Peach Pie
•1 large can of peach slices (do not drain)
•1 cup sugar
•3 tablespoons flour
•1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
"When you come to the edge of all that you know, you must believe one of two things: there will be earth upon which to stand, or you will be given wings to fly." author unknown
at 6 below zero. We got about 6 inches of snow all totaled and the temperature plummeted. It is bright and sunny this morning. It is supposed to warm up a bit gradually this week. I hope so as I have appointments with my oncologist and surgeon on Friday. There are 16 more days till Spring.
I went out yesterday afternoon to clean the snow off my car. When they clean the driveway they blow the snow high behind my car and when they snow blow the sidewalk they blow it up against my tires. Yesterday about finished me off as it was so cold and the snow was the heavy kind. I am really hoping this was our last major snowfall of the year as my poor old body can’t take much more.
From the shrub behind the garage at my old home taken 18 April 2006. I don’t have anything beautiful like that in my yard here. Just a magnificent old oak tree in the front yard and lots of squirrels. I haven’t seen a bird all winter. Since I am renting I can’t put up a bird feeder.
I am busy doing laundry this morning. Then I need to do some dusting and cleaning.
I hope you all have a good week. Stay safe and be happy!
Beth
again!! Maybe I shouldn’t say lied but the 1 – 2 inches of snow forecast for yesterday turned out to be 5 inches. This on top of what we have and our snow cover on the ground is well over a foot. More snow predicted for this afternoon and tonight. Right now the sun is shining and it is 3 below zero. I sure am waiting for the warmer days promised beginning on Tuesday. But aha Mr. Weatherman, I am not holding my breath. The countdown till Spring stands at 33 days. I do know that spring will be here some day, I just feel it in my heart. I haven’t seen a bird of any kind for weeks now. I do see the squirrels though. I am feeling sorry for them as their acorns are buried under a foot of snow.
I did nothing yesterday! I didn’t even read a book. I need to get on Amazon or out to Wal*Mart and purchase some new books.
The maintenance crew has been here checking to see if there was any more tornado damage in our houses. I have a pretty good crack in the wall underneath my window which runs the whole length above the sink and around. It has always been cracked a tiny bit and me being a happy homemaker had dabbed spackling in the cracks. Now the cracks have widened since I did that in 2010. Gosh!!! I can’t believe I have lived here 4 years in April. My memories of my own washer and dryer, water softener and 2 car garage are fading quickly from my mind. Now my mind is filled with thoughts of my car that again looks like a giant snowball. I will go out and clean that off again when the temp warms up a bit.
I have a roast with carrots, potatoes and onion in the oven now. That will last me a few days. I am trying to keep from baking goodies as there is no one here but me to eat them and my freezer is full.
Have a peaceful weekend! Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
at 7 below zero. The countdown till Spring stands at 38 days! The snow is still laying heavy on the ground. The sun is shining brightly so that is a big plus.
This picture was taken through my bedroom window this morning. The screen gives the photo a unique look. You can still see behind the driveway the snow piled up which I am so sick of. I was talking with my son the other day and he asked me if I liked the snow and the bitter cold. I said no and asked him if he liked it. He told me that he knew that on one day there would be heavy snow and on the second night the temp would fall below zero. He said that he didn’t think anything more about it because that is the way this winter has been. And oh, so very true. If I didn’t have to keep cleaning my car off and going out in the bitter cold I might learn again to appreciate the beauty of snow because it really is beautiful when it is coming down. I do have one thing to say in its favor, it is better than ice.
I am going to get stuff ready for the tax accountant today. I am always glad to get that taken care of. Taxes are the part of February that I don’t like. My daughter was born on Valentine’s Day so that makes February special.
I hope this week is a really good one for us all. Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
the countdown till spring continues at 39 days. Spring is inching ever closer and I couldn’t be happier.
My niece is still in the hospital. She is scheduled to have an endoscopy Monday morning to address some internal bleeding. Dee and her family thank you for your prayers and also for continued prayer.
We are having a break in the weather this morning at 14 degrees. It will be down to below zero again tonight. The one to two inches of snow predicted for yesterday turned out to be more than that as it filled in the sidewalks and driveway again. I had prescriptions to get at the pharmacy this morning. First thing after I got dressed I went out and cleaned my car off which looked like a giant snowball again. Then I went over the snow packed roads to the pharmacy. About a 6 mile round trip but it was a bit scary.
I made the cake yesterday and it was very good.
On the left side to the middle pineapple/cherry was the size of piece that I had. I put a piece in the fridge for today and froze the rest. I didn’t get the bottom of the freezer cleaned out so I have no idea what is in there. But that is a job for another day.
Have a blessed Sunday! Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
this morning as the countdown till Spring stands at 44 days. That is 17 degrees warmer than it was yesterday morning at this time. Our winter storm watch has turned into a winter storm warning. This event is to begin at 12 noon and last till 12 noon tomorrow. Expected snowfall this afternoon, 6 – 8 inches. Unknown amount over night with winds from the northwest gusting at 30 miles an hour. So you can see that we are going to have a blizzard. I will go out in a few minutes and start my car as I didn’t get it started yesterday.
I am resting my mind right now and reading a Harlequin romance. You have to love these books as they don’t tax your brain in any way. The plot is the same in each book, only the name of the author is changed and the locale is different. These are little tiny books of just over 180 pages and I can read one of them in nothing flat.
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in nothing flat and in no time flat
Fig. very quickly; in much less time than expected. Of course I can get there in a hurry. I'll be there in nothing flat. We covered the distance between New York and Philadelphia in nothing flat. The waiter brought our food in no time flat.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Some of our phrases here are very different from other countries. My friend White Angel has been writing lately in her posts about their customs etc. in Tasmania. I absolutely love reading about the customs, food, etc. in other countries!
And now I should get busy. I have made up my mind to clean as if it was a warm sunny day. That means running the vacuum, shaking the rugs and mopping the kitchen floor. I may procrastinate a bit though as I am going to get a pot of chili started first. I love my homemade chili but I don’t like the canned chili.
Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
who cares?? It is only 45 days till Spring. I am just home from having lab done at the local hospital. My daughter was kind enough to take me. Then we went to Bob Evans for breakfast and stopped by Food Depot on the way home for milk and Prairie Farms Cherry Vanilla ice cream and caramel topping! Now I think I will bake a cake to eat with it.
Photo courtesy of http://www.prairiefarms.com/pd/731946/Cherry-Vanilla-Ice-Cream.aspx
Tomorrow and Wednesday we are under a winter storm watch for 6 –8 inches of snow and several inches more Tuesday night until Wednesday noon. The roads are terrible here in town as the salt they put on the roads doesn’t work at the below zero temps. I don’t care as I have become immune to the snow and the below zero temperatures. I figure it will even out in a month or two and by May we will be getting some 90 degree days. By then the snow will have all melted from my car and I won’t have to clean it off again.
I called and changed my doctor appointment Wednesday till February 26th. I am hoping the weather will have moderated some by then. Last week I changed my hair appointment to the 11th and my hair is looking so awful that I will have to make that appointment if I have to crawl.
I finished my Lisa Jackson book yesterday. I read 512 pages in just over 2 days. Now I have to hunt for something else to read. I may have to resort to the over 100 books I have stored on my Nook. I really do prefer a real book even though I have a cover for my Nook and it is easy to hold.
I hope this week is a really good one for us all. If you happen to encounter an older person that needs help with snow removal, please stop and help them. You will get your rewards in heaven. My mom always used to say that and I do believe that it is true.
Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
But then I already knew that. Today the sun is shining brightly and our local groundhog Gertie in Peoria saw her shadow. This means 6 more weeks of winter. It is 8 degrees here this morning with the sunshine glistening on the snow. It is 46 more days till Spring. We have more snow to come on Tuesday.
I did go out and get my car cleaned off yesterday. The snow weighed a ton and was hard for me to lift a shovel full. The snow that was packed against my tires I just pushed back on the sidewalk. I wonder each time I go out to clean the snow off my car if it will be the last time. I hate to admit it but I think I am getting too old for this.
I am just about to finish the Lisa Jackson book I am reading. It is a page turner and I didn’t want to put it down to go to bed. I was sitting here reading last night about 10:15 when my doorbell rang. I think I jumped a foot. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I received a call from the police station informing me that a registered sex offender had moved into our neighborhood. The police do call all of the people in the neighborhood to give them a heads up. They give you the name, address and description of the offender.
Fortunately for me it was a delivery from a pizza place for my new neighbors. How can can anyone eat pizza at 10:30 at night? And then I remembered it is a young couple in their 20s. When I was that age I could eat pizza late at night too! Oh to be young again!!
Is everyone all geared up for the Super Bowl?? I am not a football fan but my husband sure was right from the days he played football in high school. I must admit that I admire the uniforms that the football players wear though. I only like sports that I really understand like baseball featuring my beloved St. Louis Cardinals and basketball featuring my beloved ILLINI who are not doing so well right now.
Have a wonderful day. Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
and no thanks to you and January for the new snow fall we got yesterday and last night, Several inches fell and it is still snowing with more to come. My car is covered again so you know what I have to do when it quits snowing. I will have to go out and clean my car off again. It is 47 days till Spring and the groundhog will tell us tomorrow if we will have 6 more weeks of winter.
My car this morning and the guy hasn’t been here yet to snow blow the sidewalk snow up against my car.
But on the brighter side a very nice guy from Pekin glass came yesterday afternoon in the midst of all of the snow and replaced my window. He was very polite and meticulous. He was very careful not to make a mess and he took off his shoes when he came in the house. His name is Brad and I asked his permission to take his picture and to put it in my blog.
Thanks Brad!!
And what will I do now that I am stuck indoors for the next two days? I can’t bake anything because I have to go early Monday morning for fasting lab. Even though my blood sugar always is a bit below normal I definitely don’t need to load up on sweets before I have lab. It is too messy outdoors to clean so that leaves reading and computer.
I am reading a book by Lisa Jackson called Running Scared. It has 512 pages and I am 1/3 of the way through it.
“Fifteen years ago in Boston, Kate Summers made a bargain: she became the mother of a perfect, beautiful newborn baby, and she promised she would never breathe a word about the adoption to anyone. Now Kate has built a good life for herself and her son, Jon, in a small town in Oregon. She has almost forgotten her fear that he will somehow be taken away. Then Daegan O'Rourke arrives in town and strikes up a friendship with her and Jon. Daegan has his own past to hide - one with shocking ties to hers. Someone is searching for Kate and her son and is willing to go to any lengths to claim him. And the one man Kate is tempted to trust has dangerous secrets that could change her world forever. Soon, the past Kate thought she could outrun will explode, unearthing a legacy of lies and treachery and a fury powerful enough to kill.”
All material courtesy of www.amazon.com. I love Lisa Jackson’s books and this is a really good one.
Have a peaceful weekend. Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
my package that is. It only took 9 days to deliver a priority mail package 500 miles?? Priority mail is called 3 – day Priority Mail.
Things are looking brighter on the countdown till Spring as it is only 49 days to go. It is cloudy and 25 degrees this morning and the wind is gusting at 28 miles an hour. The forecast is for snow for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
I am going out this morning to the post office (to mail a couple of packages with fingers crossed) to the bank, Kroger store and to pay my rent. I have taken a picture of my kitchen window and I am taking that with me to have put in my folder at the rental office. It is very cold, dark and depressing in my kitchen and I am intending to tell them that. Not that it will make one bit of difference. LOL
This is a short post as I have to go out and get my car warmed up so I can get moving. I went to Food Depot yesterday morning and it was filled with wall to wall people out shopping to beat the forecast.
Have a peaceful day. If you have snow and like it then I am happy for you. If you are like me and getting very tired of snow and winter then get to the grocery store and stock up the first chance you get.
Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
there are only 55 days left on the countdown to Spring. The weather is still miserable at 2 degrees with a wind chill of minus 20. The wind is moving to the southwest though and the temp is to warm into the 20s today. January seems to be dragging on forever.
I am going out in a few minutes to see if my car will start and clean the snow off. Then a trip to the Kroger store to stock up. We have a winter weather warning for more snow tomorrow.
Nothing much happening here. I won’t cook today. The steak was good but I only ate one small piece. I usually bake a chicken as it is much healthier.
I have been to the store and am home again. This time I didn’t forget the baloney so I am good to go. I also got Cottonelle TP too. What more do I need to ride out the coming snow and cold then baloney and TP??
I am about to finish the Lisa Gardner book. She is one of my favorite authors however this story is even grossing me out a little and I have read just about everything in my murder mysteries. I probably need to read a Harlequin romance next to get my mind straightened out again.
Wow, in the time I have been typing this and running to the store the temp has warmed up to 7 degrees.
Have a peaceful weekend. Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
with a vengeance. That doesn’t stop me from doing the countdown to Spring which stands at 58 days. It is 4 degrees as I type this, the sun is shining brightly, the wind chill is 18 below zero and the wind is gusting to 38 miles per hour. We got about 3 inches of snow but with the wind gusting so high it has drifted again.
This is looking out my front storm door. It is frosted clear to the top. Those are the angels that I keep above my door. The sign reads ‘Angels gather here.’
You can see here the footprints my paper carrier left this morning.
Here you can see how the snow has drifted again. Needless to say, my car is covered again. Need I repeat that I am getting really tired of the snow and cold??
I have a pot of ham and beans cooking. I will make corn bread to have with that. Of course I am cooking way to much for one person so feel free to come on over and have a bite to eat.
I hope the sun is shining wherever you are and the ground is bare of snow. Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
and the countdown till Spring is passing slowly. Today marks 60 days until Spring. It is 18 degrees and the wind chill is 4 degrees. The wind is gusting to 30 miles per hour. In a couple of hours I am going to bundle up and go out and clean the snow off my car for the umpteenth time this winter.
I have the Peoria Journal Star delivered daily. Each day they have a feature called Random acts of kindness. I will confess that these articles often have me sniffling a bit as do some of the ads on TV. During the Christmas season when local TV was showing greetings from our military personnel overseas I sniffled a lot. http://www.pjstar.com/lifestyle/random-acts-of-kindness
Anyway I have been in the house since Thursday and I am beginning to need to get out and go somewhere,
I don’t know yet what I am cooking today. I have so many leftovers crammed in the freezer along with the TV dinners I bought to stock up before the last snow storm. I need to eat some of the leftovers.
I have never really learned to cook for one person, another thing that I need to put on my bucket list. My bucket list is so long… I remember that movie came out shortly after I lost my husband. I purchased the DVD and my neighbors next door came over to watch the movie with me. I never did watch it all of the way through.
Have a Blessed Sunday!! Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
It is 66 days till Spring. It is 41 degrees and bright sunshine this morning. The snow is almost melted away except for gigantic piles where the snow has been cleared from the parking lots.
I have already had my tank filled with gas and been to Wal*Mart this morning. Gas is $3.17 a gallon today. Down about 20 cents from what it was running during the Christmas season.
I am in the cleaning mode today. Maintenance put down a lot of snow melt and that has been tracked in my front door and the back door. What a big mess!! I have the rugs in the washer and I have to go check on them in a minute.
I did make the potato soup yesterday. It was very good. I made a pot with ground beef (which my son in law likes) and a small pot with ham for my daughter. I sent most of it home with the kids but I did keep a small bowl and that is what I will have for lunch. EASY is the way I make potato soup!! Peel however many potatoes you want and cut them in cubes. Peel a nice sized onion for each pot and dice it. Put the potatoes and onion in a big enough pot. Barely cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and cover the pot. Cook till potatoes are tender. Previously brown ground beef until done. Drain. Cut cooked ham into small cubes. Season to taste with Season all salt and pepper. Add the cooked ground beef and the ham to the separate pots of the cooked potato and onion. Add milk (about 2 cups per pot) and heat thoroughly. Taste and add more seasoning if you want. And that is it. I never use a recipe for most things. I just do it.
And now I have to go check on the rugs. After The Young and the Restless I will get the sweeper out and get busy.
Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
the temp right now is 23 degrees and the countdown to spring is 70 days. The side streets here in town are unplowed and it is treacherous going. But I did make it to the stores for the first time in 7 days. My cabin fever is temporarily halted.
I made it to the pharmacy for prescriptions and then to a couple of the grocery stores for restocking. I still forgot to get baloney!! No milk or bananas in Krogers. In fact there were signs posted all through the store about how their trucks couldn’t get here from Indianapolis! Schnucks had milk and bananas but I still forgot the baloney.
I was able to get necessary ingredients for chili which was important. When I made chili on the weekend I was almost out of chili powder and my chili was way too bland. Ground round was on sale for $4.79 a pound but you had to buy it in a big package to get the sale price. I plunged right in and bought an almost 5 lb pkg and now I am browning it off in a big pot and will separate it and freeze to have ready for cooking. I would have saved part of it for a meat loaf since Debbie’s looked so good yesterday but I decided I was too lazy to do that. I also bought a big chicken to cook on the weekend.
I will be late with my post again tomorrow as I have 2 doctor appointments. And then a 3rd doctor appointment next Tuesday. Then I hope that is it for a few weeks.
Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth
It is 8 degrees above zero this morning and the wind chill (sorry Debbie) is 10 below zero. It is only 71 more days till Spring. A bit more snow is predicted for today, but only an inch or two.
Maintenance finally came yesterday and cleaned the sidewalks. I set the alarm for 6 this morning so I could make my way to the laundry room early. I have made a good start on the day.
I got out yesterday afternoon and started my car. It turned right over much to my surprise. I also cleaned the car off and I hope to be able to get to the pharmacy and grocery store tomorrow. They still haven’t plowed our street yet but I noticed that my next door neighbor made a couple of runs yesterday. It is to get in the upper teens tomorrow so I will give it a try.
Nothing else to report here except I have cooked the last few days and only eaten one of the fat laden TV dinners.
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One of my readers was unsure what I meant by cabin fever.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_fever
Cabin fever is an idiomatic term, first recorded in 1918,[1] for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in a small space, with nothing to do for an extended period. Cabin fever describes the extreme irritability and restlessness a person may feel in these situations.[2]
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Stay safe and be happy!!
Beth