More snow…

last night, about 3 inches which filled in the sidewalks and driveway again.  I had cleaned my car off yesterday and today it is covered again.  It is 19 degrees with a pretty good wind  so there is a wind chill again this morning.  It is 32 days on the countdown till Spring.

I was asked by one of my commenters if I had a Nook or Kindle.  I do have a Nook.  My brother got it for me a couple of years ago for Christmas.  I have well over 100 books on there.  I much prefer holding a book in my hands although I turn to my Nook when I have nothing else to read.

Most of the newest books for the Nook run $14 and up through Barnes and Noble online.  If I am going to give that much for a book I would just as soon pay a bit more and get a real book.    I also could order books to read on my iPad but I don’t like the thought of that at all.  Mildred asked what kind of books I liked to read.  I LOVE murder mysteries with a little bit of romance thrown in.  Not too much, just a little bit!  My favorite authors are John Sandford, Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner and Phillip Margolin.

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

Beth

 

Apple Pie and…

the countdown till Spring continues.  It is only 62 days till Spring.  I am ignoring the fact that we have new snow on the ground and the temp is 6 degrees and the wind chill is below zero.

I am all psyched up this morning to make an apple pie.  I haven’t made one for a long time.  I am lazy so I use the rolled up pie crust in a box now.

The following recipe is from my Wordpress recipe site.

Apple Pie

• Pastry for a two crust 9 inch pie
• 1 cup of sugar mixed together with
• 4 tablespoons flour and
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon and mixed lightly through
• 7 cups sliced apples

Heap these ingredients into a pastry lined pan.  Dot with butter.  Put on top crust.  Crimp edges.  Cut slits in top and sprinkle with sugar mixed with a little cinnamon.  Have oven preheated to 400 degrees.  Bake about 1 hour or until crust is a deep golden brown.

Other than the apple pie I am doing nothing today as I have already cleaned the bathroom and run the sweeper this week.  I am reading a very good book by Heather Graham right now titled ‘Picture Me Dead.’  Murder mysteries are my favorites but I do like a little bit of romance thrown in.  I LOVE the books by John Sandford and I am going to have to  check Amazon to see if he has  anything new coming out this year.

 

from Amazon.com

“Ashley Montague is nearing the end of her police training--but nothing has prepared this rookie for the rite of passage that will take her on a deadly ride into the underbelly of Miami's drug world. It begins with the shocking discovery of a body on the highway and her glimpse of a mysterious hooded figure watching from the side of the road. Then Ashley's investigation into the incident reveals a surprising connection to another crime scene miles away.”

This is a very interesting book.  It is one of her older ones from 2003.  Why I have the hardback and just now getting around to reading it I have no idea.  I probably got it at the big book sale that the Genealogical  Society has each spring.  Another thing I am really looking forward too.

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

Beth

 

 

Good morning everyone…

It is a beautiful warm day today.  The sun is shining brightly and it is 80 degrees right now.  It is supposed to get up to 82 degrees today.   The trees are all budded out and the forsythia bushes are in bloom.  I have put away my jeans and sweatshirts and have dug out my shorts and T-shirts.  

Today I have a luncheon date with a very handsome older gentleman.  He looks somewhat like John Sandford and a bit like Mark Harmon.  We are eating at some ritzy  place in downtown Peoria.  I guess this means I will have to dress up a little bit.

And Happy April Fool’s Day to you all!  It is actually 29 degrees and supposed to reach the low 40s today.The sun is shining, so that is a plus.  I haven’t seen any budding trees or forsythia bushes in bloom.  And if I had a luncheon date with a handsome man do you think I would tell you all??  Well!  Of course I would.

Yesterday was a beautiful day, in the mid 60s.  I hope you all had a lovely Easter and the new week is a good one.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

The ice man did come…

and he deposited about a 1/2  inch thickness of ice all over my car.  I worked on it yesterday for about and hour and then for another hour this morning.  I had to be able to see out the windows as I had a doctor appointment in Peoria this morning.  Next Monday I have another appointment with a different  doctor.  I am hoping that we don’t get any bad weather next weekend.  It was 9 degrees when I got up this morning . The sun is shining brightly now and it is up to 21 degrees.

I can tell you one thing,  I am getting to old to be scraping ice.  The car was running for over half an hour before I could even begin to get any of it off.  I am so ready for spring.  Bring it on!  Please note the new countdown to spring widget that I have at the top of my right hand column.

Now I am worn out so I am not planning on doing anything the rest of the afternoon.

For the person who asked what I was reading:  It is The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry.  I am just getting started on it but I think it will be pretty good.  Nothing like John Sandford’s books of course but then we can’t have everything.  I have read all of Sandford’s books and a few of them I have read twice.  I love that guy!!

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

Book Description of The Perfect Love Song

Publication Date: October 12, 2010

Jimmy Sullivan has been living on the road with his brother, Jack, and his band The Unknown Souls. Without a place to call home, Jimmy and Jack lead a nomadic life filled with music and anonymous cities. When they return to a place Jimmy never wants to see again—their old hometown of Seaboro, South Carolina—he falls in love with Charlotte Carrington.

With his soul now filled with hope, Jimmy writes his first love song. When he performs it at a holiday concert to a standing ovation, the lyrics are dubbed the “Perfect Love Song,” so much so that Jimmy finds himself going on tour with famous country music stars, catapulted into a world where the trappings of fame and fortune reign supreme.

All too soon, the hope that had once inspired Jimmy to write such beautiful, genuine lyrics is overshadowed by what the song can do for him and his career. In his thirst for recognition, he agrees to miss Jack’s wedding in Ireland to sing at a Christmas Eve concert. And his ties to Charlotte seem to be ever so quickly slipping away.

Alone in New York City on Christmas Eve, Jimmy finally sees—with the help of a Christmas miracle or two—that his material gains are nothing compared to love, that he is losing all that really matters in his life. Is it too late to find his way to Ireland, to his brother, and to love?

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

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Saturday and…

I am getting used to a new med.  Not too bad so far.  My heart is filled with  sadness over the loss of a friend’s mother.  My heart is filled with hope and prayer for my only remaining sister in WV.  She is scheduled for major surgery on 19 December.  Here I am  500 miles away and not physically able to travel that far.  Other than that I feel halfway decent today.

Yesterday I got out with my niece to run some errands.  To the bank and post office, out to lunch and then back to watch the Young and the Restless which wasn’t too bad for a change.

I finished the Stephanie Plum book and now I am back to reading a Virgil Flowers novel by my  very favorite author John Sandford.  Just everyday happenings in my life.  Not exciting at all which is great for me as I like routine.

It is drizzly and cold this morning at 37 degrees right now to warm up to the 4os.  Then perhaps snow or rain Sunday night. 

And so it is here in central Illinois on a day in December and my life goes on.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

And the north wind doth blow…

but we didn’t get snow, just a lot of wind; some winds gusting over 50 miles an hour yesterday.  We dropped from the upper 60s to the mid 20s last night.  And now I am thinking that Old Man Winter is waiting in the wings.  I am not ready for that.

I am up early this morning, doing laundry, etc.  My niece is coming over for lunch.  She likes to watch Y & R with me.  That show is all messed up now.  Several of my favorites have been fired and more to come.

I am reading the new Virgil Flowers novel by John Sandford.  http://www.johnsandford.org/books.html

 

MAD RIVER

SYNOPSIS · CHAPTER ONE · COMMENTS · COVER GALLERY · REVIEWS

“Bonnie and Clyde, they thought. And what's-his-name, the sidekick. Three teenagers with dead-end lives, and chips on their shoulders, and guns.

The first person they killed was a highway patrolman. The second was a woman during a robbery. Then, hell, why not keep on going? As their crime spree cuts a swath through rural Minnesota, some of it captured on the killers' cell phones and sent to a local television station, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers joins the growing army of cops trying to run them down. But even he doesn't realize what's about to happen next.”

And mentioning for the 100th time, Sandford is my favorite author.  Minnesota readers, is there really a Mankato Minnesota?

Have a wonderful week.  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

A Week of mourning…

I am mourning along with the rest of America the senseless deaths Thursday night in Colorado.     My heart, thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/batman-shooting-aurora-critically-injured_n_1691217.html

Is it safe to go out in public anymore?  You might be sitting in a McDonalds or even as I was in a KFC yesterday when some lunatic comes in and starts shooting.  We have to believe that we are safe when we go out in public, otherwise we would be afraid to leave our homes, and even that might not be safe.  I usually don’t quote excerpts from the Bible in my blog.  Today I am  making an exception.   I tend to be a worrier, if I get one problem solved in my mind a new one soon takes its place.  Matthew 6:34 tells us not to worry about tomorrow, just to let the days own troubles be sufficient.   I usually recite these words out loud several times a day.  It does help.

*****

I made potato salad this morning.  Tomorrow my daughter and son in law are stopping by after church for lunch.  I am having the potato salad, barbeque beef on buns and baked beans along with cherry pie (my daughter’s favorite) that Marie Callendar helped me make.  Other than the cooking, I am not doing much today.  I am going to treat myself to a couple of chapters from my new Sandford book.  A question for M in Wisconsin.  Have you read his Virgil Flowers books??  I love them too although I haven’t purchased the newest one yet.

I am settling in for a peaceful weekend.  I hope you all do the same.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

P.S.  I have made a resolution to not mention the excessive heat and lack of rain.  Doesn’t do anything but give me something else to worry about.  lol

Monday Morning Coming Down…

I am up bright and early this morning, stripping the bed and getting laundry going.  It is  to be a scorcher today with a high in the mid 90s with winds gusting as high as 40 miles an hour.  Now that is typical Illinois weather for you.  A nice hot humid summer is to be expected.  This year we had a nice hot March with several days approaching 90 which is not usual weather. 

As soon as I finish this post I have to make a Kroger run.  I am out of bananas which are a critical part of my diet. 

I finished cleaning over the weekend. Since that is all finished  I will crank up the AC and settle down with a good book.  I am a great fan of murder mysteries.  I love John Sandford.  He is my favorite followed by Phillip Margolin.  I love Linda Howard too.  I read 3 of her books last week.  I guess you got the picture, I love to read and have since I was a small child.  I actually rank reading above surfing the net.

It is about time to close this off and finish the laundry and head to the store.  I hope you all have a great week.  Stay safe and be happy!

Beth

Attention John Sandford Fans!

Do you love the Prey series written by author John Sandford?  I do!!  He is my very favorite author.  On November 6 at 8 PM CST a movie adapted from ‘A Certain Prey’ will be shown on the USA network.  Starring as Lucas Davenport will be Mark Harmon.  I have already programmed the DVR to record this as November 6 falls on a Sunday and I can’t miss Desperate Housewives.

Yesterday was a glorious day!  I felt better than I had for weeks and I thank God for that.  I found another Christmas gift, this one for my son in law.  I am just about to wind up my Christmas shopping except for my daughter who will give me no ideas at all.  She just says money.  That is no fun.  I love to open presents.  Then my daughter and I ate at 8th Street Station aka Grumpy Pete’s.  I finally had an appetite and the food tasted good.

I also purchased Halloween candy.  Last year I had very few trick or treaters and I ended up with all of these cookie recipes using the candy.  The Baby Ruth cookie was my favorite.

Baby Ruth Cookies

Ingredients

•1/2 cup butter, softened

•3/4 cup sugar

•1 egg

•1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

•1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

•1/2 teaspoon baking soda

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•2 Baby Ruth candy bars (2.1 ounces each), chopped

Directions

•In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in candy bars.

•Drop by rounded teaspoon full 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 4 dozen. 

Other cookie recipes on my recipe site.  http://msbethmariesrecipes.blogspot.com/

On a sadder note, the Cardinals are on the verge of losing the World Series.  C’mon guys!!

You all stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Busy, busy, busy…

and I do mean busy.  I hit a bonanza at garage sales yesterday.  I have enough books now to last me all winter.  I take the books to Goodwill as soon as I read them.  Below are my purchases.

 

If you click on the pictures you can see the titles.  Awesome buys.  This one garage sale had over 400 hardbacks for $1 each.  Buy 4, get one free.  I was able to find 6 by John Sandford that I hadn’t read.  

And then I have been in the kitchen again. My son will be here tomorrow and I will be so happy to see him.  I really do miss him.  I am too far away now to see him as often as I did before.  I made his favorite lemon cream cheese bars yesterday.  Today I fixed potato salad and Mandarin orange salad (recipe in my recipe blog) plus chocolate frosted brownies.  We will have KF chicken with that and baked beans.  My daughter and son in law will be over after church to eat with us.

 

My son at age 8.  I found this picture in an old album that I haven’t looked in for many years.  I LOVE this picture.

I have to go now.  For some reason the highlighter won’t quit.  LOL  

  Beth

I thought…

oh boy, I can do this, and I did.  I have decided to take one room at a time and clean it thoroughly instead of rushing through all of the rooms at once.  This was a decision I made yesterday after standing too long in the kitchen doing odds and ends and ending up with a terrific backache.  This morning I thoroughly cleaned everything in my bedroom, windows and all, and then I quit!  My room looks really good.  My back is still hurting but I have one shiny clean room.  Tomorrow I will tackle the second bedroom, that is unless I can talk my daughter into going garage saling with me.  After all one has to set priorities, and it is summertime.  Soon the snow will be flying and garage sales will only be a pleasant memory.

Today is a glorious day sent from up above.  It is sunny and 70 degrees right now with a lazy little breeze.  The temp is supposed to hit 80 today.  I have opened the windows for fresh air.  It doesn’t get much better than this.

I finished the John Sandford book and have started another one.  I love his books!  I am beginning to have quite a pile of his books to take to the library.

Gotta run now, I am off to get the heating pad out of the closet.  You all stay safe and be happy.

  Beth

I breathed a sigh of relief…

because it is a little bit cooler today.  I had the front door screen opened for some fresh air.  Wonderful, and the temps for the rest of the week are to be in the low 80s. 

I have done very well with the two potted tomato plants that I bought from Wal*Mart off the markdown rack in late June.  The plants are still loaded with lots of green tomatoes but they have quit making new blooms and are beginning to  look somewhat over the hill.

These are the tomatoes that I harvested yesterday.

It was a very quiet weekend.  I read most of a John Sandford book.  As soon as I finish all of the books that I have of his I will take them to the library to donate.  If you have never read any of his Lucas Davenport  (Prey Series) you are missing a lot.

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

  Beth

Friday the 13th..

was a very good day for me.  Probably one of the happiest mornings I have spent since I moved here to be close to my daughter and SIL.  My daughter went with me and we spent the whole morning going to garage sales.  The weather was absolutely perfect, sunshine and in the mid 70s. 
I found some good bargains for me.  Ten books by John Sandford (one of my favorite authors)  I had been looking at several of the titles online for my Nook.  The price for the e-book, $14.99 each.  These books were one reader books which I got for 50cents each.  I was talking to the gal having the sale.  I told her that I was delighted to find some of Sandford’s books at a garage sale.  As we were talking I told her that I was averaging about $50 a month buying books for my Nook.  Then she told me something that I have been smiling about ever since.  She said that she had a Nook too but that her husband has grounded her from using  it as she spent over $300 the first week she had it on e-books.    After shopping for e-books at Barnes & Noble I can understand how that could happen.  I police myself and check out my favorite authors to see if they have bundled any of their books and set a limit for myself.
After the garage sales we ate at 8th Street Station aka Grumpy Pete’s where they have the breaded wall-eye in the buffet on Friday.  YUMMMM!!!!  Good stuff!
But all good things come to an end.  It started raining last night and it has rained ever since, still pouring down.  Today is the Food Drive for the Post Office.  I have a sack of food all ready but I don’t dare to set it out by the mailbox as I know it will get wet. Hopefully I will see the letter carrier to hand the sack to.
The blogger shutdown the last couple of days reminded me of when we were blogging on Windows Live Spaces.  They were always performing maintenance on something.  Anyway, I am glad Blogger is back up and running because I really did miss it.
I hope you all are having  a sunny weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!
  Beth