Home for a few days!

Good Morning friends!  I'm sorry it has been awhile.  I had a terrible time trying to get online while visiting my family.  The internet connection left much to be desired. I could get online long enough to check email most of the time, but not nearly long enought to write a post.  So here I am.  I arrived about 12:30 a.m. yesterday, (Tuesday), but was up bright and early about 6:00.  I spent the day catching up on things.  My dear Hubby had cleaned the house and all the laundry and dishes were clean.  He is a saint, truly he is.  I had my laundry, grocery shopping and nursing home visits to accomplish though and it took most of the day.  I also made a yummy macaroni salad early in the morning before the house got to hot to boil the pasta and eggs.  Much was accomplished and the day flew by.

Last night I was up reading until midnight because sleep was very elusive for me.  I was up again this morning at 5:30.  I go through periods like this where I just can't seem to sleep, no matter what I try.  I walk around in a state of semi-exhaustion.  Then, after a few weeks, things seem to click again and I can sleep all night.  I wish I could figure it out since it just seems to have started in the past few years.  I wonder if it's hormonal?  But, then, I blame all strange things on hormones these days. <<grin>>

I had a lovely visit with family.  A little awkward at times because of my fairly recent decision to wear a headcovering full time in observance of 1 Corinthians 11.  It could have been worse though and I enjoyed my time.  The picture below is my mother-in-law.  We spent a lot of time playing dominoes!  She loves the game and only gets to play when she is with hubby or I.  Since I started dating Hubby when I was only 15, she's more like a mom to me than mother-in-law.  She is the only one of our parents left.  We shopped some, ate out some and just hung out at the house some.  Since she doesn't drive very much, she saves up all of  her errands that are more than a mile or two from the house until I visit or hubby's sister is available.  Mom is blind in one eye and doesn't have peripheral vision in the other eye so it's good she doesn't drive much.

These are girls that I went to school with all the way from gradeschool to high school graduation.  All of us but Laurie, (far left), started kindergarten together.  Laurie joined us in the 4th grade.  We found each other last year on facebook and had dinner together when I visited last May.  We want to make it an annual event if possible.  Until last May we hadn't all been together since our 10th reunion.  I love facebook for this very reason!  We met at Olive Garden both last year and this year.  They were so gracious and let us take up a table past closing time.  We can sure talk!  I'm in the center, (in case you were wondering.)

 This is my little garden bed where I planted green beans yesterday.  I'm hoping for a better harvest than I did last year.  Two summers ago I froze 124 quart bags of beans, last summer I only harvested 23 bags!  I had planted the same amount of beans too!  Very frustrating.

 Here's my rhubarb just growing away.  I've already frozen 6 gallon bags of rhubarb this spring and made several rhubarb pies and crisps.  Yum!

 My flower pots just waiting for me to add blooms to them.  I decided to wait until after Memorial Day next week for potted flowers.  We've had too many unexpected frosts this year.  But I plan to enjoy my area under the deck later today with my knitting needles. :-)

 This is all the knitting/crocheting I have to show for the past 11 days!  I actually made several more of the round dishcloths, but as soon as I took one off the needles, someone claimed it for themselves.  My neice loved the pink/orange/yellow ones like the one on the needle in the picture.  She got two of them last week.  My sister took one and a couple others were given out to other friends/family.  They are relatively mindless knitting and great for airplane knitting.  The bottom item is a crochet doily for myself.  I finished one just before my trip but then gave it to someone who said they liked it.  I figure I can always make one for myself and I like to share when people show an interest in something I've made.

That's about it!  Hubby and I are planning a trip to the Oregon coast next week.  He needs a vacation and I'm perpetually on one!   We have a wondeful friend who is housesitting with our Chloe baby.  Her daughter, son-in-law and new baby will be staying here as well, so the house will be filled while we're gone.  Hubby's motto is that the Lord has given us this house and it is to be used for His glory.  They needed a larger place to stay while visiting and we will be away with an empty house..  Win, win for both of us and Chloe will have a baby around.  She loves, loves, loves children.  Everyone will be happy.

Have a wonderful day everyone and I'll try to check back before we leave.

Blessings,

Betsy