Oncology Nurse Lightbulb Ornament

Hey there! Sorry I have been MIA lately. This last month of chemo has made me really, really tired. Still feeling so fortunate that I haven't been nauseous through all this. Knock on wood, right? I have 3 more chemo treatments to go and hopefully I am DONE! I begin my last cycle tomorrow. Tomorrow I also see my doctor and we are going to talk about my surgery which should happen around the first week of June. I will get a 4-6 week break between the last treatment and surgery.

I have maintained a very positive attitude about this and still remain very hopeful that I can beat this. I have still given it to God to handle as he thinks he should. I have no control over the outcome. I am still hoping I can make some kind of impact on someone to get screened for this awful disease. I have read a bit more about it and it only scares me so I'm trying my best to stay away from googling about it. Ovarian cancer is more dangerous than all the other female cancers. I imagine it is because there hasn't been near the research done on ovarian cancer than breast cancer because there just isn't much awareness about it. I never gave ovarian cancer a thought. Hopefully, now that Angelina Jolie has come out with her cancer scare it will be more in the spotlight and there will be more awareness. I wish I could do more to raise funds for the cause.

Tomorrow is my last Friday chemo treatment as my last two are on Saturdays so I wanted to make my special oncology nurse's something special since they mean so much to me. We have been through a lot together. Naturally it has to be an ornament and this is what I came up with. Oh, that ugly brown bag that holds the poison that shoots through my body. So happy when this is over! I hope they like it.

Leopard Santa Face Lightbulb Ornament

I just love animal prints and I had painted a zebra hat santa before but wasn't gonna be satisfied until I painted a leopard hat on a santa ornament. Well, here it is! I want to do others also...an entire collection! Thanks for looking!

Chicken Enchiladas

This is my favorite Mexican casserole that I have made many times. Very easy and tastes so good. So creamy and just the perfect hotness to it. Going to have to make this soon! Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas
12 Flour tortillas
3 c. Diced chicken
1 Large onion, chopped
8 oz. Sour Cream
10 oz. Can Cream of chicken soup
1/2 t. Garlic salt
1/2 c. Butter, melted
(2) 4 oz. Cans chopped green chilies
2 c. Milk
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 t. Cumin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion, chicken, 4 oz. chilies in butter, season with cumin and garlic salt. Put 1/12 of chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll tacos and place seam side down in greased pan. Combine soup, milk, 4 oz. chilies, sour cream and pour over tacos. Bake until hot and bubbly 20-30 minutes. Top with grated cheese and cook until cheese melts

Lake Living in the Winter

I have been so fortunate and feel so lucky to have lived at the lake full time for 9 years. Kentucky has been hit hard this week with over 12" of snow and the temperature has dipped down to negative numbers. I also am so lucky that I don't have to go outside of my home to work. I have worked outside my home since I was 16 so that would be 41 years of my life. I have to pinch myself that I have been able to stay home and paint my little heart out. I don't know how long this will last as I do feel really guilty not bringing more money to our checking account. So far, we are doing fine with only hubby's income but again, I feel guilty. He has to go out and work. My dream has always been to stay home and paint and make a living. Only glitch in that plan is that I don't really start selling my things until around August/September. Guess it is because I mostly paint Christmas ornaments. Can't help it, that is my passion. I am currently working on my inventory/stock so that I will have lots to sell come August.

Anyway, back to lake living. Here are a few pictures of what my view looks like this time of the year. I am just so happy here! This view never looks the same...every day it changes.

Santa with Pals Lightbulb Ornament

This little ornament has taken me quite awhile to get in the mood to design and paint. One of my best customers gave me the idea for it. I love getting ideas from others and I love designing new ornaments. New ornaments are quite time consuming because I have to not only draw it out but have to come up with what colors work well together. Since the elf has so much red in him I had no clue what color to do santa's coat but I knew that it had to be red too. So I painted a different color red from the elf's colors. Still not 100% sure the red coat will stay. Just can't figure out what other color would work better.

Crockpot Lasagna

I must confess, I don't use my crockpot very much at all but I would love to remedy that and try more recipes for it. This lasagna recipe is one that I found many years ago and make not often enough. I haven't done any major grocery shopping in the last week or two so I have been trying to just use what I have in the house and this is what I chose to make hubby for Valentine's Day. It was very yummy and oh so comforting. I even use regular lasagna noodles and they soften and cook just fine in the crockpot. That is my favorite part of the recipe, don't have to cook the noodles first. Enjoy!

Crockpot Lasagna
1 lb. hamburger
24 oz. spaghetti sauce
8 oz. tomato sauce
9 oz. (8) lasagna noodles
1 lb. jar Alfredo sauce (I like Roasted Parmesan Alfredo)
12 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 c. parmesan

Brown hamburger in large skillet, drain. Spray crockpot with Pam. Spread 3/4 c. spaghetti sauce in bottom of crockpot. Stir remaining spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce into hamburger. Layer 3 lasagna noodles over sauce, break noodles if necessary. Top with 1/3 of the Alfredo sauce, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with 1 c. mozzarella. Top with 1/3 of hamburger mix, spreading evenly. Repeat layering twice, using 2 noodles in last layer. Sprinkle parmesan on top. Cover, cook on low 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours. Cut into wedges. Makes 8 servings.

Breast Cancer Santa Lightbulb Ornament

I have had lots of requests for breast cancer ornaments. My customers love to honor loved ones that have survived or are still fighting this horrible disease. I have had a few of these ornaments in my Etsy shop but knew in my mind that I wanted a santa with a pink coat added to the mix. This is what I came up with. I plan on painting a few a teal color as that is the color for ovarian cancer. I need some of those for my tree! Thanks for looking!