Fall has arrived!

What's that you say?  Not officially?  Well, maybe not officially, but here in Spokane within the past two weeks we've gone from temperatures in the  90's to highs in the 60's for the past week.  Lows are in the 30's and 40's.  I would say that's fall.  The good news is that it has seemed to rid us of most of the smoke from the past couple of months.  There are still fires burning though and that is not good.

First of all, I want to thank you all for your sweet comments about my migraine and about Alex.  He is fine.  He was woken up during the night and lost a bit of glassware, but no real problems where he lives.  Unfortunately, earthquakes are so commonplace for him that he didn't even think to call to reassure us.  My headache is somewhat better.  Now I'm just having the residual headache that lingers for awhile, but not nearly as bad as the first few days.  Thank you all again.  I am so blessed to have all of you as my friends and that you truly care.

On the knitting front I have been working non-stop on the zick-zack scarf with one small pair of mittens thrown in the mix.  The scarf is now 33 inches long as of this morning.  The size 2 needles and sock yarn are making it a slow knit, but I am enjoying it.  I realize that I am a production knitter, not a process knitter and this is forcing me to slow down and enjoy each stitch and the definition of each row.  Since all shades of purple and lavender are my favorite colors, this scarf is tempting me to keep it, but it is destined to be a Christmas gift.

 I decorated for fall yesterday and today.  It may seem like a lot of decorations and kind of "busy" but I do like it.  I found a box of decorations today that I haven't seen for a couple of years and I thought had been lost or given away.  So I have even more fall stuff.  :-)  I like fall and the cooler temperatures, just not the winter that follows. (No suprise to any of you is it?)
This is the console cabinet under the TV.  See the ugly wires?  I got all of my decorations that you see in these pictures either on sale somewhere or at the Dollar Store. I rarely pay full price for any decor items.  I lOvE the dollar store.  It's amazing the things you get there.  Ours now has fresh bread on Tuesday and Thursdays.  It's the same breads you get at the grocery store and it ISN'T day old bread!  They stop on their route to deliver to the grocery stores.  I get sandwich thins for $1.00.  They are $2.98 at the store.  They also have Orowheat Rye, english muffins, whole wheat and white Sara Lee bread.  All kinds of breads.  All fresh and all for $1.00!  You have to know when it's delivered and be there waiting because everyone is waiting for them and I tell you what, it's like a bunch of locusts!  The delivery guy loads the carts and they're empty in less than 5 minutes, but everyone is very nice about it.  No pushing or shoving at all.

  

 This is on the kitchen island.  I have a crocheted leaf garland that will replace the triangle bunting soon.  All of these were from the Dollar Store over the past several years.

 This is the middle of the Hoosier Cabinet.  The sign and flowers are from the Dollar Store this year.  I have had the big pumpkin for years.  I think at least 20 years!  All of the pinecones that you see in these photos are from the lake.  I use them as fire starters in the fireplace in the winter, but meanwhile they make good decorations.

 I have had this "Welcome" sign for over 30 years, it came from Omaha with us when we moved.  Isn't this little guy cute?

 This sign and pumpkins were from the Dollar Store a couple of years ago.  I love this picture of Chloe.  Sorry about the glare.

 These leaves and flowers were from the D.S. too.  The photo is from our 25th anniversary and the heart photo frame is from Neal & Jenny for our 40th this year.  The picture was taken in Washington D.C. at the Washington Monument a couple of years ago while we were visiting Mandy and Brad.  It says "Dennis and Betsy - 40 years of love"  Isn't that nice?  It spins around and I'm going to put a wedding photo on the other side.

 A full photo of the Hoosier.

 I still love these little glass bottles and I'm so glad I persevered and finally bought them.  Aren't the little plaid pumpkins cute?  I got them from Mandy.

 The corner shelf by the front door.  Too busy?  Oh well, I like it.  I've had the basket on top for years.

 A corner in the hall bath.  Flowers again are from the D.S.

 You're probably all sick of fall decorations aren't you?  Well here is a cutie for you.  Piper sent me a picture modeling her Halloween costume.  She's going to be a unicorn!  Isn't she the cutest unicorn you've ever seen?

And guess what?  We're heading to Omaha again so I'll get to see this little girl soon!   Not in time for her birthday, but she won't be home then anyway, because the three of them are heading to Germany for a couple of weeks.  They come home on Piper's birthday and we're driving to visit the next week.  We'll be driving during October, through the mountains of Idaho and Montana.  We're really hoping to NOT encounter any snow as we drive, but we're taking the 4-wheel drive truck instead of my car, just in case.  I'm also hoping to sleep in the truck overnight if it's not too cold.  That way it will be an adventure and more of a vacation to me.  I've checked and the KOA camp grounds are open in Montana and South Dakota until the end of October.  We can have nice hot showers in the mornings.  Sounds like fun to me...if it doesn't snow or get too cold.  If so, I'll settle for a hotel, but I would rather camp!  Dennis is worried about my back, but I would like to give it a try.  I miss those kinds of trips with an air mattress in the back of the truck.

And Mandy says they will have Piper's birthday party while we're there so we won't miss it!  Yay!  I'm looking forward to seeing my sister and all of our family again.  More and more, I'm finding that I miss family and we're tentatively making plans to move back to Nebraska or Iowa after Dennis retires.  We will dearly miss our mountains, but the pull of family is real.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  We're heading to the lake and will try to enjoy one of our last weekends there for this year.  We have to be closed up completely by October 1, so we will start bringing things home this week.  Dennis will start making trips with his truck, bringing home the patio table, chairs, cushions, grill, lawn mower, etc.  We'll take the roof off of the gazebo.  I'll bring home extra food that we won't use up during the next few weeks.  It's like moving twice a year in the spring and the fall.  I'll try to take before and after photos when we start closing up so you can see the difference.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Blessings,
Betsy

Still Smokey....

Hello again.
Same song, second, third and fourth verse.  The smoke, once again, drove me home from the lake on Tuesday.  This is getting old people.  We have to close up the trailer by the end of September because of new rules in the park.  Everything must be done on or before October 1.  It seems we lost much of this summer because of smoke.  The weather people are promising, again, that the smoke should begin to clear by tomorrow.  We shall see.  We get one or two nice days and then a week or more of smoke.  To top it all off, I got a migraine last night that is still making it's presence known today.  I get the type of migraines that the first symptom is a "hole" in my eyesight.  Within five minutes I can't see at all and then after about half an hour my sight returns, but then the headache comes.  Sometimes the headache remains for days.  I thought this was going to be a relatively mild one, but unfortunately, it's still here today.  Sometimes worse than others.  So, while it's not too terrible, I thought I would try put up a post and say hello to all of you.

As I said in my last post, Saturday, September 1 was our 40th anniversary and we spent it at the lake.  Neal & Jenny took us to dinner on Friday night where we all ate way too much.  Here we are 40 years ago. (That was my Mom's wedding dress that she wore in 1944 as a bride in WWII.)  Dennis and I are exactly the same height so the difference must be my shoes, veil and the fact that his hair is so dark it blends in to the background. :-)

 And here we are exactly 40 years later on Paul & Lori's boat at Loon Lake, WA.  Still happily in love with each other.  He's my best friend and I'm hoping for many more happy years together.  Our hair is pretty much plastered back but that's because we had been flying around the lake at quite high speeds!  We were wet too, from waves splashing in from skiers and tubers.

 We were then surprised at church Sunday morning with cake and punch after services.

 40 is apparently the "ruby" anniversary so they had little "rubies" sprinkled around the table.

We had visitors too.  Larry & Nita, Paul & Lori who all camp with us were all there of course, but Mark & Karen and Jenny all came to visit too.

 Neal & Jenny's daughter Cassie was getting married the next day so Neal was at the wedding rehearsal and couldn't come out.  That's our trailer in this photo.

 Speaking of the wedding.  Here is the Dad & Step-Mom, Neal & Jenny at the reception.  It was a beautiful outdoor wedding and the smoke actually stayed away that day.

 They were married at a venue right by the Spokane River Falls which were still flowing even after a long, hot summer.  You can barely see them behind Nick, the ring-bearers head.  Cassie was a beautiful bride.  We've known her since she was a toddler.  We wish her and Andrew all of the happiness in the world.  They are so in love and it shows.

 All of the knitting I've done this week is two pair of mittens which I didn't bother to photograph and more on this scarf.  It really DOES take a long, long time on these tiny needles.  Amelia doesn't look impressed does she? She's my supervisor. :-)

  

I thought I would show you a canoe that Alex built himself this summer out of plywood!  And it floats. :-) He takes it out onto Lake Towada in northern Japan every Monday morning and every other moment he gets a chance.  I'm really proud of him for building this with virtually no carpentry skills.  And I love the colors he chose for it.  It really stands out on this beach doesn't it?  I just heard about the earthquake that hit northern Japan in Hakkaido today.  That isn't very far from Alex and I haven't heard from him yet.  If you will, could you say a prayer for him and all affected.  I just read that several people have been killed and many are missing.

 This is a photo from his facebook page.  I have no idea what it says, but it does have his picture and the name of his company, Queen&Co.  I thought it was kind of neat.

And that's all I have.  My head is really hurting again so I'm going to close.  I hope you're all having a wonderful week and I'll be checking in with your blogs.  I am grateful for each one of you and appreciate you taking the time to stop by and visit with me.

"The LORD is my strength and my shield;my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him." Psalm 28:7

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

Blessings,
Betsy

Blue, Blue Skies

Happy Friday Everyone.  It's my favorite weekend in the year.  Why you may ask?  Because we were married 40 years ago on the Friday of Labor Day weekend.  Our actual anniversary is tomorrow, September 1.  I just want to say it right here for the whole world to read, (well, at least all of you my friends),  I adore my husband.  I think he is the most wonderful man in the world and I wouldn't change a thing about him.  Honestly, I don't know how I got so lucky to be married to him.  He is smart, funny, patient and handsome to boot!  Happy Anniversary to you Dennis!  I am a very blessed woman and I know it.

Next, look at these skies.  They are a welcome sight after a month of brown sky.  Last night there was a very strong smell of smoke in the air before we went to bed but it was gone this morning.

 I've been working on a "Zick Zack" scarf which is a free pattern on Ravelry.  Meredith from Mereknits over on my sidebar is making an absolutely beautiful shawl with this pattern and told us about it on her blog.  I'm using Loops and Threads Woolike yarn.  It was in my stash and is either hand or machine washable.  That's important because it's a Christmas gift for Alex's girlfriend, Fifi, which is pronounced "Faye-faye".  The apartments in Tokyo are pretty small for someone to worry about blocking anything, so I want it to be easy care for her.

 A closer look.  She likes purples as much as I do so I hope she's pleased with this for a gift.  I'm using size 2 needles so it's taking quite a long time to make any progress.  This is only about 12 inches long and is three days of knitting!

 A pair of big person mittens to go with the Antler Hat and Dudester scarf for another Christmas gift.  I'm pleased with my progress on Christmas so far.

 Seven more pair of children's mittens done this week.  Yay!

 Teresa, who is "Teresa Kasner" over on my sidebar put a picture of her easy chair on her blog, showing her space.  I thought I would do the same.  Mine isn't nearly as neat at Teresa's. :-)
Dennis & I have matching Lazyboy rocker/recliners that are 25 years old.  They are just starting to show wear, but we hope to get a few more years out of them.  On my side table I have lotion, a cup with some of my most used bamboo straight knitting needles and some of my crochet hooks and pens.  A small votive holder that I use for trash, (scraps of yarn, thread, etc.)  Also some gold bond lotion and lip balm made by Debra, "Araignee" on my sidebar.  There is a little dish with progress keepers, paper clips, tape measure, etc.  Next to that are my scissors.  Then I have a notepad, devotion book and my daily planner.  There is a shelf underneath that holds my Bible and prayer notebook where I keep track of everyone I want to pray for every day.  Ladies, when I tell you I will pray for you, your name goes in this book and I really DO pray for you.  I usually have a book or two that I'm reading too, as well as any magazines that have arrived and are waiting to be read.

In front of the table is my knitting basket where I keep my current projects.  Right now there is a bag with my current pair of socks and the Zick Zack scarf I'm working on.  That sweet little camper project bag was a gift from Kris at "Simplify" on my sidebar.  She is one talented quilter, knitter, gardener and can do just about anything. :-)

 A closer look.  Yep, that's Piper on the cup.  It was Dennis' coffee cup at work, but he broke the handle off when he bumped the counter top with it.  I confiscated the cup as it has Kyleigh and Caleb's pictures on it too.  I had a new cup made for him.  Now we each have one.  Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you I keep my daily medicine here too so I won't forget to take it!  Look!  Only two pills left for today. :-)

All three animals were in bed with us the other morning.  Only Amelia actually sleeps with us but they all join us in the morning when we wake up.  I think the cats really miss us when we're at the lake.  We only have one more month there before we have to close up for the season.

And the last picture is sweet little Piper at a fly-in last Sunday in Fremont, NE.  Notice her shirt!  Brad got it at a fly-in last month, I think it was in Minnesota, but I'm not sure.  Obviously there was a car show going on too.  Piper is loving kindergarten and her teacher.

We're going out to dinner tonight with Neal & Jenny for our anniversary.  They want to take us out for our monthly date night and we're going to Applebee's.  I'm looking forward to having the time to visit and spend time with each other.  We usually come back to our house and play dominoes after dinner.  It's been a busy summer and we've missed the last two date nights because of other committments.  Neal's daughter Cassie is getting married on Sunday, so it will be a busy weekend for all of us.

I hope you all enjoy the long holiday weekend if you're here in the U.S., but I hope you have a lovely weekend no matter where you are.

Because we are having an anniversary and a wedding this weekend, this Bible verse comes to mind, but it's applicable to each one of us isn't it?

"Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
1 Corinthians 1:4-5

Much love and many blessings,
Betsy