New Theater

Our little town has a wonderful history and alot of remarkable old buildings. A man who was brought up here has moved to California and made his fortune. Now he has returned to his hometown and has started buying up all the buildings as they go empty. His mother still lives here too. He has refurbished many of these buildings, one at a time, and new businesses have moved into them, providing more jobs for the people here. Now the pharmacy has moved into a beautiful new building on the edge of town and left a great old building standing empty. Well, this young man had the workmen start tearing it apart and found that it used to be a theater years ago. The town council has decided to start a drive to get the money to restore the theater. They found two old neat pictures painted on the walls once they started taking them apart. They are going to restore them too. The floor is going to have to be redone as it no longer slopes downward to where the stage used to be. The marquee hanging out over the building has been torn apart and the framework is still there. It's easy to see now that it was a theater at one time. I think it will be a wonderful addition to our town as the young and old will have somewhere to go for entertainment without traveling a distance to a theater. We are all looking forward to it.

Household chores

I am getting behind in my housework. I have been spending alot of time online looking up interesting sites and letting things slide. I need to get busy and mop the kitchen and bathroom floors and then vacuum everything. Need to dust too, my favorite job - NOT! I think there is a load of clothes that need doing and probably a load of dishes. Better change the beds while I am at it and gather up the rugs and get them washed up and put down again. It's a never ending job but at least with just two of us now, things don't seem to get to looking like they need cleaning like they used to when the five kids were growing up. I better get going and see what I can accomplish.

Here we go again!

Storm warnings have been posted for today and for the next couple of days. More freezing rain and lots of snow. Making snowmen days are going to be over as it will be so much colder again. We are praying the lights don't go out again like they did last weekend. It got pretty cold. Alot of folks had to leave their homes and go to Motels to get warm. We were blessed in that our lights came back on after six hours and stayed on. The next day they were out for an hour and we were gone today and when we came home, some of the clocks were blinking at me again. I don't think they were off too long though as the VCR still had it's programming. They were probably making permanent repairs to the quick temporary ones they did on Saturday. Well like my husband always says, "just look out the window and you will see what the weather is" and you know, that is usually more accurate than the local weatherman.

Church activities

We are having two baby showers at church in two weeks. It is always fun to go to these and see all the new things they have come out with for babies since I had mine. Things are really different now. We had cloth diapers in those days and now of course, they have the disposable ones. More expensive, but so handy, aren't they? It is always fun to go look at all the adorable little girl dresses and also pants/blouse outfits and often matching bonnets with them. Teeny, tiny little socks and booties are so cute too. It is really hard to make up your mind. It does help when they register with stores and you know what they would like to have. Also gift cards from those stores are always welcome so they can get other things they need that they didn't get at the shower. It will be fun, games and alot of really good food too.

Funeral

We have to go to the funeral of my brother-in-law early this morning as it is a ways to drive. Our daughter is going to ride along with us. We will be staying after to eat in the Bethany Hall before coming home. That will give us a time of visiting with relatives too. It is almost like a family reunion, sometimes better. It's supposed to be good weather yet so we are lucky there. We have a one day window between bad storms it seems. Will be tired when we get home. Having the neighbor let our little dog out to go potty. She is a very good neighbor.

Visitation

Tonight was visitation for my brother-in-law's funeral. We had about a 120 mile round trip to make and didn't know how the roads would be after our ice and snow storm. The roads were very good. There were a few wet spots but that was all. When we came home, a bit of snow was blowing across the road but the temperature had dropped and the wind was blowing more and the snow just blew across the road. We saw three Alliant Energy trucks working on the highlines and transformers. When we got to the funeral home, people were discussing how many were out of electricity yet and would be for a week or more. Our neighbors went and got her folks from a town about 35 miles away and took them into the city to a Holiday Inn. Their house was only 40 degrees and they had been without lights and heat for the third day. They are elderly and it is very hard on them being cold so many days. Her father just got out of the hospital too a short time ago, having a hip replaced with complications. Pat says they will probably have to help her folks deal with frozen broken water pipes after this is all over. We heard many light poles were down in that area. Iowa has 58 counties that have been declared a disaster area. I just heard they are predicting more of the same on Wed, Thurs and Friday this week. That isn't good

Bad Weather Continues to Batter Us

Will it never end? Rain, freezing rain, then a foot of snow and now more snow today. We were without lights for an hour yesterday and 6 hours on Saturday. Got pretty chilly in the house. I am going nuts resetting all the tv's, vcr's, clocks, etc. Everything has a clock and about the time they are all set, off go the lights again. I hope it clears up today and they get the roads in good shape as we need to travel tomorrow.

Pie Anyone?

I'm going to make a cherry pie today. Haven't made one for quite awhile and I think this blustery, cold, blizzard of a day is the day to make one. The oven will warm the kitchen too a little extra. Think it might be a good day for a batch of fresh chili soup too. Doesn't that sound good? I better get busy.

Sunday Morning Snow

No church today. We are up to our ears in snow. It is blowing fiercly everwhere. I doubt you can see anything out on the road. They have advised no travel now for 2 days already and we're wondering if it will be done by Monday. I just heard the entire State has been declared a disaster area. That's saying some!! Quite a few main highways, freeway and Avenue of the Saints have been closed since early this morning already. It's not a good day. Good day to bake something warm and yummy.

Exciting Saturday Night

Here it is Saturday night and time to go out on the town - NOT! It is a blizzard out there. Looks like we won't be going anywhere for at least 2 days. Churches are all cancelled along with everything else. Heard alot of businesses closed down completely this morning already because the ice storm has just shut down the state and it isn't even all here yet. Heard this morning the center was in Kansas yet. Wow, wait till it gets here, well it did. It's terrible out there and to top it off, the wind is going to pick up even more than it is already. That should do alot of damage. I'm thinking alot of trees are going to go down or break off. It takes so long to grow them and a couple minutes to destroy them. That is sad. I am glad my family are all home with their families in warm homes tonight. It's the only place to be.

Ice Storm and Blizzard

We have really got it now. First it rained a little, then it sleeted for hours and hours and overnight and covered everything with a sheet of ice. Trees breaking off. Then the wind came up and the lights went out this morning and didn't come on till 6:30 tonight. House got down to 62 degrees. Good thing we are well insulated but still worry about pipes freezing under the house. Then when we couldn't see out the east side of the windows due to all the ice on them, it began to snow so we couldn't see out of the other side either. The battery radio was on and the weatherman is saying "well folks, it's no longer a winter storm warning, it is a blizzard". NO KIDDING!!! Tell me about it. I can't see outside to see what's going on, the lights blink once in a while. We just got the house warm again and it's snowing like the dickens. Are we having fun yet? NOT!

The wind

The wind is blowing about 40 mph. So much for melting snow. The wind has gone east, the moisture direction and guess we are really in for a dose of winter. The ice storms are the worst when you lose your electricity and can't heat your home. The wind chill outside must be zero or below. Looks like we will be hibernating till Monday.

Winter Storm Warning

We are under a big Winter storm watch. They say it is supposed to start raining tomorrow and then turn to ice storm. That's bad as we would hate to lose our electricity and heat in the dead of winter. Then we are to get 6-12" of snow from Saturday through Sunday. Doesn't sound like fun at all. Got groceries laid in so we are all set.

Bedtime

I have got to get to bed because it is really late. I have been looking for posts and it's getting late. Will start again in the morning. At least I can sleep in as long as I want. The wind is really howling outside. Sounds very cold

Busy Day

I had a busy day today. Had several loads of washing to do and put away. A load of dishes to do and run to the bank and get a few groceries. I see gas has gone up another 7 cents. I just filled up yesterday so that was in the nick of time I guess. Went for Mexican tonight. Yum Yum That's our favorite.

Great Day

The sun is shining and it is 40+ degrees. The snow is really going down fast now. Water everywhere but a welcome sight. I see the neighbors roof snow is almost gone. Another day like today should take care of it. It is so good to have some warmth after all the sub zero weather we have had.

New Computer Desk

My son and grandson are coming in just a little bit to bring me a new computer desk. My grandson built it himself out of Oak. They tell me it is gorgeous. He is going into the Air Force and isn't going to be needing it. I think it is really nice of him to give it to me.

I've been approved!!

I am so happy to learn I have been approved by blogsvertise.com. I believe this will be a wonderful source of extra income, working from home. I am getting a new computer desk on Thursday and hopefully, a new computer the next week or so. I am using a laptop now that works very well. I really like it. It is enjoyable writing posts for the various companies. I learn alot about them too and it is a great experience. It is exciting to be started with this online company.

New Bakery

We have a new bakery in town and it is the greatest. It has been years since our town had a bakery. They have wonderful creamfilled bismarks, glazed donuts, creme horns, crispies, all kinds of cookies and breads and coffee cakes. They also serve hot soup and a variety of sandwiches at noon to eat there or take with you back to work. I tried their apple bread with a nutty frosting on top and it was wonderful. There are also hot and cold drinks from hot chocolate to coffee to pop. It is a great addition to our little town and I will be stopping in there often and I am sure alot of other people will too. It was a beautiful 40 degree day today and alot of the snow melted and settled down. The problem with that is that we will probably have some fog tonight. It's good to see though, that the days have gotten longer and you are more able to see the deer as you are driving home.

Get an Insurance Quote Today

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Our Church

Our church has just put up a new building awhile back. It is state of the art, with the top notch wiring for producing television and future needs for special music, etc. We have two large screens on either side of the stage that show beautiful scenery before church and during Praise and Worship time. We have a wonderful group of young adults that play guitars, bongo drums, flute, electronic keyboards with all the extra sounds and a number of great voices. We take our turn at Greeting one Sunday a month and every Sunday go about greeting everyone we can, newcomers and regular attendees alike. Our church has a real heart for children and we have a Wednesday night youth group with a van to pick up those who don't have a way to church. On Thursday nights we have Traction Action and have four large school busses that pick up anywhere up to 175 children from two towns, bringing them in for a good time and a lesson from the Bible, games and treats. We also have a Healing House that people can come to who are hurting and stay the weekend and be counseled by wonderful Christian people especially trained. Our Pastors also take bookings to go all over the United States and the world to teach on the Father's Love. They have been to South Korea and the Ukraine not long ago and just got back from South Carolina, Los Angeles and will be going to near Seattle, Washington soon. We love our church and Pastors and the people coming. Everyone is welcome and you don't have to be dressed up. Come as you are.

New Profitable Site - Blogsvertise.com

I have found a great new website for bloggers who are eager to post and make some real money. http://www.blogsvertise.com/. It is free to register with them, quick and easy. You can have your blog approved in as little as 24 hours and they email you the opportunities and give you enough time to complete them. They run from $4 - $25, averaging $5 - $15 per post. It takes 30 days to approve them and once approved, the money is put right into your paypal account. I don't think it could be any easier and is a great opportunity for you if you are serious about posting to make money. You may also qualify later on to make even more on posting. A neat thing about it is that you can write about the opportunity in any fashion you want, relating it to your life, praising it or complaining about it. There is no cut and dried rule you must follow as long as it isn't vulger. Don't waste anymore time hunting for opportunities you qualify for, let them send them to you. It will save alot of time and aggravation, I am sure. And you don't have to put on it that you are being paid for the post.

Blogging for Cash

I went to my brother's today and worked with him on his blogging. He is new at it but very interested. He has received a new monitor and it is so mucyh better to work with. He is catching on quickly and will be posting before we know it. He can use the money too so it's a great opportunity for him. I found another site called blogsvertise.com that I am going to tell him about. I am sure he will want to get started with them as soon as he reads about it.

Housing Boom

They say there is a drop in real estate sales, but not in our area. They are building many beautiful home in two new additions. Homes start approximately $250 up and would cost much more if they were in a big city. Tax abatements are offered too and that is a big plus. Our school has a department that builds a house every year and that is great training for those who attend that class They have added quite a few houses to our town and they sold for $110 and up for 3 bedrooms and a double garage, ranch style. Many people are selling their older homes to young people and moving into the higher class of beautiful homes. This town has a housing boom rather than a drop in sales.

Steller Inc.

Steller is a great company in our town that is growing by leaps and bounds. They produce hydraulic systems for lift trucks and they are buying up property on both sides of them, burning down the old houses and putting up more buildings. Hiring more people is great for our small town. We have quite a bit of industry here for a town of about 3000. It is good to see lots of cars on main street as you know much business is staying in town instead of spending all their money in the larger city just 20 miles east of us.

Biodiesel and Ethanol

They are going to build a new biodiesel plant in Manly, IA. They have one in Glenville, MN now and are planning a 2nd plant. They pay very good wages and benefits and people are anxious for it to get up and running so that they can work there. They are also going to put up another Ethanol plant in our county. That will be a great prospect for new jobs too. The farmers are planting more corn for the Ethanol plants and the price of corn is going up so fast, now they are afraid it is going to hurt the hog business as much corn is used in hog feed. These fuels will certainly supplement the gasoline supply and help America become less dependent on foreign oil. We use Super Unleaded with Ethanol all the time in our car and it runs great. You don't have to put in an additive to prevent gasline freezeup so that is a big plus and saves you even more money as the Super Unleaded costs less too.

blogsvertise.com

I have found a wonderful new site for bloggers to make some real money. They have a fast signup program and your blog is looked over and can be approved as quickly as 24 hours. Posts pay from $4 to $25 and average $5 - $15 and can be more if you qualify later on through posting.
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Valentines Day

We got a Valentine's Day card from my 89 year old Aunt. She is quite a lady. My friend Rose, age 88, got home from the hospital on Monday too. She broke her hip 2 1/2 weeks ago. I was surprised she was able to come home already.

Ethanol Plant

We learned today that they aren't going to build a new Ethanol Plant in our county. It would have meant some new jobs in this area and we are disappointed to hear this. We use Super Unleaded gasoline with Ethanol in our car all the time and it saves money, runs good and you don't have to worry about gas line freeze up either.

New Store

We have a new store in town. A big new General Dollar store and it is very nice. I spent an hour in there today and went up and down every aisle and bought alot of stuff at quite a savings. It is a great addition to our town.

Snow is on the Way

Sounds like snow is on the way again late tomorrow night or Monday morning. We have enough for the winter. Sure glad we don't live in Buffalo, NY where they are getting many feet of snow, so a few inches isn't bad at all, in comparison.

Laboratories

My son works in the office at one of the big laboratories that produce medicines for animals. He is very busy and works long hours. They have a satellite plant in another town and he has to travel there every 3-6 weeks. We are very proud of him.

Laptop Computer

Certainly enjoying this laptop computer. It is very handy and takes up so little room. lAnd with my new computer chair, I am so comfortable. My little dog, Holly, is asleep in the chair by me. She is recuperating very well from her knee surgery almost 3 weeks ago.

Housework

I hate housework! Vaccumed the other day but need to clean the vinyl floors. Think I will wait as we keep dragging in new snow. Have the laundry all done & put away and can take it easy today. Think we'll venture out to the Pizza Ranch tonight for their great broasted chicken and pizza.

Sun Dogs

The sun is shining this morning but it is so very cold, there are sun dogs on both sides of the sun this morning. It is quite a site to see. That means it is extremely cold and going to have dangerous wind chills today when the wind comes up.

Global Warming?

Global Warming? Who are they kidding. It was -11 at noon yesterday and it was -20 last night at 10:00 pm. If this keeps up, we will all freeze to death in their Global Warming.

Air Force

My grandson is leaving for the Air Force in March. He is very excited and has signed up for 8 years. His Mom says she is really going to miss him as he is the youngest in the family and the only boy left at home. He has qualified for a special division of the Air Force and passed his tests at a genius level.

Posting

Been busy posting most of the day and now I better get moving and get some groceries before it gets even colder. It is very cold today but this weekend is to be zero and below. A good time to stay in where it's warm and bake something.