I guess I am back now. Not really sure how I am supposed to feel or act as a new "widow". Things have not settled down as yet, but through it all, I know God has been with me the whole time.

Yesterday was my 75th birthday, yikes!!! Just a number at this point, guess it is how you actually feel inside. My mind says 27 but my body says, without a doubt 80!!!!! Lol!!!

It's been a nice birthday, was taken out to eat 2 times, someone made me 2 cozies, (instead of using a potholder to hold a bowl of hot soup, this cozy fits the bowl perfectly). Cupcakes, a bottle of pepsi, $10, cough drops and a few other little things. Oh and I even got sung Happy Birthday at the grocery store!!! That was a first, the cashier was 78yrs singing to me...what a hoot!!!

This blog will not be very long today, as I just thought it was about time to come back and start blogging again. Don't know how often I will blog, but I guess I just needed time off and before I forget to blog, thought I better come back and blog. What??? Does that make sense???

Well, gonna sign off here, have to get ready to go to the Doctor and get my blood taken for my A1C. Talk later, have a good day.

Cheers ~ Louise

He is Sitting at the Feet of Jesus Now

He left me to be with Jesus, July 25, 2021 I sure am missing him very much. We would have been married 48 years this month, August 27, 2021. He was at Misti Arbor Assisted Living for 21 days, 6 of those days he was in Hospice. He was in a lot of pain with many health issues. He died of Ministrokes. I am having a Celebration of Life, August 28, 2021, it will be the day after our anniversary.

This is the invite, I put this on Facebook and will be sending these to people that don't have computers or are not on Facebook.

This picture was taken back in Ladysmith, probably between 1977-1985. He loved music. He also played the piano, sax and keyboard.

This is one of my favorite pictures of JP. That old model T dump truck, never got to restore it, but it did run. We eventually donated it to "Rawhide" when we decided to move into town and leave our county home on 20 acres. I miss that time of our life and I miss this JP.

This picture is in the scrapbook I put together when JP raced at Waukegan Speedway. Back in 71-73. This was his favorite picture. If the driver won the hot lap he got to drive his car around the track with the American flag.

It is so hard for me to believe he is gone. I might be watching TV or on the computer, and suddenly I feel like I need to get up and go make him supper and he will be home pretty soon from work....not sure what that is all about. But then I remember, oh that's right he is not coming home.

Today I was cleaning up his room.....such a mess, he saved everything, tracts, bible studies, calendars, bibles, his study notes from books, bible and sermons. He was a Bible scholar I guess, he really knew God's Word.

I probably won't be blogging for awhile, have much to do. So many things need to be done when a spouse dies. Not even sure I got everything done. But he has only been gone 13 days, so I have time.

See you later, take care and enjoy your husband or wife....life is very short.

Louise
 

Flowers * From * My * Garden

Hi there everybody. Hope you are having a good day. Been a little warm here of late. 90's plus. It is finally going to be in the low 80's, I guess 10 degrees makes a big difference. I have the fans going constantly, all day and all night just to get some relief. I really need to get a new window air conditioner, especially when the different people come here to help with the care of JP.

I do have a window unit out in the garage...does not work well though. Runs for about 10-15 minutes then starts spitting, so I have to turn it off.......it's old, got it in 2005....yeah, guess I need a new one. A portable air conditioners would be good, then I could move it around the house...(I am thinking I can, don't know if that is possible though.)

So in this blog, I am showing my flowers from my garden. The first photo is my first rose of the season. I just realized, I probably planted that rose bush when we first moved into this house. So it must be at least 30 years old!!! Yeah, we will be in this house 30 years July 27th.....wow, how time does fly!!!

My peony bush is thriving, always blooms abundantly. I get many vases of peonies....but then they shed their beautiful petal all over the place....I decided to use the petals as mulch......why not, won't hurt. Above is my Iris....only got a few blooms but they sure were gorgeous this year.

Alliums. I like these guys very much, but they don't keep their purple very long. So I was driving down Richmond Street last week and noticed at Dairy Queen that someone had spray painted their Alliums in the garden.....what a good idea. Got to try that.  So below in the next two pictures you can see my spray painted Alliums.

Here's another view of the painted Alliums. Cool huh??

The rose bush below....just not sure what is doing. 2002 it was blooming beautifully. Then we had a new porch put on the house along with siding. The workmen stepped all over this rose bush, so bad that I thought it had died. A couple of years later it started to grow back, but very wildly and there were never flowers on it. We would always cut it down to size, cause that is all it did was grow, but no roses. Then low and behold the last couple of years it has been blooming. In this picture you are seeing more roses then it has ever produced.....now sure how long this will last, but it looks nice to have a little extra color in the front yard.

I have so much more to do outside, but it is hard leaving JP alone in the house, never know what he is doing and need to check on him. Probably by the time I get everything done....it will be fall and time to prepare for winter. 

Below are my Columbine's they grow along the side of the house....I wish they looked like this all summer long, but no, their blooms are gone now and they look like weeds, but I let them dry and the seeds spread and then I get more Columbines growing the next year.

So I think I shall close here for now. Before I do, a bit of an update on JP, he is not getting any better and is getting harder for me to take care of, I am wearing out. My 11 hours a week just is not enough to get things done while someone watches him. I do appreciate their help though, the girls tend to JP, give him a shower, do dishes, wash the floor, vacuum, fold towels....what ever I ask. So that helps, they will feed him too if I show them what to make.

I guess Community Care is still trying to find a place for him....assisted living may be the answer for him and then there would be people care 24/7. I am told, then I can be like a wife and come visit him then go home...sounds wonderful at this point, but I wonder how lonely I will become????? JP and I have been together 50 years, 48 of that we have been married......so I am not sure how this will all pan out.

So I shall close here for now, take care and talk later. Keep looking up, I am pretty sure things will get better....as God is working behind the scenes, we just can't see Him working for our good.

Cheers ~ Louise
 

June....How Fast Will It Go????

Hi there everyone. How you all doing?? My goodness it was warm today...in the 90's for the next couple of days. I don't do very well with 90 degree weather. If the weather could just stay in the 70's, I would be a happy camper. Guess there is no perfect place to live....except for Heaven, then it won't matter what the weather will be like, because we will be so concentrated on Jesus!!!!

Some flowers from my garden, above are my Allium's. I should get some more of these guys. I sure do like them. Below are my pretty pink/white tulips. As they begin to open, they almost look like roses. So pretty!!!

Below is a picture of a picnic bench at Erb Park. I have found my quiet place. I get 11 hours a week now to get away for "respite time". A caregiver comes to the house, giving me time away from taking care of JP. They will wash my dishes, floor, vacuum, give JP a shower and wash his hair. Fold towels, which there are many, cause I seem to be washing towels constantly. The towels end up on the bathroom floor a lot, because of JP's incontinence. They also will take him on the front porch for fresh air, just kind of filling in for me. 

I had a different lady yesterday. I was told she was a "powerhouse" and that she was, she did things I didn't even ask her to do, I was amazed. Probably out of the 3 caregivers.....she is the best. We are getting a new one this Monday. So that will be 4 ladies.

So, when I go to the park, I take a note book and pen, Bible, a Billy Graham devotional, and write away. I have stopped at Jacobs Meat Market for a hot lunch or Kwik Trip for 2 pieces of chicken/chips and and cold drink. Even though there are lots of people there, it is still very peaceful. God knows I need some peace.

I can only spend 1 hour there or less, cause then I need to rush to the store and get back by 4pm, so the caregiver could leave on her shift. This Monday and Wednesday I will get 8 hours and 3 hours on Thursday. I guess I got a raise in hours....lol! From 9 hours to 11 hours free time.....YAY!!!!!!

This is such a pretty park....we are going on 30 years in this town and we very seldom used the park....always too busy  guess. Now they let people walk their dogs through the park. When we had Hyko and Kylie...doggies were not allowed. We could only walk around the park on the street!!!!

See the cute card to the right? "If you're feeling blue....try painting yourself a different color". I did not make it....but, think I will try, I have the birdie, just would have to color it and write in the saying. Guess, when I get "a round tuit" I will try making it....lol!

Well JP had a Pet Scan and liver panel today, to see if he has cancer and if the cancer in his eye did or did not spread through his body. If that is the case, no cancer in his body, then our next appointment will be in Green Bay at St. Vincent's and he will have the surgery on his eye. 

JP is not doing all that good, all his health issues are getting him down, many times he say's he want's to quit. He is at a place where he may be put in an assisted living or nursing home and he will get 24/7 help. It is getting harder to care for him now. He does not get a lot of sleep and neither do I as I am up with him till sometimes 4 am. Sometimes his sleeping pill does not kick in cause he seems to fight it and gets a lot of arm pains that last 15-20 minutes. Yeah, it is tough to watch at times cause he will hit his arm 4-5 times and moan and groan, scream and shout!!!!

Well, I think I will close here for now, I want to go to YouTube and watch a few of my favorite YouTuber people with Chateaus in France, my get away places. So you all take care and keep looking up....I do believe....better days are coming!!! Cheers ~ Louise

No Masks????

WHAT?!?!? No Masks, I cannot believe it.....how and when did that happen???? Like overnight???

Friday I was at the Kwik Trip....sign is off the door, no one entering wore masks, people in the store were not wearing masks and people behind the counters were wearing no masks!!! I was like in disbelief!!! Of course, I did not wear my mask...I say FREEDOM!!

Well now....we started to watch NASCAR......NO ONE is wearing masks!!! It is like normalcy has returned, like "Overnight". Then I noticed no one in the stands were wearing masks and the stands are packed out, shoulder to shoulder!!! The announcers are not wearing masks, the drivers are not wearing masks.....OK!!! 

Then, I realized the race is in Austin, Tx. That explained it!!! I just read this morning, before the race....."Texas has had "0" Covid 19 cases since they stopped wearing masks" Wow, wow, wow!!! Please explain the unexplained to me!!!!

I must say...it looks good to see no masks on people. I know it was protection from the Covid....but sure was carried too far. I noticed also, hospitals are not as strict. JP and I were at Theda Care in Neenah, no thermometer checks. St. E's still checks though. AMC (ThedaClark) had no checks, although when you went into the office, they pulled out the thermometer. All the symptoms they ask you if you had.....can be symptoms for the flu....does not mean you have Covid, does it???? So glad the masks are disappearing, slow but sure!!!

Yesterday, I worked outside, planting seeds, pulled a few of my ceramic animals out. Straightened up the garage....little stuff. So much more to do for just one person. JP used to help....that extra help is not there anymore.

So I had to keep checking up on JP in the house, to make sure he did not fall. We were safe! So much to do, so little time. I have a feeling JP will have a lot of Doctor appointments this week. So far, I have one tomorrow, to find out what my A1C results are. If high, I am sure to get a talking to, stay away from this and that. Hopefully it will still be low.

I guess we will be going through another MRI as the Doctor thinks JP might have Parkinson's disease. The eye Doctor wants JP to have a liver test and lung test to make sure cancer has not spread to those areas, because if it has, he will not do the eye surgery. 

Well, I think I will close here, need to get some bills paid. Lately I have just been piling the bills on top of each other, just don't want to deal with finances....on top of everything else. Our SS can only stretch so far and no further. Oh well, one bill at a time!!

You all take care and keep looking up. God wants us to depend on him alone....He is the only one that can help us through these trials and tribulations. Cheers ~ Louise

Happy Birthday, Flowers, a Cake, Food and Captain Serious

Hi there everyone. Hope you are having a good Merry Month of May. My month has been VERY shaky, to say the least. I try to tell myself everyday the above Meme.....but I am only human, not perfect as yet. As much as I want to give up, I can't. JP is wanting to give up, as he is very tired of all these physical and mental health issues he faces daily.

JP's birthday was yesterday, 17th, he is now 74 yrs old....yep an old man now. He got a 3 birthday cards, a call from his brother in Hoffman Estates, and a few birthday wishes from the doctor's office. I bought him a new pair of slippers that look like street shoes, he can slip them on and off with very little effort. Never got a chance to make a card for him. Forgot the cheese cake in the freezer....tonight will be okay I guess.😍

This week-end was really a tough one. I had to call the fire dept. to help me pick JP up off the floor in the bathroom. We were doing a Cath. and over he fell, that was early Saturday morning. Then early Sunday morning, I had to call again (as per his nurse that comes weekly). This time he was transported to the ER. All his vitals are perfect, BUT he needs his meds changed, the Doctor in ER says he has dementia. There needs to be a follow-up with the regular doctor and the physiatrist.

Above is a picture of my pretty tulips that opened up like roses, they are so pretty in the sun light. 💓

To continue on with JP's problems and mine, (as I am the caregiver). JP has had 4 eye doctor appointments. All confirming he has Melanoma in his right eye. The next appointment will be in Green Bay at St. Vincent's Hospital. Do not know when that will be as yet. If you would please pray for JP. We are living day by day, I just can't go any farther then the next hour.🙏🙏🙏

This was a cute Valentine's cake I got for JP......sorry to say, he was really GOOD!!! He was devoured in a day!!!😊

So once I find out when the appointment is, Community Care will find a ride for us up to the Hospital in Green Bay and home again. (I hope). The last two trips to ThedaCare Hospital in Neenah, a car-pool picked us up.....really nice people, and they helped me get JP in the car too. So helpful (the first ride, the second ride, the caregiver and car driver both got JP in the car).

In these two pictures, is a meal I made for JP. He has to have soft food, so I thought stuffed peppers would be good on a sheet pan. It's just hamburger, rice, egg, bread crumbs and seasonings stuffed in green peppers. The asparagus has oil, salt and pepper then I cut up onion, covering the asparagus. Oh and those orange strips are sweet potatoes. So everything was soft, then I covered his food with gravy. The above picture is before it was baked, below after it was baked. Yummy meal. 👍👌😀

I guess I will be getting help to find a place for JP to live, where he will get 24/7 care. He is getting very hard for me to care for and I am losing sleep, staying up with him during the nights to make sure he does not do anything crazy, like fall. 

On Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's a caregiver comes to watch JP for 3 hours, while I can go to the store, or just get away for some free time. 

On Monday's a landscaper comes to cut our grass. (the neighbor took advantage of the situation (yesterday) and had the landscaper cut his grass also).👎I did not like that situation, but who am I???? My other neighbor did not think that was right either, because this neighbor is capable of doing it himself!!!!! Oh well, that is people for ya'!!! I asked the landscaper if this neighbor paid him and yes he did. I just did not want this neighbor getting a free grass cut on my dime....you know what I mean????👎💢😝

So now I guess we just wait to see what happens next. Tomorrow, I have an appointment at 11am to get my blood drawn for the A1C...it's been 6 months since the last one. At that time, the A1C was 6.3 which was good, I have a feeling it will be much higher with all that has been going on.....I hope not though. JP has an appointment at 10:30 with the doctor as a follow-up from his ER visit. Also the eye doctor wants JP's doctor to know what is going on. Sure glad they keep in contact....I have had to explain everything, cause JP can't remember anything.😢😭😩

Thursday, I have to take the car in for it's oil and grease job plus get some new tires for the front. JP says I do not need to do that, that they are fine. I am still going to have them checked. JP has not driven the car 5-6 months now. I do the driving. They will have the car for most of the day. Then call when it is ready and they will pick me up in the car, driving back to the service station, then I can have the car.

At 2pm I have a virtual meeting with our Insurance Co. to up-date  our insurance....hopefully there won't be a lot of changes and the price won't change much.

Friday the caregiver will come at 1pm, hopefully giving JP a shower and clean clothes and I can take off for a few hours. She also washes my dishes, if there are any (which there usually is), she vacuums, washes the floor, cause JP pees the bathroom floor a lot. She folds towels, doing little things in keeping this place clean. She is a real help.😌😌😌Much relief to me.

So this handsome hockey player is in need of prayer. 🙏🙏🙏He plays for the Chicago Blackhawks and he is the Captain of the team. He has been out of commission this whole season. He has been dealing with an illness that has not been diagnosed as yet. His complaint is that he is weak and lethargic and nothing else has been said. His name is Jonathon Toews. The Blackhawks did not make it to the Play-offs this season. Covid 19 messed things up for all the teams. Well, the next season starts in October and hopefully Covid 19 is just a passing thought.

Time to close here, if you are still with me, I hope you will pray 🙏🙏🙏 what the world needs most is prayer, never ending prayer!!!!

You all take care and keep looking up....better days are coming and when the trump sounds we are on our way to meet JESUS!!! 

Cheers ~ Louise

PS had lots of fun playing with the emojies today....you just may see them a lot more!!!💚💛💜💙💖

End of the Month Funnies and Words of Wisdom

Hi there everyone, this will be a short one. Still dealing with JP's illness and learning to be a caregiver. Things are kind of looking up but his health fails daily. 

Looking on the brighter side of life here are a few funny cartoons I found hidden away in my PC with some words of wisdom to ponder.

I still use my land-line. I have a tract phone, but hardly ever use it. Have not bought any minutes in over 6 months, only thing running out are the days.....lol! Guess I am a dinosaur for sure!!!

Yeppers so true....

Now, words of wisdom and encouragement. Always try to remember this during these hard times in life.

And always look for the good in everyday....life is very short. As someone told me a long time ago....."Life is tuff and then we die"

I know this is a short one.....but I have very little words for this month, but did not want to skip a month of no blogging. You all have a great day and keep looking up. Better days are coming. 

Cheers ~ Louise

The Cross of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified

Hi there everyone. Happy Resurrection and Happy Easter Blessings to all. Just a short blog today with lots of pictures of Crosses. Let me just tell you right now, none of these cards are ones that I made. They are samples of cards I would have liked to have made, but never did. But they all mean the same thing.

Jesus, died on a cross to save us from our sins. You say, "but he never knew me back then". Oh, but he did, he is God and knows all  things and knows his creations calling all his creations by name.

We call Jesus by many names, as you can see on these cards. He is Grace, Our Savior, He is Love and Hope, Our Redeemer, Healer, Mighty King, Prince of Peace, Provider, Messiah, Judge, Holy Spirit, The Word, Immanuel, Friends, The First and the Last, and the list goes on and on, never ending, as he is. 

For God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Now this card is a sample of some cards I did make....gave most of them away and probably gave some to Hospice. 

I got blessed today....a friend called and was getting rid of some of her stamping stuff and wanted to know it I was interested in some of it. I said yes...When I got to her house, she had a large table, a small table and a side cabinet full of stuff. Paper, card stock, stamps, embossing powder, tape, staples, tiles, paper cutter, 5 folders, some empty and some full of images, material (which I will give to my SIL, she makes beautiful quilts.) Oh my gosh....there was so much more, hard to remember it all. But maybe this is an incentive to get me back to making cards again. Got a little dry and uninspired....maybe inspiration will come back.

I made my ham loaves tonight....ready for Easter dinner. Along with mashed potatoes/gravy, asparagus, buns made in the Air Fryer and cheese cake with strawberries and whip cream. Sound good....yeah the ham loaves were delicious!!!

Well time to close here, I want to get this blog posted before Easter. You all take care and keep looking up, better days are coming. 

Cheers ~ Louise
 

Hi there everyone....hope you are having a great month. Sorry I am so slow in getting this blog published. Guess March has been busy and being a nurse/caregiver has taken up pretty much a lot of my time. 

NOTE: Just to let you know, both cards on this blog are not mine. They actually were from the internet, made by other people. I used them as examples for cards I did make, sorry, no pictures of them as yet. Most of the cards made, I gave to Hospice. I do have a few cards downstairs that I have been working on the last few days, but have not taken pictures of them as yet. 

Not a whole lot of plans for Easter. Probably will go to church. JP will stay home and watch SBN on TV. Oh, when I say SBN, I mean Jimmy Swaggart Ministries....that is our church. The church we go to is a Jimmy Swaggart church, and we watch the service from Baton Rouge on the big screen at church also. The church is 33 miles (round trip). We've been going there since 2005, 16 years now....long time members there. Wow!!

For Easter dinner I am planning to make ham loaves. I shall have to find a recipe on the internet. It is just ham ground up and mixed with ground pork and spices and rolled into little loaves and baked. Maybe a real pineapple, asparagus, mashed potatoes and whatever else I think up. Oh, I may try bread/rolls in the Air Fryer, just to see how they turn out. For dessert maybe a small cheese cake with berries on top. Sound good??? I shall see, the menu probably will change by the time Easter rolls around.

JP still has a hard time getting around, if he is not getting arm pains he is shuffling around with bad feet. I guess after we deal with all these other health issues, we will go to the foot doctor next. I told him, one doctor at a time. One can get overwhelmed what with all the doctors we have gone to in the last couple of months. It is not easy to get him from the house to the car, to the hospital/doctor and back home again.

I still catharize him, 2 times a day (that has helped, it was 3-4 times a day before) I give him his meds 3 times a day(so he does not overdose or not take them at all). Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and many, many dishes in the sink. I feel like a maid, servant, slave, cook, nurse, and whatever else there is to be called. Oh well, such is life.

JP has a nurse that comes once a week and another lady that comes to give him a shower, wash hair and shave. That helps me, I don't have to do that also. Probably in the next month or so there will be a whole new set of people coming to help me. We will be on Community Care/Respite where people will sit with JP as I can take a few hours off and leave the house and not have to worry about him and if he would fall or do something stupid. (which he has.)

Well good news, the hospital just called and JP has an appointment set up for an MRI for his left arm to see where and why he is having these arm pains for over 12 year or longer. Would be nice to know there might be a remedy.

Well time to close this blog, it's getting pretty long and I am sure some people get bored reading long blogs....I do sometimes. You all take care, keep looking up, better days are a coming round the corner. Cheers ~ Louise

The Last Week of February

 Hi there everyone....hope you are having a great February. I am still living in 2020 I guess. No new changes and we are just plodding along going from day to day.

Here is a "little funny" I found today on another blog. Made me laugh a little bit....yeah, that's me alright. Might be good enough to put on Facebook too.

Things have not progressed a fast as I would like, JP is still a very needy person and just about all my waking hours are about him. As I sit here looking at my desk calendar, we have been very busy with nurse visits, Doctor visits, Hospital procedures, and Catherization's. I cringe at the thought of what the Dr. and Hospital bills will look like when they start filing into my home. 

I think the nurse visits will end this Thursday and two Doctor appointments so far in March, after that I am not sure what will happen. I know we are going from short term care to long term care. We will have nurses coming again, BUT they will be helping me with taking care of JP. and giving me, the caregiver, time off to take care of things that need to be done for Louise. Not sure yet what that is but I will take it.

JP will now go on Medicade, not sure what that all entails, but I will pay $29 a month home care and if there is reason to put him in assisted living that will be taken care of (I think) I might have to also pay room and board, but at this point, not sure how much. I Do have a few people walking me through this, thank God for the ADRC. Time will tell how this all pans out. Will keep you updated.

In the mean time.....who are these people????? They all live in France. Stephanie (2nd from right) owns a beautiful Chateau de LaLande. She started a YouTube Channel just before this pandemic started. Stephanie has been a blessing to many, many people around the world. All these other people in this picture are people that help Stephanie and live with her at the Chateau. From Right to left, Selmar (jack of all trades), Stephanie, Phillip (another jack of all trades), Marie (in the back, married to a 2nd co-owner of the Chateau, in the forefront her son, Antone) Behind Antone, Mari (Florest and cook), Nati (assistant for Stephanie). Behind Nati is Michael (#1 co-owner of the Chateau) and then David who visits and helps with designing of the garden and lake.

They all have a place and do what needs to be done to renovate this beautiful Chateau. Just type in: "Stephanie at The Chateau Diaries" and this will take you to all her Vlog videos. Once you go to her channel, you may be hooked and go to all of her other videos. A very lovely, gracious woman who knows how to bring the best out of everyone she meets.

Here are some cute little squirrls.....they need a caption: this one...."Shoot da puck!!!" What is your caption????

This one is: Yeahhhhhhh the Hawks Winnnnnnnnnnn!!!!! What's your caption????

Yep....Hockey game tonight. Hawks are playing the Columbus Blue Jackets. (note: you know how the Columbus Blue Jackets got their name??? That's where the Civil war uniforms were made for the North...Columbus, Ohio.....interesting fact....eh???)

So anyways the Hawks play tonight, I shall have to watch hockey on the internet at Volokit.com, the game is streamed with lots of buffering at times, once the buffering stops then I can watch the game in enjoyment.

If you haven't noticed, my You Tube visits and Hockey are my "get-a-way" places where I can forget the problems of the day. Well you all have a great rest of the day and also a great rest of the month of February. Take care and keep looking up, better days are just around the corner!!!!! Cheers ~ Louise

What's New February???

Hi there everyone. This is crazy....blogspot still does things I do not understand. Oh well, least I can still type an intro....

Well, Valentine's Day is not far off....what, one week away??? The Valentine cards you see on my blog are from 2016...have not gotten downstairs to make new ones for quite awhile. I did send some cards to Hospice that I had laying around...time to clear things out.

I am thinking the cards above and below are cards I found on the internet and wanted to make, kinda cute aren't they??? I did duplicate the cards above, but can't find the cards or pictures. Must have given them to Hospice.

The card above looks like an easy one, I do have LOTS of eyes, should be an easy card to duplicate.

Now the next 3 cards I did make....in 2016. Really need to take some time to make cards, lately I have been too busy being a "Caregiver" for JP. He requires a lot of work to keep him going. My life sort of disappeared on the back burner of late. February have so far been very busy. Lots of nurses coming daily, Visiting Nurse, Physical Therapist, Speech Therapist, Doctor appointments, Walker/tub seat pick-ups at Easter Seals, Shopping, that was last week. 

This week will be the nurses coming again. Then JP has an appointment, as he will need surgery for a hernia, (not sure when the hernia surgery will be) a Covid test on Saturday and the following week, Upper esophagus and lower colonoscopy. (I am not looking forward to that one, AT ALL!!!!) So that means having him drink all that stuff, running to the bathroom and still do the catheter. Needless to say, he is NOT a very good patient!!!

I have a lot of paper work to sort through, and get taxes done by March 1st. Hopefully I can hold it together for the rest of this month. Another thing I am having to do is, catheter JP 3 times a day, oh and make sure he gets his meds and his food is soft and if meat, it is cut up in small pieces. When did I become a Nurse???

Looking at my calendar right now, I am counting 5 trips to the Doctors and Hospital. That is no easy chore, getting JP out of the house and into the car. A belt is wrapped around his chest, so I can catch him if he falls and get him into the car....what a chore, for him and me!!!

I think, getting downstairs will be my "get-a-way" place, cause he can't come downstairs, he might loose his balance and fall down the stairs....that is all I need. My Chicago Blackhawk games are a get-a-way too. Hopefully they will win lots of games....it is looking good for them this season, lots of young kids that are out to win the Stanley Cup!!!!

 Well, time to close here, hockey will be starting at 2pm and I need to get some lunch for JP. Breakfast was pancakes and jello for JP...gosh those were good pancakes....yummy. Lunch is Air Fry potatoes and chicken, (Thank you Biz, that Air Fryer has come in real handy...a life saver for cooking stuff for JP)

So, this is what's new in February, SO FAR. I suspect more is coming, hopefully the weather will cooperate also....pray for no snow on the days I have to take JP to the Doctor and Hospital visits. Have a great month, and if I have time, I might add another blog this month, if not, see you in March. Take care and keep looking up, better days are coming round the corner. Cheers ~ Louise

Is It Still 2020????

Hi there everyone. Hope you are having a good year so far. This might be a short blog, or it might be a long blog, depends on how wordy I am today.

January has really been a very eventful month so far and not completely for the good. Oh there were a few blessings along the way for sure, January has not completely bottomed out yet.

One awesome blessing I received was that I was gifted with a Simple Living Air Fryer!!! I had been wanting one for 6 months. But never really had the money (figured I had to wait for the stimulus)....first things first, the bills have to get paid first. I really love this air fryer. I have made french fries, potato chips, steak and mushrooms (yum), chicken, hamburgers and onions. Oh and I boiled small potatoes cut them in half, then mashed them, sprayed them, seasoned them and put them in the fryer, 15 minutes @ 400 degrees. After cooking, topped the crunchy potatoes with sour cream.....oh yeah, happy days!!!

A fellow blogger, My Bizzy Kitchen sent me this air fryer via Amazon. It was such a surprise, and I am really enjoying it. Dinner tonight will be chicken and those mashed potatoes. YUM!!!! Thank you Biz, I love this machine and have figured out how to work it.

Another blessing is "Weatherization" came into my house to do some work. More insulation in the attic, 2 new fire alarms and a carbon monoxide alarm. They changed 24 energy efficient light bulbs. Checked out the furnace. AND, this Friday I will be receiving a brand new Energy Star Refrigerator. My refrigerator is 15 years old. So this will be a good thing. I have to clean it and empty it of it's contents...of course, figured I would do that tomorrow and as long as it is cold, I can keep things outside. I shall see. 

Looks like this blog is becoming a wordy one, cause the really big problem we had this month is JP has been in the hospital since last Thursday. Dinner on Wednesday (13th) was french fries and a hot dog, bun and soup. JP's habit is not to eat things hot, so the food sat on the table for an hour till it was cold. He was eating the hot dog, did not chew it completely and swallowed it whole. Then he started chocking and spitting up, this went on all night. Little did we know he was close to pneumonia also. I called 911 about 7:30 am. (14th)JP was taken to the hospital and he has been there ever since. He might be home today, but I have not heard as yet. He is dealing with a few other issues and I guess they are working on those also. 

With Covid 19, I am not able to visit JP at the hospital, which makes it even harder and I have to go by what the Doctor or nurses say. I probably should call the nurses desk today. The last nurse I talked to did not give a whole lot of info. JP calls every day, but he kinda skims over things and can't remember a lot.

I have managed to clean a bit around the house, looks pretty nice right now. Dishes done, wash pretty much done, shopped last night so there is food in the house. Vacuumed, dusted etc. Not sure I will have time to do much when he comes home. I guess my new job description is "care giver". Guess it was that all along, but I did not realize that.

Another sad thing happening, my Chicago Blackhawks have not won a game yet. 4 games played and the same 4 games lost. They came close to winning last night, but hey, there is 52 games yet to play. I shall root for them through it all. I am sure there will be some wins along the way.

So now you know why I titled this blog...."is it still 2020"  personally I don't think 2020 left. 2021 is just a continuation of 2020. Not sure I am liking this New Year, it's not started out on the RIGHT FOOT....get it??? Lol

I am cooking some green pea soup with a ham bone in it. I am getting whiffs of it right now, can hardly wait. Think I will look up a recipe and see what spices I should put in it. So you all take care and stay safe from the Covid. If you think about it, do pray for JP and I. Just not sure what is around the corner for us. Keep looking up cause better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise