No pictures for this blog, just a report on the adventures of the Sisters this past weekend. On Saturday, Kathi and I, along with our sister Carla, and her daughter (our niece) Britney participated in an exciting workshop. We are always on the look-out for interesting sales, auctions, restaurants (especially tearooms, they have the best desserts!), antique and/or craft shops, or any fun and interesting activity. We were fortunate enough to discover Second Betty, a delightful shop in Morton, IL that sells vintage furniture, antiques and gifts.Read More »
Author: Pat
My Front Porch
Happy Monday! I hope that everyone had a delightful weekend. Today I would like to invite you to my front porch.
SPRING IS FINALLY HERE!
It appears that Spring has finally won the long-fought battle with Winter here in the Midwest. Temperatures are finally in the mid-70’s with lots of sunshine. We have received so much rain with very cool temperatures this past month. Our hearts and prayers go out to those whose homes have been damaged by the floods. And to the farmers as they wait for saturated fields to become dry enough for the tractors and planters.
A Beautiful Day for a Sisters’ Road Trip
Kathi and I are so blessed to be members of a sisterhood of six amazing women!! That’s right, six sisters, and no brothers! Four of the sisters, Kathi, Carla, Nancy, and I, still live in close proximity to our original home on Grange Hall Road. Pam lives in Arkansas and our baby sister, Angela, lives in Wisconsin. Our bond with each other has remained extremely strong over the years. That does not mean that we don’t have differences or disagreements. In fact, we have been involved in some very heated conversations. But that strong bond of sisterhood always brings us back full circle to our roots and our love for each other makes that bond invincible!
One of our favorite activities is taking a road trip, whether it is one day or several days. This past weekend, we traveled to the LaTeaDa Tearoom in Clinton, IL. What a delightful place. The tearoom is housed in an old two-story house with the tearoom downstairs and a gift shop upstairs. The lunch was delicious and the desserts were incredible.Read More »
Weekend Trip!!!
Hello all!! It is slowly getting warmer here in the Midwest. Now we are having the April showers that hopefully bring our May flowers. Pat and I, and our sisters Carla and Nancy, are planning a Sisters day trip this weekend. We are going to a tearoom for lunch and some shopping. We love to do these Sister days and we are always on the lookout for a new place to visit. I plan on taking some picture of our outing, hopefully they turn out good… Come back soon to see them.
Kathi and Pat
SPRING AND EASTER
Although the past couple of days have been relatively warm (in the mid-50’s) and spring-like, the skies remain cloudy and a brisk north wind is blowing. At least the 7+ inches of snow we received last Sunday have melted! I am determined to think spring and put winter behind me. I hope you enjoy more pictures of spring decorations and our annual Easter Egg Hunt.
Kathi’s House
Welcome to my home. I can’t believe Easter is fast approaching and that means Spring is on the way! I have a lilac bush outside my kitchen window and the other day there were 5 red cardinals in the bush. It was so pretty to see. I wish I had some photography skills, it would have been a beautiful picture. But for now, come inside and see some pictures of my house.
Grocery Cart
When I was a young girl growing up in rural Central Illinois, the neighborhood grocery store was at the center of our community. It was so much more and much bigger than the actual square footage of the building. The Alta Grocery was a place where area residents purchased staples to survive – bread, milk, and meat. It was the gathering place where all the business of the community was discussed. It also housed the post office. Our address was Box 31, Alta, Illinois – no zip code. You could also catch the Greyhound bus from Alta to Peoria. My sister Pam and I rode the bus many times to meet our grandmother in Peoria.
Several years ago, I was at an auction and was very lucky to purchase an old grocery cart from the Alta Grocery.
Easter Decorated Hoosier
The Hoosier-style cabinet in the dining room is one of my favorite pieces of furniture. And I continue to change the items I display on the cabinet – sometimes several times a day! Even though the ground outside is white with snow and more is falling and on the way as I write this, I have decided to forge ahead with Spring decorations.
Countertop
Are you as anxious for spring to arrive as I am? Last weekend, my granddaughters Lainey and Ella helped me get all of my spring and Easter decorations out of storage. Don’t you love it when you get seasonal decorations out and you say, “I didn’t remember I had that!” So as I was rediscovering all of my treasures and planning the decorating scheme for this spring, I hear the weather forecast for central Illinois – several inches of snow. And as I look out the sliding glass doors from the dining room to the deck, which is covered in several inches of snow, and listen to the weather forecast for this week, several more inches of snow, I have decided that spring is definitely not here yet!
So for now, I would like to share with you some interesting items on my kitchen counter.
Home On Grange Hall Road 