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
 

Revealed Cards from the Party Last Week Part 1

Hi there everyone. Well, here we are, one week into November already. I shall be 71 years old this month....yikes!!! My mind still thinks young but I give myself sooooo much to do, problem is my body is having a hard time keeping up with all the things my mind wants to do. Okay....maybe someday I will figure this out. My mother never told me old age would be tuff.....she always said, "Everything is calm and quiet." I am still waiting for those calm and quiet days!!!!

As promised in my previous post, these are the cards from the revealing party a week ago already. We are starting a new session, but I have yet to receive the name of my new partner in crime.....I already know what images I will be sending for the next 6 months, so it will be fun to see what the new friends images will be.

So in this froggy picture, I did the card on the right and Janine did the card on the left. Ribbit....ribbit...ribbit!!! Janine sent the frog images, so I have 10 more frogs in my image stash....lol!

Janine sent the images of the Master Gardener, garden tools and seeds. Her card in on the left and my card on the right.

I sent Janine 12 bird images. Her card is on the left and my card on the right. I actually like Janine's card....so cute!!!

I sent the Dragonfly images, my card is on the right and Janine's is on the left.

I love this blue heron....so glad he is in my possession. I sent Janine 12 images of this lovely bird.  My card is on the right and Janine's card is on the left.

In the card below, I sent Janine 12 images of the rose and pineapple. My card is on the right and Janine's card on the left. As you can see she cut three roses, very pretty.

I have some more cards from the revealing party to share with you....that will be in my next post. 

Not much happening the rest of the this week. We are still raking leaves and getting the yard ready for winter. So much to do and winter is right around the corner. You all have a great night and keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Cards I Made Yesterday and Kimchi Fried Rice

Hi everybody....hope you had a nice Thursday. Guess I was not feeling well last night and really slept in late today, like till 1pm!!! Yikes, this will be a short, short day.

JP left for work at 4pm so I have the evening to watch the Blackhawks play (possibly their last game for the season if they don't win tonight), do this blog and maybe go downstairs and make some cards for Hospice. Oh and I may get some rice cooking for some quick kimchi fried rice.....a recipe I really enjoyed from Blue Apron.

All it is, is 4 ozs. of cabbage, sliced thin, 1 Tbs. rice vinegar, 1/4 onion and a kimchi spice blend of gochugaru, sugar garlic powder, ginger, black and white sesame seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and toss thoroughly to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the rice has been cooking, it will be added to the cabbage and cooked, salt and peppered till the cabbage is well cooked. Then serve with whatever meat is going along with the meal. Tonight it is Burgundy Pepper steak. (yeah, we eat well, I guess)

So here are some cards I made yesterday at Betty's house. We did a lot of Copic marker coloring and shading....I am not too good at it. I liked the way the flowers turned out. But, my frog did not turn out too well, he should have been a little bit more lighter on the bottom. The back ground is just pattered paper, but adds to the flowers and frog.

Liked the way this card turned out....the little flowers are glued with a tweezers and toothpick...was a very putsey little card to put together, but turned out very nice.

I loved this card. Betty has these markers that don't dry quickly, so you can ink the stamp and stamp it on the card stock and it keeps the color....usually you have to "huff and puff" the stamp to keep moisture on the ink....these stamps, you don't have to "huff and puff" this pretty stamp.

Well, it is always fun to go to Betty's house to learn and get a few new ideas in stamping....it's just a "once a month" meeting, but enjoyable and gets me out of the house.

Pretty soon it will be time to work outside.....and get the pond going and weeds pulled. I think we might order some mulch and mulch the heck out of the front and back yard.....maybe that will keep the weeds at bay.

Well time to close here and get my rice and cabbage chopped as it is the intermission between 1st and 2nd period. I will let you know who won....I am sure you are really interested in knowing....lol!!!
Cheers ~ Louise

April Came in Like a Lamb....I Guess

Hi there everyone. Well, it's the first day of April and April Fool's day.....nope, no one played a trick on me...and I did not play tricks either....guess I am not that much into trick playing. AND, April seemed to come in like a lamb....at least for today. Guess there is snow coming over the weekend, not much I don't think. 

So, today's post is about the cards I have made recently. The rose card and cross card were both made at Betty's card class two weeks ago....see how slow I am in getting things posted??? I love that Rose card.....as I told Betty, I think I will send it to "myself" when my birthday comes around....lol!

The cross card, I thought came out really nice....amazing, I do have this stamp and probably will make a few more....maybe use it for a "sympathy card". I usually don't have sympathy cards on hand, so this would be a good one to have....or it could be an Easter card for next year. The color on the card is chalks and then a fixative spray was used to keep the chalks from smudging.

The following cards are my "vintage lady" cards.....aren't they gorgeous??? A few years ago Betty gave me these pictures that were printed on plastic.....I never used them. At my last class, Betty had some cards made up and I bought a few for samples. She borrowed me her die cut for the frames. Actually the one below is mine....I just bought it the other day at Hobby Lobby. It sure turned out beautiful, I think I will send this to me also....lol!!!

The purple vintage lady below.....gorgeous again....the die cut frame is Betty's. I have made about 10 extra frames so I can make a few more cards using this frame as I need to get this die cut back to her.

The blue vintage lady is another frame I picked up at Hobby Lobby....she turned out lovely too.

In the picture below are the "Steak Tacos and Mole Verde with Radishes and Avocado" from Blue Apron. I made these a few weeks ago....then made them again with flank steak.....goodness these were good. I love the Mole Verde sauce on the steak which was made with tomatillos, spice, chopped pepitas, cilantro and juice of a lime.....gosh, so deliciousness!!!!

My next 3 recipes came yesterday from Blue Apron and they are "Steak and Eggs with Quick Kimchi Fried Rice", "Chicken Fried Chicken with Baked Sweet Potato & Collard Greens" and "Dukkah-Spiced Cod with Warm Beet, Carrot & Arugula Salad"

I have decided to get these meals once a month, so whatever they are.....it will REALLY have to be superb in their presentation and ingredients!!! We'll see what happens. I still enjoy making these meals and learn so much from them, it's like going to culinary school once a month for $60.00...guess that is pretty cheap when I look at it that way.

Well, tomorrow is SATURDAY.....yay, how I love Saturday's!! It's  supposed to rain or snow, I think I will go downstairs and make some more cards....Hospice meeting is next Friday....so I need to get some cards put together for that. You may see another post with cards I made and probably one of the recipes from Blue Apron.

Time to close....it's getting late and I need to start thinking about JP coming home and what to make for his dinner. Probably leftover spaghetti and chicken, toast, fruit...maybe a salad too. I guess this is why I always have dishes in the sink, I can never quite catch up with dirty dishes.

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

Looking Forward To.....

Hi there everyone...guess I have been "MIA" again. Just not a lot of things to write about....winter starts to get a little bit long by this time. Although the snow is beginning to melt and the birds are tweeting louder...so it is feeling like Spring.

I am looking forward to Spring and my gardens, flowers and trickling water in the pond. Bringing out all my ceramic animal creatures.....there's just something about Spring....you know??

Maybe this year, I will be able to "ENJOY" the Summer and my backyard. Sickness won't be a focal point in my life this year. It's hard to believe a Hernia can rule one's life the way that hernia did.

These are my little Cosmos....I bought some little plants and also planted some seeds. I am thinking there may be some volunteer cosmos coming this year....hand hardly wait to see what happens.

These "Brown Eyed Susan's" volunteer every year in my front yard. I wish they would volunteer in the backyard too....maybe cause it is not that sunny. Front yard is all sun.

Tulips.....love those tulips, I was not able to plant new bulbs last Fall, because of being sick with the hernia......maybe this Fall some new bulbs will get planted. (geez...the thought of Fall, put that out of my mind.)

My Crocuse's growing along side the house....a sure sign of spring when they show their little flowers.

Another picture of my little babbling pond....gosh I love the sound of water trickling....oh, but I guess the pond was not trickling in this shot.....but it sure looks nice.

My lovely rose of summer....can't be any more beautiful. I must make a copy of this rose and frame it. (Some day)

This past week I have been working on getting papers together for  Income Tax time. Be glad when this is over and the refund comes, then I can breathe a bit. I am hoping that we will get enough of a refund that I can buy a new (used) stove. My stove is going on 25-30 years and a couple of burners do not work along with the clock and timer......with all the cooking I do, a new stove is needed, tools of the trade, right???

JP's family was here last Friday....they got here about noon and left at 2:30....not a long visit....we went to Festival food and got some take out food at the salad bar, which is always good. They wanted to get back to Chicago before it got too late and the kids were a bit crabby too...so time to leave.

Sunday, I am going to a Stampin' Up Camp. Those are always fun. I will post the cards I make on Monday. They will be mostly Birthday cards....so that will be neat. I need some ideas for Hospice, cause next week is my Hospice meeting and I need to get about 50 cards put together.

Next week I have my Blue Apron meals coming....that seems to be the highlight of my week is cooking something different. I bought a plantain banana today...I am going to fry it in the next few days. I saw a recipe from Blue Apron doing that, do you think I can find that recipe...nope, so I guess I will try www.cooks.com. one of my favorite places to go for recipes.

Well, time to close, need to get some dishes done and dinner cooked before JP comes home. Have a great day tomorrow and keep looking up.....better days are coming!!! Cheers ~ Louise

Garden Walk on Saturday 15th

Hi Everyone. Well today I am taking you on a Garden Walk JP and I went on Saturday the 15th. The weather was threatening to rain but it didn't rain till the evening.

House #1 ~ In the above picture we are at a garden in Appleton that had 703 different types of hostas. My goodness it was a gorgeous back yard. Oh and with different backyard decks, which I did not take pictures of, but I could see one being the morning deck for coffee and the second deck being the dinner deck. (sigh-dream, dream, dream)

In the picture above of the same garden walk is this cute idea of an old wooden ladder with a cute little clememtis climbing up.......I thought was very cute, we shall be on the look out for an old ladder now. Not sure where I will put it though.

In this picture is one of the many hostas, with a lovely rose growing by it. Not sure of it's name, but I thought it was so very lovely what with the wind chimes chiming and the roses growing.

House #2 ~ This metal watering can caught my eye the moment we walked up to this garden.....I said Jay, I need to get a metal watering can and bird bath.........sooooo cute! The can is hanging from a shepherds hook and there are rocks inside the watering can to keep it hanging at the angel it is. Little crystals hang from the spout to look like water. Sweet.

House #2 ~ Had this cute garden bench along side the garden shed, another thing to make for my back yard. I do have a door already, just need to find a wooden table........cute, cute, cute!!! Some people are so creative!!!!

 House #3 ~ This back yard was just totally beautiful.......so big and lucious. I love the way they designed a garden next to their garden shed. There was another garden on the other side, but alas I did not take a picture of it.

 House #3 ~ had many trees in their back yard with lots of different hostas growing under the trees. Very pretty.

 House #4 ~ They had this beautiful water fountain, oh golly it was just beautiful sounding, there were goldfish in this pond. The water was going down two sides of the fountain.

 House #4 ~ Here is a lovely fire-pit. Really a nice back yard. The people had pictures of what their yard looked like over the years and there was once a round swimming pool where the fire-pit is sitting. There was a big deck and a bath house with another little fountain......then you walked down some steps and up some more slab steps all the while walking along a little creek. Very rustic and most beautiful.

House # 4 ~ this was the walk up to the front yard.....they found some blue mulch to distingquish the walk and where the plants are.......in the background is a ceramic deer.......was a very nice walk.

We missed one house and started our Garden Walk at the Extension Office, I didn't take any pictures there. Although if you go down about 4-5 blogs you will find the 15th annual plant sale at the Extension Office. I took a few pictures that day of their garden.

Well I think I shall close this blog for today.........there has been alot of storms going through, I've shut down the computer twice already. Sooo, now I think I will go downstairs and work on some cards and try to get a few cards into my Etsy store and on here.....talk later.

Take care and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh.

Cheers ~ Louise

Pretty White Flowers from My Garden and a Garage Sale

Don't even know what these are called, but they have taken over the whole side of my front porch.

Beautiful white Rose!

A Pretty White Zenia!

Almost all white with splashes of blue Morning Glories!!!

This is just the beginning of my beautiful blooms this summer. With Fall almost upon us, the flowers are showing all their glory....God is so creative, there is no way that "Man" can duplicate God's handiwork!!!

Well, I have been diligently working on my garage sale. I thought possibly I would get one day this week to sell, but no, just not finished bringing stuff up from the basement. Do I have that much stuff??? Goodness, I need to have a garage sale every 6 months to get rid of the things I just needed to have but don't need now?????? Does that make sense? Still have to mark everything with a price. Going to sell  161 cards, Happy Birthday, Thinking of You and Seasonal Cards for $1 each. I have some stamps, CD's, DVD's, cooking stuff and glass ware, some exercise stuff, a rocker, bike rack, dog kennel and a lot of misc. stuff.

I am hoping that I will make a good hunk of change, as I am needing a new computer before this one conks out on me. The Home Depot guy said my computer is way over due. Computers last maybe 3-4 years. My computer is over 8 years old. It is running VERY slow, so maybe it is time to replace it. SOOOOOO a garage sale is needed to unload and renew!!!!

Well, I need to close for today, get some work done on my Garage sale. The sale will be next week, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.....that would be long enough for me. Will probably place an ad on www.craigslist.com as the ads are free and maybe just maybe I might get lots of people to stop by.

Need to make a run to WGR for my free whisk and Salvation Army for free bread (got a box of banana's to dry too)........so need to close. You all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption is drawing nigh!!! Cheers to you ~ Louise

Cards in the Making and Some Already Made

Here are some pictures of my Little Girl Smelling Roses from Door County. 16 girls in the process of being bleached and painted with Twinkling H2O's. Just started painting the bottom 3 cards last night, so not quite finished. I used different colored cardstock to see how they would bleach up. Will be interesting to see how they turn out, each card will have it's very own personality when finished.

This card is in the process of being made into a card, right now I just have it laying on a white brick background. Have not decided how to embellish it yet.

Have you got any ideas, leave a comment.In this picture, the card is in it's finished state. I had another card almost like her, but in a different colored dress, she was cut out and mounted on fancy vellum, she sold for $4 right away!!!

I was pleased.

So there you have it for this blog. Go to my etsy store, www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com I am going to put up my little girl for sale there today and see what happens to her. In the next few days I should be putting up some cards I made but they did not make it to Etsy.

Hope you are having a "Glad Day" (Psalms 90:15) in the Lord Jesus Christ!!

Louise