Hello again!

We’re still here! Life is crazy as usual, but we are still here. Let’s see. I last wrote to you all when I was sick with that nasty bug several weeks ago. That hung on for almost 5 days. I don’t recommend getting it! I took the photo below of Mom and Dennis to send to the kids when we were visiting a couple of weeks ago. It initiated a FaceTime call with Alex so he could talk to Grandma. He tries to call when he knows we are actually there or he doesn’t get to visit with her. He enjoys talking to her and she loves seeing him and “baby J” although we’re not sure if she knows who “J” is.

Dennis had his planned endoscopy two weeks ago today. All went very, very well. He said it was like a day at the spa.😂 We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 AM and by 9:00 we were at Village Inn enjoying breakfast! The test results came back that he does not have Barrett’s esophagus, which is a precancerous condition, as he was told in Spokane. He also does not have to have any more endoscopies unless he has problems. All very, very good news.

I have put up a few Easter decorations around the condo.



I made the Easter eggs years and years ago. I think it was a free pattern on Ravelry if I remember correctly.

Last Wednesday we had a blizzard and ended up with almost 9 inches of snow. On Tuesday it had been 72° and an absolutely gorgeous spring day. This is what happens in Nebraska!

By Thursday, everything was melting and by Saturday 8 inches of snow was gone!

I have been busy since I was away.

Several baby blankets were made for the open door mission.

This one hasn’t been blocked yet so it looks a little wonky.

And this is my “in progress” blanket. I also have a pair of socks on the needles for my take along project.

I’m sorry I’ve been away. Life just got rather intense for a while with me being sick, Dennis’s endoscopy and Mom. Always Mom. She’s taken another downhill turn in her memory. We try to be with her every day for at least a little while. Last night, I went over and gave her a pedicure and helped her get ready for bed. We had hoped to go camping yesterday, today and tomorrow just to get away, but still close by, but we have storms predicted for tomorrow, so decided to put it off for a week. We have been enjoying going to fish fries at the Catholic Church around the corner from us on Friday evenings with two other couples from church. That’s about the extent of our social life at this point. As I said, Mom is keeping us very busy. They have increased one of her medication’s to help with the paranoia, hallucinations and confusion. It seems to be helping a little bit the last couple of days. We get phone calls, asking us if one of us can come over because she refuses her medication’s or even to have them do her blood test for blood sugar. She’s sure they’re trying to kill her. At least at this point, she still trusts Dennis and I, and if we tell her, it’s okay she’ll take her medicines. Especially me for some reason. Sometimes she’s even a little suspicious of Dennis, which is really strange. But I guess there’s no explaining dementia is there? I dread the day when she doesn’t know who we are either.

We weren't able to take our trip to London after all. We just didn't feel we could be away from Mom that long with the change in her behavior. We felt so bad, not being able to be there for "Baby J's" birthday.  Since we were also unable to get any of our money back, it means we can't plan another trip for awhile. We'll have to save for another trip and as you can imagine, it's not inexpensive to fly "across the pond." We're grateful that the kids understand but three-year old "Baby J" was really disappointed. To top it off, the gift we mailed to her, that can't be replaced, hasn't arrived and they fear it could have been stolen from their doorstep. I'm still praying that it is just lost in the mail and that it will arrive soon.

I’ll try to be back commenting on your blogs and updating you all here. I haven’t even opened my laptop for a couple of weeks. I just didn’t have the energy. I hope you are all well and enjoying the spring time or the fall if you’re “down under!”

Blessings and love,

Betsy

Lead Me To Calvary

Text: Jennie EvelynHussey

Music: William J. Kirkpatrick 

King of my life, I crown Thee now
Thine shall the glory be
Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow
Lead me to Calvary

Lest I forget Gethsemane
Lest I forget Thine agony
Lest I forget Thy love for me
Lead me to Calvary

May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee
Even Thy cup of grief to share
Thou hast borne all for me

Lest I forget Gethsemane
Lest I forget Thine agony
Lest I forget Thy love for me
Lead me to Calvary

Lest I forget Gethsemane
Lest I forget Thine agony
Lest I forget Thy love for me
Lead me to Calvary

Forgotten?

I haven’t forgotten any of you, although I haven’t posted on anyone’s blogs for a few days. We were in the ER with mom all day Friday and then she spent the night in the hospital Friday night. I had to stay there with her because she wouldn’t let anyone touch her without me there. Then, yesterday after church, we stopped to get lunch and last night in the late evening Dennis got really sick and in the middle of the night I got very sick with nausea and vomiting and other fun bathroom events. Fun times huh!? I also have a fever over 102 so we’re not sure if it’s food poisoning or influenza. Dennis is absolutely fine now. It only lasted a few hours for him. I’ll be back when I can think straight again.!

Take care everyone

Blessings and

Betsy

Good Morning

Hello and happy March! In like a lamb, but within a few days, a blizzard. Yes, we were in a blizzard warning last evening and all night. Today it's just high winds. Typical springtime in Nebraska. It's supposed to be in the 70's by Monday again, so the snow won't last long, but the kids aren't happy about another snow day because it means another day added to the end of the school year. 

I have a few St. Patrick's Day decorations up, because according to my Mom, she had a tiny bit of Irish in her. :-) I found this garland at Hobby Lobby for under $4.00 so I snapped it up. The sign is from the Dollar Tree.  Nothing fancy at all.

Here is my beautiful Piper waiting to go back and get her braces put on:

And right after getting them. It's been a couple of weeks and after a few really painful days, I think she's beginning to adjust. She plays the baritone horn in band though, and I'm not sure how that's going. I keep forgetting to ask her. Isn't she beautiful? I just love her smile.

She has recently redid her room a little bit. Gone are the Eiffel Tower and Paris scenes comforter Papa Queen bought for her. She's liking more grown up bedding, although she still loves Paris decor. And our precious little Lizzie is always right there. She adores Piper and so does Zoey. And of course, so do we!

I have a few more pairs of mittens made for the school kids.

Another baby blanket for the Open Door Mission. It's called the Floating Squares Baby Blanket and I don't remember where I got the pattern from. I think it was probably a YouTube video. I used a J hook and  Caron Yarn.

I'm working on this one now. Just a few more inches long and then the boarder.  This is made using Bernat Baby Sport yarn.  Dennis is volunteering at the Open Door Mission's food bank today as he does every Wednesday. Tuesday he goes to the donation drop off center to volunteer. He just called and said it's been pretty slow because of the bad roads, but they expect it to get busier this afternoon as it warms up. He usually doesn't even have time to call me as they are so busy giving out donated food.

I went to the neuro-surgeon last week and his recommendation is to not touch the cyst on my spine unless it grows. It is actually touching my spinal column and they would have to remove part of my spine and put it back together with screws. There is no guarantee I wouldn't be worse off than I am now. I may have to face it in the future if the cyst keeps growing, but I'm hoping to ignore it until then. After returning from London, I may have some other procedures to try to stop the spasms, but again, there is no guarantee they will help. It could be worse and others deal with much more serious issues so I refuse to complain. (At least I try not to.) Ha!

I usually don't get political on my blog, but I can't pretend that I'm not disappointed in the way some of our leaders acted last night during President Trump's speech. Whether you do or don't agree with him, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I truly respect that. That is the beautiful thing about our country. But the disrespect shown to the people who were honored last night was incredible and awful to see. Some leaders could not even clap for a young boy who has beat cancer or a prisoner and his mother who was was just freed from a Russian prison. I have no narrative. I don't even care much about politics, but to not be able to show respect to the family of the man who died last summer or Lakin Riley's family is beyond my comprehension. These people have done nothing to be disrespected for. May God have mercy on them.

Again, I apologize for bringing up politics. It's not something I usually do, but I actually cried last night when that little boy got his Secret Service badge. You could tell it meant everything to him. And half of the people on that floor didn't even move. No cheers, no clapping, no standing in respect for him and his battle. He was supposed to be dead years ago according to all of his doctors. What kind of a nation are we when we can't be unified enough to be happy for him and his family? My heart breaks for our country.

Blessings and love,

Betsy

The Church’s One Foundation

Text: Samuel J. Stone

Lyrics: Samuel S. Wesley

The church's one foundation
is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the Word.
From heaven he came and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.

Elect from every nation,
yet one o'er all the earth;
her charter of salvation,
one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with every grace endued.

Mid toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation
of peace forevermore;
till, with the vision glorious,
her longing eyes are blest,
and the great church victorious
shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
with God the Three in One,
and mystic sweet communion
with those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
like them, the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with thee.