Good Morning, It’s Wednesday!

Good morning everyone! It’s Wednesday! Two more days and I can spend the weekend with Dennis. Even though I’m no longer working outside of the home, I still look forward to weekends when we can spend time together. My sister posted a picture on her Facebook page of her husband Mike who passed away last year. I didn’t have one to share on Veterans Day so here is Mike’s picture of his army days.  I believe this was taken when he was stationed in Korea.

I have been busy crocheting and knitting. I told you about the lovely lady in Laurens, South Carolina who is trying to make lapghans for her local nursing home. She ended up with pneumonia and hurting her shoulder and so is not able to crochet very quickly.  She very much wanted each resident in the nursing home to get a blanket for Christmas.  Several of us decided to make afghans for her so she can reach her goal. These were the contributions I finished this week and will be mailing out to Edna today.

The one on the bottom is actually a dark brown tweed and hunter green striped rectangular blanket. The light isn’t very good today.

They may look narrow to you, but she specifically requested 23 inches wide so as to fit in the wheelchairs and not get tangled in the wheels. The top one is a little wider. It is the temperature afghan I began earlier this year and quickly grew to dislike! I was bored. I think it will make a great wheelchair lapghan though.

Next are two hats that I knitted this week for the Wednesday afternoon group I joined last week. It is a lovely group of women who live at a local senior facility.  One lady has lived there for 27 years! Another lady looked like she was much younger than I am and I’m 59!  I managed to show up the week after their big deliveries for the year. They make hats all year. Exclusively hats. Then, the last week in October they deliver them to schools, homeless shelters, and other places around the city. Last year they made over 1100 hats!  Just the six women. I’m impressed.

The first one I’m contributing is is a “Bubble Hat.”

The second is the “CC hat.”  I’m not sure what the CC stands for. One article suggested it was for copycat but I don’t know.  Although I made the child size hat, this one is significantly larger than the pink one. I’ve cast on another and eliminated 16 stitches from the cast on.  Hopefully that will make it more child size. I’m going to take it this afternoon and see if they want it anyway, although it fits me!

This is my new hat cast on.  I think an elementary age girl will love this color yarn.

I also have another dish cloth on the needles and one complete.

Oops! I took the picture of the blue one upside down. You get the idea though.  If you would like to see what the front looks like, there is a photo of two washcloths on my post last week. A few people asked me about the pattern. It is a free pattern called the “Spa Day Facecloth”.  If you download the pattern I just thought I would let you know that I have changed the cast on from 53 stitches to 41. 53 makes it much, much bigger than I like.   41 stitches makes about an 8 inch square.

I’m not sure how to report about the injections in my back. I ended up getting 17 injections. I really can’t tell a whole lot of difference. If I’m standing up for more than 20 minutes to a half hour, my back gets very tight and the spasms begin. It does seem a little better though. After the last round of injections and this set, I have ended up with headaches every day around 3:00 until after I go to sleep. I’m not sure if it really has anything to do with the injections or not. I’m supposed to call the neurologist’s office next week and let them know how I’m doing. Honestly, I don’t know how I’m doing. As long as I sit in my recliner I’m fine. If I’m riding in the car I’m fine. But no sitting in a regular chair like in a restaurant or at church or standing for very long. I know so many people have things so much worse that they’re dealing with, but several of you have asked for an update so I thought I would share it here. I appreciate each and everyone of your prayers.

I would really like to go to Japan or London next year and visit with Alex and Tara. However, I just don’t know how I will be able to ride on an airplane that long. If it weren’t for the fact that our children live so far away, I would just learn to live with it and adjust, but it’s hard when I want to go see my kids and my body doesn’t cooperate.

OK, enough whining. I only brought it up because a few of you asked.

I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is two weeks from tomorrow! Mandy and Piper will arrive on Monday evening. Alex will fly in from Tokyo on Tuesday. Brad and Tara are flying in on Thursday from Omaha and London respectively. Jamie and the kids will drive here either Tuesday or Wednesday. Our house will be overflowing and I love it!  I am a happy and excited mom and grandma! Dennis is taking from Tuesday through the rest of the week off for vacation too.

I hope that you are all having a wonderful week and staying warm. I’m also keeping those of you in Australia in my prayers. The fires there right now are horrific. If you haven’t heard about the fires, please check out the blog on my side bar called “Calligraphy cards-Shaz in Oz”.  She posted this morning with some photos of what’s happening right now.

“ Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10

Blessings,

Betsy