My cat Missy is failing,,,,old age.

Greetings,

I wasn't sure if I would post about this or not but finally decided to today.  My cat Missy is failing rather rapidly now from old age.  I do not know for sure how old she is but my best guess is probably between 18 and 20 years old.

She has been a wonderful cat and great companion to me.  Very loving and affectionate.

At the time Missy was adopted into the family I had two dogs, Rusty, who I still have and Teddy who passed away shortly after Missy was adopted.  It was the dogs who actually adopted her.  She was a street cat.  One day when Rusty and Teddy had been out in the yard for a while.  They came in and Missy was with them.

Teddy was old and beginning to fail at that time.  But he, Rusty and Missy would all get on the living room floor and wrestle and play.  When Teddy tired he would climb up on the couch with me and Missy and Rusty would continue to wrestle.  Missy was not afraid of those two big dogs about 10 times her size.  It was such a joy to watch them all play together.  I just knew they had a deep love for one another.

Rusty was still a pretty young dog then only about 4 or 5 years old and I often think Teddy wanted him to have a playmate when he was gone and Missy fit the bill.  Now Rusty is also getting up there in age.  He will be 15 this year.  He has slowed down quite a bit but is still very healthy.  His heart seems to be breaking right along with mine watching Missy fail.  She does not seem to be in pain but she is weak.  She has lost a lot of weight as all older cats do.  But she still eats good and her body waste is pretty normal.  She is just old.

If she begins to show signs of suffering I will take her to the vet and let them put her to sleep.  I do not want her to suffer.  But so far it is just a lot of weakness and being tired.  She loves to get up on Frank's lap and will lay there for hours.  He is very good to her and shows her a lot of love.  When she is not with Frank she is with me or in one of her favorite places to lay.

Lord, I pray you let her pass peaceably and without pain.  Amen!!

Hallelujah!!! Jesus is Alive!! Thank you Lord for answered prayers!!!

Greetings!!

I have been so waiting to make this post and now I finally can.  :-D

First, I want to thank all those who prayed for Frank's recent biopsy to find out if he had cancer.  Our wonderful Lord and Savior has heard those prayers and answered them.  We just got the call a little while ago,,, FRANK DOES NOT HAVE CANCER!!!!  God is so very good, all the time!!!  I'm singing and praising the Lord!!  He is so true and faithful to answer the prayers of His children!!!

God has blessed us with other good news, Frank no longer needs the shots in his stomach.  He might have to go back on them after his blood is checked again on Monday for a short time but at least he is getting a good break from them which is much needed.

Also my Order of Protection was renewed in court today for another year.  God is good to watch over his children.  I am so blessed!!!  Praise the Lord!!!

Thanks again so much for all your prayers,,,, you rock!!!!

Much love to all!!!

Its raining, its pouring,,,,,,,,,

Greetings!!

Its raining, its pouring, the old man is snoring,,,,,,,.  Ever sing that song when you were a kid??  We are still raining here in Central Illinois.  With very few breaks here and there its been raining for weeks now.  There is some flooding by creeks and rivers but fortunately I am dry for the most part.

We have some water in the basement as the ground is saturated and there is just no place for the water to go.  But at least it is minor for now.  Even so, I am keeping an eye on it.  We need about a week without rain to get the ground dried up some.

Because of all the rain I still can not get into my garden to do anything.  It is not even tilled for the season yet.  And its just to wet to do it.  I would sink in like quicksand, LOL.

Oh well, this at least gives me time to work on ceramics.  I have two custom orders for "Tea for Two" sets.  I got the first one underglazed yesterday and will underglaze the second one today.  When we get back from the VA tomorrow I can get them glazed and they will be ready for the kiln.  I want to start to make my own set of dishes too.  I have put it off because I was not sure of the design I wanted to put on them.  I'm still not sure, LOL.

I think I want something creative and colorful.  I thought about taking the pattern from Frank's Guy Fieri Knife set but changed my mind on that.  Maybe flowers or fruit would be a good design.  Just on the borders.  Hmmm,,,  I guess maybe it will come to me when I sit down to paint, LOL.

Speaking of which.  I better head off to the glazing room and get busy.  Hope you all have a great day!!

Until next time,,,,,,Blessings!

What does wealth mean to you???

Greetings!!

Over on the Amish America blog this morning Erik posed the question, "What does weather mean to you??"  I thought it was such a good question I would repeat it here on my own blog. 

Wealth, I am sure, means many things to many people.  I have come to learn the only true wealth is heavenly wealth.  What we have here on this earth is as fleeting as our lives can be.  It can come and go depending on the economy.  You might "have it all" today and it be gone tomorrow.  Look at how many have lost everything they own, their homes, cars, bank accounts, stock portfolios and even their piggy banks with the economy crashing.

12 years ago, "I had it all", great income, nice home, beautiful antiques and a decent bank account.  But then I was injured on the job and wound up losing everything and living in a tent for a while.  (I'll leave out the details as there is still an ongoing case).  But I survived this tragedy by God's Grace through the faith I have in his son Jesus.

Even though I lived in a tent 15 miles outside of town, with no vehicle to get around and no money to buy anything I did not fear because I knew through faith that God would provide for my needs.  Life was not easy, but I had a relatively safe place to lay my head at night and during all this I never went hungry.  I was grateful for what I did have and I knew God would get me through the tough times.  And he did!!

Some people showed me some incredible kindnesses through that time, some did not.  But the thing I learned the most is those that did were storing wealth and treasures in heaven that will far out-weigh any wealth here on earth.  Jesus says in the bible, "whatsoever you do unto others you do also unto me."  And if you "do good unto others, your reward will be greater in heaven."  I always try to do good to others because I expect great rewards in heaven for showing His love to others through me.

The point I am trying to make with this true story is this, you can have great earthly wealth and in the end it doesn't mean a thing.  You could lose it tomorrow,, but heaven is forever!!  Are you following Jesus?  Do you need to come to know the Lord?  Start storing your treasures in heaven, it is the only safe place to keep it for all eternity.

Until next time,,,,,,,,,,,Blessings!!

Its a new week with a new beginning,,,,,,

Greetings!!

I almost never know what I am going to write about until I sit down to the computer to start writing, LOL.  I guess that is why there is always a hodge podge of topics.

Its a new week and new beginnings always seem to happen.  This week is a busy one yet again.  I finally got the lawn mowed the other day for the first time.  Had to weed whack some of the taller grass down first so I could get the mower through it.  Still so much yard work to get caught up on in between rain storms.

This week I plan on working on some ceramic orders, signing up to sell Watkins Products and of course the never-ending housework and laundry.  On dry days I want to get out into the yard and garden at least for a few hours each day to hopefully get that caught up.

All of my life I have put other people first.  My new beginning is to put me first a bit.  No I wont neglect caring for those I love, but I need to take care of me too.  I have not been doing that and yesterday and last night I paid the price.  I hurt so much from mowing the lawn the day before that I could not enjoy yesterday one bit.  I went to bed early, 8pm hoping to get some much needed rest.  8:30pm the phone rang, so I got up to answer it.  It was Frank's sister.  I am not blaming her, she had no idea how I was feeling, but it sure did throw my restful state out of balance the rest of the night.  Ah, such is life, LOL.

I push myself way too hard for my fibromyalgia and I am heading for a bad crash with it.  I really need to learn to say, enough, I can't do any more.  So my new beginning is to learn when and how to say that.  I guess that is what I mean by putting me first a bit.

Many of you know I was a victim of domestic violence.  I had to get an Order of Protection against my now ex husband.  Well, it expires on May 13th.  So I have applied to have it renewed and go back to court on the 29th for that.  I have no idea what the judge will decide, I guess most people do seek a renewal after the two years.  But I will not let it drop as I know the minute I do, there will be trouble.  Wish me luck and say a prayer for me that the judge finds in my favor.  I see no reason why he would not, I certainly have enough evidence of what this man is capable of,,, but its the court system and you never know.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Until next time,,,,,,,,,Blessings!

Happy Easter!!

Greetings!!

I want to wish you each a very Blessed and Happy Easter!!!  It is because Jesus lived, died on the cross and rose again that we are saved.  When you are sharing your day with loved ones I hope you take time to thank the Lord for all your many blessings, especially the greatest blessing of all, salvation.

Thank you to everyone who sent birthday cards and notes to Frank.  It really made his day special.  :-)

The weather has not co-operated for me to get the lawn mowed or much needed yard work done.  It is suppose to be rain free for a few hours today so I am going to take the weed whacker out and try to cut down some of the tall grass with that.  Then some much needed raking.  Everything is very wet though so I am not sure how well this will work.  Then we are in for more rain again starting this evening through until Tuesday.  This has been a very wet spring and I am sure there will be no drought declared in this area this year.

I am considering selling Watkins Products to make a little extra money.  If anyone here uses them would you please tell me what you think?  Also if you would like a dealer, please let me know as I can ship nationwide.

I did some comparison shopping and found that Watkins is indeed less expensive than McCormick's regular prices per serving.  Also you can get certified organic spices and herbs through Watkins which to me is a plus.  I think I will be ordering my start up kit after May 1st. But I want to do a little more research first, so that is why I would value your opinion.

Watkins also offers natural cleaning products and health and beauty aid products.  They have a large variety of salves and creams for just about anything you can imagine.  Please do let me know what you think!!

Until next time,,,,,,,,,Blessings!!

Video of Frank's Birthday,,,,,

Sorry its late folks.  I was going to post individual pictures but decided on a video instead.  Hope you like it!  Memories of Frank's 50th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANK!!!

Happy Birthday Frank!!  Love, Alice

Here are a couple of pictures of Frank this morning.  I have a ton more to post this evening when we get back from dinner.  I am taking him to Biaggi's Italian Restaurant.

The knives are part of Chef Guy Fierri's Professional Chef's Knife Set.  And Frank is wearing a Hell's Kitchen Finalists Chef's Jacket.  I think these are his two favorite presents, LOL.  He sure looks happy!!!

Frank is watching the video I made for him on his laptop, LOL.  He really got a kick out of it.  :-)

Check back tonight for a new post with lots of pictures. 

Rain, rain go away,,,,,,

Greetings!!

I remember singing, rain, rain go away when I was a little girl.  Now I feel like singing it again, LOL.  Right now the sun is shining but they are calling for more rain and thunderstorms to come in again later today into tonight and tomorrow.  It sure does make things grow though, especially the grass.  My grass is getting pretty tall but I am not sure when I will get it mowed.  It is too wet to do it this morning, even if I did have a working lawn mower.  I will be getting a new one this week but not sure I will get to mow this week if things do not have a couple of days to dry out.

The trees are budding out nicely this year and the spring flowers are all in full bloom now.  I am anxious to get out and do some much needed yard and garden work.  Perhaps by the end of the week.

Frank's 50th birthday is tomorrow.  I have a lot of surprises for him and I hope he really enjoys everything.  Thursday he has his prostrate biopsy.  I pray that goes well.  I started giving him his shots in his stomach yesterday.  Two a day for 15 days.  I was a bit nervous, but now that I have a few done its not so bad.  These shots are called "bridging" as they are to help prevent blood clots while he is off his coumadin.  I sure hope they work.  The last thing he needs is another stroke.

God is good though and I am trusting He is watching over Frank and protecting him.  Tomorrow, I will have a special post on here and on my facebook page for Frank's birthday.  Its a lot of fun so I hope you check back.  :-) 

Until next time,,,,,, Blessings!!

Just a cute story,,,,,

Greetings!

Yesterday Frank's brother-in-law sent me an email with a cute story in it.  It was funny, I laughed until my side hurt and tears were rolling down my cheeks.  I thought I would share it with you today.  Its raining and not much going on here today.  I am going to slice and season some meat for beef jerky today.  Frank loves jerky and I have been wanting to try this for a while.  I made jerky before but its been a long time.  So that along with muddling in the kitchen is my goals for today.  I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did.

Judas Asparagus

      This is amazing and brought tears of laughter to my eyes.

      I wonder how often we take for granted that children  understand
 what we are teaching???

      A  child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.


      Through the eyes of a child:

      The Children's Bible in a Nutshell

      In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was   nothing
but God, darkness, and some gas.  The Bible says,   'The Lord thy God is
one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.

      Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.

      Then God made the world.

      He split the Adam and made Eve.  Adam and Eve were naked,   but they
weren't  embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been   invented yet.

      Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were
driven  from the Garden of Eden.....Not sure what they were driven in
though, because they didn't have cars.

      Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long   as he
was Abel.

      Pretty soon all of the early people died   off, except for
 Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

      One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy,   but
one of his kids was kind of a Ham.  Noah built a   large boat and put his
family and some animals on it. He asked   some  other people to join him,
but they said they would   have to take a rain check.

      After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Jacob was more   famous
than his  brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his   birthmark in exchange
for some pot roast..  Jacob had a son   named Joseph who wore a really loud
sports coat.

      Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was   Charlton
Heston.   Moses led the Israe Lights out of  Egypt   and away from the evil
Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on   Pharaoh's  people.  These plagues
included frogs, mice, lice,   bowels, and no  cable.

        God fed the Israel Lights every day   wit h manicotti.  Then he
gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke,
dance, or covet your   neighbor's  stuff.

      Oh, yeah, I just  thought of one more:   Humor thy father and  thy
 mother.

      One of Moses'  best helpers was Joshua who was the first   Bible guy
to use spies.  Joshua fought the battle of Geritol  and   the fence fell
over on the town.

      After Joshua came David..  He got to be king by killing a   giant
with a slingshot.  He had a son named Solomon who had   about 300 wives and
 500 porcupines.  My teacher says he was wise,   but  that doesn't sound
very wise to  me.

      After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets.  One of
these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then   barfed up on
the shore.

      There were also  some minor league   prophets, but I guess  we don't
have to worry about them.

      After the Old Testament came the New Testament.  Jesus is the   star
of The New.  He was born in  Bethlehem  in    a barn.    (I wish I had been
born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to  me, 'Close the door!
Were you born in a barn?' It would   be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact,
 I  was.')

      During His life,   Jesus had many arguments with sinners like   the
 Pharisees and the Republicans. Jesus also had  twelve opossumes.

      The worst one  was Judas Asparagus.  Judas was so evil that they
named  a terrible vegetable after  him.

      Jesus was a  great man.  He healed many leopards and even   preached
to some Germans on the  Mount.

      But  the Republicans and all those guys put Jesus on trial   before
Pontius the Pilot.  Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus.  He just washed his
hands  instead.

      Anyways, Jesus  died for our sins, then came back to life again.  He
went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum.  His return
is foretold in the book of Revolution.


Hahaha  oh my goodness, out of the mouths of babes!!!
Until next time,,,,,,,Blessings!!!

A few more pictures,,,,

Greetings!

These are the last of my pictures I am going to post for now.

Today we head back to the VA for the third time this week.  Then I have counseling this afternoon and a few errands to run.  Storms are heading this way though and I might put the errands off.  Time will tell.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and have a great day!!

Salt and Pepper Shakers in the Spring Collection.  What a way to welcome spring, or keep spring in your house the whole year long.

The Spring Collection Bathroom Set got a lot of attention at the sale.

I love this cute Spring Collection Vase

The Tea for Two set is sure to please any one who uses it.

Everyone loved the colors of my yellow ware mixing bowls.  This is a new design very reminiscent of days gone by.  The exception is my yellow ware is done in a high glaze whereas the antique ones are done in a matt glaze.  I like the brightness of this style much better.  By the way, I can put any pattern on any piece.  You can buy a collection one or two pieces at a time.  :-)

Until next time,,,,,,,,,,Blessings!

More pictures,,,,,,,

Greetings!!!

Here are some more pictures of my work.  I am so busy these days I think it will be a week or more before I get back in my glazing room to work on anything.  But life happens and we just adjust accordingly.

This wine cooler and another similar one are the last of this type as they have been discontinued.  These are a little bigger than the ones I do to match the designs I do myself.  The design on this is raised where the others are smooth.

  A real bargain at $35 each.

A wine cooler in the Spring Collection.  Each flower is hand painted.  It is not a stamp or a decal.  Lots of work but oh so pretty!!

Liquid Soap Dispenser in the Americana Design

Americana Salt and Pepper Shakers

Sundae Dishes done in the Spring Collection Design.  I have decided to offer this design in a variety of colors.  Watch for that in the near future.

I'll put up the rest of the pictures tomorrow.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Until next time,,,,,,,,, Blessings!

Pictures of my work,,,,,

Greetings!!

I am running a little behind this morning because I was working on a surprise for Frank's 50th birthday next Tuesday the 19th.  Having so much fun preparing for the special day, LOL.

Here are some pictures of my work.  I am really pleased with how they came out.  Hope you like them!!  And yes, I do take orders and ship, LOL.

These are 16oz mugs done in a Satan Red Glaze.  They almost look like wood.

A liquid soap dispenser also done in the Satan Red Glaze

My Berry Vine design, a wine cooler.  Throw some ice in the bottom and place your wine bottle in there to keep your wine chilled during dinner.

A vase done in the Berry Vine Pattern, too cute!

The Berry Vine Pattern makes for a cute country bathroom set with toothbrush holder, tumbler and liquid soap dispenser.

Set of three red satin mixing bowls.  They nest for easy storage!!

Here is the Berry Vine pattern in a mixing bowl set.

The Americana Design, a favorite!!

This was my first attempt at a Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Sign Style plate.  There are a few things on there I am not sure of, but it sure got attention at the sale!!

That's it for today folks.  I'll post some more pictures tomorrow.

Until next time,,,,,,,,,Blessings!!

Sale today,,,

Greetings!!

I have not been on the blog the last few days trying to get ready for the sale today.  The product is made, at least as much as I could get made.  The booth is set up and I am ready to go.  I'll be heading out the door in a little while.  But first I wanted to give you some pictures of my booth to look at.  Next week I will be posting pictures of individual items.  Not sure which day yet as Frank and I have appointments both Monday and Tuesday early.  I guess the best time to check back would be Wednesday to be on the safe side. LOL.

I painted this table a couple of years ago.  It was a yard sale find.  It is wooden but folds up nice so I take it to all the shows I do and use it as my check out table.  :-)

Not really as much as I would like to have but plenty for this type of  show.  I can put any pattern or color on any of the pieces so I hope to get a lot of orders too.

Until next time,,,,,,,, Blessings!!

Election day for local government and firing the kiln,,,,,,

Greetings!!

I am going to keep this short today as I have much to do.  It is a local election today for city government.  Mayors and commissioners.  I am going to go vote as I think it is time to shake things up a bit around here.  I sure hope it does.

Once I am done voting I need to go fire the kiln for the last time before the sale on Saturday.  It won't be a tightly packed kiln load but I need to get it done none the less.  Then I have a few errands on the way back home.  Always busy, always tired these days.

Until next time,,,,,,, Blessings!!

Busy week,,,,,,

Greetings!

This is going to be a very busy week.  A couple of trips to the VA and finishing up getting ready for the sale on Saturday will make me hit and miss on here this week.  I am going to start taking pictures of my wares, pricing and packing today.  But it will be a few days before that is done because I am going to fire one more load tomorrow.

Watch for pictures to be posted sometime on Friday if everything goes according to schedule.  I have counseling Friday morning so it will be in the afternoon sometime, hopefully.  If not then it won't be until Sunday.  I don't usually post on Sundays but I will the pictures if I can't get them on here Friday.

I have to fly.  Need to get Frank moving for his appointment this morning.

Until next time,,,,, Blessings!

Emptying the kiln today,,,

Greetings,

Shortly I will be off to empty the kiln from firing it yesterday.  I can't wait to see how things came out!!  I am always excited to open the kiln after a firing.  Sometimes it is hard to wait until it is completely cooled, but wait I must.  If I open it too soon and the cooler air hits the hot air it can crack the pieces and I don't want to ruin all my hard work.

I will start taking pictures soon of all my finished work and will be posting them so please check back.

Now for my "hidden message".  I pray Frank does not read this, LOL.

Have you seen the show "Mobbed" yet?  I did and it gave me a fabulous idea.

Frank's 50th birthday is April 19th and I want to "mob" him with birthday cards from all over the world.  Frank has a serious heart condition with about 20 % of his heart working now.  We do not know how many birthdays he has left, that is in God's hands.  But we can make this one special!!

Would you please send Frank a birthday card?  It can be hand made, computer printed, store bought or just a hand written note.  I am not asking for money or gifts, just a card.  Please ask all your friends too!!  I would love to see him get tons of cards for his birthday.  Frank is a 15 year Navy veteran who served his country and was deployed to war twice.  Lets give something back to him!!

You can mail cards to: Frank Talmadge, 518 N. Madison St., Clinton, IL. 61727

Thanks so much for your help!!  I will post pics and a video after his birthday.  I can't wait to see the look on his face, LOL.

Until next time,,,,,, blessings!!