And now it is…

February!  The countdown to Spring is 48 days and tomorrow we will find out if the groundhog sees his shadow.  Makes no difference one way or the other; Spring doesn’t begin until 20 March and even that is iffy.  Today is beautiful though.  It is 39 degrees heading to the upper 40s. The sun is shining brightly and that brightens my day.

I am just home from the pharmacy and getting my hair cut.  Lots of people out in the stores.  That is one thing I don’t like about this town.  At home I lived 3 blocks from the post office, 5 blocks from the only grocery store in town and 7 blocks from the fitness center where I worked out.  To really grocery shop I had to drive a 60 mile round trip to Champaign but I only did that once a week.  On either side of me, across the street from me, behind me and catty corner across the street I had neighbors who were friends that I could count on.  I have become friendly with my neighbors here.  It is not the same here and I guess that must be my fault as I haven’t made much of an effort.  I do take them things I bake, etc. and they always thank me but they never reciprocate.  Did I spell that right?  I guess I did as there are no red squiggly lines under the word.

Probably the number one thing I dislike about this town is the fact that my health went all to hell in a  hand basket after I moved here.  Well, I guess it is a good thing that I am living here because what would I do without my daughter and SIL as they are so good to me.

This is Wednesday which we in the blogging world long ago declared to be rant day so I gave you all a long drawn out rant.  lol

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Day Thirty One…

Recipe for a Happy New Year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous

    Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time.

    Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing— don’t do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.

**************************************************************************************************

I did it!  I have posted each day for the whole month of December 2011.  Bowing and waiting for a clapping of hands.  lol

I know I said I wouldn’t do it but I did.  I just got back from the store.  I had to get cornbread mix as I am cooking some beans with the ham bone from Christmas.  And everyone knows you can’t have beans without cornbread.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all, my blogging friends, for staying with me, many of you for almost 7 years, through my happy times and my sad times.  May God Bless you all with a healthy, happy New Year.  I was going to put prosperous in that sentence, but, you know what, I learned long ago that health and happiness are so much more important than wealth.  I will see you all again next year.

xoxox

Beth

The story of..

Jim’s Angels.  I hope you all will bear with me today.  Today would have been my wedding anniversary so I am feeling nostalgic and a little bit sad.  The good memories far outweigh the sadness though.  The 3 angels you see pictured at the top of my blog are not the only ones I have.  The angel in the middle of the pic is the first angel Jim bought for me.  Jim loved Bingo which I did not.  I would go with him every now and then but usually I would stay home on Saturday night reading while he would go to the Catholic Church to play Bingo.  One Saturday night during the Christmas season one of his fellow Bingo players brought a fiber optic angel to Bingo with her to show everyone.  Jim knew that I collected angels so the next day I was the recipient of a lovely fiber optic angel with more to come the next few Christmases,  Jim loved those angels and they were the first thing put out at Christmas time.  I miss you Jim and I love your angels!

Today also is the birthday of one of my very favorite bloggers.  He lives in the Boston area and his blog is very entertaining.  I call him my little ‘Bro’ and I am proud to do so.  Please visit  (Boston Boy)  Paul today and wish him a Happy Birthday!!

Not much time this morning as I have to stop by the hospital for lab  before my doctor appointment.

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

Beth

Believe it or not…

Last year the leaves were never raked and I had leaves up to the door jam when I opened either the front or back door last winter.  If you click on the pictures you will see what the bright sun did to them.  Anyway, I am glad it is done because I had to actually use the snow shovel last winter to clear the leaves away from my doors.

It is a bright sunny day in the heart of Illinois.  the temp is 34 degrees.  I have been to the post office and to Kroger.  Crowds both places.  I mailed my overseas Christmas cards and a few that I had ready here.  I have quite a few more to do but I will get to them over the weekend.  I have one more doctor appointment tomorrow and then no more until the 16th, 22nd, and 30th of December.  I am on yet different meds and I am praying I don’t get any side effects from them.

I need to get busy on house cleaning and perhaps I will do that over the weekend.  Maybe my TN Twin will fly up here and give me a hand.  I am deciding how much of my Christmas decorations to get out.  I don’t have the room here that I had in my house.

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

Beth

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I will try to get a quick post on here.  My internet service has been up and down all day yesterday.  I had my modem reset 4 times yesterday and when I turned the computer off last night the internet was down again.  I am having a service call tomorrow evening.  Very aggravating.

I was reading in the paper this morning the many things that readers had written in that they were thankful for.  Really made me feel small when I read some of them.  I have many things to be thankful for!

I am thankful for my family, for the love and devotion they show me.  I am especially thankful for my sis Rae and her husband who will stay on the telephone for however long it takes to get me cheered up.  I am thankful for each new day that the good Lord grants me.  I am thankful for all of you, my blogging family, all around the world who support me in thought and prayer.  Bless you all and a special thanks to my Twin who has been my friend for over 6 years now. 

xoxxo

Beth

Cold and Windy…

What a change in the weather.  In the 50s yesterday morning and in the upper 20s this morning.  I hate to go out in the cold but I will have to soon to get my car warmed up for my doctor appointment.

Yesterday was blustery and cold.  My anticipated family came from Wisconsin.  We had lunch and a nice visit.  Marcia came by after work.  My great, great niece is adorable. She is beautiful.  I am thinking the Christmas outfit will be too big but maybe next year. 

Grandma,Grandpa, sweet baby and mommy.

 

12:30 PM.  I am home from the doctor.  I had an EKG and the result of that is I have to see another specialist about a procedure that I have never heard of.  I have 6 doctor appointments scheduled now before the end of the year, plus a dental appointment.  Each time I see a doctor I get something new tacked on.  If I wasn’t an intelligent woman I would be tempted to sit right down and bawl.  Since I am an intelligent person I realize that even though I don’t like it, I know that I need to do these things.  I am trying to keep my spirits up as the holiday season is approaching.  I was told again no working out until after I get through with all of this stuff.

After I saw the doctor I went by and picked up my daughter and we did a little shopping and had the soup and sandwich special at Avanti’s.

Now I am pooped again, so I will rest this afternoon.  You all stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

The day after the big rain..

Good morning everybody.  I am still kicking, no thanks to some of the medical profession.  I am finally on a different med.  My BP is running high with this but I shudder at the thought of calling the doctor’s office again.  We are just a number and a paycheck to them and sad to say not one doctor in a hundred actually gives a piddleyfart about your well being.  Jim and I once had a doctor  that cared.  I will even go so far as to name this doctor.  His name was Dr. Barnett and he was a gastroenterologist  who also took other patients.  His patient load (I read this in the paper after he moved out of state) was over 3000.  This never stopped him from giving you the time needed in an office call.  I remember when I had pneumonia in 1998 at Christmas time.  I had been feeling tough for a week or so and had gone to see the doctor.  I had a chest X-ray and the radiologist had informed the doctor that my lungs were clear.  One week later I was in the hospital fighting for my life, the doctors not finding an antibiotic that would work.  I can remember  this doctor bellowing at the top of his lungs about the person that had read the previous X-ray.  This doctor once told Jim and me that we were ‘the cream of the crop.’  Now I have doctors that are afraid of stepping on each other’s toes and cover each others back.

Whew, that was a long rant!  lol

It poured rain all day yesterday.  I got out to the grocery stores and to the bank and got totally soaked.  Not a good hair day at all Twin.  Some parts of this area received about 5 inches of rain. Sure glad that wasn’t snow or freezing rain.

It is nice this morning.  The sun is shining and it is 36 degrees right now to warm up to the mid 50s.

The weekend is here.  I hope you all have something great planned.  Do stay safe and be happy!  Thank you all again for keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers.

Beth

Seems never ending…

Yesterday was really messed up.  I called my doctor’s office to speak to the nurse about the med that is giving me all of this trouble.  This was at 8:30 in the morning.  they called me back at 4:50PM to tell me that because this one doctor didn’t write the prescription I would have to go through the one that did.  Too late in the day so I had to call this morning.  I thought it was all straightened out until I picked up the med from the pharmacy.  The instructions on the bottle were not what the nurse had told me to take.  Now I am in the hold mode waiting for the nurse to get back to me to clarify that.  By the time all of this piddleyfarting is done my BP will be sky high. 

Without the offending med I have felt pretty good today although exasperated.  I am pretty sure that is the word I am meaning to say although torqued or p’d off might also describe the way I am feeling. Not my usual pleasant self and that is a fact.

Putting all of the misery aside, it is a lovely day; the sun is shining and it has warmed up to 65 degrees right now and I thank God I am here to enjoy it.

I tasted the fruit cake and it is really good.  Anyone that wants a piece, stop by.  Not you bro, cause I know you don’t like it.  And my real little bro is doing pretty well.  He is in therapy, hoping to regain his lost memory.  This is especially hard for him as he was very active in his church and local groups and also taught a driver’s ed class for AARP.  Rae got an excellent report from her surgery as did my daughter for her colonoscopy.

This is just an update, nothing much to write about.  If I feel good tomorrow I plan another walk in the cemetery.  I hope this week is being good to you all.  stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Monday, a new day…

The last few days have been tough.  The new med I started Friday has given me some bad side effects and I need to call my doctor’s office at 8:30.  I can’t recall feeling so bad for quite awhile.  Naturally these things happen at the start of a weekend.  I am holding on with a thread nerve wise too.  I am so thankful to have my Christmas shopping done. I have an appt with a different doctor for something else on the 15th.   At this present time I am overwhelmed and finding it difficult to cope.

The fruit cakes turned out nicely.  You can see that it makes a lot of cake.

If you do decide to make this recipe, take note that I use small/ medium size pans and if you use a larger pan you should count on at least 2 hours baking time.  (Check for doneness with a toothpick in center)  If you want less cakes, just cut the recipe in  half.

It is pretty nippy this morning, checking in at 34 degrees.  It was drizzly all day yesterday and the sun never did come out.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Don’t eat too much candy.  Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Fruitcake anyone?

This morning before all of my meds kicked in I decided to put my fruitcake together.  It is in the oven now, meds have kicked in and I am worn out.

My Own Fruitcake recipe

Through the years I have devised a recipe that works the best for me. Don’t even read the recipe if you don’t like fruitcake. 

•3 cups flour

•2 teaspoons baking powder

•1 teaspoon salt

•1lb of candied red cherries (cut in half) add more if you want

•1 lb of candied green cherries (cut in half) add more if you want

•1lb of candied pineapple(cut in chunks) add more if you want

•1 box of golden raisins

•1 cup of walnuts broken

•1 cup of pecans broken

•1 cup margarine or butter (softened)

•1 cup white sugar

•1 cup brown sugar

•4 eggs

•1/2 cup applesauce

•1 small jar orange marmalade

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Spray 3 or 4 medium size loaf pans with cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with wax paper, then spray again.

Stir together the flour. baking powder and the salt and set aside.

Cream the butter, sugars, eggs and applesauce together. Add the flour mixture, then fold in the fruit and nuts. Make sure you are using a very large bowl. Pour into prepared pans. Decorate the tops with extra cherries, pineapples and nuts. Bake for approximately 2 hours. Check for doneness after 1 and 1/2 hours depending on the size of pan you are using.

Cool, put in a tin container and soak with golden rum and do this every week until time to eat it. Keeps months in the fridge and is just as good frozen.

I will post more tomorrow.  I don't know why the first paragraph came out all caps. 

Beth

That man Pujols…

This is going to be a gorgeous day, to be in the 70s.  I am restricted from strenuous exercise but I am going to take a short walk this afternoon, carrying my camera and hoping for an opportunity for a pic.  The rain, wind and cold has about taken the color away from the trees but there are a few remaining.  First thing this morning I do have to make a run to Kroger as I am out of one main item that I can’t live without, bananas.

Hey, what about the Cardinals win last night? I stayed up past 10:30 watching and I finally went to bed.  What a game.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/23/albert-pujols-cardinals-world-series-home-runs_n_1027077.html

Albert Pujols hitting a home run in last night’s game.   Final score, Cardinals 16, Rangers 7.  What a game.  I love baseball!

I hope you are all have a wonderful weekend!  Do stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Feeling better…

My arm is much better today and I am looking forward to (but dreading) the procedure on Monday.

This has been a hectic last two weeks.  I finally am able to have my car  parked in the back of my place now instead of the street.  My front lawn is seeded now and covered with straw and a nice layer of leaves.  I guess this winter I will have leaves and straw both at my front door.    But that is OK, I am here to complain about it and I am so thankful for that.

I am leaving now to come visit as many of you as I can. 

  Beth

Blagojevich trial…

once again in the hand of the jury.  http://www.pjstar.com/free/x1725643348/Defense-lawyer-says-Blagojevich-made-no-shakedowns

The jury went home today after deliberating for only a few hours.  They will resume deliberation  again next Tuesday.  I am beyond knowing what I wish for that guy.  I really hope he goes to prison for a nice long stretch.  I am beginning to think our present governor is no better.

It was lovely and cool this morning when I got up at 55 degrees.  Right now it is 85 and sunny.

I am still not feeling great and coughing some at night even with the cough syrup although the coughing in the daytime has pretty much stopped.  I didn’t do much today, just piddled around but my body feels like it has gone a few rounds in the boxing ring.

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

  Beth

A big flake…

or a little flake?  I can’t figure out  the difference between oatmeal that has big flakes or oatmeal that has little flakes.  I do know the big flake oatmeal has a heftier price tag on it.  I recently bought the big flake oatmeal going under the assumption that bigger is better.  And you know what? it does taste different.  I am not a big fan of oatmeal, never have been, never will be.  There comes a time in one’s life when we have to do (or eat) things that we don’t want to.  Since my last fasting lab was not good cholesterol wise I have been eating oatmeal at least once a day, sometimes twice a day.  Some days it gets very discouraging, and then I think stroke or heart attack and I dig into that bowl of oatmeal again.  Like I said, the big flake oatmeal tastes different, not necessarily better, just different.  I don’t believe it is worth the difference in price so I won’t buy it again.

I got the cough syrup prescription and last night I slept all night long and didn’t start coughing till this morning.  I feel a ton better.  It is amazing what some sleep will do.

I had to park my car around front yesterday as we were told maintenance would be coming to do something to our parking area and driveway.  Didn’t happen so I am still parked around front.  I need to go to the store but I am afraid I will lose my parking spot. 

You all stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

Still coughing…

a lot.  Otherwise I am feeling better.  I called the doctor’s office to see if I could get a prescription cough syrup called in.  I am waiting to hear the answer on that.  The over the counter cough syrup I have is like drinking water. doesn’t help a bit.

It is miserably hot today, to be in the mid to upper 90s.  The same predicted for all week.  The intense heat is not for me. 

That is all for my update.  I hope to feel well in a few days as my daughter’s co-worker sent me 2 sacks of rhubarb a few days ago.  I need energy to fix it. 

I hope you are all having a great week.

  Beth

Finally able to squawk a little bit…

Thank you all for the get well wishes.  I greatly appreciated them all.

I am still coughing a lot at night and not resting well.  I am getting my voice back a little  bit at a time.  Knock on wood, so far no major reaction from the antibiotic.  It is boring trying to recover.  I can’t read because my eyes are pretty well swollen shut.   The Anthony trial was all DNA evidence yesterday and the defendant sat there all stony faced. She is really a cold person and I find it very hard to believe that there are people like this in the world.  I feel like hopping through the TV screen and and shaking her really hard to see if she would show some emotion then.

It has been really hot  and humid here.  This morning it is raining and we are under a thunderstorm watch until noon.  Very dark outside.  So I will get caught up on the Bones episodes I have recorded on the DVR.

I see that I am getting some new neighbors in the 4 plex 2 doors down.  Deb, next door told me it was an 84 year old man and his wife.  As soon as I feel better I plan to bake an angel food cake for them. 

I about forgot to mention that North Pekin was having city wide garage sales (over 40) on Friday and Saturday and I missed them all. 

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

  Beth