GOODBYE 2020

 Hi there everyone, hope you had a nice Christmas and was able to spend it with your family and friends. JP's family lives in Illinois...where we both are from. We've been in Wisconsin since 1976. Guess we are more Wisconsinites now after 44 yrs. How time flies in a twinkling of an eye. My family is non-existent, everyone is dead. No brother's, sister's, aunt's or uncle's. I had one baby but was told to put her up for adoption. I will leave it at that, she wants nothing to do with me.

So here are a few views of my little table top Christmas tree. I have had this tree for over 20 years. I used to do real trees but stopped, they got too expensive for the pocket book. The above tree is the "USA" tree. Red, white and blue lights and red and blue ornaments.

The above tree is my "Valentine" tree. Can you tell, everything is RED and white. The elf seems to always find a place to sit in the tree. Sometimes he stays on the tree all year longs.

"St. Patrick's Day" tree. There's the elf....otherwise every is green. I contemplated an "Easter" tree for April.....but I guess by March I was getting Christmas treed out.

This tree is from 2017. My tree this year looks pretty much the same. I shall take a picture of this years tree in a couple of days, before I start taking it down. Don't think I am leaving it up as long as I usually do. I didn't start decorating this year's tree till Christmas Eve. My heart has not been it Christmas this year. 

I guess mainly because I have been dealing with JP's health issues on a daily basis and he seems to be getting worse as the days go by. A nursing home is in JP's future, it's getting very hard to take care of him the last couple of months. Still waiting to hear from Doctors. Maybe the first of the year things will start to progress. So much is up in the air because of this Covid 19....be glad when it is over, if it gets over.

Well, time to close here. I may do one last blog on the 31st. That should make 25 blogs for 2020. Yeah, I have been very laxed in doing these blogs, just not a whole lot happening. Well, a lot has happened but I just have not wanted to tell the world about my tales of woe's because someone else's tales are probably worse then mine.

So you all have a great New Year and I DO hope 2021 is much better then this last year was. Take care and keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise  

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Hi there everyone. With Christmas finally upon us, I hope you got everything done and are now able to enjoy the festivities. I wish you a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends.

Keep Jesus as the main focus of your celebrations. Also keeping in mind all that He did for you by giving HIS life....the greatest gift of all.

Take time to read the story of Christmas to your family in Matthew 1:18-25 that they will be reminded of his birth and how even then Satan tried to "steal, kill and destroy" the Son of God.

How, even now in 2015 Satan has not given up and wants to take us all out. Keep your eyes on Jesus and be guided by him every day. Ask Him into your heart. That would be the greatest gift you could ever give yourself. Then you will know for sure eternity will be yours with no fear of ever ending up in hell. Joy truly will be yours from this day forward.

Blessings to you, keep looking up!! Cheers ~ Louise

Happy Valentine's Day - Steak and Cards

Hi everyone. Hope you had a wonderful, fun, filled day and your special someone made it even more special in some unusual way. In the above picture are two cards I received in the mail. The one on the right is from Brenda in Indiana, so simple, but yet so elegant. The card on the left is from Shirley, a card maker here in Appleton. We have been sending each other cards for over 7 years. It's always fun to see what she makes....I think she is truly an artist. She recycled this card as it was a store bought card and she turned it into a new handmade card.

 I just got home from Jacobs Meat Market in Appleton. JP gave me some money to buy whatever I wanted...so I chose this heart shaped Rib-eye steak.....my, my was it good!! As you can see, Kylie took a liking to it and if it had been a bit closer, she might have taken a bite out of it.

I salted and peppered it and put a little steak sauce on it and let it sit in the frig for a couple of hours. When it came time to cook it, I sauteed some mushrooms and onions in coconut oil. (no, I could not taste the coconut). Took the mushrooms and onions out of the pan and dropped the steak in. Cooking till the center was 100 degrees. Dished the steak and poured the mushrooms and onions on top. OH MY WAS THAT STEAK DE-LISH-OUS!!!! I took a picture of our Valentine's dinner all cooked up, mashed potatoes, salad, garlic bread and left over fish....that will be the next post. We still have enough steak left for dinner tomorrow.

Here is another picture of Kylie, enjoying the smells of Valentine's Day.....if she could have, she would have. Yes, she did have some steak too for her dinner....cooked of course, not raw.

I just had to take a couple of these pictures of Kylie.....she is so darned cute with her antics. I think it sure would be a very quiet and boring home if Kylie did not live here.

Without My Pets....

Hi everyone, how did your day go...mine was a bit busy but I got through it. Thought I would do some blogging while sitting here. Then I need to start working on some cards for Hospice. Just a little bit behind in that area and the meeting will be this Friday. Yikes!!!

So today I was thinking about pets, found this little poster on Pinterest and thought I would share it with you.

Could not very well share a poster about pets and not post a picture of Kylie....she's my pet....who watches every move I make and sits with me downstairs while I do cards. She knows exactly when it is time to eat and time to go for a walk...she barks at me as soon as I put my shoes on, trying to rush me. She knows the word sit, otherwise it would be hard to put her leash on. Then we walk out to the sidewalk and she walks me the rest of the way. Smelling everything.....I guess that is what Schnoodles (Schnauzer/poodles)do best.

Here's a picture of Kylie sitting on her chair in the basement, her place to sit and sleep while I do my cards. We are looking forward to the weather getting a little warmer, cause we like to sit on the front porch and take in the sun and a little bit of vitamin D.

Three or four days ago it was raining, so there were lots of puddles and everything was wet and muddy. Kylie likes to walk through puddles and by the time she got home she was a wet and a muddy mess. I usually wipe her down, but this time I decided to put her in the shower. I thought for sure she would be afraid, but she was like a trooper. I turned the water on and sprayed her down, she looked like a drowned rat....so funny. She didn't even think to jump out and stayed right there in the tub. Till I picked her up out of the tub and wiped her down. I guess that is a sign that she has been well trained by the groomer. I will have to tell Janine, when I see her next.

Kylie lets us know when the mailman is here and any other person for that matter. Other dogs are not to trespass either. For that matter no squirrels, rabbits or chipmunks. Yes, she is the keeper of this house, watching over us to make sure we are okay.

Well, I could go on, as you can see my "Heart would be empty without Kylie" I think God gives us pets for a reason.....so we can feel the unconditional love of God Himself!!!

You have a great day and keep looking up. Enjoy your April Fool's Day....hope not too many tricks are played on you. Cheers ~ Louise

Merry Christmas♥

Hi everyone. Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas. All the rushing around, the buying of presents, wrapping, decorating, cooking and baking have all come to a screehing halt and finally we can actually remember what this season is really about. It's not about "US, YOU or ME" No, it's about Jesus and his birth over two thousand years ago. Of whom it was predicted would come....but no one believed and there are still some....still waiting. Won't they be surprised when Jesus comes back a Second time?

I love these pictures....although they are not quite scriptural...because the 3 wise men did not show up at the home of Mary and Joseph till after Jesus was 2 years old. Nope...they were never there, just the shepherds. Actually, it is said that Jesus was born in October, because the shepherds brought the sheep into the barns in November/December. Guess it might have gotten a little chilly about then. (Did you happen to see how much snow Israel got last week...so, yes, it just may have been cold for those that lived in desert places back then)

This is probably my favorte picture (below) of that "Holy Night" Just Mary and Joseph, an angel and the animals watching over Jesus. The greatest gift of all times is the gift that God gave us....Jesus.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son (Jesus). That whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Now...we march on to 2014....I pray this new year will be your best ever and that if you have not done so....Ask Jesus into your heart and ask Him to forgive all your sins, big and small alike. He is a forgiving God and no matter what you might have done, He'll wash it all away as if it never happened. Make Jesus your Lord and Savior, then you too can know that if you would die this very moment in time, that you will be in heaven...believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Well, you have a wonderful Christmas and keep looking up for your redemption does truely draw nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

Happy Valentine's Day Pizza

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Here is my special Valentine present to JP at 1:00am this morning when he got home from work.
 Made the crust from a package mix, shaped the dough into a heart then baked for 6 minutes at 450 degrees.

After cooling down a bit, (time was 12:30am...much too early to finish decorating and bake.)
Something different I used, instead of tomato sauce or pizza sauce,  I used Mild Enchilada Sauce.  Sliced mini-peppers, pepperoni, Italian turkey sausage, (geez, what was I thinking, forgot the mushrooms and onions.)

In this picture the pizza is all decorated and sprinkled with Mozzarella cheese and ready to bake.
Baked at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Well, as you can see, the pizza is cut and robbed of some yummy pieces. So now I am wondering, can a shamrock pizza be made......hummmmmmm????

 Have you noticed my pizza pan, not the most beautiful of pizza pans, but.....it has seen lots of pizzas in it's day and probably many, many more to come. I think this pan is over 40 years old.....guess some people would throw this baby out....but hey, it still works, it's a little warped, but I like it. I have a newer pan in the cabinet, but I hardly use it....I always grab for this one for cookies, roasting vegies and baked chops and chicken AND of course PIZZA!!!

Well, I took some pictures of the cards I made at Betty's house on Tuesday....they turned out really cute, that will be in my next blog along with my Children's cards 5 & 6. 
So you all have a great Valentine's Day and enjoy and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise

!!! Problems In Life !!!

Cute huh?!?! Maybe we should all "sit on our problems"??? There sure are alot of problems in this world, it's no wonder people are getting very angry. Prices going up everyday on everything we eat, gas, clothes, etc.......who can afford to live...........ONLY THE RICH! I just read an item on the Internet, that a husband and wife are having a hard time making ends meet and they make $100,000.00 a year!!! My gosh, just give me $30,000.00 of that, I could do it and still get some bills paid!!!! Guess we all put our priorities on certain things that others don't and visa-versa!!!

So how is your day going blog friend??? We are well, it's Friday and the weekend is here........these days are just sailing by so fast, my mother used to say "don't wish your life away, it will go fast enough" a very true statement although I did not believe it back then, cause life could not go fast enough for me then............geez........slow down world, it's going to fast now!!!!

Lot's of things happening to JP and I. Yesterday we went to the cardiologist for JP, his arm pains him alot.......seems he has a pinched nerve, but the Dr. said we could take some measures to find out what the problem is, for now he put him on a mild heart medication. Blood tests in a month and another visit to the Dr. Then decide if there is something surgical that can be done for the arm or maybe there is a blockage.

I have to go on diabetes medication and cholesterol medication.......I am not to happy about that. Thought the Dr said he would give me a year to get my act in gear......guess this diabetes is hard to beat and seems to bounce all over the boards everyday, up and down like my weight.......oh well, it is hell getting old!!!! Just as soon as I lose a few pounds my brain kicks in and sabotages my body and says "oh go ahead and eat that, it won't harm you" yeah, right......and what happens? Those 2 pounds are gained back..............honestly, losing weight is a frustration to me!!!!

Well, I think I will close this blog for today, have to get ready to go to the store and get some bread and meat.....keep looking up for your redemption draweth nigh!!!
Cheers~Louise

Beautiful Heart Valentine Card

Here's my newest "Beautiful Heart Valentine Card" posted this card in my etsy store, go to: www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com The card is selling for $3.00+postage and you can pay thru "PayPal" or use your credit card. This was a simple card to make, the stamp was found at a sale for $2 and the background stamp for $2 also.

The card was made by layering with a couple of layers of cardstock, the heart stamped in black and penned in with a sparkle gel pen. Pearls embellish the card at four corners and also on the heart.

Big storm coming tomorrow and Wednesday.......hopefully it skips us. Chicago is supposed to get hit really bad. It will be like the storm of 1967 whewwwww that was a long time ago, I was 21 then, now that IS a long time ago!!! Yikes!!!! 43 years ago!!!! Yep, just as the Bible says, our lives are just "a puff of smoke" a vapor that fades away. Things that were so important when we are younger, fade away and are forgotten...........life is a vapor.

Watching the news tonight and the news commentator said there is just 48 days till spring. So maybe that will make things look a little more cheery for the first day of February, at least the snow won't be lasting very long. AND February is a SHORT month also...........so cheers, not much longer and beautiful Spring will be here with the rain, mosquitos, bugs and bees. Lovely!!!!

Well, time to close this blog, so have a good day and a LOVELY February!!!
~Louise~

September 3, 1918

This will be short...............every year, on this date, I think about my earthly Father. He would have been 91 years old today if his life had not been cut short by a heart attack at the age of 42. Sad, I still miss him after 48 years. I sometimes wonder, had my dad lived longer, would things have been different? Would I have been in a different place, spiritually, physically and mentally? I will always wonder.

I loved my dad very much, the sun rose and set on him. Oh well, life does go on, with and without people you love. You try and do the best you can with what you got and just keep going. I've kept going, but there has always been that little part of me that will always miss her daddy.

Have a great day!!! Told you this would be a short one.
Louise