Black Hills Here We Come!

We're on our way to the Black Hills in South Dakota and we're taking Miss Piper along. She's a GREAT traveler. No complaining. Entertains herself. Last night we stayed in Mitchell, SD and when I woke up this morning, she and Papa were playing a rousing game of UNO all in Spanish. She took Spanish last year in school and practices with him whenever she can. He enjoys it too because since he retired he doesn't use it nearly like he once did with his South American clients. He does speak it at the Open Door Mission once a week but he like to talk to her best! :-)

We had a doozy of a thunderstorm last night. Rain all night long and quite a lot of thunder and lightening too. There is nothing like the sound of rain on the camper roof to lull you to sleep. It's one of my favorite things.

After we dropped the camper at the KOA last night we went to fuel up the truck and stop by the world famous Corn Palace. The back story is that every year the outside of the building is completely redecorated using corn and wild grasses. The end result is stunning. When you think of the space that is covered EVERY year! We don't stop by every year, but the last time we took photos it was honoring the armed services and was amazing.

This year it is the Wonders of the World! I'll try to get photos for you. Here we go! Hold on!

















Aren't they stunning? It amazes me every time I see the new artwork.

Here's our very own own corny girl!

I took this photo for her other Grandpa who drives tractors on a farm to enjoy his retirement. She looks right at home doesn't she?

When we picked her up yesterday this is the sight that met us! You should have seen Papa's face. He thought these were all her bags for the trip. :-) Actually Brad did it on purpose to freak him out. The ones in the front are all empty. Just the bag she was touching and a backpack were hers, along with the pillow and paper bag of snacks. It was a lot of work for him to drag all of those bags up from the basement, but it was worth it to see Dennis's face. It's Piper's first time camping and she is used to the luxuries of home but she's doing great. Last night I taught her how the shower and toilet in the camper work and that you actually have to wait for the water to get hot when you turn on the water heater. It's not automatic like at home. She's a great sport and we've spent lots and lots of time laughing already. How I love this girl.

I made three bonnets for her little doll Tucker. She chose the yarn. 

Sage green.

And gray.

It all started when her other Grandma asked if I could make a bonnet for this little doll. It had belonged to her Mom when she lived in the Assisted Living with dementia. Somehow she had lost the bonnet. I found this pattern for a micro preemie and made this one for the tiny doll. Then I adjusted the pattern for Pipers newborn size doll. I love that she still enjoys dressing and caring for her dolls. Other kids aren't so kind, but I think it's teaching her how to care for a baby.  I tell her about all of you who still like to "play" with your Barbies and other dolls and I think it helps. I still like helping her dress them too. You're never too old to play, are you?

Right now we're driving across S. Dakota about 175 miles east of Rapid City. The wind is blowing HARD. Our fuel mileage is only 7.2 mpg right now. Yikes! The wind is always bad across S. Dakota and we just kind of budget for it. What else can you do? It's still less expensive than hotels and we do like having our own bed and bathroom. I've watched too many shows that show the cleanliness of hotels and it's made me paranoid! Ha! It is nice to have your home with you. Food, clothes, bed, etc. 

Tonight we'll be at Fort Welikit outside of Custer, SD. Tomorrow we plan to go to Mt. Rushmore. Wednesday it is supposed to rain all day so the plan is to go to Evans Plunge in Hot Springs. It's the worlds largest indoor mineral spring pool. A good rainy day activity.

Well, I'll close for now. Take care everyone. Stay safe and remember that the Lord is aware of all that is happening in the world. He loves you. 

Blessings and love,

Betsy

Quilts and Blankets

Hello my friends! It's Saturday and we're home. We'v been home since Monday and it's been hot and humid ever since we arrived back here. I haven't left the condo since Monday except to take Zoey outside and I'm loving it. 

I have a big surprise to show you. The day before Mom's Memorial service I received a box in the mail from Canada. That was a surprising in itself, but look what was inside!

A BEE QUILT! Valerie from the "Wandering Cat Studio" blog sent me this amazing, amazing quilt. She knows how much I love bees and although she says there's an error or two with seams, I cannot find ANYTHING wrong with it. It is just stunning and I am speechless. It arrived at the perfect time. There was so much stress happening at that time. I've wrapped myself up in it many times already. Here, let me show you this work of art.

It covers the queen size bed.

A closer look at the intricate squares. Nine patches are one of my favorite quilt block patterns. :-)

Bees, bees, bees all over the backing fabric.  Bzzzzzzzz

And here is her shop name below. Run over and check out all of her beautiful quilts if you haven't seen them yet. You'll be impressed by the quality. She and her Mom put together pure works of art.

Valerie, I can't express enough how much I am humbled by your beautiful gift of love. I will cherish it and love it as long as I'm here on this earth. Thank you!

Meanwhile, Miss Piper picked out yarn from my stash for a new blanket to match her newly, (in the past year), decorated bedroom. It went from a toddler to a teenager overnight. Just like she did!

I made squares during the entire camping trip and drive and then when we got home I began putting them together. It is 9 squares by 13 squares and each square is 4 inches. The border adds another inch between each square.

Piper wanted to have a "lacey" border like I put on a blanket for her baby dolls a few years ago and she wanted it in a creamy color. This color looks like french vanilla ice cream to me.

Working on the border. I think I went around the blanket with a chain 3, single crochet stitch about 8 to 10 times. Zoey's lambey had to get in on the action. Our floor sometimes looks like a toddlers room with all of her toys. :-)

Piper came over to swim with Papa yesterday afternoon and while they were in the pool, I finished up the border. She didn't even wait for me to wash it, but took it home with her. She seems to love it. Mandy washed it when they got home and...

she not only wrapped up with it on the couch last night, it's now on her bed too. Lizzie approves! The border yarn matches her bedspread pretty well. I do love making things for my sweet Piper because she's actively involved in the process of pattern choice, color choice and then she uses everything I make. She even knew exactly how big she wanted the squares to be. It's wonderful to make things for people who appreciate the work and and the love that go into every stitch.

Tomorrow we'll go to church in the morning and then drop Zoey off with Lizzie and go to Brad's parents for Father's Day lunch. It was nice of them to invite us and we always enjoy their company. I just made 36 deviled eggs to contribute. They always go over well at a picnic don't they?

I'm praying for the people of Israel and Iran today. Actually, for people all over the world. Sometimes it seems like everything is going crazy and then I remember that nothing surprises the Lord. He knows exactly what will happen and when, and I just need to put my trust and faith in Him. I am watching every day for the return of Jesus. The Bible says no one knows the day or the hour, but that we should always be prepared in and out of season. So I watch, wait and pray. Always praying for the hope of blessed salvation for everyone.

Have a lovely weekend my friends and Happy Father's Day to all of your Dad's and Husbands.


Blessings and love,

Betsy

Oh How I Love Jesus

Text: Frederick Whitfield

Music: Transitional American Melody

1

There is a name I love to hear,
  I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in mine ear,
  The sweetest name on earth.

 

Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
  Because He first loved me!

2

It tells me of a Savior’s love,
  Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood,
  The sinner’s perfect plea.

3

It tells me what my Father hath,
  In store for every day,
And though I tread a darksome path,
  Yields sunshine all the way.

4

It tells of One whose loving heart
  Can feel my deepest woe,
Who in each sorrow bears a part
  That none can bear below.

Graduation Day!

Graduation is over and we are back on the road again.

This photo was taken Friday when we stopped at a rest area in Indiana for lunch. Look at all of that moss on the roof of the picnic shelter. It obviously has lots of rain here. It was raining while we ate too!

A bit closer. 

Graduation at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday morning. There were almost 500 graduates.

Here’s our 👩‍🎓 graduate. Amanda is a school nurse and is planning to continue on for her doctorate. She leaves next week for Kenya where she’ll be doing mission work for the summer. She has previously been on the medical mission field in Haiti. She’s beautiful inside and out. Amanda also played the piano for Mom’smemorial service. She’s multitalented!💜

Photos afterwards….with us

and Curt and Barb. For those of you who don’t know, Dennis and Curt are cousins and lifelong best friends. The four of us actually went on our first date together 49+ years ago.

We took Amanda to lunch after graduation and found this guy hanging out close to the restaurant.

This is where we camped Friday and Saturday nights. It’s just over the border from Kentucky in Indiana. It rained the entire time we were here with just short periods between showers. I love the sound of rain on the camper roof while we’re sleeping.

Last night we went to the highly recommended Norma Jeans for ice cream. It was delicious. I had raspberry truffle. Oh my! Dennis had blueberry cheesecake, Curt had Oreo cookie dough and Barb had salted caramel. Everyone was VERY happy. 🍨🍦

Today we had planned to go to Mammoth Cave, but the heat and humidity was actually making me ill. I could tolerate it at the first two campgrounds because we had electricity and could run our AC when in the camper. But the Mammoth Cave campground has no electric sites. Dennis made the executive decision not to go. We’re disappointed of course, but our main reason for the trip was the graduation and we did that. We were going separate ways from Curt and Barb anyway, as they’re heading northeast to visit Barb’s family. We’re now heading towards home with no clear plan of where we’ll camp for the night.  We may get home tomorrow or it may be a couple of days if we decide to stop somewhere. 

Meanwhile I’m crocheting squares for Piper’s blanket while riding in the truck.  Sorry that I just read your blogs this morning, the last campground didn’t have any cell reception or internet. Take care my friends.

Blessings and love,

Betsy