Finally On A Roll.........

Hi there everyone......hope you had a great "hump day". My day was good. Finally got to go to my friends house to make some cards...it has been awhile since I was there....mostly because her road was being redone....so it was hard to get into her apartment complex. So we just called off making cards for a couple of months. And, of course I was recouping from my hernia surgery in September. It's been a long hard haul......but we made it through.

These following cards are the ones I made at home....they actually are the backgrounds made from shaving cream and alcohol inks. Here is the post. You can check out what they looked like before embellishing the backgrounds with stamps, gems, iridescent spray and embossed leaves.

I love the way they turned out....my favorite card is of course the red card. I let the shaving cream backgrounds sit around for awhile....my idea finally came to me to stamp them with my Tim Holtz stamps, actually he was doing a tutorial using these stamps (if you can see them in these pics.) all over one of his backgrounds, I thought, how cool is that. Think I will try that. I sprayed the card with some iridescent spray, then layered the embossed leaves on each card. (that idea came from another card I saw on a card from the internet.)

Again.....the top and bottom pictures are in different colors.....I like that each card is different and unique.

In this picture are all the cards together.

This next picture is the first card we made today. We colored in the leaves and pumpkins and then used some glitter on the leaves....hard to see the glitter, but it really turned out nice.

Now this card was really putsey....it took a while to make as each little piece of the penguins had to be pieced together. We decided  this card would have to sell for $6 in order to pay for all the time involved and so much work to it.

This was a fun and easy card....I like the leaves, they are a die cut...they almost look like a real leaf, and they colored up really nice.

This was my favorite card....so very pretty. The music stamp comes from "My Daily Bread" and is embossed on a blue card. Then we added the die cuts to embellish the card with flowers, pearls, blue branches and a white branch.

Well, I shall pause here....I am making some matzo soup....and I am sure the matzo is ready to be dropped into the chicken soup. Be back in a little bit. Here is where I got the recipe. Okay....this is definitely very delicious!!! JP will really like it and one bowl will not be enough for him. I predict this soup will not last long in the pot!!!

Time to close this post....I need to get downstairs....as long as I am on roll.....best not waste the time and get some cards done whilst I am rolling...lol!!!

Have a good day tomorrow and keep looking up! Cheers ~ Louise

Gnocchi ! ! !

Hi everyone, how is your night going??? Funny how we plan things for the evening and then it never turns out the way we planned. I had all the intentions of going downstairs and making some Father's Day cards for Hospice.......did I make it down there???? Nope, I ended up doing some cooking, not such a bad thing.....I suspect JP will be thrilled and surprised too!!!

 

So tonight, I fried some bacon in the oven. I buy bacon in bulk at Festival Foods. I place the bacon on a cookie sheet with a layer of parchment paper so it does not stick. Lay the bacon side by side and put in the oven @ 400 degrees. As the pieces brown, I take them off and layer some more bacon on the cookie sheet till it is all cooked up. When there gets to be too much bacon grease on the sheet, I pour the grease into a can and either save it to cook with or throw the grease out. You can have just so much bacon grease in the refrigerator and then you need to seriously do something with it. What do I do with all that cooked bacon??? Freeze it, when I need some, just take it out of the freezer and stick it in the fry pan with the eggs....perfect.

 

Next on the agenda was chicken soup. I started boiling the chicken thigh and leg, then added the celery and onions, chicken bullion and a few seasonings. Took the meat out and deboned it. Then I thought...instead of noodles, I think Potato Gnocchi sounds good for the soup. I have been wanting to make gnocchi, so tonight was the night!!!! I boiled the potatoes then mashed them, added the flour, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and egg.  

Mixed it all together, kneaded the dough 5 or 6 times on a floured  board and then rolled the potato dough out into a rope about  1 1/2 inches in diameter. I did this in sections.  Then....

...cut the rope in 1" or less segments. Here is where you can lay them on a plate, cover them with plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Or, place them in boiling water, when they came to the surface.......

I transferred the "Parmesan Potato Gnocchi" into the soup.



Very tasty soup....JP will probably say, did you write the recipe down??? Well, kinda, but my chicken soups never turn out the same. Guess that is why I enjoy making chicken soup....I can always change it some way and it always tastes good and heals whatever is ailing you.

An update on our basement and backyard flooding....the water went down in the backyard.....does not look like it did on Monday. The basement is still a little wet, the dehumidifier has been running 24/7. Probably won't lay the carpets down for a couple of weeks yet. It doesn't usually get that wet down there, not sure what the cause was. I am thinking the gutters must have backed up and need to be cleaned.

Well, time to close, JP will be home soon, have to get his dinner cooked. He'll have soup, eggs and bacon, cucumber salad, fruit and toasted bagles. Sounds good to me. Have a great rest of the evening, what's left of it and a good day tomorrow. Keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

I'm Doing Another Etsy Tap Dance......YAY!!!!

Doing another Etsy tap dance this weekend.........sold 3 St. Patrick Cards..........gosh that just so makes me day.........I really could get used to this!!!! Well, I will make a few more cards today, and put a few more up on my Etsy store in the next few days..........SO CHEERS to St. Patty's Day!!!!!! Celebrating my Blessings!!!!!!! This little card "Shamrocks Galore 2" was like one of the cards sold yesterday. Only difference I used a sprelli background wrapping thread around to form a circle. Shamrocks stamped and punched on the front. The inside of the card says "Celebrate Your Blessings"

Making Chicken soup today.....a warm dish for a cold and snowy day.......I don't have a special recipe for my chicken soup cause every pot I make is different from the other......like to use lots of spices, today so far, there's onions, a chicken thigh and leg, garlic, celery leaves, carrots and onion soup mix. Took it to a boil then turned down the heat to simmer. Once the chicken is cooked I'll take it out and debone then turn up the heat and add the noodles, boil a bit and turn down the heat again............WA LA a wonderful chicken soup!!!!!!

Today, seems to be a snow day, not going any place so maybe I will straighten up the house a little and go make some cards and excercise a bit today. So talk to you later and take care and TAKE JESUS!!!!!
~Louise~

My Free Birthday Dinner

Well here is my Free Birthday Dinner from JB Clancy's on Sunday, November 21st...........my it was delicious! I really splurged on the french fries, certainly not on my diet, oh but they were gooooood!!!!! Along with the steak and fries I got a beautiful salad and bread with honey butter and coffee. For dessert it was chocolate ice cream with a candle on top. Sweet and yummy. JP and I shared this special treat. It's not every day one celebrates their 64th birthday! Some people do not even make it to 64. Thank you God for 64 years, you have been generous and loving to me.

On Friday the 19th I went out to lunch with Shirley. That was a lovely lunch at Carmalitta's Italian Bistro. I mentioned to the waitress that it was my birthday on Sunday, not thinking there would be a reward.......hahaha! For lunch I had a Chicken Ceasar Panni and side salad. No camera for this one, so no pictures....I wish I had though, it was a lovely meal. After we finished our lunch, the waitress brought a mini boston cream cake with a candle on the side and chocolate spritz across the plate, it was as pretty as a picture. All in all I had a wonderful birthday, with a few birthday cards and birthday wishes on Facebook.

After our meal at BJ Clancy's, JP and I went to an antique mall and I bought a pitch fork for our compost pile, a cook book with hundreds of soup recipes, a fenton vase and fenton dish that holds candles. My stepfather had sent some money for my birthday, so I was able to get a few things for my stamping addiction, some spices for my cooking addiction and some tea .........for my tea addiction. I am putting a little to the side so I can buy a Dutch Oven, the one I am looking at will run about $70......so I have $30 set aside. Maybe if I add a little each week, by Christmas I will have enough to buy the one I want. Can hardly wait!!!! In the mean time I will make soup in my small pot for the time being. Without a vision the people parrish, well, I have a vision, at least for a month or so. :)

One more blessing on my birthday took place.......my $1.50 Hibiscus that I bought at the end of summer bloomed for my birthday. She was sooooo very pretty and made me very happy!!! Will be fun to see how she does during the winter. Maybe by Christmas we will have more blooms. (another vision?)

Well dear friends, I am off to get ready to go out and get some errands done. We got our turkey today......JP got a free 12 lb turkey at his place of employment........which is nice. So that looks like we will have turkey soup and lots of left overs for the freezer and many meals, yummmmmm. There's a storm coming this afternoon, so I need to get some plastic up on one of the basement windows and we need to move the snow blower to the forefront of the garage today.

In my next blog I will show you a couple of Christmas cards I have been making which will probably end up in my Etsy store, just in case you don't have the address, here it is: http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ So have a blessed Thanksgiving and enjoy your families.....you never know when that may crumble and there will be no more get togethers for what ever reason.
~Louise~

Labor Day.......and Chicken Soup.......

Today was Labor Day and I labored at Dollar General today doing the Switch out of Summer Promo Cards to CHRISTMAS, THANKSGIVING AND HALLOWEEN!!!!!!! Oh my goodness, is it that time already?

I met a little (about 4ft9" tall) old lady today, her name is Eileen and she is 85yrs old. She wanted to tell me about a card she bought a while back, it was called "A message from Heaven" and she felt her husband (who died 16 years ago) was speaking to her through it. She had gotten the last card and had hoped who ever ordered them would get some more. She was told at the checkout counter that I come in every Wednesday. Today she came in not knowing I was there and told me about the card. I said perhaps it was God speaking to her through the card and she said "oh yes" and I said God gave her a hug from her husband and she said "oh yes" from there we started talking about God. Turns out she is a bible scholar with a few degrees. It was quite the blessing to talk to her although I really did not have the time and had to get back to my work. It was one of those encounters that you just know it was God ordained and that I was supposed to be there today, not exactly sure why, but if it was just to be encouraged............it was well worth the time for me being at Dollar General laboring on Labor Day!!!!

It was also kind of nice to know that all my work is not in vain that someone actually got blessed by the cards I put up every week for the last couple of years.

Nothing else much happened today. Made some wonderful chicken soup today. Here is the recipe:
I baked one whole chicken in the oven with potatoes and carrots and Emeril seasonings for about 2 hours. We had a nice chicken dinner Friday night and Saturday. Then I turned what was left of the chicken into SOUP. Placing the rest of the carcus into a pot of hot water and cooked for a couple of hours, put in some Watkins chicken base soup, then let it cool down before putting in the refrig.

Tonight (Labor Day) I took the chicken out of the refrig and out of the pot. Deboned the chicken and put it back in the pot. Cut up one small zuccihni, carrots, added onion powder, paprika, and about 1/2 cup of spegetti sauce and some egg noodles and let cook for a bit, took off the burner and "wah la" a very tasty soup, JP really liked it alot............really have to remember that recipe.........well now its in my blog and will be archived............must change my title to........there....'Labor Day......and Chicken Soup..........." calorie wise......I don't know what the calories are, just too good to count.

Well, I think I will close this blog for today. Tomorrow is another day at Dollor General, have to do the audit on the reading glasses and sunglasses. And then on to exercise at "Inches A Weigh"......I am not too sure I lost any weight as I don't do alot of exercise on the weekends. Well, hopefully I will have lost a pound.

Have a good day................Louise