Before and After ~ The Pond

Hi there everyone. It's a lovely day today. Paid a few bills and went to Sam's Club. JP ran out of oatmeal, peanut butter and prunes....I like to buy in bulk, it lasts longer that way. JP likes his oatmeal every morning. Peanut butter on apples, bread or by the tablespoons and 4 prunes a day.....to keep the doctor away???? Oh that's right, I forgot his apples!!!! Well there is still tomorrow.

So today I thought I would do some before and after's. The above picture was taken March 21st....as you can seen not much was growing. I wanted to get some pictures taken before "Rebuilding Together" people came. I think in this picture the pond is turned over....kind of hard to see. Nope....not turned over, I have it sitting up right.

The above picture was taken last summer 2014. I still had the pond sitting on top of the ground and the rocks built up around it.....it worked nicely, but a little unclassy looking. The goose did not mind though, as long as he was near the water.

In the above picture is "After" Rebuilding Together people came and fixed my pond and added an electrical outlet on the outside of the garage. They dug a hole and placed the pond in the hole and built the rock around the pond.....Mr. Goose is most happy now and can actually reach into the pond for a drink of water. You can't see him from here....but Mr. Frog is perched in his happy place and ready to jump in. I shall have to get a better picture at a later date. The Rebuilding people added flowers and red mulch. Yes, it is very, very pleasant out by the pond......I shall enjoy my backyard this summer. As long as the mosquitoes stay away and don't bite me.....geez they are mean this year.

I have added some new lights to my yard......I love the twinkling of lights at night time. So pretty.

Well it is time to walk Kylie for her evening walk. For tonight's jobs to accomplish, I have my spices to unpack and put in the cabinet and my antiquey things to put on the shelf above the refrigerator. Gosh I guess next place to work on is the basement. I have yet to make a few cards......have just been so busy re-nesting, have not had time to make cards. Hospice meeting is next week and I have no cards to give to them....oh oh!!!

Tomorrow is my appointment with the dentist for a "deep cleaning" he will be doing half my mouth.....Novocain and laughing gas are on order for me so I don't get too nerved up. Hope all goes well and I can be so relaxed that I doze off.

Hey....'da Hawks are playing the Ducks tonight....so I need to watch that and record "American Picker" one of my favorite shows. So you all have a good night and keep looking up!!!!
Cheers ~ Louise

And the Winners of This Lovely Card are.....

Hi there everyone...hope you are having a good day. So we got home from church today, and the first thing I did was pick the 4 names out of the bowl. And....these are the winners of this lovely Victorian Valentine card.

1 - Patricia - www.patricia-heythereitsme.blogspot.com
2 - Tina - www.kittykatkards.blogspot.com
3 - Brenda - www.inkspiredtostamp.blogspot.com
4 - Biz - www.mybizzykitchen.com

Hope you will visit their blogs also.....I visit them daily, always looking forward to what they have posted and getting some new idea, whether it be card making, food making, exercise or just a little encouragement in daily life.

Tina recently posted a great recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake....oh my was that DE-LISH-OUS!!!!! Oh and she makes some really neat cards and sells on Etsy too.
Biz posts wonderful ideas about food, dieting and exercise...she is a daily visit....and I must have something to eat before I read her blog because I drool over the food she makes!! She has entered a couple of Recipe Contests and is a contender to win 10k for a pizza she made. Can hardly wait to see if she wins!!
Brenda always has great ideas about making cards. She lives life day by day tackling the problems she deals with living with a husband who has Alzheimer's.
Patricia took a wonderful cruise to Alaska....it was so refreshing, felt like I had gone there too even if it was via blogland. She posts lots of food too, along with everyday life.

So there you have it, the winners. I will get the cards addressed tonight and sent in the mail tomorrow. Hopefully you will see your card by Valentines Day and the Pony Express moves swiftly through the bad weather that is coming soon.

Have a great night and keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

Christmas Eve Waffles

Hi there everyone. Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas Eve. Got all your shopping done, cooking and baking done? I just got the pork roast with sauerkraut in the oven and will add the potatoes and carrots in about an hour. The bean casserole will be made later, possibly on the menu will be a no-bake cheese pie with cherries on top....sounds yummy. Tomorrow will be leftover pork roast.

One of JP's Christmas gifts is Lox and bagels. So I will pack that box first thing tomorrow morning. He will probably eat it right away. So that will cover his breakfast and lunch. It will be a quiet day for us as we have no children or family here in Appleton.

This morning I made some waffles, plenty of waffles for JP to munch on. Gosh they were good, my choice of toppings, peanut butter and cranberry sauce. Munched them down while making more waffles.

My little waffle maker makes the best waffles....this was just the start of the waffle making, should have taken a picture after all the waffles were made....but you get the idea. There was enough batter to make about 12 of these cakes. Oh so good!!!!

 

I watched a great movie last night from Netflex...."Jersey Boys" about the Four Seasons and their bumpy offstage lives stretches across four decades....it's ironic how Jersey Boys has showcased the group and they are even bigger then ever. I went on Youtube to see Frankie Valli and he is still singing and going on...amazing story!!! So I probably will watch it again downstairs while making a few cards....I have to get some more cards ready for the Hospice meeting in January. Valentines and winter cards are on the agenda.

 

Well, you all have a wonderful day and enjoy the blessings that God has given and don't forget to keep looking up.....the merry go round will slow down and you can get off for a breath of fresh air. Then we will have the NEW YEAR to think about and what it will hold for us all. Take care.

Cheers ~ Louise





♥Coooookies♥and a Recipe♥

Hi everyone, how you all doing?? Keeping your Christmas activities "stress-free"?? So much to do in so little time it seems. Well I have a lot of loose ends to tie up. Finally got all the decorations up. Need to finish up a few more cards which usually contain a letter. I used to do those Christmas letters to everyone, but who wants to read a run-down of everything a person does in the year. My year was not that much different then the previous year...so I guess not alot of news.

Been doing a bit of baking, need to send a package to Pops in Las Vegas. So far I have Buttered Popcorn cookies and Peanut Butter cookies with almond kisses in the center. As you can see in this picture below.

Today I will be making some Georgia Tea Cakes and hopefully packing the package tonight in order to mail it tomorrow. Oh and I am adding a cute little stuffed puppy dog. I Hate to see the lines at the post office tomorrw, but it needs to get done.

The recipe for the Georgia Tea Cakes is really easy....that is why I chose them. Here's the recipe:
1 cup sugar (I might add less)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 - 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Colored Sugars

Intructions:
Mix together sugar, butter, vanilla, egg and milk. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets; sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake @ 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Center should be soft when cooled.

So maybe when I get the cookies baked, I will add the picture to this blog at the end of the day so you can see what they look like. If you would like the recipe for the Buttered Popcorn cookies here is the address: http://www.milkandmode.com/2012/11/buttered-popcorn-cookies.html?spref=bl the Peanut Butter with kiss centers is from Pillsbury Peanut Butter dough.

After reading this blog a couple of times, I failed to let you know what I thought of the Buttered Popcorn cookies....I really liked them, but then who doesn't like popcorn????

1) The dough was really good and you probably could add just about anything your heart desires to it.

2) The recipe calls for 1/3 cup un-poppedcorn which is equivilant to 4-5 cups of popped popcorn.

3) Mix the dough and popcorn all together then roll into golf sized balls. I found pressing the balls down before baking rather then waiting after they baked, they will be more crispy-er...which is the way I like them. Good Cookies for popcorn lovers.

Well, you all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise