Saturday, August 30, 2014

One finished. One begun.

Happy Saturday to you, my friends.  This has been a busy week here in Spokane.  Mandy was in Portland from Sunday night until Thursday when the movers finished loading the truck after 3:00 p.m.  She drove here after that and arrived late Thursday night.  It was an incredibly stressful week for her, especially since, right at the end, the movers dropped Brad's desk down the stairs and not only put 3 holes in the wall, they broke the desk.  Luckily they have a wonderful friend who repaired the holes and painted the wall Friday morning.  The movers will be responsible for either repairing or replacing the desk as it was a very nice one.

The house closed yesterday morning and as Mandy says, they are officially homeless.  Meanwhile, Grandpa and I had a great time with Piper.  We played, shopped and generally had fun during those four days.  Mandy really missed her but said it would have been much more difficult with her there.  Naptimes and mealtimes would have been interesting with a houseful of people.

I even finished Piper's new Wonderful Wallaby sweater.
She likes it a lot!
 I tried it on her Friday morning when she woke up and she didn't want to take it off!  Here she's waving hello.  :-)  But....Grandma messed up.  I thought it looked small when I was knitting it.  The brown one I made a few weeks ago I made in a size 4 so she would have room to grow.  This one I made a size 2!   That's the size she's wearing now but it won't fit her for long.  I'll be making her another one in a size 4 as soon as I finish........
....this one.  I started this today for her Mama. Would you believe this is the same exact color yarn as the one that Piper is wearing in the above picture?  The lighting is ridiculous.  The sweater is the rusty color above, NOT pink!   Mandy wanted them to have matching sweaters so I will definitely be making another one for Piper.  Dennis thinks I should make and sell these now that I have the pattern down pat.
Mandy couldn't take any of her plants with her.  The movers won't transport plants so I've inherited them.  This is a lilly of some sort that is on my patio table.
This is a "money plant"?  I've never heard of one before.  It was Brad's Father's Day gift last year.  I have it in our guest bathroom since it did so well in their bathoom.
I think this is just a plain offshoot of one of my plants.  I do really like the bowl though.
And this is the one that Mandy really wants me to keep alive.  It is the plant she got from her Grandpa's funeral about 16 years ago.  She was completely a Grandpa's girl.  She really wants to retrieve this plant someday and is pretty sentimental about it.  Please pray I don't kill it.  I don't have a great track record with plants.
She also gave me an African violet that I forgot to photograph.   I couldn't believe all of the things that the movers wouldn't move.  Lots of food.  Batteries.  Garage stuff.  Cleaning stuff among other things.  They even had to get rid of all the batteries in the flashlights, etc.  I guess if they were driving their cars cross country they could have loaded everything in them, but since the cars are being shipped they had to give away or throw away everything because all personal items had to be removed from the vehicles.

This week Mandy flies to Washington D.C. on the 4th and back here on the 14 to househunt.  Guess who gets to keep Piper?  WE DO!!!  Yippee!  She's such a sweetheart.  Here she is this afternoon playing on my ipad.  She's one smart cookie and knows how to work one of these.
We spent most of the day at the lake today.   Grandpa had another migraine so we left before dinner.  Two migraines in a week.  I'm hoping it's just the change in the weather patterns and not something more serious.  It has cooled off tremendously here this week and we're having rain sprinkles right now.

Monday, Labor Day, is our 36th anniversary!  We don't have any big plans but maybe we'll go out to dinner somewhere.  We haven't even talked about it.  Our entire life lately has been revolving around that little girl in the above picture and her Mama.  I don't want to give up one moment with them until they move away.  Dennis jokes that he will need to get me some medication for that time.  I'm trying to be realistic and upbeat about it, but I am a Mom and Grandma and I don't have to like it do I?

I hope you're all having a great holiday end of summer weekend if you're in the US and a great weekend in general if you live elsewhere.  School starts here on Tuesday and you can feel the excitement when you're in the stores with families shopping for school supplies.

Blessings always,
Betsy

22 comments:

  1. Betsy, you are the fastest knitter ever! Piper looks cute in every photo.. she's a doll.. and I'm glad you are getting this special time with her. I went through this too and completely relate. Wish I could tell you it will be okay.. but it's going to be rough. Hang in there. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. Thanks Teresa! I think of you often and know how hard it is for your girls to be so far away. I appreciate your advice and know you can relate exactly to my feelings of loss.
      Blessings,
      Betsy

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  2. I've had a lovely time looking round, you have a lovely blog x

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  3. You should make and sell the sweaters they are delightful, your little granddaughter looked beautiful.

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    1. Oh thank you! I may need to think about that. What always stops me is figuring out just how to sell them.
      Blessings,
      Betsy

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  4. That is too bad about Piper's sweater. I am sure you will enjoy making her another though. Mandy and Piper will look great together.
    I did not realize all the restrictions during a large move like that.

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    1. I enjoy knitting them so it's not a problem to make another. I know, it's crazy what they couldn't take. When we moved here 21 years ago we brought everything! But then I packed all the boxes and the movers just loaded them and never knew what was inside!
      Blessings,
      Betsy

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  5. I know you have enjoyed your Miss Piper time. She is so adorable. The sweater looks awesome. What yarn are you using? Wishing you a most lovely day sweet friend. :)

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    1. I used Loops and Threads Impeccable. Easy care yarn that holds up very well.
      Blessings,
      Betsy

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  6. You certainly are getting lots of Piper time. The hoodie is so cute -- I can't believe how quickly you are able to make one. The moving guys should have to pay for the wall repairs and the desk. Doesn't bode well for the company's reputation to make mistakes like that. My boys used to get awful migraines when they were little, to the point of throwing up. I, in fact, have one at this very moment, and had one Thursday. Our weather is extremely hot and humid and I seem to be sensitive to the changes in barometric pressure. Perhaps your hubby is, too. I need to go take my contacts out right now and take some medicine or the pain will only get worse. Best wishes, Tammy P.S. I hope your green thumb kicks in with those plants. :)

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  7. Yes, lots of Piper time, but never enough for a Grandma. I know they have to pay for the repair or replacement if the desk but Mandy already paid for the wall to be repaired just so they could close on time. Maybe they'll be reimbursed??? Dennis had another migraine yesterday and you're right Tammy, I really think it's the barometric pressure. We're transitioning to much cooler weather this week and I think that could be the problem. Have a lovely week my friend.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  8. Wow my dear friend you are so fast and at the rate you knit you should sale your makings ... You are a human knitting machine :) and a very good one ! The sweater is gorgeous . The girls are going to look so cute with matching sweater.
    I got your sweet card this week my dear friend. Thank you so much for your nice words and all your support. You are dear to my heart.
    Hope you are feeling better and all healed from the fall.
    Keep enjoying your time with Ms. Piper . She is adorable :)

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  9. I'm glad you got the card and hope all is better for you my friend. If you have ideas of how to sell some of my work it would be great to help pay for all e yarn I go through. :-) I'm much better after my fall-still a BIG bruise on my leg but my arm and hand are almost healed now. You're a sweetheart for asking.
    Blessings always Taci,
    Betsy

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  10. love the wallaby sweaters. I need to start knitting soon. Always have too many distractions. Right now I'm trying to find photos. Sigh. Glad Mandy's house closed. Sorry to hear about the damage the movers did. Sigh! Will be praying that your husband's migraines go away and stay away. Hugs to you and enjoy your time with Piper. Prayers that Mandy has a safe flight and finds a nice house for them in the eastern US.

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    1. I have other things to do too but always find myself knitting! :-). It's a quiet activity for when Piper is napping or in bed for the night. Thank you for the prayers for Dennis. I think it has to do with weather changes.
      Blessings,
      Betsy

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  11. Wonderful that you are getting all of this time with Piper!

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    1. Thank you Michelle. We are truly enjoying every moment.
      Blessings,
      Betsy

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  12. So glad you and Dennis are enjoying your Piper time, Betsy. Transitions are difficult, but you are truly making the best of your time. Mandy's moving experience reminds me of all the company moves Louis and I made...always an adventure! It is so neat that you are gifted at knitting sweaters to hug your girls. If you want to sell other sweaters is there a local shop that might sell them for you? Or you might want to look into starting an Etsy shop.
    After swimming on Friday I took a misstep near my car and landed on the left side of my face, but have miraculously little damage. [scrapes, chipped front tooth, and mangled glasses] so I plan to visit the dentist and Lenscrafters on Tues. Meanwhile, I'm thanking God for fast healing here at home.
    Praying that you and Dennis are well and that you have a wonderfully memorable anniversary celebration!!! xx

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    1. Oh Gracie, I'm so sorry about your fall. Just look at the two of us! What's with the falling? I 'll pray for quick healing for you. Dennis and I went to dinner tonight and plan a quiet day with our girls tomorrow. Take care.
      Blessings,
      Betsy

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  13. Happy Labor Day... Hope you are having a great day. We finally got some rain here this weekend (which we needed)--but this week promises to be a hot one... I'm SO ready for Fall...

    I'm sure moving is hard --but it's good that you are there to HELP. I'm sure you will love having that precious Piper with you. Love the sweaters...

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  14. ah dear Betsy so feeling with you in the time t come when you say bye to your precious little one.. cant believe how much she has grown since that time we were praying for her because she was sick little girl a while back now... will pray for you when the time comes, and pray blessing of LORD upon grandpa's plant too..
    Every blessing dear friend, and thanks so much for popping over too :D Shaz in Oz.x

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  15. aww I love your wallaby finsih! even if it is a quick wear for your darling gran!

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