Monday, February 4, 2019

It’s Monday already?

Gosh, I’ve been so busy trying to keep up on everyone else’s blogs that I haven’t posted anything in over a week. Sorry about that everyone. We’re having the coldest weather of winter so far this week.  It’s supposed to be in the single digits for lows and teens and 20’s for highs. Now, that is the normal winter temperatures, but we have been living in an El Niño year here and we’re not used to it being that cold. I washed the car this morning and it’s a good thing I put it in the garage when I got home, because in less than a mile I had little ice droplets all over the car! 

I have some photos for you today.  Look at this handsome guy! I asked Alex to send me a picture of him wearing the sweater I knitted him and this is what I got.  Now he and his dad can be twins!:-) I think he looks like a model for GQ. :-)

I think it fits very well. I’m pleased, especially considering there was no way I could measure while I was making it. He seems to like it too.  Gosh his dad and I miss him!  It will be three years in May since we’ve seen him. He is so good about FaceTimeing with us, usually several times a week. We are grateful beyond measure for FaceTime.

Then Mandy sent me these two pictures yesterday.  Aren’t our girls beautiful? Piper is also wearing a sweater that I knitted for her.  This poor little girl has five more loose teeth! I think it’s really cute, but she may have a hard time eating if she keeps losing them all at once!

So precious. I miss these girls too. What’s the deal with all of our kids moving so far away? It makes my heart actually hurt sometimes.  These two right here? They are the reason we are seriously planning to move back to Nebraska after retirement. Not much else would convince us to leave the Pacific Northwest.

When the Trader Joe’s cashier looked at my ID last week he said, “It’s your birthday!” I answered him, “Yes it is.”  Then look what he gave me!  He told me, “Happy birthday from Trader Joe’s!”  Aren’t they gorgeous?

Then I had found a Dutch Brothers coffee card in the bottom of an old purse a week or two ago. I don’t drink coffee and I very rarely go to any of the coffee stands for anything. But I thought, hey it’s my birthday so I’m going to get myself a hot chocolate chai. When I gave them the card, somehow it showed them it was my birthday. He said, “You’re not paying on your birthday.”  He gave me the card back and a free hot chocolate chai. If you have never had a hot chocolate chai you are missing out. Amazingly delicious.

Then I went to the gas station and filled my car up with gas. They did NOT give me free gas. What’s up with that?!  Ha!

For Bible study Thursday night Debbie brought a Costco chocolate cake and Jenny brought a pail of ice cream. It was delicious. Over half of the cake was left, so I cut it into slices and froze them individually. Now when I have a chocolate attack I can just pull out an individual piece of cake. How great is that!?

Yum!  That’s my friend Debbie on the left cutting the cake and my absolute best friend in the whole world Jenny, who is scooping the ice cream.

There’s my handsome husband getting some cake and ice cream for himself and to the left, looking toward the kitchen is Neal, Jenny’s husband, who is Dennis’s best friend. It’s pretty handy having my best friend and his best friend married to each other. We do a lot together.

The guy in the photo below, supervising Dennis is Dean, who is married to Debbie, the cake cutter. :-) Dean is a retired deputy sheriff and he keeps us all in line. We’re such a bunch of rule breakers, you know. Ha! That’s Kevin and Lana in the background of the picture below. Dennis was the best man in their wedding many, many years ago. Not pictured are Mark and Nancy who are brother and sister. I thought it was very sweet of the group to bring me cake and ice cream. I’m usually the one that provides it for all of the birthdays and I must admit sometimes it’s nice to be the one receiving the sweet treats. Especially chocolate.

I got this sweet package in the mail from Becky who is “GrandmaBecky” over on my side bar. Inside the Be Happy folder are lots of different kinds of stickers and flags. They will come in very handy. Also some teabags and a sweet little placemat to remind me of the ocean. Thank you so much for thinking about me Becky. I’m hoping to get to the coast within the next couple of months and I also hope to get to have a visit with you, Teresa and Gracie while I’m over that direction.

I started these socks for myself Friday morning but then I talked to Mandy. She told me that grandma, Dennis‘s mom, wears the pair of socks I made her almost every day because they keep her feet warmer than any of her other socks. She suggested I make her another pair so....

I put these away and ran to buy more yarn and Friday afternoon I started these. The Lion Brand sock is yarn is the the same yarn I used for the socks she likes so much, just in a different colorway.  Since she likes the others, I wanted to use the same yarn. I’m making quick progress using the plain vanilla sock yarn pattern and hope to finish them by tomorrow and get them in the mail to her.  They are taking a little longer because her feet are so swollen all of the time I have to make them a little larger in the ankle and foot area. 

Well I think I’ve babbled on long enough for today. I know I’m forgetting to tell you lots of things but maybe I’ll remember later. I hope those of you that were in the grip of the polar vortex are now beginning to thaw a bit. Just think, Spring is less than two months away. We can do this!

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also are to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:11-12

Blessings,
Betsy


18 comments:

  1. Wow! The sweater you knit Alex looks perfect on him! All your children are so good looking Betsy. I know you miss them terribly. Happy belated birthday! How sweet that you got both free flowers and a free hot beverage. The cake and ice cream look delicious and now I'm hungry!! Love your new socks. Very pretty colors (both pairs).

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  2. Happy Belated Birthday! I'm glad you had some unexpected treats to celebrate your day. You must be a mind reader because I was thinking last week that it would be nice to see Alex wearing his sweater. Piper's sweater looks sweet on her.

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  3. *H*A*P*P*Y* * *B*I*R*T*H*D*A*Y*!*!*!* again, Betsy! Thanks for sharing the photo of your handsome Alex, if he reads your blog and comments.. time to visit your parents, young man! :-) And your daughter is gorgeous.. and Piper is adorable. I totally get why you want to move to be close to them after retirement.. how many years to go now? How nice of you to make another pair of socks for grandma. You're so generous. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  4. Happy Birthday! So glad you had some one to make your day special! Your son is very handsome, and the sweater looks great. I love Pipers red sweater...perfect with purple!

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  5. Good to hear from you. Im sorry I got so distracted by that chocolate cake....... a frozen piece would be extra good. Im weird I like my chocolate frozen! And you know you will move to Nebraska so that's something to look forward to. I dont like Allison so far away in OKC, but it suits her now and she's happy

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  6. I enjoyed every bit of this post and am sorry to confess that I laughed out loud that you you did not get free gas for your birthday, [but I know that is what you hoped I would do :-) ] So neat you got gifted the flowers and cocoa, however. It sounds like you had a happy birthday celebration and I am so glad you did.I continue to marvel at all your stitching and agree that Alex is a handsome model! My oldest niece who lives near Omaha on a farm has been back and forth to CA several times recently and I got to visit with her when I flew down Jan. 10-15. and will get to see her and more of the family February 8-10 when I fly down for the service. I am cheered to know that if you two retire in NE I will have a chance to visit you face to face if I fly back to visit my niece's family which I hope to do in future years. We have big fluffy flakes falling outside...some even sticking...and I am grateful to be cozy inside! Thanks for sharing the verse. I always look forward to what the Lord has you share! xx

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  7. Happy birthday!!!
    There is so much to love in this post that I don't know where to begin.
    Your son looks so handsome in his sweater. I am so envious that you managed to knit him something that looks so great on him long distance. I've tried twice with my faraway son and both times were a big fail.
    Yes, it hurts the heart when the kids and grandkids are so far away. I think how lucky my mom was to have kept all of her girls so close. She had a short life but a very happy one full of family and love. I've lived longer but pretty much alone and sometimes I wonder who got the better deal.

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  8. Happy Birthday a bit late! Sounds like you had a nice celebration. Nice sweaters on your good looking models. Do you remember what pattern you used on Piper's sweater? It's really cute. It's pretty snowy and cold here for us, and getting down our hill isn't happening. Hugs from the other side of the mts.

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  9. A little belated, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Getting free flowers and free chocolate chai was very nice. I think you should have gotten free GAS too. LOL

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  10. Happy belated birthday! You knitting is beautiful. I love Dutch Brothers way better than Starbucks. Actually I can't remember the last time we were at Starbucks because we always go to DB. That's so sweet you got free flowers and hot chocolate chai for your birthday. I'm going to have to try that the next time we are at DB.

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  11. Alex looks great in the sweater you knit him! Yep, quite the model! Sigh!...oh sorry,.....hheheheee! It was good to see your Bible study friends. They were so sweet when we were there. Tell them hello for me! Yummy cake! I'm working on my bday so will maybe grab DB tea...will see. Stay warm....my legs are cold once I got into the car and drove home. Glad I still have semi warm sox on....Just need to crawl underneath a blanket and warm up later....after the dishes are done! Hugs my friend and glad you enjoyed your gift and the yummy chocolate cake!

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  12. So nice to catch up with you today! I am so happy you were treated so sweetly on your birthday! May the Lord bless you with many, many more birthdays and may they all be just as happy as this one was. You have a beautiful home and are surrounded with love. God has blessed you abundantly, my friend. :) Sending love and hugs your way!

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  13. Many happy returns of the day dear sis.. 💝🎂🎼💗so happy you were spoilt! And love your sweater you made your laddie! And yes Alex like his dad s very handsome.. as is little miss piper an dher mum beautiful!
    Rich indeed to have such dear ones sis, even if the don’t live nearby, you can still keep in touch. That is very precious.
    Praying you can visit soon or they can come to you.
    Prayer hugs,
    Shaz in Oz.x

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  14. What a handsome model Alex is and the sweater is stunning and fits perfectly. I was thrilled to read that you were spoilt on your Birthday by such special friends, you so deserve it. A joy to see Miss Piper as always, she is growing up so quickly. What would do without technology, I dread to think.

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  15. Happy Birthday! So sweet to get unexpected flowers and a free chai hot chocolate. They know how to take care of their customers. :) The sweater fits Alex absolutely perfect. And love the sweet little red one on Piper. I'm glad to see you had a very nice gathering with longtime friends for your special day. Hugs and blessings, Tammy

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  16. Your pictures of your beautiful family were very nice. I agree with your comment on why do our children move so far away. It does make my heart hurt.
    You take care, my friend, a belated happy birthday
    And the BIGGEST HUG

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  17. That sweater looks so nice on your son. Modern technology is so nice for keeping in touch. Happy Birthday. It sure looks like you had a wonderful one. Wonderful friends. Nancy

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  18. I love getting all caught up with you Betsy. The sweater looks wonderful on Alex, a perfect fit. And Mandy and Piper are adorable.

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