My Ceiling.....continued ~ the kitchen is almost finished plus the front porch!!!

Hi there everyone. I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. Mine was mighty fine. Rebuilding Together worked on my house all day Saturday. Landscaped, plumbing, electrical work done. Basement windows installed......I never could accomplish all that these people did in one day....it was just unbelievable. There are not enough "Thank You's" in this world to Thank these people for all that they did....it was wonderful!!!!

So here is an update on my ceiling. Here you see the seams and nails covered with cement.

In this picture the plaster guy came to finish off the ceiling and put swirls in the ceiling....kinda looks like a mess....but honestly it looks gorgeous!!!

Here is the finished product.....the walls are painted a soft yellow "Morning Sun" which matches the floor. The ceiling was primed then they painted with white. I have a border that I will put up myself I guess in a couple of weeks that will add some nice color. The paint has to set for two weeks. Oh and Pat who coordinated this work day will be coming back to install my fan.

In this picture you can see a little bit of the swirls in the ceiling and the "morning sun" contrast.

In this last picture is my front porch, the floor and porch were painted along with the shutters which were put back up. They had been missing for 13 years......it sure did add to the house. See that little box on the floor in the center of the windows??? Electric....so I can plug in my porch fountain and JP can plug in for the weed eater and leaf blower. UMMMMM looks like I need to paint or get a new mail box....this one has lost it's shine.

The lady from Sherwin Williams just dropped off the paint for the front door which will be a rust color to match the floor. As Pat put it, it will give the house some "POP". The door has been a grey color for 13 years.....so getting used to the color will take some time, but I am sure it will go POP!!!!! We will probably put the furniture back on the porch in a day or so....time to sit on the porch and enjoy the beautiful weather.

I will take some more pictures in the next few days....you have to see all the work these people did landscaping my front and back yard......they also bought some flowers and bushes and red bark....it's just amazing to me.

Well, time to close here for awhile. I need to put my house back in order.....I feel like I am moving into a new house....I get to nest. Maybe unload some stuff at the same time. I did send a few boxes to the thrift store....maybe a few more are in order.

Talk to you later and keep looking up.....things do get better!!!
Cheers ~ Louise

My Ceiling

Hi there everyone...how is your day going???? Thought I would show you a few pictures of my ceiling.....before and afters are always fun to look at.

This is what the ceiling looked like with all the tiles that fell from the water dripping so much. Pat the project manager had already taken down the ceiling fan and lights. A new fan and lights will be going up.

In the picture you can see all the tiles were taken down to the original ceiling and part of it removed...uge what a mess.

In these two pictures......all the old insulation and ceiling are gone.....to think in all that mess.....there was not much of a mold problem.....reason being there was a lot of air movement, good in that respect...but bad cause the heating bills were high. There was not a lot of insulation up there.

Look at this picture.....down at the bottom left....you can see where that part of the roof was patched with plywood. There still is a dip in the roof and the ceiling sagged 3 inches....Pat said.

The men working on this ceiling must of spent at least 45 minutes trying to figure out how to brace the beams....and this is what they came up with....looks pretty sturdy to me. One of the beams had actually disintegrated  it was so water soaked.

In this picture you can see all the insulation they put up....there is over 16 inches of insulation up there....so it will be WARM in the winter and COOL in the summer......nice!!!

In this last picture the sheet rock plaster board after it was installed. Next step is for the plaster guy to come and finish off the ceiling, covering the seams and nails and making a swirly design on the ceiling.

That will be in my next blog....as tomorrow 30 people will be here in my little house to finish off the work started. The kitchen will be painted with a lovely color called "morning sun". The fan replaced and the cabinet doors put back up. I have a new border for the kitchen....but I have to wait at least 2 weeks to put that up for the paint to set.

There will be plumbing done in the kitchen and bathroom, new faucets and a new taller toilet installed and grab bars to help us up off the toilet. New windows installed in the basement, and electrical work done in the basement and outside. Pat said he will update this old house and make it new. I am excited, because he is going to put a big light over my desk where I do my card making.....WOW....let there be light!!!!

The porch will be painted, my old shutters painted and put back up. The front and backyard landscaped, with a few flowers and shrubs planted. They might even redo my fence that keeps the kids out of my back yard. So YEAH!!!!

Saturday or Sunday I will update you on my "almost new" house. It should be fun....we will hang around for a couple of hours, then leave for the rest of the day. So you all have a good day and keep looking up....things do get better.
Cheers ~ Louise

Flowers Make Us Happy

Hi there everyone. Well, finally I am feeling better. That was a long drawn out icky sickness. The Doctor is treating me for an ulcer. Guess I let too many things get in my way and get me upset.....time to back off from gathering too many things on my plate. I must learn to take one day at a time and one plate full of stress at a time.....just seemed like many things were coming at me from every direction. The problems are still there...but I have eliminated a few things out of my life to ease the pressure. If that makes sense.

Yesterday, my kitchen ceiling was getting fixed, so I took a long walk with Kylie and got a few pictures of the neighbors flowers. In the above picture are her lovely daffodils...aren't they cute? They all seem to be smiling in this 70 degree weather.

Here is my neighbor's Magnolia tree....gosh it is so pretty. Was hard to get a picture of the flower up close....all the flowers were facing upward towards the sky.

These are my red tulips in the front yard....I am amazed that I have over 50 tulips planted in the front....wow I did not realize I had that many...I shall have to count the tulips in the back too.

These lovelies are in the front yard also. A red variegated tulip????

Last but not least, a close up of my red tulips.....sweet.

In my next blog I will update you on our kitchen ceiling. You won't believe what the men did, like everything came down, right down to the beams....it was totally unbelievable. They only found a little bit of mold.....so that was a miracle. For all the water leaks.....yes that was a miracle, I think God had his hand on our roof, protecting us from the mold.

Well, time to close, hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Cheers ~ Louise

Short Update.....

Hi everyone. Hope you are all doing well on this beautiful sunny day. I am starting to feel a little bit better. Seems I am being treated for an ulcer. Yes....an ulcer. Tomorrow I have to go in for more blood tests. Last week I was dehydrated and my sodium was low....then the potassium was low....hopefully tomorrow everything will be normal. I think he will be checking my AC1 also because I have to fast for 12 hours. Oh I will be glad when I start feeling better.

This Saturday a contractor is coming in to tear down the kitchen ceiling.....so I have to get everything out of the kitchen cabinets because there will be lots of dust and junk.......uge, I think deep down this whole process has been bothering me. I will be glad when it is all over.

Next Saturday is the work day....there will be 25 people in and out of my house, doing painting, plumbing, electric work, landscaping.....I would like to run away for the day......Hope I make it through these next few weeks. Time will tell....if only I could just enjoy the ride. I never really liked rolly-coasters.

See you next month and hopefully things slow down a bit. I will try and remember to take some pictures so you can see the process.
Cheers ~ Louise

MIA....

Hi everyone. Sorry I have been "missing in action". Been really sick around here. Even sitting down at the computer was a chore. So I chose not to even do a post. Well....I will make this very short. Hope you are all feeling well. I will come back when I am feeling better, see what happen on Saturday. Gosh...even doing this post is a chore.
Cheers ~ Louise

Cards, Crocuses and Kylie

Hi there everyone......Beautiful Spring Day here in Appleton, WI!!! Oh yesssss, weather is in the 50's and it's even suppose to be in the 60's tomorrow. Hope this is not one of those teasers.....where it really warms up then BOOM it gets cold again. It would be nice to be able to turn off the furnace for a while.

So today I shall share one of my cards I made for Mother's Day.....made 6 of these...and gave them to Hospice. I think I shall make some more.....I love the effect of the Butterfly. The background is a Darcie embossing folder and I chalked in the flowers then sprayed some pearl mist over them, you can see the shimmer.....cute card...wish I had a mother to give this too. 

In these next two pictures are my little crocuses that were blooming this morning....aren't they sweet. I am not exactly sure how these crocuses got here to this spot....cause I don't remember planting them here. Must be the squirrels do the planting, or the chipmunks and mice.....because Louise didn't do it.

Here is a close up of these crocuses. So pretty in the 10:00am morning sunshine and the Robins tweeting in the background. Made me want to go grab a coffee and enjoy the morning.

And here is Miss Kylie greeting me at the back door after taking a few pictures of the crocuses. She is always so happy to see me....like, was I gone that long....was only a few minutes Kylie.

Well, after the "meet and greet patrol" met me at the door. I got ready to go to the store.

Went to Festival Food for a few things, dinner for tonight will be a little beef roast salted with some pink Himalayan salt, (ohoh...just read the directions, NO SALT because it will dry the roast out, well, I am hoping because it is Himalayan salt.....that won't happen) and onions, cooked in a 500 degree oven for 10 minutes, then the oven shut off and kept in the oven for 40-60 minutes. It should be still pink in the inside. Yum...can hardly wait for some roast beef sandwiches and fresh green beans.

Then I went over to WG&R Furniture store. Picked up my FREE.....(and I love anything FREE) potholder mitt and a FREE Continental Breakfast.....fruit, sweet rolls, cheese cake, cookies, orange juice and coffee. Oh yess......got some fruit, sweet roll and an apple for JP.........good wife!! I did look at some furniture and did "Dream" about a new couch!!

JP wants some Hyssop tea. I do have a hyssop bush in the back yard....last fall I dried some leaves and flowers for him to make tea. It should have lasted the winter.....but not the way HE makes tea. Honestly....I have to do everything for him. He threw the leaves and flowers in COLD water thinking that would work....and actually went through the whole container of Hyssop. Honestly, I could really get mad at him. So now I have to get some more Hyssop.

Next stop after WG&R was The Appleton Nutrition Store....I will have to order the Hyssop by the case, which will contain 6 boxes of 24 tea bags or 144 bags at $34.00. This, I will have to think about.

My second stop was the Free Market....there I found the tea comes in bulk. 1 pound of Hyssop for $8.00. I shall have to put the tea in little tea bags and I already told him he has to HEAT the water so the tea can seep in order to get the full benefits of the tea!!!!! A sigh of frustration.......do I have to do everything for you?????? I do think I will order the case of Hyssop for him at the Nutrition Store, that will be the Hyssop already bagged....but I have to buy it by the case....well, it is suppose to be calming.....so maybe this will be good for me too.

So now I am home alone......YAY!!! JP went to the church to play his accordion and vacuum the floors and dust the pews and clean the bathroom. Maybe he and the pastor will have a bible study and order some lunch.....this is JP's favorite day....mine too, cause I am home alone and can listen to Rush Limbaugh or turn on the TV!!! So I turned on the TV.....Heaven is for Real was playing....I have seen that a couple of times......better then some of the movies that are playing right now.

Oh well....must finish this post and go walk Kylie....it's still a nice day outside. I can smell the roast in the oven.....yum...can hardly wait for a beef sandwich. Have a great day and keep looking up!!
Cheers ~ Louise

Beautiful Pictures From Far Away Places~~at least to me

Hi there everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter, gathering with family and friends for Resurrection Sunday. Husband and I spent a quiet day. Church in the morning and dinner at 2pm. Chicken, gravy, dressing, jojo fries (something new I made) toast, beans and vegies. Oh and don't forget dessert.....Key lime Pie from Schwan's.

I thought I would share some beautiful pictures some fellow bloggers took on their vacations. I just loved these pictures, as I enjoyed their vacations as if I was there too.

 Biz took this picture of this pelican, he is flying over the waters of Key West. Beautiful weather....I think it was 0 degrees here in WI when Biz took this picture. Looks so nice and warm.
Here's her blog http://www.mybizzykitchen.com

 Patricia took this picture from the Cruise ship in Alaska. Such beautiful scenery. And Patricia takes the most beautiful pictures. Her blog is at http://www.patricia-heythereitsme.blogspot.com

 Another picture taken by Biz from Key West with the sun setting.

Patricia took this picture.....I love that bottle sitting on the table....all it needs is a few flowers in it. She said the same thing about that little bottle. This picture was taken at Lone Ranch Beach in Brookings, CA.

So there you go...a few beautiful places to visit someday. Someday I would love to take a cruise to Alaska....Patricia took such lovely pictures on her cruise. Now I have to go let Biz and Patricia know I stole some of their vacation pictures for my blog....gosh I hope that is legal???

Have a great evening and keep looking up!! Cheers ~ Louise

Happy Easter

Hi there everyone. Hope you have a blessed Good Friday and a wonderful Resurrection Sunday!!!

I am taking a few days off from blogging!! Cheers to you all!!! Louise

Do You Need A Kiss......

Hi there everyone.....Hope you are having a wonderful evening....this last day of March?!?! Looks like March went out like a Lamb......whew! Now on to APRIL!!!!!

Well my TV conked out....it was 17 years old. I had another TV in the bedroom, a smaller one...so the old one will go to a recycle place. This little TV will do till I can get another used one with a bigger screen. I like big!!!!

So tomorrow being Wednesday, Kylie has an appointment at the groomer's for 8am.....uge, I am not very good at getting up early in the morning. So after I drop Kylie off at the groomer, I will probably go to Festival Foods for a few things and then over to St. Vincent's to see about their used TV's. Since Thursday is Senior Citizens Discount Day....I will wait till Thursday to buy a TV, if there is one I like. If not.....I can wait for another Thursday.

Thursday, Kylie has an appointment at the Vet's....she has to get a shot, tested for Heart warm and a little checkup. Busy couple of days for Miss Kylie.

April also brings my two Dentist appointments for a deep cleaning of my teeth. Not sure I am looking forward to that. Sometime this month Rebuilding Together will start work on our ceiling. Whew....I am pooped before April even begins.

Well time to close this post for today. Tomorrow is APRIL 1st!!! Hope you don't have too many pranks pulled on you. Oh and some time in April I hope you get a "great big smooch kiss" from some monkey!! April Fools!!!! Have a good day and keep looking up!!! Cheers ~ Louise

Silent Saturday and Sunday

Just keep looking up!!!  Cheers ~ Louise

Froggie, Froggie, a Froggie Planter

Hi there everyone.....how is your Wednesday going so far??? Well, we woke up to snow on the ground at 7am this morning...oh yuk...enough!!! It was pretty, but Spring needs to show it's face around here, soon and very soon. As of now, it is melted on the streets and sidewalks.

Don't you just love this happy frog???? I really want one of these in my backyard!!! I saw her on Facebook and just had to save her to my files. I am presently looking for old tires!!! I think if I had seen this idea years ago when we had our 20 acres, I would have had frogs all over the place....hahaha! My husband, at that time, collected old tires, (he thought he could sell them for the oil that is in them) so we had a pile of them in the woods.....darn, if I had only known back then that those tires could make this cute planter. See the flowers growing behind her??? Such a great idea.

Note: JP never sold a tire...he had an offer, but it was not what he wanted.....AND the guy would have hauled them all away....but no...not enough $$$$. I bet if we had turned them into "FROGS" they would have sold for a hefty price...don't you think??? Gosh at least $50 bucks a frog....we must have had over 100 tires or more. We just calculated....$1000. HA that was more then what that guy offered. IF ONLY WE HAD KNOWN!!!!

After "Rebuilding Together" has their work day here and cleans up and spruces my backyard....I think this happy frog will be in my landscape.....someplace.

Nothing much going on today, will write a few bills and pay our house taxes (or at least part of it) today. "So many bills, so little money" oh well, such is life. What is life without a little stress???

But maybe looking out the back yard and seeing this happy frog smiling back at me will make life smile back when things go wrong!!! Yeah....I need a frog in my future.

Well, time to close, keep looking up!!! Cheers ~ Louise

PS. I typed in "How to make a tire Frog" and got the directions to make "Frieda La Frog" above. So if you are interested in making "Frieda" for your own backyard...the directions are on the internet.

Saturday and Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Hi there everyone. Oh, how I love my Saturdays....it is so sunny outside, what a beautiful day. Maybe after I finish this post, I will run outside, (no, not literally) and take some pictures of my house, kind of like "before" and "after" pictures before things start growing and "Rebuilding Together" people get here to transform our little house. More on that on another post.

Today I am making this coffee cake. I found the recipe on Pinterest which led me to this site  Gosh the cake smells delicious!!! I did not follow the recipe to the "T"......not sure I ever follow a recipe exactly. Here is what I did:

Cinnamon Coffee Cake
2 cup low fat Bisquit
1/4 cup sugar (I used Organic Coconut Palm Sugar)
1/4 cup egg substitute (I used 1 egg)
2/3 cup skim milk (I used half milk, half water)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix above ingredients together. Pour into oil sprayed pan.

Topping
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon Bisquit
1/3 cup brown sugar (I used Organic Coconut Palm Sugar)
2 Tablespoon soft butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix above ingredients, if topping is still too wet add bisquit till you get the crumbly consistency you like.

Preheat oven to 375, spray oil in a 9 inch pan (I used a glass loaf pan). Pour into a pan and sprinkle topping on the cake. Bake for 22 minutes (32 minutes if using a glass loaf pan). Stick a toothpick in cake to make sure it is done. Enjoy!!

I just took the cake out of the oven....as soon as it cools, I shall have a little slice. Here is a picture of my cake and the sugar I used.
Okay....this is really good and very easy to make for a morning breakfast. The "redhead" said she lost a lot of weight and would make this cake with scrambled eggs and fruit for breakfast. She said one slice is 230 calories and I would think it is diabetes worthy too because the organic coconut palm sugar is a all natural low glycemic sweetener. Okay....yeah, this is really a good cake.



Well, time to close here and on to other things. I am hoping to get downstairs and make a few Easter cards to place on my Etsy store....I am a little bit behind as Easter is 14 days away. Maybe I should just start working on Mother's Day cards.

 

For you who wonder how my tooth is doing....or the socket where the tooth was.....we are all doing fine. I am still doing the antibiotics and the pro-biotics...there is not much pain anymore. Still rinsing with salt water which makes me hungry for something to eat.

 

My next visit to the Dentist will be April 16th for a "deep cleaning" on half my mouth. I guess that is where they go below the gum line....it may be painful as the whole side of the mouth needs to be numbed. I asked for the laughing gas, Dentist said they would do that for me....I am a scardy cat you know. The other half of my mouth will be done the following week. Gosh, that could be 5 lbs lost for those two episodes alone...soft foods again and lots of smoothies!!!

 

Well time to close, I think I said that already 3 paragraphs ago. So have a great Saturday and keep looking up!!!

Cheers ~ Louise

 

 





Making Cards Today ~ Losing Weight ~ Tooth Pulled

Hi there everyone. Don't you just love this weather? It has been in the 40's and 50's for the last week or so...and there is more to come. I like this kind of weather, not a fan of real warm and humid weather. Always have to watch the sodium intake of foods cause my ankles tend to swell up. Maybe hopefully by summer I will have dropped another 10 lbs. hopefully that won't be a problem for me. So far, in the last 6 months....20 lbs. have been shed from this fat frame....feeling better now, but could stand to lose another 30-40 lbs. My motto has been just to "eat less, I guess" (maybe I should have a t-shirt made).

I had a tooth pulled yesterday....yes, that helps in weight lose too, cause no hot food, only cool, soft nutritious food, and not eat hard foods for 2 days. Today I had a yummy smoothie, tonight egg salad (no bread)...maybe later on tonight I will have some chicken soup.....hopefully the scale will say a one pound less then it was today.

Today I went to my friends house for some card making. We do that once a month....I think I have been going to her house for 8 or 9 years....goodness that is a lot of card making....just calculated about 450 cards over the years. Yep...that could be, I have given a lot of those cards away to Hospice and to other friends. They have come in handy, that is for sure. Like having my own card store.

So the card up above...the two bunnies sitting on a mushroom are colored in with Copic markers. The pink background is a die-cut. Sweet card.

This card was stamped with "Stampin Up" stamps. Oh oh....looks like another set is in my future. This had the one tree, but it could also be made into a summer tree, fall and winter tree. This is the spring tree....the stamp set also includes a swing, rake , snow flakes, blades of grass and flowers and a few other things for  different seasons.

Now this card was really neat. (sorry it is a little blurry) The background embossing folder is from Stampin Up. The die cuts are from another company. I borrowed the embossing folder from B. as I have an idea for making my Easter cards....not much into bunnies, rabbits and chickens for Easter cards, so my cards will have a lovely butterfly on it. Looking forward to making the cards soon and very soon. I just may have to order this embossing folder also.

Here we have a bunny made out of punches and die cuts jumping back into his hole in the tree. Cute, huh???

That would be it for today....I have quite a few things in the making. Within the next few weeks and month...Rebuilding Together will start working on our house, fixing the kitchen ceiling and many other things that need fixin'.

So have a great evening and enjoy, keep looking up.
Cheers ~ Louise

What Do You Mean??????

Ha-Ha.....Yep it is!!!! Hi there everyone, hope your days are not going as fast as mine are. Not exactly looking forward to Tuesday, cause that is when I have a date with the dentist to get this tooth pulled. OIE....no, not looking forward to it. I wish I was not such a scardy cat!!!! But I am.

Oh but first comes Monday....and Monday projects include:
1) JP has a blood test in the morning. They think he might have diabetes.
2) In the afternoon a lady is stopping by from "Rebuilding together" to see how much lawn work needs to be done. Yes....they will spruce up the front yard and back yard...that will be a great help. Otherwise it just may take me all summer to get stuff done.
3) Call and cancel Accident Insurance...that will be $36 extra in the pocket a month.
4) Call a plumber...our sink is backed up and I can't get it unclogged. We tried all day but to no avail. So the dirty dishes sit on the counter.

Probably sometime this week the project manager from "Rebuilding Together" will be in touch with us to walk through the house to see all that needs to be done. The biggest project will be the ceiling getting fixed......

Along with a few other projects, new gutters, porch painted, some electrical work, shutters painted and put up. we might even get a taller new toilet and get the leak fixed in the bathroom sink. Too bad the plugged drain could not coincide with all this other work being done.  Will see what happens in the next week or so....but so far my Monday and Tuesday is VERY BUSY!!!! One thing is for sure....there will be plenty of pictures...stay tuned.

And the Winners of this lovely card was: Biz, Diana, Patty and Angela. Hope you all like your card...it was fun making them and sending them on their way. Be Blessed.

Wednesday I have a date with my friend to go to her house and make some cards....that is always a fun time....Thursday I will post the cards here.

Wow....Thursday and Friday are wide open for now....we'll see what takes place and what comes up....you never know.

Well, you all have a great week and keep looking up!!
Cheers ~ Louise

Potato Waffles and Winners

Hi there everyone.........oh such beautiful weather!!!! I love it being lighter later too...wish daylight savings would always stay this way. Was reading today that changing the clocks forward and back is not good for ones health. It was quite interesting because it all has something to do with the hormones that wake you in the morning and what helps you to sleep at night....so when the times changes, the hormones get messed up...quite understandable. If I can find that article, I will place it here.

Lately I have been making potato waffles....oh yum. I bake up about 6 potatoes, naturally the first night I slice them in half and put melted butter, sour cream with chives on....mmmmm, so good. The left over potatoes are turned into waffles the next night.

I like extra crispy waffle potatoes....so a little extra butter on the waffle iron, some seasoning and press down. and "wah lah" yummy waffle potatoes. Then a little bit of sour cream and chives to top it off. Not sure how many calories these carry...one potato is 130 calories according to the bag...so maybe we are looking at 200 calories per potato??? 

I have also been doing grilled cheese sandwiches on my waffle iron. Gosh, if I had known my waffle iron was this versitale, it would not have been sitting in the cabinet all this time and just being used for waffles only. Doing eggs is another tasty dish too.

And the winners are.....tomorrow I will be sending this St. Patrick's Day card to 4 winners. Diana, Patty, Angela and Biz. Congratulations everyone and thank you so much for visiting my blog and leaving comments. Your "blog friendship" is always appreciated. I love visiting your blogs everyday too!!

Well, I could have had an appointment with the dentist tomorrow morning to start the deep cleaning of my teeth....but I passed on it. I said I am a big chicken and wanted to wait on that and just get the tooth pulled first...she understood completely. Gosh, I hope they give me some laughing gas for that cleaning...for some reason it sounds painful.

Hope you are having a restful evening. After I get done here, I need to go do some dishes, they are piling up again. Have a good night and keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

Tea ~~Dentist~~Blueberry Pie

Hi there everyone....what a lovely day it has turned out to be. Hope you are having a good one today. I saw a cute picture on Facebook and thought to save it....but didn't. It said, "Only in Wisconsin do people get excited about 40 degree weather." Ha! that sure is the truth though...cause this weather feels so much like SPRING has sprung!!!! YAYYYYYY!!!!

Well, it is time for tea, got your cup? Think I could use one as I type this little post. As you can see in the following picture I visited the dentist today.... it's not my favorite place to go. So yeah...I need a cup of tea to quiet my soul.

It was actually a necessity to go today. Wednesday as I was flossing, a tooth broke. The top, back molar. Not knowing where to go, I decided to call the place we used to go to and could not get in till today. Have not been to a dentist since 2001....yeah, I am a big scardy cat. We have had no dental insurance all this time. I did pick some up last year for JP, but he did not want to go....neither did I for that matter. So being the "sometimes unwise people" we are, we cancelled. Wouldn't you know it....now we need it and could use it.

So today I went in....as I said, it was the old dental office we went to years ago....but with a different Dentist. The dentist we had, retired....this dentist.....I really liked him, very pleasant man and seemed to really want to help. His assistant was really nice too. They made me feel really comfortable. Never once scolded me for not coming in all these years. It was a nice visit....I will let you know after a couple more visits, what my opinion is then.

They did a complete x-ray exam, and it was all digital......I could actually see all my teeth, fillings and cavities on the screen. Then they went tooth by tooth and what each one needed....I did not understand a word they were saying. END RESULT.....the tooth will be pulled, verses saving it. Saving it, will cost $1600 verses $338 to pull. Yeah...that's the route I took. I also have 6 cavities that need to be filled and also need a DEEP CLEANING going under the gums....gosh all this time I thought my flossing was helping....he said, "partially, but because of diabetes my gums are in desperate help and will need to be cleaned every 3 months".....darn these sugars.

So the plan is, next week on St. Patrick's Day I get my tooth pulled and they will give me some "LAUGHING GAS" so I won't be feeling much pain....that is fine with me. (Darn....so much for corned beef and cabbage.) Then in about a month starts the teeth and gum cleaning....then the cavities. Sounds like quite the agenda....hopefully I can keep up with the payments. In June or July I might be getting cataract surgery.....so we shall see how this all fits together, time wise and finacially.

Does this dessert not look delicious???? (I am thinking it is diabetes worthy, don't you???) "Blueberry Icebox Pie" 313 calories per servings....oh-oh 52.3 grams of carbs, oh, but it has 11.4 g of protein. That's okay.....one slice can't hurt, can it???

Here is the ingredients:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 1/2 cups finely ground reduced fat graham cracker crumbs
4 teasp. light butter, melted (or buy a store bought graham cracker crust)
2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen and thawed)
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 teasp powdered unflavored gelatin
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
8 oz fat-free cream cheese
14 oz fat free sweetened condensed milk
Several fresh mint leaves

Preparation:
Preheat oven 350 F. Lightly coat a 9' spring form pan or glass pie pan with cooking spray. Combine crumbs and butter in a bowl and press into a pan. Bake 10 minutes. (or just use an already made graham cracker crust)

Puree 1 1/2 cups blueberries; mix with lemon juice in a micro wavable bowl.

Sprinkle gelatin on top and let stand 10 minutes. Microwave on medium 10 seconds to dissolve gelatin, then beat with an electric mixer or food processor at a medium speed.

Beat in cream cheeses and sweetened condensed milk. Pour mixture over baked crust and chill until set. Garnish with mint and remaining blueberries. I think I shall make this pie sometime this week.

Well time to close.....just one more reminder, leave a comment and for every comment is a chance to win a St. Patrick's Day card from me. Tomorrow is the last day to qualify for a card from me, because I shall be picking names on Wednesday and sending the cards out by Thursday.

Have a great day and enjoy the weather and keep looking up!!
Cheers ~ Louise

Basil Tomato Soup With Meatballs

Hi there everyone. Hope you had a good day. For today's post I will be giving you the recipe for that delicious soup in my title. Excuse the pictures, I had to find them on the internet. YES....I did make the soup, but it went so fast before I could take a picture!!!!Honestly, I thought there was still a bowl of this soup in the frig......but it strangely disappeared before my eyes. All I can say, it must have been good....seems to me I only got 1 1/2 bowls the rest JP got.

This was really easy to make...of course I changed the recipe to suite my needs....I will give the recipe....but tag on what I did. Ready???

Basil Tomato Soup with Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients: to make the balls
8 oz ground turkey (this will make 13 - 1 inch meat balls)
3 T basil pesto
3 T whole wheat bread crumbs
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 teasp. red pepper flakes (All the above ingredients were replaced with already made turkey meatballs...I added 24 meatballs to the soup)

The soup ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2  small carrots peeled and chopped (I used one)
1 small stalk celery chopped (did not use)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup orso pasta (I will use maybe 2/3 cup next time, 1 cup was too much)
Fresh grated (or jared) Parmesan cheese, for serving

To make the meatballs:
In a small bowl, combine the ground turkey with the pesto, bread crumbs, 1/8 teasp. kosher salt, 1/8 teasp. black pepper, and 1 teasp. red pepper flakes. Mix until evenly blended. (I used frozen turkey meatballs).

In a pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery, then cover and reduce the heat to low. cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for a few minutes.

Add the chicken broth and diced tomatoes and juices from can and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and let it cook for about 15 minutes.

While cooking, roll the turkey into uniform meatball, (you should end up with about 13-1 inch meatballs).

Once the broth/tomato mixture is done simmering, if you have a submersible blender, blend the soup till it is smooth (if you have a food processor or blender, do in a couple of batches till all the soup is blended to the desired smoothness).

Return the pureed soup to the soup pot and add the pasta and meatballs. (this is where I added the already made frozen meatballs) Cook on medium for 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are fully cooked.

To serve, top with grated or sliced Parmesan and Enjoy!!!
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I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did...it is worthy of  another pot very soon. Hope you have a good day tomorrow, keep warm. It's suppose to warm up this next week, like in the 30's, is that a heat wave? Spring starts March 20th, and that is just 2 weeks away.

Don't forget to leave a comment on my blog for the next 5 days. I will be picking 4 names to receive a St. Patrick's Day card. Who knows, maybe you all will receive one. Have a good one.
Cheers ~ Louise

Stampin'Up Camp Cards and Basket

Hi there everyone...how is your evening going? I'm watching the Bachelor right now, so while watching, thought I would post these cards and basket I made at Stampin'up camp yesterday.....pretty cards huh?? I can hardly wait to receive the stamps and die cuts I ordered from the demonstrator.

This was a fun card to make and very festive and easy. It took 2 banner die cuts and the stamps. I like the sequins and clothes pin embellishing the card...fun. Maybe in a few months I might buy them so I can make more of these cards. Course I won't need the banner die cuts....can always cut a few by hand and use a different stamp.

This is the lotus blossom stamp....which I actually got for FREE if I ordered $50.00 worth of product. Anyways, I sure do love this stamp, so beautiful. It is actually 3 stamps used with two different color inks. Being this was my first time using these stamps...it really did not turn out the way it should....maybe after a little practice I will master the placement of the stamps and colors. Stay tuned for more cards with lotus blossoms.

I bought this butterfly...it actually has two mates, but this one seems to be the one that everyone is using. I also purchased the stamp set. The stamp set and die cuts were a little under $50 so I added a chalk pen and Staz-on refill. I just love the effect of the butterfly. It's going to be fun using this butterfly on my cards.

Now this was a fun project to make. The die cut is much larger and would not fit my Cuttlebug....but is was fun to make. So if I would like to make this basket at home, 1) I would have to buy the Big Shot machine 2) and buy the die cut. I guess I will stick with what I have. Also, I have to look at, how many baskets would I be making, would it be worth it??? At this point, I would have to say no, maybe that basket will just be on my "wish list".

I feel bad, at the stamp camp a lady was ordering some stuff....I sat down on the couch and accidentally sat on her basket....oh geez....I felt so bad. Honestly, I did not see it on the couch. Kathy gave her another basket to take home and to put together. I said I was sorry to the lady...I am not sure she was too happy with me.....but she got two baskets...oh well, life happens.

All was not a loss......I won one of the door prizes. Cute stamps huh?? Now if I can just find some cards as samples that these stamps were used on. Maybe I will check out Pinterest and type in "Petal Parade" and see what comes up.

After I get done typing this blog....I am headed to the kitchen to make this soup. "Basil Tomato Soup and Turkey Meatballs". I already have the meatballs in the freezer. Just have to make the soup which includes a large can of tomatoes, chicken soup, garlic, onion, carrots and celery....seems very simple. I am always in "for something simple".

Tomorrow we have a meeting with the a lady from Rebuilding together. We have been selected to be a part of the Annual Project Day on May 9th. We will have a project manager who will be setting up and scheduling the people to come work on the house. I just need to know my part...and how much I need to move from the kitchen so they can fix the ceiling. In the next picture is my kitchen ceiling.

Yeah.....it looks pretty bad. We had the roof fixed this last October....no leaks. So I am hoping finally getting this fixed will  end my nightmare of 10+ years.

Well, time to close and get that soup made and get some dishes out of my sink before the lady comes tomorrow. Cheers ~ Louise