Stampin'Up Camp Today

Hi there everyone. Well, today I went to a Stampin'up camp....it's always fun to go to. I always end up ordering more stuff.....it can be very addicting and problem is I want everything....bad girl!!!

It was especially fun today because Kathy's husband was making pizza's from scratch, my goodness, even the dough smelt good. He made 3 pizza's with his own sauce, sliced mozzarella, mushrooms, sausage and pepperoni.......excellent pizza, I gave him 2 thumbs up and 5 stars!!! They even gave me a "take home" for JP. I managed to save him one piece of pizza, lucky him. It was a little bit too spicy for him.

So in the picture above and below is a kit that Stampin'up sends out once a month. There is enough cards and embellishments in the kit to make 6 cards. I think I will donate these cards to Hospice this week. I still have about 40 cards to put together as yet. Must get working on them this week as the meeting is this Friday. Yikes, I shall be busy, but having fun!!!

In the above card....it was rather hard to make, (and even more harder to explain) a double fold card with the "make a wish" circle coming out of the top. It is opened at the top, folding over, then the bottom opens up with the message of the card showing. That die cut flower and leaf will be my next investment. I did order the papers on this card. There is two strips of washi tape on the card also.

The card above is a man's birthday card....maybe I might give this one to Hospice also. I don't have the stamps to make another one like this....but maybe I could use a different stamp....maybe I should keep this one for a sample.

This is a fun Birthday card and cute stamp set. Another thing to think about getting.

WINNER....WINNER....CHICKEN DINNER!!!!!! I won these little buttons as a door prize. How exciting is that!!!! Very seldom do I win something and when I do it is a shock to my system!!!

So this week.....Monday, we have to take our car in to get the left and right blinkers fixed. One day they work and the next moment they don't....so best to get them fixed so they work all the time and hopefully it won't cost too much to get repaired.

Tuesday, I am going to see about getting a mortgage through our bank and hopefully at a lower interest rate and payment. We shall see what transpires.

Wednesday and Thursday is free, I may be doing cards those days. Because Friday is my Hospice meeting. Geez, the week went fast, and it is Saturday already, if I did not finish putting together my income tax this week, this will be the day to finish them for sure!!! Because next Monday I take the taxes in for the accountant to work on them....hopefully we get a refund.

Well, time to close here, goodness, it's 10:30pm already, so you have a great week and keep looking up.....better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Looking Forward To.....

Hi there everyone...guess I have been "MIA" again. Just not a lot of things to write about....winter starts to get a little bit long by this time. Although the snow is beginning to melt and the birds are tweeting louder...so it is feeling like Spring.

I am looking forward to Spring and my gardens, flowers and trickling water in the pond. Bringing out all my ceramic animal creatures.....there's just something about Spring....you know??

Maybe this year, I will be able to "ENJOY" the Summer and my backyard. Sickness won't be a focal point in my life this year. It's hard to believe a Hernia can rule one's life the way that hernia did.

These are my little Cosmos....I bought some little plants and also planted some seeds. I am thinking there may be some volunteer cosmos coming this year....hand hardly wait to see what happens.

These "Brown Eyed Susan's" volunteer every year in my front yard. I wish they would volunteer in the backyard too....maybe cause it is not that sunny. Front yard is all sun.

Tulips.....love those tulips, I was not able to plant new bulbs last Fall, because of being sick with the hernia......maybe this Fall some new bulbs will get planted. (geez...the thought of Fall, put that out of my mind.)

My Crocuse's growing along side the house....a sure sign of spring when they show their little flowers.

Another picture of my little babbling pond....gosh I love the sound of water trickling....oh, but I guess the pond was not trickling in this shot.....but it sure looks nice.

My lovely rose of summer....can't be any more beautiful. I must make a copy of this rose and frame it. (Some day)

This past week I have been working on getting papers together for  Income Tax time. Be glad when this is over and the refund comes, then I can breathe a bit. I am hoping that we will get enough of a refund that I can buy a new (used) stove. My stove is going on 25-30 years and a couple of burners do not work along with the clock and timer......with all the cooking I do, a new stove is needed, tools of the trade, right???

JP's family was here last Friday....they got here about noon and left at 2:30....not a long visit....we went to Festival food and got some take out food at the salad bar, which is always good. They wanted to get back to Chicago before it got too late and the kids were a bit crabby too...so time to leave.

Sunday, I am going to a Stampin' Up Camp. Those are always fun. I will post the cards I make on Monday. They will be mostly Birthday cards....so that will be neat. I need some ideas for Hospice, cause next week is my Hospice meeting and I need to get about 50 cards put together.

Next week I have my Blue Apron meals coming....that seems to be the highlight of my week is cooking something different. I bought a plantain banana today...I am going to fry it in the next few days. I saw a recipe from Blue Apron doing that, do you think I can find that recipe...nope, so I guess I will try www.cooks.com. one of my favorite places to go for recipes.

Well, time to close, need to get some dishes done and dinner cooked before JP comes home. Have a great day tomorrow and keep looking up.....better days are coming!!! Cheers ~ Louise

Made Some Cards Today

Hi there everyone. Hope you had a wonderful day today. I did, made some cards today and the Chicago Blackhawks won today.....life is good!!! The Hawks played the New York Rangers and won 5-3 and my favorite player Artemi Panarin got a Hat Trick....what fun was that???? He sure was a happy camper!!!

So today I went to Betty's house and we made these cards. A lovely thinking of you card....she has such neat stamps, if I wanted to duplicate this card, I'd have to use a different flower, but I guess that would be okay. Will have to keep this one in mind.

This was an easy card to put together....Betty has everything cut out for us, so easy peasy....don't know anyone getting married, so I guess this card will stay in my stash for a long time. Maybe I could use it for an Anniversary card and just change the verse inside.

This was a fun card using lots of Copic markers and lots of shading. It is sort of a stained glass window effect....I like it, guess it could be any kind of card you want.

This is Mr. Leprechaun...using different punches, a fun card for St. Patrick's Day.

Well, I am going to make this a short post...need to get some sleep. We are having JP's family from Chicago, here for a visit Friday, so I still have a few more things to get done around the house and do some shopping tomorrow.

You all have a great day and keep looking up....better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Post Valentine's Day

Hi Everyone...Hope you had a beautiful day with your sweet friends and family. Yeah, I had a nice day. We went to church. Bought some chips for the 16 mile trip home. Stopped at home to pick up Kylie and take her for a ride to the store. One of her favorite things to do. She likes to go for walks too.....but it has been very cold. But a warm up is coming next week....whew, can hardly wait.

So we picked up Kylie and went to Shopko to get JP's meds, then to Festival Food for a Valentine's treat. Cheese cake, bought 4 slices for $4 and some whip cream. Then I bought some fried chicken and butter lettuce for salad. When we got home, unpacked, and through fries in the oven, set the table, ate our chicken, fries, salad and cheese cake. Yummmmmy little meal.

The rest of the day was for rest and relaxation and a nape at 4:00pm. Made some Valentine cookies and did some dishes. Don't want to over exert myself, do I??? So now, here I am typing this blog. After I am finished I shall go down-stairs and watch Downton Abby.

So in the above picture is the Valentine card I made for JP.....lots of hearts for him from Louise and Kylie!!!

Here is the Blue Apron recipe I made Friday night. (or was that Thursday)????? Anyways, "Goat Cheese and Kale Quiche with Butter Lettuce and Chive Salad" I AM IN LOVE with Butter Lettuce!!! I bought another head Friday.....and came home with another head today!!! Love, love, love, where have you been all my life???? So I mix a little garlic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, sweetener, and wa-la a delicious salad. I think I may not use regular salad dressing again.

Here is a picture of Kylie.....she got a new blankie for Valentine's Day....can you tell she likes it???? Snoozy-doozy girl!!!

Well, you have a great couple of days.....I will be house cleaning, as we will be having some company from Chicago coming on Friday. So, I must dust and straighten up a bit. And get those darned dust bunnies mopped up and  the dishes done!!!!

Keep looking up cause better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi there everyone.....Happy Valentine's Day to you!! Hope you all have a wonderful day and you feel the love of those around you this lovely day.  

We don't celebrate that much here. I already bought my flowers and really not sure what I will make for Valentine's dinner.  I have steak and fish in the freezer, so I may pull one or the other out tomorrow before we leave for church.

I always liked Valentine's Day....I like the card making and lots of hearts. This card I made last year...perhaps tonight I will make JP a card....plan and simple and add it to the end of this blog.

My printer broke down after 6 years of use....the printer head went kapoot...and after I invested in $50 worth of ink....honestly, not too happy about that!!! I did have an extra printer downstairs (new, never used) so I brought that one up here for this computer....maybe I will get another cheap printer for downstairs at a later date. Will hook it up so I don't have to run up and down the stairs to print off stuff that I need for card making. We shall see.

I picked up some Easter napkins to make cards with. I was going to take a picture of them, but will wait till a card is made with the napkins....which came first, the card or the napkin???

It's really cold outside, uge, don't care for this hard cold....but I guess there are only 36 more days left and SPRING will be here.....I can't wait!!!! I love spring, but that too never lasts long and then comes the summer......geez, no wonder time flies, we are always looking forward to the next season. Wouldn't it be nice if we just enjoyed the season at hand instead of rushing on to the next?????

Well, I think I will make this a short post...nothing much is going on that is exciting. I did make a Blue Apron meal the other night "Goat Cheese and Kale Quiche with Butter Lettuce & Chive Salad" I loved the butter lettuce so much I went out and bought another head....just for ME alone!!! I told JP I would not share with him!!! Man do I like that lettuce.....my new obsession with oil, garlic vinegar, salt, pepper and a little sweetener. YUM!!!! 

Have a great evening and a wonderful Valentine's Day!!! Keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

A Foodie Blog Today........

Hi there everyone....how is your week going. Gosh, these days are flying by. Before you know it, winter will be over and Spring will be here. I know, rushing things a bit here, can hardly wait to start sitting out on the front porch and taking in some warm sun.

So, I guess I must entertain myself by cooking, making cards, blogging and what ever comes up. Yesterday I went on Ebay and got in on a bid for some vintage Tupperware measuring cups. Yep, I still use those cups and for some odd reason, the "1 cup" measuring cup disappeared. I looked high and low for it but could not find it. Only thing I can figure, it got thrown out.....geez, now who would do that???? Certainly was not Kylie my dog....only two other people I can think of is JP and me???????

I don't know, I suppose I could have gone to the store and bought a new set of measuring cups, but I like my orange Tupperware measuring cups.....and to think, they are VINTAGE for goodness sakes. I can't be that old.

So anyways, I went on Ebay to see if I could find my measuring cups and sure enough, there they were, 6 cups for (1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4 and 1 cup) for $19.88, yep.....that much!! Well, then I found a seller and the bid was $5.50, so I bided $6, then $6.50 but lost that one. Then I found another seller for $5.99 but he only had 5 cups, the 1/4 cup was missing....that was okay cause I have one. I ended up winning that bid....it never went higher then $5.99 and no one else was bidding. YAY!!! probably cause it was missing the 1 cup measuring cup. Well, I am happy....that was kind of fun though....I just may go back to Ebay and look for something else for the fun of bidding for something.

So following are a few meals I made from Blue Apron, here is their site, in the last month or so. I might have posted about these next two meals.....but they so impressed me, that I just may make them again.

The pizza above has a white sauce of ricotta cheese, lemon zest and juice of 2 lemons spread on the pizza then the cheese, onions, garlic topped the pizza, baked then the eggs were added and baked some more then taken out of the oven and arugula and Brussel sprouts with the juice of 1 lemon was added to the pizza.....Yum and very good pizza if you are not wanting tomato sauce.

This meal was very good too. I am really loving polenta, very yummy when cheese and butter is added then topped with your favorite meat or veggies. In this recipe, ground chicken and spices mixed together and rolled into balls, fried then kale and garlic was added and seasoned with salt and pepper, stirring till the kale is wilted then the tomatoes  and water was added and cooked down till thickened. Then topped on the polenta and Parmesan cheese added for the garnish.

In these two pictures were some real tasty meals. The top picture is "Steak Tacos & Mole Verde with Radishes and Avocado" OOOOH my was this good and to top it off, the steak was so tender and yummy, for sure I will make this one again. The mole verde sauce was 4 ounces tomatillos, pumpkin seeds, cilantro and the juice of lime wedges, salt and pepper. Oh that was so good, the radishes and avacodos topped the steak and sauce and the tortillas were warmed in the pan. I really like this meal and will most definitely make it this dish again.

I made this recipe tonight.....I love their chicken wings...."Spicy Orange Chicken Wings with Shiitake-Sesame Rice" Man this was good...my temptation was not to eat JP's share of chicken wings. The wings were baked in the oven then the sauce of soy glaze, orange marmalade and sambal oelek was added...I only added a tiny bit of the hot sauce....and it was just enough to give a tiny kick. JP can't take hot stuff anymore....so this was just right. The jasmine rice was delicious too. Dried Shiitake Mushroons were added to the rice along with the garlic and scallion and sesame oil, cooked then simmer.....yep, rice was good. Just the right tastes to make a good meal.

I may not be getting any Blue Apron boxes till March....so you may not be seeing any meals for awhile. I do have one more meal in the refrigerator....Goat Cheese and Kale Quish....which should be good.

I saw a recipe on Pinterest today.....I like those mug cakes and found a recipe for pizza in a mug....I really need to try this some time. Here is the recipe if you would like to try it for yourself.

4 T. flour
1/8 teasp. baking powder
1/16 teasp. baking soda
1/8 teasp. salt
3 T. milk
1 T. olive oil
1 T. marinara sauce
1 generous T shredded mozzarella cheese
5 mini pepperone
1/2 teasp. dried Italian herbs.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a microwavable mug. Add in the milk, oil and whisk together. There might be a few lumps, but that is okay.

Spoon on the marinara sauce and spread it around the surface of the batter. Prinkle on the cheese, pepperoni and dried herbs.

Microwave for 1 minute, 10-20 seconds, or until it rises up and the topping is bubbling (timing is based on a 1200W microwave so your timing might vary). Always keep a close eye on your mug while in the microwave so it doesn't over flow or over cook.

So there you have it, my foodie blog, I guess I could go on, but one must stop somewhere. You all have a great day and keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Ground Hog Day ~ Winter Storm ~ Cards

Hi there everyone! Hope you made it through the winter storm.....wonder if Mr. Ground Hog saw this one coming. Well, I heard he saw his shadow, so does that mean we have 6 more weeks of winter or does it mean an early Spring....I don't know, guess we will have to take what comes down the pipe...right???

So following are some cards I made at Betty's last week....yeah I know, a little late in showing these off. 2 Valentine cards, 1 Birthday and 1 Sympathy card.

I really like this sympathy card....very pretty and easy to put together.

We inked the stamp with a new ink pen...I like how vibrant the colors are and what is really exciting is that we did not have to "Huff and Puff" on the stamp in order for it to ink the card stock.

This Valentine card was easy too. Betty usually has all the pieces to make the card in an envelope....she did most of the work. We just had to glue it, stamp it and piece it together.

This Birthday card, Betty stamped the cabin and trees and we colored in the image with copic markers. then we speckled it. She already had the embossed tree and hole cut out. We inked it with distress ink. Banner was a die cut and we stamped the Birthday on it.....simple, simple.

This card was more intricate....Betty stamped the dog and little girl on the scalloped circle and we colored them in with copic markers. Layered the papers then added the heart which was already stamped.

Tonight I made a Banana/strawberry, Chocolate pudding and graham cracker dessert. Maybe in about an hour or so, we will have a piece. Also made some cookies for Kylie, Banana, peanut butter and powdered oat meal mixed together, cut in squares and baked. She loves them, wags her tail as we give them to her.

UPDATE: On the Banana/Strawberry Chocolate Pudding & Graham Cracker Dessert. IT WAS FABULOUS!!!  And yes, I am yelling it was SOOOOOO good. I found it on Facebook. I will look for the recipe and link it to my next post (if I remember).

JP started work at 3:00 today and was home early, about 9pm. So we had dinner together. (which only happens on the weekends). It's only 11pm, seems weird, my evening is mucked up. Not used to this.

Well, time to close here and go downstairs for some card making. Been playing with my Flamingo and pineapple stamps. You have a good evening and keep looking up....better days are coming.
Cheers~Louise