He is Risen….

Christ Arose

 

Love.

Beth

Oh What a Beautiful Morning…

“Oh what a beautiful day.  I’ve got a wonderful feeling, everything’s going my way.”

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

Music by Richard Rodgers, lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II
Copyright © 1943 by Williamson Music
Copyright Renewed.
International Copyright Secured
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

And it truly is a beautiful morning.  I have been out early this morning, a quick trip to Kroger for a few things I needed.  It is 46 degrees and the sun was warm on my face again.  I do believe that spring is making an appearance.  Well, I know for a fact it is because I saw some nice green weeds shooting up by the house foundation this morning.  I keep those pulled because they would soon be gigantic if I didn’t.  Maintenance has the yard treated and mowed and that is the extent of that.

I noticed that there are Easter eggs scattered all through the front yard.  My neighbor has a young boy and I think I will be in for a treat this afternoon, watching the gathering of the eggs.  This surely brings back memories.  We always fixed a nice Easter basket filled with treats for our kids.  

“Time is a river that flows ‘round the bend, never to return to the places it’s been.”  And no matter how much we might wish it, we can never go back in time.

I hope you all have a truly Blessed Easter!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

I’ve been everywhere…

man, I’ve been everywhere!  Out grocery shopping  very early at Food Depot, Kroger and Schnucks getting their bargains. 

It is a gorgeous sunshiny day with the temp at 45 degrees.  I feel spring in the air.  The sunshine was so warm on my face!  The snow is almost all melted away.  It doesn’t get much better than this.  Makes me glad to be alive.  Thank you God!!

It is afternoon and too late for me to contemplate any cleaning which makes me very sad indeed.    NOT!!!   I will have to be content with watching the Arias trial.  I think I am smitten with Juan Martinez.  lol 

Just a short post to say I am among the living following my appointment yesterday but not in the mood to do anything.

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

Beth     

Sunshine and…

the snow is melting at a rapid pace.  It is 30 degrees now and to reach 40 today.  I am off to another appointment this morning and then I hope this is it for a few weeks.

My son is having a birthday on April 8th.  He is planning to come home on April 6th.  I am going to order a birthday cake.  My menu will be spiral sliced ham, fried chicken, baked beans and potato salad.  I think I will make a mandarin orange salad to go with that.  What is funny is that he keeps reminding me of the turkey and dressing I fixed a few weeks ago.  I am not sure if I am up to fixing another Thanksgiving dinner.  I think I will stick  with my previously mentioned menu.

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Mandarin Orange Salad

•1 small pkg orange Jello
•1 small pkg vanilla pudding (the kind you cook)
•1 small pkg tapioca pudding (the kind you cook)
•3 cups water
•1 large can crushed pineapple (drained)
•1 large can mandarin oranges (drained)
•1 – 12 ounce container cool whip

Place Jello and the two boxes of pudding in a saucepan with the 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat until it starts to thicken, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and cool in fridge. Add fruit to the cooled mixture. Fold in Cool Whip and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

**I love this stuff.  I have been making it since my children were small.

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

Beth

Well I never…

had this happen to me before.  I was in the pharmacy this morning to pick up a prescription.  While in Walgreens I also purchased some Russell Stover Chocolate Easter eggs.  (I LOVE those things.)  The cashier rang up my candy and forgot to ring up the prescription.  I was almost home before I realized it.  So this meant another trip to the store to pay for my prescription.  The manager must have thanked me a dozen times.  I feel sure the cashier got a lovely talking to after I left.

My stash…

My favorite..

It took me 4 intervals working on my car yesterday to get it all cleaned off.  When the driveway was plowed they put about a foot of snow smack up against my car.  When the sidewalk  was cleaned with the snow blower the snow was packed tight around my tires.  I hurt so bad in my arms, neck, shoulders and back  last night that I couldn’t find enough ways to use the heating pad.  I will never do that again.  I will wait for my daughter to come over and help me.  I keep thinking that I am still a spring chick when the fact is that I am an old hen.  lol

The sun is shining brightly today and it is 31 degrees.  The temps melted some of the snow yesterday.  Our final official total for Pekin was 9.3 inches which was about 9 inches too much as far as I was concerned.

I hope you are all having a sunny week.  Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Poor Little Robin…

Walkin’, walkin’ to Missouri.  Oh wait, just a minute, the poor little robin had better stay  here as Missouri was hit harder than we were.  We have 8 inches of new white stuff.  I can’t get out to clean my car off until maintenance cleans off my back sidewalk.  Or I can plow through the snow to the back of my car where I have a snow shovel in the trunk.  To think I had just put away my snow boots.

Click to make larger.  These are the best pics I could get from inside my house.  Did I mention a few times before that I don’t like snow?

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

Beth

Bargain on Saturday…

The sun is shining brightly again this morning at 32 degrees.  I have been to the church sale where I purchased this book for 10 cents.  I will give it to my daughter to share with her kids at church.



I didn’t go to the senior center sale.  I am planning to go out again this afternoon to the pharmacy. 

I need to get that errand done before the snow begins.  The prediction now is for 6 – 9 inches.  It is to be in the 50s later on in the week so  it will melt off quickly I hope.

Have a great Saturday.  Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Sunshiny Friday…

I overslept this morning and  now I don’t want to do anything. So for that very reason I am not going to do anything.  In fact I cut my exercise time down to 15 minutes this morning instead of 30 minutes.

I always listen to NOAA weather as I am making my bed each morning.  The weather forecast for Sunday made me want to go back to bed until spring really gets here.  80% chance of snow on Sunday with several inches of accumulation. 

At least tomorrow there are a couple of sales for me to go to, one at a church and one at the Miller Senior Center.  I will catch the sales before the snow which is scheduled to begin tomorrow afternoon.

At least the sun is shining brightly today and I am grateful for that.

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

Beth

Spring is missing…

The calendar says spring but Mother Nature is not cooperating.  The high yesterday was in the low 20s which was 54 degrees cooler than it was last year at this time.  Right this very moment in  time it is only 13 degrees.  I heard a bad man say the S word for Saturday when I was listening to the weather report this morning.

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty tough days.  I don’t bounce back like I used too.  And I don’t like it one bit.  But I am here to complain about it and for that I am ever thankful. 

I am leaving in a few minutes to get grocery shopping done early.  I want to get started on spring cleaning but I will be darned if I am going to do that when the weather is like mid winter.

I smiled reading a story on the front page of the Peoria Journal Star this morning.  http://www.pjstar.com/

Dunlap teacher charged with two felonies for bathroom camera

Posted 14 hour(s) ago

“A Dunlap High School teacher’s attempt to secretly record colleagues in a school bathroom this week also captured him positioning the cell phone underneath the sink.”    Quote from the Peoria Journal Star.

Now why in the world do you think he did that?  Check the article out if you are interested.  Needless to say, he has been terminated.

Time to get moving.  I will be around to visit you all this morning.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Dentist…

and bitter cold at 18 degrees right now and very windy.  I am just home from the dentist where I had the crown set on one side and a loose filling replaced on  the other side.  Total cost for the dentist this month, $1103.00.  Nothing but soup today.

Yesterday I was gone from 8:30 AM till almost 3PM  to two doctor appointments.  I was so tired  when I came home that I just flopped down and watched the Arias trial.  No computer at all.

I do not believe in the death penalty.  I think someone eligible for the death penalty would suffer more if given life sentence with no chance of parole.  And I  do think Jodie Arias should be convicted and thus sentenced.  The one good thing that our disgraced former governor George Ryan did for the state of Illinois was to abolish the death penalty.  http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/illinois-16th-state-abolish-death-penalty/story?id=13095912

This will be another day of rest, in fact I think it will take me a week to get caught up.  lol

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

Beth

Monday…

and the beginning of a brand new week.  It is 30 degrees right now and freezing drizzle.  Weather advisory is out for slick roads until 10 AM. 

At least I have seen one sign of spring.  The ground behind my back door and the cemetery has been covered with dozens of robins.  I always feel good when I see a robin.  Other than the robins I haven’t seen any sign at all of spring.

Saturday afternoon I went to the 4th birthday party for my great, great niece.  Unfortunately after I had taken only 2 pictures my camera battery died.

It was a gymnastic birthday party.  The 2 young ladies led the kids in all kinds of gymnastics for an hour.  Not all of the kids had arrived yet when I took this picture.

The table set for the kids.  I feel sorry for the moms when they took the kids home.  They had cupcakes and cake and a bag of candy and another bag of goodies.  A lot of kids with a sugar high I think.  I saw one little red headed girl eat 2 cupcakes and a piece of cake and then get into the bag of candy.

This will be a lazy day for me.  Tomorrow I have 2 doctor appointments and Wednesday morning I have the crown on my tooth finished.  Not to wish my life away but I will be glad to see Thursday.

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

Beth

An Irish Blessing…

The Irish half of me wants to wish you all a Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 

Beth

Friday feelings…

You know, in yesterdays post I mentioned some of the things I am thankful for.  One of the things I mentioned was my sister.  

Oh. a sister is a wonderful thing to have.  I grew up in the midst of 3 brothers and 4 sisters.  Three of my sisters are gone now, all to cancer.  Two of my brothers are gone now too, one to lung cancer and one to a botched surgery.  My youngest brother is quite ill, having suffered a stroke a couple of years ago.  He lives close to St. Louis and my remaining sister lives in West Virginia.

A younger sister is someone who has known you all of her life.  She has shared your sorrow and pain and happy times.  When we were young we double dated.  We spent many an hour sitting on the town square in Macomb with the motor running in my ‘53 pea green Plymouth that my daddy helped me buy.  That was such fun, just watching the world go buy.  We frequented the Dairy Queen that is still standing in the same spot in the same building close to the Western Illinois University.  We hung out with friends at the Student Prince, a café at the edge of town.  To the best of my knowledge that building is still there too.

The memories are flooding back this morning.  My red haired boy friend.  Fun, simple, innocent times.

But my life really began the day I met Jim, just home from Korea and spending some time with his brother and sister in law.  He was so handsome with his black curly hair and dark brown eyes.

And now I am back in the real world.  Jim is gone, a victim of cancer that took the lives of 3 sisters and 1 brother.  I am thankful for the life that I have now and grateful to family and friends.

I hope you all have a blessed weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Thankful Thursday…

It has been quite awhile since I listed things I am thankful for.

1.  My faith…

2.  My family…

3.  My friends, including my blogging family…

4.  And last, but not least, I was able to get out of bed this morning.

I really am thankful for so many things.  Each time I pick up a book I am thankful for my sight as reading is such a joy for me.    I am thankful for my WV  sister who calls me 2 or 3 times a day just to make sure I am still living.  There is no other living person that worries so about my well being.  I am thankful for my daughter who goes with me to all of my out of town doctor appointments; and for my son who checks in with me every 3rd day just to make sure that mom is among the living.  And oh, so many more things to be thankful for.  I think you all know what I mean.

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I have been out early this morning, to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and to Kroger to get some groceries. 

It is a damp chilly morning at 31 degrees with more rain forecast for later today.

My furnace thermostat is flashing the numbers this morning.  I am waiting now for maintenance to come and change the battery.

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

Beth

Looking back to last year…

which was a very mild winter in Illinois.  At this time in March last year the temps were running in the 70s and 80s and the tulip trees were in bloom.  The pictures below I  took 2 doors down from me on March 17th last year.

If you click on the pictures they will be larger.

Nothing like that here this morning except for a thin layer of new snow on the ground.  I did notice that my neighbor across the street cut the tree in the last picture down last year.

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

Beth

 

Word Press Ad on your blog…

“About These Ads

The site you just visited is part of WordPress.com. There are two reasons why you might see ads on a WordPress.com site:

1. The site is part of the WordAds program and has elected to show ads to earn money from their site.
2. The site is one of the sites hosted on WordPress.com that has not purchased the No Ads upgrade, and we are running ads to cover the costs of operating the site for the user. We run these types of ads sparingly in an attempt to interfere as little as possible with the experience of reading a site and for logged in users we don’t show ads at all. There’s more info about our approach to ad serving in this blog post.

In both of the above cases, the ad you saw could be coming from a number of ad partners including Sharethrough, Federated Media, or AdSense. The ads change depending on factors like your location and the type of site you are visiting.

If you are a WordPress.com user and you would like to permanently remove all ads from your site, please take a look at our No Ads upgrade.”  This is what you will see if you click on about these ads which is placed directly above the ad.

 

There are definitely ads placed on your word press blogs unless you have paid for an upgrade.  I know this for a fact.  I have 3 word press blogs and I have seen ads at the bottom of the blogs.  Also when I visit someone’s word press blog I see the ads at the bottom of the blog.  I am  clarifying this for some readers who commented that there were no ads on your word press blog unless you were compensated for them.  And that is the way  word press works.

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I have been to the post office this morning, the bank and Bergner’s stopping off at Mickey D’s for a chicken sandwich.  Lots of good buys this morning at Bergner’s. 

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

Beth

Whittling down the deficit…

We are on the second straight day of non stop rain. The farmers are delighted as we are no longer considered to be in a drought situation, just ‘abnormally dry.’  It is 48 degrees right this very minute in time in the heart of central Illinois.  I am delighted because the snow is all gone except for places where it has been piled up.  Life is good.

Well, life is good.  I was able to get out of bed this morning.  The part that isn’t so good is the time change to daylight savings time.  I really hate that!!  I am a morning person and I could care less if it stays light an extra hour in the evening.  And here is something I didn’t know but I do believe.   Semi-annual 1-hour change linked to increase in heart attacks, more traffic fatalities, etc.

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Academic research shows that losing an hour of daylight can be linked to negative effects on both the mind and body, including disturbed sleep patterns,

How to adjust to the time change

• Take advantage of the opportunity to get an extra hour of sleep. Don’t stay up later in anticipation of the time change.
• Eat healthy and keep hydrated. Avoid caffeinated beverages, since too much caffeine can further disrupt your natural sleep rhythm.
• Increase your exposure to bright light and physical activity during the day until late afternoon/early evening to help compensate for the overall reduction of daylight hours.
• Get your daily dose of Vitamin D. The two best ways to get the Vitamin D you need are to get adequate sun exposure (15 to 30 minutes per day in summer/southern regions — it's very difficult to get enough exposure in winter in northern regions because of reduced UV levels), or to take vitamin D supplements.
• Drivers should be extra alert — pull over if you're driving and feel drowsy. The only cure for sleepiness is sleep. Opening the window or turning up the radio are not effective ways to stay awake.
• Use this clock-change weekend as an opportunity to make home safety checks. Check and replace batteries in home smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Fantastic Friday,,,

It is 27 degrees, the sun is shining and the snow is melting away.  Life is good!

My chicken has been cooked and the broth  is in the fridge.  I like to let the broth cool over night so  that I can skim the fat off.  Moving nicely towards the chicken and noodles. 

I am sitting here smiling because I was thinking of that old saying ‘my goose is cooked.’

goose is cooked

[edit]English

[edit]Phrase

goose is cooked

1. (idiomatic) All hope is gone; there is no possibility of success.

   If he doesn't win the next round, then his goose is cooked.

[edit]Translations

[show ▼]all hope is gone

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LOL!!

What a boring post this is.  I guess I should start cleaning since the sun is shining and the Arias trial won’t resume until next Monday.  I can procrastinate no longer.

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

Beth

Bright Sunshiny Day…

It is 31 degrees and the snow is melting and spring is only 2 weeks away.  Hooray!!

I have been out this morning to stock up on groceries.  I have a whole chicken baking in the oven right now.  Tomorrow I will make chicken and noodles.  Yesterday I tried the Grand’s Biscuit recipe for pizza that I have been seeing on TV.  Roll out the biscuits (flatten) spread on pizza sauce, crumbled cooked sausage and pizza cheese topping and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is browned, about 15 minutes.  I used the small can of biscuits.  They were really tasty.  I called my niece to come over and help me eat them.

I have the Arias trial on now.  She is fielding questions now from the jurors.  That woman is such a pathological liar that she can’t keep her stories straight.  I would love to be sitting on that jury!

The tiny bit of cleaning is yet to happen.  Maybe tomorrow??

I need to get busy now.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Finally…

it has stopped snowing and the sun is shining brightly.  The temperature is 25 degrees to get up to the lower 30s today.

I went out yesterday afternoon and cleaned the snow off my car.  I need to go out after a bit and get it cleaned off today as I have some prescriptions to pick up at the pharmacy.

In my post yesterday most of you had never heard of the movie Bad Day at Black Rock.  I remember the movie vividly.  It was out in 1955 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Day_at_Black_Rock and was the last movie I saw before I met Jim that summer.  When things go wrong for me I always say I have had a bad day at black rock.  That is a famous line from a scene in this movie.  I imagine you can get this on NetFlix.

 

Bad Day at Black Rock

Since the snow has stopped I need to get out the vacuum and do a tiny bit of cleaning, not  a lot, just a tiny bit. 

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

Beth

Bad Day at Black Rock…

Yesterday was a nightmare type day.  Sunday morning while leisurely eating my breakfast of cereal, banana and milk I lost a part of the tooth that I was scheduled to have a crown put on next month.  I hate it when something like that happens on the weekend.  I called and the dentist took me in and I had the first step of the crown done yesterday morning.  Two hours of drilling and fitting, etc.  I was a few minutes late to my hair appointment at 11 AM.  Then I had to reschedule my doctor appointment in Peoria for this morning.  The weather for today is  5 – 7 inches of sleet rain and snow.

BUT!!! the icing on the cake yesterday was when I was locked out of Google for 24 hours because of unusual activity on my account.  Very frustrating!  I had this thought that I would leave this blog alone and just post on my Wordpress blogs.  I have never been locked out of there.  Wordpress does put these annoying video commercials at the end of your post.

Anyway I am back for now and I will be around sometime today to visit you all.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

P. S. Do any of you remember the movie Bad Day at Black Rock?  That was the last movie I saw with a date at a drive in movie before I met Jim.  And life goes on.

Friends are like snowflakes…

And speaking of snow, we are under another winter weather warning.  Snow is predicted for Monday and Tuesday so I am going to have to reschedule my doctor appointment.  As much as 6 inches predicted on Tuesday after snow and rain tomorrow.  I am so ready for spring.

Be kind to your neighbors this week.  I will do the same.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Taste of Fame…

Have you ever tried a pork tenderloin sandwich??  It is my favorite sandwich and I thought it was available everywhere.  Maybe if you have a Culvers in your area you can get it.  According to an article in todays Peoria Journal Star these sandwiches are not available everywhere. 

Luciano: Schooners pork tenderloin gets its moment in the spotlight

 “Finally, it’s time for the pork tenderloin to go national.

The sandwich — oversized and deep-fried, slid under a way-too-tiny bun — is a staple in central Illinois, making Peoria undoubtedly the pork tenderloin capital of the world. Elsewhere, though, it’s pretty much unknown — an injustice that Jeff Mauro wants to correct.

“That’s my hope,” said the star of “Sandwich King” on the Food Network. “I want everybody else to know about this.”  Quote from the Peoria Journal Star 2 March 2013.

Mauro was in Peoria yesterday afternoon at Schooner’s with his film crew to film a portion of his TV show which airs on the Food Network.  I never watch this show but I will try to catch this episode.  The Sandwich King airs on Sunday at 10:30 AM CST on the Food Network.

Now, in case you didn’t know, a huge pork tenderloin is breaded and deep fried and served on a 4 inch bun.  I am very particular what I want on my tenderloin sandwich.  Catsup, mustard and pickles on one side of the bun and mayo and tomato slice on the other side.  Pure nirvana.

“Nirvana is a place of perfect peace and happiness, like heaven. In Hinduism and Buddhism, nirvana is the highest state that someone can attain, a state of enlightenment, meaning a person's individual desires and suffering go away.”

And now I want a tenderloin sandwich.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Let down again…

Sometimes I wonder about the ‘clowns’ we have in government.  They did it again.  The automatic spending cuts go into effect today, March1, 2013.  Everything is stuck in limbo.  I cannot believe that grown men and women that we have placed our trust in  act like overgrown babies.  And that is all I have to say about this as I have enough problems as it is with keeping my blood pressure under control.

I have laundry going again and it is snowing again.  Snow predicted for next Tuesday when I have an important doctor appointment.  I am hoping that I don’t have to reschedule that.

My niece is coming for lunch today and I am finishing up that lovely roast with BBQ sandwiches and baked beans.  You know, I grew up eating a lot of pork 'n’ beans from a can.  I still count them among my favorite foods,  Some other things that I had an overload on  when I was a child (any kind of greens in particular) make me shudder.  I remember picking dandelion greens.  Yuck!  Wilted lettuce I hate.  I hate to order a hot sandwich only to find it has hot lettuce on it.

The Jodi Arias trial really heated up yesterday.  A couple of you have asked about this trial.  Just go on Google and put her name in and read away. 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/01/jodi-arias-weeps-in-arizona-death-penalty-case-as-testimony-turns-to-killing/    This trial has everything!  Lies, sex and murder.  Just like reading one of my favorite murder mysteries or watching The Young and the Restless.  The sad thing about this is that a young man lost his life because of a psychopath.  And that is not funny!

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

Beth