Sunday, Skies and Recipe

 

We awoke yesterday morning to this gorgeous sky! At first it looked like wide black brush strokes across the sky, as soon as the sun started to rise, those black clouds looked like this!! I know there is a message in this...such as when things seem the darkest, just know there will be one of life's beautiful moments will appear. 

 

I also found this quote the other day:

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud." Maya Angelou

 

Our yard men came  and  power raked the yard Sunday. They also cleaned around the house, and deck etc. They even took our Christmas lights down. (Off the bushes..not a big deal..) ha..ha... I couldn't believe how beautiful the day was. Windows were all open, the birds were singing. It was just so lovely.

 

 

 

Remember the Clam Chowder I told you we made? We had leftovers yesterday, (actually it was better than the first day!) Soups and Stews always are, aren't they??

 

Here is the recipe:

Clam Chowder

4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

2 large onions, cut into medium dice (about 4 cups)

½ cup flour

8 6.5-ounce cans minced clams, with clams and juice separated

4 8-ounce bottles clam juice

2 cups water

6 medium boiling potatoes, cut into medium dice

2 large bay leaves

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves

2 cups heavy cream

½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (I substituted with dry parsley)

Salt and ground black or white pepper (to taste)

Oyster crackers, to serve 

Fry bacon in a large soup pot over medium-high heat until bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a small bowl; set aside.

Add onions to the pot; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour; stir until lightly colored, about 1 minute. Whisk in clam juice (from both the drained clams and bottles of juice) and water. Add potatoes, bay leaves and thyme; bring to a simmer.

                Reduce heat to low; simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender; about 10 minutes.

                Add clams, cream and parsley, bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper; bring to a simmer.

                Remove from heat and serve immediately with oyster crackers.

Makes 4 quarts, 10 servings.

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 Hope you're having a good week.

Great Seminar and more...

 

Yesterday our skies in the afternoon were quite overcast and cloudy. The clouds were very pretty, but no matter what setting I put my camera on they didn't look as pretty as they really were.  

 

Last night we had a MS Seminar to go to...just across the river! Not far at all. It started at 6 p.m., so we left home at 5 (remember I said it was just across the bridge..smile..) When we were approaching it..all we saw were cars....all across the bridge...... Yikes! They were working on it..so had it down to a single lane of traffic. But....we got across and headed to the restaurant. The weather was extremely HOT,

and we saw a few boats out on the river, trying to beat the heat!!







 

They had a small room for us, and we did get there at a decent time. We got a good place to sit at a front table. The waitress came around and bought our drinks. The program coordinator had a problem with her computer. So that kind of slowed down the presentation. They also had about double the people than they expected... The tables had 8 people instead of 6..squeezed together. Then the waitresses came around and gave us our menu's and told us we could order 'anything' we wanted. Now this was really unusual, as they normally have a set menu.. I ordered a "surf and turf".. and Tom ordered a bone in ribeye steak. (one was $45 and one was $50--can you imagine??) So they got all orders, and then 'whoops' they said...they just found out..it had to be anything under $28. smile.. So, that made a smaller choice, but a good one. (And made a lot more sense..) Finally, the doctor started speaking and we got our food. Their kind of like a "lunch and learn" only it's a dinner and learn. smile.. After she spoke, they had an ambassador speaking also. He has been on the drug they spoke about for a couple years and was very happy with it. Finally, we finished eating (btw the salmon was 'amazing'!!) Then they came around with a dessert menu.. (over kill...ha..ha...) Tom got the ice cream sundae (pictured) and I ordered the cheesecake.. (I brought mine home and had it this afternoon...) I will ask my doctor about this pill they were talking about. Sounds too good to be true, no more shots! But I know there are a lot of side effects. So, we'll see...

 

 

Goodness, for us it was a late night. On our way home, we spotted the Hard Rock guitar all lit up!! When we finally got home around 9 p.m., we felt we needed to stay up for awhile, to let our food settle..ha.. Since we got up early, I finally was ready to go bed!!

 

This morning we had to get up early again to take my SIL to get a test. Then we did a little shopping. Nice day, but again very HOT, worse than yesterday! These huge sunflowers were really enjoying the sun today!! They must be about 10 foot tall. We go by them all the time...Tom was finally able to stop, so I could get a photo...smile..

 

By the way today was our 28th wedding anniversary!!!

 

 

Time once again for bed.. Hope you're in for a wonderful weekend!

A New Week...

 

Look at Rusty's hair! It is so dry here...even with the humidifier on the furnace going full bore..we all are full of electricity! Rusty will roll on the carpet and this is what he looks like...every time! Me...I am the same way! Every time I go by something metal I get a shock! And I mean everything...the facet, (ya, I know weird), the computer, every light switch in the house! Even when I give ((hugs))...ha... I'm electrified! hee...hee!

 

Do you think the skies were filled with airplanes?? I believe they are pretty, as if  they are drawing white lines in the blue sky!

 

Hope you are in for a wonderful week!

 

Blessings,

Gert

 

more as it happens here in the city...............

Busy Monday..

 

Oh, I forgot to show you the twins going for a walk the other night. Their Grandma put up a video on FB and since I couldn't figure out how to share the 'video' I didn't do it. Tonight, I figured it out!! smile... And here it is....aren't they adorable?? Starting to walk already...Wow!!! I know things have changed...but I believe mine were around one. Actually, my daughter walked on her first birthday!! smile...

 

Oh, yes...frost (or should I have said freeze) on the pumpkin?? We've been having some really cold nights around here..(I believe it was 7 above last night) and yet this 'ugly pumpkin' is still looking good... (funny using ugly and good in the same description..lol) Not sure how long it'll hold out...at least until after Thanksgiving I hope. Note: Our neighbor has a really pretty pumpkin display in her front yard.  However...the other night when we got up (about 3 a.m.) Tom looked out and said the deer were in the her yard...eating her pumpkins! Oh my...I bet she wonders who is getting into them when she wakes up in the morning...(the little buggers...) [We're thankful, but not sure why they don't find our 'ugly' one appetizing...lol]

 

 

We went to the doctor this morning, for our check ups. Like I've said, I really missed my coffee....and had a bad headache..(must be due to the lack of caffeine..). My blood pressure was 170/?, once I heard 170, I didn't hear anything else.. tonight it was 124/70 or something. So, I will keep checking it until next week, when he wants to see me again. Otherwise we are okay...smile.. We'll get our numbers on the cholesterol later.

 

When we got home, Tom got the Christmas lights out and put them on the bushes! They are so pretty...I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! I figured we wouldn't turn them on until later..but when we came home tonight, I saw a lot of lights and thought 'why not?' Have you done any Christmas decorating outside??

 

Later in the afternoon, we took Karen to the Cancer Center. When we picked her up...look at these gorgeous skies! God just said...goodnight my loved ones...in a way, only He can do..

 

Blessings...my friends...

 

more as it happens here in the city............... 

God's works and Babies

"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."

 

This morning our skies were beautiful again, and even though I got Tom up early (again), I did ask him to step outside and get a shot of this gorgeous sky! What have your skies been like lately? I was looking at old photos and I saw some of pretty skies about this time of the year. smile...

 

 

"I'm telling Mom it was all you!"

 

I just had to share this with you...Isn't it adorable?? Those sweet little twins--I can't believe how they have grown. I bet they will be walking soon!! Look out Mom...there will be more of this going on...lol

 

Hope you've had a wonderful day!!!

 

Blessings....

 

more as it happens here in the city.............

Happy Valentine's Day!

"To love another person is to see the face of God!"

I hope this finds you having a blessed fun day!

Last night we went to our monthly potluck. As always it was wonderful food, (and oh..so many luscious desserts!) We had a good crowd and so much visiting going on! The weather was really nice for this time of the year...I captured this photo when we left...if you look closely you'll see the stars in the sky!! ...smile

This morning when we woke up, Tom said there was a doe going between our house and the neighbors. Pretty soon he looked out back and saw all these deer in the neighbors yard...eating some old pumpkins. I feel so sorry for them, they are hungry and eating anything they can find.

When we headed out this morning...I spotted this shot! The sun trying to break through the clouds...so pretty! "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Another pretty shot on our way to the doctors today.

I have to share this photo, this guy stands in this very spot all year long. When it's cold, when it's hot!!! He's advertising for Little Ceasars pizza!! They even interviewed him on TV one time!!

Our Christmas cactus is blooming like crazy again!! Tom bought this for me years ago and after the first year, it stopped blooming...for a long time. Then one year, it started blooming again and it hasn't stopped since. smile... I hope you had a beautiful Valentines day!!!

more as it happens here in the city....

Rusty went to the doctor today....

I looked out the cold window this morning and saw this beautiful sky! I told Tom I'd open a window and take a picture of it...but he said "No, I'll step out and do it!" So, out into the *cold* morning he went...smile... And this is one of the pictures he took. Beautiful isn't it??? What an amazing God we have to paint a sky like this....

We took Rusty to the vet this morning for his yearly shot, Tom also had them check a lump on his tail. He has to have it removed next week...sad... They will check it out for cancer, but she didn't think it would be a problem...this is just a safety measure. So all prayers will be appreciated....smile... (I will let you know when he goes in and how he does...)

Afterwards we drove down by the river so I could take a few pictures...

 As you can see the wind was blowing like crazy today! Our high was only 40 degrees, with a low this morning of 13 degrees. So you can imagine what the wind chills were. Brrr.....

Again this was a picture of the Anderson Dance Pavilion that Tom helped to build! smile.... 

Last night I got to Skype with my daughter Brenda and my granddaughters! It was so cool to seem them and to have a fantastic visit with them! (It's the next best thing to being there....smile...) She even showed me her Christmas tree! Oh yes, and the doggies...ha.... Now look at this picture Brenda took today, Camy (yes her dog) got up on the mantle and posed, even while they were taking pictures...ha... (Isn't she adorable??)  We even got to Skype this morning before Ashley (granddaughter) and her fiance Ben headed back to Huntsville after spending Thanksgiving at home with her family. 

I hope you are having a nice weekend!!!

Yesterday and Today...

Are you having a busy and hectic day as we are? smile... So funny, this morning Tom kept saying.."we have all day"...soon the day was ending and dusk was setting in...smile.. We baked a pot full of cranberries, some we'll take with us tomorrow for dinner. Tom made another salad to take!

Yesterday, we went to therapy, she gave me a few more exercises to do (which I'm feeling them tonight..smile). And she has released me..so good thing! I hope I continue to feel good and stick with my old and new stretches and exercises. (Which I know Tom will make sure I do...ha..ha..)

There were so many lovely sites to see yesterday. Our weather has been just beautiful! Today we had a record high of 72!! Can you believe that in November, in Iowa??? Tomorrow will be cooling down, but not normal November weather that is for sure. We are all just thankful and loving it!!

We all have so many things to be thankful for. Gorgeous sites to see...and enjoy! Our morning and evening skies have just been amazing to see... (Tonight ours was pink, as I looked up I saw the exhaust from a jet streaking across the skies...and normally the color is 'white' but tonight it was pink! smile...)

Yesterday, while we were in WalMart and looking for some some weights (for my new exercise), the lady that was helping us told me that I was really lucky, (with my MS I didn't feel lucky) than she said her aunt who has MS was 44 and had been in a wheelchair for 20 years. Now I know I'm lucky and blessed....

We were busy, folding, stamping etc. the Bugle's and were taking them to the post office this evening (when we finally got them done), first we stopped and picked up my medicine, all of a sudden, I noticed a post lady getting mail out of a mail box...I asked her if we could give her some mail! She said sure...so Tom got our box of almost 90 newsletters out and she took them...BIG SMILE... I loved it! Saved us a trip downtown to get to the post office. God is good and certainly works in mysterious ways...

Enjoy your day tomorrow and think of how you are blessed and thankful! HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg!!!!

Fire in the Sky...

This morning when we woke up (very early again...smile..) this was the site I saw out the kitchen window.. Instead of me going out in my pajamas, to take these photos, I had Tom step out and take them! Which he was more than willing to do...as I don't think he wanted me out there for the whole world to see me in my jammies. ha...ha...

Soon the skies lit up and the sun burst through the clouds.

Finally, the skies turned to gold... you know only God could turn them this color...oh such beauty!!! (Tom felt bad about the wires in the picture..but like I told him...they are our lifeblood...they give us communication and electricity!!! smile... So I don't care if they are there...)

Tom looked out later in the day and said...I can't believe it...that squirrel got on the suet! 

By the time I looked out, he had got down and was over getting a drink of water...smile... (I wonder why...smile...)

I said I was going to tell you about the "Explanation of Benefits" (EOB) that we all get from our insurance companies! Lots of time, people either don't look at them or barely scan over them. BUT we never know if they are correct or not. I got some Saturday, one of them, I thought...this is weird, it says I was in the hospital in August.. So, just in case it was a medical procedure of some sort, I went back to my journal, calendars and of course "blog"... I found nothing! Since we have Medicare and a supplement insurance, I called Medicare to find out what the charge was for, they gave me the phone number of the doctor who submitted the charge and told me to call them, and let them know if it wasn't a correct charge..they could be charged with "FRAUD"... I called them, they gave me the number for billing, when I spoke with them, they took my name...and said there was no one in their system with that name and they couldn't do anything!! Yikes... I called my supplement carrier and they said they couldn't do anything, until Medicare told them to ask for a refund.. (This charge was in Michigan...never even been in that state...smile...) The next day the doctors office called and said it was a mix up with names and would be credited. So..in 30 days I'll call Medicare back to see if this doctor actually credited my Medicare account. Maybe this is why people don't worry about the EOB's....ha.. Seriously...everyone really should..it is best for you...and anyone who is actually doing FRAUD.. Medicare an pursue them...

Hope you had an amazing day!!!!!

Love....

Look at what I got in the mail today!!! A package from Georgia...smile... It was like having a piece of my daughter and her family here with us today...smile... Look at everything... Birds and butterflies..smile..and Love for Mom and Grandma... "Every time I think of you, I give thanks... Philippians 13"  (This goes both ways...thank you....)

These were our skies last night...beautiful aren't they?? Only God could produce such beauty...

I just had to share this with you...Look at little Lorelai..she hit her face on the floor this morning and got her 'first' black eye!! Even with a shiner isn't she a cutie??

I hope you had a good day...we had some things to pick up this morning, so we ate lunch at the Senior Center...yummmm Broasted Chicken..and all the fixings. I can't believe all the food they serve, for $4.95! smile.. and they'll even give you a box to take your leftovers home. How about you...did you do anything special today?

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"The Many Thoughts of Grace"

May 5, 1940: Went up to Schopp's this morning. Baked a lovely cake for Jean's birthday. Francis got a ride in the wagon. He had a good time with the girls.

Jean, Francis and Mary Ann (Jack's sisters)

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more as it happens here in the city.....................