Sunny and cold Wednesday…

We are so lucky here as we only got wind from Sandy.  Northern Illinois close to the lakes got pounded a bit and WV has a lot of snow and 350,000 people without power.  That is all nothing compared to the ones on the east coast.  Watching the in-depth coverage last night on TV I was crying for the people involved and the things I was seeing.  The loss of life and devastation of property is heartbreaking.  And now I am reading that there is some talk of postponing the election.  I sure hope that doesn’t happen.   I don’t think I can stand much more of those hateful negative ads.  I have already voted and I just want it to be over with.

I can see that most of you are like I am with so many CDs and nothing to do with them.  So I think I will go ahead with the donation to Goodwill.  If you are reading this and are interested please go to my profile for my email and send me an email.  Sherry I especially want to hear from you as somewhere in these hundreds are several Elvis CDs and if I am remembering correctly you are an Elvis fan.

I have an errand to run this morning and a trip to Krogers for a few things.  I will catch up with you all when I get home.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Sandy brought snow…

to my sis in WV.  The schools are closed there this morning as so many of the kids live in the hills that it is impossible for the buses to run.  There is also a  lot of snow in the mountains.  Charleston WV is without power and my nephew who is an attorney at the capitol building is home today.  Thankfully there is no snow here but the winds are to to be sustained at 30 –35 MPH this afternoon.  My thoughts and prayers are with all of those on the east coast affected by the hurricane.

Associated Press Photo (sea wall near Scituate Massachusetts)

I am getting ready today to clean out my CD collection and take them to Goodwill.  I have hundreds of CDs.  I will keep George Jones and Willie Nelson and a choice few.  The rest will go.  Perhaps I will have a giveaway here from my blog.  Just become a follower and comment stating that you would like to be entered in the CD giveaway package of 6 CDS.  I love all kinds of music so I have some of everything.  Just let me know if you are interested and I will make it happen.  If no interest then Goodwill will be the recipient.

I hope you all have a great day.  Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Looking at old photos again..

I did this remarkable thing on Saturday and cleaned out the cabinet close to my computer.  Of course I was looking for something as I definitely don’t like to clean out cabinets.  I found lots of things I had forgotten about, a few things that made me cry and a picture of me with my mother taken around 1970.  My next older sister, Ebby, was being smart and was standing directly behind me.  I had 4 sisters and 3 of us were the same height (5 ft. 4 1/2 in ) except for my oldest sister, Corrie, who was about 4 ft. 11 in.  She took after my grandmother on my mom’s side.

My mother looks so sad in this picture and that made me sad for a little while.  I found some stuff to shred.  All in all I had a mess all over my living room floor for about 3 hours.  I did, however, find what I was looking for and by that time I was too tired to care.  So I straightened up the living room and sat down with another John Sandford book.  He is my favorite author and he is a real hunk to boot.  LOL

 

John Sandford

Novelist

fantasticfiction.co.uk

John Sandford is the pseudonym of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling novelist John Roswell Camp. Camp was born on February 23, 1944, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Wikipedia

Born: February 23, 1944 (age 68), Cedar Rapids

Education: University of Iowa

Almost all of his novels are set in Minnesota.  I know a couple of my readers are from Minnesota.  http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000040368,00.html

I have some errands to run this morning.  I will check you all out when I get back  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Sunday quote…

Let thy words be few.

Ecclesiastes 5:2

 

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Have a blessed day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

A test…

“Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete.

If you're alive, it isn't.”

Richard Bach

 

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Have a peaceful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Yesterday was a…

beautiful day.  It got up to 80 degrees here.  After I did a bit of cleaning I went out for a short walk.  Even after the rains we have had there are still some lovely colors to enjoy right on my block.

A few doors down…

and looking out my front door.  Please click on pictures to make larger.

I did get the bathroom cleaned yesterday and that is about all.  I have to make a short grocery run this morning before the cold front goes through,  The low temp last night was 64.  That is above the average high for the day and the 30s roll in tonight.

Have a wonderful day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

If early voting is any indication…

I think there will be a large turn out at the polls on November 6.  Yesterday I went to vote right at 8:30 AM when the circuit clerk’s office opened.  There was a long line of voting booths set up.  By the time I finished voting (5 minutes) I counted 11 people voting and more coming in.

The rain has stopped and it is supposed to be sunny and 81 degrees.  Now how is that  for 24 October 2012?  Rain coming through with a cold front tomorrow and dropping the temps to the 30s tomorrow night.

This flip flopping weather is not conducive to good health.  I am glad I got my flu shot early.

I need to get started on some cleaning.  That seems to be never ending.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Thank you Arlene…

for the friendship blogger award.  You are an amazing friend.



One of the nice things about this award is that I don’t have to tell 7 things about myself or answer 7 questions or choose 7 people to pass it on to.  all I have to do is say thank you to  a lovely blogging friend of several years.  You may visit Arlene at  http://4pawsandatale.blogspot.com/

I am off this morning to the pharmacy and to the circuit clerk’s office to early vote.

My Cardinals lost last night.  I have mixed feelings about that.  For one thing I am glad I don’t have to sit on the edge of my chair again till next year, and who knows, the Cardinals can rise again.  It is my duty now to holler for the Tigers.  LOL

I will catch you all when I get back from doing my civic duty.

P.S.  It is still raining.

Beth

Another gulley washer…

complete with lots of lightning and thunder.  And not realizing it was going to storm, I was out in it this morning, to the post office and the bank.  I had a cup of tea with my daughter and then I headed home.  Many of the streets are flooded.  I would say that we are making that rain deficit of 6.9 inches shrink today by an inch or two.

And it is so dreary and dark outside that I have turned on several of the lights.  I have got to have my light.  I think I suffer from whatever that is that you have when you need to have it light.  lol  I can’t think of it now but I am sure I will think of it when I close this post.

What I don’t want to think of is the Cardinals letting the Giants beat them the last 2 games. Tonight it is do or die.  The game will be in competition with the last political bunch of poopeydoop.  (made up word from my own dictionary)  Which do you think will pull in the highest rating?  I am so sick of the negative ads and the phone calls.  I will go vote however.

I hope you all have a good week.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Prayers for Janice in California and my cousin Bryce in south central Missouri.

Beth

Somewhere…

Have a lovely peaceful Sunday.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Another rainy day…

however I did get out to check the garage sales which turned out to be a total waste of time.  I think the garage sales are done now until next spring.



A garage sale in the rain!

Then to food depot where I got the large boxes of Kleenex for 88 cents and Rays Chili for 88 cents.  They are having an 88 cents sale on a lot of things for 4 days, Thursday through Saturday.  I stocked up!

The Cardinals won last night 8 –3.  It was a very exciting game.  I think though that these night games are a bit too much for me.  lol  I get so wound up in hollering for my team that I have to unwind before I go to bed.  The next game is tonight at 7PM CDT.

It is still drizzling outside and the temp is 48 degree so I am in for the rest of the day.
Have a wonderful weekend.  Stay safe and  be happy!!

Beth

Finally the rain…

has stopped for a little while.  We needed this rain so much last summer and now it is like a leaky faucet that won’t quit dripping.  Yesterday was thunderstorms off and on all day.  The Cardinal game was delayed because of rain in the bottom of the 7th.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2012/10/18/nlcs-st-louis-cardinals-rain-on-san-francisco-giants-parade/

After a 3 & 1/2 hour delay the Cards came back to beat the Giants.  What started out as an afternoon game didn’t finish until almost 10PM CDT. 



The next game is tonight and we have rain predicted for later on today.  We are really whittling down the rain deficit that we have had all year.  I think it is right around 7 inches below normal right now.

I am not sure what I am going to do today.  I need to get out a little bit for some fresh air before it starts raining again.  It is 42 degrees and sunny right now.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my post yesterday.  It brought back a lot of memories for me.

Have a  peaceful day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

It all started in 2005…

My husband had just been diagnosed with lymphoma.  I had started a blog on Windows Live Spaces shortly before that.  I was overwhelmed and gave that blog up only to start it up again shortly after.  I missed my blogging family.

There was Ariana, my very first blogging friend who was a teacher in Chicago at that time.  I still know how to find her now as she is on Facebook and she comes to visit me once in awhile.  And then next there was Carole in Tennessee, Carol in Michigan, Joe in Montana, Nicky in Scotland, Nita in England, Kerrie in Australia, Patsy in West Virginia, Nancy in Missouri, Stephen in Illinois, Stephen in Michigan, Shelly in Michigan, Sheila, Pen and Arlene in England and Paul in Boston who calls me his big sister and the list goes on and on.  I can’t name everyone so I won’t even try,  Just know that my Windows Live Spaces friends were and still are special friends to me.  I even had the privilege of meeting a couple of them in person and chats on the telephone and on messenger with many of them.  I cried when 3 of my blogging friends died.

Over 2 years ago Live Spaces kicked us out and moved our blogs over to Wordpress. That is when I started blogging on Blogger.  And several of my old blogging friends started blogging here too.  And I made a whole new list of blogging friends.  My blogging family was getting larger.  They care what happens to me and they show it.

I have made so many new friends here on Blogger.  Among them is one special lady named Mildred who thought enough of me after I was in the hospital last month to send me a lovely gift.



It was lost in the mail for a few weeks but I finally received it yesterday afternoon.  Thank you Mildred!!

I found a lovely young lady in California here on my new blogspot.  Her name is Janice and she is battling cancer.  I have adopted her as a daughter.

And here again in Blogger, the list goes on and on.  I  can’t name all of you but you are all special to me.  You lift me up each day with your posts and comments.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

What’s happening..

on an October Tuesday in central Illinois in the USA?  Actually not very much.  It is an unbelievable day weather wise at 66 degrees right now and to get up to the upper 70s today.  The sun is shining brightly.  A cold front is to go through tomorrow bringing rain and colder weather with it.

I have been out to a couple of the stores, mainly for milk and bread then back home here where much to my surprise not very much was happening.  I thank God for that because I can handle nothing happening a lot better than I can handle a bunch of unwanted stuff happening.

The Cardinals lost last night so the games are tied 1 – 1.  No game tonight, another presidential debate.  So that means no NCIS either.  I will be glad when the election is over.

If you made any sense out of what I just said, then my hat is off to you. Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

YAY!! Cardinals won!!!

on to game 2!!

The weekend was pretty stormy with rain all day Saturday and off and on again yesterday.  I went out between rain showers yesterday to take a couple of pictures of what is happening to the trees by the cemetery.

 

This is ‘the tree’ that I have been taking a picture of on the 4th day of each month so far this year.  You can see if you click on the photo that the tree must have been very pretty in years gone by.

This is just a general view of the cemetery from my back door.  It was too wet for me to walk on over through the grass for better pics.  This was taken from my back door.  And then the rain started again and the temps fell 20 degrees.

And then I settled down to watch the Cardinal game.  It was very exciting!!  And they won 6 – 4.  It was a bit nerve wracking when the Giants tried to make a comeback, and now on to game 2.

It is a new week and I am all set to make the most of it. The sun is trying to shine.  I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Go Cardinals…

On Fox network tonight, the Cardinals vs San Francisco…

 

I will be there cheering them on.

Have a wonderful day!!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Saturday and…

rain is falling with a prediction for severe thunderstorms later this afternoon and evening. It is to be in the upper 70s today with a cold front coming through, just right for bad weather.

Yesterday was spent going to garage sales with lunch at Bob Evans.  Chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes and a biscuit.  I even brought a quart of the chicken and noodles home.  Quite a buy for $5.

I am busy this morning with laundry and I am going to be cleaning in the kitchen and bathroom.  And that is my agenda for today.

I hope you all have a peaceful weekend and the sun is shining, at least in your heart.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Cheering the Cardinals on…

http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20121011/SPORTS/310110011



WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 10: Chris Carpenter #29 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Washington Nationals during Game Three of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 10, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) / Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

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Have a great day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Sleepless night…

Last night was one of those nights where I just couldn’t get comfortable.  The night seemed unending and I just wanted morning to come.  Did you ever notice that when you are having a restless night that you can’t seem to find anywhere to put your arms?

We had some rain last night and then falling temps.  It was 34 this morning when I got up.  It is sunny and beautiful  but cool as it will only make it to the lower 50s today.

I am psyching myself to clean this morning but first I have feel a little bit better.  If I can’t get it all done today I will ask my daughter if she will come over tomorrow and give me a hand.

I hope the sun is shining today wherever you are and that you appreciate the new day you have been given.  I surely do.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Hunting the fall…

colors.  Yesterday morning before I started on the fruitcakes my daughter went with me around town to check on some of the fall colors.













The park had some really cute Halloween decorations out.  The roses are still in full bloom too after several frosts.

I am out this morning for a haircut and to get my glasses adjusted then tomorrow, cleaning the house.  I can’t escape that. 

Do stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

And the fruitcakes…

are done.

If you want the recipe you can go to either one of my recipe blogs.

The finished product.

*****

I hope you all have a great week.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

What more can I say?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1360643-st-louis-cardinals-vs-atlanta-braves-team-grades-following-nl-wild-card

Photo by AP

St. Louis Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter, left, and Bryan Anderson celebrate after the Cardinals’ 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in a baseball game, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012, in St. Louis.

*****

Have a great weekend!!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Rainy Friday…

About an inch of rain fell last night and it was still drizzling this morning.  That didn’t stop me from running errands.  I have finally gathered my stuff together  to make my fruitcakes and the stuff was more expensive than ever this year.

A little excitement next door a little while ago.  My neighbor turned her furnace on for the first time today and her smoke alarm went off at the same time.  Something in the furnace was burning that shouldn’t have been.

She called 911 and then the fire truck arrived.  When I first saw it I was afraid that an ambulance would soon follow because my neighbors 2 doors down are both in their mid 80s and not well.

And that is enough excitement for me for today!!  I hope you all have a peaceful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

The tree..

 

 

4 January 2012

4 February 2012

4 March 2012

4 April 2012

4 May 2012

 

4 June 2012

4 July 2012

   4 August 2012

6 September 2012

4 October 2012 early morning

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

I love my Cardinals…

they’re wild again!!  http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bryan-burwell/burwell-it-doesn-t-matter-how-cards-made-it/article_646e48bc-071c-5742-89ba-301066663ebf.html

 

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)   (Associated Press)

What can I say???  You all know I am a huge Cardinal fan.

*****

Have a wonderful day!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

I have been busy…

gallivanting around running errands and shopping and ignoring the sad state of my housekeeping. 

gal·li·vant

verb /ˈgaləˌvant/ 
gallivanted, past participle; gallivanted, past tense; gallivanting, present participle; gallivants, 3rd person singular present

1. Go around from one place to another in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment
   • - she quit her job to go gallivanting around the globe

*****

Anyway it was fun to go outside on this beautiful sunshiny day and forget for a time all of the things on my mind. It is 72 perfect degrees right now.   My daughter was kind enough to go with me.

This taking one day at a time stuff is hard to do but I keep trying.  I hope you all enjoy today and the sun is shining wherever you are.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

A Monday kind of day…

I overslept this morning mainly because I had a restless night again for the third night in a row.  I had the alarm set and I  shut it off which is always a bad start for any day.  I finally dragged myself out of bed and took the bedding off to change the bed.  Then I proceed to march out of my front door towards the laundry room in my housecoat and slippers, hair uncombed and looking extra beautiful I’m sure.  It is about 10 feet to my laundry room door in full view of all 3 of my neighbors.  LOL  I wanted to start their day off with a smile.

Yesterday my daughter and son in law stopped by after church and had lunch with me.  We had roast beef, carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy and biscuits. 

Nothing much planned for this week.  I need to get some cleaning and rearranging done but I have to work up energy for that.

It is time for me to make my annual fruitcakes and get them soaking in rum for Christmas.  I need to gather all of the ingredients together first before I can start that.  It is an expensive venture.

I hope you all have a good week.  I am going to try to.  Do stay safe and be happy!!  For my friend Janice in California and for my cousin Bryce in south central Missouri, you are both in my thoughts and prayers!

Beth