Brrrr I did it! Brrrr

It's Christmas Eve day!  Are you ready? I need to wrap a gift and do some baking, oven has biscuits for our breakfast.  And to warm us up...20 (feels like 13) degrees outside which isn't much by northern standards, but it is here.  Tallahassee area doesn't normally get this cold or have below freezing temperature for hours on end.  The sun has just topped the trees and while her heat will help, our forecast high is 36 degrees.

We were told to run the water last night to prevent pipes from freezing.  We did and Jim also put our space heater in the compartment near the main water valves to keep them warm.  No problem with our water overnight!  I would hate to have to deal with frozen/defrosting water lines!  I set the furnace at 55 and it did come on during the night and I'm sure it will run a lot today!

I guess we'll just have to have a cold Christmas!  Sunny clear skies so no snow.

We had to replace one of our main propane tanks.  It was an original so it was past time.  Popped into Ace Hardware and told them what we needed.  So we have a full tank as a spare for our Winter of a few days.  Hopefully we'll get back to normal after this blast of Arctic air. 

                                Handmade cards Because:

No one displays an email on the mantel

or

Shows off a tweet on the refrigerator

or

Saves a Facebook Post in a box of treasures

Total for 2022

                                                     500 +

I used Texture Chic DSP from Stampin' Up! to make these notecards.  

For a challenge we were asked to pick our favorite paper from the current catalogs to make cards.  I chose Abigail Rose!  I embossed the  panels with Timeworn Type, used alcohol markers to color the rose in Fresh Freesia

Pulled out a February 2022 kit from Echo Park to make a couple birthday cards

A challenge over at Club Scrap is responsible for these two wee cards.  I'm almost out of this paper

So there you have it.  At times I wondered if I'd make my goal of 500 cards.  I love playing with ink, stamps and pretty paper!

Merry Christmas!  I hope this holiday is filled with wonder and joy as we celebrate the Birth of Christ

                                  All is right in our world                                                              ...except this freezing weather...

 I am an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Teaching quick and easy card making. Follow me here or on Facebook:  Card making with Linda for more detailed instruction. To place an order, head over to my website to view the digital catalogs

https://lindagoudelock.stampinup.net/

Dust, Dust and more Dust!

                                    Reminds me of the winter we spent in the valley, when they were working on Military Road.  Our 'resort' has the look and feel of a campground.  Despite the Golf Course next door.  The U-shaped road is all dust and sand.  Some of the sites are concrete some are asphalt.  Impossible to keep the truck clean.  Not to mention the rig.  At least the weather is pleasant enough for Jim to wash the truck today.

For our mid-day meal we had red beans and rice.  It was so yummy

Recently Jim saw his oncologist and his lung is still cancer free.  Another checkup in a year but the doctor said this type of cancer shouldn't return.  Great news!

I still have some flowers left but they are looking tired, about as sleepy as this anole!  I couldn't believe he stayed long enough for me to get this picture (one of many) and I had to lay on the cement pad to get this shot.

Did you know bumblebees sleep in flowers?

                                            Handmade Cards because: 

                No one displays an email on the mantel

or

Shows off a tweet on the refrigerator

or

Saves a Facebook Post in a box of treasures

Total for 2022

394 

This is a OSW from Jessica Taylor, SU designer series paper 

Stack and Shuffle technique using Texture Chic DSP from Stampin' Up!

Same DSP and the Memories and More kit

Abigail Rose Suite of products from SU

Rustic Harvest Suite of products from SU.  This OSW from Julie Davison made 13 cards!

We're having beautiful weather!  Low 80's during the day, upper 50's at night.  Not much rain lately hence all the dust!  Hope you're enjoying your fall weather as all to soon winter will be upon us.

All is right in our world!

I am an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Teaching quick and easy card making. Follow me here or on Facebook:  Card making with Linda for more detailed instruction. To place an order head over to my website where you can view the catalogs 

https://lindagoudelock.stampinup.net/

Rain, Libraries and Cards

 Tuesday is Library Day.  We usually get 3 movies to watch.  Recently we saw Knives Out with a cast of characters.  And I do mean characters.  If you haven't seen it, you should!

Have I ever mentioned the wind?  More days than not we have afternoon winds that rival the winds we experienced in Texas.  Awning up, awning down....of course when the awning is up we get afternoon sun, makes the AC run...endless circle.

Fueled up the other day...$163!  Diesel was $5.49. I shouldn't complain as it still costs more in Europe and other countries.  Even other states.  But it sure takes a chunk out of the budget.

Finally got Jim into the Veteran system!  Found out he was qualified and he saw his primary care person.  We'll be working on all the benefits he's entitled to.

Our days of spontaneously jumping into the truck for an adventure are over.  Our trips involve grocery, visits with our girls and visits that involve medical people.  Yes, depending on how long the day will be we will stop for a meal.

                           Handmade Cards because: 

                No one displays an email on the mantel

or

Shows off a tweet on the refrigerator

or

Saves a Facebook Post in a box of treasures

Total for 2022

222

These next 8 cards are from a Paper Pumpkin kit

Abigail Rose from Stampin' Up! is a beautiful Suite

Some 4th of July cards

Texture Chic is another  Suite from Stampin' Up! that has lovely papers and stamps

Handed Penned DSP along with Memories and More ephemera by the same name

We've had a lot of rain this past week!  For the most part it soaks in rather quickly with all the sand around here.  I know my plants liked it.  Yesterday we were rain free.  

All is right in our world

Muy Caliente!

                           Like a lot of the country we're experiencing some unusual weather.  We've had some pretty hot days here!  Temperatures reaching 98-100 degrees with heat indexes up to 105 degrees.  And to make matters worse?  The AC on our truck is very picky about when or not to work.  We aren't traveling to far these days because of that and the price of diesel.  What are fuel prices where you are?  Here diesel is creeping up to $6 a gallon.  $5.91 is the highest we've seen, but as low as $5.84... Just have to get it when we can for as low as we can.  

Do you utilize your local library?  For one it has all manor of reading material,  as a library should.  But they also have movies!  We've been getting three or four a week to entertain us.  We have free TV here, but not many channels to choose from.  Recently we watched all 5 of the Pirate of the Caribbean movies.  We like Pirates!  Even watched an oldie, Cutthroat Island.  This was very amusing.

My potted garden is doing ok.  In this heat I have to water morning and night and watch for wilting plants in the afternoon.  I've been enjoying cucumbers and the local Mockingbird is enjoying my tomatoes!  I have started picking them when they're orange.  I didn't know jalapenos produced so many peppers!  I can't eat them fast enough.  Only had one bell pepper.

The extension to our patio looks a whole lot better than it did!  Jim was a trouper for installing the edging.  We were able to get the mulch locally but getting it spread out was a herculean effort by both of us!  That's about when the higher temperatures started.  But we got er done!

                           Handmade Cards because: 

                No one displays an email on the mantel

or

Shows off a tweet on the refrigerator

or

Saves a Facebook Post in a box of treasures

Total for 2022

187

All Stampin' Up! products.  The Tulip paper has retired but I love it

Flowering Fields from Stampin' Up!  Same paper pack as the Tulips above

These cards are triple folds

Challenge card.  Abigail Rose from Stampin' Up! The white panel is embossed

Used the same layout for these red, white and blue cards

Today it looks like another hot day.  0900 and the temperature is 87.  One nice thing about this area, the humidity falls during the day.  Time for me to water the plants!

All is right in world