Time is Flying By Quickly

Hi there everyone, hope you are having a wonderful 4th of July with family and friends!! Mine is quiet, very quiet. It will be a year tomorrow (July 5th) that I took JP to the Assisted Living. 20 days later he died.... lots of memories this month, hope I can make it through without crashing

So, the last couple of weeks, I have been busy with a Rummage/garage sale. Sales were slow on Thursdays, so I cut that day out. Friday seems to be a busy day and Saturday not so much. Course maybe July 4th had something to do with it. But in the 5 days $172.85 was sold.... not bad. I am going to do 4 more days this month, a Friday, Saturday weekend and then the following week. I have an extra bill this month so hopefully enough stuff will be sold to pay that bill.

In the top picture I wanted to mention my little garden...just noticed today that the bean plants are starting to make little beans...gosh I can hardly wait. I will have beans, tomatoes, onions, radish, basil, dill and cucumbers. I meant to plant some flower seeds, but time got away from me. I did plant some marigold seeds and have transplanted them to other places. Going to put some in planters on the front porch.

So here are some pictures of some of the stuff in the sale. I hope this manger scene sells, because I sure don't want to pack it up again. I brought a lot of stuff out from the house, plus I still had stuff in the garage to sell boxed up from several rummage sales before. I need to really sift through all this stuff and down-size a whole lot. As I may have to move in the next year or so. Will be hard to leave because we've been here 31 years this month.

I still have lots of stuff in the basement to go through. I think some of this stuff, I will just go through and take to the thrift store or just throw out. Will see how radical I get.

In the picture below is a card I made for the nephew, he is a golfer and fisherman and only 10 years old. Did you see the saying...."Always golf with extra socks in case you get a Hole-in-one!!! I thought that was pretty funny!!

So here is my first rose of Summer.....so pretty. 

And, my peonies were in full bloom this spring, wish they lasted longer than they do. I did cut a lot of flowers and put them in vases and brought them in the house or left them on the front porch.

More peoni pictures. I actually inherited these flowers from a neighbor. They no longer wanted them in their backyard, and I said, I will take them and so they landed in my yard!!!

I did another radical thing this past month. June 9th, I called Spectrum and asked to cut the cable because I could no longer afford their prices for TV. So now I just have internet and landline. I bought a Roku and installed that on my TV. I am really liking it, lots and lots of movies. I don't get ABC, CBS, NBC, or FOX or my NASCAR....to get that all I would have to spend $70 a month. now that would completely defeat the purpose of saving some money. For now, I will settle with Roku and when I have extra $$$ to spend maybe I will get my channels back (which are supposed to be free, but aren't)

Well, time to close, I need to get some bills paid and dishes done today. It's only 1:30pm so I guess I have time yet. But time does fly by quickly, don't keep your eyes closed to long, you might miss something spectacular!!! Cheers ~ Louise
 

2019 A Recap

Hi there everyone and a Happy New Year 2020. I am making this post the last one of 2019. Can't believe this year has passed by so quickly. Now I know why my mother always said to me, "don't wish your life away, Louise, it will go fast enough!" Now I know what she meant.

Following are some pictures from 2019. You will have to forgive me, for in 2019 I didn't take a whole lot of pictures. Once you see one snow picture, you've pretty much seen them all, unless you are in a different place. For Louise, that was not the case. We stayed pretty much put in one place, home. 

So go grab a cup of coffee, tea, or pepsi, cause this will be a long post.

 So I guess there was snow in January and February (didn't mark on my calendar or take pictures.) Along with the snow came a lot of changes, as you can see with the butterfly above. Butterflies change from the cocoon to beautiful butterflies....maybe we do too.

January brought financial assistance in the way of food from the Salvation Army and Energy Assistance. Along with disconnections of AT&T Phone/internet and TV. It was costing way too much. House taxes were due too. Signed up with Spectrum, what a hassle between the two companies, honestly.

February started out with a bang....our car would not start. Battery died and there was lots of snow. The one glimmer of fun I had was watching my Chicago Blackhawks on TV and the internet. And, making my cards.

March seemed to be going well, things were calm and quiet (as my mother would always say). Then Kylie got sick and I took her to the Vet. Xrays and blood work. She had a mass and they didn't give her good news. Just love her and keep her happy with lots of walks, hugs and kisses. Then the car broke down.....again!!!

 April brought Dr's appointments for JP and I. Tax refund and Co-pays and bills due. Does it ever end? Nope, not till we die or get raptured. The water was shut off a couple of times during April so the City could rip up our street for sewers and laterals. The street will be a mess like this in 2020 also. In the mean time, we have a bill of $1500 to pay up in the next 5 years that will be added to our house taxes for this mess.

 May brought more Dr's appointments again....never ending when we get older. Netflex got cancelled...which now I find is actually a blessing. Saving $$ for one thing, and also not so much time watching movies...oh because there is hockey till June at least. Got a couple of Aflac refunds for our Dr's bills. That helped a lot.

 June brought vegetable and flower seed plantings. Vitamin B-12 shots for Louise and a mammogram and the last grooming for Kylie. My favorite store closed....Shopko.

July, my eyes started itching, took some allergy pills, least the mosquito's did now bite me to death. That very sad day arrived on the 12th, we had to put Kylie down. I lost my best little friend. A very hard day, it got so bad, I had to carry her outside to go tinkle and potty, and carry her back in. Kylie was blind and partially hard of hearing. The treats stopped a couple of days before she died, she wasn't interested in them any more and she had a couple of seizures. The last seizure was that day....it lasted much too long and she did not know where she was. Broke my heart. The hardest thing was calling the Vet and taking her in.  We buried her in the back yard.....it's been 5 1/2 months now, and I still miss her.

August, tending to flowers and vegetables. Sort of just going through the motions of living. Kylie's death knocked the stuffing out of me...still miss her terribly. JP and I celebrated 46 years of marriage. We did nothing special.

September. This beautiful Fall Clematis starts blooming, it looks like a blanket of snow. There were a couple of Dr. appointments for both of us. I ordered a Blackhawk hat and JP's brother and SIL came for a visit and brought me a Chicago Blackhawk flag. 

October, The Hawks started their season October 4th. Let the games begin!!! Mary and I started working on getting a cookbook put together. The two below were books I put together in '84 for the church I was going to. In '95 another cookbook for the Salvation Army. So I said to Mary, why don't we put a Fundcraft Cookbook together to raise funds for Josh's Scholarship Fund and off we went. When it is all said and done, we should have raised $2500 profit for the fund. She collected recipes from friends and family and friends of Josh's. I started typing, typing and more typing into the programs that Fundcraft had set up. Oh and also along the way, I was making cards for Hospice. So between typing, card making, watching the Blackhawks....was very busy.

November, Birthday month....yep, turned 73 and had to get my license renewed for another 7 years. I will be 80, will I make it to that age....I don't know. Dr. appointment for my A1C...too low, 6.2, Dr. wants me to go back up to 7.0, so he cut down one pill. Colored my hair and cut it too. Yeah, I do that every now and then. The grey was getting TOO GREY!!! We never did get all the leaves raked up because we had a snow storm, going to be a mess in the spring. Hockey games through out November and I still miss my Kylie.

December, here we are, the last month of the year. Put up the Christmas tree, ornaments and village. $60 came in the mail from Aflac...bonus from all our Dr. appointments. Hospice at Denny's and they bought us card makers breakfast. Lots of Hockey games...Hawks aren't doing so good, but I have high hopes for the last half of the season....they just could make it to the playoffs, b/c we have two great goalies. We will see, time will tell. I signed up for Energy Assistance again, 2 months will be paid, hopefully January and February, 2020. That will help. Still typing recipes and getting the book organized. We will probably send the book in the end of January, I should be done with recipes and organizing and such. We will have about 275 recipes, give or take.

So, today is the 31st. Nothing is planned. I will put some herring, cheese and crackers out, maybe some pickles and salami too. There is a hockey game at 8pm Blackhawks and Calgary tonight…..so you know what I will be doing. After the game I will watch the New Year come in New York and watch the ball come down.

Time to close this post....if you are still with me, I applaud you, such a good friend. You have a great new year. May 2020 be your best year yet. May you live with Jesus on your mind and in your heart. Keep looking up, better days are coming. 
Cheers and blessings ~ Louise  

PS...this post will take 17 minutes to read, give or take a few. That's how long it took me read and do a few corrections. See ya!!!

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

My Favorite Sport 2 Watch

Hi there everyone. Hope you are having a good August. Well, it's been 2 weeks since I last posted. Thought it was about time to do something. No new pictures of cards or the gardens...been a little laxed in taking pictures. Guess I will have to get on the wagon again pretty soon.

I know this may not be an interesting post for you....but it is for me. I love hockey....maybe if more people would watch hockey there would be less problems in this world, it's an exciting game to watch and easy to follow. Just follow that puck and you get the idea of what the game is about. Baseball is so slow moving, football is pretty slow too....but hockey, man, down the ice and back, score a goal and hit a player so much action going on!!! Yeah, I like hockey best of all. 

I have been a fan 57 years. My first taste of Hockey was through my stepfather, he had season tickets to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1962.....back then there was Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Chico Maki, Moose Vasko, Reggie Fleming to name a few favorites. We went to every game for almost 6 years. Loved, loved loved the game.

My life changed a bit after I started Beauty School and then left home, getting my first job and an apartment. No more hockey games. Not even sure the games were on TV at that time....I kept track of the Hawks via the newspapers and such. I met JP in '71 and he was into stock car racing. I guess my interests changed and was into stock car racing till 1973 when JP and I got married and he retired from racing. Did I do that???

1976 we moved up to Ladysmith on our 20 acres and raised cows, chickens, ducks, rabbits, cats and dogs. I lost track of the Hawks. We had NO TV for 10 years.....how in the world I did that, I do not know. 1987 we moved to Appleton, but still no TV for awhile. Finally in '92 I got a TV with rabbit ears......nope, no Hockey yet. I missed being able to watch the Stanley Cup Finals 2010, 2013, 2015. FINALLY 2016 brought Hockey into my house!!!! FINALLY I could watch the Blackhawks again!!!!

      The above picture was taken off the TV, March 25, 2019. 

Yep....Fear the Feathers....I think this year will be the year that brings another Stanley Cup....I am hoping, that would be great. 4 Stanley Cups in 10 years. Would that make history for the Chicago Blackhawks!!!!???

This is a shot from the TV. It's an old picture. 2 of the players in this shot are on different teams. Panarin, a winger is with the NY Rangers now. and Hjalarson is with the Coyote's...he was a good Defense player. Hopefully with all the trades this season we will have a good defense again.

This is the Blackhawks hat I want to buy before the season starts....hopefully. Or if another hat catches my eye, I will buy that one.

So now I have had Directv and now Spectrum and I can now get Hockey on TV and if I can't get it on TV, I can get the games on the computer. There is a site that shows all the home and away games of the Blackhawks and those of the other teams. I have no excuses now. Of course I can spend $40+ to get hockey on TV and that would include home and away....not affordable at this time.

So there you have it....if you do not see many posts from me starting in September you will know I am somewhere out there in Hockey land. You all take care and keep looking up.....better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

An Easy Cheesecake Recipe

Hi there everyone, hope you are having a great Saturday. Mine was quiet (except for one phone call), my only plans were to make this pie (below), make some pizza dough (and a pizza for dinner tonight) and do the dishes, that never seem to get done. I thought I would get downstairs to do some cards, but did not make it.

Another challenge for today was to call Directv and find out where I am to take their remotes, DVR and cords. If I keep them and don't send them in 22 days I will get charged. Please, am I not paying enough!?! Well, the guy I talked to, tried to give me a better deal then Spectrum. I said they already hooked me up, I am not going to change over, then have Directv re-hook me up again....come on now. Well, he would not let it go and said how about this deal.....NOOOOOO I said, stop pushing me!!! Gerrrrrrr I was getting mad. He finally stopped. I said all I want to do is return your product and not get charged for it. I can no longer pay $225 a month. Spectrum is $75 cheaper!!! Why do they push so hard???

Well anyways, here is the easy lemon cheesecake recipe. I think you could use instant Chocolate pudding mix, or Strawberry mix, or whatever you may want to use. Chocolate sounds good!!!

Instant Pudding No Bake Cheesecake

Soften 8 oz. cream cheese in microwave 30-45 seconds. Blend in 1/2 cup milk with cheese until smooth.

Add pudding mix and 1 1/2 cup milk to cream cheese mixture. Beat for 1 minute until smooth. Pour into a graham cracker crust and put in refrigerator till firm, 2-3 hours. So simple, oh but don't forget the whip cream....soooo good!!! I am afraid this pie will not last the weekend.

I made some more cut-out cookies the other day....using cream cheese and butter, almond extract and flour. They were so soft and the frosting pretty and sweet. Taking a picture now for my next blog post. Needless to say, there are not many left. 

Guess that is why I have so many dishes in the sink that never seem to get done, cooking too much. Well, I think I will cut this post short. Getting tired and want to watch some cooking shows then go to bed. You all have a great rest of the weekend and keep looking up, better days are coming, Cheers ~ Louise

14 Days Into 2019

Hi there everyone....14 days into this new year and it has been hectic and frustrating!!! Without going into too much detail, as I look at my desk calendar....everyday has something going and I am already POOPED!!!!

The last day of 2018, we had to call the plumber AGAIN. A leak under the sink and water dripping on the floor. The pipes were plugged to the tune of $264 and we still owe $40 from the last visit....the toilet was leaking down in the basement. A drip, drip, drip, every time the toilet flushed and oh did the basement smell. I thought we were in the clear for awhile and then the leak under the sink started the last week of 2018.

JP has had quite a few days off from work...the last week of December which meant a very small check for this month. We barely had enough $$$ to pay the mortgage. Not sure what next month will bring...but we will see.

I signed up for food help once a month at the Salvation Army. Yep....that took a lot for me to do. 17 years ago I worked at the Salvation Army and was helping people with getting food....now I need the help...it is quite humbling, that is for sure. So Friday I signed up and was taken into the warehouse and walked through the aisles. My cart was full and weighed out at 112 lbs of food. Guess I will not have to go shopping for a while, except for medication, paper products and Kylie's food.


Saturday, I had Spectrum come and set up the tv, internet and phone. I am cancelling At&t and Directv. Cost wise, I was paying $225 a month. Spectrum will be $75 dollars cheaper. Now I have to get used to the new numbers. Just looking for ways to save money. Tuesday I will be signing up for Energy assistance....will see how that goes. Hopefully I can get a few months paid, and that will help. Hopefully....by the end of the month I will have enough $$$ to pay our house taxes. Since JP went part-time it has been really tough making ends meet.

Maybe this is why I have not been blogging a whole lot....just have not felt like it as there is nothing exciting to write about or take pictures of.
 
 I got a new used stove last month....so it has been a joy to cook again. I made some 30 Minute Dinner Rolls, that were really good. Following is the recipe: Hope you can read it.

Last week I made "IHOP" copycat Buttermilk pancakes. Oh my gosh.....were they delicious. I am going to make more, but I will have to use regular milk and add a little bit of vinegar to make the milk sour....that should work.

My only enjoyment has been watching the Chicago Blackhawks on TV and computer....only wish they would start winning more. But I am getting into the other teams and only hope the other teams don't beat the Blackhawks....it's been an interesting season though.

Card making has been at a minimum lately....Valentines and St. Patrick cards....cleaned out my stash so there are lots of cards for those two holidays. Just have to put inserts inside the cards. BUT my printer is not working, so I may not have enough inserts to put in the cards.....I tell you, there is always something to hinder me from doing what I need to get done.

Health wise....we are still plugging along. JP still gets his arm pains, people who don't know him think he is having a heart attack. Then he tells them he has been getting these attacks for 8 years and has been to 5 specialist, none of them could point the finger at the problem. So, we live with it. 

Kylie still deals with her blindness and hard of hearing, but she seems to be doing better and loves to eat, go outside, sleep and walk around the house bumping into things. When it is not cold, we go for walks, but since she can't see that well, we never quite make it down to the corner because she is already heading back the other direction. Funny how a dog's life can change so radically.

As for me, I am still on the Keto diet (part-time), it works for me. I want to lose another 20 lbs this year. That is doable. My Doctor will be happy with me. My A1C is 6.2....next appointment is May, so I need to keep working on that. I still deal with a sciatic nerve problem on the left side of the butt. Gosh, it hurts when I get up in the morning and can barely walk....after an hour or so it gets better. Guess I am stuck with that pain for the rest of my life.

Well, now that I have completely bored you to death with all my problems, I shall close here for now. No telling when the next time I will be here. But I will keep you updated now and then. So until then, keep looking up because I am very sure, better days are coming soon and very soon. Cheers ~ Louise