Oh the weather outside is frightful!

I feel like a broken record these days. It’s snowing again this morning. Dennis snow blowed at 5:30 this morning before he went to work and the sidewalks are already completely covered again. Thursday was the only morning this week he didn’t have to use the snowblower before he went to work. Thank goodness it let up a little bit yesterday because I had two doctors appointments and I really needed to get to the grocery store. Just as I drove in the garage huge fluffy snowflakes started falling again! It was perfect timing. I hadn’t been out of the house from last Friday until Wednesday evening. Do you know what? I didn’t mind it at all. I’m quite a homebody.

I thought I would share a picture I took yesterday of an icicle hanging off of our neighbors house.

It is even longer today. They are so dangerous that I’m tempted to go over there and break it off but I don’t want to damage his roof.

I put a call out on Instagram a week or so ago asking if anyone had leftover sparkly Christmas yarn that I could buy from them to make the Christmas stockings for the veterans. After I posted the request on Instagram, a worker at our local Hobby Lobby found two skeins in the back stock room. One each of red and green, so I got started on the stockings. Then I received a lovely email from Linda C. who is a reader of my blog. She is one of those loyal readers who doesn’t comment but always reads. She said she would like to send me some yarn. Oh my goodness! Look what arrived yesterday. (Not the gift wrapped package. That’s a 25th anniversary present for Neal and Jenny.)

Oh, and as a sidenote, look at my flowers from Trader Joe’s. They are the ones they gave me for my birthday two weeks ago today. They are still blooming beautifully!

I couldn’t believe it when I opened it. This is what met my eyes when I opened the box.

Six skeins of sparkly yarn, a skein of I love this Cotton, and a box of Valentines chocolates. And it arrived on Valentine’s Day! Wasn’t that sweet?

Linda sent me this cute little green frog tape measure too!  Isn’t he the cutest little thing? And so far I have nine stockings done. I think I should easily be able to get all 100 done before Christmas. Thank you so much Linda. I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am for your generous gift for our Veterans.

I also finished the heart granny wheelchair blanket.  This was sure a fun one to crochet.  I do have to wash and block it yet, so the edges won’t be curled.

I also knitted two hats to deliver to the Veterans when I take the blankets next week. I hope to get a couple more hats made before then.  These two were made using the leftovers of a Caron Cake.  Dennis prefers the rolled up room for extra warmth over the ears and I prefer the beanie type. So I will make some of each.

I am still going to make a few pair of mittens for the first graders at the school this year, but I think most of my focus will be on the Veterans. When I delivered the mittens this past fall they were very happy to get them, but they also told me that since the school has been on the news so much they have been getting a lot of donations from various places. The need isn’t as much as it was even a year ago. I think that is wonderful! I will still continue to make some mittens for them but I’m not going to get myself stressed out about trying to have at least 120 pair each fall.  

I guess that’s what you do with charity crafting. You try to fill a need as best you can and if someone else steps up and starts helping that group then you can move on to someone else who’s need is greater at that time. That doesn’t mean I will be forgetting the children though, and any of you who want to continue to make mittens for them, I will be more than happy to deliver them along with my donations.

I’m also going to continue making blankets for the Babies of Homelessness in Seattle.

I am scheduled to have more injections in my back next Tuesday. I’m not looking forward to it but hopefully it’s helping in the long run. I also go to the dentist that same morning. That’s going to be a fun day isn’t it? Ha!

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and prayers regarding my nephew Brian. If any of you are on Facebook and are interested, you could go to my brothers page and there you will find story after story regarding Brian. My brothers Facebook page is under Lynn Saathoff.  The one that really affected me was when the 911 dispatcher, as part of the funeral service, had a last call for Brian. I was sitting here in the living room with tears running down my face while listening and even just typing this I can feel a lump forming in my throat. There is definitely a brotherhood within the first responders. They truly care for each other and that’s as it should be.

I sure hope winter loses its icy group on us soon. The snow plows came down our street last night during the night for just the second time this year. Thank heavens they put gates on the plows this year that block the driveways. We used to have 3 to 4 foot ice berms when the plows came through and we dreaded hearing them coming down the street. In fact, most of you will probably remember that’s how I fractured my back. Trying to clear the berm from the snowplow. Anyway, this morning when we got up there was no berm! Dennis was a very happy man.

I’m wishing you all a wonderful weekend. Stay warm and cozy for those of you up north and for those of you down under , I’m praying for the firefighters and that you will have a break in your hot weather. 

Two verses popped out at me this morning when I was doing my devotion and I thought I would share them both with all of you today.  Those of you who read my blog are some of the most generous people that I know. I am blessed to call you my friends.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.” Philippians 2:3

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth.”  1 John 3:18

Many blessings, 

Betsy