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

Just beat the rain…

while out visiting some garage sales today.  I found more books, a lovely casserole dish complete with lid, DVD kid’s movie for my daughter for her kids at church, etc.  It was a fun morning.  I came home and washed 2 loads of clothes and now I am exhausted.  It was very cold here this morning, upper 30s and I wore a winter coat and hat to the garage sales.  I am so ready for spring to decide to come back.    Another month and it will be summer and it will be hot and the temps will soar.  Just Illinois weather.

Lots of sales in the nice part of the city today.

These beautiful flowers (many shrubs) were all along the driveway leading to the house.  The lady having the sale said she was moving to California.

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And speaking of Illinois, it is said to be the most hated state in the USA.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/04/30/half-the-people-in-illinois-hate-living-in-illinois/

I don’t hate Illinois. so I must be in the 50% that doesn’t hate our state.    It was a pretty good state before a few of our governors, most notably Ryan and Blagojevich got their greedy hands in the political pot.  I was brought to Illinois from Missouri as a small child so I have virtually lived here all of my life.  There are two parts to Illinois, Chicago and downstate.  I have always lived in the downstate half and I have never thought the division of state monies was distributed evenly.  Chicago getting 3/4 and the rest of the state 1/4.  Just my way of thinking.

That is enough political meandering for today.  It is pouring down rain again and I am tired so I am going to rest for awhile.  I will catch you all later.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

The rain keeps coming down….

and the street in front of my house is flooded.  The weather radio which goes off loud enough to wake the dead went off sometime around 2AM.  When I heard it was only for severe thunderstorms I got up, went to the bathroom, and then went back to bed and fell asleep.  If I had heard the word tornado I would have been out of bed in a flash and moved into the hallway.  I have a very healthy fear of tornados now and I always will.

One of the blogs I visited this morning (thanks Chris) asked if we would ever like to go back in time.  Yes, I would, not for a long time, just long enough to enjoy my kids being young again.  I have even picked the perfect ages for my kids,  My daughter would be 6 and my son would be 3.  It was a period in my life when I had a little break from working full time and I think you might have referred to me as a happy homemaker.

This going back in time stuff made me think of my very favorite movie, Peggy Sue Got Married.  I have the DVD and I have watched the movie at least a dozen or more times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj9hDe8VhpU

I love the music in this and I remember my high school years as I am watching it.    Awesome movie.

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are and the rain stops long enough for me to get out and do something .  I do have to go to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions.

You all stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Rain, rain….

tapping on my window pane.  It is dark and dreary this morning at 38 degrees .  The rain is falling and it put paid to my going grocery shopping this morning.

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Verb[edit]

put paid to (third-person singular simple present puts paid to, present participle putting paid to, simple past and past participle put paid to)

1. To mark a bill or a debt record as "paid".  [quotations ▼]
2. (chiefly to terminate; to cancel (plans or expectations); to stop something once and for all

   The rain put paid to our plans for a picnic.

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There is a lot of things I could do this morning but is there really any sense in cleaning when the rain is coming down??  I thought not.  Perhaps I will dig around in the freezer and find something good to cook for myself.  I know that I have one more rib eye  steak in the freezer,  Also I think I might be in the mood to bake something. 

How does this sound?

Cherry Coffee Cake

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar glaze

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray bottom and sides of 15”X10” (jelly roll) pan.
2. In large bowl,stir cake mix, oil, water, vanilla and eggs until batter forms.
3. Set aside 3/4 cup batter.  Spread remaining batter evenly in pan.  Spread pie filling evenly over batter in pan.  Drop remaining batter, 1 tablespoonful at a time onto pie filling, spreading slightly.
4. Bake about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean,  Drizzle glaze over warm coffee cake.

Glaze:
2 tbsp. warm milk
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
Blend together thoroughly.

I always like to bake something when I have all of the ingredients on hand.  I also use a 13x9 pan for this recipe (extend baking time a few minutes) although I do have a 15x10 pan that I use for Texas Sheet Cake.

And there, see, I have outlined my day and it doesn’t include one bit of cleaning.  I hope you all have a great day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Prayer request for Gabriel…

I received a call a few minutes ago from my niece in West Virginia.  She is asking for prayers on behalf of her friend Tiffany’s new baby, tiny Gabriel.  He is 3 weeks old and is not doing well.  Our blogging family knows that prayer can move mountains.  It would be appreciated so much if you all would take a minute to share a kind thought or a prayer for Gabriel.  Thank you!

Gabriel, the pride and joy of Tiffany and Brian

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I am up early this morning, before 6 AM.  I have no idea why as it is pouring down rain for the second day in a row.  I have exercised and had my bowl of cheerios with a banana and a glass of cranberry juice so I am good to go.  Not much incentive to clean when it is pouring down rain.  Maintenance is to be here today or tomorrow to change my furnace filter and the battery in the smoke alarm/carbon monoxide detector.  I will have to watch them like a hawk to make sure they wipe their feet when they come in.  LOL

I saw my cardiologist (aka Dr. God) yesterday morning.  He was actually pretty nice and spoke to me as if I were an adult and not a child.  One thing that really irritates me about him is that he always asks me if I realize that I will end up with a pacemaker and then he follows up by saying ‘not now though.’  I just wish he would wait until it actually is necessary to remind me.

I hope we all have a good day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

There is always next year…

Congrats to the Red Sox.  They really did earn their World Series Championship title although it pains me a little bit to say so. I hope you are getting some pics of the celebration there Paul.

It is pouring rain here this morning as it did all day yesterday.  We had some thunder and lightning last night and I thought the power was going for awhile.  I really don’t like this kind of weather this time of year.  We are expecting 2 more inches of rain today.

I was up early this morning and have already exercised.  I am waiting to cool down before I have breakfast.  Tomorrow morning is an appointment with the ophthalmologist.  I hope I spelled that right.  In plain English I am getting my eyes checked.  This appointment is 6 months overdue.

I am back to going through CDs again.  I sent 52 CDs to my niece in West Virginia.  Can you believe I got them all in a brown envelope?? 

I am trying to decide what else I will do today.  I also have been going through my big recipe notebook that I put together in 1998.  I will be posting some recipes to my recipe site soon.  So I might  work on that some more today.

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

Beth

Rain, Rain go away…

Last summer we were begging for rain here in central Illinois and now we are begging for it to stop.  We got over an inch of rain yesterday.  It is still raining and forecast to last through tomorrow.

The trial is now in the hands of the jury.  The jury has set their hours of deliberation from 9 AM – 4:30 PM (11 AM – 6:30 PM CST) Monday through Friday.  I have 4 months invested in this trial so I have to see it through to the end.  I have mentioned before that I do not believe in the death penalty although if I were to make an exception it would be in this case.  Ms. Arias sat through the whole trial like she was an honored guest at a Royal tea party, smirking occasionally, shaking her head yes or no and flopping her hair around and taking her fake glasses off and on.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/04/us/jodi-arias-primer/     If you click on the link you can find out in just a matter of minutes what took me 4 months to learn.

I have been feeling better so I did a bit of housework this morning.  No need to go out in the rain as I would just spend money buying something that I don’t need.

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

Beth

I was mesmerized…

I could not leave the television for one minute yesterday while Juan Martinez was delivering his closing argument in the Jodi Arias case.  That man was spectacular.  If one was to be murdered in Arizona they should hope that he would be the prosecuting attorney.  He spoke for more than 6 hours without notes.  He had the whole case right in his head.  Genius!  Then at the end of the closing argument he went through the  jury instructions step by step where even I could understand them.

So, needless to say, all I did yesterday was to watch TV and eat.  No computer time till evening.  No blog.  No visiting all of you. Today I will watch Kirk Nurmi defense attorney for Arias but there is no way I will be mesmerized by him.  That guy is a big slouch!!  I hope he can get through his closing argument without burping again.  He is the epitome of unprofessionalism.

e·pit·o·me

[ih-pit-uh-mee] Show IPA

noun

a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class.

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It is raining here again today and forecast to rain for the next 3 days.  Predicted rainfall of 2 – 3 inches.  Of course we don’t need that here as that could put the Illinois River back in flood stage.

I am in my header picture with my daughter and my mom along with my nephew Danny,

Have a wonderful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!  I will be on jury watch for the verdict.

Beth

Pekin Riverfront Park flooded…

“Pekin Riverfront Park more river than park

Apr 23, 2013 @ 12:18 PM

The Illinois River claims large sections of Pekin Riverfront Park in downtown Pekin as flood waters cover the walkways and boat docks Tuesday.”

Peoria Journal Star     http://www.pjstar.com/photos_flooding/x1431014613/Pekin-Riverfront-Park-more-river-than-park

I really hate going downtown here because of the cobbled up one way streets.  In fact, I refuse to drive downtown. 

It rained all day long yesterday, a steady moderate rain.  It is only 38 degrees right now.  The furnace is running but the sun is shining.  I have to go out in a little while for an appointment which is fortunately not downtown.

Nothing else new to report here.  The Arias trial is pushing towards the conclusion.  It moved along rather quickly yesterday. 

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

Beth

Historic flooding of the Illinois River…

We are having flooding along the Illinois River in central Illinois that has broken records over 100 years old and to top it off we are predicted to get another inch of rain today.

 

Along the Peoria river front.  ~ photos from the Peoria Journal Star ~

We have some flooding here too located near the river.  Not anywhere near me, thank Heaven.   http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/flooding-leads-to-evacuation-of-two-dozen-pekin-homes/article_384f1656-ab7c-11e2-b703-0019bb2963f4.html

It is dreary here at 53 degrees this morning and the rain is to start by afternoon. 

I am getting set to run a couple of errands and then to watch the Arias trial which hopefully is winding down as my mind is getting a bit scrambled from it.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

Cold and…

snow flurries this morning.  Winter coat, hat and gloves back on.  The temp is 36 degrees and the wind is gusting up to 30 MPH. 

I have been to the stores this morning and a quick trip to the bank.  I purchased a roast and I will fix that with carrots and potatoes tomorrow.

My heart is with the little town of West, Texas.  I am saying a prayer for those killed and the survivors.  I am just getting caught up on the news about the Boston Marathon.  I can’t believe two such innocent looking boys could be so evil.  I hope the one brother is caught with no more blood shed. 

Nothing much happening here except for the massive amount of rain we had.  East Peoria had a mud slide across the road from the river boat casino that I donate money to once or twice a year.  A little town just a few miles from us had 7.8 inches of rain in the 24 hour period.  I am just so thankful it was rain and not snow.  That would have amounted to quite a few feet of snow.  “The ratio of snow to water can vary a great deal depending on the vertical profiles of temperature and moisture, and how they change during a storm. Typically 1 inch of rain is equal to 1 foot of snow, a 12-1 ratio.”

I hope we all have a peaceful weekend free from violence and stress.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Friday feelings…

It is 37 degrees this morning and still drizzly and dreary out.  Everything has greened up nicely because of all of the rain.  I saw tulip trees and  forsythia bushes in full bloom yesterday.  The trees are budded out and I saw crocus and daffodil in bloom.  The tulips and iris are well above the ground but not anywhere near ready to bloom yet. YES! even though it is cold and drizzly out, spring has finally arrived in central Illinois.

I was really engrossed in the Arias trial yesterday.  Alyce Laviolette was answering jury questions,  There were really some zingers.  To be quite honest I am getting tired of looking at her and I will be glad when she gets to go back to California.  I think that I will write a book about battered trial watchers and become famous.  I will then be qualified to be an expert witness in some kind of kangaroo court.

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Slang of U.S. origin.] An unfair, biased, or hasty judicial proceeding that ends in a harsh punishment; an unauthorized trial conducted by individuals who have taken the law into their own hands, such as those put on by vigilantes or prison inmates; a proceeding and its leaders who are considered sham, corrupt, and without regard for the law.

The concept of kangaroo court dates to the early nineteenth century. Scholars trace its origin to the historical practice of itinerant judges on the U.S. frontier. These roving judges were paid on the basis of how many trials they conducted, and in some instances their salary depended on the fines from the defendants they convicted. The term kangaroo court comes from the image of these judges hopping from place to place, guided less by concern for justice than by the desire to wrap up as many trials as the day allowed.

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And this the extent of my words of wisdom for you all on Friday.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Thursday aftermath…

Yesterday was filled with many thunderstorms, breaks of sunshine and copious amounts of rain.  It rained harder than it has rained since I moved here.  We were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 2 AM.  We have had over 4 inches of rain so far this month.  Our rain deficit is shrinking very nicely.  It was still pouring rain and lightning and thunder when I went to bed at 10PM.

I have been out this morning to the bank and grocery shopping.  Buying up all of the good buys.  Lots of good things to eat, strawberries, Fuji apples and chocolate pinwheel cookies, etc.  I can’t believe the price of those pinwheel cookies.  On sale for $3.97 a package.  I rarely buy them but today I gave in to temptation.

Other than the above mentioned I have done nothing.  I am settling in to watch the Arias trial

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

How fast it falls…

the temperature I mean.  Yesterday it was  77 degrees and this morning it is 42 with a big northwest wind and raining.  Brrr, no wonder I stayed in bed way late this morning.  I had the window open and I couldn’t seem to get warm enough.

That was lot of food yesterday.  I didn’t eat nearly all of it.  I don’t like to bring leftover breakfast food home from a restaurant.  My daughter and I split the skillet breakfast and the pancakes.

Wild Berries Restaurant in Peoria…

I am still in the process of pondering how to increase my 2 bedroom house into my old home without much luck.  I am going to start looking in the furniture stores to see if I can find what I want.  Maybe nothing.  lol  I am getting ready to start moving things around again.

I am still hung up on the Arias trial.  I am getting tired of watching Martinez grill Laviolette though.  I wish she would just admit that she believed the lies that Arias told her so they could move on.  It seems the trial is never ending.  When it is finally finished, what will I do for entertainment. 

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

Beth

 

Even though…

we celebrated on Thursday, today is actually my son’s birthday.  Happy Birthday Jim!! 

Yesterday afternoon I changed furniture all around.  My daughter and son in law came on Saturday afternoon and got the bed I was getting  rid of.  If any of you come to visit me now you will have to sleep on my exercise bike.  I am trying to decide about a small sofa or love seat.  Anyway, no matter how many times I change the furniture around I still don’t have any more room here.  lol

I have a doctor appointment that I am leaving for in a few minutes.  I will be by to see you all when I get back. Get the tea pot ready!  And I will be hungry by then too.

It is raining and 58 degrees right now.  Yesterday the temp reached the low 70s.

Have a wonderful 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

Monday…

and the rain has stopped.  It is 34 degrees and extremely windy.  I have been out to the post office, bank and Kroger.  Kroger has their Private Selection turkeys on sale for 88 cents a pound.  I purchased one and have it thawing in the bottom of the fridge.  This means a Thanksgiving meal on Sunday.  I will ask my daughter and son in law to come and share after church.  So that means mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole and stuffing.  I will skip the pumpkin pie because it is not one of my favorites and go for pecan pie. 

Yesterday it rained all day and we got about 3/4 of an inch of rain.  We are still at a deficit.

I am all geared up for Valentine’s Day because as I have mentioned before it is my daughter’s birthday. 

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

Beth

 

Raining again…

It is raining here again this morning.  We even had a thunderstorm when I first got up.  The rain deficit is slowly but surely being whittled away.

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

Beth

Rainy Thursday…

It is 36 degrees and pouring down rain.  The rain is not freezing and that is good.

I have been out in the rain to pick up my tax returns.  In Illinois the seniors do not have to pay state income taxes.  I probably shouldn’t have said that.  Our state is the poorest state in the country so I don’t want to give them ideas,  I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

I made homemade oatmeal raisin cookies yesterday.  They were really good.

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Small box of raisins
•1 cup of water
•3/4 cup of shortening (may use Crisco or margarine)
•1 cup white sugar
•1/2 cup of brown sugar
•2 eggs
•1 tsp vanilla
•1 TBL maple syrup
•2 & 1/2 cups flour
•1/2 tsp baking powder
•1 tsp soda
•1 tsp salt
•2 cups oatmeal
•1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use ungreased baking sheet. Simmer raisins and water in saucepan over low heat until raisins are plump. Drain raisin liquid into measuring cup. Add enough water to make 1/2 cup.
Mix all dry ingredients together and set aside.

Using mixer mix shortening, eggs, and sugars together. Add maple syrup and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients with the raisin liquid. Fold in the raisins and the nuts.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until golden brown.  Makes 4 – 5 dozen according to size.  I make big cookies.

If you are a lover of spice you may add 1tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp cloves.  I don’t add these spices.

If I lived close by my Twin in Tennessee I would have fixed some cherry cobbler for her and her son.

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I am staying in the rest of the day, watching the trial and watching it rain.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

A rainy day in Illinois…

Preparing to cross the Illinois River this morning over the McClugage Bridge.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McClugage_Bridge

It is 64 degrees here now with thunderstorms predicted for this afternoon.

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Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth