Creamed Zucchini Soup

Hi there everyone....hope you are having a great day. Sorry I have been MIA again. For some reason August has been a tough month for JP and I. On the 27th we celebrated 45 years of marriage. I know that is a mile stone for lots of people and it should be. For us, just another day. I did buy a $5 blueberry cake and made roast beef sandwiches and potatoes in the pressure cooker. Nothing too special. No, we did not go out any place as JP is paranoid about thinking people can smell him....which no one can, he just thinks it.

So today I made this soup. Creamed Zucchini Soup. JP said it was a keeper and I should make this again. The recipe calls for just 5 ingredients...not counting the salt and pepper. Yep, that's it.

Here is the recipe:
1/2 small onion, quartered                      2 cloves garlic
3 medium zucchini, skin on and cut in large chunks
32 oz reduced sodium Swanson chicken broth or vegie
2 Tbsp reduced fat sour cream
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
fresh grated Parmesan cheese if desired for topping (opt.)

Directions:
1-Combine chicken broth, onion, garlic and zucchini in a large pot over medium heat and bring to a boil.
2-Lower heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
3-Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender, add the sour cream and puree again until smooth.
4- Taste for salt and pepper and adjust to taste. Serve hot, topping with Parmesan cheese.

1 1/2 cups of soup has 60 calories, 10 carbs, 500 sodium...that's a lot of sodium, but you can cut that down. I think this would be good for the Keto diet.

I have been struggling along with no stove/oven. Guess it is okay. I am not in a rush to get a new one. Was thinking of an apartment size oven. That would give me more room for a small used cabinet for storage. I bought a used hot plate and a small George Foreman grill at Goodwill. Told JP we were going to live on hot dogs and hamburgers for now. He said, no problem. I will still be on the hunt for a electric fry pan. I have my eye on one....but it's at Shopko. Guess I will wait till it is marked down and I have a coupon also.

I have been dealing with a bad back for the last couple of days, oh my gosh it really hurt. Hard to walk and get around. It dawned on me today, how I did it. Moving 35 water bottles from it's skid to the bottom of the cart....my back did not start hurting till Monday. I have rubbed DoTerra's "Deep Blue", also "Deep Blue oil" "Lavender oil". In about an hour I will be taking another "Naproxen" for inflammation. One, every 12 hours....guess that is helping. At least I can get up off the bed, chair and lazy-boy with a little less pain. I may take one more day off to recup….depends on how I am feeling. I have some errands to run before Friday.

JP has decided to work part-time, so we are entering a new phase of life. Should be interesting, to say the least, and quite the challenge financially. Hopefully we will be able to continue doing the things we do. I shall have to rearrange my shopping schedule and not shop so much....that's why I said in the paragraph about hamburgers and hot dogs....our menu is going to change quite a bit.

Well, time to close here....this blog is getting toooooo long. And if you made it this far, keep looking up and here's hoping better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Pretty Flowers and JP's 70th

Hi there everyone.....Hope you are having a good day!! Well, today is JP's 70th Birthday. He said he never thought he would ever make it to 70....yep, we are just a vapor. Here today and gone tomorrow. 

I will probably go to the store and find him a chocolate cake or some specialty chocolate pie....not sure yet. Maybe buy him a plant that we both can enjoy. I probably should buy him a new pair of work pants too. But I will wait till I get a coupon from Shopko...spend $50 and get $10 off....my favorite kind of deal.

Have not decided yet what his special meal will be....probably steak, mushrooms and potatoes.....I would like to get one of those Cowboy Rib eye steaks......and do a reverse sear on it. Put it in the oven first then sear on a fry pan.....sounds interesting.

I finally took some pictures of these lovely pink variegated tulips. They almost look like peonies don't they??? So pretty.

A few more views of these tulips. I need to put another layer of red mulch down, the weeds seem to make their way through the mulch....gerrrrr.....hard to keep up with the weeds.

My cute little pansies. I have some yellow pansies planted in planters on the front porch. Last night I planted red petunias. Tonight I pulled some snow on the mountain and some blue bells.....they look like weeds right now....so now is the time to be rid of them. Laid some mulch down but could use another layer. Oh well.....a little bit each day, I might be done by Fall.

We may order some more mulch, have not decided as yet. It's much easier to order 2 yards of mulch then buy the bags...you don't know from where that mulch is coming from and if it is diseased. Here, we buy this mulch that is actually recycled pallets and then dyed red. They use a magnet to release the nails. 

We have about a wheel barrel and a half left so that is not enough to finish what I want done in the front and back yard. My yard will really look nice when it finally gets done. I hope I am not just dreaming....that eventually it will be reality.

Well, I think I shall close this post for tonight so I can post it tomorrow on JP's Birthday. You all have a great day and keep looking up~~~better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Easter Dinner - Cowboy Ribeye

Hi there everyone. I hope you had a wonderful Easter with family and friends and lots of good eats. We don't have family in Appleton, a few friends though that's about it. We did enjoy a good meal though. I bought this "Cowboy Ribeye Steak" from Festival Food in the manager's special bin." It was originally $24 and I got it for $15. I know that was expensive, but hey, it's Easter, guess I could have gotten a ham or a turkey, but sometimes it's just nice to have a change. Well, this was our change, and I do think I just might do this again.

First of all, I let the steak get room temperature. Seasoning the steak on both sides with the Black Hardcore. The Red is for Pork, I have used it for Chicken also. Here is their site.

I seared the steak on both sides for about 5 minutes each, using my new Copper Chef pan. This is the neatest pan, it really gets the food hot and that pan is easy to clean too. Here is their site. I got my pan from Shopko and actually got it with a gift card...sooooo...FREE BABY!!! I am thinking of getting the larger pan though, as I am REALLY liking cooking with this pan.

I made oven-roasted potatoes, mushrooms and onions. Then added asparigus half way through. I then put the vegetables in a black fry pan to keep warm on the stove. I made a side salad, along with chives and sour cream for the potatoes.

I placed the seared steak into a hot 500 degree oven for 10 minutes or until the temperature read 145 degrees. Then let that steak rest for about 5 minutes.

AND....this is what it looked like.....oh my, oh my was this delicious and that BONE was out of this world, I haven't chewed on a bone for years. Then I let Kylie have a chew also.....she loved it!!!!

I hear there is another way to cook a steak like this and it is called "reverse searing." Where I seared first then baked the steak. The reverse is "Bake first, then sear." Biz will be showing how to do a reverse sear on her blog this week.....check it out. I shall try her way of doing a steak also.....it's always fun to try different ways of cooking.

Have a great evening and keep looking up better days are coming.
Cheers ~ Louise

PS the Chicago Blackhawks are down 3 games now, they will HAVE to win the next 4 games to stay in the playoffs. Time will tell.

Hey.....7 Days into March Already!!!

Hi there everyone!!! Wow....7 days into March already, "time do fly by fast when we're having a good time???" I'm not so sure about that saying and if I believe it.  As I sit here typing and looking at my calendar, which is right be side my computer. The days are filled and I guess I have been busy.

Today we took our income tax stuff to the accountant. I have been going through papers, bills, receipts, etc. since February and working right up until this past Saturday (with a lot of procrastination in between) I finally finished.....YAY!!! We celebrated with a piece of chocolate cake last night. No, it didn't look like this....but was just as good.

Today we celebrated again by stopping at "The Taste of Windy City" and got fries, Gyro and Windy City Special with hamburger and gyro meat.....whew....the special was all I ate for today, filled me up good!!!

A tray of food at the Taste of Windy City in Appleton.

Windy City's Gyro and the fries below.

I think when we go to pick up our tax stuff.....and if....we are getting a refund, there will be another stop at "The Windy City"....yes there will!

Been working on cards....a new batch for the Hospice meeting this next month, April 7th. Our past meeting was on the 3rd. of March. I took a lot of cards that were already made up and used those...now I have to get some new ideas for the next batch. I will be working on Easter and Mother Day cards this time around.

The Chicago Blackhawks played Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and won all 3 games. So I was glued to the TV watching the games, although I could only get the 3rd period for the Friday and Saturday games. It's almost as good as being there, but not quite. #72 is my favorite player...Artemi Panarin.

Went shopping Thursday, on the north side of Appleton to Shopko and Festival and Friday, on the west side Walmart, Sam's Club and Hobby Lobby. I have to keep my shopping down to a minimum, only a couple of days a week.

Tomorrow, I will just do some house work....I finally took down the Valentine decorations and now have St. Patrick decorations up. Maybe tomorrow will be a "surprise day" and just do whatever comes up....seems like I have a lot of those days.

Time to close, JP will be home in 10 minutes, so I better get something going for his dinner. You have a great evening and keep looking up~~~Better days are here again. 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

Some Of This and Some Of That

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

Oh Bummers!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Italian Meat Ball Soup and a New Stamp Set

Hi there everyone....Happy New Year to you. It's been pretty fair to us so far. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I was kitty sitting, which is fun to me. Misty's mother went on a Greyhound to visit family. I like going to my friends house....it is quiet there and very peaceful. Misty was happy to see me come, she watched me clean her litter and clean her food and water dish. Then we sat in the front room and talked a bit. It was a nice visit.

Friday I made this dish from Blue Apron. Here is their site. This recipe was really delicious!!! "Italian Meat Ball Soup with Farro and Lacinato Kale" This soup reminded me of my Lasagna Soup...but with lots of meat balls, kinda like the meat ball wedding soup....both very good soups. But this soup could be tops....I give it 5 stars for sure.

The meat balls were mixed with panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and the spice blend and salt and pepper. Rolled into little balls then fried in olive oil. The soup was made with onion and spice blend, then the kale was added, a can of diced tomatoes, demi-glace and 3 cups of water. Heat to boiling then add the cooked farro and cooked meat balls. Simmer for 3-5 minutes then place in bowls and top with parmesan cheese. VERY good soup and most likely I will make it again and again.

So today, I took down half my Christmas stuff and packed it away. I still have my little tree up and the village.....maybe this weekend I will take the village down to make space for my little tree. As usual, I will take the blue lights and ornaments off and put red lights and red ornaments and hearts on the tree for Valentines Day. I find it so hard to say good by to my Christmas tree.

My Stampin'up lady dropped off my new stamp set today....can hardly wait to play with it. But as you can see, I am blogging right now. So maybe tomorrow I shall play with my new stamps. Been organizing all my stamping stuff downstairs, and getting ready to make cards for 2016. 

These two cards were made by Becky, here is her site, these are her designs, she says it is okay to "case" her cards....so yes, I will try making these cards with the stamp set I got today. She uses a lot of Stampin' Up products, so it is always fun to see what she comes up with. Almost always, I want to get the stamps she uses after I see her cards. That's what happened here.....I saw these cards and wanted to order the stamps.

So pretty........

Here is a picture of Kylie.....she is barking at me. Saying....."Hurry up, I want to go for a walk". For some reason she loves to bark at me, when I feed her and when I take her for a walk. Oh and she always seems to bark at me when I am cutting up meat, or anything she thinks might be for her. Where she got that idea, I just don't know.

Well....tomorrow I will be going shopping.....Walmart and Shopko, here I come. Have to get some plastic containers for my Christmas stuff. Still trying to re-organize my basement and put things back together after "Rebuilding Together" replaced my basement windows and did some electrical work in May. I know, I am really behind....that hernia took a lot out of me and I am still trying to get back to normal. Whatever normal is????

Well, time to close here, keep looking up....better days are coming.
Cheers ~ Louise

My New Blanky, Some Flowers and Blue Apron Invite

Hi there everyone. Welp......it's the last day of August....someone please tell me, where has this month gone????? Remember that song that Frank Sinatra sang...."and the days dwindle down, to a precious few...September, November....."  Now what was the title to that song. Always think about it this time of the year, fall is in the air. 

Well as you can see, I bought my new blanky at Shopko. It was a $50 blanket and I got it for $21...not a bad price. Kylie likes it very much as it is soooo soft and cuddly. I love the color.

Here are some flowers I picked to sit on my table....pretty huh?? Oh and some zinnias too.

These are my volunteer Brown eyed Susans......they love coming back every year in different places of my garden. I wish I could get them to grow in my back yard....but I guess there is too, too much shade back there.

This is my second planting of petunias....the first crop died out and these petunias came free to us. So, wah-lah a new place to grow.

Three days (9/3) till my hernia operation....I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 am....uge, not looking forward to this little field trip at all. You would think I would be used to this after going through two cataract eye surgeries (July 22 and Aug 5), but no, I am not. Fear of the unknown grips my spirit. I would like to have that peace that passes all understanding....the kind of peace that Jesus gives, not what the world gives. Although I cannot say there is much peace in this world, so yeah, I will take the peace that Jesus gives any day or hour.

I have some good news.....Blue Apron (here is their site) just gave me 3 free invitations to invite 3 friends to try out Blue Apron. You will receive 3 free meals with meat, vegetables, spices and directions that come in a refrigerated box with ice on the bottom. It is delivered to your front door and you can start cooking one of the meals that night. I have already invited one blog friend, so I have 2 invitations left.

I really like this concept...as I am trying new foods and spices that I would not otherwise buy at the store....because I did not know how to use it or make it. One of the previous meals called for coconut rice...man that was good and the chicken stir-fry that topped the rice was delish.....JP wanted a second helping and so did I.

Another item I liked and have actually found at the store after much hunting was Polenta. I have seen the rolls of polenta, but not the kind you make yourself. I might make that tonight with the pulled pork I made the other day.....sounds like a tasty meal.

So if you are interested in receiving a box of free food from Blue Apron (again here's the site) please leave a comment, saying you would like to try this out. Even if you are not  interested....still leave a comment. The only stipulation I have is that I must know you and you are a regular visitor to my blog....oh and you like to cook for your family.....thank you. I will email you to get your email address, then send it on to Blue Apron and they will contact you for your address and when the best delivery date is. I think this is so nice of them.

There are two other Companies that do this, "Plated" and "Hello Fresh" Have not heard the reviews of Hello Fresh....but Plated I have. I think I will stick with Blue Apron....thank you again.

Well, guess I will close here for now, you have a great day and keep looking up.....yes, I am trying to do that too!!
Cheers ~ Louise

UPDATE: On the Eyes & A Smile

Hi there everyone. How is your day going? Thought I would give you an update on the eye surgery I had on Wednesday. Everything went well....yes, I was still a bit nervous and my blood pressure was up a bit. The nurse asked me, "am I anxious?" Why, yes, I guess I am....hard not to be. After all, I am having surgery.

After the surgery, I was surprised that my Left eye was still a bit blurry. When I got home, I sat down in the lazy boy and konked out for 3 hours. I should have put drops in my eyes when I got home....but sleep took over first. About 1:00pm I finally put drops in my eyes, things were still blurry. I called the Doctor's office to find out what the problem was. The Doctor was emailed and had the nurse call me back to say....."that was normal, not to worry." Okay.....I shall not worry.

When I went in yesterday for the Post-op appointment.....the Doctor checked my eyes and said the Left eye was just a little swollen and should be fine by Friday or Saturday. He said that every eye is different and each one reacts differently. Eyes are like snowflakes....everyone is different.

As my Right eye did not react like this, and everything was clear right away....I just figured the Left eye would do the same. After all.....both eyes are in the same head......right??? Nope....the Left eye had to be different and act up. But now...the second day after surgery I can say that the film that was over my eye, is gone and everything is clear.

The next problem I faced was...I could not read....everything was a blur, I could not read anything on the computer, could not read my drops-chart to see which drops to put in my eyes....uge, I had to use a magnifying glass....if that was not frustrating, I don't know what is.

Doctor gave me a pair of reading glasses to try on....2.50 in strength and handed me a chart to read.....oh my goodness, I could read!!! I was so happy....my next appointment is on the 13th of August for another check-up on the eyes. My finale post-op appointment is the 25th of August.

After the appointment, JP and I stopped off at Shopko.... yes, I bought a new pair of reading glasses and a new pair of sunglasses. I spent $31.....that sure is a good price, considering I don't have to buy glasses that could run maybe $100 not including the lenses. Yes, I think this Cataract surgery is quite the miracle from God!!!

Here is a smile for you and for me.....yes.....take some fat too!!!!

Everyone needs a friend who understands.......

I got this picture from Patty.....yep that could be me someday.....gosh, she looks comfy...look at her using an I-pad...I need one of those.....someday.

So yeah.....have a great weekend and a Happy Saturday too. Keep looking up! Cheers ~ Louise

Christmas Presents

Hi there everyone...gosh, can you believe there is just 3 more days left in 2014. I am hearing a lot the last couple of days, that 2015 is going to be a great year of many blessings. One last World Wide Revival and then Jesus will return for his Church. I sure do hope those prophets are right in their predictions.

 

 But so far, for 2015, JP is looking at prostrate surgery. There's a 90% chance that it will work. He will be off work for a month....for us, I am not sure how all our bills will get paid...but I guess that is something I cannot worry about at this point. Sometimes taking one step at a time can be very hard, cause I want to know the outcome before even starting the journey. Oh well....time will tell as God is God and He never changes and has complete control. I need to remember: KEEP CALM ~ GOD'S GOT IT!!!!

So as my title says, "Christmas Presents" I have been wanting to get a little record player and finally found this one at Shopko. It was priced at $79.99 but I got it for $39.99. Yep, good price huh?? It was marked down to $49.99 and with my coupon "Spend $50.00 and get $10.00 off" could not pass up the deal. I wanted a black record player, but by the time I got back to the store to buy it (I am a procrastinator)....this is all that was left. Not my favorite of colors.....but it works and it was fun playing some of my "big CD's" hahahaha!!!

Now I am looking forward to going back into my record collection to see what I have....hoping I have some Franki Valli and the Four Seasons records. I shall let you know how my hunt goes. That will be for another blog. If you have not seen the movie "Jersey Boys" do rent the DVD....it's a really good movie.

This was JP's Christmas present along with $10, two pairs of work pants, some peanut butter hot chocolate and a record. He loves lox and bagels....so Christmas morning I wrapped up the frozen lox and bagels, tomato, onion and cream cheese in colored tissue paper and put it on the table. About 3pm I said to JP, are you not going to open your presents???? (he is not a fan of Christmas and I have to drag him to the table to open his gifts.....kinda puts a damper on the festivities....scrooge!!!) So needless to say he was thrilled...I should have taken a picture of him, cause he had a big smile on his face and wanted to eat right away....score!!

JP's gift to me was $15.00 and he told me to buy some prime rib at Festivals. They always have a special on Saturday's $10 a pound for prime rib with the sauce. All I have to do is cook 2-3 minutes on each side while sautéing the mushrooms....oh my that is a delicious meal. So I got a little piece today....was surprised they still had the prime rib special going....yeah!!!

Well, time to close for now....maybe see you on the 31st....geez, I need to get some cards made for my Etsy store....have really been slacking in that area. Oh and time to take the tree down......another string of lights died....so my little tree does not light up. Goodness, bad year for lights.!!!

Have a good day and keep looking up.....Cheers ~ Louise

Some Fun Christmas Favors and Cards

Hi there everyone...hope you had a wonderful Saturday....these Saturdays sure don't last long...it's like you get up in the morning and POOF the day is over. Wednesday, I went to my friends house for a card making session, we made some Christmas favors and a card. In the month of December we usually bring snacks and a card for each of the ladies that come, my friend gives us each a gift. This years gift was 10 rolls of permanent tape for our tape gun....I was happy about that, cause I was running out and needed to buy some tape from her. Excellent gift.

So in the following pictures are the things we made. Here is a sweet Snow Lady. As you can see she is a Hershey bar holder. This is done with mostly die cuts...her head was threaded around the face...it is called "spirally" thread art. Her face is from the Rubbernecker Stamp collection.

She really makes for a nice decoration. Probably the candy bar will be eaten or made into something else and she will be put away till next Christmas.

Here's a cute little chimney, this was fun to make. The panels were inked with 3 different reds, and the white part was cut to look like snow dripping from the chimney. The red bag is holding some sweet treats.

In this picture is the card we made. The snowman is a take off from the movie "Frozen" Olaf is his name. I guess he does not look exactly like "Olaf" I think he is pretty cute though even if he is not the real thing.

This was fun to make....5 Christmas tags. Each piece was cut from die cuts and we just pieced them together. They can be tags, or ornaments for the tree.

You want to hear something just so unbelievable???? Hope you are sitting down as you are reading this. Yesterday the nurse from my Doctor's office called and said my blood tests came back and the Doctor wants to put me on another medication to bring down the A1C (or is it AC1). The medication will be ready for pick up.

So I made a special trip to Shopko to pick up my new medication. It could not be found. Then the pharmacist came to the window....it seems the medication ordered by the Doctor was $300....I just about fainted...."oh no...I cannot pay that." The pharmacist said he realized that and faxed the Doctor back...because the insurance would not pay for that either!! So at this point I do not know what will happen. The pharmacist also said that even with a co-pay my share will be $225. NOPE that is still way too expensive. I would have to take 3 pills a day, I can't imagine the cost of each pill and how often I would have to order these outrageously expensive pills!!!

I was so nervous after visiting the pharmacist that I literally got sick to my stomach and wanted to throw up. By the time I got home, I actually did. Friday was not a good day for me. I suspect by Monday or Tuesday I will find out what the scoop is. Also we may find out about JP's dilemma. He had an ex-ray and was put in that tube...MRI on Tuesday...the results should be coming soon.

Well time to close this post...I need to finish decorating my tree and finish putting up my village. So you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend. Tomorrow I am going to a Stampin'up Camp with a friend. We are going to make tags, bags and a card. Snacks and prizes are on the agenda too. I will post those items in my next blog. Cheers ~ Louise

Ah....Birthday Blessings

Hi there everyone. Hope you had a wonderful day. I did, thank you. Today I turned 68, yikes now that is a big number. Never thought I would make it this far. I am sure those of you who are older will say, "Ah you are still young and have many more years ahead of you" But you know what? I am still feeling older, just can't do some of the things I used to, and seem to walk a little bit slower these days....yeah, "my mind is willing but the body ain't."

Well today started out with a bang. JP had to get blood tests, because he has another appointment with the urologist next week. He is still dealing with the problem he has had for 6 months. He did finally go to the foot doctor and had his corns and warts shaved off and an acid put on the wart. WaLa.....he can now walk and the corns and warts don't bother him. Still have not gotten the bill for that adventure as yet.

So I got up at 9:30am, only because the phone rang at 8:10am and 9:20am....and no one was there, geez could not even sleep in today. Did my blood, made a green smoothie and fed Kylie. Turned on the computer and off we go into cyber-space. 1st I checked Facebook to see Birthday greetings from friends, then on to blogs, emails and pinterest, yes, so much to do.

So Thursday I went shopping and splurged on this lovely bouquet of flowers for $2.98. My choice of cake was a New York Style Cheese Cake, half chocolate chip and half plain cheese for $9.99 at Festival. I made some cranberry sauce and spooned that over the cake.....MMMMM was it good. No pictures as yet, that is coming in the next blog. If we don't eat the cake up before I can take a picture. :)

The mailman came Thursday with 3 cards in the mail for me....that was nice. One was from a blogger friend and another one from a stamping friend (both these cards were homemade). The 3rd card was one of those regular cards (but pretty) from an old friend that I used to work with at The Salvation Army. I always feel guilty when she sends a card, cause I always seem to forget her birthday in March......I must remember this next time around.

While I was on Facebook, my SIL messaged me that her daughter (our niece) had a baby girl....now that was neat....what a great day to be born on ~ November 21st. Her name is Madelyn Renee and so very cute too!!!

So JP came home and we made plans for the day. I would go to Shopko and get his meds and a few other things. I was going to get a wok that was on clearance ($59.99 marked down to $39.99), walked around with it in the cart and then talked myself out of it. I did have one 6 months ago and wore it out and thought I would get a new one.....but now I won't.  Not unless I change my mind again. What I  really want to get is a portable record player....yeah, and play some of my old records while making cards....doesn't that sound like fun???  Been wanting a record player for a very long time....maybe now is the time.

The record player is on sale for $79.00, marked down to $59.00 and with my $10 off coupon would bring it down to $49.00. Then the next big decision is....what color, black, red or turquoise.....gosh, so many decisions. But yeah....I think that is the route I will go, sometimes I just don't want to watch TV while making cards and just listening to music would be fun. I can pull out all my old records and reminisce. There's 78's, 45's and 33's...yeah, good times.

So after shopping, JP and I went to the library for a book sale. While I looked at the books, he went to a music store to see if his old concertina as tradeable for a saxophone. We'll see what happens on that deal.

So anyways I bought a few books, some cook books, diet books, antique books and a dvd. Gosh the library had a lot of books for sale...there were some old, old books too...I thought I would buy one, it was dated 1860...hummm...maybe I should have bought it. I did get a child's cookbook, that I think might be worth $30.00, it was a first edition, first printing, a little worn....but maybe worth something. I saw one on Etsy just like it and was selling for $37.00.

While I was checking out the books, one of the ladies looked at me and said, "Your hair is so beautiful, I watched you as you were walking around. Your hair color is beautiful" Well I said, "thank you, you made my day. I was just telling my husband this morning that I needed to do something with my hair...it is getting so grey!!!!" JP said, "NO...it looks nice". Guess I will keep it, must be my crown of glory from God.

After the library, we dropped off the Concertina and books at home and went to BJ Clancy's for my free steak. If you show up there on your birthday your dinner is free....such a deal, can not pass that up. We like to go to BJ's for our birthdays.....sometimes it works out, sometimes not. Actually brought home some steak for a snack tomorrow....maybe I should freeze it....we'll see. We got home, and I walked Kylie down the block and back....very chilly and wind was blowing....burrrrrrr!!!

Schwan's Man came.....bought some asparagus for my green smoothies, some turkey pot pies and garlic cheese bread. I know, a little pricey......but oh so good!!! Well, I think that about covers my birthday day....very busy but lots of fun....sorry my blog is so wordy but hey.....it's my birthday, what did you expect????

You all have a great day and keep looking up.....Oh I for got to add, today was a bright and sunny day.....must have been a gift from God.  Cheers ~ Louise

39 Years of Marriage - 100 Mile Challenge

 The 100 Mile Challenge..........this was the odometer reading the beginning of this week. When I first started this challenge the odometer read 2,506.1. I now have about 14 miles more to go.........probably will keep going and see how far I get to the end of this month. Turned up the tension about 9 notches so it has been a bit of a challenge the last couple of rides....but I shall keep it at this level till it starts to feel easier for me, then turn the tension up a notch or two down the road a bit.



 Here is my lovely new Pink Hibiscus. Bought her at Shopko a couple of weeks ago and paid $5.00. This past week I transplanted her into this white urn. Hopefully she will enjoy her new home during the winter months. She has a few more blooms that will probably open up in a few days. Below you will see a close  up of her, pretty huh? No, I have not named her as yet.....do you have any ideas???

 On Monday JP and I will be celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary. JP got the day off from work. So, we will just "play for a day". I think we might go to the "Outback" on College Ave. Get the special "a 4 course meal for $15 a person" if there are any left-overs, which there probably will be, we will have another meal or two for later on. Haven't decided what else we'll do, maybe hit an antique store or two. We like to check out prices of things we have ourselves. One of these days, we will sell a few things, but I like the antiques I have and find it hard to part with them.

Another thing I would like to do is sit by some body of water.......that is very relaxing to me, would love to stick my feet in some water. Maybe find a light house and take some pictures. Hummm, guess that would be Kimberly Point in Neenah..............here we come!!!!

Finally got an appointment at EyeMart. Guess what, my old glasses were actually too strong for me, I found myself squinting quite abit and having to take my glasses off so I could see up close....bifocals just were not working..............Now I can see!!! Being pre-diabetic, eyes need to be checked once a year. Guess when the last time I had my eyes checked, are you sitting down??? Ready? 2001, yep that is right!! Now with having medicare maybe I can keep up with these eye exames. Next eye appointment will be for JP, I think his last time was about 6 years ago. His glasses have broken quite a few times and have been glued back together. Time for new ones.

Speaking of JP, he is now going to a chiropractor. Something we thought we would never experience, but it seems his arm pains are connected to the neck. JP had x-rays taken and Dr. Matt could see right away what the problems was. We should have gone to him in the first place, but who knew??? Dr. Matt said at least with all the tests done, the heart, stomach and a few other things could be ruled out. And now, at least we know from where the problem is coming from. Now hopefully with the manipulations on his neck will help. He has had less pains then he had, so that is a plus. JP used to drive race cars and got jolted around alot, probably had whiplash a couple of times. Sooooo, in his old age he is now paying for things he did in his youth.

Well, it is time to close this blog for a while, you all keep looking up for your redemption drawth nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

PS.........how do you like my new look on my blog.....felt I needed a change, like buying a new top or a pair of shoes, maybe even a purse!!! Happy Days!!!