🍁🍂🍁Fall Y’all! 🍁🍂It’s here!🍂🍁

This is one of my favorite seasons of the year, if only it didn’t mean winter was close behind. Oh, the coolness of fall I adore you. 

Not too many leaves are changing here yet, but we’ve had some very cool nights and so I think it will start soon. We’re supposed to be back into the 90s by the weekend though, so we will have some good old fashioned “Indian summer” in the days ahead. 

I didn’t put out nearly as many decorations this year as I usually do, but I thought I would share a little bit of what I have done. This is on top of the fireplace mantle. I do like those buffalo plaid little pumpkins. 

This is the little table in our entryway. I love to turn the light on at night. It has a very low wattage bulb in it and so it just shines a nice light in that corner of the hall.

And here’s our grandparent gallery under the TV. These are all photos of our precious grandchildren. The lights of our lives. I do enjoy this condo for the bright rooms it has for growing plants. They all seem to be thriving here. Sorry again for having to block out Baby J’s face. 🌻 The photo of Dennis and I in the middle was taken last year in Cambridge. We are sitting in front of the hall where the wedding took place last week.

I have started working on the cross-stitch ornaments for this year. Most of you will remember that I make ornaments every year for our children and grandchildren. I put their names and the year on them. When the grandchildren grow up and move out, they will have a tree full of ornaments to start out with, and the parents tree won’t be so empty! As you can see, this one has a lot of white. It’s very difficult for me to see well, unless I work on it in the bright sunlight of daytime. So, I try to Crosstitch for a couple of hours during the bright sunlight of daytime, and then in the evening while we watch TV, I switch over to knitting or crochet.

I’m also working on the last Christmas gift and then I will be done shopping and making for Christmas! This is a pair of socks for Mom. I only work on them when I’m in meetings or Sunday school, so they move along slowly. I’m halfway through turning the heel on the second sock and after that they’ll be done before I know it.

I’m also making another baby blanket in the same diamond pattern and the same yarn as my previous post. I am making it about 5 inches wider. This is such an easy pattern to do and I can crochet away without thinking about it. I bought 12 skeins of this sparkly cream colored baby yarn at a garage sale for five dollars!  Such a bargain!

I’m finally getting over whatever bug I caught while we were in London, although I still have a lingering cough. That will probably be around for a while. Mandy and Piper are still pretty sick, but also seem to have turned a corner and are slowly getting better.

I saw this funny on Facebook and thought about how much it applied to me. Can you relate? I’m always tripping over my own feet. A few times I’ve even landed flat on my face. I remember once about 15 years ago at our house in Spokane. I had walked down the street to get mail, and somehow I ended up flat on my face with gravel embedded in my cheeks and in my knees. I was so embarrassed! I remember jumping up and practically running back to the house and hoping against hope that no one had seen me go splat! I healed with no lasting effects, except to my pride.

I hope those of you in the northern hemisphere are enjoying the cooler days of fall if they have arrived for you. Although our color has not begun to reach what this picture depicts, I’m looking forward to the bright oranges, reds and golds of autumn.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week and I pray that the Lord will keep you all safe and bless you.

Betsy

So nice!

We have had the most beautiful weather for the past week. When we got home last Monday, I opened the windows up and I haven’t closed them since. It is supposed to be in the mid to upper 80s for the next several days, but I’m going to try very hard not to turn the air conditioner back on. I am so enjoying the fresh air in the house. My cold is hanging on and I still sound like I’m trying to cough up a lung up as gross as that sounds. I didn’t go to church yesterday because I don’t want anyone to think that I’m trying to make them sick. Mandy has been sick since a couple of days after we got home too. She’s running a fever and has lost her voice along with the other symptoms. It seems like we all brought some crud home. Flying is definitely not what it’s cracked up to be. I blame the guy that was practically sitting in my lap, coughing, on the flight over the pond.

I think I'll be staying home again today. I love going to our old apartment building and crocheting on mats for the homeless with the ladies, but I think I should miss another week and keep myself and my cough at home. It's okay. I always have something to do here at home.

Someone doesn't get very far away since we got home. Right now she's sitting on my lap, snuggling with me while I type.

I finished another dish cloth with Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Cotton".

And another baby blanket. I don't remember the name of it but I used Baby Bee Sweet Delight Pomp Nake. It has sparkles in it and is a fun, easily memorized pattern. I actually started another one this morning. They will be going to the hospital for donation.

I really liked this sweet picture I saw online.

I've joined a group of ladies at our church on Wednesday morning that are studying with BSF, or Bible Study Fellowship. People all over the world, of all ages are studying the same thing every week. It goes through the entire school year. There are lectures each week that are taught by people who have attended a class earlier in the week.  Homework every day too. This year the subject is the book of John and I'm looking forward to learning even more about it.

I liked this picture too. I need to remember this. Laugh more! Have a great day my dear friends.

Blessings and love,
Betsy

We’re Home!

Well, we’re back and everyone of us is sick. It’s not a vacation without someone getting sick is it? Well, I was the first one that started it all out. We arrived on Monday morning and by Tuesday night I was sick. I ran a temp over 100 and even over 101 for several days, so I didn’t dare go around people. Believe it or not I missed all of the wedding festivities. The preparation’s, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding itself. Sunday afternoon I finally felt good enough to go to lunch at “The Mill” and sit on the grass and visit with people in the outdoors. Dennis, Mandy, and Brad all have it now too. Alex tells us that the three of them are also showing the same symptoms of sore throat, runny nose, and cough. I tested myself twice during the week and was negative for the dreaded Covid. I know that there are still normal, colds, and things out there, but whenever you cough or sneeze people look at you and it’s very nice to be able to say “I tested myself, it’s not Covid.” It gives most people a lot of relief to hear you say that. Although, I did stay away from everyone except my family, who was staying in the house with me. Even then, I stayed in my bedroom at both of the Airbnb‘s in London and in Cambridge so as not to share germs  with anyone.

I do have just a few photos to share with you. The first one is our layover in Charlotte. Brad is reading a manual for work of some kind, and everyone else was off exploring as we had a few hours there.

Before I got really sick, we went out to lunch with Alex and my best friend Jenny, who had just arrived from Ireland. She took a two week tour of Ireland before coming to London for a little over a week. We ate at the best Thai restaurant called Took-Took, in West Hampstead. Jenny leaves to go back to Spokane on Thursday.

I didn’t get any decent photos of our London Airbnb because it had all of the family around and as you know, I don’t post photos of either our daughter-in-law or the baby. But this is the street that our Cambridge Airbnb was on. It was a quaint little area and very quiet. Oh my goodness it was hot while we were there! And of course, there is no air conditioning anywhere. Don’t those chimneys remind you of Mary Poppins?

This was our bedroom upstairs overlooking the street.

I loved the old-fashioned bathroom, especially the floor.

We even had a little fireplace in our room.

These stairs are even more steep than they look. I don’t think it would be very easy to get old in this house.

The kitchen had obviously been remodeled recently with a fantastic stove, and lots and lots of cabinets with dishes and glasses and cups galore.

Even a washing machine is provided along with that cool retro refrigerator.

There is a piano to play, a stereo with albums from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Perfect for us if we had had time to play them. There was even a nice backyard outside of those doors.

On Sunday was a lunch at “The Mill” in Cambridge. Right outside is a little park where we could sit and visit in the breeze and watch the people go by in punts.

Isn’t it a lovely view? Our daughter-in-law’s sister lived in the building on the left while she was completing her advanced degree.

Here are two of my handsome man while waiting for the wedding to begin. Dennis officiated just as he did for our daughter Mandy, and that’s our handsome son Alex waiting for his bride. You all know, the story of how they’ve actually been married for over two years, but had planned this wedding several times, having to cancel because of Covid. She had such a gorgeous dress, and it was decided to just have their wedding anyway, and renew their vows.

Mandy, Brad and Piper all dressed up in their wedding finery. Piper was the flower girl and was in charge of the bags of flower confetti for after the service. I’m told that she did a wonderful job.

I’m so sorry I can’t share pictures of our dear daughter-in-law and baby “J”. Baby “J’s” dress was just like Piper’s and she walked down the aisle too. It was a fun ceremony from start to finish of the day, ending with an ice cream bar that I’m sure was very appreciated by the overheated guests. At least that’s what I’m told. Obviously I wasn’t there to join in. Can you believe it? Apparently, Saturday it was a record setting day for heat in the UK. We spent eight days in there and I had five of them in bed trying not to give the crud to others. And it was hot the entire time with a cool down expected today.

There is a reason for everything though, and I know that the kids have forgiven me for it. My biggest regret is that I won’t be in any of the wedding photos because I know that was important to them. For myself, I don’t care if I ever have my photo taken again!😂

This was our view from the airplane window just before we started our descent into Omaha. It was definitely good to be back in the Midwest with it’s wide-open spaces. And, can you believe it, much, much cooler temperatures than were here before we left or in London while we were gone? We slept with the windows wide open last night and it was wonderful.

Now that I’m home home, I will try to start catching up on blog’s again. It was so late last night when we got home and fell into bed and then Dennis had to be up at 4:00 am this morning to take his brother to the airport. Doug did a great job with Mom this week and they had a good time together. She celebrated her 87th birthday yesterday. Woo-hoo!

Take care and stay well everyone.

Blessings and love,

Betsy

On Our Way!

At the airport and waiting to board!

Talk to you all on our return!

Blessings,

Betsy

It’s time!

It’s a beautiful day here today, although it is supposed to be in the 90's again.  This will be a short post because I still have to pack for our trip and we leave Sunday morning. I've done virtually nothing because my back has been dealing me fits all week. I dread sitting on that plane for hours and hours. 

I have gotten a bit of crafting done and have read three books this week while playing invalid! Another baby blanket for charity is finished. I really like this soft lilac color. The blanket is made from Bernat Softee Baby, but hasn't been washed or blocked yet.

I also crocheted three dishcloths using the Suzette stitch and Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Yarn."

And I knit one yesterday in the Moss Stitch using the same yarn in Apple Green.

I also started another baby blanket using a beautiful cream sparkle yarn in filet crochet diamonds. I forgot to take a photo in progress, so I'll show it to you when it's finished. 

I have socks on the needles to take on the plane and work on when time allows throughout the week. Of course I have an extra skein in the suitcase just in case I finish the first pair. I do have my yarn taken care of even if I forget to pack underwear! :-) Brad, Mandy and Piper are on the same flights as we are both to London and home again. We have bnb's in London and Cambridge with them too. It promises to be a great time all around with lots of family fun.

Today is our 45th anniversary. I cannot believe that this man has put up with and tolerated me for all of these years. I am truly blessed. We are so happy together and more in love today than the day we were married. God has been so good to us and we're grateful to all He has done for us! Hopefully He will give us many more years together.

And now I need to get busy. We're going to Texas Roadhouse for dinner since neither of us have been there before and we've heard it's very good. 

I won't be blogging while we're gone because the entire week will be packed with wedding fun and preparation. I'm not even taking my laptop with me. However, I will have my phone with me so even though I won't be able to comment, I will be reading your blogs.

Please pray that my back holds up and I'm able to take part in all of the festivities. That's my one big concern. I don't know what has caused this latest flare-up but it hasn't been pleasant.

Take care everyone and I'll be back soon!

Blessings and love,
Betsy