One Day at a Time

Hi there everyone. Looks like it has been awhile since I last posted here. (Oct. 9th. goodness) What was I doing??? Living life I guess. Day by day, one day at a time, is all I can do.

Busy with my Blackhawks and watching them do a lot of losing lately, but I think there is a turn around and I just might be seeing them doing much better. Actually I have been keeping track of all the teams. I invested in Spectrums NHL Center Ice. So now I will be able to get ALL hockey games. Where before, I could get most of the games on the Internet, BUT, there was too, too much buffering, drove me crazy. Now I am a happy camper. I guess there were a lot of unhappy people dealing with the same problem. A couple of the other big networks cancelled hockey games locally. Dish, Directv and a few others. I might pay a little more, but I got my hockey.

As I look at my calendar from October, some of the things I was dealing with, was trying to get cards made for Hospice, finish the cards for my secret stamper group. Making 6 new images for the next 6 months and making cards with the images I got for the last 6 months. Got everything done. I also was typing recipes for the cook book Mary and I are putting together for a fund raiser for a scholarship for her son Josh. After everything is said and done....we might make about $2,500. (hopefully) But it does take time. Collecting recipes sometimes is like pulling teeth, not sure why. We have 87 recipes, going for 200. So we have a ways to go.

I am still trying to learn the quote above....slow learner here. My birthday is this month....yikes....73 years now, where did all those years go? The Bible says, "we are just a vapor" we are here today, gone tomorrow. That's why time flies so fast. We need to enjoy the days God gives us, but we always seem to rush ahead of HIM. getting ourselves in trouble and wonder why we wear out. There is usually no peace in what we are doing day in and day out on our own.

Well, I think I will close here for a while. I'm thinking the next few blogs will be some of the recipes we are putting in the cookbook. Just to give you a taste (no pun intended) That should be fun to do.
Talk later, take care and keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Wowser.....October 1st Already!!

Hi there everyone. How are you all doing?!?! October 1st....my, how time flies. Sure glad August and September are gone, gone, gone!! Those were tuff months for me. JP was getting less hours at work, now we are reaping what has been sewn. 

Kylie was sick and we (or I) thought we would lose her. But she bounced back, she always bounces back. Vet did blood tests, and x-rays. ($400) They say, she may have cancer because they found a mass. She is not in pain the Vet says, so, we will just try and make her happy, with all her favorite things. She had a couple of seizures, but no more since the last one. I have been giving her hamburger and rice and she gobbles that up. Snubs her nose at Freshpet and Beniful….oh but hamburger and eggs..."two please" she says!! We will just go day to day with her. She gets around pretty good, is going blind and hard of hearing, but her sniffer still works good. So hard to watch a doggie go down-hill, but this little dog is a fighter and just happens to want to hang around a little bit longer. I have a picture of her at the end of this blog.

So following are some cards I made at Betty's. This seems to be my only outlet for now. The month of September I did not even touch making cards except for at Betty's.....not sure what is wrong. I need to get into the swing of things again. Hopefully, October will be a bit better for me. Card wise. Plus, I have a month to make cards for Hospice with the next meeting being November 2nd.

The end of this month I will be going to a Stamp Reveal party that I am involved with....someone sends me 6 images in 6 months and I do the same and we make cards from that image sent and cards from the image received...it's fun, but I am behind on that also. One more image to send, which I will do tonight.

I love the saying of the first card, "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a Butterfly" Betty had the saying and butterflies stamped and embossed already. We colored them in, sponged and stamped the dots. Cut out the butterflies so you could see the black background and added sequins and speckles.

Let's see....if I can remember  how this card was made above. We used copic markers to color in the can, flowers and pots. The background was those stamped dots and sponged ink, the beige was copic marker, then we layered the papers and added the bow.

This next card was pretty and very simple. A circle cut out then sponged in the blue, from dark to light. Stamped the flowers and saying and embossed. The dragon fly is a die-cut. Guess you could use a butterfly if there are no dragonflies in your stash.

This last card is a tree with the leaves and 'Thinking of you" around the border of the tree and truck. The truck colored with copic markers and cut out. Easy-Peasy if you have the car and tree. So many times we make cards and I would like to make more.....but alas, I don't have the stamps to make the card at home. Bummers!

So here is a picture of Kylie going to the vet for her x-rays...we were just leaving the driveway and I thought I better take a few pictures, before I forgot. She looks pretty perky here. I had to take her in at 8:30am and leave her there till we came to pick her up at 2:00pm for the consultation. So yeah, I was kind of nervous to hear what they would say. It was soooo quiet in the house, I do believe it's the dogs and cats that make a house a home. Don't you think?!?!?!?

Well time to close here, I hope I am more diligent in blogging this month....guess I experienced a few days of depression where I did nothing cause things around me seemed to be caving in. I got tired of seeing Kylie sick and JP dealing with his arm pains and sore feet. God knows I need a vacation, but there was no place to run to.

Hockey is starting, so if you don't see me around, I will be watching Hockey or football....Go Blackhawks and Go Packers!!! Hockey my number one passion then football. I understand Hockey better then I do football....and hockey is so much faster and when there is a check....it can be crushing. One guy got hit so bad last night they are not sure the guy hitting the other will even be playing or will be suspended. Have not heard on the guy that got hurt yet.

Well time to close here, JP will be leaving for work at 3:45pm and work 4 hours, if he takes his full 4 hours....time will tell!

I have to keep looking up, as I always tell my readers, better days are coming and I am still waiting for that too!!! Cheers ~ Louise

Last Month's Card Making @ Betty's

Hi there everyone...yes that is right, these are the cards we made at Betty's last month....I guess I am a little behind, as this Wednesday is another session of card making....my how time flies. I have not figured out where this year is going? Going so, so fast. Haven't even finished my outside work yet. Tomorrow, it's suppose to be a little bit cooler, so I might do some stuff outside, like paint another tire and plant my Popcorn Hosta in it....yes, I am still planting things. 

Need to start another row of lettuce soon, gosh the lettuce I planted in the spring was good, a little sesame oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, stevia...makes a good dressing along with cherry tomatoes and radishes from the garden....heaven!!!!!

So these are some of the cards we made last month...I even took pictures of them right after I made them. To make sure I would post them right away....nope, that did not happen. I like the verse, "I hope thistle cheer you up." with purple thistles in the jar colored with copic markers. Cute, cute.

Cute little possum laying on a hammock, colored with copic markers.

This ladybug was fun to make. Betty said she saw a sample of it on Pinterest and duplicated it....I do that a lot....I see a card I like and duplicate it with the stamps I have on hand...never quite looks the same....but close.

When I used to be a hairdresser, I could duplicate hairdo's. The lady would come in with a picture of what she wanted to look like and I almost always would come close. Of course it always depended on the head of hair I was working on. If the picture of the lady had real thick hair, the lady wanting that hairdo had thin, fine hair.....would be kinda hard to make it look like the picture....but I tried to please.

You probably recognize this card, as it is my header card...I thought this was a very pretty card. In order to duplicate this card I would need the die cut of the tree....the trees in the back ground were stamped and embossed then the tree was dabbed with brown and black to make it look like a birch tree. All was done on iridescent paper to give it that shine.

I just got done cutting JP's hair, he was getting pretty shaggy. Gave him a pretty short hair cut, using the clippers and trimmed his beard too...this cut should last till about September or October....he has had free haircuts since 1971, when we first met and he has never tipped me....HA....cheap, cheap!!!!!

UPDATE: Sitting at my computer and noticed $2 by the lamp...I said, "what is this for?" JP says, "it's your tip!" Oh my goodness, my first tip from him in 47 years!!!

Oh, I need to tell you....I have been dieting for over a year, watching and writing the things I put in my mouth....yeah, it's been tuff, but I am glad to say as of today....I have lost 26 lbs....it's been a very slow process. But, hey, I did not put it on fast.....it was a slow process of gaining a pound here and there. I am hoping to eventually eliminate all these pills I am taking for diabetes and high blood pressure. The Doctor says he wants to see "less of me" at my next visit. Meaning he wants to see me weighing less then what I have....I think I might be able to accomplish that....at this point.

Lately I have been making Dr. Atkin's shakes in the morning and it seems to hold me over till the evening....I will take it. The shakes are so delicious, I put a half frozen banana and handful of frozen strawberries, a few ice cubes and the shake....mix it up in my blender and "wa-la" a delicious, thick shake that I have to use a spoon with....soooooo good.

Well, it is time to make JP's lunch as he will be leaving for work in about an hour and half. Talk to you all later, keep looking up as better days are coming....you just watch!!!! Cheers ~ Louise

Some More Cards from the Revealing Party - Part 2

Hi there everyone. Well, it's almost the end of the week and guess what......Saturday is a coming!!! Yep, we like the weekends....a break from the busy week. Nothing much has gone on this week although I did have a run-in with the Telephone/Internet Co. today.

(Note: I wrote this on 11/9, so this is OLD news) They sent me this months new bill and apparently they did not receive my payment for October. I paid it at the Citgo Service Station. Where did that money go to???? Well, I talked to some lady in India and got no where. Plus she put me on hold so many times and I heard Indian music, at least I thought it was Indian music.....then my phone battery started to beep and I hung up.

Then I tried the "Chat" with the Telephone Co. over the Internet and seemed to have gotten no where. Then he had me talk to another man from India....gosh those people are hard to understand.

FINALLY I got a nice lady (that I could understand) apparently I was talking to someone in Payment claims. So I had to send the receipt from the gas station showing I paid the bill in October....I scanned it, made a cover page, then emailed the receipt to the Telephone Co. My Telephone bill went from $165.57 down to $87.40. Thank God.....I was so stressed out. I told the lady this is not how I expected to spend my Thursday afternoon. But at least the problem is remedied. I will NOT go back to that station again to pay ANY bills....no not in a million years!!!

A continuation of the card exchange from Oct. 29th. I am just a little bit behind.....life gets so busy that blogging gets put on the back burner sometimes. So anyways the above picture of the cards, I sent the "watermelon slices" and made the card on the right and Janine made the card on the left. I rather like her card.....so funny!

God Bless America.....she sent the "stars and strips. My card on the right, Janine's on the left.

Janine sent the "scarecrow and corn stalk" My card is on the right, hers on the left.

Janine sent the "Fall Background" her card is on the left, mine is on the right.

I sent the leaves and it looks like we both used the Fall background. Janine's card is on the left and mine is on the right.

Last but not least, Janine sent the "Lip stick, mirror and perfume images" My card is on the right and her creative card is on the left.

Well that is it for the Revealing Party Cards. We just started the 4th session and I got my new name. I have to send my images out for November. I stamped 14 turkeys, will mail her 12 and keep 2 and make cards out of them. I have done that already....maybe I will take a picture of it and use it for my Thanksgiving header in a few days.

So tomorrow is my day to visit Betty's and make some more cards. Can hardly wait to see what she has come up with.

I had a dentist appointment today to have my teeth cleaned. I still have a couple of cavities....the dentist is watching them, that they don't get bigger. We have to take care of JP's mouth, he has 6 cavities that need tending too. The dentist said he would give us  50% on the cost of the cavity filling....which would be $735....or the other option would be to go to the Tech and have them taken care of for FREE with the Dentist overseeing the procedure. JP is still thinking about what he wants to do. I sure do hope he goes the "Free" way!!!!

Well, time to close and get this posted. You all have a good evening and a great Wednesday. Keep looking up....better days are coming. 

Cheers ~ Louise

Cards We Made At Betty's

Hi there everyone. How is your Fall going? Can you believe, in 5 days "Daylight Saving Time" ENDS and we are back to the long nights and things getting dark at 5:00pm uge....uge....uge!

This will be a short post, as I need to get down stairs to make my Hospice cards.....I am REALLY behind this month, guess there was just too much going on in the month of October. 

The card above was made with water color pencils and the tree stamped...I like this one....very pretty. I need that tree and those posts!!!!

Here's a cute turkey for Thanksgiving, he was just colored in with copic markers and a bunch of punched out leaves for embellishments.

A cute little chickadee for Christmas. This is a cute Christmas card....wish I had the pine cones and branches.....I would make a couple of these cards for sure.

All this card entailed was a die-cut and sequins....how easy-peasy!!!

We had our revealing party on Sunday....it sure was fun to see what the other stampers came up with. In my next post I will blog the cards I received and sent and the comparison between the two. It was fun to see what the lady who had my name and what she came up with the images I sent her.

After the meeting a few of us went out to a Chinese Buffet....I stuffed myself....but it sure was good food. 

It was a fun weekend. Saturday, I went to the show with friend Betty. We saw "Let there be Light" it was very good movie. Sean Hannity, who is the Executive Producer said that this weekend alone, the movie came in second to one of the secular movies. Next weekend the movie will open in 300 more movie houses. So I guess it is doing really good.

After the movie, we went to Perkins, we got a cheese burger and fries.....deconstructed. The French fries were the bed with burger, cheese, lettuce and tomato AND deep fried pickles on top of the fries....oh yeah baby....that was good too!! Now I want to get that again....oh and if you order it after 9pm to 6am it's half-price. WHAT a DEAL!!! I like DEALS!!! Maybe sometime after JP gets home from work, we could run over to Perkins and get a take-out,

Well time to close....guess this post was longer then I expected. I have a rhubarb pie in the oven right now....after baking, I shall have to go down stairs and work on my Hospice cards. So you all have a good night and keep looking up, better days are coming.

Cheers ~ Louise

PS....oh yum I smell rhubarb pie!!!!!!

OH ~ NO How Can it be???

Hi there everyone....OH NO.....Christmas cards in the making. How do you like them...they actually are last years models. I bought the stamps and dies last year but never found the time to use them and was already making other Christmas card ideas.

So, I decided these will be my cards for this year. I don't have a lot made...this is just a start...but hey this is only October and I am already ahead of the game. I have about 35-40 people on my card list and I want to make at least 20-30 cards for Hospice using these cards.....so, I have maybe 70 or so cards to make????? With a few left over for just in cases. OH and then there is Etsy at least 10 cards each there (90 cards....hope I don't get board....maybe I will change them around a bit.) Guess that is why I need a head start for this year. Lol!!!

Between these two cards which one do you like the best....the top with 3 trees in blue, then stamped with black? I was trying a technique I saw last year and really liked it......helped a lot more using my "Misti" My thoughts? I like this card better, does not seem so busy with all the trees.

Or this card with 6 blue trees and not stamped in black??? Maybe if I made this card in the "landscape" position it would not look so busy. I shall try that idea tonight in my card making session. Doesn't hurt to try different things and ideas.

So here is a picture of the cards all stacked together....yeah, guess I have been busy lately.

I really need to get outside and winterize the house and put things away. I guess by this weekend we will be having some frost....so I better get my tomatoes in so they don't freeze.

Ceramic animals need to go into hibernation in the shed, and we need to cut things down and oh, oh the leaves are starting to fall....I will leave you with that one thought....it's a sure sign that winter is right around the corner.

In this card, are the die cuts I bought last year and never used.....I really like this card....but can't decide if I want to leave the top part white or color the sky in....still trying to decide.

I kinda like the top card, looks a bit more cleaner to me.

Here are all the cards together....fun to make, I rather like die cutting, it's like 1,2,3, and it is all done. Sequins, speckles and gems always add to the card.

So yesterday I had the "DirectTV" man at our house for about 4 hours. I changed from Uverse to Direct. Now we have a big Dish on our house......but hey, maybe I won't have to call At&t 3-4 times a hear to have them fix something and then get someone from a foreign country whom I cannot understand!!!!!

So now I have a phone number to call direct to "DirectTV" and skip the person I can't understand. So far so good....I even found a channel that has all day Hockey....now if that isn't fun, I really like hockey, maybe even more then football. At least one thing is for sure....hockey players stand for the National Anthem and if they don't, they can't play hockey that night. HA!!! take that Kapernack!!!

After getting DirectTV installed, I am supposed to get a $300 gift card from Sam's Club....that will be neat, maybe I will get a new TV or an Ipad or something I would never buy for myself.....or maybe use it to get food for a couple of months....have not decided yet. Whatever I get, it will help lots.

I have started a couple of other posts but have not finished them as yet. Sunday I went to a Stampin'Up Camp and need to finish that post and the third post I started but did not finish....just may not get finished....I was in a slump of sorts and am finally climbing out of whatever it was, must be the change in weather that effects me. I know my eyes were itching a lot....so I must have had allergies or something.

Well, time to close, need to walk Kylie around the block and for sure tonight I need to ride my stationary bike for 4-5 miles tonight. I missed last night, so I need to make up some time.

You all have a great couple of days and I will see you then, keep looking up, cause better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Last Day Of September???????

Hi there everyone.....OH NO it's the last day of September!!!!! Where did the summer go????? Now I definitely know what my mother meant when I would say as a child, "I can hardly wait for Christmas, my birthday, summer, vacation, watermelon, etc." My mother would say, "Don't wish your life away....it will come fast enough!"

So yeah....don't blink, or hold your breath, time flies by so-so fast!

I have been diligently working on my cards.....the last couple of days has been Christmas cards.....yeah, it is that time again to get some cards made for Christmas. They are turning out pretty nice, but I still have not switched gears yet. Maybe when the snow flies, will I get in the mood. I will get some pictures taken in the next few days so you can see what I have been up to.

Sunday I am going to a Stampin'up camp to make 4 cards and see the new Christmas catalog. I might order some die cuts....not sure yet, we shall see. So my next post I will show you the cards I made AND if by chance I won a door prize, a picture of what I won.

So today I went to Sam's club to pay my bill and I got stopped by an At&t sales person. They asked if I was happy with my service and would I like to pay less then what I am paying.....why YES I WOULD!!!! She asked me what programs I liked to watch...I mentioned the Chicago Black Hawks and the other guy said......Go Hawks, turns out he is from Chicago and has been in this area for 4 months....naturally he asked how long we have been in WI....."since 1976" I said. Yep.....40 years we have been in WI. We have been here longer then in Illinois...there is nothing I miss about Illinois, but I do miss watching my Blackhawks.

So anyways....I think I got a good deal. My bill will be lowered $60.00, I get a $300.00 gift card from Sam's Club, At&t will come out to my house to set me up with a NEW recording box and remote. They give you refurbished equipment which means they break down and need to be replaced. All because I am a Sam's Club member. Yay....I did something right. At first I was not going to give them the time of day....but when they said my bill could be lowered, who does not want that to happen...it sure would help in these days....that is for sure.

So now my gas and electric bill has been lowered $27.00 and my At&t bill has been lowered $66.00. That's $93.00 more in my pocket....not bad huh?? I need a good deal now and then....this will be a money saving deal.

October 12th the Blackhawks start their season.....can hardly wait to watch them. I might have a few more channels in this deal....so maybe I will be able to catch a few more games. After watching the Hockey World Cup games....I do think I might be able to watch the other teams too....this will be a fun winter of hockey!!!! BUT you must fear the Feathers.....cause the Blackhawks shall win the season and get the Stanley Cup.....yep you heard it 1st from me.....lol!!!!!

Well, time to close here till OCTOBER. Hopefully I will be a bit more diligent in posting on my blog....guess I am leading a boring life. Have a great day and keep looking up ~ better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Cookies~~Cookies and Taxes

Hi there everyone. Hahahaha funny little pug dog, he's not exactly what you were expecting for tech support....right? Thought we could all use a little bit of humor on Monday's. Yep, even though it is still Christmas Cookies. Tech support is on the way!!

Not much going on here. Worked on income taxes Saturday. Got the bulk of it done, now I just have to figure out medical expenses and medicine, then I am done. Whew, what a job!!! Would be nice if we got a refund...then I could pay a few bills........it's a never ending circle of paying bills. Thank God for COOKIES!!!!

We got some good news the other day. The "Rebuilding Together" people that fixed our roof in October will be coming again to fix the kitchen ceiling and put a new fan in. I suspect there was a lot of water damage so they feel a new fan needs to be added. Fine with me. I suspect they will let me know how much work is ahead of me as to what I must move out of the kitchen, dishes, food etc. They will be also putting in banisters down the basement and a few other small details....I think the porch might be painted too. We will see. This will all take place in May, so I have much to look forward to.

Well, I guess I must take down my Valentine Tree....guess it is time. It's been fun....I will miss the pretty lights. I suppose I could leave the tree up till St. Patrick's Day.....hummm....we'll see. I am not sure Mr. Elf wants to take that long nap till Christmas as yet.

One more week of February and we are entering March...my goodness these days are flying by. Maybe March will come in like a lion and go out like a lamb and could it be "spring is right around the corner" YES...yes....yessssss!

 

Well time to close this blog for the night. Need to get downstairs and get some cards made for Hospice. The next meeting is March 6th....so I have some work a head of me. But, it is fun and relaxing work.

Don't forget to leave a comment on my blogs...every comment is worth a chance to win a St. Patrick's Day card from me. Even if you just stop by and say "Hi Louise" that's good enough for your name to be dropped in the bowl. March 10th will be the day to pick 4 names.

So have great night and good week, keep looking up.

Cheers ~ Louise

Two Feet of Snow

Hi there everyone. How's your night going? Guess we are getting 2-4 feet of snow tonight. But maybe 2 feet would be enough if they are this big!!! HAHA!!

Well, as you know I am just joking here about two feet of snow. Not sure where I got this picture but just had to save it to my files and use it someday. Guess today was that day.

Rebuilding Together called today....we have an appointment on Monday. I guess they are going to fix our ceiling this spring. PTL!!! I hope the guys that fixed our roof in October will be the same ones to fix the ceiling. They did a wonderful job. No leaks yet.

This is going to be a short blog for tonight. Need to go downstairs and ride my bike and make a few Valentine Cards. Hospice meeting is on the 23rd so I need to get a little inventory going before the meeting plus have some cards to send out to a few people.

Have a great evening and stay warm...it's pretty chilly out there. Keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

A New Year Begins With a Fresh Pumpkin Pie

Hi there everyone and Happy New Year!!! Hope you had a good first day of this New Year!!!

My day was relaxing. I finally cooked up that pumpkin I bought back in October. Had plans of making a pie with it in November but, it never made it to the oven. Neither did it make it to the oven in December.

But here it is...January 1st and that cute little pumpkin got cooked up.....sorry no pictures in it's original state. Here it is all cooked up. I put the pumpkin in the oven for about an hour. Took it out and let it cool down a bit. Peeled off the outside shell, then sliced it and scooped out the seeds and stringy stuff.

Then I put the pieces of pumpkin in the blender and added some water....it became very creamy (Thanks Biz for the blender). See the pie shell crust? I tried something new, using a spoon, turned it over and pressed down on the crust-ridge making a different kind of design. Think I will do this from now on.

In this picture is the recipe I followed from www.cooks.com , the pie shell and the pumpkin liquid all mixed together.

Here is a closer look at the recipe....hope you can read it.....tis very simple.

AND.....wah lah....here is the pie all baked up....my crust got a little burned, next time I will add some tin foil for protection.

Here is the end result of that pie....OMG...guys was it ever delicious....this will be my "go-to pumpkin pie" for now on. YUMMY I want another piece but my blood sugars might be too high tomorrow morning, so I will reframe from having another piece tonight.

New Years dinner was hamburgers, mushrooms and cheese, potato hash browns, beans and salad. Simple but delicious. Well, time to close. I am recording "The Taste" so I want to get downstairs and watch that. (gee, I wonder if I could get the taste on a spoon of what we had tonight...that would be a challenge.)

JP is sleeping right now, he had the day off. Sooooo, my schedule changes quite a bit when he is home. Can I say, I enjoy my evenings when there is just me and Kylie. Well, you have a great day and I shall post again when something exciting happens...or not. Cheers ~ Louise

Last Day of October ~ Why Does It Have To Be Scary????

Hi there everyone....how is your last day of the month going?? I will be glad when this day is over....never cared for Halloween. Too many bad things happen on this day. A very sad commentary for this country and world.

I have heard that Halloween is becoming more popular then Christmas......why???? Why is Satan more popular then Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Isaiah 5:20-21 says, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil: that put dark for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Verse 21 says, "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" WOW, WOW, Wow....now if that does not put a fear in you....Israel had so perverted the scripture, they no longer knew right from wrong....does this not sound familiar for our country now??? Yes, and self-conceit is the antithesis of humility; as humility is, in a certain sense, the crowning virtue, so is self conceit a sort of finishing touch put to vise. (the words in red are from my King James Expositor's Bible commentary)

Should we not Fear God more then Satan???? There are more then 100 verses in the Bible that say, "The Fear of God". God is God, He is the Creator of this World...."in the beginning, God created" So why do we allow satan to put fear in our hearts.......we are not to fear him....BUT....Fear God and God alone!!!

When I look around my city, state and country I see so much that is not right....it is even hard to recognize what I used to know. People have changed, friends change, rules change, laws change, church has changed (and that is one thing that should have stayed consistent, because God NEVER changes). Life changes daily, there are times I find life very hard to cope with on a daily basis as I get older (and wiser?).

When this present administration said, "Change" would come, little did we know our whole world be turned upside-down. I remember many years ago, our prayer in the back room of the church was...."God, turn this world up-side down so that many people will know that you are God and come to know you in a personal way" Hum....I guess He is doing just that!!!!!

So why should we be scared on this last day of October???? Why? God is in complete control of everything and even though things look bad on the outside and it looks like Satan is taking over from our vantage point...Keep Calm ~ God's Got It!!!!!

Have a great day and keep looking up.....see Jesus in all that you do and say this day and every day until His return!!!!
Cheers ~ Louise

O.C.T.O.B.E.R.

Well, here we are in October....what happened to the summer???? Did I miss it or something???

I have some really good news.....FINALLY we are going to get some results on our roof. We got a call today that next week will be when they start working on it. Do you want to hear something funny??? It was 3 years ago this month and next week to be exact that we had our roof worked on the last time. Maybe this time, the leak can be caught.....I sure do hope so, I am SO tired of catching water drips from a leaky ceiling.  Rain is predicted for the next couple of days....so hopefully it won't be downpours of rain.

Today I am making the BBQ chicken in the crock pot. I used the marinara sauce adding ketchup, brown sugar and Worchester sauce. Ummmm, it tasted really good. JP will have the chicken over toasted tortilla's, chicken soup, salad and fruit.

I guess in the next few days, I will start bringing in my plants and ceramic animals for the winter. Our first frost will be this weekend...hopefully I will get a few more tomatoes to ripen before that happens.

Well, this will be a short blog for today...you all have a great day tomorrow and keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

170 Mile Challenge Accomplished ~ Whew!

Whewwwwwww!!!! Finished the 6-week-170-mile-challenge last night, peddled the last 7 miles with an exuberant HOORAY!!!! Never lost any weight, but have managed to maintain my weight for the last 6 weeks. I have been riding my stationary bike for a year now and have put on close to 1800 miles since last October, now that is a feat for me. Because "one of my bad habits is to start things and not finish them," so said my Step-father many, many years ago.

Why do words from the past seem to always haunt us in later years????

Haven't done many cards in the past couple of weeks. So if you have not received a card from me lately, please understand, I have been busy too! So just relax and cut me some slack. The card will come, in my time and not in your time.

This computer business is still driving me crazy. Thought I had the problem remedied but it looks like I have not. Still waiting for it to do it's thing and run through the motions of starting and stopping, type a few words or a sentence and then wait.....wait.....wait!!!!

The next step, a new computer I guess, why can't things be made to last instead of having to invest in something new every couple of years....not everyone can afford new technology every time something new comes out.

The phone is ringing off the hook today and probably for the next couple of days till the election. It ceases to amaze me how you can be on a no-call list and still get called.

Why are politicians exempt from this no-call policy??????

Been working on my cricut machine lately, playing around with "glass etching" which I think might become one of my favorite techniques. Once I finish a few pieces I will take a picture or two and put them in my blog for you to see.

Well, I have had about enough of this computers shenanigans so I will close for now. Don't forget to VOTE on Tuesday and do please follow your heart on this one, cause it will have far reaching effects on America in the years to come. So you all take care and keep looking up for your redemption truly is at nigh!!!!! Cheers ~ Louise

PS. DON'T FORGET TO TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK TONIGHT - DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!!!

Getting Ready for a Craft Fair in October

Hi Everyone...................

Well I am gearing up for a craft sale in October. Going to be working with 3 other (possibly more) area artists. We'll have a canopy with tables set up with our crafts. That should be fun.

• I will have sets of 4 cards, selling @ $10 a piece. I am looking at getting at least 10 -15 packs of 4 cards done. That would be about $150.00. I will have to see if I can put some other packs of cards together also.
• I might add earrings to this, maybe single cards with a pair of earrings attached all color coordinated..........mmmmmmmm.......have to think on that one for awhile.
• Chrissy is going to do watercolor paintings.
• There may be a couple of other ladies with jewelery and such.

The total cost for this is $40 so if we chip in $10 a piece that should work. My Etsy store is not making any money...........I really need to go in another direction.........time is running out for me, we are slowly going broke what with the price of things now adays, I really need to find an avenue that will make me alittle bit of money. Plus do something that I enjoy. Goodness if I could make money sitting at this computer...........I would be rich!!!!!!

As soon as I get some cards done I will be adding them to this blog, the ones that I will be selling at the craft fair........I will also be adding to Etsy also..........hopefully they will be something people will like to have on had. Well I am going to close this blog for today.......you all have a great day in the Lord.

Louise