COLD....

Happy Tuesday Morning everyone!  It's turned cold here the past few days.  Brrrr.  We were supposed to get several inches of snow Saturday night but it bypassed us, thankfully, and covered the mountains around us instead.  This picture was taken about a block from our house.  I dread the day when they decide to "improve" this area and develop it into something.  They have cut so many trees down near us to build yet another storage facility.  Personally, I think we all have too much "stuff" anyway and they are destroying all of this beauty in the name of progress.  Oops!  I better jump down from this soapbox now.  Excuse me for a moment while I try to crawl down without hurting myself.  :-)

Sophie went home with her Mom and Dad Sunday night.  They had a lovely cruise to Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas.  Another cruise is planned for February and Sophie will be back for another visit with Chloe.

We had an ordination at church on Sunday.  Chad was ordained as the new youth pastor.  He is a wonderful young man that we've known for almost 25 years.  He has a wife and two sweet babies.  You can't see Dennis because of this angle, but he is right behind the guy on the left front.  That's Troy, our senior minister whom we've also known for almost 25 years.  He was the youth pastor when our boys were in high school and he and his wife are great friends of Mandy.  We met both of these men when we moved to Spokane and Chad was just a young boy.  Dennis has been an Elder of the church here for 24 years and before that was in leadership at the church we attended in Omaha.  It's always wonderful to see young people grow and learn to serve the Lord.

 Thank you Sherri for the sweet card and this precious ornament you crocheted for me.  It is hanging on the tree right now.  It sparkles so pretty in the light.  I love the sparkley gold yarn that you used.

 Debbie sent another wonderful package of soap and lotion bars along with card she made that I can now share with someone else.  This woman's talent knows no bounds and she generously shares her lovely creations.  I really like the lotion bars as they keep my dry hands from snagging on yarn.

I tried very hard to get a good picture of the moon the other night.  It was stunning!  But no matter how many photos I took, they were blurry and then the clouds began to cover it.  Well, I think it's still pretty, isn't it?

Four more hats were finished for the hospital nursery.

 A baby blanket that I've been working on in November is also done.  I finished another identical one earlier in the month of November but forgot to take a picture and it's already been delivered to the Crisis Nursery to keep a baby warm.

 I finished another Fibi shawl pattern by Taci.  This was using Knit Picks City Tweed DK.

 The three colors I used were Snowshoe, Plush, (light purple) and Morning Glory, (darker purple).

 After blocking it is well over 5 1/2 foot long!  It's so cushy and snuggly and I absolutely love it!  I'm still deciding whether to keep it our give it away but I think it will be a gift for Christmas.  I hope you all get a copy of this pattern and knit it.  It's a very easy and intuitive pattern using the seed stitch.

I finished 3 more pair of mittens for the school kids on Sunday afternoon and evening while watching Hallmark movies.  I am addicted to the Hallmark movies.

 Yesterday I started a new blanket for Marilyn, Mandy's mother-in-law.  She is such a sweet lady and very good to Mandy and Piper. She's really been a great support while Mandy was so sick, etc.  Of course, she's Grandma to Piper too and adores that little girl.  We have become friends and I thought she might like a blanket to wrap up in during the cold Nebraska winter.  It's not a Christmas gift, it's a "just because" gift.  :-) You can't tell very well, but this is a lovely pale yellow yarn with a cream border.  Yellow is her favorite color.  Michaels had Impeccable yarn on sale for 3/$5 yesterday in a flash sale.  I bought all of the yellow they had but it wasn't enough.  The sales girl suggested I look online.  It was in stock there, so I bought 6 more skeins at the same price!  With shipping and taxes it was still less than the normal price for 3 skeins!  I felt like I really got a wonderful deal.  It will be here next week and whatever I don't use for the blanket will be used for mittens because it's the same yarn I use for them.

Life is wonderful, but life can also be difficult.  Many people are suffering this year and the holidays are hard for them.  That was brought into the forefront yet again this morning with an email I received when I woke up, about the difficulties a dear friend is going through.  My own brother-in-law is fighting cancer for the second time this year.  All caused by the anti-rejection drugs he has to take from his liver transplant.  It's terrible for him and my sweet sister Melanie and their kids.  One of my brothers had a skin cancer removed last week from his hand.  Another blog friend sent an email earlier in the week with a list of many, many family members who are very sick with life threatening things.  I know many of you have lost parents and family members during the past year and this holiday season of "firsts" is SO, SO hard.

I just want each of you reading this to  know that I am going the throne room of Heaven for each one of you.  Every time I hear of a need that one of you has, I write it in my prayer notebook and I REALLY DO pray for each of the things that you mention every single day.  Whether you ask me specifically to pray for you or not, I pray anyway.  Because I know that that's the least and the BEST thing that I can do for each one of you.

I don't want to end this on a down note, but I do know that the holiday season can be very, very difficult and I wanted you all to know that I am here for you.

I do hope that you each have a wonderful day today.  Much love from me to you!

"There is no one holy like the LORD: there is not one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2

"For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

Blessings always,
Betsy