Tabletop flower basket from popcycle sticks and cd's

https://youtu.be/bavbPddwOD4

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

    @~`~~

Santa Clause is Coming to Town

I didn't get to see this one, this year. so I found it on You Tube

Santa Clause is Coming to Town.

https://youtu.be/BVAc0FJdYoA

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

    @~`~~

Christ Eve Morning thoughts

Christmas Eve Morning.

As the sun slowly brightens the horizon, this morning, I am reminded that each day is so very special. There are so many things in my life to be thankful for, Prayers that have been answered, wishes granted, Life is good. The early pale pink and orange tinges to the top of the mountain to my right as the sun just starts to lift, a clear reminder that a new day is dawning and that there is lots of things that I should be doing this morning, and that there will always be a new dawn each morning. With it's lights and sounds and awakenings. New adventures to look forward to. A Person is never too old to find a new Adventure, in life. Today is no different. Each dawning is a promise to myself to not take today granted. To look for the good in it, accept the not so good a being only a temporary inconvenience and accept that Life will have it's ups and downs, but the ups will always outweigh the downs.   

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. Not because of the gifts or the food, but because it's a time that so many people feel deserves attention to details. Erratic to be sure, A hassle for many, Sorrows for some, but also Joy and hope and Peace. With the New Year looming just around the corner, only a week after This Holiday, We look forward with earnest, to a year that will be better than the one that is ending, Knowing full well that there is no promise in a better year, That it will just be more days, numbered differently that the ones before and soon we will be writing that number that represents the year without thought or having to pause and think, "What year is it, again?"  But, for now. as we close out this year and start anew, We also wish to start anew, changes in our own life, our own self. promises of better healthier, taking better care of each other and our surroundings. Be that our home or the world we live in. Our work, or pleasures and our state of mind benefits from the renewing of spirit and the promise that each new year brings into being.  

Each year, we don't think about our own growing older as each and ever day passes. our gradual slowing down and having to take more time for the simpler things of life. That steps taken today, at a run, will one day be too hard for us to manage without help. that door knobs so easy to turn, may not fit well enough in our hand, and someone else will have to turn that for us to enter or leave a room, or house. That the kids of today, those in the teens or 20's or even those in their 30's will be making choices that we never had to make. never had to even consider.  Their life will be impacted by some of the small things from our own past. And it's in their future that we place hope and peace and wish the best from our past gives them the power to exceed in life from our beginning to their happiness. That we have taught them the important lessons of what living is really about. It's not the job, or the money, but what you do and how or where you spend your time that really counts in life. Money is just a token of what you have given up, in order to get ahead, to learn a new skill or practice an old one. Be at Peace, Life is wonderful and we each get to experience it to the fullest of our own ability. Go out, Get out, find something that make your  heart Sing with joy. that puts a smile on your face before you even realize you are smiling. Give that joy to someone else, to share it with the world, in your own unique way. For life is what  this planet is about. the cycle of life, the ups and owns and all the rest. are what is making this whole existence well worth the living.

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

    @~`~~

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone in the USA. 

And for everyone in the group.
May your day be filled with Blessings

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

    @~`~~

checking in

Checking in from a dripping Tennessee. I a doctor's appointment this morning. A follow up from Surgery last year to remove a kidney stone.  Everything looks good from his point of view, No surgery for another one, at this juncture. I do have a small stone (5mm) but unless it bothers me, nothing to be done at this time. IF I get the usual symptoms  of several back ache, nausea and fever, go to the ER and or see my Primary Doctor. I'm in hopes that I won't have to do either one, really and that this stone will pass on it's own. soon.  Billie C.  Life is a journey not a destination     @~`~~

Chocolate Cake in a Mug

I just made two of these for a treat for me any my Hubby. I was not sure on how much my coffee cups held, so I use ceramic bowls instead. Still turned out well. Hubby says they are Keepers. He really liked his, even though there is no frosting on it.

Chocolate Cake in a Mug 

 

Recipe By :Ree Drummond _ Food Network
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 Pinch salt -- optional
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Splash vanilla extract -- optional
3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Watch how to make this recipe.

Special equipment: a 12-ounce microwave-safe ceramic mug and a microwave
oven

Put the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt if using in a
12-ounce microwave-safe ceramic mug. Blend thoroughly with a fork. Add the
milk, vegetable oil and vanilla if using and blend until smooth. Stir in
the chocolate chips.

Microwave on high for 90 seconds. Do not overcook or the cake will be dry.
Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before eating.

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

    @~`~~

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

    @~`~~

August 11, 2019

Hard to believe that I keep forgetting to write to my blog. Oops

I've not been doing much crafting here of late. I've been looking at video's of things to make but just haven't been making any thing. Well, I did work on a card but I didn't finish it, yet.

Jerry's been making the meals so I've not been cooking either.

I've been trying to sort through and collect my paper craft items, but that's going to be taking me a while to get through all of it. I've been trying to set up a planner, but you know, you need to be able to see, to do that on paper. I can increase the font on the computer easier than I can use a magnifier on the paper.  

I did clean up in the bedroom, today. As much as I could anyway. I don't touch Jerry's stuff and if it's in my way, I just put it on top of his tubs or basket for him to sort out, later.  I counted the number of tubs stacked around the bedroom, and there are 10 of them Mostly clothes but a couple are filled with craft stuff and it's too hot to be dragging those out and going through them just to see what is in each tub. I plan on doing that when the weather isn't so stinking hot. Not that it's super hot, but I just can't handle too much heat right now for some reason. I usually don't have a problem with heat, but this year, it's telling on me a bit.  

I have gone back to Watching Liam, since the older kids are now back in school. August 5th, the first day back to school. seemed to come way to fast. 

I didn't get out into the World's Longest Yard Sale, this year.  Mostly because it threatened rain every day of it.  I didn't have to water my plants at all.

My Needle Biopsy was done before School started back and the results are good. no cancer. I will end up having to have the rest of the Thyroid removed at some point but not right away. We need to get insurance before I have that done, 

I've  yet to find a good place to get wet that isn't a public pool. Not that we have anything against a public pool, it's just we don't have the money to go to one. The banks along Coops Creek are too steep to get in and out of easily or we both would be in the shallow water there, Barney would be right in there with us, I'm sure. Rocky would stand on the bank and look at us like we were crazy and Macon would be okay, as long as we didn't splash him or force him into the water. 

The County Fair will be here soon and I still do not know this years' theme. I don't have anything to enter this year, but hope to be able to enter something next year. It would be nice to see what other's have made. last year there were a lot of quilts and pictures entered, Along with canned goods. 

The Senior Center suffered some flood damages this past spring, and had to close for a few days, while new carpet was put in. Now the "rules" have changed in there, and I feel like  the Seniors are not being treated like the Adults they are. Can't have coffee in a regular cup, it has to have a lid on it. Can't have Tea unless the cup or glass has a top that will seal. if you want soup, you ask one of the ladies, who work there, to get it for you, your not allowed to carry it across to your table because you "Might" spill some.  now, I can see doing that for a couple of the people who have some shaking, but not for everyone.  it's just gotten to where I just don't want to go, on those days I'm not watching Liam.  it's just  not how I think anyone over  60 should be treated. 

I don't see any crafts being worked on. one lady, who does some needlework, was chastised, for dropping some thread on the floor. it fell out of her bag, and she picked it up, but I guess not fast enough. someone was afraid it would tangle up in the vacuum cleaner.  All the painting  things are  gone, and I didn't see any of the Adult coloring books out while I was there. I like playing cards but there are times I would rather be doing something else and just listening to what is going on around me. Oh well.... maybe once the "new" is worn off the carpet it will get better.

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

    @~`~~

July 12, 2019

Someone, I think might be from "Blogger" itself, asked why I hadn't posted to my blog in a while. Well since May anyway. The answer is both simple and complicated. I've been busy, I have a life that does not involve much computer time right now, and I have a few health  issues that have slowed me down a little bit. 

I live near one of our Children and I have been her Baby sitter since mid October. I'm loving keeping up with him and watching him grow.  But since it's at her house, I don't have access to my computer since my laptop died on me. I have been reminded by my hubby that I have a lot (to him) of card making stuff but haven't been making any cards. I've made 4 of those but forgot to take pictures of them as they were needed a soon as I finished them. I did use marker to dress up another pair of white canvas shoes, but I won't take a picture now because I have been wearing them and they are dirty. I've been trying to keep the camper clean, which is harder while Hubby is not working. he's semi retired so he's still job hunting but so far he's not found much work, Not that he's under foot the the camper is small enough during the day when it's just me and the dogs but when he's here it feels even smaller and He wants to be able to leave in a minute at will and so if I'm in the middle of anything I need to be able to just stop and we go. So the clutter has built up a bit. 

While school is out, We both have been spending our mornings at the Senior Center. Believe me I am totally enjoying this. I am talking to other adults, something I've not really done a whole lot of over the years.  Sadly though, with meeting older (new to me) people there is a chance of their not being around long and I've lost two friend I didn't know all that long. I Miss Renee and Thelma.  I have "Friends" there now and they miss me when I am sitting my grandson. 

I'm not getting younger, that's for sure and so some health isses have come up. Early enough I can work on them, but they are still there and still need tending. I had two Dr appointments yesterday, one went very well, outside of my not losing weight, the other one, not so great and surgery is in my future, to remove the rest of my Thyroid. It's not critical  yet, but it could be so in the not to distant future so I have to keep aware of it, and e don't have anyway to pay for that surgery, right now. 

Now, the weather has been too hot to walk outside, and when it's not too hot, the blood sucker mosquitos attack in droves, or at least it seems they are in droves.  Walking the dogs is now Jerry's job, and he does a lot of the cooking.  I do most of the cleaning, at least inside. 

My plants are doing well. I picked up two more but they are more dead than alive and I'm in hopes of reviving them. I wanted to get a few seeds this past Spring, but we just didn't have the money to do so. But I have hopes that, next year, I can at least grow some tomatos in a bucket outside the door.  

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

    @~`~~

Good Morning, Everyone

Good Morning, Everyone.

I seem to have caught a cold from one of the older grand kids and spent most of the weekend sleeping. I fet well enough to take care of Liam yesterday as well as doing the laundry since I needed some pants washed. Liam was not having a good day and was fussy all day long. He would play a little, fuss a litte, I would change his diaper, then offer a bottle which he really didn't want most of the time. He would then fuss some more before falling asleep. He had a change in his diet a little and that has given him a bit of diaper rash. I was keeping him as dry as I could and wipe him as gentle as I could and kept him covered in Rash Cream, after letting him dry in the open.  It was looking much better when I left his house.  I had the last load of laundry in the dryer when Jerry came in and said we  could leave right now.. and I didn't move, he repeated it a couple of times and I finally told him, We can leave after I get that last load out of the dryer.. Oh, he didn't realized I wasn't done yet... well with 5 loads of laundry to do, it takes all day long to get it done.  Washing doesn't take but about 30 minutes, but drying can take over an hour each load.  He had forgotten that we had brought the laundry to wash, yesterday morning.  He's not been feeling all that well either. We are both much better this morning and looking forward to a nice, warm day here in Tennessee. Our high is going to be in the lower 80's and sunny. A perfect day to spend a bit of time outside.

mountainrose57@aol.com

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Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

challenging Weather

challenging Weather

Wow, what a difference  a week can make a well as what a difference a day can make.

Friday,  Started off cloudy, then foggy and rainy, then the sun came out for a little bit, then clouded over again and the rain started late in the evening.

Saturday was heavy rain at times, foggy and cloudy all day long and a high in the upper 50's. Just warm enough that the heater didn't not have to come on but about once an hour to keep us comfortable.  Saturday Evening the rain was heavy and we were having to look out at the creek at least every hour if not more often since our Expedition is parked much closer to the water than from our usual parking place. We were blocking a small trailer with a ladder on it that our landlord may have needed for the day. Anyway... We had to keep an eye on the creek as the rain was very heavy at times, and we were under a Tornado watch for about 45 minutes at 8 pm  last night. we had some wind as well. It finally stopped raining around 2 am and we were able to sleep the rest of the night. I woke up about 8 am, this morning to bright sunshine and blue skies. The birds were really singing and you could hear the joy they were taking in the mornings' change.  Every thing is still wet but it's much dryer than we have had in a few weeks. 

I decided to sit outside the camper around 11 am this morning, just to enjoy the sun. Jerry brought out Barney, so he could run off some energy by chasing his ball around in the grass for a few minutes. I brought out Macon, who promptly made sure the grass was well watered near the Azealia bush that is at the front door. He also likes to "Ooph" (low bark) at anyone walking on the trail on the other side of the creek. After a few minutes, Rocky decided that he didn't like being in the house alone and came to the door to come outside and join us. We all spent about an hour outside. The only reason we came inside was the dogs were getting louder and we didn't want to encourage that with them.  We Were outside again about 4 pm, as much for the fresh air as to say Hey" to the neighbor's child who is about 3 years old. I gave him a rock I had painted over winter time and he was about to toss it into a water puddle. I showed him how to pick up the pea sized gravel to toss into the water puddle. He loved that. The land lord had told Jerry last week that some of the gravel piled up on the other side of the drive, was going to be spread and that out "Puddle" was going to be filled in. (believe it when I see it)  Now I really do need to paint more rocks since I think I'm out of "Spares" to hand out to people.

We were able to open the doors, and the vents today and let in the fresh air. WE only closed up every thing once the sun went down. I wish the rest of t his next week was going to be as nice as today has been. The forecast is for high's in the        60's and lows in the low 40's. I am in hopes that I can take Liam outside the door each afternoon this next week.

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

Update

Hello. I am writing from a sopping wet Tennessee.

We have had too much rain over the last couple of weeks and this weekend is also looking to be very wet. I just hope we don't have to move the camper again since the Fiber Optic line has been installed and we can not take it off line.

We had one camper leave  and one come in, on the same day. The new camper is on the lot that the one that left had been on.  We have been lucky in that no one has had any damage due to some flooding we had two weeks ago.   We have had a couple of days with sun shine.  And we have had a few colder than usual nights as well. But, the weather is improving and we may even get to 70 on Sunday. I'm looking forward to that so we can open the doors, windows and vents and air out the camper. Of course, it's only for one day and then it's to cool off again. But I'll take that one day and be happy we can open up for a bit.  The grass is very fresh and green and there is a lot of "green" along the creek banks, as well as along the road up to our daughters' home and the daffodils are all in bloom and the tulip poplars have blossomed and those are already falling off the trees. The cottonwoods are all filled in and it will soon be "Snowing" petals everywhere. I am still not walking as I should because of the rain and the cold but that will soon change and I will take advantage of better weather.

The Expedition is broken down (again) but we have made arrangements to have it looked at, and fixed if it's possible.  I'll be glad of when that is done so I don't have to rely on Daughter to come get me each morning.

Hubby has taken my advice and will go to the Senior Center at least once a week to get out of the camper for a little while and be with people that are not family.  H He can ride the local transportation bus there and back home.  He can also use that to go to Wal-mart or the local Save A Lot for any groceries we will be needing.  Everything else is within his walking abilities an if the weather will co-operate it would be great for him to get out and walk to cover those o couple of bills. 

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

Classic French Marrons Glacé - Candied Chestnuts

Classic French Marrons Glacé - Candied Chestnuts
https://www.thespruceeats.com/marrons-glace-candied-chestnuts-recipe-1375145

By Rebecca Franklin
Yield:   2 pounds (18 servings)
If chestnuts roasting over a crackling fire evokes happy times and holidays, then candied chestnuts are their luxurious cousins, served only as the most indulgent of treats. So beloved is the flavor in France, which the Berthillon Glacier in Paris usually sells out of their dreamy marron glacé within hours.

Bring the unique, warmly sweet flavor into your kitchen with this fabulous candied chestnuts recipe. Making the Marrons takes quite a  time and the commitment of time over a few days to get to the delicious finish, though the active cooking time is, in fact,  less than 30 minutes, in total. Do give it a go, it is worth the effort, and you will be so glad that you did.

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh chestnuts (shelled)
2 1/2 cups water
2 pounds granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.

Place the chestnuts in a large pan with just enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil and cook the chestnuts for 10 minutes.
Drain the chestnuts and discard the cooking liquid.
Using a clean dish towel (some people prefer to use their fingers), rub the thin skin off the cooked chestnuts. Be careful they will be a little warm, but that's how they need to be to remove the skin quickly.
In a separate pan, bring the 2 1/2 cups water, granulated sugar, and the vanilla to a boil stirring constantly.
Continue cooking the sugar mixture for 5 minutes, but this time stirring occasionally.
Add the prepared chestnuts to the boiling sugar syrup and stir the chestnuts until the whole mixture returns to a boil.
Continue cooking the chestnuts, frequently stirring, for 10 minutes.
Pour the candied chestnuts, along with the syrup into a large container, and loosely cover it.
Allow the chestnuts to soak in the syrup for 12 to 18 hours.
Add the chestnuts and syrup to a clean pan and repeat the process; this time boiling them for 2 minutes.
Then soaking the mixture, loosely covered, for 18 to 24 hours.
Repeat the entire process a total of 3 to 4 times, until the sugar syrup has been absorbed by the chestnuts.
Preheat an oven to 250 F.
Arrange the candied chestnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and turn off the heat. Allow the chestnuts to dry in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they have firmed up and the surfaces of the nuts are dry.

Store the marrons glace in an airtight tin or if making for gifts, put into paper cases and box, or wrap in cellophane.

What to Do With Your Marrons Glace
The best thing is to give to friends and family (tempting as it is to keep them) they will love them. The Marrons make a perfect gift or even wedding favor though many will know the time and effort it took to make them, you will.

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination