It really did snow!

On Friday in the grand saga of my life, the big question was if we should attempt to drive to Montana to visit our grandbabies.  We decided not to go, which I think was very wise.  The biggest reason however, wasn't because we were being smart at not attempting to drive through the blizzard, but was because hubby was detained at work.  That was very good for us though because look what we woke up to Saturday morning at home where snow was not even forecast!

When it was all over, hubby snowblowed about 9 inches of "flurries" off the driveway and sidewalk!  This wasn't even in the mountains!   There is another winter storm watch posted for tomorrow and Wednesday for just north of us.  (about 10 miles north and to the Canadian border is all)  We'll see how many "flurries" we get then. We've had such a mild winter until now.  That old groundhog was right after all.  Boo!

So, we stayed home and watched movies all day Saturday, snuggled in our cozy house with the fire going full blast.  I completed another blue baby set that I forgot to photograph.  After awhile they all look the same anyway, don't they?  I also started another baby blanket in a new pattern using Bernat "Pipsqueak" yarn.  I have never felt anythig so incredibly soft.  This is definitely going to be for one very special baby.

When we realized that we were going to be home for church yesterday, I came to the realization that I needed to make something for the potluck after services.  I had watched the "Pioneer Woman" on the food network on Saturday morning, so I decided to try out her meatball recipe.  Instead of her barbeque sauce, I just poured a jar of Prego over them and they were a hit!  Here are a few pictures.

First you brown them in a skillet with canola oil in batches of 8 or 9 meatballs, then...

You bake them for about 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I ended up with 26 meatballs. My huge, enormous, stupid mistake?  I put them in the oven on cookie sheets-with NO SIDES!!!!  Can you guess what happened?  Yep.  Grease from the meatballs is now all over the bottom of the oven and the house filled up with smoke.  Yuck.  Yuck.  Yuck.  I need to wait for a halfway warm day when I can open the windows and clean the oven.  Soon.  Before I bake anything else in it.  I cannot believe I didn't even think about the fact that the grease that comes out of hamburger would have to go somewhere!   Oh well, live and learn and the meatballs were very good.  An ingredient that the Pioneer Woman used in the meatballs that I never would have thought of was milk.  It made them super moist.  Then they're dredged in flour before browning.  I think the recipe is on FoodNetwork.com/pioneer woman.  Not sure if I have that website correct but they did say the recipes from that show were available online.
Today I've vacummed, done laundry, caught up on my Bible reading and played with Chloe.  I have baby hats for the hospital in the washing machine to be delivered tomorrow.  I think I have about 45 hats done for this delivery.  This afternoon I'm going to work on my baby blanket with the wonderfully SOFT yarn.  I've got my chores done and now I can play.  A roast, potatoes, carrots and onions is bubbling away in the crock pot so my wifely chores are complete.  I love to find extra time to play with my yarn.

The skies are blue, blue, blue today so I may take my Chloe-baby for a walk in a little while.  She's been cooped up with no long walk since last Wednesday.  We could both use the exercise.

Have a wonderful Monday everyone!

Blessings,

Betsy

Whew! It's Monday!

Hello everyone!  I made it through the weekend in one piece.  I think.  It was the complete whirlwind I had been expecting, but it all turned out very well.

Friday afternoon our college kids arrived.  They were the most polite, curteous teenagers that we've hosted in recent years.  They even made their beds both days!  For some reason I think it's funny when guests make their beds the day they leave.  It's like they believe they're preparing for the next people to stay in that room.  Do they not realize I wash all the bedding between each person who stays here?!  Just a thought that popped into my little mind!

Saturday morning ten ladies from church came to the craft morning, plus the three teenagers.  The boy was the only one who crafted of the teens.  He used my round loom and made a knitted hat in about 3 hours!  The girls were very cordial though and visited with everyone.

Three of our friends then spent the afternoon with us just eating pizza and visiting.  I hadn't seen my young friend from Oklahoma in almost 3 years so it was wonderful to catch up with her.  Their little family wants desperately to move back to the Northwest somewhere to be closer to family, but no job has been found yet.  She stays at home with their 3 & 4 year olds and loves it but misses having family close.  My hubby performed the wedding ceremonies for her and her husband and our other young friends that also visited with us on Saturday afternoon.  We had a wonderful time remembering how much fun we used to have together.  We met with both couples weekly for Bible study as they were all new Christians.  Our own faith grew and was strengthened by studying with them since we were seeing the Bible with the eyes of people who had never read it before.

Saturday evening hubby and I had a nice "date night" at the Spokane symphony.  The featured "soloists" were a brother team that we had seen in Hawaii on several occasions.  It was fantastic.  I couldn't fathom how Hawaiian slack guitar sounds could meld with the symphony orchestra but they did it in a beautiful sound.  We had front row seats and sat directly in front of the harpist!  I spent the evening just watching her hands.  Amazing!

Sunday was just as busy.  Church in the morning, bridal shower in the afternoon and then evening services.  After evening service we went to Arby's for dinner with about 10 other people and had a nice hour or so just visiting and relaxing.  Can you believe Arby's was out of roast beef!?  We had a laugh over that and then ordered chicken, fish or ham!

So----that was my weekend.  Almost no computer time at all.  I did read emails but didn't answer any until late last night.  Since I last posted pictures I've been so busy that not much knitting has been accomplished.  Only two little pictures to show you.

I finished another baby sweater set.  The sweater was almost finished when I last blogged, so it probably shouldn't count!  So really I made two hats, 1 pair of blue socks and one solitary pink sockie.  The other pink sock is on the needles right now.  I must admit I'm tiring of these sets but I still have 3 babies on the way and I'm not sure of the gender of any of them.  I'm making 3 of each color just to be prepared!  Any sets I don't need can always be donated to one of the many charity groups I'm in.  A friend also keeps buying them almost as fast as I've made each set.  She has bought 3 rainbow blankets and 3 sweater sets in the past 6 weeks for new babies in her life.  She pays me well and it helps purchase more yarn so I'm not complaining.  I just need to get busy with more sets before I lose my motivation!

This is a picture of our gray skies this morning.  That's Mt. Spokane in the background!  Ha!  This morning when I woke up it was beautiful.  Covered in fresh snow and blue skies.  Something happened in the past couple of hours.  Clouds have appeared.  Just north of us about 30 miles or so and up to the Canadian border recieved 8 to 14 inches of snow Saturday night, including Mt. Spokane.  We woke up to about 1/8 of an inch yesterday.  By the time church was over everything was melted away and that's just the way I like it.  Snow in the mountains but not here.

I've spent a lot of time at my sewing machine recently sewing bandana's for myself.  After much prayer and study, I have come to the conclusion that I do need to start covering my head for prayer and worship at the minimum as it tells in 1 Corinthians 11.  I just can't find the cultural argument no matter how much I tried.  And believe me I tried.  Remember me?  I'm the one who dyed my hair for the first time about two weeks ago and cut a lot of it off three weeks ago.  I've been fighting this for all I'm worth, but what I've discovered is this.  If we discount this as a cultural thing, what else are we going to deem cultural and thus stop following that Paul and others taught?  It's a slippery slope we find ourselves on.  I'm not trying to be legalistic and I definitely am NOT trying to put my beliefs on anyone else but I have to follow where I believe the Lord is convicting me in my heart. 

Okay, enough preaching.  That's not what this blog is all about, but it is about my life and that's an important part of my heart.  So, I've been sewing and it's been fun.  I haven't sewn much in years but I'm enjoying my time behind the machine.  Do any of you sew?   I used to make all of my daughters clothes and a lot of mine when she was small.  The price of patterns, material and notions became so expensive though that it was less expensive to buy things and so my machine was brought out for repairs or quilting, etc.

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and I'll try to be back soon.

Blessings,

Betsy

It's Monday!

Hello again friends!

It's been a busy weekend and can you believe that January is almost over?  Considering that I spent the first two weeks sick and unable to do much, it was a busy month.

It was also a weekend for smashing any diet hopes that I had.  We ate four, yes four meals out at restaurants.  Admittedly, three of them were with friends that we had made plans with, but still.  Four meals out in three days?  I'm so very spoiled and my waistline is suffering.  Mexican food Friday night, breakfast on Saturday and then in the evening, pizza!  After church yesterday was lunch with a lovely bunch of friends.  I had a hot roast beef sandwich.  Yum!  Okay.  That's enough.  It's Monday and I absolutely HAVE to do better!

I did manage to finish the baby blanket that I've been knitting on for a week.  My knitting is much, much slower than crocheting and on top of that it was a lace pattern with a 20 row repeat so there was no way to memorize it.  At least not for me to memorize it!  And tah-dah!  Here it is.

Uh oh!  Now that I look at the pictures, I think I see a mistake, but since only God makes things perfect I think I will leave it alone and not rip it out as my hands are itching to do.

 And here are two up close and personal pictures to show the detail a bit better.

The pattern called for the border to be done in garter stitch, but I like the seed or moss stitch better so that's what I did.  The yarn is Caron's Simply Soft and it only took a little over a skein and a half.  So I made the blanket for less than $5.00.  Amazing!  And it's so soft and sweet.  Perfect for a special baby.

The next two pictures are of my needle case. I keep all my double pointed and interchangeables in it.  I have seen comparable cases online for upwards of $80 but I made this one in about an hour with my quilt scraps.  It rolls up into a tidy roll that fits nicely in my knitting bag and goes everywhere with me.

 A closer picture showing the pockets I sewed for each size needle and  a pocket for the interchangable cords.  See the new needle tips still in the packages.  My wonderful daughter got me duplicates of the tips I use the most for Christmas. That way I can have more than one project on the needles.  She's a knitter too and understands the necessity for being prepared when inspiration strikes!

 And here's a picture of the new haircut.  Excuse the double chins and the weird smile.  I took the picture myself holding the camera out at arms length.  It's strange to try to look normal for a camera with no one behind it!  How do you like the cut?  I'm finding that I'm enjoying different looks.  I can still clip it back with combs or barrettes.  Or I can leave it down or with a headband.  I'm taking an opinion poll so let me know your thoughts.

I've got my housework done for the day.  The last load of laundry is in the dryer.  We're having our best friends over for dinner tonight and I'm making chicken and noodles with homemade baking powder biscuits and green beans from last summer's garden.  I make my noodles from scratch and they seem to be very popular.  I get lots of requests and it's a perfect meal for a winter day.  No dessert after the weekend I've experienced!

I'm going to work on some burial outfits this afternoon for the local hospital.  Not too many people like to make them because it's a bit depressing.  The nurses told me when I made my last hat delivery that they were out of the burial gowns and hats.  They are crocheted, usually pink, blue or white.  Sometimes the baby is actually buried in it, but sometimes the parents keep it as a keepsake.  It does serve a need and the nurses tell me that the families are always grateful.  Not as fun as hats and blankets but needed, nonetheless.

I'm off to my yarn basket.  Have a wonderful Monday and I'll see you all again soon.

Blessings,

Betsy

The Snow Has Arrived!

It has been snowing off and on for two days now.  It hasn't turned out to be the huge storm for Spokane that was forecas,t but it came close.  A town just 30 miles away had 28 inches in 12 hours yesterday!  We ended up with about 6 inches yesterday, and it's been snowing all morning again.  We're told another 3-5 today with a chance for more every day for the next 4 days!  It seems winter has come in all of it's glory!
Here are a few pictures for you.  All taken from the INSIDE of the house in the comfort of my jammies! 

Look at all the snow on the floor of the deck.  We have a cover over it so you can see how much the wind blew inside.

This picture was taken after most of us had shoveled our driveways and walks.  They have all but disappeared again this moring with a fresh round of new snow.  I'll be back outside with the snowblower again this afternoon.

 But, the time inside while it snows hasn't been wasted.  Oh no.  Four new baby hats and....

another baby blanket done and one more started.  I have five babies that I know of coming in this new year.  I like to wait and find out if it's a boy or a girl before adding the last color round the edge in a gender appropriate color.  I find these blankets take me 2-3 days depending on the time I can dedicate to them.

Has winter, (or summer depending on where you live), settled in at your house yet?  We've been so happy to dodge all the big storms this year that I don't feel I can complain.  And the snow is really beautiful, I just worry about people driving on the slick roads.  I'm trying to turn my worries over to God, but I don't always do a very good job of it.  After all, what does all my worrying bring to me?

Well, I'm off to vacuum and dust so I can crochet for awhile with no guilt . :-)  I'll be out with the snowblower in a few hours so I need to get my "inside" work finished this morning.

I'll chat again with you all soon my friends.

Blessings,

Betsy

Good Morning Week!

AHHH!  I feel like I might be on the mend.  Finally!  My fever has been gone for an entire day now.  My spots have all started the first steps to disappearing.  I think the anti-viral medication the Dr. gave me was the turning point.  Hubby and I had a very lazy weekend, full of knitting, (for me), and movies on the television.

Just as we were falling asleep last night the phone rang.  We've learned not to panic when it rings after 10:00 p.m., it's usually Alex in Japan.  And it was.  He was calling to tell us all about the apartment he's found in Tokyo.  It's about a 15 minute walk to the university he'll be working at.  I was appalled at the price but he assures us that it's very reasonable for Tokyo.  He can see the Tokyo Tower, (Looks like the Eiffel Tower) from the street outside his door.  Now I have a fairly good idea of the part of town he's in since I've been to the tower a couple of times.  He begins his new job on February 1 and his emotions are torn.  He absolutely loves the people in northern Japan, but his girlfriend lives in Tokyo.  The jobs are in Tokyo.  You could just hear the excitement in his voice about new beginnings.

Here's a picture of Anri, (Alex's girlfriend), and me in September.

 And here's Alex, Anri and her dog during the same visit.

Now a few ta-da moments for you of different projects I managed to finish up while laying around all week.  Enjoy!  I also made 4 pink hats that I forgot to photograph.  These were boxed up this morning to send to the "Lil Troopers" charity.  It's a group that provides baby items for miliary families.  I just found this pattern and I love it.  A hat takes about 1 1/2 hours to knit so it's a fast, satisfying knit.  You can change the size just by adjusting your needle size.  Very easy.

 This will be a hat for our local hospital.  I was trying out a new crochet pattern and it looked huge so I tried it on a doll I have that is newborn size and it fits perfectly!

 This blanket is one I wasn't really happy with the end product, but too much work went into it for me to rip it out.  It was boxed up this morning too, for the ongoing baby shower at Pine Ridge Reservation, another charity group I'm in.  It's the feather and fan pattern.

 I think you'll be able to see the pattern better here.

There is another box to mail with two scarves and two hats for the "Outreach to Appalachia" charity group I'm in.  I forgot to take pictures of those items for you.

I finally finished the queen size crocheted blanket for the wedding shower I have later this month.  It seemed to take forever, but maybe that's because I was sick.  In actuality, it was only 9 days.

 A close up of one of the squares for you to see.  I love the pineapple detailing.

So apparentlybeing sick was a productive time for me!  Three boxes off to different charities and the wedding blanket done.  Now I can relax a bit and plan my next projects besides the ongoing baby hats.

I collect angels and my best friend gave me this one for my birthday last year.  She hangs on the wall right next to the bed.  Isn't she beautiful?

 And, of course, my Chloe baby.  She's been right next to me on the sofa the entire week.  How I love this dog.  She's such a great companion and so gentle.  She acts so shy when I take her picture!  Just like a girl!

I hope I'm well enough tomorrow to take all my boxes to the post office. I really want to beat the rate increase.  Now I need to get started on more hats for the local hospital.  My needles sure seem to keep busy. 

What are you up to today?  The sun is shining here.  How about where you live?  Have a wonderful Monday everyone!

Blessings,

Betsy

Happy Tuesday!

Good morning friends.  Well, I'm still sick but determined to do a few things today.  This is the third day of temp over 101F.  But, I still think it's just a "bug" that has to run it's course.  And my knitting group meets this morning.  :-(  I was really looking forward to that since I haven't been there since the first week in December.

Well, with no further ado, here are my last Christmas 2011 pictures  This was our annual Bible Study Christmas gift exchange and potluck.  These are some of our closest friends in the world.  And before I'm asked, yes, this is at my house!

Some of the "spread" of food.  What is it that is said about church potlucks?  It's the best home cooking in the world!  Roast with all the "fixins", chicken enchiladas, fried chicken, deviled eggs, two kinds of potatoes, homemade salsa.  Yum.

 Barbequed sausages were added to the dessert counter because we ran out of room on the island.  Then we had homemade Russian Creme with Raspberry sauce, cookies and a pumpkin crunch dessert.

 Presents for our swap.  Have any of you done this? Each person has a number and chooses a gift in that order.  They can either choose a new unopened gift or "steal" a gift that they liked from someone else.  The gift can only be "stolen" 3 times and then it stays with that last person.  We do this every year and it's great fun.

 This is Mark.  He was home from Boise College for Christmas.  He's been coming to our Christmas potluck and exchange for about 16 years now.  But, all good things must end.  He's graduating this year and getting married in May.  He'll probably be pastoring a church by next year.  What a sweetheart.

 This is Marks mom Ellen, (on the right) and Kim.  Ellen is our housesitter extraordinaire!  She takes such good care of our baby Chloe and the house when we're gone.  And that's Neal in the back giving them both bunny ears that they're unaware of!

 Lana, Debbie, Mark and Dean.  Lots of good things to eat!  I know, I know, it's not popular to have magnets on the refrigerator anymore,  But, we buy a new one whenever we travel and it's one of our memory makers.  I figure when I get old, it may be the only traveling I do, to look at them and remember.  Also, they hold up our grandchilrens drawings very well!

 Kevin and Lana.  Kevin was legally blind his entire life until a few years.  A miraculous surgery gave him his sight.  Now he even drives! Lana is is wife and a wonderfully spirit filled woman.

 Neal, who is Dennis' best friend.  He's a little out of it on this particular evening.  He just had two wisdom teeth pulled and was taking pain medicine.  He didn't each much!

 Here we're getting all set up for the gift stealing!!!  Oh, that's Jenny on the sofa by Neal, (the left),  She's my best friend in the world.  I tell you, that woman would do anything for me, and yet we're complete opposites in personality.  Isn't it funny how that happens?

 Here's the other side of the group!  Now you've seen my kitchen, dining room and living room.  I don't think I introduced you to Bev.  She's the lady in blue on the right side of the picture.

 And this, my friends is the most stolen gift of the evening.  It's two C.D.'s of all the old Christmas hits.  We put it in the player and listened to the songs the rest of the evening.

My handsome husband, Dennis.  He opened five gifts that night.  Everyone kept stealing them from him.

And that's it!  The last Christmas picture for the year.  We took the decorations down on Friday.  I always like to have the house back to normal by the first of the year.  I'm so happy I didn't put it off until Saturday since I've been sick every day since then. 

Dennis went back to work today and life returns to it's own rythm.  I'm really going to miss him being around all day.  I counted the days and in the last 22 days he's only worked 6!  We were in Hawaii for 8 days and then two 4 day weekends.  I don't know when we've ever had this much time together and I've loved every minute of it.  Of course, he did work on vacation and also from home several hours everyday.  (Thank you ipad and cell phone!) but at least we were together.  One night, we were walking on the beach trying to take in the sunset and his phone rang. He talked for almost 45 minutes to a man from Australia!  He kept telling him that he wasn't in the office and didn't have the information he needed.  He would call his office the next morning and have his secretary fax the information requested.  The guy just didn't "get it".  He kept talking, talking, talking.  And...Dennis missed the sunset, but I thought it was beautiful!  So....he never really gets away but he seems to be fine with that and I get to be with him so it's all okay.

Enough rambling.  I'm off to my recliner and my knitting for awhile and hope I feel better soon!  I hope you all have a wonderful day too.

Blessings,

Betsy

Random Thursday

Life is slowly returning to normal in the Queen house.  Dennis is working Tuesday through today and then another four day weekend for him before he's back to 12 hour days.  After eight days in Hawaii and two four day weekends, I think normal life will be difficult for him.

This is how Chloe is recuperating after the weekend romping with Polly and Tucker.  They are really lovely dogs and very well behaved, but she was exhausted from all that playing.  And yes, we let her on the sofa, but notice the sheet covering.  It catches most of the dog hair!

 I don't remember if I've already shown you this picture, but if I have, please humor me.  It's rare that I get more than one child together at a time.  From left to right, son-Jamie, hubby, granddaughter, me, grandson, daughter-Mandy and son-in-law-Brad. Tucker is the black lab, Chloe in the middle and Polly a yellow lab on the right.  See how small Chloe is?  We had a wonderful time!

This is a wreath that Mandy taught me to make last summer. I keep forgetting to show it to you.  It uses one old paperback book and a wire coat hanger.  I love it!  I used a duplicate copy I had of a Debbie Macomber book.  Have you ever read her books?  If you knit, you'll love her Blossom Street series.  She even includes free knitting patterns in the books!

I made this ipad cover the day hubby bought me the ipad last week.  I used one of my Mom's buttons from her button box.  My mom died when I was 29 and I inherited the button box.  Everytime I get into the box, memories rush back.  I think the cover turned out well, don't you think?  It only took about 4 hours to make.  The pattern is a free download on Ravelry if you want one yourself.

Well there it is, a few random thoughts.  This morning I visited my friend in the nursing home.  She was not in a happy mood and nothing I could do cheered her up.  Some days are like that, but most are still good.  Then I took a big bag of baby hats to the local hospital.  The nurses ooohed and aaahed over them and were so grateful.  It's cold up here in the northwest and those babies need hats to go home!  It makes me feel good to see their faces and know they appreciate them.  I do a lot of knitting for online groups, but those items are all mailed away.  Sometimes it's fun to actually see the faces of the recipients.

Tonight is our annual Bible Study potluck and gift exchange.  We always do it after Christmas so everyone can relax more.  Usually it's in January!  This year we're squeezing it in before the end of the year.  It's always at our house and we have about 20 people here.  I supposed I better get off the computer and start cooking or my food will be the only food not prepared in time!

Happy New Year and Blessings to all of you in the coming year.

Betsy

Good Morning!

Good Morning again!  I can't believe another week has passed.  Thanksgiving was very quiet with just DH and I.  We did talk to all of our children that day, but none were able to be at home this year.  Christmas will be better.  Our daughter and middle son and their families will all be home.  Alex, in Japan, won't be able to come home and it will be our first Christmas without him.  Very sad.  I know we raised them to be independent adults-but oh, how I miss my babies!

Since I spent so much of the weekend just being lazy, I think I'm finally on the mend from this bug I've had.  The cough is still hanging on, but everyone I know who has had it says the same thing.  My voice is almost normal now.

I have a few pictures of projects I've made over the past week.  I'm not a great photographer in the best of circumstances and it's foggy and gray out this morning so these aren't very bright.

This first picture is of newborn hats for our local hospital.  I try to take 30-40 hats to them every month.  I made all of these from one skein of yarn!  I'm going to crochet the next few I make just for some variety.

This picture is a real disappointment.  It's very dark.  I made a drop stitch shawl for a charity benefit DH and I are going to this Friday.  The dress I'm wearing is a short sleeve "little black dress" so I'm hoping the shawl will help with the warmth factor.  It is doubled over in the picture so I could fit it in!  It's made with Paton's Kroy Sock yarn and I used four skeins.

This is a scarf and mitten set for my secret sister at church.  I'll give these to her in January when we reveal ourselves otherwise she would guess it was me!

This is my little Chloe, on snuggled up next to me while we were knitting other night.  She's my best buddy and never a critic. 



I'll just be watching little "Miss E" until the end of next week.  She's big enough to go to a daycare with more children and I'm getting "antsy" for my freedom once again.  It's been a good couple of months but I am ready to go back to my knitting group and nursing home visits again.

And speaking of  "MissE", she's just begun calling me in the way 3 month olds have when they're hungry! 

Please let me know what you're all working on and how your Christmas plans are coming.

Blessings,

Betsy

Knitting

Well hello again!  It's been a whole week since I last wrote to you all.  Most of it has been spent in my recliner coughing and coughing and coughing.  I didn't even feel like knitting or crocheting and you know that's bad.  I had 3 days with no voice at all and those same three days with a high fever but now it's just cough hanging on and a scratchy voice but at least I can talk.  I'm so glad this didn't happen the week before when I had to talk for the ladies day.  It seems most everyone in Spokane is down with this same crud right now so I'm in very good company.

We ended up with about 8 inches of snow total by Friday night but yesterday a warm wind began blowing and it's all gone!  I'm not sorry to see it go and since I was sick I didn't drive in it at all.  The ski areas are doing very well, all have already opened for the season.  It's unusual that they are able to be open before Thanksgiving.

Here's a picture of my baby Chloe in her "coat of many colors" that I made for her this spring.  She didn't get to wear it much before it warmed up so she's enjoying it this winter already.  She gets very excited when I get it out of the closet, she knows a walk is in her immediate future.  Isn't she just the sweetest little girl.  She has the best disposition and just loves everyone and every animal she meets.

 This next picture is of Christmas stockings that I made for my daughter and her husband.  She asked for them right after Christmas last year and I made them right away so I wouldn't forget until it was too late to get them done.  Her kitchen/family room/dining room colors are red and this sort of lime green.  Sounds strange but looks beautiful.  They will be able to get lots of goodies in these big stockings.

I did finish two more "slouch" hats for people at church.  A teenager girl and her dad asked for matching hats!  I thought that was cute. They chose a camoflauge colored yarn and turned out very well.  Plus, they both fit!    Now I'm working on a drop stitch scarf for my "secret sister" at church.  It will be part of her revealing gift in January.  I was going to give it to her for Christmas, but I think if I give her something knitted she'll figure out the fact that it's me.  I'm thinking of making her mittens to match.

Well, I'm off to the recliner once again.  I can't believe how tired this stuff has made me.  I had a busy day today.  I had my toes done, (pedicure) for my upcoming Hawaii trip.  I don't get that done often, maybe twice a year and it's such a treat.  I did look a bit silly in my sandals afterward.  It's a bit chilly here to be wearing flip-flop sandals.

See you all again soon.

Blessings,

Betsy

Ishinomaki

Good Morning!  This morning I want to tell you a bit about Ishinomaki.  The two towns Alex and I visited were Ishinomaki and Kamaishi.  Tomorrow I'll post pictures from Kamaishi.  These towns are very close to the Sendai area that was on the news so much.

We delivered the knitted items to a gentleman named Fumito Suzuki.  He told us his story of the day of the tsunami-riding his mo-ped to try to warn people and almost getting swept away himself by the giant wave.  He said when he finally escaped, he looked back and saw people being washed from cars and being swept away.

He opened up his home to over 40 people after the disaster.  That was amazing when you think about how small most Japanese homes are.  He spends his days trying to help the many, many people still in shelters.  He is a photographer by trade, but feels bad about charging people in these difficult days so he is working mostly for free.  Fumito is an amazing man who is just trying to get by, day to day and help those who lost everything.  He feels guilty and humbled by turn to still have his home and possessions so does whatever he can for others.

Here are a few pictures of Ishinomaki.  I'll let them speak for themselves.  As I said yesterday.  All were taken from the car as we drove through.  I didn't want to seem to exploit the people any further by stopping to walk around.



This is a huge pile of debris that has been collected.  You can see how much has already been done in the cleanup by this pile.  But you can see by the pictures, how much still needs to be done.

 



This is the hospital that so many of you probably saw on the news.  It looks fairly good from this angle, but the first 3 floors are destroyed.  Windows gone, equipment gone.  Patients were floating out the broken windows.  The hospital is just 2 blocks from the ocean and they had virtually no time to react.



 

These pictures don't begin to show the absolute devastation.  Blocks and blocks of flattened areas with no buildings at all.  These used to be bustling towns where people lived and worked in the same buildings.  There was no dicrimination in the damage.  Well-to-do and poor people alike lost everything and now have to begin again.  After the typhoon last week, it was another large blow to the area.

Tomorrow I'll show you a few pictures of Kamaishi.  Thank you again for your help.

Blessings,

Betsy