RIP Sweet Kylie

Hi there everyone. Gosh I hate typing those words. We had to put Kylie down on Friday the 12th. I hated to do it but it was time. I knew she was not going to get better. Hope was gone. She had a really bad seizure about 6am. She had had a few before, but this one lasted much too long. When she finally came out of it, she was so disoriented and it was hard for her to walk. Being blind and hard of hearing...she bumped into everything.

I finally had to find the nerve to call the vet....and said I think we need to put Kylie down......I hated to say those words too. I had hoped she would die in her sleep...but she had a mind of her own, I guess Schnauzers are like that. They said, 12pm okay? Yes, I said. Oh how I dreaded that time. But watching Kylie suffer was hard to watch too. So we took her in, she really did not know where she was, and when I laid her on the table....she fell asleep. I guess the seizure really knocked her out.

They gave her the shot to relax her, then the needle to make her die. She stopped breathing and it was all over for Kylie. My heart broke and breaks even now writing this.

So following are a some pictures of Kylie from last year....this is my favorite, she always loved being on the porch and looking out between the posts. She always had a smile on her face. except for these last couple of months.

 I think in this picture she is barking at me for some food.

 Relaxing on the porch.

 She loved going for rides, but not so much going to the groomer and the vet.

 Always peeking over the table to see what we are eating, hoping to get some herself.

Yep, barking at me again.....give me some of your food human!!!!

I have some more pictures that I will add to my blog here.....Hope you don't mind. This house is so empty without her. She followed me all over, where ever I was....there she was too. 

So hard to loose a friend like her.

The hardest part about having a dog is the good-bye....so heart breaking.

Bye for now.....Louise

Mulching My Gardens and the Last Day of April

Hi there everyone.  Well it's the end of the weekend, and another Saturday and Sunday has bite the dust. It's the last day of April and on to the 1st Day of MAY!!! I guess that is a good sign, we are among the living still. Well, as you can see I have been busy spreading mulch. This is just the beginning. I have gotten quite a bit done and our 2 yards of mulch is getting smaller. We have not even started the front yard as yet. We may have to buy some more mulch......the yard sure looks nice though. I like looking out my windows and seeing how much we have accomplished.

I added a few extra things to this garden. A shepherds hook with a red planter and pansies growing in it. Another little cow was added....we inherited a large manger scene, so I thought I would use the animals as decorations. I was going to use the bricks above as a border.....but have since moved them to another spot. The mulch was spread over the large bricks to the right.

Here is "Kylie the Supervisor" watching everything we do....she's a good friend, but she is getting old and losing her sight and hearing. She has an appointment with the Vet on Monday. I am a little afraid of what the Vet might tell me....hopefully it's not all bad news.

So here is that pile of mulch....getting smaller and smaller. I think the squirrel is having fun digging in it too.

And the pile is getting smaller and smaller. I think we will get another 2 yards of mulch....the front yard is in need of some mulch yet. We added just a few places with mulch....and even that looks better then it did. I have to chop some snow on the mountain down and some purple bells down. They look like weeds right now, but when they start growing they look pretty. No pictures yet.

Here is another view of my patio garden and my little walk-way to my other garden, which will be my little sanctuary, I have some 6 foot fencing that I can put up that will shield me from the next store neighbors junk in their back yard....I am soooo sick of looking at their stuff. I think they are hoarders.

Maybe if I make my backyard pretty, they might get the hint and do something with their backyard. Do you think???? So anyways I made this mulched walk way and added the bricks this year....I wanted to do this last year, but never got around to it, course we did not get mulch last year.......this year all my thinking will become reality....I hope. The blue drawer is sitting on an old wheel barrel. I usually plant cucumbers in the wheel barrel, the blue drawer will have flowers or herbs.

Can you see where I am going with this garden....I think it will be a nice place to hide from the world. I picked up some Scotts grass seed that grows in hard places. There is a lot of shade under this tree, so hopefully the seed will grow nicely.

 Last year we had the "Weedman" come and take care of the creeping jennie.....he also killed our grass, now we have green moss growing where the grass was.  I want to add more mulch around the base of the tree and put rock around it so the mulch does not wash away if we have a lot of rain.

Last picture, "Kylie the Supervisor" watching every move I make, making sure I don't take off on her. See my red pot with the pansies growing? I still have to sweep the mulch off the bricks yet.

Oh there is lots of work to be done and if I just do an hours worth of work a day, maybe I won't be so sore and wiped out the next day. I am going to count this as exercise and see if this helps me....I am sure it will. Hopefully I can find a balance somehow.

Well, time to close here for today. Kylie has her Doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I have to get a stool specimen before we leave. So I think that means another walk before we leave...she won't mind. It's when we get to the office that she starts to get nervous. (me too)

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

Snowmen, Blue Apron and Pumkkin Pie

Hi there everyone. Well, first off, here is part of the order for my friend Biz. I told her I would put some of the cards I made for her on my blog tonight for her to see. There are 20 cards made in all. I love the two cards on the bottom, the one on the left and the one on the right....both were made with Christmas napkins. You never would know would you. I think they all turned out fun. So now all I have to do is put a verse inside each of the cards. Then off they go to their destination.

Today I received my Blue Apron box of food.  Today's entry was Trattoria-Style Cheeseburgers with Crispy Rosemary-Garlic Potatoes and Aioli. MMMMMM was this ever a good hamburger!! Yep...5 Stars on this one.

The Potatoes were roasted with oil, salt and pepper then topped with sauté' sliced garlic and rosemary leaves. The burgers were mixed with lemon zest and salt and pepper....that's all. Then fried and topped with the Fontina cheese. Topped with Kale, lemon and oil dressing. The sauce was mayo, garlic and lemon juice. MAN was that a delicious burger. But, alas, too spicy for JP for some reason. He is getting a bit picky in his old age.

Kylie seemed to be under my feet the whole evening while in the kitchen. Don't know if she was hoping I would drop her some food or maybe she was just keeping company with me. Don't you just love (hate) my 1970's (ugly) floor???? Looks good from this view, but don't look too close.

Also on the agenda tonight was pumpkin pies....hopefully these babies can last till my birthday, if not...guess I will have to make something else.....maybe something cheese-cakey. Yes you do see pumpkin seeds on the pie on the left...I just started putting seeds on the pie.....it's actually very good and crunchy and then some cool whip, yep just what the Doctor ordered. I cut down quite a bit on the sugar. So it can be diabetes worthy.

Well, time to close this post for now....it's going on 2am and time for me to get some sleep. You all have a good day tomorrow and keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Do You Wanna Go For a Walk???

Hi there everyone, how you all doing? I hear there are storms going through the mid-west today. Stay safe and warm. I think we are supposed to get partly cloudy and warmer temps this week. Getting up to 20 degrees by this weekend....heat wave!! We'll see, as the weather can change so quickly here in Wisconsin. I would love to take off for a warmer climate, but you never know what the weather could be there. Oh well, I can only dream of warmer places.

Thought I would add a few pictures of Kylie today. Whenever we say...."do you wanna go for a walk" oh my goodness does she get excited!! As you see in this picture, she is just a blur. Yep, that's her going around in circles, she goes so fast, I can't believe she does not get dizzy!!! I know I would. She finally settles down so we can put the leash on and then you better hold on, cause she pulls you out the door. Funny how our animals can run our life and we let them.

In this picture the door is opened, sun shinning and she is ready to go. We can only go for short walks, cause some of the neighbors have laid salt down, that is pretty rough on Kylies feet. Plus the ground is so cold, her feet freeze up fast. She also keeps her nose close to the ground, trying to smell all the smells and then starts coughing. So we don't say out long. It's just a quick run down to Kitty's house then back to ours and past John's house and back. Not a long walk but it's better to go for short ones and not get "cabin feaver". I should have taken her today, but "lazy" got in the way. Maybe tomorrow, the sun is suppose to shine and it will be a bit warmer.

I shall close this blog for today. Need to take a nap and then do my taxes....not a pleasant job. You all take care and keep looking up...Spring is coming soon!!! Cheers ~ Louise

New Fall Cards and Lasagna Soup

Hi everyone.....hope your Monday is going well so far. I just got done making batch #9 of the infamous Lasagna Soup. I got the recipe from Biz @ http://www.mybizzykitchen.com/  and Biz got the recipe from Suzie @ http://twodogsinthekitchen.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/lasagna-soup/ (where you will find the recipe) and Suzie got the recipe from Brenda @ www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com and she got it from www.kowalskismarkets.com  (where you will find LOTS of recipes) The original recipe came from a Cookbook called "300 Sensational Soups". This soup is REALLY GOOD. My husband requested it again, I guess as long as the ingredients are in the house, it is something I can readily make for him. Ummm...if there are anymore links, I will add them as I find them......hopefully I got the chain correct in who got who from who.....lol!!! What ever the chain, try this Lasagna Soup....you will be glad you did.

So now, on to my card making. Here is a picture of Kylie...showing off a card her mommy made....she is very proud of being able to be a part of this picture....she's a good friend.

This picture shows a set of 12 note cards, the inside will be blank so you will be able to write your own message (by hand) and send it "snail mail" with a stamp on it...can you imagine using the post office still, who knows, hand written letters may be obsolete in the years to come?!?!?!!?

In this picture is 25 leaves from the card stock I picked up at a thrift store. There was about 200 20x26 sheets. I found out that it is like contact paper...huh...maybe I should line the inside of my drawers in the kitchen...that just might work. Anyways, you can use the leaves to stick on cards or do a little scrapbooking with the leaves. I have both the leaves and cards on my Etsy store....so far, no sales.

Well time to close this blog, have to get JP ready for work, packing his lunch and get myself dressed to work outside for a while....rake some leaves and bring in some of my managery of ceramic animals, frogs, turtles, rabbits and squirrels. So you all have a great day and keep looking up for you  redemption draws more closer then we know........Cheers ~ Louise

R.I.P. Dear Hyko ♥

Hyko standing on the word of God.

Fall time in the backyard.

Enjoying a summer day on the front porch.

Hyko and Kylie looking pretty, they both had their grooming session so they looked especially
nice for the camera.

So Hyko, I will miss you very much, you were a great little dog, a bolognese from Bolognia, Italy, a purebread, your papers said. We got you from the Animal Shelter in Appleton back in 2005. You seemed so lost and looking for your previous owner. We found out you were abused and not taken care of, your hair was all matted and you had to be completely shaved down.....you looked so funny. You had your own personality, a tough macho dog and nobody, or no other dog better cross your path and you were not afraid of big dogs either cause you gave them a piece of  your mind. Not much of a snuggler but you had your ways of letting us know what you wanted. You sneezed so much, Kylie started copying you....and we would say "God Bless You Hyko" You know what.....I think God did bless you and now you are running around in "Doggie Heaven........where ever that might be. Missing you very much and looking for you in this house and all the places you slept, in the bedroom on the old quilt, on your pillow, on the couch, the lazyboy, on my trampoline. Now you will be sleeping in the backyard, forever along with Truffles, Poppy and Anna.
Sleep well my little friend, see you again someday.

A Busy Week-End 4 Us

Hi everyone........well today is Monday the 30th......where in the world did this month go????? Thought I would add a few pictures of our busy weekend....not too adventurous....but busy for a couple of 65 year olds.

KYLIE....KYLIE she is such a happy dog. Here she is asking me, "can we go for a walk?" I said, "maybe later, when it cools down". We got Kylie from the shelter in Oshkosh, I am not sure if Kylie picked us or we picked Kylie, either way it has worked out fine. Kylie is a mama's girl and sticks pretty close to me....but just like any little girl, does not always listen to mama. Kylie has alot of likes and dislikes. She mostly dislikes the mailman and any other man that comes to the front door until I tell her to "STOP" and then she backs off. Some man must have done her mean before she knew us cause it takes her awhile to like any man that come to the door.


 Following are a few pictures of the weekend. We did have a surprise on Sunday.....a big storm came through around about 6:10pm. The rain came down pretty heavy and around 6:30 the power went off.....I become so lost without the power, gosh we sure do take the "power" for granted don't we??? The "Power" of the Holy Spirit is taken for granted too, for that matter!!!!

Flower box petunia's and flowers in front of house. Did some weeding and got rid of some flowers that look like weeds when growing but when they bloom, they are the cutest little blue bells that last a few weeks. When they begin to dry up....down they come. I have no fear that they will return next year, even during a hard winter. My daisies keep popping up in different places, I like them where ever they decide to show their pretty faces. Someday the front of the house will be all perennial flowers, right now I have to plant to fill in empty places.

Here is JP fertilizing with his new fertilizer cart. 39 years we have been married and this is his first little fertilizer cart. You can see how dry the grass is and only the weeds seem to grow. This picture was taken Saturday......Sunday afternoon it rained..........oh well, JP can fertilize again. Hopefully the weeds were served notice that they are not welcomed here.



JP added a little color with some of the red chips we had left over after I redid the patio and flowers next to the patio. I should take a picture of the patio. Looks really nice, but the squirrel seems to think that is his domain and has been making holes in the chips trying to find a place for his nuts.....darned squirrel. Anyways, the yellow and orange marigolds are trying very hard to survive this drought.....been watering them, but not as much as I should. They should have been a little bit larger by now. Well, there still are a few more months of growing weather yet. I really need to paint my porch again.....it's due, can you see the paint chipping? And the steps and porch need to be stained again. I keep threatening every year to do that, but the summer comes and goes and there sits the stairs and porch, still needing to be stained and painted. I procrastinate very well don't I?


Going to close this blog for the day........this blog is #260......wow that is hard to believe. It's been good therapy for me. Not really sure where or who reads my blogs, if anybody does for that matter. But, it has been fun to do. I have a few blogs that I like to visit on a daily basis.....they may not realize it, but they become a friend that I enjoy visiting and seeing what they are up to and do miss them when they take a few days away from their blogs.


I am hoping that my next blog will be a few cards that I have been working on. I had a big sale last week and was busy working on that special order. Would be nice to have a few more orders like that...will have to just wait and see and promote more.


You all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption drawth nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

A Sometimes Sweet Saturday ♥ ♥ ♥

Making this a short blog for today (I think). Depends on what pops into my mind and if I don't get frustrated with Blogspot by the time I am finished with my typing. Seems I have to type and not see what I am typing cause blogspot does not acknowledge immediately what I am typing.....get what I am saying? There seems to be a pause in the communication between my typing and the typing getting on this blog..oh well, so what else is new....nothing works and I mean NOTHING works!!!! My pet peeve for the day!!!!

My doggie is sick today, he's throwing up alot. Seems this happened once before and we came very close to having him put down. Then he snapped out of it. Kylie has been sick too. But she is younger and seems to be able to handle what ever it is. We found out the Pastor's dogs are throwing up also....is there something in the water? Sad to watch the dogs, they can't tell you what is wrong, you can only guess and hope you are right in doing what you are doing. Well, we will see how Hyko is on Monday, he did take his pills and have a little to eat, so that was a good sign, but then 3 hours later he threw it all up. (sigh)

Well, talking about health and all......I did get the results back on my blood test for hepatitis abc and d, everything was negative. In the ultra sound, the liver is normal but the gall bladder had a stone. Will have to google gall stones and see what is recommended.........maybe it will dissolve on it's own. God could do that in a flash!!!!

Another recommendation was that I am to lose some weight...........now that could be a challenge for me, although at this point, after being taken off all medication may have been a blessing in disguise, I don't have to fight the meds and what they are doing to this body. To date, I have tried to eliminate all sugar and sodium the best I can. BUT you know how much sugar and sodium is in the foods we eat....geez it is a losing battle there alone!!! Two lbs have come off since last week, my goal.....two pounds next week and every week till the end of June. WI (weigh in) will be June 30th....hows that????

So maybe my red bow will look good on me in a month.....hahahahaha!!!!

Next Tuesday the 5th is voting day for the re-call......I am hoping Scott Walker wins......He was rightfully voted in the 1st time and should stay in till the next election. At least give him a chance to do what he was elected to do. So far as I am concerned, he is doing just that.

Have not been doing much with my Etsy store lately, really need to get some cards in there. My lack of inspiration and motivation can be a problem at times, guess there is so much going on lately that I can't seem to focus. I will work on that this month and like losing a few pounds, will get a few new cards in my store. Hopefully!!!

Have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draweth nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

~ Wordless ~ Wednesday ~

Cheers to you all ~ Louise

Hyko and Kylie

Here is Hyko, he is about 12 years old. We've had him for about 8 years, now that is hard to believe. Seems like he has been with us forever. He is a Bolegnese, kind of like in the Bishon family. We got Hyko from the Appleton Animal Shelter, he had been given up by his 1st owner who abused him pretty bad. Hyko was afraid of men and stayed away from JP for awhile.....now JP and Hyko are best friends. Hyko has alot of ailments but he just keeps going like the energized bunny. Bad heart, teeth, a tumor on the bladder, he is getting hard of hearing and his sight is getting bad. Oh well, just like we humans, everything starts to wear down.

Then there is Kylie, she is about 5 years old or so. She was maybe about a year old when we got her from the OshKosh Animal Shelter. Kylie was found running homeless, she might have been dropped off and left to fend for herself. She was very fearful of us when we first met her. But she sure did take a liking to Hyko, it was love at first sight for Hyko and Kylie.

Kylie is a Schnoodle, (part poodle and part schnawzer). She is pretty healthy and likes to eat and run and sleep, go for rides and walks.

♥Etsy Tap Dance♥

Okay....I am doing the Etsy Tap Dance!!! Sold 2 cards tonight.....gosh that makes me day!!! Another Father's Day Card and Garfield's Scale........yay for Garfield!!!! So, tomorrow and Monday I will put up another Deer for Father's Day and another Garfield card. Was having fun making Garfield, so I made quite a few cards of him.

Thought I would add a few pictures of my two dogs. To your left, the white dog looking out the car window is Hyko, he is a Bolignese from Italy (a real lover), we got him at the animal shelter April of 2003, he was already 4 years old at the time, well, he is getting kinda old now, but he still acts like a puppy. He's got alot of things wrong with him but he just keeps going. I think Kylie keeps him going. Kylie is the grey dog to the right. We got her in 2005? Is that possible? My how time flies. She is a rescue dog also, she was found running homeless in Osh Kosh and taken to the shelter. She sure has turned out to be a good dog, and she likes her picture taken alot. Kylie is a Schnoodle and doesn't shed. Hyko and Kylie have been very good friends to JP and I, when people fail ya.....our dogs are right there beside us, sort of like God, he'll never forsake or leave us alone. Dogs are like that too. I think dogs are God's special angles to watch over us humans.....don't you think so?

Hope you all are enjoying your Memorial Day Week-end. I plan to do some gardening and planting of tomato plants and cucumber plants.......also throw some seeds down for flowers and plant my marigolds. Busy, busy, but fun. Oh and there are those darned weeds that have to be pulled too....a never ending battle, if Adam and Eve had not sinned, would we have been weedless?????

I had the flu this past week and it shut down every inch of my body, all I wanted to do was sleep and then sleep some more. But what ever the name of the flu was. it worked its way out. But now JP has it....we like to share things so I thought sharing the flu would be a nice thing to do. Made a big pot of chicken soup with garlic. Have some rhubarb cut up to make rhubarb custard tomorrow. If JP eats the rhubarb dessert I will know he is feeling better.

Well, I am going to close here for now, it is getting late and I need to let my dogs out.....see pictures above. Aren't they sweet, Hyko and Kylie

Louise

♥♥Popcorn, dogs and JESUS♥♥

I started this blog with a "No Title" on it...........cause I just didn't know where I am going with it. I thought that I might just ramble on and type things that came to my mind and that could have been dangerous. BUT finally did give this blog a title and as you can see it's about popcorn, dogs and Jesus...............so read on and I hope you enjoy. Better go make yourself some popcorn though.

Mmmmmmmmm......husband is making popcorn, I love the smell of popcorn....okay maybe I will think of something after a few handfuls of popcorn, luscious popcorn........oh yes so very good. With real butter drizzled and a little salt, taste just like popcorn from the show. MMMMMM ~ good! My favorite way to make popcorn is with the "Orvil Redenbacker Microwave popper" A little bit of oil, 1/4 cup corn and 4 minutes in the mic. Then drizzle butter and sprinkle salt on top ............Here's a picture>>
And here is that same popcorn........vanished.......it truely was so goooooooddddd!

Have I made you hungry for popcorn, oh so good. Well, I have munched it all away and my dog Kylie had to have some also.....funny dog, her and Hyko love to eat lettuce, popcorn, carrots, cucumbers.....neither one like spinich though, oh and they both love pasta. I ran out of dried dog food and gave them canned dog food, they must have thought they died and went to heaven cause they gobbled down that canned dog food like it was going out of style. Here are some pictures of Hyko and Kylie, my little darling dogs. This one of Hyko, he is standing on the word of God. Kylie........just likes to smile!!!!!

Well I should end this blog for tonight............as you can see my world is very small right now.....not much going. It has been VERY cold outside, burrrrrrrr, and I prefer to stay in the house and stay warm. Tuesday is the inaguration, will have to watch some of it, hopefully this country will take the course towards God and not away from him. We are to pray for Obama, pray for those in authority over us...........Today I heard Jimmy Swaggart say that we should pray for "God to direct the affairs of this country" I wrote that down, that is the way I will pray for Obama and this country..........it's all in God's hands, and we should not worry or fret about what will happen cause God has everything under control and I must believe that. The moment we start to doubt is when we stop believing the word of God. There is a saying I heard a long time ago......"God said it, I believe it and that is all there is to it" Straight and to the point!

You have a good day..........sorry for the ramblings, not alot to write in the middle of winter, and I am not leading a very exciting life at this point. Better days are coming though, just waiting for that trumpet sound and Jesus calling us home...............THEN life will be better, do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Hope so, you can have peace in the midst of the storm, just admit you are a sinner and Jesus died for your sins, ask for forgiveness and ask him into your heart and let him take over from there........so very simple, even a child can do it. You'll still have the bumps in the road, but the bumps will be cushioned with Jesus!!!!

Hey you have a great day ~ Louise

Summer around the corner

Been awhile since I last wrote something in this blog..........I am sure you have missed me and wondered where I was. Not that anyone is reading this or my other blog at: http://cards4ubylouise2.blogspot.com/ Not much happening, we have been planting flowers, seeds, herbs, and pulling lots of weeds. Amazing how the weeds can grow with no help from us, but the things that we WANT around us has a hard time growing, germinating and surviving.

It sure has been raining alot these last couple of days, the ground is getting very soggy. Going to be a very good year for the mosquitos.........uge......hate mosquitos, they seem to attack me and never touch JP, must be 'cause he has all that salt in him. I am naturally sweet.....hahahaha.

Card and earring making has been minimal these last couple of weeks, very little inspiration I guess, go through these spurts. Made a really niffty card last night for a friend and mailed it off today............I will have to make another one like it........now if I can find that stamp, at the store, that would be fun too.

I have made Kylie the store manager of "Cards4ubylouise and other treasures" for the month of June. Thought maybe that would drum up business in the store..........but no bites. Have a sale going on.....free postage and shipping for the month of June. Been on the forum alot lately, got a few hearts, up to 31 now..........yep, 31 people made me their favorite, maybe there is a buyer amongst one of them. We'll see.

Bought 2 pairs of earrings from another etsy artist, the earrings should be arriving anyday now......am looking forward to receiving them, will take a picture of them and show you what they look like. The price for the earrings was pretty decent, gosh some jewelry can be VERY expensive on Etsy. Got the 2 pair for $14 and that is including postage.

Well, I think I will close this portion of the blog, did you want to see a picture of Kylie the store manager? Here she is: Miss Kylie. We got her from the Osh Kosh Animal Humane Society, she was found as a stray in OK...............she's been a fun dog to have with much personality. She likes me, and can dominate me very well. We got some DVD's called the Dog Whisperer, Ceasar Millan says we need to dominate, be the top dog................whew we have alot of untraining to do.

Well I think it is time to close this blog, getting late and I have to get up and get my jobs off the internet at a decent time tomorrow morning...........another day, another dollar. Have a good day, hope your week is special.