Where Did September Go????

Yikes! Time is flying by!!! As someone said to me, "I shut my eyes Monday night and wake up, it is Friday morning already" Yep, it's true. Why did time go so slowly when I was younger and speed up so fast as I grow older???? Never will understand this concept of old age!!!!!

Well, can't believe 5 weeks have passed since my last blog, either I am lazy or just running out of mojo to blog, either or, just not much happening in my life (for now), which is fine with me at this time in my life. My Chicago Blackhawks have started their pre-season games and October 10th is the first of the regular season. So, this is good! I like hockey, then NASCAR, then Football. Hopefully the Packers do well without Arron Rogers. Oh, and the Blackhawks do well without Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Time will tell, I guess.

Hospice meeting was yesterday, always fun to meet together and see what the others have brought to the table as donations to the "card ministry" to Hospice.

So, these were some of my offerings. The cards above were fun to make, an idea I saw on Facebook. I really should make a template next time, so the pieces will be uniform and fit. I sort of pieced together the segments, so no, they were not uniform, each one was a bit different, but maybe that was part of the fun. I shall have to make some more like this, maybe some Christmas cards and Valentine cards too.

The bottom card, another pieced together card in a different design. Liked the new "blessed" word for this card, just bought it recently, filled up the space that did not have a blocked design.

These two cards were made at the Thompsom Center. There is a room set aside for Scrapbook and card makers. All the supplies have been donated, so the classes given are free. They usually have two teachers that give of their time showing us how to make cards. Then on the days they are not there, it is free time, and we can do what we want using the supplies that are there. So, this is what I came up with, the medallion was there to use, and the leaves die I brought from home to use there.

In this picture is another leaf card I made at the Thompson Center. The card on the left was made at home with my laminator and foil and ran a strip of green cardstock down the center and then placed the "blessed" word on it.

The cards below were an idea I found on the internet, not sure where. But I found the marbled cards from Hobby Lobby and thought they would make a nice card, I added the flowers and "just a little note" and left the inside blank.

So, this month of October will be "yard clean-up month"? The big tree in the back yard will dump millions of leaves, last year I never finished the whole yard, maybe this year will be different. The front yard, I have to cut down the peonies bush, daisies, my large porch vine and whatever else I can get too. Yeah, a lot of work for this old lady at this time. We'll see how it goes.

I have been going through some more of JP's old files from the 80's and 90's, gosh he had a lot of stuff. There were a few tracts intermingled, so I will be able to send them to Bob, who has been passing out all of JP's tracts that he had in his office. I moved all of JP's prayer journals to where the files were kept and put JP's ashes with his prayer journals, kinda keep it all together. Then there will be room in the file/safe to put a few other of JP's keepsakes. Along with a folder I am putting together that is titled "In Case of Emergency and/or Death for Louise E. Gatti" Everything that I can think of that has to do with JP, Louise, this house, Insurance, Wills, etc. so whoever the Executor is will know all there is to know and where to find it. Is that all possible???? I don't know, but I have been told to do this by a couple of people, it is a gift to those left behind that will have to take care of everything after I am gone. A morbid thought!!!!!

Can't think of much more, the time is 4:30 and I have yet to accomplish anything around this house. I am going to make a chicken dish tonight that I saw on Facebook that looked really good. My tomatoes are starting to ripen so one tomato will be used in the dish. I will take a picture of it, if I remember and don't eat it first.

Talk to you later, keep looking up better days are coming!!! 

Cheers ~ Louise

Hospice Valentine Cards

Hi there everyone. How are you all doing this fine day. I am finally getting it together in January, and it is almost over!! Wouldn't you know it, just a little slow here.

We finally finished the cookbook and submitted it to Fundcraft on Tuesday the 28th with 275 recipes in all. It's going to be a nice cook book with many good recipes. Mary decided to sell the book for $20 which would mean after paying the expenses of making the books, she could possibly make 4k that would go towards the scholarship fund for Josh. She ordered 300 books, I have a feeling they will all sell. Josh knew a lot of people as do Mary and Ron. There is also going to be 2 other fundraisers this year along with the cookbook. So, the cookbooks could be sold at those fundraisers also.

Finished making the Hospice Valentine cards Wednesday night. Whew. Just 50 cards this time around. A lot of the cards were cards I had hanging around and all they needed were the Hospice inserts or a verse or even to cut the face of the card off and put it on a piece of new card stock. The card below, Happy Valentine's Day with Hearts, speckles and gems. (the card on the left) is a recycled card, cut down to fit the card stock.

Now these cards below...made 10 of these. Fun, fun, fun. Not sure why I wait to the last moment to finish things....but this time it was the cook book that took prominence....needed to get that done. So now I can say....Cook book done (check) Hospice cards done (check) now I have to work on our taxes which are due at the accountants office February 25th. Yikes!!! This is NOT one of my favorite jobs. Going through all the papers and bills etc. for 2019. Well, I do like to organize, so maybe that is a plus.

I still have some of my Christmas stuff up yet....I like the lights...guess maybe this weekend the tree and village will come down. After all, Valentine's day is right around the corner.

The Chicago Blackhawks....they have been on a by-week this past week. First game is February 1st...it's been a dry spell, a lot of Hockey fans have been having withdrawls...lol!!! They were riding on a 5 game winning streak, so hoping they come back still RED-HOT and on fire and headed for the play offs and the Stanley Cup.

Well, I think it is time to close here.....getting late and I have to get up at 7am to be at the Hospice meeting by 9:00am. We meet at Panara's Bread Co. Coffee is usually good there. We pass around the cards so the other ladies can see the cards made by the others. Always fun to see other ladies ideas.

Hope your January was awesome and February will be better then awesome...if there is such a thing like that. Keep looking up cause better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

French Toast and Image Card Exchanges

Hi there everyone. Well.......I am still in a French Toast mode....sorry I have not changed my previous post.....but it still looks so good to me. Today I made French Toast with French bread, slivers of strawberries, and some Philadelphia "ready to eat" Cheesecake filling and syrup. Sorry.....no pictures. All I can say is, it sure was delicious and it was very hard to share with JP, but I did.

Have you ever tried Philadelphia "ready to eat" Cheesecake Filling? All you have to do is pour it into a graham cracker crust and chill. So far, the cheesecake filling has not made it into a pie crust and is just making it into my mouth via strawberries and French toast and such. SShhhhhhhh......I've not shared this with JP as yet, he would eat it all in one sitting....yes he would!!!!

Last November I joined a Stamping Group. We send 12 stamped images or die cuts to the person whose name we have and someone sends us 12 stamped images or die cuts. We then make a card for our selves and one for the person whose name we have. So altogether we have stamped 14 images or die cuts. Then, at the revealing party, we find out who had our name and visa versa. We bring the cards we made for the person who had our name.  Following are the cards I made, using the images I sent to my secret stamper and the images she sent to me.

In the picture above, I sent my secret stamper the gold snowflake on black card stock....this is what I came up with.

My secret stamper sent me the Santa tag, I colored it in and let the tags sit for awhile, because I could not think of how to incorporate the tag into a card. Suddenly one day I got this idea to just make a present, add the ribbon and stick the tag on it...oh and I learned how to make a double bow with my two fingers. WALA...a present!

I sent my secret stamper 12 images of this vintage Santa Claus....This is what I came up with. This would not be a card that could be sent through the mail too easily.

My secret stamper lady sent me these silver hearts. The only thing I could think of is to add them to a vintage valentine.....good enough.

I sent my secret stamper lady 12 of these die cut trees....this was an easy peasy card.

I sent my secret stamper 12 of these love mice....I distressed these  two mice then brushed them with pearlex. I sent her 12 love mice stamped in black and white. I finally made these love mice into cards last night....in a later post I will show you how they ended up.

I sent my secret stamper these snow men....I still have to make a card out of them yet. I still have two weeks to think about and finish this card.

My secret stamper sent me these bunnies. All I did was color in the back ground, they have hung around for a couple of months..finally turned them into cards last night....they turned out cute. I probably will make a couple of these cards for Hospice too. She also sent me 12 images of a golf ball on a Tee. I surely did not know what to do with the golf ball, till I remembered I have a vintage golfer taking a swing. I am working on that card tonight and when finished will show it in the next post.

My secret stamper is behind in her sending, she did not send March's image and April is yet to come. I contacted the lady that runs this group to let her know the lady that has my name is late in sending images. This isn't the first time this has happened, November and December did not come till January. Sure is frustrating..why join a group if you cannot follow through...makes no sense to me and takes the fun out of even doing this.

The reveling party is on the 23rd of this month....so I shall meet whoever had my name....if she even shows up. I may or may not sign up for a second time. It's fun doing this IF the other person holds up their end. Oh well, enough of my complaining.

I will take pictures of the images sent my secret stamper lady and what they looked like after I turned them into cards. Oh and pictures of the cards of the Easter Bunny, Snow Man and love mice.

I need to close this post now and go have a piece of coconut cream pie. That was my project for tonight. Also made dinner for JP. When he comes home at 1:30am he will have chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and vegies and some pie and fruit. Good enough. Now I shall go downstairs and ride my bike for 2 miles and finish up my Hospice cards for Friday.

Have a great night and keep looking up~~better days are coming!!

Cheers ~ Louise

Blepharoplasty Surgery Before and After

Hi there everyone.....guess I have been "Missing in Action" again.....BUT I do have an excuse!!! Had surgery on my eyelids to lift them up a bit and get rid of those ugly yellow patches on my lids. The Doctor said they were cholesterol patches. NOOOOO...I did not like them at all. Can't understand why the cholesterol decided to take up residence above my eyes. Look how old and tired my eyes look.....uge! This picture was taken maybe a couple of days before the surgery.

This picture was taken a day or so after the surgery....doesn't look too bad here but the discoloration and black and blue spread down and around my eyes. This picture actually looks good. Doctor put 3 stitches in my eye lids and taped up the rest. The tape falls off after a couple of days. I used a lot of warm water compresses a couple of times a day....that felt so good. Doctor said, "no cold compresses." There was just a bit of pain as the numbness was wearing off, took a Tylenol and that made me sleep most of the afternoon. No pain after that.

So in the picture below....it was taken today. I had an appointment with the Doctor and he took the stitches out. He said most of the discoloration will be gone in a week or so. See my beautiful eyelids??? (That's what he said, my eyes were beautiful) Can you see the difference? One thing I have noticed is that my eyes did not water so much since the surgery. Doctor said that is because the sagging eyelids were not letting enough tears flow which caused eye dryness. I guess that is a miracle.....I would tear constantly, people probably thought I was crying all the time.

I told the Doctor I looked like a Mack Truck hit me.....he laughed and said, "and that Mack Truck's name was Dr. Neilitz!!!" Hahahah...he has quite the humor.

Since my cataract surgery last year, I now have 20-20 vision looking far away.....but up close I have to wear readers for now. Doctor asked me if I want glasses, but I said for now I will wear the readers cause I kinda like not having to wear glasses all the time. We will see....maybe at my next appointment in November I will have changed my tune. Cheaper to buy readers then new glasses.

Been doing a lot of nothing this past week or so. Making cards has just been on my schedule. Tomorrow is our Hospice meeting, so hopefully I can get a few more cards made tonight. Valentine cards are pretty much done, but need to make a few simple St. Patrick cards yet tonight. I will take some pictures and show you what I have been up to.

Well, it is going on 5:00 and it's still pretty light out. So I think Kylie and I will go take a walk.....she will like that. Finally the days are getting longer....Daylight savings begins March 12th. So yay.. we have something to look forward to. Oh and doesn't the Ground Hog come out on Feb. 1st or 2nd.....I don't know, it always seems we still have 6 more weeks of winter whether he sees his shadow or not.....superstition is all.

You all have a great evening and keep looking up BETTER DAYS ARE HERE!!!!!

Cheers ~ Louise

Just Busy...Making Cards, Food and Saying Bye-bye 2 Christmas

 Hi there everyone....well, here we go into January and tomorrow is the 7th already. Where did this week go??? They say time flies when we are having a good time......I guess I must be having a good time, for a 70 year old.

Thought I would show you a few more cards I made with this "stained glass" die cut. I sure do like this die. I have actually made a few more cards like this, one in orange and one in grey. Both are pretty nice. They are actually relaxing to make, sort of like adult coloring. I will take pictures of both after I make another grey "Thanks".

Went to the neighbors on Tuesday, to show her how to make some cards and she liked the grey "stained glass" so much, she asked if she could have it. She wants to frame it. So I gave it to her. Along with a few ideas for making her own cards. It was a fun morning.

The cards below were some of my first cards made with the die and new alcohol ink pens.

In this next picture is a meal from Blue Apron. "Steaks and Green Peppercorn Sauce with kale and Roasted Potatoes" This was a yummy meal, very easy and down to earth kinda cooking. The steak was tender and seasoned just right....I used half the peppercorns, so it was not spicy. The potatoes were sliced, oiled, salted and peppered then roasted till browned. Kale was cooked with minced garlic. Yep, very good meal. 5 stars!!! 

I don't know if I told you about these cookies....gosh, were they good, I could not stop eating them. Made with 5 eggs, 2 sticks of soft butter, 1 cup to 1-1/2 cup sugar, mix together. Add 2 cups flour, 1 teasp. almond extract and some crushed almonds. Mix till the consistency of sticky pancake mix or heavy pudding. Pour on cookie sheet (use parchment paper). Bake 350 degrees till the outside of cookie is browned like in the picture. I timed it about 20 minutes. Such a good Cookie.....will make these again, soon. Oh and top the cookie with one raisin before baking. Oh, they are called "Mama's Cookies"

Next picture are the cards I was showing my neighbor how to make. She has to make 30 thank you cards and wanted to use this technique. All it is, is distress inks dabbed on card stock, using any color you desire, then dabbed with water to make the water spots.....I really like this technique....quick and easy.

I found this card on the Internet....thought it would be an easy card to make for Hospice meeting which is coming up in 3 weeks. Need to have lots of Valentine cards made, so I better get cracking. One of the ladies that comes to the meeting had heart surgery in November. She died of complications a week ago. She will be missed.

Well, time to close here....I have been slowly taking down my Christmas things. It is hard to say good-bye. Just have my Village and little Christmas tree up. I usually keep the tree up till after Valentines Day. Changing lights and bulbs from blues to red and putting hearts on the tree. Yeah....it is hard to say bye-bye to my Christmas tree and village. So....maybe one more month of lights.

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

Ground Hog Day ~ Winter Storm ~ Cards

Hi there everyone! Hope you made it through the winter storm.....wonder if Mr. Ground Hog saw this one coming. Well, I heard he saw his shadow, so does that mean we have 6 more weeks of winter or does it mean an early Spring....I don't know, guess we will have to take what comes down the pipe...right???

So following are some cards I made at Betty's last week....yeah I know, a little late in showing these off. 2 Valentine cards, 1 Birthday and 1 Sympathy card.

I really like this sympathy card....very pretty and easy to put together.

We inked the stamp with a new ink pen...I like how vibrant the colors are and what is really exciting is that we did not have to "Huff and Puff" on the stamp in order for it to ink the card stock.

This Valentine card was easy too. Betty usually has all the pieces to make the card in an envelope....she did most of the work. We just had to glue it, stamp it and piece it together.

This Birthday card, Betty stamped the cabin and trees and we colored in the image with copic markers. then we speckled it. She already had the embossed tree and hole cut out. We inked it with distress ink. Banner was a die cut and we stamped the Birthday on it.....simple, simple.

This card was more intricate....Betty stamped the dog and little girl on the scalloped circle and we colored them in with copic markers. Layered the papers then added the heart which was already stamped.

Tonight I made a Banana/strawberry, Chocolate pudding and graham cracker dessert. Maybe in about an hour or so, we will have a piece. Also made some cookies for Kylie, Banana, peanut butter and powdered oat meal mixed together, cut in squares and baked. She loves them, wags her tail as we give them to her.

UPDATE: On the Banana/Strawberry Chocolate Pudding & Graham Cracker Dessert. IT WAS FABULOUS!!!  And yes, I am yelling it was SOOOOOO good. I found it on Facebook. I will look for the recipe and link it to my next post (if I remember).

JP started work at 3:00 today and was home early, about 9pm. So we had dinner together. (which only happens on the weekends). It's only 11pm, seems weird, my evening is mucked up. Not used to this.

Well, time to close here and go downstairs for some card making. Been playing with my Flamingo and pineapple stamps. You have a good evening and keep looking up....better days are coming.
Cheers~Louise

A Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Day

Hi there everyone.....was going to do a "Wordless Wednesday" today, but never got "around to it." Which reminds me of a person who actually gave me a "round tuit" (I guess he thought he was being funny) I did not laugh too much that day. Needless to say, he does not come around much anymore. Geez, can't understand why???? But every time I say I shall get 'around to it', he always pops into my mind. (smarty a--)

No, this is not a picture of him here. I saw this guy on Facebook the other day and needed to have him in my files.....yeah, sometimes I feel just like this guy and probably look like him too on certain days.

So today's agenda included cutting JP's hair. I made homemade sauerkraut last week and today put it in a crock pot along with some pork. Shall have to open up some applesauce or maybe make some with the apples in the fridge. MMMM pork and applesauce just seems to go together.

Tomorrow my Blue Apron is being delivered. Can hardly wait. I will have to check on what's on the menu for the next couple of days. I know one of the dishes is "Juicy Lucy Burgers and fries", yum, whatever they send, has always been a hit for me.

Tonight the Blackhawks are playing, I will be able to catch that on NBCSN otherwise I can't watch all the games. But, tonight I can......so I am glad I have dinner already cooked for JP when he gets home.

The BIL called today to let us know they will be coming for a visit in February....that should be fun, hope the weather is good for travels. They usually come for a couple of days, come for lunch and then leave. Least I have a goal to start some cleaning around here....shhhhhhh....could really use it.

Didn't do much more today.....need to start working on taxes and getting things organized....uge, one of my most un-favorite things to do....thank goodness our accountant does not want to see me till March...he gives me some time to work on it.

Well, I think I will close here, want to get some cards made. Hospice meeting is coming up in three weeks....so I need to get some Valentine cards made........at this point, I have NO ideas for cards. Yep, I tell you, being retired I sure can find lots of things to do.

You all 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

Love is in the Air....

Hi everyone.....just a short little post for tonight. No, I did not buy bacon for our breakfast tomorrow....sure does sound good though.

I think I will go to the butcher tomorrow and buy a rib-eye steak shaped in a heart....so JP and I will celebrate Valentines....stuffing our mouths with a good piece of meat. Tonight for dinner, he is having fish and mashed potatoes and "Italian Mystery Soup" I shall have to write down the recipe and pass it along to you my readers. But, first I must see how JP likes the soup....if it passes the grade....I will post it. Perhaps I need to write the recipe down before I forget.

I bought JP a BIG can of beans for Valentines....it's what he wanted, maybe I will wrap the can up and tape a valentine card to it and have it sitting on the table tonight for him to open. Such a nice gift...hahahahaha!!!!

Well, time to close, have to go get my new printer set up so I can make some labels tonight. Have a good evening. Oh and thank you Brenda for the lovely Valentine's Card. I shall post it here tomorrow. Cheers ~ Louise

Six More Weeks.....Enough Said!!!!

I find it hilarious that New York City's Groundhog saw his shadow and the Mayor said "Spring is Coming"!!! (So what does that mean...he saw his shadow or he did not see his shadow???) Philadelphia's Groundhog said 6 more weeks....I think these groundhogs need to get their stories straight...don't you???? I think spring will come no matter what, for some, it just might be earlier, rather then later for others. As for the groundhogs, we shall see which one is right. It's sort of like the weatherman...no two can predict the same weather...hahahaha!!

So how are things by you? As my mother always said, "everything is calm and quiet here"......well, for the moment it is quiet here. We had to get our furnace fixed yesterday. Sunday, late night, I was working on making some cards and noticed water leaking around the furnace, then I noticed the carpet was wet.....yikes where is this water coming from???? I never knew the furnace had water running through it...but it does. Here I thought it was the "april-air" but that was never connected. Goes to show how much I know about furnaces. The repairman said, good thing I saw the problem...it could have gotten worse. I am always downstairs, so I could not help but notice....so now I wait for the bill.

Don't forget to comment today or tomorrow....just a "Hi" is good enough to qualify you for a Valentine card from me.  Each time you comment is another chance for your name to enter into the bowl, on February 8th, I will pick 4 names to receive a Valentine card from me. Hopefully it will get to you in time as I hear the "pony express" is running pretty slow these days what with weather conditions around the country. I sent a letter to a friend on 1/27 and she just received it yesterday....it was headed towards the east coast, guess it ran into bad weather along the way.

Finally decorated my "Valentine Tree" yesterday.....oh so sweet. I will take a picture of it for you, to get you in the mood for romance!!! Most likely I will buy myself some flowers as the husband is not a romantic person. Maybe we will go out for dinner, just for a change.

Well, time to close, have to go food shopping and pickup meds for JP. Have a good day and keep looking up...stay warm and cozy tonight....it's suppose to snow here again, maybe by you sunshine. Cheers ~ Louise

Etsy Tap Dancing Today........

Hi there everyone. How is your day going on this wonderfully, beautiful day???? I really need to get outside for awhile, but have a few things to do inside first. One thing is to get these two sales ready for mailing on Monday. This will be my first time sending something breakable. Gosh I hope the tea cup and saucer gets to it's destination safely!!! I have plenty of packing stuff, so it should be okay.

My first sale this week were these hearts....100 of them....they can be used for card making or scrap booking or made as favors for weddings, showers or for Valentine Day. What's really neat about these hearts is that they have a sticky back, by peeling off the backing they can be stuck on paper, sticks, straws, to be used as cup/cake picks.....ideas for these hearts is endless.

The next day I got a sale for this lovely rose imprinted Duchess Bone china tea cup and saucer. Made a profit of $7.50, so that is exciting. I still have a few more tea cups and saucers to sell. But have to get pictures taken of them first. Been working on making some cards and probably will add them and a few more vintage things to my Etsy store this next week.

So much to do lately....it's hard to keep up with all the activity sometimes. I find it hard to imagine, how in the world I held down a full time job and still got things done around this house. But then I guess my house and yard were neglected, big time. Guess that is why I am constantly trying to play "catch up" Whew....this game is wearing me out!!!!

UP DATE on JP....he is okay, Doctor gave him some medication that seems to be working and his plumbing is finally working.....Thank God!!!!

You have a great week end and enjoy.....June 1st is tomorrow.....7 months left in 2014 and June 21st Summer begins and the days start getting shorter.......oh please, I wish time would slow down a bit!!!
CHEERS ~ Louise

Made Some New Earrings....

Hello everyone. How ya' all doing??? Keeping warm??? It snowed today and was much warmer then usual, I think about 25 degrees. Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day. Went shopping and did a few errands and it actually felt like spring...I must be a hardened "Northerner" cause even though it was about 18 or 19 degrees it felt good.

I thought I would show you some earrings I made. Usually make all my earrings, so needless to say, among all my card making supplies, there are many colorful beads. I tried selling some of my earrings on Etsy....but no bites, so I just make earring for myself and as gifts to different people I know that wear earrings.

These earrings were fun to make. I saw the idea on an Etsy jewelery store. Easy peasy to make. I think this picture shows that the beads are blue...but actually they are purple and white pearl. Their not heavy. The ones on Etsy had 6 strands for each earring....I think that might have been too heavy for my ears.

I wanted some Valentine earrings. So I looked for some hearts at Hobby Lobby and found these at 50% off....also made a pair for the Pastor's wife. So, we are all set for that big day. JP and I need to do something special that day, like go out to eat some place.

These earrings are just a copy of the purple and white earrings. They catch the light with many colors, so they can be worn with just about anything I wear.

Well, you all have a great day. Take care and keep warm. Cheers ~ Louise

We Three Kings of Orient Are....

Hi everyone, how are you all doing? Hope you are keeping warm or if you live in a warm area like Florida or California, you are keeping cool. Time sure does fly, it's been 6 days since I last blogged, that's a long time for me, I have been trying to go every 2-4 days. Guess I didn't have much to blog about, if that could be possible. Oh I was doing the Etsy Tap Dance on Sunday, got an Etsy sale, so I was pretty happy about that, took me a couple of day to prepare the mailing. Then the weather got REALLY cold and a little snow fell on Monday. Been busy decorating the house for Christmas and getting my Christmas cards mailed out also.

We took our car in for an oil change and it seems to need a couple of belts and a thermostat...oie vey...to the tune of $350+ not exactly what we need at this time. But, I guess it is a neccessity. Otherwise if not taken care of, the motor could blow. Then it would cost even more.

So in the above picture is my 3 Kings which I made back in 1968.....geez 45 years ago. They are made of paper mache'. I must have been going to an art store and they were giving classes in different art media. I have completely forgotten how these Kings were made, can you believe, I still have the paper mache' stuff from back then. Guess I always thought I would make something else with the stuff, some day maybe.

Anyways, my 3 Kings come out every year and are placed in some royal spot. Every year when they get put away, I think, is this the last time I will see them??? Then here we are for another Christmas. Who knows, someday they will get put away never to be seen again. So I will just enjoy them this season and shed another tear as they get put away. Who knows, maybe in 20 years they can collect Social Security...lol!

So in this picture is my little Christmas tree. I like this tree, easy to put away and easy to take out and decorate. I like the lights, it goes on about 4pm and goes off about 3am. I have been known to keep my tree up into February. Last year I had Valentine hearts hanging from it and was even thinking of making a St. Patrick's Tree....but there comes a point that it is time to take it down. I left the lights on the table for another month....so I was satisfied into March and April. Maybe this year I will get Easter lights to replace the Christmas lights.

I still have my village to put up, probably this weekend. Then I can sit back and enjoy Christmas, make some cookies and stuff. I still have to get a package off to my Step-father in Las Vegas...that package might be late. Need to look for a stuffed animal to pack with the cookies...what do you get an 87 year old for Christmas????

Well, I think it is time to close, have to go ride my bike and make some thank you cards. So you all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh, oh and stay warm. Cheers ~ Louise

More Recycled Christmas Cards

Hi everyone....hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent a quiet day and ate about 4pm, yum, turkey, dressing, potatoes, bean cassarole, ginger bread and Apple pie. Just what the Doctor ordered. Now onto "Black Friday"!!! I intend on staying home. Don't care to shop on this day. I probably will pay some bills, mail them at the post office and get some stamps. That will be all for my travels on Black Friday.

Been working on making Christmas cards for Hospice. I have one more week before we meet for breakfast at Denny's and bring our cards for this month. I am pretty sure I made enough for Hospice and for my own personal use. If not, there definately is time to make more.

Following are some more recycled Christmas cards. They are not only fun to make but can be constructed pretty fast. I am calling this line of cards my "New Life" cards, because they have been given new life and a second chance to make someone happy and loved even as they come to the end of life. I think I will continue on in doing this, as it is very rewarding.

There you have it. More recycled cards, I did add a set of these cards to my Etsy store. A set of 6 cards for $6.00 + postage. I've had a lot of people "favoring" my cards lately, course, I have been favoring a lot of Etsy sellers too. I am going to be adding more Christmas cards in the next few days. Then on to Valentine cards and St. Patrick cards...my how the season's pass by fast when you make cards.

So you all have a great Black Friday and enjoy Saturday as December is right around the corner......where in the world did 2013 go??? What will 2014 hold??? Only God knows the answer to that question. Keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

Valentine's and Smoothies

Something new added to my Etsy store. A sweet little candy or cookie box for that special person or lover♥. It's the only one I have, so it would be considered a "one-of-a-kind" Valentine box. I priced the Valentine box at at $10 + $4 shipping.

I will be adding these Valentine cards to my Etsy store today. I think I will sell them for $1.50 a card or $9.00 for the set + shipping which will bring them to $12.00. Three of the cards say "Happy Valentine's Day" inside the card. One is blank and two cards say "hugs and kisses". I am working on a few other Valentine cards and will have them up in my store this next week. Hopefully in time for someone to see them and buy one or two cards for their lover ♥.

Today JP and I made a trip to "Pawn America" and finally picked up his new "used" accordion that was on lay-away since November. He is a happy camper now, and is going to see if he can play it at church tomorrow. We also hit EyeMart (an hour wait to get my glasses fixed), Woodman's (busy, busy place), Citgo to pay the Electric bill  (whew~that's off my mind) and Post Office (mailed a Netflex Cd back). When we got home, JP pulled out his accordion and started playing...nice!! Then he took off to go to church to clean and play his accordion.

Left alone, I made myself a smoothie for lunch...........I am getting a little daring with these fun drinks.
1/2 can coconut water
1 large mushroom
1/4 cup red pepper
1/4 cup avocado
Wasn't bad at all, not sure what the benefits were but it sure was fun to drink. I really needed to use the avocado up cause when I cut it open there were a lot of brown spots..........oh well, froze the rest in Saran plastic, hopefully it won't turn brown.

Well, I guess it is time to take down my Christmas tree and Village...(sniff, sniff) I am actually thinking of leaving up my tree and just take the Christmas stuff off and put Valentine hearts up....sound sweet??? I like the lights.........oh I'll see. Here is a picture of my village and Christmas tree, just in case you are interested.

My little village...I like to add something new every year, whether it is a building, people. tree  or accessories.  This year I added a building. See the garage, far left with the man on top the roof shoveling snow. I picked up the garage for $1.50 at the thrift shop.......not a bad deal. 

  Here you see my little Christmas tree. Not even sure how long I have had this tree.....it sure has been handy, it's a fiber optic tree and this is the first year the optic lights did not work, I thought I would miss them, but I strung lights on the tree and I think I actually enjoyed the tree more this year....guess that is why I don't want to take it down. If I decide to leave it up for Valentine's I will take another picture of it so you can see my "Valentine's Tree" and who knows.....maybe I might make a "St Patrick Tree" and an "Easter Tree".......hummmm that might be pushing it though :)

Well, I guess I will close this blog for today, you all take care and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise