November Stuff

Hi there everyone.....wow, where did this month go to. My mother was right, "the older you get the faster time goes" yep, now I see what she meant.

November has been a little rough for yours truly. Guess that is why I have not blogged that much. Both JP and I have had Doctor appointments, he deals with a lot of health issues. One of his main issues is his constant arm pains, he's dealt with these pains for over 10 years now. The older he gets, the rougher they get.

Well, 12/2 he has an appointment with a pain specialist....I hope this works as all the other Doctors could not find the root problem. On 12/10 he has a sleep test. Hopefully we will know what his problem is soon. 

               

Even though it is still Thanksgiving....Christmas is not far off. I bought a wreath for the front door. My birthday present to me. It's been a long time since I bought a wreath, at least 4-5 years. I thought it was time. Also, a little decoration for the back door too. I shall have to take some pictures. Not sure how much Christmas decorations will be done inside the house....since JP will not be able to help, he always brings the containers up from the basement.

Do you like the snow flake card above? I think this will be my Christmas card to send out to friends this year. Just have to take some time to get them done. Hospice cards are done and dropped off. So now I can zero in on making my cards for this Christmas.

I love this Christmas card. I wish I could find this die, I did give 3 of these cards to family in Chicago and one to a friend last Christmas. So, I will continue to hunt for this die. Maybe when I get extra $$$ I will search more diligently.

I always loved this card....some day I will make this card also....looks pretty easy, just have to find that happy, jolly snowman.

Gosh, I did not realize, this is my 900th blog today....wowsers. Time flies when we are having fun....right?? I started blogging in 2008....12 yrs ago??? Wonderful days before the Corona Virus. After all these months, I am still not used to the masks and they look so funny on people too. But, I will obey the rules and wear the mask, even though I do not like them.

Oh....when I went to the Doctor Monday...he asked if I wanted a flu shot, first I said no, he told me the pros and cons, especially someone like me with diabetes. I thought about it and decided maybe it was time. So I got a shot. Amazed the arm does not hurt and seems there is no side effects to this shot. Maybe it will even protect me from the Corona. My last flu shot had to be when I was still working at the Salvation Army, and that was over 20 years ago....again where did all that time go???

Well, I think I will close here before November passes us by and I didn't get to publish this blog. Have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy those that sit around your table....you are blessed.

Keep looking up, better days are coming....Cheers ~ Louise

Hebrews 12:2 "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throune of God."

Happy Thanksgiving to You All

Hi there everyone. Wanted to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thought, as I was sitting here by the computer, and watching the Macy's Day Parade and the Dog show afterwards.

My little tradition every Thanksgiving Day. I would say hi. Nothing spectacular going on today. Just going to take it easy with a small dinner in a few hours. I am going to make something different today. It's been on my mind. Green bean casserole mixed with noodles. I can see it in my mind, so I thought I would try it. It will be easy for JP to chew, as his teeth are getting real bad. I am also having chicken (already cooked), dressing, gravy, potatoes, cranberries and buns. maybe a pumpkin pie too. Sounds good to me. No turkey today, did not feel like cooking one for just the two of us.

Well you have a great day, keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Some More Cards......Part 2

Hi there everyone. Hope you are all having a great week. Thought I would continue on with the cards I made for my secret stamper. These are the images I sent to Linda. Below, the brown leaves. I just added them to a gold embossed leaves background, then added the green leaf and red ribbon leaves at the top and bottom. In my next post, I will show you what her card looked like using the leaves.

This is one of my favorite dies....it is like a stained glass effect. Then placed on a white card and each of the triangle/squares are colored in with copic markers. I added the "hello there" for special effects.

My favorite.....a flamingo, which is what I sent to Linda. A four layered flamingo then cut out. I added the die cut gold ferns and stamped ferns with a few gems. It most definitely is a jungle out there, isn't it???

Two giraffes, criss-crossing, colored in with copic markers and placed on a banner. The letters "friend" added to the bottom of the banner.

The black waves from Stampin'up. I actually bought the musical notes from Linda's store...how unique it all fell into place.

Here is my lovely vintage lady. She is colored in with copic markers. The back ground is glued and then rubbed shinny foil on the card stock and pulled it off to give this affect. Pretty cool....I really need to play around with it some more. There are many different techniques using the foil. I am just looking for the easiest without having to buy a laminater...is that the word for it???

So I have had this post sitting as a draft for about a week. Sorry I have taken so long to finish it. Been kind of busy this past week. Had my Doctor's appointment......my A1C was at 6.2....that is really pretty good! And, I have lost 35 lbs....Doctor was very happy with my results to say the least. I do feel better....now my next appointment is next May....hopefully I can keep my A1C the same and maybe have lost another 10 lbs. Yeah...it's been a very slow process, but then I did not gain the weight fast.....it crept on very slowly...so now it must crept off very slowly.

This Wednesday is my 72nd birthday...WHAT!!! I can't believe I made it to 72, hey, turn it around and it is 27 that was my favorite year...maybe 72 will be the same.

Are you ready for Thanksgiving. I think I might be. Again, it will be just JP and I. Not planning anything special. If I manage to get a turkey breast, I will put it in my crock pot. My stove is still out of commission. So I have to improvise quite a bit. I found a recipe for microwave pumpkin pie. If it turns out, I will give you the recipe.

Well, I think I will close here, you all have a great Thanksgiving and Black Friday. No, I do not go out shopping on Black Friday. Have no urge to do it either. Keep looking up....better days are just around the corner. Cheers ~ Louise

Secret Stamper Images Pt. 2

Hi there everyone....how's life by you? Well, here we are the first day of Summer!!! Hip-hip-hoo-ray!!! The weather is lovely today, I like it when the weather is in the 70's....so comfortable.

So in my last post I said, I would continue my secret stamper images in 3-4 days....today is day 4 so I thought I better get my rear in gear and do what I said I would do.....(gosh there sure are a lot of "I's" in that last sentence.....6 I's!!! 

November....Tis Thanksgiving of course. I sent the turkey, my card is on the right, secret stamper card is on the left. My background is a napkin....one of my favorite ways of making a card. Glue card stock with a glue stick then layer the card stock with a single layer of the napkin and smooth it out like you would with wallpaper. Makes for a nice effect. I have quite a collection of napkins for every season just about.

December......I sent the green wreath...my card is on the right and secret stamper is on the left. I am always amazed at how the secret stamper comes up with a completely different idea....always fun to see.

In January, I sent the spider holding a heart, thinking in advance for Valentine's Day of course. I liked her little verse. "Your friendship lifts my heart!"

February, I was thinking ahead to Easter with my card on the right and secret stamper on the left. I sent the background. She came up with a great idea for sure.

For March, I sent the green frog. I love this card..."I am hiding, can you find me?" The frog was a digital off the Internet. I cut him out then layered him, cutting his leg and eyes out, then layered him on some succulent patterned paper. My card is on the right, her card is on the left. 

April was the Dragonflies. I had a bunch of these dragonflies colored in, so I thought it would be fun to see what the secret stamper would come up with. My card is on the right, hers on the left.

So there you have it....we have started a new session already....May and June with July coming up. I better start thinking about what I will send to my secret stamper for July. Something summery, I am sure!!!

If you have noticed on my blog....I have not added any more cards to my Etsy store. The items that are still in the store all expire in September. After that, I will be closing my store. I will have been on Etsy 10 1/2 years and only had 67 items sold. I have decided, it's not worth it for me anymore. Everything is for a season, and I guess my season on Etsy has passed. Etsy is also making a few changes and I guess I just don't feel like jumping through the hoops with more learning curves....nope, not no more. That's okay, I was never much of a good entrepreneur. I have tried many times to sell things. I have made cards, crafts, etc. grown vegies and sold eggs, or sold for someone else (ie. Mason Shoes, Herbalife). Guess I am just not a good salesperson. So, I guess for now on...I will just donate or give away.....that's what people like much better, everything for free. Maybe I have been dealing with a bunch of liberals and didn't realize it. Now a days….you just don't know.

On that note, I will close this post for today. Stay tuned, next post will be either about my little garden or the cards we made at Betty's. Talk later, have a great evening and keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Cards, Hospice and Plantings

Hi there everyone. Sorry....I have been missing again, living life can sometimes get in the way!! We have had a few doctor and dentist appointments along the way, since my last post on May 3rd.

JP had another tooth pulled again. Pretty soon he won't have many teeth left in his mouth...my cooking skills will have to change to accommodate his toothless mouth. Plus, the Doctor said today his cholesterol was getting a little high, which means we have to lower that with a different meal plan. (Doctor wanted to put him on medication, but JP did not want to be put on more meds.....more meds means more side affects.)

More fish and chicken, less red meat and maybe cut down on the carbs. That would help me a bit, then I won't have to cook two different kinds of meals. What he eats, I can eat and what I eat, he can eat. We have 3 months to work on his diet and I think, 6 months before I see the doctor again for my A1C and lose a few more pounds. My A1C was down a few points. 6 months ago it was 6.7 the 1st of May it was 6.2. I attribute it to the keto diet. Less carbs that turns to sugar. Maybe JP will find more energy in his step, he always seems tired.

So these following cards are what I made last month at Betty's. I really love the card above, plumbers tape placed on card stock and run through the cuttlebug. Then we took alcohol inks and dabbed on the tape. Added the butterfly and embossed the birthday wishes verse. Pretty easy peasy.

This is a really cute card. On the front of the card you see the frog taking a dip into the water. As you can see, acetate was used, stamped on ovals, the inside of the card is the frog coming up for air....funny card...we all laughed when we saw this card.

This was an easy card to put together. The little bird was colored in with copic markers and cut out. The green was white and we colored it, stamping the dots and star flowers, adding the thank you and speckles for embellishments.

The card below was another easy card. Colored the flowers and stamped the verse and added the ribbon. Love the colors.

Wednesday we have another session of card making at Betty's, I always look forward to making cards and getting new ideas. 

I have 3 weeks to get more cards made for Hospice, then that will be our last meeting till September. We get the summer off...that is always nice, then I can leisurely make cards and get geared up for the next session and Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas! Gosh....time do fly when we make cards according to the seasons.

I have done a little planting....onions, radishes and spinach.....not too sure the spinach seeds will grow, as they are vintage '92, just thought I would try. I did buy some new spinach seeds today....tomorrow I will plant them along side the old seed and see which grows 1st......any guesses??? I will show you in the next post my planter, I am pretty excited about it and maybe getting some vegies this year.

Well, time to close here....it's getting late and I am getting tired. Talk later. Keep looking up cause better days are coming around the corner. Cheers ~ Louise

Last Day of November

Hi there everyone. Finally getting to my blog.....can you believe today is the last day of November??? I love this picture below.....reminds me of my dog Hyko, he will be gone 5 years on the 5th of December....my how the time flies.

So tomorrow is Hospice day....we will be meeting at Perkins for breakfast....yum, I can hardly wait. I have all my cards done, maybe after I finish this post, I will go downstairs and add a few more cards to the collection. 

Went to the eye doctor today for my yearly diabetic eye exam. There was no evidence of diabetic retinopathy. I did have a retinal hole in the right eye....and had focal laser performed in the office. Gosh, after dilation of my eyes....my pupils got really big....and everything was SO bright!!! So I napped most of the day so I could keep my eyes closed.....too, too, bright!!!

We had a nice Thanksgiving. I made ham, mashed potatoes, bean casserole, dressing, gravy, biscuits oh and pumpkin pie with whipped cream....yum. I brought a dinner over to a friends house and sat with her for a couple of hours. She had been in a nursing home for 2 1/2 months for knee surgery with complications. She did not know what she was going to do about Thanksgiving, so I offered to bring her dinner. We had plenty.

I've been putting up Christmas ornaments....little by little. Maybe Saturday I will get the rest up. I still have not put leaves in my rose bushes to keep them warm for the winter, maybe Saturday will be a good day to do that.

Well, this is sort of a boring post, but I wanted to get one more in before December 1st and let you know I am alive and still kicking. You all have a great evening and keep looking up....better days are coming.

Cheers ~ Louise

A Blessed Thanksgiving To You!!!

Wishing you all that visit my blog and Blessed Thanksgiving today. We have much to be thankful for day in and day out. We still live in a FREE COUNTRY....that is much to be thankful for! God is still our God and none other. When our fore-fathers founded this Great Country, it was under the Inspiration and Influence of the Holy Spirit, they were walking in the spirit, their God is still Our God today. Always keep Him ever before you day in and day out and your blessings will flow daily!! Have a great day in the Lord.
Cheers ~ Louise

Cards We Made At Betty's

Hi there everyone. How is your Fall going? Can you believe, in 5 days "Daylight Saving Time" ENDS and we are back to the long nights and things getting dark at 5:00pm uge....uge....uge!

This will be a short post, as I need to get down stairs to make my Hospice cards.....I am REALLY behind this month, guess there was just too much going on in the month of October. 

The card above was made with water color pencils and the tree stamped...I like this one....very pretty. I need that tree and those posts!!!!

Here's a cute turkey for Thanksgiving, he was just colored in with copic markers and a bunch of punched out leaves for embellishments.

A cute little chickadee for Christmas. This is a cute Christmas card....wish I had the pine cones and branches.....I would make a couple of these cards for sure.

All this card entailed was a die-cut and sequins....how easy-peasy!!!

We had our revealing party on Sunday....it sure was fun to see what the other stampers came up with. In my next post I will blog the cards I received and sent and the comparison between the two. It was fun to see what the lady who had my name and what she came up with the images I sent her.

After the meeting a few of us went out to a Chinese Buffet....I stuffed myself....but it sure was good food. 

It was a fun weekend. Saturday, I went to the show with friend Betty. We saw "Let there be Light" it was very good movie. Sean Hannity, who is the Executive Producer said that this weekend alone, the movie came in second to one of the secular movies. Next weekend the movie will open in 300 more movie houses. So I guess it is doing really good.

After the movie, we went to Perkins, we got a cheese burger and fries.....deconstructed. The French fries were the bed with burger, cheese, lettuce and tomato AND deep fried pickles on top of the fries....oh yeah baby....that was good too!! Now I want to get that again....oh and if you order it after 9pm to 6am it's half-price. WHAT a DEAL!!! I like DEALS!!! Maybe sometime after JP gets home from work, we could run over to Perkins and get a take-out,

Well time to close....guess this post was longer then I expected. I have a rhubarb pie in the oven right now....after baking, I shall have to go down stairs and work on my Hospice cards. So you all have a good night and keep looking up, better days are coming.

Cheers ~ Louise

PS....oh yum I smell rhubarb pie!!!!!!

7th Game - They WON and a Few Cards for Hospice

Hi there everyone....how are the first few days of November treating you??? Ours not so good....we got the results of my husband's prostrate biopsy. It's not a good report. He has cancer, but it is a "slow growing cancer" maybe that is a good report. At this point we are not sure what will happen. The Doctor says this could go two ways. We can watch it and see how fast or slow it is growing by doing more biopsies. Operation, and take the prostrate out. Or radiation, but he did not think that would be a good option.

Next week we have another meeting with the Doctor and if we have questions that is when we will talk things out. JP wants to talk to his brother first. John called tonight, so I was able to fill him in on a few things and he will call JP tomorrow.

The 7th game of the World Series is playing right now. So I thought I would blog a bit. I guess I could have gotten fancy and put the Cubs decal up or something. Maybe next post....(darn the Indians just scored 1-1, okay, that's enough Indians!!). Yeah...score is 5-1 Cubbies just scored again and while I was on the phone with John.

Our Heartland Hospice meeting is this Friday. I've got 75 cards put together, Christmas, Birthday, Thank You, Thinking of You and Thanksgiving. Following are some of the cards that are included in the box...these are not all of them. I simply would bore you with all the pictures.

In the picture below a card made with a Christmas napkin. The napkin is peeled down to the first layer then glued on card stock and smoothed out and left to dry. Then I glue the card stock on a card and embellish the card with speckles...see the glittery look? I made quite a few cards using this technique. Christmas trees, a few different snowmen and Santa too.

Here is my Great Blue Heron....I sure do like this stamp....will probably make lots more of these cards. The Heron is stamped and colored in with copic markers. The layered on card stock and lacy material paper (the name of this paper escapes me at this moment), then I ran some washi tape down the side and added a greeting.

The card below is a recycled card....layered it on sparkling wrapping paper and card stock. The card might have been a post card then I embellished the card with speckles for that glittered look.

The card below was a card I made at Betty's house. The flowers were stamped with different colored  inks, it was not necessary to huff on the inks to make them stamp, as they were special inks allowing you to ink and stamp. I think the flowers were then die cut and raised on the card.

Now this card is my favorite Christmas card....die cut sleigh and houses. "Silent night" is stamped and a pretty trinket added. The background is snowflakes run through the cuttlebug and silver speckles embellish the snowflakes and the edge of the card where the sleigh rides.

Last but not least are these Christmas cards.....I made a whole bunch of these cards a couple of years ago. The scene is embossed with gold then the card was run through a cuttlebug, cutting out the Christmas tree. I layed some sparkly wrapping paper under the scene to pop out the tree. Pretty simple, but very pretty.

Well, the Cubs and Indians are still playing....the score is 6-3, Cubs winning and we are in the 7th.

I think I need to turn the heat on...getting a little bit chilly in this house. Love the weather for November......maybe it will stay nice like this till my Birthday....but then, there is always snow falling around my birthday.......we shall see, as the 21st will draw near pretty fast.

Oh-OHHHHHH Not good, the Indians just scored, it's 6-6!!!!!! Will the Cubs win????? Now we are in the 9th and Cubs are up. It's starting to rain now in Cleveland.....what next!!!

YAY!!!! The Cubs won the World Series....how exciting!!! 8-7....what a game. 1908 was the last time they won the series....that is a very long draught!!!! You have a great day and keep looking up cause better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Happy Thanksgiving 2-U

Hi there everyone. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Ours was quiet, which is just fine with me. We slept in till 10:30am....phone was ringing so that woke us up. JP's brother from Chicago was calling. I putzed around on the computer and played scrabble with the neighbor next store for awhile till the computer started acting stupid. Then I shut it down and took a shower.

About 3:00 I left the house to go to a friends house to feed her cat, Misty and clean the litter. Hung around for awhile and talked to her, then turned the radio on for her so maybe she would think someone was in the house....we will see how Misty is tomorrow. I will take a picture of her so you can see how cute she is. I was actually surprised she came to me, maybe she thought I was Delores coming home.

I came home and got our Thanksgiving dinner going. I had already cooked the turkey last night....just a breast this time around, that is enough for JP and I. Also made this wonderful Mac & cheese with turnips and kale....a very good vegi dish. If you google in "Cavatappi Mac & Cheese with Purple Top Turnip and Kale" the Blue Apron's recipe will come up and you can print it off. I never worked with turnips before, so that was a first. Yeah...I would make this again, maybe try different vegies to go with the cavatappi.

So our Thanksgiving dinner included the mac and cheese, turkey, salad, turkey and gravy. See those triangle thingy's? That is Nann crackers topped with melted Brie cheese and a little bit of fig jam.....mmmmmvery good. I do have Turkey soup on the stove...so that should be good. I want to stretch this turkey breast as far as I can....after all, I paid $20.00 bucks for it.

Didn't make a pumpkin pie for today.....but maybe tomorrow. I baked the last pumpkin yesterday, but did not turn it into a pie. Did make a couple of pies last week for my birthday....finished both pies off by Monday. Pies don't last long here....heaven for bid they would get OLD!!!!

Here is a really good recipe from Blue Apron. Here is their site. "Mushroom Browned Butter Cavatelli with Lactnato Kale & Soft-Boiled Eggs" I learned one thing with this one....see that egg??? I have an antique egg cooker, it's over 50 years old and still makes some darn good eggs. Anyways, I followed Blue Apron's way of cooking the soft boiled egg, boil the water and place the egg in the water for 6 minutes then put under cold water.....nope, my egg was WAY too runny. So I brought out my trusty antique egg cooker and got the perfect egg....see the above egg. But yeah....I would make this dish again too.

Here is the "Cavatappi Mac & Cheese with Purple Top Turnip and Kale" Yumm this was really good...making the cheese sauce from scratch.....I think JP will get more mac & cheese dishes with maybe spinach and peppers....this was a very good recipe.

Here's what was left after Wednesday night. I could have eaten the whole dish, but that would have been 1400 calories in one sitting. Plus I thought I better leave some for JP and hopefully some for Thanksgiving Day. Which in pictures 1 & 2 you can see there was still half the casserole left. Yay for us.

So I guess I shall finish this blog and go downstairs and make some cards. I have Hospice cards to finish by the 4th before the meeting and then start my own Christmas cards....I better hurry. I want to get my little tree up soon....have some new lights for it...this year, my tree will be in blue and white lights and ornaments. Looking forward to decorating this year....you can see, I am feeling 100% better compared to just a few months ago. That hernia took it's toll.

Well, the Packers are playing the Bears....guess this is the first time they are playing at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving Day since the 1920's.....geez that is a long time. Hope they win this one. During the Half-time they are going to retire Bret Farve's jersey...bringing tears to the eyes already....but that must be the plugs in my eye lids to keep them from drying....lol!!!

Well you all have a great evening and keep looking up, better days are a comin'. Cheers ~ Louise

Another BA Meal and More Snowmen

Hi there everyone. Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I did, yeah it was my 69th birthday...we did nothing special, but I was able to do what I wanted. Instead of going out to eat, I made this wonderful meal from Blue Apron see their link here. "Seared Chicken & Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds with Chestnut and Brussels Sprout Pan Sauce." Oh my, we were both oohing and ahhing at the same time. This was such a good meal. JP loved the sweet potatoes cooked the way they were. Sliced then placed on a pan, oil, salt and pepper and baked for 20-25 minutes at 475 till tender and browned. The Brussels sprouts were deleafed and pan fried with chestnuts then the butter, lemon zest  and sauce was added. I did add the onions also.

The chicken was pan fried, patted, salt and pepper then floured on both sides till browned. The bottom picture was plated with both chicken breasts and the vegies, so we just ate up the whole platter. YES....I would make this again. I suspect if you type in Seared Chicken and Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds....you might get a recipe from someplace. I think I shall have to try that, just to see what happens. Try this recipe, you will truly love it.
Note: yep that is what happens...you type in the name of the recipe and it will take you to the Blue Apron recipe....perfect.

So here are some of my snowmen cards that I have put up in my Etsy store. These cards were lots of fun to make. Made from Christmas napkins then I just used speckles to emboss the snowmen. Each card is $3.00 so 4 cards = $12.00 + shipping $2.50.

The cards in this next picture, I will put up in my Etsy store tonight. Made with Christmas napkins and speckled. These cards will go for $9.00 + shipping.

In the two pictures below are the cards I sent off in the mail today....took a picture of them so I could remember what they look like, and make them again. Gosh, I may have to buy a set of speckles....running low on red and green.

There were 9 different Snowman cards.....love, love them all. In all I sent 21 cards, there was a set of 8, a set of 4 and a set of 3.....Hope she likes them.

I bought my turkey the other day.....just bought a breast and will roast that on Thanksgiving day. We'll have dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce (the real stuff, not canned) bean casserole and baked potato. If I get out to the store again, I want to get some sweet potatoes and cook them the way I did in the first two pictures....roasted....gosh they were good. We will probably have pumpkin pie or maybe cheese cake from Festival foods....yes, we will eat well and there will be left overs for a couple of days......we truly are blessed beyond measure.

Well, you have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your family and friends. Keep looking up, things will get better.
Cheers ~ Louise

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

Hi there everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Now we head into the Christmas season like a bull let loose in a china store!!!! Yikes! What a mess!!!!

As I have not put up Christmas as yet....thought I would go back into my picture archives and brings up some Christmas pictures from 2013. Most likely this is what decorations will look like for 2014....not a lot of changes.

This is my little table Christmas tree. I thought about buying a new little "white" tree....but I am not sure yet. I like the idea of turning it into a "snowman" as you can see in my banner picture....I thought he was rather cute....where ever do people come up with these ideas...it amazes me. I had a white Christmas tree years ago and all the decorations were red. It sure was a pretty tree. JP and I were the only ones to enjoy it though....family never showed up. They did not like our living conditions....we were living together and that was not acknowledged back then....we are talking 1972 and 1973. Oh well...times have sure changed.

My Three Kings. I made these guys back in 1968, they are paper mache'....yep they are going on 46 years old. They are packed away in an "All Detergent box" and I suspect the Kings and "All Container" are all antiques.

Here is my Christmas village....I really enjoy putting this up....although it does take a lot of time, but always fun to look at during the holidays. I always buy some little people or another building to add to the montage of village pieces. My first couple of pieces were the Church and little green roofed park pagoda. From there I just kept adding pieces year after year.... mostly after Christmas sales when everything is 50% to 75% off. That's always a good time to buy.

My snowman....this was the first gift I received from JP back in 1972 (I was expecting a ring, but got a snowman instead). The ceramic angel was made and given to me by a lady back in 1984...we were, at the time picking up kids in a bus and taking them to church....I guess she was happy that we took him off  her hands for Sunday mornings. Brock was his name.....he is probably a married man with kids of his own now. Funny how different things bring back memories.

These are some cookies I made and probably sent some to my Step-father in LasVegas. Need to think about his gift and get it out before the rush....what do you get an 88 year old???? So hard. My snowman in this picture was given to me by my Mother. She had a friend that was into ceramic making......it's always fun to pull him out of the box all wrapped up and set him up someplace in the house.....he always makes me smile.

Well there you have it.....a little bit of Christmas in my neck of the woods. Now the work begins, to lug things up from the basement, one box at a time. What a chore....but it is so cheery and Christmasy when the job is done.

Well, you all have a great day and keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

Happy Thanksgiving 2 You All

Hi there everyone. Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. With many blessings coming your way.

I decided not to make a turkey this year....didn't feel like it for 1 reason....and for another reason, they just seemed too expensive. I am making chicken breasts, dressing, broccoli, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries and pumpkin pie with whip cream. Sounds just like a turkey dinner doesn't it?

So I wonder what the Pilgrims and Indians really ate back at that first Thanksgiving....do you think they had turkey??? Maybe they ate venison...who knows. Beans and rice, corn bread and apples? Oh and there must have been pumpkins too. I should really check out the history of what they ate....that would be an interesting search.

We have nothing planned. So I shall watch the parade for awhile, then at 1:00pm is the dog show...we always like to watch that. Maybe we will eat around 2pm or so. No plans to go shopping....no, I have never been a "Black Friday" Shopper, it does not excite me that much.

Can't believe how fast this month went....zip, zip, zip and time gets away from us. I wonder if time will ever slow down????

Well, you all enjoy your day with family and friends. Keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise