I’m back, for awhile.

Although I will try to do better about posting than I have been for the past few months. 

Life here at the apartment sure keeps me busy, but there is news on that front too. I've been happy here, but it IS very expensive to live here. I've enjoyed the activities and company and opportunities to help the other people here who are unable to move furniture, change light bulbs, etc. Dennis has sure done lots of those things and liked doing it too, but has missed his garage and owning our own place. We're not used to having to ask to do things to the place where we live, like a lot of you. 

Anyway, even before we moved here, we knew we would be watching for a condo to be for sale at a certain complex we like that is only about a 3-5 minute drive from Mom, depending on traffic. The only problem was, there had been no 3 bedroom condo’s for sale there for several years, so we gave up and moved here. We bid on one condo a few months ago and lost the bid. Our agent called us this morning about a condo that just came on the market today. It's a long, long story, and it's been a long, long day, but to shorten it, we bid over the asking price, in cash, and were accepted. We are supposed to close next Friday! Less than a week later! They had many offers today, but we finally won. The condo is EXACTLY what we've been wanting. Three bedroos and 2 bathrooms, (so Piper will have a room to stay in again). I can't wait to show you photos. So yes, we're moving...again and I hope for the very last time ever. Five moves in less than 2 1/2 years is terrible. Especially for a nester like myself. Before that, we had been in our house for 20 years!

So please be patient with me if I miss commenting again, I'll try very hard to keep up. I had begun to think this apartment was where we would be living for the duration of our lives, so had really settled in. Now I have to take things off the walls and pack all of my craft things back up again. *sigh* We have an indefinite time to move though, since we're under a lease here, we don't have to get out all in one day. We'll do it slower than our last move of Mom and then us. And we've had six “whole” months to rest up for to move again.😂

Before all of this though, we went camping Tuesday and Wednesday nights. We came home on Thursday and we had a wonderful time. Only one other camper was in the entire campground and it was so nice and quiet. In fact, we booked the same days two weeks from then before we left the park, not knowing we would probably be right in the middle of moving! Dennis says we're going anyway. 🤦‍♀️

I have just a couple of photos for you of our trip. Here's my little camper wall hanging. I do love being at the camper.

This was our campsite and it was nice and warm during the daytime. At night we would turn the furnace on just before we got out of bed and warm things up because it was in the mid-thirties F. We had plenty of blankets to keep us warm during the night so we didn't bother with the heater.

You can see the trees just beginning to get their leaves. It looks like velvet fuzz.  We had deer in our campground throughout the time we were there. Zoey was intrigued by them but she didn't bark or cause a ruckus. She just stared at them with intense curiousity.

Here we were all packed up and ready to leave Thursday morning.  Dennis definitely has camping "hat hair,” plus I caught him mid sentence with his mouth open! All we had left to do was pull in the slide. Zoey loves to camp. She can see both of us from anywhere in the camper. That's very important to her. She is definitely what is called a "velcro dog".  Very attached to us.

I did finish this blanket on Tuesday morning before we left town. I had to substitute three squares in the multi-colored yarn because I ran out. I did use the same brand and color, but NOT the same dye lot. You can really see the difference but I'll donate it anyway. Maybe someone will want it.

I also finished a pair of socks for me with some of the West Yorkshire Spinners yarn that I bought when I was in London. It's the Wood Pigeon colorway. I just did a plain vanilla sock pattern.

Also today, I finished this sleeping mat for the Union Gospel Mission. There are a group of us ladies here at the apartment building that meet on Tuesday mornings to crochet these mats out of mainly plastic grocery bags, but we do use other plastic bags too. They are 4 x 6 foot long. Apparently they are very welcomed by the homeless population. They put them under their sleeping blankets or bags. It keeps them warmer and dry from the ground moisture. You use a great big hook. Mine is an "N".

Gosh, it's going to be hard to leave the wonderful friends that we've made here. I know the new condo won't be like this. Most people stay inside their own units, at least when we've been there viewing them. I hope we can get to know some of our neighbors after we move in.

Tomorrow after church Mandy and I are going to go to a movie with my sister Melanie and her daughter Chaela. Mandy and Chaela have always been close cousins while growing up. I have a picture somewhere of Chaela at 2 years old, holding newborn Mandy and grinning from ear to ear. To this day, those girls giggle like teenagers whenever they're together. I love it!

I need to get ready to go to bed, but first I need to shred a pork roast I've had in the crock-pot with BBQ sauce all afternoon and evening. We can have sandwiches after church tomorrow and it will be an easy lunch. There will be enough to put into the freezer for later too.

Take care all. Chat again soon.

Blessings and love,
Betsy

This and That

Hello my friends. Another busy week has passed by. We had a beautiful spring-like day today and the weather is supposed to stay good until Thursday, so tomorrow Dennis is getting off work at noon and picking the camper up from storage. I'll have things packed to load in it and we're heading to the state park for a couple of nights.  I won't have my laptop, so I won't be able to comment on your blogs for a couple of days, but I'll be reading them on my phone. We are both so excited to go camping.  We know that even with all of our experience camping over the years, we'll still forget half of what we need. That's what this trip is for, to remind us of what we need for future trips this summer.

On a totally different subject, I have truly become addicted to diamond painting. The picture below is the kit I got for the spring and summer. It was so fun to work on. It's 11 x 17 inches. As I said before, I plan to use the same frame for all of the seasons and just switch them out. I also have an autumn and Christmas kits. I may start on one of those when we get home from camping. They are so fun, but I don't recommend you get one unless you really want to go down a BIG rabbit hole. So much fun!

Miss Piper loves sea turtles. In fact, she has an adopted one that she can track through a bracelet she wears. She also loves to watch them when we go to the zoo, so when I saw this pattern last week, I had to make it for her. She really likes it. Mandy had made her a few others and this one was added to the family.

My best friend Jenny in Spokane is expecting her first great-grandchild! I can't believe it. They just found out that it's a boy and she asked for a blanket for him. She chose the pattern and yarn color. The pattern called for just three rows of ducks and I crocheted four. I love it. At times it ws frustrating because I haven't done much filet crochet lately, but I enjoyed it anyway. I used Bernat Baby Yarn and the pattern was from Mary Maxim. I look forward to making one of these with yellow yarn to donate. Wouldn't yellow duckies be cute?

My peace lilly is blooming like crazy. I've never had more than two flowers on it at a time in the past, but this time it has eight so far! It must really like this window.

Look at this sweet photo that was found this week.  My three babies. Mandy was nine, Jamie was five and Alex was just a few weeks old. I love this photo and these three people. Such cute kids. Oh, how I miss these days. Life seemed much simpler then.

Take care everyone. We're heading out to the park tomorrow and to enjoy a few days in our camper. Someday maybe it will be for months at a time. A girl can dream.

Blessings and hugs,
Betsy

Stormy Weather

If I could remember, all of the words I would sing it! ! Does anybody else remember that old song? We had lots of storms last night. Thunder and lightning and rain. More storms are on the way tonight. The rain is very needed but our Zoey is terrified of the thunder and lightning. She goes under our bed when she’s afraid of anything, and she spent hours there last night.

In other news. The most wonderful news! Miss Piper was baptized Sunday morning! Her Mama and Sunday school teacher were privileged to be the ones baptizing her. She was so excited. Welcome to the Lord’s, family Piper Alice. This is a decision you’ll never regret and the most important one of your life. 👏💜👏

After church, we took a few photos of the family, then we went over to Mandy and Brad‘s house for a wonderful lunch.

Miss Piper took photos of us and Brad‘s parents. I think she does a great job. She even provides props for us to hold. 😂

Here are Dennis and Marilyn, Brad‘s parents. We get along with them so well, and I always enjoy the times we have together.

I finished the baby blanket that I showed you in the last post. I have found a pregnancy center in Fremont that may be willing to take the blankets I make. Fremont is where Dennis and Marilyn live and only about a 20 minute drive from us. The hospital says they don’t need any more baby blankets, so I need to find somewhere else to take them. With the high cost of postage I really don’t want to mail them anywhere. I can’t find a chapter of Project Linus or Warm up America close by, so I thought this would be a good option.

I think I have a new addiction. I started my second diamond painting. This is the one I’ll put in the hallway in the summertime. Once I start working on it, it’s very difficult to put down. When I made the first one, the truck and flag, the first few inches I wasn’t impressed. But then, as it progressed, I really enjoyed putting those beads on. There are ladies here that make dozens every year. But what would you do with them all? It’s so expensive to frame them. I’ll just use the same frame that I hang outside the door, and then change the picture out inside the frame with the seasons.

Speaking of frames. Dennis and I brought five big boxes of photos and framed photos to the apartment from our storage unit. I spent a day going through them and taking all of the pictures out of the frames. He took two big boxes of frames to the thrift store for donation and I ended up with a big tote full of photos. I don’t think will ever live in a place big enough to hang all of those pictures up again and we are really trying to whittle down what we have in storage. Progress is being made, but it’s very slow.

Spring is definitely here in Nebraska. The robins are here and I hear birds singing throughout the day. The terrible heat and humidity haven’t arrived yet so we’re able to have our balcony door open. We put Zoey‘s bed on the balcony and she goes outside and lays for hours, surveying her domain. She’s very good and rarely barks at anyone.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I’ll be back again soon.

Blessings,

Betsy

Summertime is here!

Well, at least for a few days and then it’s back to spring. The next three days are supposed to be in the mid to upper 80's and then the weekend is back to 50's. I'm enjoying having the windows and balcony door wide open and Zoey loves going in and out and sleeping in her bed in the sunshine outside. 

We had a wonderful day yesterday. We spent the morning at church, first for the sunrise service, then a great breakfast of baked french toast, fruit, biscuits, ham and a parfait cup with fruit and frozen lemonade.

After breakfast we had the regular service. Lots of people in attendance and a fantastic message at both services. It was an emotional morning full of gratefulness for the gift of salvation we are freely given.

I bought Easter lilly's a few weeks ago along with several other people and they were used to decorate the front of the church yesterday. After the second service we could take them home. Here is mine blooming and smelling so good. There are several more buds on the plant too. The aroma fills the apartment.

I finished another prayer shawl using the Shallow Shawl pattern. I used a skein of Red Heart Burgandy and another of Gold that I had in my yarn stock. I'm trying to use up yarn I already have for the shawls and blankets I'm making for charity. I really like how this turned out. I improvised the lace part just to give it a different look from the others. It's such a simple pattern that it's easy to do little touches like that.

Have any of you ever heard of a Wool Jeanie? I saw one on a YouTube video from a crocheter that I watch all of the time. She had bought one of these and said she wished she had purchased one years ago. I read a lot of reviews and there wasn't a bad one, at least that I read. I've had mine for several week now and I have to agree with Terri. I love this thing. The yarn hangs from a powerful magnet and spins as you knit or crochet. You don't have to keep pulling yarn out of the ball or skein and it keeps a consistent tension. Here is the website if you're interested in reading about it yourself: 

The Wool Jeanie. 

www.yarnstitch.com/products/tools

I'm working on a baby blanket that I've made many times but I don't know the name of it.  Zoey is inspecting my work. Don't worry, she had a bath just an hour or so before I took the photo. (The spot on the carpet is the sun shining and reflecting off of something.)

I started and finished my first diamond painting last week. This photo really doesn't do it justice. Dennis is going to frame it for me sometime this week and it will hang outside our door in May for Memorial Day and for July 4th. I have to say that when I started it I didn't think I would enjoy it, but as I started to make progress it was very hard to put down. It's addictive! :-)  I'm not sure what that half moon circle is on the truck unless it is reflection from the light over the table. It sparkles, so pretty when the light hits it. I have three more of these to do for different seasons.

We went to our storage unit tonight and got boxes and boxes of pictures out of storage to go through. I just don't have wall space here to hang everything I had in our last two houses so I'm going to take the pictures out of the frames and either give away or sell the frames. We would like to get the storage unit down to a smaller size, just for our camping gear and some tools Dennis wants to keep.  The price of the storage unit has doubled since we got it in October! It's ridiculous and if we’re never going to have another house, there is no use keeping all of this stuff.

Thank you for all of the prayers for Mom. I did another Covid test on her this morning and it's negative. She'll be able to leave her apartment and go to the dining room tomorrow. She's looking forward to that. She still has a bit of a cough and is weak in the legs but is feeling much better. I think she just needs to get out of the apartment and do some walking to build up her strength again.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and are doing well. I'll be back soon.

Blessings,

Betsy

Happy Easter

The World Rejoices!

Jesus Christ Has Risen!

Easter Blessings to each and every one of you.

Betsy

Good Friday

Why is Good Friday good?  Because it was the day Jesus paid the price for the sins of the world, creating a way for mankind to be made right with God. 

Thank you, Jesus, for the cross. Thank you for the price you paid. ♥️

"When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of glory died,

my richest gain I count but loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast

save in the death of Christ, my God!

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them through his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were a present far too small.

Love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all." 

~'When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,' by Isaac Watts, 1707

(Artist Unknown)

Blessings and love,

Betsy

Boys Town

Hi my friends. It's definitely been a week. I told you about the day we had on Tuesday with Mom's doctor appointments. She started the new med on Wednesday night. One pill. More on that later.

Wednesday afternoon, between visits to Mom, Dennis and I actually went to lunch at Cheddar's and then stopped at Boys Town to wander around for awhile. Have you ever heard of Boys Town? If not, I highly recommend that you Google it and read about the life changing things they do for kids. Father Flanagan began it in 1917. It continues to this day as a wonderful program for children and teens. It changes lives. Children of all faiths and of no faith are welcome to live at Boys Town. There was a movie made, I believe in 1937, with Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney telling some of the Father Flanagan and Boys Town Story. He started this endeavor with a loan of $81.00 to rent a building in the inner city of Omaha.

I grew up knowing about Boys Town but not the story of how it came to be and the love that abounds there.

This is a reproduction in the history museum of the monument that stands at the entrance to Boys Town.

The Iconic Statue of a boy carrying another. The success rate of boystown is unbelieveable.

Girls are also now welcome at Boy Town. The children all live in houses with their foster parents. I can't remember how many children to a house, but the homes are absolutely stunning. The boys and girls live in separate houses.

This is the Dowd Chapel where Catholic Mass is held. Father Flanagan is entombed here.

There are many stained glass windows around the chapel.



Father Flanagan, the poor Irish immigrant who began it all.  He has changed the lives of thousands of boys for the better.

This is his tomb. You can certainly tell he is an Irish boy can't you?

If you're ever in Omaha and have a couple of hours, I encourage you to visit the campus and see for yourself. We only stayed a short time, but plan to go back soon and absorb more of the story in the museum. It's a free will donation for admission. My back wouldn't let me walk through and read everything, but we can go back as often as we want. It's only ten minutes from our apartment.

Here's funny I saw on facebook. I know a lot of you have had eye surgery and I thought you might find it humerous.

I made this shawl in a day and a half. Another Shallow Triangle Shawl for the Med Center. This one is made with Red Heart Ombre in the Carrera Marble colorway. I make each one a bit different, adding eyelets or a bit of lace stitching.

Thursday Mom was VERY confused and we realized it was probably the one dose of the new med that she took Wednesday night. Because she had a bit of a cough we also gave her two covid tests that came back negative. 20+ people at her apartment building have tested positive. She was so weak and frail that day. I stayed with her and helped her to eat and get to bed because she couldn't walk or stand up by herself. She's normally so independent, if forgetful. Friday, Dennis gave her another test and it was positive. So now we're dealing with the one dose of that medicine that she took Wednesday night. It apparently has a half-life of 1 week, so the side effects can last that long. Plus the covid. Dennis was with her most of yesterday and a lot of today too. He's wearing a mask but doesn't want me to go back until she's better. Oh my gosh. It's so hard. She doesn't remember anything and doesn't want to eat because she said the food tastes awful and metallic. She has to eat because of her insulin injections. What a mess.

I know "this too shall pass," as my Mom used to say, but right now we're exhausted. Especially Dennis.

We would appreciate all of the prayers that you can muster for us. :-) God is faithful and will watch over us all. I fear we're going to have more changes sooner, rather than later for us and for Mom.

Take care and I'll be back soon.

Blessings and love,
Betsy