New Years Eve!

Happy New Year’s Eve to you all! We will not be going anywhere today. We didn’t have big plans anyway, but Dennis just drove down to get his mom‘s prescriptions from the pharmacy and he said it’s awful out there. It’s a freezing mist! Mandy, Brad, and Piper were supposed to be tested this morning. She just texted me and said they’re not being tested because they can’t even get out of their neighborhood. They posted a winter storm warning for us from 6:00 tomorrow morning until midnight. Heavy snow is expected. I guess our day in the sun is over!😍. My flip-flops have been retired for the winter.

Meanwhile, last night I mixed up a cheese ball that’s been marinating in the refrigerator overnight to meld the flavors. In a little while I will form it into a ball, or maybe, since it’s just Dennis and I, I may just leave it in the bowl for easy storage.

This morning I baked Vera’s almond cake. Vera has “The Threaded Lane” blog over on my side bar. She generously shared this recipe with me. Oh my! The smell is amazing. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you Vera!

I’m planning to put a big pan of lasagna in the oven about mid afternoon and we’ll have salad and garlic bread with it. Tonight we’ll snack on our cheese and crackers and have almond cake. And that will be it for our big New Year’s celebration. What about you? What are you planning?

I made two pair of black and white mittens yesterday and have another single mitten almost finished. I just have the tip of the thumb to bind off. Using a single color is much, much faster than putting stripes in.

I’m wishing you all a peaceful and safe New Year’s Eve and I pray that 2022 is a better year for the entire world.

Blessings and love!

Betsy

December 30

Only two more days left of this year. It seems everyone I talk to can’t wait for 2021 to be over. I know there’s been a lot of not great things happen this year, but we’ve had a lot of good things too and I’m trying to count my blessings instead of lingering on the bad. We’ve gained a new daughter-in-law and granddaughter on the way. We moved closer to family and were able to spend Christmas and Thanksgiving with most of them for the first time in years. We rekindled old friendships, while trying to keep up with the ones we left behind in Washington.

I found new places to donate my charity knitting to and so far, we are all healthy. I have my wonderful husband of almost 44 years with me 24 hours a day now and I’m loving it. Since he’s been working from home, we have been enjoying each other‘s company so much. I think retirement will be fun!

So far it’s still the four people in Brad‘s family who have tested positive for Covid from Christmas Eve. His parents and none of the three of them have gotten sick. They are quarantining though and staying away from everyone. Mom seems to be doing just fine, although she did get tested yesterday. I don’t think we have anything to worry about there.

And I took my shower in our new bathroom this morning! We wanted to make sure everything worked and there were no leaks. I have some photos for you.

“The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”  Psalm 27:1

Blessings and love,

Betsy 

December 29

Cold, cold, cold! That’s the word for the day. It feels like snow out there and we were supposed to get a dusting in the early afternoon, but so far nothing has happened. Depending on the weather person you listen to, we could either get 4–6 inches of snow on Saturday, New Years Day, or 15 inches! I hope the 4-6 person is correct. ❄️

I took mom for a Covid test this morning. A lot has changed since I wrote yesterday! I have not heard anymore about how Matt is feeling, but right after I wrote my post, Mandy called and said they had been exposed on Christmas Eve. In fact Piper was around this person a LOT. So far they are all feeling well, but now they have to quarantine. So our small pizza party last night ended up being just Dennis and I because mom had been really, really tired with a bad headache for a couple of days. We thought she should get tested today just as a precaution since we had spent Christmas with the grandkids. She had also been with Mandy and Piper on Sunday.

Reading your blogs, I know that a lot of you are going through similar things. We’re going to be hibernating as much as possible here at home for a while until this omicron thing lets up. I think mom is probably fine and it’s just the drastic weather change, but better safe than sorry.

There is good news. Our main bathroom is almost complete. The plumbers were here this morning and hooked up all the water to the new tub and shower, the sinks and reinstalled the toilet. On his breaks, Dennis is installing towel bars, toilet paper holder, etc. The contractor will be back this afternoon with the doors to the laundry area and install those. He had to cut them down about half an inch because of the new floor. I have to say, I love it all! Tonight we will return the extra vanity for our master bathroom and I also need to get a shower liner. Hopefully next week our bathroom will be done and this will all be behind us.

I know that the weather is crazy everywhere in the United States right now. I hope those of you here are staying warm, dry and well. 

Much love and many blessings,

Betsy

December 28

It’s a beautiful sunshiny day here in Omaha. It’s a little chillier than it has been, but not too bad. I was up and at Walmart just a few minutes after eight this morning. I walked the length of the store twice just to get some exercise before I started the shopping for mom and me. I was back home by nine! It was great. There were only about 20 cars in the parking lot when I got there and the store was virtually empty.

Tonight was supposed to be our last Christmas gathering. Dennis‘s nephew Matt, Kayla, his wife and Mandy and Piper we’re coming over to have pizza.  We were going to give grandma her Christmas present from the three of us. Kayla texted me this morning and said Matt woke up with a sore throat and generally not feeling well so they thought they probably shouldn’t come until they know what’s going on. We were disappointed, but thought that we could still go on with everything but Mandy just called and said they were exposed to Covid on Christmas Eve by someone who has tested positive. They both feel fine, but we don’t want to expose grandma to anything. So now it’s down to Dennis and I and mom. I think will go ahead and give her the gift from all of us, along with a card that thankfully I had everyone sign in advance. This Covid thing sure has put a monkey wrench in a lot of things hasn’t it?

So I think I’ll spend the afternoon taking Christmas decorations down. I was going to do that tomorrow with Piper because she was supposed to spend the night with us tonight. It’s disappointing, but I guess a lot of people have had disappointments over the past couple of years haven’t they?

Yesterday I managed to complete just one pair of mittens and about 3/4 of another single mitten. 

Brad, Mandy and Piper gave me this for Christmas. She thought it was pretty and something that could be left out all winter. She bought it at a craft fair where she found all kinds of neat things this past fall.

Now this is a bit of a silly picture but this is our television set. I have been listening to a lot of Christmas music during the day on YouTube and they have different scenes depending on the channel I choose. This was one I found this morning that I thought was particularly beautiful.  The music that I’m listening to right now is all Christmas music on the piano.

Not too much else exciting happening here. There is snow predicted for Saturday for the first time this year. The forecast keeps changing, so we’ll see what really happens.

Take care everyone. I better start getting those boxes out. The decorations won’t put themselves away.

Blessings,

Betsy

December 27

The winds, they are achangin.  Remember me talking about how warm it was?  Well the weather people said it was going to get cold and they were right. There is a definite chill in the air today and by the end of the week we are supposed to be subzero. Brrrrrrr

So far I have done nothing today except talk on the phone to several people and take my shower. Although I did get one mitten while I was talking on the phone, so I guess I was multitasking. 

Two more pair of mittens done yesterday and a LOT more to go.

On Friday I got the sweetest package in the mail from my friend Sherri in Las Vegas. She sends me several pairs of mittens every year to give to the school kids so that’s what I thought was in the package at first. But just look at these cute things she sent! A sweet little snowman pin with purple accessories. She definitely knows me and my favorite color.  Attached to the snowman are three stitch markers and progress keepers. She also gave me a B and a Q with shiny little stones in them. Then there is a travel tissue holder and an accessory pouch with snowman fabric. Oh my! I was so surprised. 🎄 I hadn’t expected anything. Thank you so much Sherri. I love everything.

The contractor is supposed to be back this afternoon sometime to do a few finishing touches on the main bathroom. Tomorrow he will tear out the vanity and floor in the master bathroom and put the new ones in. On Wednesday the plumber is supposed to be here to hook everything up and it will all be done! How exciting is that? I’m very pleased and although it would have been nice to have it all done before Christmas, from what we’ve been able to tell so far, everyone who’s worked on it has done a great job with the exception of the substitute drywaller! However Steve, our contractor fixed that up to look great.

We went out and bought new pendant lights for the bathroom last week and Dennis put them up on Friday. I had wanted to just keep the older ones but I was outvoted by everyone. I do like the way these look though. You can see in the mirrors that the washer and dryer are directly across from the vanity. They still have to cut down the doors that go on the laundry closet. Adding the floor planking made the doors just a little bit too long. Our house in Spokane had all white doors and trim. I do miss that. This house has all wood trim and although it’s easier to take care of and doesn’t get scuff marks on it like the white trim did, it doesn’t look as clean to me either. You can see the trim color in the mirror. Obviously there are no faucets at the sinks or in the tub/shower yet.

I am hoping to find a new picture or two for the walls in here.  We also have to pick up towel bars and the toilet paper holder. Dennis will put those in himself.

I hope your week is starting out well for all of you and that your weekend was a good one. It’s hard to believe that Christmas is over and we’re getting ready for New Year’s isn’t it?

Much love and many blessings,

Betsy

December 26

My goodness, it is almost time for bed and I am just now getting online today for the first time. I am so sorry everyone. It’s been a busy day today. I did not go to church this morning because I woke up with a horrible headache. Dennis gave me some Advil and told me to stay in bed and he went to church without me. I woke up about 10:15 and my headache was gone, so I got up and got busy. I NEVER stay in bed that long. I must have been tired. Mandy, Piper and Mom came over for a lunch of ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, cream cheese corn, Jell-O salad and sweet potatoes. For dessert we had double chocolate cake from Costco and apple pie. Then, after mom went home, we opened gifts and watched a movie. The day was gone before I realized it had even really began.

The photo below is to prove to you just how warm it was here yesterday. 56°F. I can’t believe that I wore my flip-flops and a sundress on Christmas day in Nebraska! I have never before done that. Sorry about the face I was making. I think I was looking into the sun when Dennis snapped the picture.

Now mom on the other hand, is always cold. She had a sweatshirt and a sweater and a coat on when she came over today. Our niece bought her those new slippers for Christmas. They are lavender infused and you can put them in the microwave to make them warm. They will be perfect for her as she always has cold feet. She brought them with her today so Mandy could show her how warm to make them. Since mom is a diabetic, Mandy also checked her feet and checked for numbness, pulse and everything that you have to do when you’re diabetic. She didn’t want grandma wearing the slippers if she had no feeling in her feet, because she didn’t want her to accidentally burn them because she couldn’t feel how hot they were. It’s really nice having a nurse around. 😍 Please ignore the sloth puppy toy by her feet. They are everywhere in our house! No matter how many times a day that I pick them up, they still are scattered all over constantly.

These two are the reason why. They are constantly kissing each other or touching their noses to each other. I have never seen two dogs like this before.

I hope that you have all had a wonderful holiday weekend and are ready to tackle the new week. I hope to be back with a new post tomorrow.

Blessings and hugs,

Betsy

Merry Christmas!

Dennis and I wish you a very blessed Christmas today. We hope your day is going well and is everything you wished for.

My final Advent gift for today was candy and stationary. I LOVE it.

Two pair of mittens are done.

We’re getting ready to pick Mom up and go to our nephews house for Christmas dinner. We wish you a wonderful and blessed day, remembering the birth of our Savior, Jesus.

Blessings and love,

Betsy

December 24

Happy Christmas Eve!

Just a short post today. We’ve had a busy morning. We actually tackled Costco so I could get one of their chocolate cakes and apple pies for Christmas dinner. That place was insane. Dennis waited in the car with Zoey and I ran in. I felt like a fish swimming upstream. I had a cart and I ran through the store and picked everything up and just as I got up to the checkstands they opened two more registers. I waited to see if anyone else that was already standing in line was moving to them but when only one lady moved, I went behind her. I hate cutting in line when other people have been waiting, but everyone seemed content to stay where they were. In less than 10 minutes I was able to grab the pie, cake, a roasted chicken, pretzels and dried onions and check out. I think that is a record for Costco, even on days that aren’t near holidays.

After that, we stopped by Mandy‘s and shared the Costco chicken with her and Piper for lunch. She had salad and crescent rolls so it was a nice lunch together. Brad was out flying with a friend trying to build up his flight hours. Since he’s been working out of town so much he needed to get some flying time in. 

Now Dennis is taking the ceiling fan from our dining room and putting it in his office and we’re replacing the dining room fan with one that matches the living room fan since those rooms are attached to each other. The ceiling fan in his office hasn’t worked since we moved in so this will really help out in the summertime.

Dennis and Mandy took the puppies for a walk while we were at their house, but Dennis and I plan to go out and take Zoey for another one when I’m finished blogging. It is 55° today and we want to take advantage of it.

My advent today was more yummy candy. I also wanted to highlight the snowman that I got from Cindy at the “Delighted Hands” blog. She sent it to me last year when we were living in the trailer and it has been out all year long. I just love this sweet little snow person.  When I drove from Spokane to Omaha, I wrapped it up carefully and carried it in my purse. It is truly one of my prized possessions and it will continue to be out year-round. Cindy made it herself on her lathe and I’m so impressed by her skills.

I did finish one more pair of mittens yesterday, plus one mitten and the cuff started on the second.

Several of you shared your Christmas plans yesterday and I so enjoyed reading them. Tonight we will take my laptop over to moms and watch the Christmas Eve service with her. I think we will also get some pizza. We may go to my sisters tomorrow morning for a little while to see my nephews family, since it’s been over two years since we’ve been able to see them. Then, we will take mom to another nephews home for Christmas dinner. Mandy and Piper will be over Sunday after church for dinner with Dennis and I, as Brad will be on his way back to Indiana for work. I think it will be a fairly busy weekend.

I’m not sure I will be online much tomorrow so I want to wish you all a very blessed Christmas as you celebrate the day we remember Christ’s birthday. May you and your family all celebrate with love and laughter. I’m so grateful to have each one of you in my life.

“May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

Love and Blessings,

Betsy

December 23

It’s the eve of Christmas Eve! It’s hard to believe that it’s already here. I remember the years when our kids were growing up and all the work and effort that went into the holiday and then boom, it was over. It’s so much easier now to just enjoy every moment because I’m not as concerned about the little details.

Today my advent was more candy. I got the two little snowman on either side at a work gift exchange years ago and I don’t remember where the one in the middle came from.

I thought I would show you just a few of my other snowmen. The sugar and creamer I bought off Facebook marketplace for five dollars this year. Aren’t they cute?

I paid three dollars at the Goodwill for this cookie jar last spring. It has a different snowman scene on each side.

Some of my favorites. From left to right, Cindy at the “Delighted Hands” blog on my side bar made me a sweet little snowman last year. She turned it on her lathe. Isn’t he wonderful? He sits out year-round. Piper gave me Olaf several years ago. The one on the far right has been around for years and years. The snowman candy bowl was also bought at the Goodwill last spring for one dollar.

One more pair of mittens was completed yesterday in between baking cookies and doing nails.

This morning Piper and I took my sisters Christmas present to her while she was at work. Piper was thrilled when Uncle Tim walked out of the building. She wasn’t expecting him because she did not realize that he worked at the same place as my sister, his mother-in-law. I think Tim is her favorite person in the world. It’s a mutual admiration society between the two of them. 

Piper enlisted Papas help in carrying in boxes from our vanities and mirrors and she has built a house today in my craft area.  The first one is the front door and windows.

This is the inside, showing her living room with the TV and entertainment center.

This shows her bed on the right and the dining room table on the left with her babies playing on the floor.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of her little house. She really wanted me to show it to all of you. I love to see her using her imagination. Right now Papa is eating his dinner that she made him at the little table. She made fruit, lettuce and tomatoes and chicken, all out of paper! At least he’ll have a lot of fiber!🤣

Blessings and love,

Betsy

December 22

It’s been a busy day so far around here. I had a Lowe’s trip to get spray paint on my way to pick up Piper and Lizzie and also a stop at Hobby Lobby for yarn for a baby gift. All of the yarn I have, but I don’t hardly any baby yarn. Piper and I had a date to bake cookies a have a sleep over tonight. We have baked and decorated the cookies. Taste-tested them too and they were delicious. Aren’t they great?

Here’s my Princess wearing a poncho I made her several years ago. She says she loves it.💜

We put on her new Disney press on nails she got in her Advent stocking for day. Now we’re watching Beauty and the Beast Christmas movie. It’s pretty good.

My advent today was candy and a sugar cookie chapstick. It smells wonderful! My two little snow people were purchased from Hobby Lobby last year.

I made two pair of mittens yesterday. I had just a little of the multicolored yarn. Perfect for the accent stripes.

Dennis has painted and put the door back on the medicine chest in our master bath on his lunch break today. After work he’s planning to put up the new lights in the main bathroom. 

How are you all doing on Christmas preparations? I’m done with everything I plan to do except making dinner on Sunday. That’s when we’ll celebrate with Mandy, Brad and Piper.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

Blessings,

Betsy

December 21

It’s another bright blue sunny sky out there this morning. Very cold though. I just had a nice, hour long phone chat with Sherri who lives in Las Vegas. Sherri helps every year by making several pair of mittens for the children and sends them on to me. She has been a reader of my blog for many years and we have become friends. Please keep her in your prayers as she’s dealing with some health issues with her mom and other family members.

I have one more blue snowman that I’ve had for many years. He is much bigger at about 9 inches tall. I just love his stocking cap and sweet buttons. I have more yummy candy today too!

The ornament I’m showing you today is one that Jamie, our middle son, made me when he was in Cub Scouts many, many years ago. It is one of my favorites. Since he will be 39 in the spring, that tells you how many years it has hung on our tree.

Piper asked me Sunday afternoon for another pair of mittens so when hers are wet she has a warm, dry pair to put on. She chose these colors out of my stash. They were the last colors I would have expected her to choose! 🤷‍♀️😂

She also took this picture of Zoey on Sunday. I thought it was so cute with her eyes closed.

I made a run to the hardware store this morning to get hinges for the bathroom cabinet in our bedroom. Dennis has been busy painting it to match the new vanity and we wanted to put new hinges on to match the vanity faucet. Well, apparently it’s a homemade medicine cabinet, because none of the hinges will match up with the holes. I guess it will be nickel colored spray paint to the rescue! It won’t be the first time we’ve done that.

I hope you have a wonderful afternoon. Christmas is getting close on the three more full days! I’ll see you tomorrow.

Blessings,

Betsy