Hello Everyone!

Hello my friends and happy Thursday!  It's been an eventful week around here.  Last Friday we had a storm blow up out of nowhere.  I had been at a luncheon that we do for the senior ladies at church who don't get out much and the sun was shining brightly.  I had just driven three of the ladies home and barely got in the door to our house myself when the hail began.  Look at the pile of ice that was still there on SATURDAY morning.  Dennis chopped it up with the mower when he cut the grass!

Friday morning this was a solid mass of flowers.  Several people commented on how many flowers were on it when they left after Bible study Thursday evening.  Now look at it.  So sad.  I'm hoping it reblooms.  The hail was about quarter size.  It chopped off every bloom on my geraniums too.

I've seen much bigger hail when we lived in the Midwest but it never lasted as long as this did.

This was Tuesday afternoon at the lake.  It was my first time in the water in 13 months!  The cardiologist wouldn't let me in the lake after I got my pacemaker last year because of the incision and the chance of infection.  The water was finally warm enough this week to jump in and boy, did I enjoy it.

Here's Lori, my partner in crime.  We spent about 3 hours floating around the swimming bay.  Dennis and Paul got ready to go water skiing Tuesday evening when they got off work, and another storm blew up and we ended up sitting in our trailer eating ice cream instead and watching the wind and rain.  The guys quickly ran to the boat and covered it as lightening and thunder were flashing around them.  Lori and I were yelling at them to hurry up and get away from the water!  Ha!  They don't listen well to us, they were more worried about the boat.

I had my Nuclear Stress Test at the hospital this morning.  So far so good.  They let me leave anyway and if it was anything awful they would have made me talk to the doctor right away.  I should get the results next week.  It is NOT a fun test.  It's my third time having it done and I feel awful for a day or two afterwards.  My BP was 192/114 at one point during the test.  I'm exhausted but glad it's over with.  

Anyway, last time I had it done, the technician saw me knitting dishcloths while in the waiting room and asked if I would sell some to her.  I ended up selling 25 dishcloths to several of the nurses there.  I wanted to give them to them, but they insisted on paying me and I used the money to buy yarn for baby hats for the hospital.  When she saw me this morning she did a double-take.  She said she had just told her husband last week that she needed to call me and get some more because her grown kids keep taking them home with them.  So, I had three made already in my gift closet and just started another one a few minutes ago.  She couldn't believe the timing. :-)

I started a baby blanket over the weekend.  It's just the granny's favorite dishcloth pattern with bigger needles and baby yarn.  It makes a really cuddly and soft baby blanket and is a favorite with the hospital when I donate for the newborns.

I'm ALMOST done with my Monkey socks.  I can only work on them when I have no distractions because of the intricate pattern.  I think I'm going to like them, but it seems like they've taken me forever to knit.

We're doggy sitting with Sophie this weekend while Larry and Nita drive to Portland for a funeral.  It's so hot they don't want to have to leave her in the car while they stop to eat, etc.  We'll just take her to the lake with us.  She loves it there too.

Next week we're keeping Maddie while Paul and Lori go tent camping at Priest Lake over in Idaho.  They plan to do lots of canoeing and Maddie would be stuck in the tent or car while they're out on the lake so we volunteered to keep her.  Sophie will be back with us again next Friday while Larry and Nita drive back to Portland for a family reunion.  So next weekend we'll have all three dogs at one time and have them at the lake with us too.  They all get along great and we've doggy sat with them both before, but not at the same time.  Should be fun!

I guess since we can't go anywhere because of me right now, we may as well take care of the fur babies for the people who can go.  And I realize that even if I can't travel very far right now, we are so blessed to have our lake place so close to home.  Some people travel across the country just to camp where we are lucky enough to go all summer.  Our son, Jamie, texted yesterday and asked if he could bring our grandkids for a weekend next month so they can go play at the lake too.  Guess what I said?  Absolutely!!!  I wish they could come and just stay for a month.  It's really nice too, because Dennis is giving the sermon at church that Sunday so they'll get to hear him speak.  Oh how I miss my kids and grandkids.

Mandy and Piper just face-timed and Piper was getting ready to take her nap.  She told me to have a good rest too.  Isn't that sweet?  I just want to pick her up and kiss her through the computer.  

I hope you all are having a great week and that your summer is going well, (unless you're in Australia and having winter!).  It's hard to believe that it will be August next week.

This verse reminds me of what happened when my heart stopped for so long last year before I got my pacemaker.  It was in my devotion I read this morning.  We do have something wonderful waiting for us after this life.

"However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived"-the things God has prepared for those who love Him."   1 Corninthians 2:9

Blessings,

Betsy

Blue Skies, smiling at me. Nothin but blue skies, do I see...

...at least for one more day before the rain starts. We've had lots of cloudy, cool days this spring which is just fine with me, but many of our friends at the lake want to go swimming.  I think the next week has great swimming weather predicted, that is if you ignore Friday's blip on the radar!  :-)

Last Saturday it was really cool and rainy.  Dennis and Larry took a drive to the tiny, tiny town of Loon Lake and bought ice cream at the cutest log cabin ice cream parlor.  Two quarts of Huckleberry Cheesecake and Moosetrack ice cream were brought back and we all sat around under the awnings of the two trailers and ate ice cream in the rain.  Don't let Paul's swim trucks fool you.  It was cold and he went and put sweat pants and a coat on right after I took this picture.  Notice the cushions are off the loveseat because it was raining.

Mandy told me about this book she bought last week and I found one on Amazon for $2.00!  Really!  Just $2.00.  It has over 850 pages and is a how-to guide to keep a home.  Not a cookbook, not a cleaning book, but an actual manual for keeping a house properly.  How to choose linens, mattresses, etc.  I've only read about 20 pages and I think it's a great book.  

I finished the Christmas gift shawl.  Sorry about this picture.  I have it blocking on the guest room bed and the colors clash A LOT.  This thing is huge and stretches across an entire queen size bed.  I love it.

A close look at the lacework.  I really want to make myself one of these maybe in silver, purple and I don't know what to choose for the third color.

Teresa (over on my sidebar), recently rewrote her baby hat and bootie patterns.  I made one bootie last night and the other one and the hat in just an hour or two tonight.  Aren't they cute?  The color isn't great because I just took the photo and it's completely dark outside.

A better picture that shows the color more accurately.  This was the first one I made yesterday.  If you crochet and like to make baby things, I highly recommend Teresa's patterns.  She has generously provided them on her blog for free for us all to use.

Our neighbor had this little wishing well by the side of their house for a couple of years now.  It was on it's side and in really bad shape.  We asked them if they wanted to get rid of it and they couldn't say yes fast enough.  They didn't want to pay to take it to the dump.  Dennis carried it home for me and sweet man that he is, spent hours sanding and repairing every board before painting it to match the shed and the house.  He put it in the backyard for me tonight.  Isn't it sweet?  I love it.

The marigolds that I planted in the bed that something ate all the green bean plants in this spring are flourishing.  Whatever ate the green beans aren't a bit interested in the marigolds, thank goodness.  These are the flowers I was buying when I hit my head and gave myself a concussion.  It's a good thing they're doing well after all of that don't you think?  Ha!

The rhubarb is still producing too and it isn't woody or fibrous at all.  Probably because of the nice cool spring and summer we've had so far.

The big news here is we bought a new bed last week.  Ours is at least 17 years old, probably older but we can't remember exactly when we bought it.  The new one is a sleep number bed and is supposed to be delivered on Saturday.  We need a new one desperately as there is definitely a dip in the middle of our bed that we both end up rolling into during the night!  It's gotten quite uncomfortable to sleep in and we often wake up with backaches.  We joke that the cheap mattress in the camper is much more comfortable than the nice one we have at home so hopefully the new one will be better.

I ended up in the ER on Monday morning and after many tests have an appointment at the cardiologists tomorrow.  Next Thursday I have to do yet another nuclear stress test.  No idea what's happening yet, but I do know they are planning to lower the threshold for recording the tachycardia events on my pacemaker so they can get a more accurate reading.  Just have to say, I'm VERY tired of all of this.  I just want to go to the lake and be comfortable and able to walk and play in the water like I used to.  I know compared to many, I have absolutely nothing to complain about so please excuse my whining.

I hope you're all enjoying your summer and having picnics and special times with family and friends.  The world is becoming an increasingly scary place and our homes are our havens of peace.  At least mine is.  I'm finding myself not wanting to leave and go into the world much these days.  But, I remind myself that we can't let this horribleness win.  I'm avoiding the news as much as possible these days and surround myself with music, books and yarn.  Some of my favorite things.  I hope you have things that bring you comfort in these days of uncertainty too.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lod your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

I'll talk to you all again soon.  Happy summer!

Blessings always,

Betsy

Some things...

Life has been quiet here recently, and I'm not complaining one little bit.  Based on the state of the world, I'm happy in my quiet corner of it.  I've spent a lot of time at the lake this week, my happy place.  We had a dinner party/meeting Monday night that I came into town for.  Tuesday morning I went back and then yesterday had to come home for a dentist appointment.  I could have driven back afterwards but it seemed like a waste of gas because we have Bible study tonight.  Tomorrow afternoon is my knitting group and then it will be back to my second home again.  

The rhythm of summer hasn't quite caught up with us yet.  Usually we're at the lake more than at home this time of year, but we have both had so many commitments this summer.  Dennis finished teaching the last Financial Peace Univerity class by Dave Ramsey last night.  We had several couples who graduated and got their certificates.  We have been teaching this for many years at our church and I can't begin to tell you the impact it has had on lives.  We rely WAY too much on credit in our country.  This class brings about freedom in many ways.  Okay, enough of that, onto knitting.

Nita finished more squares and I joined them over the weekend.  This one used up all of her odds and ends of yarn that weren't enough to make a blanket in one color.  This blanket makes six that I'll be delivering to the crisis nursery tomorrow.

My Christmas gift shawl/wrap.  It's getting big, as you can tell with it bunched up on the ends of the needles.  I am so enjoying working with this new Loops and Threads fingering weight yarn.  It is SO soft.

A closer look so you can see the lacework better.  The color is more true in the first photo above this one.  My counters are brown speckled, not blue!  :-)

How about some Piper?  She and Mandy went to the National Zoo in D.C. On Tuesday with some friends from MOPS. (Mother's of Preschoolers). Here she is with an elephant.  She even has on the hat that Papa got for her!  I think it was pretty hot that day.

She loved the cows too.   They face-timed with me and she told me all about the different animals she saw.

Here she is with her Daddy.  They were playing 'possum!

Mandy sent me this one yesterday.  They had a bad thunderstorm and poor Polly is terrified of thunder and lightening.  She said Piper was trying to comfort her, telling her it would be alright.  So sweet.  Polly is the BEST dog with Piper.  They couldn't have asked for a sweeter dispositioned dog.

THE MITTENS ARE DONE FOR 2016!!!!  There are 90 pairs done.  Now I'll start for NEXT winter.  I must admit I'm a bit "mittened" out for now and I'm going to take a break.  Thank you again to Sherri for making 13 pairs and sending them to me to donate.  Isn't this a colorful photo?

That's about it.  My dentist appointment went well.  Hurray!  I actually don't mind going to the dentist because we have a great one who never, ever hurts me at all.  It was just a cleaning and I don't go back until the next cleaning.  Yay!!!

I hope you're all enjoying your summer too.  We're beginning to enjoy the fruits of the garden at the lake.  We had zucchini, radishes and strawberries given to us this week.  Yum!  There is nothing like fresh from the garden fruits and vegetables.

Have a lovely week my sweet friends.

I find this verse appropriate based on the happening over the past few weeks.

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44

Blessings,

Betsy

Not a lot....

There isn't a lot exciting going on in my world right now. I've spent the past week at the lake, which is the reason I haven't been able to visit your blogs very often. My data is limited there but I try to hop on every couple of days. If I've missed you, I sincerely apologize. Here are some pictures of what's been happening in the past week.

We had a birthday party for Paul on Friday out at the lake. There were about 15 to 20 people there and that was really nice. Paul is our next-door neighbor trailer and we've known him and his wife Lori for almost 23 years...ever since the first week we moved to Spokane in fact.  Good friends.

Balloons and cake and fun with neighbors. A good time was had by all.

It was really sunny during the party. I had this hat on and when I took it off and set it in my chair for a few minutes, Dennis plopped it on his head. Everybody thought it matched his shirt very well!  Look fast. It's not very often you'll see my husband wearing shorts! Ha ha!

Every year on the Fourth of July people decorate their boats in patriotic colors and there's a parade around the lake. This year was very windy and chilly during the boat parade.  Only about half of the normal number boats participated. I caught just a few of them in these next two pictures.

On the evening of the 4th of July, the resort has a band and treats all of the residents to hotdogs and hamburgers every year. We provide the side dishes. It was so much fun. Dennis and I really enjoyed listening to the band. I missed out on all this last year as I got my pacemaker on July 7 and wasn't allowed to be so far away from the hospital on the 4th.

The band was great and included the children in almost every number. They had different kids come up and play the cowbell and the tambourine during the songs. They were really good too and played everything from Fleetwood Mac to contemporary country songs.

So. Much. Food.

I managed to finish a few projects this week and read two books!  Here's my simple shaw. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it.  The yarn was donated to me by a lady moving into a nursing home, so I feel I should give it to charity, but I'm very tempted to keep it for myself to wear under my winter coat as a scarf.  In this picture I hadn't washed and blocked it yet, so it was curling up a bit on the edges.

I love the stitches and how the color reminds me of Neapolitan ice cream.

Nita gave me another batch of squares and I put those together over the weekend. This blanket will also go to the crisis nursery.

And I started on my Christmas gift list. Hurray!  Christmas in July!  This is a "Random Act of Color" shawl, designed by Debbie Reese and Amy Meeks in honor of their sister Wendy, who passed away at a young age of cancer. Their sister loved color and was known for her random acts of kindness. This shawl is for someone I love very much who wears these three colors a lot. It's the first pattern I've bought in a long time, as I usually use free patterns off of (Ravelry). But I think it will be worth it. The money you pay for the pattern also goes to charity as it is being donated by Debbie and Amy.

I received a surprise box in the mail when we came home for church on Sunday. Inside the box were these beautiful mittens and this amazing crocheted angel. Sherri, of Sherries Needle Crafts over on my side bar, graciously made these mittens for me to donate to the school. She had asked for my pattern and she even used the same yarn I use. Wasn't that just the sweetest thing? And she knows I love angels so she crocheted me this beautiful angel in the pretty frame. Sherry, I can't thank you enough.  

Isn't she pretty?  I love that her wings look like hearts. And the hem of her gown is upside down hearts.

Last night Dennis and I were walking along the beach just before sunset and these clouds were rolling in. Aren't they just gorgeous?   We got a few sprinkles overnight which were very needed and sounded wonderful on the roof of the trailer while we were sleeping. It's one of my favorite sounds in the world.

And then I turned around and took this picture of the sun getting ready to set behind the clouds in the mountains. I do believe God does the most amazing artwork I've ever seen.

I did go to the cardiologist last Thursday. When they downloaded the information for my pacemaker it showed I've been having increasing amounts of tachycardia even with the medication. He doesn't want to give me more medicine because it will lower my blood pressure even more. So we're in a waiting game now. I'll send them a remote download the first week of August and then I'll go see him in a couple of months and he'll evaluate the situation again then. He's talking about doing an ablation, which is cauterizing the part of your heart that is signaling the tachycardia. That sounds very scary to me and I want to avoid it. If you are a praying person I would appreciate prayers that this would resolve on its own.  I have been feeling very well the last few days though, which I'm taking as a good sign.

Another great thing is that my head is feeling much better this week. I even walked 6 miles yesterday! That's the most I've walked since I managed to give myself a concussion. Thank you for all of your sweet thoughts and comments about that too. Everyone at the lake says they're going to get me a football helmet and decorate it and I'll have to wear it everywhere! Ha ha!

I'm home for a few days to do laundry and have Bible Study group but then hope to go back to the trailer on Friday. I am so enjoying my time out there right now, but it's good to be home with the unlimited Internet so I can catch up with all of you, my friends.   And I truly do consider you all to be my friends.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful". Hebrews 10:23

Blessings always,

Betsy