, hope you are having a LOVELY day!!!
My breakfast by the way, actually turned into an early lunch. Lettuce salad with sliced strawberries and olive dressing and a toasted tortilla with melted cheese, kinda like a quesadilla...yummy. Very good, think I will do this lunch again. I seem to go in spurts....for over 2 weeks I was having 2 soft boiled eggs with toasted croutons and a slice of toast (actually it was toast cut up in chunks to soak in the yolk...the eggs were cooked perfectly. Well, now I think I am off that binge and now on to the salad and quesadilla for....well at least till this big bag of spring mix lettuce is gone. Don't want it to go to waste and hopefully not to the waist.
Isn't this just the cutest idea???? I found this on Facebook. I do have a skid downstairs. I shall have to bring it up and start playing with it this weekend. I have a mean squirrel in my backyard that likes to tear up my flowers after they are planted. I shall have to feed him dried corn cobs to keep him away from the bird feeders and my planted flowers and herbs. Bad Squirrel!!!!
Well, my house is slowly getting back in shape. Still working on the upstairs....there are a few things I may not be putting back in the kitchen and on the walls...they just might end up in my garage sale or a thrift store...who knows. I am almost liking the uncluttered look in the kitchen.
I still have to take lots of pictures of my house and all the new additions. I was telling a few people about my house improvements.....I think they were a little jealous.....oh well, I waited long enough for my ceiling to be fixed.....is 12 years long enough, I am sure they never had to deal with a leaky ceiling that long.
Well time to close.....there is a plant sale Saturday, if it is nice weather I might go see what they have. JP's birthday is on Sunday, he will be 68 years old but he acts like 78 years old......old man!!!
Maybe I will get a prime rib at Festival Food on Saturday and cook it on the grill for Sunday....we'll see. His birthday cake is cheese cake and Key Lime Pie with Cool Whip.....oh very diabetes worthy!!!
Have a "Bellissimo" Day and keep looking up!!!
Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. Yesterday I made this potato casserole....and there is only one piece left.....guess I will save it for JP's dinner tonight.
This was really good and I will definitely make it again. I typed in "Copycat Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole" and up came lots of recipes. This is the one I chose. Oh so good, but JP ate most of it.
2 lbs hash brown potatoes
1/2 cup margarine, melted (or butter or 1/2 margarine 1/2 butter)
1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup onion, chopped (optional)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan and non-stick cooking spray.
Combine soup, margarine (or butter) salt and pepper and onions. Mix together. Pour over potatoes and mix together into the prepared pan or dish.
Cover with 1 cup of cheese and bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes. Enjoy.
Yep this is a keeper for sure.
Have a great evening and keep looking up!!! Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. Mine was mighty fine. Rebuilding Together worked on my house all day Saturday. Landscaped, plumbing, electrical work done. Basement windows installed......I never could accomplish all that these people did in one day....it was just unbelievable. There are not enough "Thank You's" in this world to Thank these people for all that they did....it was wonderful!!!!
So here is an update on my ceiling. Here you see the seams and nails covered with cement.
In this picture the plaster guy came to finish off the ceiling and put swirls in the ceiling....kinda looks like a mess....but honestly it looks gorgeous!!!
Here is the finished product.....the walls are painted a soft yellow "Morning Sun" which matches the floor. The ceiling was primed then they painted with white. I have a border that I will put up myself I guess in a couple of weeks that will add some nice color. The paint has to set for two weeks. Oh and Pat who coordinated this work day will be coming back to install my fan.
In this picture you can see a little bit of the swirls in the ceiling and the "morning sun" contrast.
In this last picture is my front porch, the floor and porch were painted along with the shutters which were put back up. They had been missing for 13 years......it sure did add to the house. See that little box on the floor in the center of the windows??? Electric....so I can plug in my porch fountain and JP can plug in for the weed eater and leaf blower. UMMMMM looks like I need to paint or get a new mail box....this one has lost it's shine.
The lady from Sherwin Williams just dropped off the paint for the front door which will be a rust color to match the floor. As Pat put it, it will give the house some "POP". The door has been a grey color for 13 years.....so getting used to the color will take some time, but I am sure it will go POP!!!!! We will probably put the furniture back on the porch in a day or so....time to sit on the porch and enjoy the beautiful weather.
I will take some more pictures in the next few days....you have to see all the work these people did landscaping my front and back yard......they also bought some flowers and bushes and red bark....it's just amazing to me.
Well, time to close here for awhile. I need to put my house back in order.....I feel like I am moving into a new house....I get to nest. Maybe unload some stuff at the same time. I did send a few boxes to the thrift store....maybe a few more are in order.
Talk to you later and keep looking up.....things do get better!!!
Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone...how is your day going???? Thought I would show you a few pictures of my ceiling.....before and afters are always fun to look at.
This is what the ceiling looked like with all the tiles that fell from the water dripping so much. Pat the project manager had already taken down the ceiling fan and lights. A new fan and lights will be going up.
In the picture you can see all the tiles were taken down to the original ceiling and part of it removed...uge what a mess.
In these two pictures......all the old insulation and ceiling are gone.....to think in all that mess.....there was not much of a mold problem.....reason being there was a lot of air movement, good in that respect...but bad cause the heating bills were high. There was not a lot of insulation up there.
Look at this picture.....down at the bottom left....you can see where that part of the roof was patched with plywood. There still is a dip in the roof and the ceiling sagged 3 inches....Pat said.
The men working on this ceiling must of spent at least 45 minutes trying to figure out how to brace the beams....and this is what they came up with....looks pretty sturdy to me. One of the beams had actually disintegrated it was so water soaked.
In this picture you can see all the insulation they put up....there is over 16 inches of insulation up there....so it will be WARM in the winter and COOL in the summer......nice!!!
In this last picture the sheet rock plaster board after it was installed. Next step is for the plaster guy to come and finish off the ceiling, covering the seams and nails and making a swirly design on the ceiling.
That will be in my next blog....as tomorrow 30 people will be here in my little house to finish off the work started. The kitchen will be painted with a lovely color called "morning sun". The fan replaced and the cabinet doors put back up. I have a new border for the kitchen....but I have to wait at least 2 weeks to put that up for the paint to set.
There will be plumbing done in the kitchen and bathroom, new faucets and a new taller toilet installed and grab bars to help us up off the toilet. New windows installed in the basement, and electrical work done in the basement and outside. Pat said he will update this old house and make it new. I am excited, because he is going to put a big light over my desk where I do my card making.....WOW....let there be light!!!!
The porch will be painted, my old shutters painted and put back up. The front and backyard landscaped, with a few flowers and shrubs planted. They might even redo my fence that keeps the kids out of my back yard. So YEAH!!!!
Saturday or Sunday I will update you on my "almost new" house. It should be fun....we will hang around for a couple of hours, then leave for the rest of the day. So you all have a good day and keep looking up....things do get better.
Cheers ~ Louise
Hi there everyone. Well, finally I am feeling better. That was a long drawn out icky sickness. The Doctor is treating me for an ulcer. Guess I let too many things get in my way and get me upset.....time to back off from gathering too many things on my plate. I must learn to take one day at a time and one plate full of stress at a time.....just seemed like many things were coming at me from every direction. The problems are still there...but I have eliminated a few things out of my life to ease the pressure. If that makes sense.
Yesterday, my kitchen ceiling was getting fixed, so I took a long walk with Kylie and got a few pictures of the neighbors flowers. In the above picture are her lovely daffodils...aren't they cute? They all seem to be smiling in this 70 degree weather.
Here is my neighbor's Magnolia tree....gosh it is so pretty. Was hard to get a picture of the flower up close....all the flowers were facing upward towards the sky.
These are my red tulips in the front yard....I am amazed that I have over 50 tulips planted in the front....wow I did not realize I had that many...I shall have to count the tulips in the back too.
These lovelies are in the front yard also. A red variegated tulip????
Last but not least, a close up of my red tulips.....sweet.
In my next blog I will update you on our kitchen ceiling. You won't believe what the men did, like everything came down, right down to the beams....it was totally unbelievable. They only found a little bit of mold.....so that was a miracle. For all the water leaks.....yes that was a miracle, I think God had his hand on our roof, protecting us from the mold.
Well, time to close, hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Cheers ~ Louise
