Running late on a Monday….

I am  not well organized lately.  I was out for errands this morning and since I got home I haven’t wanted to do anything.  Definitely don’t want to do anything that resembles housework.  I have all of these lovely books that I have purchased at garage sales this summer.  I just finished reading book 4 of The Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts.  In addition to these 4 books in the last two weeks I have read a couple of hard back books too.

Right now I am reading Urge to Kill by John Lutz.  I have never read any of his books before and it has been hard following the author’s jumping around in the story.  Parts of the book are interesting and since I am halfway through 468 pages I guess I will finish it.

Photos courtesy of www.amazon.com

We had thunderstorms last night and this morning with heavy rain.  We will have had over 10 inches of rain for the month of June.  That is practically unheard of in Illinois for the month of June and the day isn’t over yet!

Have a good week!  Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Happy Sunday…

Matthew 6:34  “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow.  God will take care of your tomorrow too.  Live one day at a time.”

 

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

 

Love,

Beth

Answers….

Asked by many blogging friends: “What is behind the stone fence at the Port of Ashland?”

There is a boat dock behind there.  If you noticed the bridge in the distance, it is the bridge that connects the state of Kentucky with the state of Ohio.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Port-of-Ashland/155255737817988  I imagine that Keith in Kentucky could explain it better than me.  Definitely my WV sister could as it is not far from her house.

The nice lady that I met yesterday at the Crap 4 Sale is not on Blogger or Wordpress.  She has her own independent blogging address.  I gave her my blog address and I hope if she is reading this she will get in touch with me.  I didn’t buy anything at the sale because it was mostly baby and children’s things.

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Do any of you ever feel sorry for yourself and envy those around you who may have more material possessions than you?  I have to confess that on more than one occasion I have indulged in a bit of self pity.  I had a lesson yesterday in humility.  I met a lovely lady at a garage sale yesterday and we chatted for awhile.  For me that is one of the fun things about garage sales, meeting and talking to new people.  I commented on what a lot of stuff that she had and she told me that a lot of it was donated by friends.  She said that within the past year she had 3 brain surgeries and owed over $100,000 in hospital bills. She then proceeded to tell me about it.  I listened because I know personally how much it means for someone to stop and take the time to listen to you.  I told her that I had fought a battle last year too and thank God we were both here to talk about it.

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

Beth

Crap 4 Sale….

Now how in the world could anyone resist a garage sale that was advertised like that.  My daughter  and I followed the ‘Crap’ signs to the sale where I met a very nice lady who is a fellow blogger.  Unfortunately as I was taking a picture of the sign (by permission) the wind blew on part of the sign.

I also went to garage sales yesterday.  I do love garage sales.

I met these two ‘gentlemen’ that welcomed folks to their garage sale. 

And this guy said ‘Welcome’ too!  The gentleman having this sale was a wonderful old guy that looked to be at least 90. 

I found more books today and some other good stuff.  I finally was tired though and had to come home as it was getting very warm and humid and it was beginning to affect me.

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

Beth

 

Good Fences # 10

A different view of the stone fence at the Port of Ashland in Ashland Kentucky.  Photo taken by my WV sis.  Thanks Rae!

Linking to Theresa at Good Fences.

http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

The sun is shining brightly….

on this Wednesday morning in central Illinois.  It is too warm and humid to have the windows open so I can’t hear the birds chirping.  I can see by looking out my front window that the workers are back working on the houses cattycorner across the street from me. 

I have big plans for this, another day that I have been granted.  First to run some errands (again) then to sit down and take stock of my life and what lies ahead for me.  You know, one day you are young and pretty and you have your whole life ahead of you.  The next day you look around and your children are grown.  Your husband of so many years has been taken from you.  Members of your family and friends are gone too, many taken by the dreaded disease of cancer.  Suddenly it becomes very real to you that you have had your 15 minutes of fame or maybe even 20 minutes.   I am not complaining, just taking a minute to thank God that I have been granted one more day.

I will be by to visit you all later.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

The chicken pot pie was delicious….

I tweaked the recipe some. In a large pan I diced 2 potatoes and one onion.  I added some frozen peas, diced celery and carrots.  I barely covered with water and added 3 chicken bouillon cubes,  I brought this all to a boil and simmered until all veggies were done.  I did not drain any liquid off,  I added 1 can cream of chicken soup and 1 can cream of broccoli soup to the hot mixture, stirring to incorporate. I then added the 2 cups of diced chicken, heating thoroughly.  I tasted for seasoning and added some pepper and season all salt to taste.  I put this in a 13X9 pan.  I used Grand’s Jr. biscuits and I flattened them out a bit so that the biscuits covered the top.  I baked this in a preheated 350 degree oven until the biscuit topping was golden brown, about 20 minutes.  I had a nice size helping, took some over to my recuperating neighbor and put a container in the freezer.  I definitely will make this again!

The sun is shining this morning but I haven’t seen any activity around the houses under construction.

Google dashboard is acting weird again today, only bringing up one name at a time.  Very frustrating.

I will be going out to run some errands this morning.  I will catch you all when I get back if I can  Stay safe and be happy!!

One of my out of the window car photos from last month.

Beth

And the rain….

just keeps on coming!  Thunderstorms off and on since last week.  We are close to 8 inches of rain for the month of June.  Everything is gorgeously green here in preparation for the drought which usually hits us in July and August.

I am doing laundry this morning and trying to decide what comes next.  It is really rather boring taking care of a smaller place after maintaining a house.  Most times I look around and think what difference does it make because I am only renting.  Then it all kicks in, the fact that I don’t like anything to be untidy and then I drag out the vacuum and start in cleaning.

The rain has also slowed the work being done on 2 of the tornado damaged  houses catty corner across the street from me. 

I just took this picture this morning.  If you click on the picture to make it larger you will notice around the corner a couple of houses that have already been rebuilt.  Where the foundation has been dug out for the second house is filled with water now.  I really feel sorry for these people.

My laundry is done now and I am talking myself into making a chicken pot pie using Grand’s biscuits. 

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/chicken-pot-pie-with-biscuits/1c5872c4-feb3-416d-8917-22aebe2def1e

                                                                    Source

Have a great week!  Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Sunday Morning….

 

Taken  at the OSF Cancer center on June 6th.

Have a blessed Sunday!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Garage sale finds….

I stopped by the garage sale again this morning on my way to the store.  I bought a few more books and talked to some of the ladies there that were running the sale.  I am very interested in going back there on a day that they are open to have a tour.  I   have always wanted to trace my dad’s roots and I think I can get some help from the county Genealogical & Historical Society.  One woman that I was talking to said that her roots had been traced to Germany with their help.

My garage sale finds.  I haven’t had time to organize them yet.

I also found this darling little teapot yesterday at a sale for 75 cents.  The light in the kitchen was not conducive to good picture taking this morning.

I also found a few other things that I needed (wanted).

It is already hot and humid this morning so I am staying in for the rest of the day.

Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Award

I have been given an award from Sarah @ http://peopledonteatenoughfudge.blogspot.com/  Thank you Sarah.

Now I have to answer 10 questions from Sarah.

 

 

1)  What was the first ever comment on your blog - who was it from and how did it make you feel? 

My very first comment when I started blogging in 2005 was from a  young lady who was a school teacher in Chicago.  Her name was Ariana.  I remember thinking what a pretty name that was.  She was just getting started blogging too.  Today she is married with a lovely daughter and is my friend on Facebook.

2)  What's your favorite cake?  I love anything with a lemon flavor but I would have to say Italian Cream Cake.  I used to make it to take to work during my years at the AFB.  You can find my recipe @ http://msbethmariesrecipes.blogspot.com/search/label/Cakes

3)  Do you have a friend who you would hate if you didn't love them so much? No, I don’t hate anyone, especially not my friends.

4) When did you last make an arse of yourself and how? I have been known to speak without thinking. 

5)  Kittens or Puppies? Either one.  I don’t have a pet but I appreciate the love that my family and friends have for their pets.

6)  Do you have an item of cleaning or cooking equipment that you don't know either what it's for or how to use it?  No.

7)  Have you ever cyber stalked anyone – or someone famous?  No.

8)  What's the weirdest injury you've ever sustained?   A stress fracture to the toes in my right foot. 

9)  Have you ever accidentally sent a text/email etc to the wrong person?  No.

10) Have you ever vlogged?   I have no idea what this means so the answer must be no.

And so, who to nominate ....

The answer is no one.  If you would like to answer these same questions please accept the award and grab the questions to put in your blog.

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And now I am off to garage sale.  It is finally the day of the sale I have been talking about that has all of the books.

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

Beth

Good Fences # 9

This is a picture that my sister took for me last week.  This is a stone fence taken at the Ashland Port (Boat dock) in Ashland Kentucky.  Thanks Rae!

I am linking to Theresa at Good Fences.

http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

Gonna be another hot one….

The storms have been all around us this week.  Fortunately they have all gone north of us.  My heart goes out to all of those affected by the tornadoes.  To be hot and humid here today with high in the 90s and heat indices in the 100s.

heat indices – noun

1.

a number representing the effect of temperature and humidity on humans by combining the two variables into an “apparent” temperature, introduced as a replacement for the temperature-humidity index: a temperature of 90° and relative humidity of 65 percent combine to produce a heat index of 102.

Abbreviation: H.I.

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I have some errands to run so I will be leaving shortly to get started before the chance of storms hits this afternoon.  I will visit you all when I get back.

Picture taken through my back screen door just a short time ago when the snow was heavy on the ground and the temp was below zero.

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

Beth

Almost Heaven West Virginia….

I really miss my sister and her family in West Virginia.  This is another shot of the bridge that crosses the Ohio River from Kentucky to Ohio.  Actually my sister lives about 2 blocks from Kentucky.

I haven’t seen my sister since I moved here in 2010.  There have been many attempts for us to get together but it has been one health reason (on both sides) after another that has stopped us.  I still have hope that we can get together after her husband finishes his treatment for cancer.  My brother in law is doing well with his treatment.

Sandie did a blog last night with an update.  She is doing well and was given the assurance that the doctors had removed all of her cancer.  Thank you God!  Sandie, you remain in my prayers!

My neighbor Debbie is improving.  Her husband went to work yesterday and I checked in on her several times.  I even made her some cooked pudding which she seemed to like.

We are under storm warnings here today.  It is very warm and humid.  The weather radio woke me up several times in the night with watches.  Right now it is drizzling rain and the skies are dark.

I hope it is sunny where you are today.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

 

The day after….

 

Weather wise it was  a nice day.  The forecasted storms did not materialize and for that I was thankful.  Since the tornado on Sunday November 17, 2013 I am actually on edge when it is a Sunday and severe storms are forecast.  I don’t think that I will ever get over that.

Storms are predicted off and on for the whole week.  It is predicted to be in the 90s, hot and humid with heat index in the 100s.  After last winter I am not complaining, just cranking up the air conditioner a notch and paying a higher utility bill.

My sis in West Virginia took some photos for me yesterday as she was on her way to the Kroger store.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have this kind of scenery close by your home?  The bridge you see is the bridge crossing the Ohio River from Kentucky into Ohio.  Where my sis lives in West Virginia she can put one arm in Kentucky, one arm in Ohio and stand with her feet planted in West Virginia.  Her city is Ken Kentucky) o (Ohio) va.  Kenova.

Kenova is a city in Wayne County, West Virginia, at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers. The name of the town comes from its unique position where the borders of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia meet. Wikipedia

I have several more pics she took for me that I will be showing later.

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

Beth

Remembering my dad….

Miss you daddy!  Happy Father’s Day! to you and all of the father’s around the world. 

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Garage sale morning…

A beautiful morning for garage sales after much rain since last Sunday.

Not a cloud in the sky!  Awesome!!  Temperature mid 70s.

I found several books and a few other things I thought I couldn’t live without.  I don’t buy knickknacks anymore as I don’t have room for that kind of stuff.  There were lots of things like that at the sales today.  Still waiting for the Genealogical sale which should be soon.  That is where there are so many books to choose from.

The rain has been good for my flowers that I planted around the lamp pole at the end of my driveway.

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

Beth

Good Fences # 8

The fence surrounding my sister’s front yard in West Virginia.  (For Hugh, prayers for you today that all goes well.)

Linking to Theresa  at Good Fences.

http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/

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

Beth

Wednesday update and rain….

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers yesterday.  I spoke with Debbie’s husband last night and Debbie came through the surgery well!  Today is Sandie’s surgery and I will focus my thoughts and prayers on her.

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It poured rain all day yesterday and it is still foggy and rainy this morning.  Since Saturday night we have received right at 4 inches of rain.  The farmers really needed this rain so I am not complaining.  It is just that the rain is rather depressing right now.

The businesses around town here are sporting some nice looking flower arrangements.  This was taken at the bank that I patronize.

I am doing laundry this morning.  I need to clean too but with the rain it seems pointless.

Have a bright sunny day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Prayer requests…

I am asking for prayer for several of my friends today.  Kind thoughts will be fine too!

This morning my next door neighbor Debbie is having serious cancer surgery.

Tomorrow our dear blogging friend Sandie,   http://chattycrone.blogspot.com/ is having serious cancer surgery.

Thursday my brother-in-law Hugh in West Virginia is starting treatment for bladder cancer.

Pat and Darrell in West Virginia are both fighting terrific health battles.

I love these people and I know what they are going through as it has been 1 year since I was first diagnosed with cancer.  Thank you all so much.

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Dreary rainy day here.  Remember the song The World is Waiting for the Sunrise by Les Paul and Mary Ford? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-prZi3Lyh8

That’s me today and praying a lot for Debbie, Sandie, Hugh, Pat and Darrell.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

For Vee’s grandson….

Shelby Miller outdueled AL wins-leader Mark Buehrle yesterday with a 3-hit shutout of the Blue Jays, who had won 6 straight. http://atmlb.com/1xsbA7R

Cardinals use early offense behind Garcia's strong start in victory vs the Blue Jays. Recap: http://atmlb.com/1xu6TKB

These photos are from my facebook like the Cardinals page.

Vee, If you were to print the top pic off on poster paper I bet your grandson would be delighted.

I hope this is a good week for us all.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

All gone….

My company has started home.  It was a very nice weekend.  I didn’t wear myself out cooking like I normally do.  Kentucky fried chicken for lunch and Papa Murphy pizza for supper.  Toast and orange juice for breakfast.

I am doing laundry this morning and when I get done with that I am going to sit down and relax for the rest of the day.

The above photos were taken last Friday while I was visiting the Cancer Clinic for my regular appointment.  At those visits I see my oncologist and my ENT surgeon.  The grounds and garden there is so beautiful.  I purchased a T-shirt while I was there.

\

The T is black.  I love the saying on the front.  The printing is white embroidery  and the ribbon is colored beads.

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

Beth

Flashback Friday and an answered question….

I think perhaps there was confusion about where the fence was. The picture was taken in Paxton Illinois where Jim and I  lived for so many years and where my children were born and raised.  I was standing on my own two feet when I took this picture, not in a moving car. 

I sold my home in Paxton 4 years ago and moved here (near Peoria) to be close to my daughter.  The fence is not around my old home there.  It is just off route 9 behind Hardee’s.  Hardee’s was built there in the late 80’s and the fence has been there that long as you can tell by looking at it.  I remember what a treat it was to have a fast food place in our little town.  It was soon followed by Pizza Hut and Monical’s Pizza.  There is no stopping progress.  LOL!

And for Flashback Friday I am posting a photo from the past.

Me on the left with Marcia and my sister in law Waneta on the right with her son Tim.  Marcia was 2 weeks older than Tim.

I have a doctor appointment this afternoon and my son is coming home for the weekend.  I will probably be missing in action for a day or two but I will catch up with you all later.

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

Beth

Good Fences # 7

I took this picture on May 23 in Paxton Illinois.  Just for fun try and guess where the fence is located.  I will give you the answer tomorrow.

Linking with Theresa at Good Fences.

http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/

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

Beth

The story behind….

the 55 MPH pictures.  My daughter was laughing at me as I was taking so many pics while she was driving.  I actually took 73 pictures.  A few of those were taken in town and of the rest of the photos, only a few of the over 60 photos taken on the highway were decent.  I would sight what I wanted to take a picture of and start shooting until I was all of the way past  the object.  Sorting through  I would pick the photo that actually had the object (like the old house) in the best position for me to center and crop it.  It was a lot of fun.  I am not familiar with the countryside here for me to head out and take pictures.  Jim and I used to ride in the country and he would stop to  let me take pics of whatever I wanted.

This is an example of  one of the bad ones taken out the front window of the car.  The best ones were taken out of the side window of the car.

I am sure the few good shots I got were just luck.  I have a Canon 14 MP point and shoot that I got from Amazon for a little over $300  with birthday gift cards a couple of years ago.

Have a great day!  Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Rubbish Tuesday

Another one of my photos taken on May 23 at 55MPH on Route 9 near Paxton Illinois.  My daughter is an excellent driver!!

Linking to Roan at

http://rubbishbyroan.blogspot.com

To answer some questions…

and to give an award to my blogging friend BJ.  http://sweetnothingsbj.blogspot.com/

Bj, please tell us 7 things about you that we might not know and then pass the award on to anyone you like.

Thank you all for the comments on my blog yesterday!  And now to answer some questions from blogging friends. 

• I am not 100 years old.  In fact, I have quite a way to go to get there.  Some days I feel older than 100.
• The nearest large city to me is Peoria.  At my old home the nearest large city/cities was Champaign’Urbana the home of the University of Illinois and the Fighting Illini.
• I did start blogging on Windows Live Spaces in early September 2005 when blogging was fairly new.  My husband had just been diagnosed with lymphoma.  At that time I developed a wide circle of supportive blogging friends.  Many are still with me today, here on blogger, wordpress or at facebook.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Live_Spaces

http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/welcome-windows-live-spaces-bloggers/

It is very dark here this morning.  II  looks like we might be in line for a thunderstorm. 

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

Beth

Seven unknown facts about me….

http://dumpedfirstwife.blogspot.com/ Janie Junebug has nominated me for an award.  Thanks Janie!

I quit accepting blogging awards quite awhile ago.  Because  Janie is a loyal blogging friend I have accepted this award.  All I have to do is bore everyone and tell 7 unknown things about me.  Since I will be celebrating a blogging anniversary of 9 years this coming September I have on numerous occasions told 7 unknown facts about me.  LOL Prepare to not be surprised.

1. I was born in South Eastern Missouri a long time ago.
2. I was the 6th child of 8.
3. I had 3 brothers and 4 sisters.  I have one remaining brother near St. Louis and one remaining sister in West Virginia.
4. I married Jim (the love of my life) and we had one son and one daughter. I lost Jim several years ago but the memories remain.
5. I am a classic country music fan.  I think that Jim and I saw any classic country artist that you could mention in concert.
6. I am a die hard St. Louis Cardinal fan. 
7. I am a cancer survivor and a tornado survivor.

I am supposed to nominate 15 friends to receive this award.  I am not nominating anyone.  Feel free to accept this award and do the answer thingy if you want.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth