Kinmundy Labor Day Festival

Had a great time (and a very busy time) at the Kinmundy Labor Day Festival. We are tired but happy. I found Linda M. and we watched her grand daughter run in the relay race....so cute....I am uploading some pix of a few faces I painted today, but I never stopped for 6 hours straight, and so we were the last ones to leave the park.

Gettin' ready

Everything's
ready for the Labor Day festival tomorrow. I'm ready to go paint some
spidermen, and butterflies, and tigers...oh my....Made baked potato soup
and zucchini bread today....hope everyone has a fantastic Labor day..

Darren and Mindy came to see us...

Spent the day with Darren and Mindy. We had lunch at Pizza man, mom came along also, of course. We sat there for hours and had a great time, then went back to mom's for another hour or so...great to see those kids. It is Darren's 20th class reunion...am I really that old? Mindy brought us yummy jams, pickles, and pickled eggs...thanks Mindy.

4 Chords

4 Chords is all you need to write all pop songs of the last 40 years

Squash pie

Baking a pumpkin pie from home grown pumpkins, house smells yummy! Did you know that when you buy pumpkin in the can, that it is actually various butternut squashes and doesn't have any pumpkin in it at all.....and that's your cooking tip for today...anybody got whipped cream???

He always was a weird duck..but this takes the cake..

Did you know....that, Artist, Salvador Dali had an anteater as a pet? ....it's true...here's a photo taken in 1969..

Why do they call it a fish fry, I ask you??

The fish at the fish fry at Xenia, sucked, it was a frozen triangle, pretty tasteless. Some old man tried to grab my cherry pie as I walked past him, I said "Hey, don't you know you shouldn't try to separate a woman from her pie?" I have no idea who he was, but we both laughed. To my surprise, there was a huge cr...owd, and the festival itself was fun.....and that's my Mayberry report....:-)

Pumpkin belly

So my on-line face painting friends tell me the latest craze is painting pregnant bellies...so my friend, Shawny volunteered.....here's her pumpkin belly, literally!

Uh, I got nothin' to report, so here's
50 WAYS TO FIX MASHED POTATOES

Finally...a cool enjoyable day in Illinois

Potatoes roasting in the oven, steaks on the grill, listening to some Irish music with the windows open....makes you appreciate all of the little things so much. The cool breeze and low temps. are such a gift.

Pizza sauce and apple pie

Had a busy day! Made home made pizza sauce, and now that the blackberries are done, of course..the apples are getting ripe, so I made an apple pie and some applesauce!!! So we had pizza for supper and the laundry is done too....I am tired.....hope everyone had a more relaxing day than me.

Dancin' at the Hideout..

Went to THE HIDEOUT to hear my brother's band, Severed Society, play yesterday. Wow, they were fantastic. It was outside, but were under a shelter, so we did a little dancing too...really enjoyed it...they really rock! Nice crowd too!

Quiet day at home

We spent the morning drinking coffee outside, I picked green beans too. We just had my Super Duper Scrambled egg Extravaganza for breakfast..now it's too hot outside, so here I am, then going to read a bit..hope everyone is having a great day..

Forgot my camera, but had a great visit anyway

Mom and I went to see the grand boys in Decatur today. Loved seeing them, I helped them color, and tried to hug them every 5 minutes...I got away with it for a while...enjoyed seeing Shelley, Cary, Christine and Marsha too! Had Kentucky friend chicken for lunch and went to Hobby Lobby too....what a fun day.....

Anne Rice I forgot your amazing writings

OK,
I'm done jammin' (as in blackberry jam making)...so I hadn't read anything by Anne Rice for many
years, went to the library and checked out two book from a series, and
guess what? I already read them about 20 years ago....just didn't
remember the titles...I've read a lot of pages since then..and in my old
... and decrepit age.....well YOU know....(emoticon with eyes rolling here)

Will these blackberries never end?????

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Dinner on the firepit

Remember
those potatoes, onions, butter and cheese in foil pouches we used to
make at girl scout camp? Well, we cooked over the fire pit tonight,
fried chicken strips, the potato things, had tomatoes with it....our
dog got to come out to the picnic too, and she knows there are
...special treats , and there were....what a great day... ...and the best part is, it was cool, and low humidity...

When opportunity knocks

Bill and I
went out for coffee at Omega today at the General Store there, ran into
Janet Carlson Rose. Was such a great surprise to catch up with her. I
froze some blackberries and tomatoes and took this picture of a
spiderweb and hummingbird at the feeder....

Iola Old Settler's Day Festival

Worked at the Old Settler's Day festival in Iola yesterday, those kids are so crazy. They would come get their faces painted, then go jump in the blow-up jumpy castle...and then wanted their faces fixed...lol....I had a great time though. Bill and I were competing for customers...well, of course he won, cause it was ...100 degrees....so I guess I was just the entertainment for the lemonade stand... :-)

"Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee

Blues artist, Chris Black's, first music video....Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee....great little song, and a cool guy too.

So, what IS the mantis praying about?

I meant to post this picture yesterday. This very large praying mantis was sitting on my day lilies...they're kind of creepy, but cool looking. He was at least 5 inches long, I'm sure.

Tammy Faye Baker???

So, I was messing with the face paints today, thought maybe I would do an eye design, then changed my mind, a clown, nope a space alien...in the end I looked like Tammy Fay Baker from outer space......

Meteor showers tonight....

Meteor showers this week, tonight is the best night to see them. look north east under Cassiopeia, best time right before dawn..update: Saw a few very early in the morning.

Standing room only....

Bill and I helped mom install her new tv then went to the Salem Pool again, can you say "standing room only"?..how fun though we didnt'get home until almost 6:00, just had a light supper, and Bill walked the dog, so that's about it for this hot, hot day.

Goin' to Vegas???

Had lunch with my buddy, Linda Miselbrook today. We had a great time as always, when she brought me home we told Bill we were leaving for Vegas....lol...it would be a riot to go to Vegas with Linda, but alas we are back home in Kinmundy....Hope everyone is having a great day. I'm having some coffee and some poppy seed coffee cake from the bakery....yum

Tonight's sunset, a beauty. This has not been enhanced or tampered with in any way,just cropped straight from my camera...looks surreal, doesn't it?

Lunch at Java Joes

You probably all heard about the solar flair activity tonight and tomorrow. If you go outside right now and look in the northern sky (maybe slightly east) you will see the northern lights. You will have to really look as we are pretty far south to actually get a good view of them. Still it's interesting to watch the...m, just in case you have nothing else to do at 11:00 at night...

Solar flares

You probably all heard about the solar flair activity tonight and tomorrow. If you go outside right now and look in the northern sky (maybe slightly east) you will see the northern lights. You will have to really look as we are pretty far south to actually get a good view of them. Still it's interesting to watch the...m, just in case you have nothing else to do at 11:00 at night...

Stay in the A.C., people

just got back from Salem, where we had breakfast at McDonalds, went to Walmart and then went out to the fairgrounds to see what was happening....we didn't stay long, the heat index is already 109.7, dewpoint at 80.3...so peoples STAY IN DA HOUSE, or OFFICE of wherever there is coolness.....to dangerous outside.

Twilight fans, of course, we knew this HAD to happen

It's summer tiiiiime, and the livin' is easy...

Hey, peeps! So after a long chat with my daughter, I did some domestic chores and decided to listen to some new music on my ipod while I walked to the city hall to pay the water bill. Well the music helped, but it is so hot. Stopped by to see Wild Bill at the lemonade stand, came home and I was locked out....MIL had ...an extra key...yeahh...so I think I will stay in the house and out of trouble the rest of the day.

Happy Birthday to my fantastic, wonderfu husband..

Happy Birthday to my wonderful and always funny husband today! We took some coffee and sat on the beach at Forbes this morning it was so cool. I'm baking cup cakes with sprinkles, cause that's his favorite..hope everyone is having a great day.

Stephen King is a chatty fellow....

Well, I'm just lazy today, reading Stephen King's, "Under the dome". That Stephen is a chatty fellow. The book must weigh 8 lbs. So, my logic is I'm getting my exercise too....great book, btw....

"Double Black" jam today, hurraaaaay!

Made some "Double Black" jam today. Dug some sweet potatoes and planted some more green beans. Then I talked to my good friend Linda Miselbrook and now am having some cantaloupe....so, how exciting is my life??? Not very, but it IS very relaxing, and now that I'm "older" I like it that way..have a great day everyone.

Afternoon at Salem Aquatic center

Bill and I went to the newly built Salem Aquatic Center. It was mighty hot outside. We had a great time and even went down the water slide....wheee...what a ride! Someone saw lightening and the life guards made us get out...whaaaa...hope everyone had a great day.

Busy weekend.

Went to a beautiful and fun wedding over the weekend, had a great time, did the chicken dance, at cake, drank the toast...! Sunday went to an event to paint faces. These 4 girls had their faces all painted alike, with double glitter, which you can't see in these pix, then they all went and played on the slip and slid...e that was there....they all managed to keep the paint on their faces....they were so fun and cute...it was a great day all around....

Ode to air conditioning

Wew, what a scorcher out there today! To the many inventors that led to air conditioning : Michael Faraday, Dr. John Gorrie, and the man who finally made it all happen: Willis Haviland Carrier...I salute you!

Relax, all is well with the Raisinettes...

ok, I'm all calmed down about the Cherry Raisinets now...lol....having some coffee, chocolate, and listening to some relaxation music my friend George gave me, thanks George. Going to mom's in a bit, hope everyone is having a great day.

Cherry raisinettes???????

Cherry Raisinets? Really? Why do they have to tamper with something that is already delicious and has been around as long as I have???? and anyway, wouldn't they be called Cherry-ets? I'm just sayin'

Terrorized, I mean, entertained the kids at the day care center today by painting their faces, then went swimming at Forbes lake where we saw an owl sitting in the middle of the road in the daytime (?), and watched an Igrit dip down and catch a fish out of the lake and flew off.....the water was great....

The Itsy Bitsy spider climbed....into my blackberries.

Picked blackberries this morning, there was a tiny, tiny spider on one of the quarts of berries, thought it was very interesting....

Red hat ladies meet again

Mom and I were the hostesses for the July Red Hat meeting.It was "4th of july birthday party bingo, toot your own horn" theme. When someone "bingoed" they had to blow their party horn, we laughed hilariously! The horns had a funny squeaking sound. The bingo prizes were donated by Janet Pratt, thanks, Janet. . Dess...ert was cherry cupcakes with an American flag design on top, made by yours truly....

after the show

Well, Eclipse was fantastic, as everyone said. Mom had not read the books or seen any of the movies, but she's a Twilight-er now....lol....had a great time and enjoyed the grand boys too.

The Twilight series continues...Eclipse, here we come

Mom and I are heading for Decatur shortly to meet up with Shelley, and then out to lunch and to the movies to see ECLIPSE....I'm so excited! Then of course, we will stay and visit with the grandboys and Cary for a while....everyone have a great day!

An afternoon at Forbes lake

Spent the afternoon at Forbes. There was a nice cool breeze and it was really enjoyable. I played in the water at the beach, then we went for ice cream, a perfect day....

A quiet 4th of July

We had our first tomatoes from the garden tonight, oh, yummy! A couple of cantaloupes are about ready too! Lots of pumpkins and gourds growing too, enjoying the day, Happy 4th everyone!

The bee in the pumpkin blossom

See? He's looking at me. I sent this photo into the WJBD website and they posted is a their photo of the day....

Bill's da man!

Hey, everyone, my husband and his lemonade shake-up stand are featured in this weeks edition of the Marion County Observer which you can pick up at your local grocery store. He is on the front page, now he's acting like some kind of celebrity.....lol...not really. It's a very nice article and photos.

Happy Birthday, Terry, lunch at Java Joes

After the funeral, we decided to go to lunch. It was Terry's birthday so we went to Java Joe's in Centralia, what great food and a fun place to go. Enjoyed it so much, especially after the sad morning. My old friends, Sandie and Carol, made it extra special. We have known each other since grade school, seems like yesterday.

Life's not always fun times.

Our friend, Linda Phillips Miselbrook's father passed away this week. Me, Carol, Sandie, and Terry went to the funeral together. Linda said it meant so much to her for us to be there. She was hugging us and wouldn't let go, poor thing. It was a beautiful service and the family is very large, so it was good they could be there for each other too. Such a sad, sad thing, even when the person has lived a long and happy life. It just broke my heart to see Linda cry, just love her like a sister.

Summer sunsets are the best....

Edgewoodfest faces

Friday night was great, but the heat was just unbearable Saturday. The heat index was 107.5, and the humidity was 79 per cent, still it did not rain...just horrible. Also, it cost $15.00 per adult to get in and then they had to spend $12 on a wrist band for the kids to ride the carnival rides...so all in all, I made more money in 2 hours Friday than I did all day on Saturday. I'm pretty sure I will not be doing this event again, but still enjoyed the wee ones an the face painting...

Edgewoodfest

Well, I was a big hit at the first night of the festival last night! I was planning on leaving as soon as the sun went down because I have no lights, but I just couldn't say no to those little faces and ended up painting by the lights on the tilt-a-whirl....lol...I really ejoyed it so much, even tho we are in the heat... and humidity of the summer...off I go again today for a LONG day...

When there is nothing to watch on TV, you can always depend on a Rambo movie to be on, right?

Happy Birthday, George!

Only in Kinmundy....

Only in Kinmundy...I was outside tonight and kept hearing music, pretty soon it got closer and it was the theme from the Lone Ranger...yep, some guy had a huge boom box in the back of his pick-up riding around town with the Lone Ranger theme blasting....I can't make this stuff up....I got quite a laugh out of it and made me appreciate my crazy little town.

Foster's , where are you?

Mom and I went on a wild goose chase today looking for Foster's Bar and Grill who called an want me to face paint there this Saturday at their summerfest...the original place burned down and I had to go into Mamamia's pizzaria and ask where their new location was, turn here, turn there, drive there...lol...finally made it!! Had to have caramel frappes too!

Lunch with the girls

Heading out to lunch with Jeannell and Teresa today. Always a fun time with those two... :-)

We had a great time with my bro Kent and family last night! So good to see him. I just picked some fresh basil and dug new potatoes, gonna have some roasted in the oven with basil, garlic and olive oil...yummy!.....where are my Mentos?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Wasn't feeling well this morining, took some strong sinus/allergy meds and am better now. I made myself go outside and take a bike ride and walked the dog. I felt better so I baked a chocolate cake with icing and sprinkles. How exciting....I think I hear people snoring out there....

Free Willy

Bill saved a turtle from a horrible death by weed eater today. We named him terri and kept him as a pet for about 15 minutes then released him at Kinmundy Lake...yep...a real
"Free Willy" moment...I know...we are insane, right?

Chipmunks running amuck in Haltermanville

Chipmunk house..........

We have been outside having coffee , watching the chipmunks run around the trees and across the grass. A nice cool morning.

Summer is definitly here!

has been outside working in the garden, listening to my favorite music, tried to think of it as a tanning opportunity........but yikes...it's too hot for me! Bill is downtown selling lemonade shake-ups today, so I think I'll just stay in the AC....stay cool!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my son, Darren, today! Hope you are having a great day, son!

Aliens vs Predator

My mother-in-law just came over here to get us, something has left huge foot prints in her garden, I mean ALL over the garden, and dug up some potatoes in the process! My guess is space aliens.......Bill thinks it's a family of foxes, I'm voting for the aliens.

Take me back to the 60's

Bill Milam sent me this and it really took me back to my younger days:

Take me back to the 60's

Back in "the day",

Becky Rankin found this old cheer leading picture of us, how fun!