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
 

Christmas Day

Hi there everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day. Our day was quiet....just the three of us. 

For dinner, I made oven fries, steak, salad and cauliflower. Yummy. I forgot to pull out the cheese cake in the freezer...maybe I will save that for New Years Day.

I was going to insert a video here showing our Christmas day...but it did not work...maybe some other time.

I bought this cross for JP at Hobby Lobby. It caught my eye. JP is always quoting this when he is having his arm pains.  "The Battle is not yours but God's"  2 Chron. 20:15

JP's new slippers. $15.00 on clearance at Shopko. They should hold him over for a couple of months. He usually starts wearing them as regular shoes to work, cause his feet hurt, lots of corns. He is now wearing a size 15....geez those are big feet!!!

Here you see Kylie begging at the table....hoping to get a piece of steak or cauliflower, no potato's hard to digest. She has not been feeling good these last couple of weeks. As I write this post though....she had one of her good days...I hope she starts feeling better soon.

Well, it is getting late and JP will be home from work in about 5 minutes. I have soup made, pizza and salad. Hope you enjoyed the video....it's sort of silly but it's us. Keep looking up....better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Christmas Decorations, Cookies and a Few Cards

Hi there everyone....hope you have gotten everything done and are enjoying the Christmas Festivities. I have always felt that Christmas is like a wedding....all the planning, buying, wrapping, fighting traffic, cooking, baking, decorating, visiting, eating, presents, everything involved, right up to the very last moment. Then, then, then, it is all over like in the twinkling of an eye. Sometimes it is such a let down...all that work and it is all over. When I worked at the Salvation Army, it was even more so....Christmas at the Salvation Army can be so, so, so very hectic, but very rewarding. But the next day and the next week.....gone, over and out!!!

Well, just one more day and Christmas will be here. This year, I turned my Christmas tree into a patriotic tree with the red. white and blue lights and decorations. I was going to get a few more flags and stick them in the tree....but one is fine....you get the idea.

Here is my village with the lights on. I did rearrange the village a bit and put a small box under the cotton to raise the house up next to the Church and below the light house. A little reconstruction there.

Here is the village with the lights off. Pretty cool. I like to add something new to the village every year....but I think I am running out of space.

Outside decorations, just a few lights to brighten things up a bit.

Here's a view from the other side of the house and my camera was set for "fireworks" I thought it would work, but I think not.

Here are some cards I made for 3 ladies at the Dental Office. The receptionist and my Dental Hygienist and JP's Hygienist. They liked the cards very much.

Cookies, cookies, cookies....these are my Ritz cookies. Make a sandwich of peanut butter and Ritz crackers. Refrigerate, then dunk the crackers in melted chocolate and sprinkle with sprinkles then refrigerate. Very easy peasy. Tomarrow I may make some more cookies, simple cookies called "Mama's Cookies" They should be fun to make.

I don't know if I showed you this card or not, but in case you missed it...it's a vintage Santa from a napkin, I glued him on card stock then embellished him with a snowflake, sequins, gems and fancy papers.

This Snowman family is recycled from a card....I just used glitter glue to embellish the card. Had some flock paper and used that for the background.

Well....I am mostly done with Christmas....just have a few gifts to wrap. I bought JP a "Cross" it says "The Battle is the Lords" (I will take a picture of it, once it is on the wall.) Thought he would like that as a reminder. Made some Hot Cocoa Mix in a Mason Jar for him and the Pastor. JP also got a pair of slippers...his slipper wear out pretty fast because he ends up wearing them to work because his feet hurt so bad. I also colored a bird and framed it.

Christmas dinner I will make steak and potatoes and salad. Sounds good to me....yes? Well, I think I will close this post down. It's going on 9pm and I want to get a couple of miles on my bike yet tonight, That will be 12 miles this week, kind of behind for the month. My goal is 35 miles for the month....not sure it is doing any good, but my scale is going down a few Oz's. a day, so that is good.

Talk to you later and have a great Christmas day.....keep looking up cause better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

April Came in Like a Lamb....I Guess

Hi there everyone. Well, it's the first day of April and April Fool's day.....nope, no one played a trick on me...and I did not play tricks either....guess I am not that much into trick playing. AND, April seemed to come in like a lamb....at least for today. Guess there is snow coming over the weekend, not much I don't think. 

So, today's post is about the cards I have made recently. The rose card and cross card were both made at Betty's card class two weeks ago....see how slow I am in getting things posted??? I love that Rose card.....as I told Betty, I think I will send it to "myself" when my birthday comes around....lol!

The cross card, I thought came out really nice....amazing, I do have this stamp and probably will make a few more....maybe use it for a "sympathy card". I usually don't have sympathy cards on hand, so this would be a good one to have....or it could be an Easter card for next year. The color on the card is chalks and then a fixative spray was used to keep the chalks from smudging.

The following cards are my "vintage lady" cards.....aren't they gorgeous??? A few years ago Betty gave me these pictures that were printed on plastic.....I never used them. At my last class, Betty had some cards made up and I bought a few for samples. She borrowed me her die cut for the frames. Actually the one below is mine....I just bought it the other day at Hobby Lobby. It sure turned out beautiful, I think I will send this to me also....lol!!!

The purple vintage lady below.....gorgeous again....the die cut frame is Betty's. I have made about 10 extra frames so I can make a few more cards using this frame as I need to get this die cut back to her.

The blue vintage lady is another frame I picked up at Hobby Lobby....she turned out lovely too.

In the picture below are the "Steak Tacos and Mole Verde with Radishes and Avocado" from Blue Apron. I made these a few weeks ago....then made them again with flank steak.....goodness these were good. I love the Mole Verde sauce on the steak which was made with tomatillos, spice, chopped pepitas, cilantro and juice of a lime.....gosh, so deliciousness!!!!

My next 3 recipes came yesterday from Blue Apron and they are "Steak and Eggs with Quick Kimchi Fried Rice", "Chicken Fried Chicken with Baked Sweet Potato & Collard Greens" and "Dukkah-Spiced Cod with Warm Beet, Carrot & Arugula Salad"

I have decided to get these meals once a month, so whatever they are.....it will REALLY have to be superb in their presentation and ingredients!!! We'll see what happens. I still enjoy making these meals and learn so much from them, it's like going to culinary school once a month for $60.00...guess that is pretty cheap when I look at it that way.

Well, tomorrow is SATURDAY.....yay, how I love Saturday's!! It's  supposed to rain or snow, I think I will go downstairs and make some more cards....Hospice meeting is next Friday....so I need to get some cards put together for that. You may see another post with cards I made and probably one of the recipes from Blue Apron.

Time to close....it's getting late and I need to start thinking about JP coming home and what to make for his dinner. Probably leftover spaghetti and chicken, toast, fruit...maybe a salad too. I guess this is why I always have dishes in the sink, I can never quite catch up with dirty dishes.

So you all have a great weekend and keep looking up....better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

A Busy Saturday and Easter Cards

Hi everyone. How was your day today??? We had a pretty busy day for a Saturday. We picked up our finished income tax.....yay! Uncle Sam is giving some of our money back. One of the things I invested was a new computer, so some of that money will go towards it. Microsoft decided they no longer want to support Windows XP. So on April 8th "D-day" will come for those still using XP's. Kim Komando, a computer guru on the radio, said, those still on XP stand the chance of getting hacked and/or getting virus's. I took my XP off line last week, and will use it downstairs with my Cricut. Kim also says that 1/3 of the people in the world are still on XP, it's worked well for 12 years and has been a popular program, oh well, I guess that is progress for ya.

We also mailed a package off to CA to a man who ordered some CDs and tapes from JP. Then JP took off for church to clean it and then practice his accordion for the service tomorrow. Leaving me to my computer for awhile. I decided to take a short nap before JP got home. Then we were off to a thrift store, the pawn shop and Walmart. When we got home I took Kylie for a short walk then it was time to make dinner. Roasted vegies, hamburgers and baked potato. Yep a busy day....right now I have a pie in the oven if you go to Patty's blog, she talks about her "plop pie" it sounded so good, I needed to try it. http://atticfullofclutter.blogspot.com

Thought I would post a few Easter Cards that I have in my Etsy store. I made this card last Easter, had a few left and decided to make a set of 4 cards for $8.50+postage. The inside of this card is calligraphy with He Lives.

I made this card a couple of years ago....the inside verse says "Happy Easter"

This card was made this year, I got the idea for this card on one of the Etsy stores....was rather fun to make....need to make some more to give to a few friends. The inside of this card is blank, but I most likely will add "Happy Easter".

This card and the purple one were from a couple of years ago, if it does not sell this year, I probably will add it to the Hospice cards next year.

This is a newer card, using the same cuttlebug folder but not cutting it out like the blue and brown cross was. Inside says "Happy Easter"

Oh....I forgot to say I bought a few tea cups and saucers and an elephant creamer. I think I will try selling them in my Etsy store. Going to try something different. I figured with the store name Cards4ubyLouise and other Treasures....other Treasures could also include some vintage things...I do have some books listed and photo's I have taken.....so we shall see how that goes.

Just a reminder...I am celebrating going on 7 years doing this blog. I will be doing a gift give-away....a set of cards and an extra surprise!!! So if you would like to be a part of the give away, just leave a comment and become a follower if you aren't already.

You have a great weekend and keep looking up....I need to go check out the pie....hopefully it did not burn...hahahaha. Cheers ~ Louise

Note: The pie turned out perfectly golden brown....now to taste it when it cools down a bit.

Happy 4th of July

Happy Birthday to the United States.

May God continue to Bless this Country

despite those that have turned their back on Him.

II Chronicles 7:14

"If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sins, and will heal their land."

Many Men and Women have died and given their lives that we, today, might be free.

May we never forget what they did.

Just as we should never forget what Jesus did on that old wooden  cross over 2,000 years ago.

He died on that cross, that we might be saved from our sins. How great a sacrifice was that??? 

This Great Nation is heading in the wrong direction,

God help us!!!

Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved"

So keep looking up, for your redemption draws nigh.

Cheers ~ Louise

1 Cross + 3 Nails = 4 Given

Finally got my Easter cards up in my Etsy store and here on my blog. I found the stamp, "1 cross+3nails=4given" at a fellow Etsy artist's shop http://www.sweetgrasstamps.etsy.com/ I am going back there to see what else she has, a definite trip is at hand.

These cards are selling in my Etsy store for $2.75 per card or 4 cards for $11.00 + postage $2.50. Didn't want to make them toooooo expensive, thought that was a decent price. Have made 12 extra for sending out myself and have the makings for a few more.

Well, today is Monday, March 19th............where does the time go????? We are having an early spring, which is really nice, but anything can happen, like more snow, so I am not that anxious to get my gardening done. I do have my swing ready and set to enjoy these mild nights. Last year a tree limb fell of my swing and dented it, so it looks a little decrepit. But it will be okay for out there, who knows, maybe another limb will fall on it again this spring/summer when the storms come through. Right now that seems so far away, but you never know with Wisconsin weather.

Been a little busy of late, looking up my Family Tree on Ancestor.com and Archives.com, sure has been alot of fun......FINALLY am finding my relatives in Germany, never knew much about them, didn't even have any dates. But like cream, they are rising to the top and it has been fun to say "HI" to them, I don't feel so all alone anymore. 27 relatives through Archives.com have waved back at me..........lol!

Going to go now, you have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draweth nigh!!
Cheers ~ Louisa (my grandmother's name)

Treasury Number 5

<.......click on the treasury to make it larger to see.

Here is my newest treasury that I got last Sunday, late, very late (1am) in the evening (morning). I love sunsets and sunrises. There is such a sence of peacefulness in the colors brushed across the sky. Then to think how big and how hot that sun is, that we are not scorched and burned alive. The One who created this universe sure did a GOOD JOB.........it's hard to believe in the big bang theory!

I love fall also, the crispness of the mornings, the trees turning their beautiful colors.......every color you can possibly think of is used. How could one not believe there is a God who created this World? I would rather believe there is a God, then not believe there is a God........there is safty in believing and knowing that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and of this world and the world to come. And it was all done at the Cross and through the blood of Jesus, once and for all.......whosoever will, will never die.

Well, it was nice chatting with you, do please leave a comment. Have a great day!

Louise