Doctor Visit

I have not been feeling well the past month and it seems I am getting worse. I have tried so hard to stay away from the doctors office..but the time has come. Please won't you keep me in your prayers. Life has been a bit difficult for me with the pain and I am trying to cope with these weekly migraines, visual disturbances, and feeling very run down. The migraines are weekly now and this past weekend was the worst. It started on Friday, and as of today (Monday) I was still feeling a bit ill with the headache. The migraines have never lasted this long for me. I am praying that the doctors can help me. I have tried so many medications in the past with not great relief, except for less frequency due to the help of some medications. I felt so helpless this weekend..with so much to do, but stayed in bed for three days. This is not the "ME" that I like to see. :(
I thought they would decrease with age, but it seems as though they are getting worse. Not everyone can understand what I feel unless they have had to deal with migraines themselves. It is debilitating! I absolutely broke down in tears this weekend feeling very sorry for myself. I know they pass with time..but now I fear looking forward to another before the week is out, as I have continuously had one starting every Friday for the past month. *sigh*
I have tried many of the triptans with no help.
A preventative has helped in the past, but only worked for so long then they didn't seem strong enough to keep the migraines at bay. I have had MRI's years ago which come up fine.There is a family history..but it seems I have gotten the worst of it. :(

Please, keep me in your prayers for guidance and help from the doctor when I go for my appointment. I think the next stop up will be a neurologist. I am very blessed with an understanding husband who serves my every need, a son who brings me tea, and a daughter who forever snuggles with me! I also thank God for my very dear friends!

Louise

Thanksgiving Baking!

The Thanksgiving baking has begun! I made a new favorite, Apple Crunch Pie. It sure is delicious!

If you would like the recipe, it is on my recipe blog HERE!

Of course we are having traditional apple pie, which I made use of my new snowflake cookie cutters to decorate the pie crust:

I made pumpkin pie and used a cookie stencil to make a turkey on top with confectioners sugar. Too CUTE!

These are the cookie stencils I use..I found them at the beginning of the autumn season at Hobby Lobby:

I also made a new recipe, chocolate snowball cookies. This is a recipe by Betty Crocker and can be found HERE!

The cookies are delicious, I omitted the almonds..and would suggest not using the full teaspoon of almond extract in the recipe. Almond extract is very strong in flavor! Next time I will probably just put a half teaspoon. They are yummie cookies though :)
I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving, being with family and thanking God for all our many blessings!

Make sure you head on over to Plum Street Samplers Blog for her new Freebie cross stitch design, it is Gorgeous, and perfect for Thanksgiving! You can find the freebie HERE!

The Primitive Hare has a cute Christmas freebie! You will have to scroll down to see it. Love it! CLICK HERE!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Louise

Beautiful Saying

I saw this on the internet and had to share it with you!
LOVE THIS!

Muddy Buddies!!

Well, I have gone and done it now...I think I totally wrecked my diet again!
I came across this recipe that I saw on the box of corn chex cereal...well, the picture had me craving this sweet treat. Problem is..it makes a pretty hefty batch indeed! I made it today, put it into a big gallon ziploc bag in the freezer..Oh, it tastes so yummie all cold, sweet, salty, handfuls of goodness!!!
Although I love it so much, I am wishing I didn't make it..I see a midnight snack on the way tonight..
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.................. :)

Now, I will be a sweet sort of friend and give you the recipe..I would never steer you wrong..this is really good stuff!!
You are very welcome..(hee hee!)
Chex Mix Muddy Buddies

Louise

Renewal of Vows

Today was a most Blessed and Glorious day in our lives! This past April we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary. Today we renewed our Vows in the Catholic Church. Our children were present with us, along with our Sister Erin. It was a beautiful ceremony with Bishop Estevez presiding over the mass. We received a certificate honoring this milestone for keeping!
God has truly blessed us with 25 wonderful years of Love and Friendship.
Looking forward to the next 25!

Granny Scarf

I put all my granny squares together last night and this morning with a single crochet. Then I added a scallop edge.
This was a fairly easy project, but time consuming. I do like the final results! The colors of purple and green look so pretty together.
A pretty scarf is the final outcome. Thick, warm, and perfect for chilly nights to snuggle around your neck.

Sadly though, the housekeeping has been put aside while I work on things such as my crochet. I think I shall start dinner for later and clean a little bit now!
:) I think more granny squares are in my future..they are so much fun to do!
Ta Ta for now!
Louise

Flurries of Snowflakes Have Arrived!

Not real ones of course..remember I live in Florida!
But...still received snowflakes, by post that is! My order came in from King Arthur Flour
Aren't they just absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!
Oh, My head is spinning...imagine all the possibilities!
Such pretty colors of white, blue and lavender.

I am soooo looking forward to baking this Christmas season!

Also just snapped a photo of our son..isn't he a cutie! :)

:)
Louise

Grannies!

I did absolutely nothing today, well, besides making granny squares that is! I am hoping to put them together and make a scarf. I purchased the yarn at Hobby Lobby, it is a multi colored yarn in colors that are so pretty together..purples, blues, greens.

I am thinking I will have to use perhaps 28 squares to make a nice sized scarf. I am not sure of my crochet hook size, as it doesn't say..but it is a chunky hook. Love the chunky ones, so much easier to handle!

Hope you are all having a splendid evening,
Raggedystitches,
Louise

Just ME!

As I was getting ready this morning for my church class, I looked in the mirror. I am noticing more lines and wrinkles around my eyes than I used to have before. Some may not like the lines they notice..but I am learning to appreciate them, each and every one. I know to have these lines, many events have brought me thus far. Each one could tell a story..not only sad lines, but happy lines. I asked my husband to take a picture of me before I left the house today. I looked at the picture and felt confident in knowing who I am, how blessed I am, and how confident I have grown in myself and the Lord over the years. It has not always been easy, and sometimes there were difficult roads..but I have walked down every road presented to me, even if unexpected. I am who I am, just ME.
I am fortunate to be my age, and be blessed with lines and wrinkles!

:) Louise

Weekend Vacation

 My husband and I took a three day vacation, just the two of us! We went a bit further north, and enjoyed every minute of it. I surely did not want our time away to end. We visited with dear friends I met through a stitching board, (Hi Bonnie and Mike!). They had the most fabulous lunch for us with homemade chili. It was nice to chat, eat, and enjoy each others company.

 I had brought along homemade peanut butter cookies to share, with a special stitched pincushion for Bonnie:

We stayed at a beautiful hotel that accommodated our every need.

Breakfast was a wonderful treat each morning, with homemade waffles, fresh fruits, cereals, bagels, pastries, juices, coffee and teas of all sorts. A wonderfully great start to each day! YUM!!

We drove around each day, looking at different homes. Starting to think about our retirement and where we will finally land one day..perhaps sooner than later! We saw many beautiful homes...this one looked nice, but needed some work:

Not sure if a house like this would work for us (ha ha) :)...we searched a little further, and then we found a castle!:

When they say "absence makes the heart grow fonder"...I guess it might work in this house..how could spouses even find each other? LOL!~ A beautiful castle indeed.
The weather was absolutely fantastic! The Fall foliage was outstanding:

 We saw Cows peacefully resting:

And we saw Birds:

 Not really sure what type of birds they were...but they were big and interesting looking!

A cemetary we passed along the way:

We stopped at a Taco place for some yummie lunch one day..I decided to get the taco salad. It was delicious!

We attended an elegant party for a close friend of my husband. Many people turned out and it was a big hit. A great Saturday night! We had many laughs and enjoyed ourselves immensely. On the way home Hubby wanted to stop for Dairy Queen...when he looked at his chocolate dipped cone, this is what he saw! 

We were so happy the whole weekend long, it even showed in the ice cream cone! :)

We looked forward to spending this time together and it was even better than we have ever imagined. Enjoying every minute, just the two of us!

It was lots of fun looking at different homes and spending time in such beautiful weather, along with special friends!

We spotted a stitch shop along the way, and of course my husband (the sweet man he is!) stopped and waited in the car while I shopped. This is the lot I came home with. Many charts on clearance!

Bonnie was so sweet and offered up this beautiful Linda Meyers chart to me when she found out that I love Amish Designs.

We will be traveling again soon, until then, I wish you all a Blessed Week!

Louise

Homemade French Fries!

I have been so good on my eating plan...well, up until Halloween that is! There is still tons of leftover candy and goodies. I might be dumping the rest in the trash soon to curb the temptations!
I made fish for dinner the other night and the kids were asking for homemade french fries. I remember a technique that my Grandmother had taught me so they would come out extra crispy. Soo....onto cutting up the fries (Idaho potatoes of course!)...then, basking them in a bowl of ice water..yes! Ice water. Makes the potatoes nice and cold..in the meantime you heat up a pan of vegetable oil.
Make sure you drain the potatoes and dry them with paper towels really well.

Then, I plopped them into the hot oil...

Sizzle, Sizzle!!!
Wait until they are a golden brown...then remove them with slotted spoon and place them on paper towels to drain...Salt them with fine salt as soon as you take the potatoes out of the pan...

DELICIOUS! Yes, I had many...now back to healthy eating! :)
I went out to do some errands this morning...I stopped off at the post office to pick up some stamps.
I asked if Christmas stamps had arrived yet..the worker told me they did, and I had a choice of a Christmas ornament, or a stamp with a mother and child on it.
I just looked at the worker and said, I would like the Holy Mother Mary and the Blessed Baby Jesus stamp if you have that!
Wasn't sure if he knew who they were... :)

I wish you all a wonderful Blessed day today!
Louise

Saturday Morning (and a freebie I found!)

I wanted so much to sleep late today...but I think my body is programmed for waking up early now. I was up by 6am! (Weekdays I must get up at 5:30am). The United States Navy Blue Angels were practicing over our house in our back yard yesterday in preparation for the big show today. I can't believe how they fly in formation, and so close to each other. They are so amazing to watch!
I did snap a couple of pics with my daughter's little camera and this is what I got:

I kept missing them because they travel at such a high rate of speed! It is so very loud when they fly over and so close, pure excitement!
I was searching around the internet yesterday (spending way too much time online again!) and decided to order a couple of things I have been wanting. (early Christmas gifts from my husband) , I ordered  the book by Sarah London titled "Granny Square Love". I cannot wait to receive this book. Lovely pictures throughout. I would like to learn some new granny techniques, and I think this book will help me a lot with that.

I found some freebie cross stitch charts on the internet that I think you might be interested in. Perfect timing with a snowman, an ornament, a pumpkin and a peppermint acorn design too. They look to be older freebies, but I myself have never seen them before..so without further ado...here is the link for you! :
Flying Needle Freebies You must scroll down once you click on the link to see all the freebies. I love them, I know you will too. :)
Yesterday I ordered from a catalog I received in the mail from King Arthur Flour. I have had my eye on these snowflake cookie cutters since last Christmas. I couldn't hold back any longer! I know they will make very special cookies for the Christmas season. Oh Dear, I just looked at the website and it looks as if they are not available to purchase at this time! They were in the catalog and I had just mailed my payment out yesterday with the filled in order form. Perhaps they only mean it is not available online? I sure hope I do get them. I had wanted these so much since last year. Here is a picture of the cookies they create when you use the cutters..aren't they perfect!

Looks like I might have to put a call in to the company and see what is up..I do hope they come through for me!
I went out with my Dear Husband this morning. We did some shopping for house things. We were blessed with an unexpected check in the mail from the bank! They told us that we overpaid with certain things when we closed on our house last year. Now, it wasn't a million bucks..don't get too excited, LOL! But, it was enough to buy a couple of things we have waited on for our home. I love the wood flooring we put throughout our house, but miss the feel of a rug under my feet. Soooo...we looked around, and this is what we found!
Isn't this the prettiest rug! It is now in our living room between the couch and chairs. It absolutely looks lovely. Makes the living room feel so much more "homier".

Much prettier colors in person...moss greens, taupes, creams, deep reds too. We also picked up paint for our master bedroom. I think we chose a really good color, called Crocodile Tears by Olympic. The color online doesn't really match the swatch card, it is more of a greenish, yellowy color..actually, reminds me a bit of celery. I am sure it is going to look really pretty in our bedroom with our white bedspread, or our comforter with shades of green also.
My hubby is ready to get to work today on painting..and I will be going for my annual scheduled eye exam. I hope they can adjust my contact lenses. I am having a lot of trouble stitching on 32 count linen. I may complain at times about having to live with glasses and contacts, but I DO realize how blessed I am that I have eyes to see!
I am trying to keep up with my Church class readings. I am taking a great class that runs for many months with a wonderful group of women that I have become closer to. The readings are wonderful and I am learning so much about temperaments and how each one of us is unique in our own ways. It is a very interesting read!
I am thinking of stitching a lizzie kate ornament for my daughter's teachers for Christmas. "Happy Birthday Jesus". I don't have much time..and always have such good intentions for everyone, and then, I run out of time. I hope though to at least try to do this for them. She has such wonderful teachers at her Catholic school!
It is now just about noon and our kids are still asleep...I remember those days! :)
I wish you all a beautiful day today!
Raggedystitches,