Will March Go Out Like A Lion Or Like a Lamb?

Hi there everyone. How is your Wednesday going so far? I typed this last night, but posting today. I have been a bit laxed with my Blog and Etsy Store...which means I have not been making many cards either. Oh, I have lots of ideas....but sometimes getting down to the basement is a chore, so I don't go. Sure do hope my energy comes back. Guess cloudy days does this to me. I am so looking forward to Spring....well at least more sun and warmer days. Most of the snow from our snow storm last Thursday has melted. That was a foot of snow we had, I was surprised my little crocuses survived....they are still blooming!!!

Wonder if my spirit and soul is still blooming before God after the storms have passed like those little crocuses??? Wonder, wonder?

Probably will be going out to the store in an hour or so. Have to pick up our meds and go to the "doggie store". Kylie has a gift certificate for $12....so we want to see what we can get for her....maybe a new collar or something.

Nothing special going on here. Maybe that is why I have not been blogging much. Getting my Blue Apron box of food tomorrow, I always look forward to that and learning something new. We had to get some new front tires for the car yesterday. In the Fall, we will get another set of new tires for the rear end of the car.

All the big elite presidential candidates are coming to Wisconsin this week. Governor Walker endorsed Ted Cruz and Trump made some wise cracks about Walker.....I think Trump should mind his own business, Walker knows more about running this State then Trump does. Our election day is April 5th.....would be something if Cruz wins this state. Will be interesting to see.

Well, one more day and we will know if March will go out like a Lion or a Lamb.....sure hope it's a lamb!!!

Have a great day and keep looking up....days will get better.
Cheers ~ Louise

Food, Flowers and Crafting

Hi there everyone....hope you are having a good day. Was reading a few blogs today, gosh, a few bloggers are really going through some sad trials. Prayers for you all, only God will see you through.

Then the bombings in Brussels today and Obama in Cuba talking to the Communist and at a baseball game??? I don't know....these are my thoughts, I think he knew about what was going to happen and planned to go to Cuba and after this, he is going to Argentina, is that another Communist country??? Oh my, nothing good is going to come out of all this.

All that happened today, sure got us distracted from the elections, seems the elections took a back seat. It's all a ploy and diversion to get our eyes off of what is going on.....really going on behind the scenes. As I said....nothing good is going to come out of all this, nope, nothing good.

Well, on to a lighter mood.....food, flowers and crafting. So below are a couple of meals I made from Blue Apron. Yep...."Cuban Sandwiches with Sweet Plantain and Kale Salad" Man, this was really good. The Cuban sandwich was made with pork, Swiss cheese, marinated pickles and mustard, the bread was grilled and pressed down....yep, I would do this again. I guess, after reading comments on the "real" Cuban sandwich...it also has ham in the sandwich, I shall try that next time.

Did you ever cook a plantain? Looks like a banana, but is harder and bigger. Peeled and sliced and grilled in oil, then salted. The kale was sliced fine combined with garlic paste and the juice of a lime, salt and pepper. Mixed with the plantain made for a very delicious salad. I gave this meal 5 stars.

This meal was the "Chicken Cacciatore with Fettuccine Pasta & Mushrooms" Oh yummy, this was really good and a very easy meal to put together. The chicken fried in olive oil then cut up in pieces. The mushrooms fried then garlic and red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it) then the tomato sauce and water is added, cooked then the chopped chicken, cooked pasta, butter and some reserved pasta cooking water. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the Parmesan cheese.

A very delicious Blue Apron meal......another 5 star recipe.

In these next three pictures are my pretty little purple crocuses....

I thought I better take a picture of them from my kitchen window today.....

Because we are supposed to get a foot of snow tomorrow and they will be crushed under the weight!!! Pour little flowers, they thought it was spring and all chances of snow had passed.....I guess not.

I saw this on Facebook and had to save it to my files....it brought a chuckle for me today. Would be nice if I had a real craft room, but my craft room is down in the basement. Sometimes it is a bit dreary down there. But it is a good place to run to. I guess I do have a lot of card crafting stuff....but it is an accumulation of 20 years of making cards....yep, I have lots of stuff, but not half as much as some people do, oh well, to each his own.

Well, time to close here. I guess the next few days I will be crafting and making cards.....not planning to go outside in the snow.....one good thing, it won't last long and the temps are supposed to get warmer....at least in the high 40's by this week-end. Anyways, I need to make some cards for Hospice and get some new cards up in my Etsy store, guess I have been MIA there too.

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

Everything Green....

Hi there everyone, hope you have a great St. Patrick's Day celebration!!! I found this funny cartoon on the Internet and had to save it to my files. I wish I could say there is some Irish running in my veins, but then you never know.....maybe centuries ago someone Irish crossed the lines into Germany, but as far as I know, there is none.

When going through my files, I was wondering what I should post for St. Patrick's? Suddenly the thought of "Everything Green" came to mind, so as you scroll down, you will find everything green from my files in celebration of St. Patrick's Day

This is "Frieda the Frog". I thought she was so cute and wanted to have her in my garden last summer. But, because of sickness last year I was not able to fulfill my goal. I did find 4 tires and painted one as the base for my bird feeders. The other 3 tires are in the back yard...one is painted green, the other 2 need to be painted. I do need to find some small tires for Frieda's eyes, lashes and feet. Hopefully I can meet this goal this summer.

In this green picture is the "Flat Tummy Water" oh if only this would really work. It does look refreshing though and I may try this for sure this summer.

In this picture is the insert of one of the St. Patrick cards I made.....so Best of Luck to you with many, many Blessings too!

This file is a cute Irish leprechaun I made at Betty's house last month. I may save him for next year and give him to Hospice.....that's if I am still going to the meetings and making cards for them. Never know, things change so quickly now a days.

This card is a Birthday card I made for the grand nephew's 7th birthday. I like my birds, they are fun to work with.

Last but not least is this yummy pizza I made from Blue Apron, "White Pizza with Baked Eggs and Arugula-Brussels Sprout Salad" I am pretty sure I gave this "5 Stars." Yep this was a pretty delicious pizza.

I don't really have many plans for tomorrow...maybe work on some cards, pay some bills and cook a Blue Apron meal that will be delivered tomorrow....can hardly wait.

So there you have it, "Everything Green" for St. Patrick's Day.....hope your day is full of fun and food. Have a great day and keep looking up because better days are coming!!
Cheers ~ Louise

It's Hump Day.......

Hi there everyone. Thought I would get a head start on Wednesday....may  your day be blessed!!!!

I will be going to my friends house to make some cards, that is always fun to get some new ideas. The weatherman is talking snow and high winds tonight and tomorrow. Soooo, if there is too much snow tomorrow, maybe I won't be going, we will have to see. I am not about to drive in the stuff if I don't have to. Oh-oh I hear the thunder and the wind is starting up and rain on the windows.....here we go folks!!!! Time to get the flash lights and candles out maybe, oh and get off the computer!!!!

Strange, I tried to make the picture larger and it won't budge, so I guess it will stay this size. I usually like to enlarge my pictures, just so no one has to squint to see my pictures......guess you will have to squint anyways.

Well, yesterday, I took Kylie to the Vet to get her rabies, distemper and Bordetella shots....she was a trooper, as long as I was talking to her and scratching her neck. The Vet said she was very good. That visit cost us $170, for nails clipped, check-up, blood and stool test. Heartworm meds and Frontline for flies, it's that time of the year again. We have been going to this particular Vet since 1991....they have seen us through lots of puppie dogs. (Truffles, Anna, Poppy, Hyko) and now Kylie.

Next stop was the police station to get Kylie's doggie licence, now she is legal in Appleton.

Next stop was Shopko to get JP's Meds then to Festival to get a few groceries. Whew....busy day

Thursday is my Blue Apron day.....can hardly wait for these new recipes and learn something new. The 18th we learn who won "Top Chef" and what ever recipe wins, that will be sent to us to make....so I am excited about that one....should be fun to get a real live recipe to make from a real "Top Chef" Chef!!!!

Well, time to close, you have a great day and keep looking up....day's will get better. Cheers ~ Louise

Something Interesting.....Ancestry

Hi there everyone (whoever that may be). Hope you had a wonderful Saturday, it sure went fast, didn't it??? So much to do....I picked up branches in the back yard, filled the bird feeders, gosh they were empty, no wonder there were no birds in our back yard. Oh my gosh, there is so much to do, but I will chip away at the spring clean up of my front and back yard....as there is no one to help me this year, like last year, Rebuilding Together landscaped our front and backyard, and it was beautiful!!!!

Today I joined a new group on Facebook. It's called: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeAreGenealogyBloggers.com it's a place to go if you want to learn, and these are some of the main points of learning:

• To share blog experiences
• To discuss issues important to bloggers.
• To help with blogging plateforms and getting started on blogger, WP and Weebly etc.
• To grow readers and make money from your blog
• To hear thoughts on genealogy, history, DNA and etc.

These are just a few things, I am sure there is more. Maybe I will be able to get some hints here and there and especially help in trying to find missing people in my family tree. I think as we get older and find that there are not too many family members left around anymore. It's kind of nice to know you still belong some place, because if it was not for your ancestors, you would not be here today passing on the torch of life.

So here is a picture of my Grandfather, Dana Sylvester Yergin, (my mother's father), I am not sure I ever met him as he died when I was 10 years old. Following him and his life has been a little hard, for I have hit many brick walls. He divorced my Grandmother, she living in Chicago and he, in a boarding house with many people in California. When I looked up the census for 1940 that's where I find him, working as a upholsterer for a Car Company. He never graduated High School (only making it to his 2nd year) and I am not sure he was ever in the Army. Nope, don't know much about him. I think though....he was a good looking guy, so was my dad.

 

My mother never talked of him, only that she lived with him for awhile till her mother came for her from Chicago. My mother always longed to go back out west.....in her later years, her and my step-father moved to Las Vegas, my mother loved the mountains and that is where we sprinkled her ashes when she died in 2001.

 

I have a hard time understanding why everything was so hush-hush, I don't have too many memories of both my grandparents. My Grandmother lived with us till I was 5 years old or so and then one day I walked into her room and she was packing her suit cases. I said, "Where are you going grandma?" She said, "I am leaving, your father does not want me here anymore, so you can have this room!!"

 

Off she went, and I never saw her again till I was 17 years old and she was dying of lung cancer, it took her life March 16, 1963. My grandmother was glad to hear that my father had died 1961 and that my mother had remarried Pops in 1962.

 

I have been able to find my 5th great-grandfather, Michael Rhodes Sr. from PA, born 1752, died 1812 and that would be on my mother's side of the family ancestral tree.

 

So, I guess I have a lot to find and really not sure where to start, I always seem to get bogged down with grandfather and grandmother.

 

On my Father's side, I have gone back to 2nd great-grandfather, 1867 and 2nd great-grandmother who both were from Germany.

 

Would be fun to have more pictures then I do of the family, but a lot got lost in the floods over the years and were thrown out.

 

Well, I guess I better close here, I hope you enjoyed a little bit about my ancestor's accounts. I think I will add this to my interesting things to do besides cards, cooking and gardening.

 

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

 

Some Of This and Some Of That

Hi there everyone. Hope you are having a good week. I am just popping in to say hi....nothing special going on this week.

Took the taxes in to the accountant on Monday, hopefully there will be a refund coming. Plans are to buy a new "used" stove. My  old stove is working on only 2 burners, the oven works but the oven door does not close all the way and heat escapes. JP grey taped the handle bar onto the oven door because it kept falling off. The clock and timer do not work, yeah, the oven is in bad shape and needs to be replaced. It's only 25+ years old, I think it has seen it's day.

Oh yeah...and my slow cooking pressure cooker stopped working on Monday, while there was a pork roast cooking in it....geez. Well, I switched it to my old crockpot and finished cooking it in there.

Went to Shopko today to see if I could return it....nope! No receipt and policy is, it can't be over 90 days. I've had the cooker since July, that's like 9 months. So the clerk said contact the manufacturer, sometimes they will replace the appliance for free....now that would be a good thing. As I really enjoyed this appliance, slow cooking, pressure cooker, canning, (never did get to can anything, was planning to do that this summer.) Well, we shall see. Another hoop to jump through, but then life is full of hoops to jump through, isn't it????.

JP and I had our teeth cleaned Tuesday, our smile is a little bit brighter today. We both have lots of work that needs to get done....but have to wait until there is enough "moola" to pay for more work.

Raked some leaves from along side the house, the crocuses were popping up and could not find the sun. Now they are smiling too. Maybe in a couple of days I will work on another section of the yard, doing Spring clean up a little at a time. By the time Summer comes, I should be finished. I have many plans, like I did last summer, maybe this summer I can get those plans done and mark them off my list.

 

The Chicago Blackhawks played last night, Wednesday.....but lost, oh well, there's always the next game this Friday! I do believe they will be in the Playoffs for the Stanley Cup.....those are always exciting games to watch.

 

Went shopping today, and maybe tomorrow too, need to check out a few things at Walmart. It's always fun to get out and see what specials Walmart has. 

 

Time to close, well, I guess I got a lot of things accomplished this week, now we are off and running towards the week-end. Yay for week-ends....but they go sooooo fast.

 

Have a good day and a great week-end. Keep looking up cause better days are a'coming. Cheers ~ Louise

 

 

Oh Bummers!!!

Hi there everyone......oh bummers......my "slow cookin', pressure cooker" conked out tonight! I have had it 9 months.....did I use it that much? No I don't think so. I was making a big pork roast with homemade sauerkraut, set it on slow cook for two hours. When I checked on it, the lights were not on. What does that mean? I changed outlets, pressed buttons, took the lid off and put it back on, pressed buttons, Oh bummers!!! Now what??? Guess I will go to Shopko and see if I can bring it back, wish me luck.

So, I took the pork roast out of this cooker and put it in my old crock and it is cooking away. Oh...I hate when things break down and stop working.

This is me.......in the picture below, yep, my world just crashes all around me when things don't work properly. When the car breaks down, an appliance stops working, my dog is sick, a friend unfriends me, my computer or the printer doesn't work or the husband is upset with me or gets an arm pain. Yeah, when things just don't go right, this is most definitely me.

Here's another thing that conked out.....my watch that I got for Christmas. Bummers!!! First the watch band kept breaking and I would super glue it back together, first the right side, then the left side. Then the loops came off and I super glued them together. When everything was super glued and working right.....one day at Walmart, I felt the watch fall off again....yeah another dose of super glue to the strap. I thought I should get a new watch band, after all that, but then when I looked at the price of a new watch band verses buying another cheapy watch, the difference was just $.88. No I will not buy a watch band. After that decision, the watch stopped working. Bummer! So I bought a new watch @ $7.88, this one is all white, have not taken a picture of it, who knows, in a few months I may have to get another new watch!!!! Watches and me just are not compatible.

So yeah, in the picture below.....this is so apropos for me. I remember years ago, when I was applying for a job, I said, "I try to get all my ducks in a row....but sometimes they don't" And the new boss asked me, "So what do you do when your ducks are not lined up?????" Jokingly, I said, "I shoot them" (not really though, guess I would gather them, and start all over again), You should have see the look on his face....so funny! Well, needless to say, I did get that job, and I am not sure if I ever got my ducks in a row, cause things were always changing, just when I thought something was done.....it got changed or moved. Oh well, sure glad I am not there anymore.

Well...I hope you had a good day and a better week. The weather should be nice this week and the temps should be in the 50's, how nice is that??? Maybe it is time to sit on the porch and maybe get  my fountain going. I know Kylie will enjoy the porch time.

Tomorrow, JP and I have a dentist appointment to get our teeth cleaned....sure hope things go well, can't afford any more high bills at this time.

I think the rest of this week, I will lay low for awhile and maybe concentrate of seeing if I can get a new pressure/slow cooker from Shopko. Hopefully I saved the box and maybe the receipt is still in the box.

You all have a great week and keep looking up, Things and times will get better, eventually.
Cheers ~ Louise

Birthday Card and Chicken Schnitzel

Hi there everyone. Well, the first 3 days of March have passed by....such a whirl wind of things to get done, I tell ya!!!!

So in my first picture is the birthday card I made for grand nephew, Evan, he will be 7 years old on Saturday. I am sure they are planning a big birthday party for him. My card probably will be late, as it has to travel down to Chicago.....I sent him $7, a brand new 5 and 2 dollar bill.

I saw the idea of this "crazy bird" by Tim Holtz on the internet and thought he was so cute.

Below is the bird I saw in the internet....not sure where I found it, but the above is my take on the bird below.

He was stamped on white card stock and colored in with copic markers. Also stamped, is the lady bug. I drew in the leaves and stems of the flowers. The flowers are fabric flowers and a candy dot placed in the middle of the flower. I ran sticky tape across the card and poured green glitter on it. My google eyes are smaller and I placed red sequins around the bird. So, those are the differences. It is always amazing to me how one card can have so many different looks. No one card is alike......same bird different, looks. 

Here is my last Blue Apron meal.....yum, this was really good, "Chicken Schnitzel with Fingerling Potato Salad and Lingonberry Jam". Not sure if I talked about this meal before, but it was really good and most likely I will do this again. The chicken was flattened, then dropped in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs then fried in oil till browned. The potatoes were cooked, cooled the mixed with mustard, demi glace and a shallot-vinegar mixture and seasoned with salt and pepper. Really a good potato salad....all in all this was very good. 5 stars here and a keeper for sure.

I so look forward to my Blue Apron meals, my next 3 meals will come on the 17th....by then I will want a change from corned beef and cabbage...that's if I buy a corned beef this year.

Saturday, I have to finish up my income taxes and take them into the accountant.....whew, what a job, don't think I could do that 5 days a week, no, accounting is not my nitch. Not sure what my nitch is accept for cooking and making cards, that seems to be what makes my world go around. When summer comes, maybe I will be playing with my flowers and gardening.

Well, time to close here, and I want to finish up my cards for Hospice as the meeting is tomorrow morning. I have about 50 cards made and just have to put the inserts in tonight.

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