Monday, Monday

What a wonderfully fun weekend we had, along with sheer terror mixed in!  We went camping with our good friends Larry & Nita at the best campsite we've been to in a long time.  In fact, we're thinking of permanently parking our camper there!  There are about 7 couples who have their RV's there permanently and they are all Christians, which is a wonderful, blessed perk!

Friday night though, an amazing thunder and lightening storm moved through and lightening struck a tree only about 60 yards from our campsite.  Here's a picture of Larry pointing at the strike spot the next morning.  There was actually a second tree that was hit about 3 minutes later but we couldn't get to it for a picture.  That was the closest I've been to a strike and it was really scary.  Nita actually screamed! I think we've had more thunderstorms this year already than we've had in the 20 years we've lived here added together!

 The view from our campsite.

Another from our campsite.  Isn't the sailboat beautiful?

 The swimming beach!

 Here's Nita and I.  The guys were playing golf frisbee and we got to hold the frisbees!  Nita buys them on all of her cruises because Larry loves golf frisbee. She's the cruise queen!  She goes on two or three cruises every year and I've never been on one.  These frisbees are clear until the sun hits them, then they turn colors.  The one I'm holding turned red, and Nita has one in her lap that turned blue!  Very neat!

 A great playground for visiting grandchildren.  Hint, hint to my kids if you're reading this!

 Here we are singing Saturday night.  That's Larry and Nita's motorhome.  And look at my hubby, holding the yarn for me.  The ground was damp and I didn't want to set a bag on the grass.  No completed projects to show you today.  I had a market bag almost done and didn't like the way the bottom looked, so I ripped the entire thing out and have started it over.

 Here we are playing "Owie" in our camper with Larry & Nita.  We had a grand time!

 And here's Chloe.  She was exhausted from the thunderstorms that scare her so.  At least this time I remembered to bring her ducky along to  comfort her. :-)

 These are from my one rosebush.  At our previous house I had a rose garden, here I only have one bush but it sure produces beautiful flowers.  What do you think?

 And one last shot of the guys discussing the rules of frisbee golf.  Larry loves to play games and hubby is happy to go along with it.

I guess that's all for now.  We're thinking of taking the camper there this Friday or Saturday and leaving it there permanently.  If we have a good time this year maybe we'll invest in a larger one next summer so we can have guests come out to visit.  Who knows?  We are going to pull it to Montana in July to camp with our sons family. I think we're meeting up in Missoula.  That will be interesting.  Two mountain passes to get over.  I DO NOT like pulling the camper, but love to camp.  Leaving it somewhere permanently would be the best of both worlds.  Plus this campsite we're considering is only 30 minutes from home!  No worries about finding a good spot and we would use less gas since we won't have to use our big truck to go camping.  We can also go out during the week and go swimming if we want.  Fun times!

I hope you're all having a lovely week and enjoyed your weekend as much as I did.  We made it back in time for evening service at church last night so it truly was a wonderful weekend.

Blessings,

Betsy

Wednesday News

Good Wednesday morning to you all!  Here it is, the first day of summer and it finally feels like summer here in Spokane.  I think it is supposed to get into the 70's today.  Whoo-eee!  Monday the high on our deck was 58.  I feel like I've moved to the northern edges of the earth.  Four weeks ago my green beans were about 3 inches high.  Today, they are about 3 inches high!  So discouraging.  This is the second summer in a row of these cool temperatures and the garden not producing at all.  I've been reading blogs of other people who are harvesting lots and lots of produce while some here in the northwest haven't even been able to plant yet!  Strange things going on in the weather these days.

However, with the cool temperatures, I've haven't been tempted to be outside much, so I've got lots of handwork done.  I have completed the sheep blanket for my yet-to-be -born granddaughter, but I'm not going to post a picture until I give it to my daughter.  I want to see her face when she sees it and I know she reads the blog sometimes.  Selfish of me, I know, but I have NEVER, EVER worked on anything as complicated and time-consuming as that blanket and I just want to see her reaction.  It's not a professional job by any means, I see lots of mistakes and knowing now just how detailed it is, I would have gone with a higher quality yarn, but it is what it is.

The wedding blanket is complete except for the border which I will begin today.  It will fit on a queen size bed once the border is done.  I'll show the completed blanket next time.  I never do the borders the same when I make these blankets.  It's whatever my crochet hook chooses to do.

 Then, I had flannel left over from backing the baby blanket so I made two BIG recieving blankets.  Monday I sewed the hems and then yesterday I crocheted a border around one.  I'll work on the other one today or tomorrow.  It takes a bit of time because you need to pre-punch a hole for the crochet hook with a needle for each stitch but I like the results.  A friend made me seven of these blankets when Alex was born 23 years ago and I still have them.  I like them larger than the ones you buy in the store, but these are REALLY big!  I think I'll be making more of these in the future.

 The crochet border makes a nice finish don't you think?  Look!  I even found sun and moon patterned flannel to go on the back of the blanket.  I can't wait to show you the finished blanket!

Tonight hubby and I are taking pizza to our friends who just had the baby.  We'll eat dinner with them and steal some baby cuddles while we're there.  There is nothing like cuddling with a newborn baby.  Little J was 1 month old yesterday and weighed in at 6 lbs. 12 oz.

Tomorrow night is our annual chinese buffett with friends in Cheney, WA which is about 35 miles from here.  We have dinner then, go to Tom's house and sit in his garden and have a short devotion.  This takes the place of our regular Thursday night Bible study here at our house.  Tom isn't able to make the drive to Spokane every week anymore due to his health, so we go to him!  It's great fun and a change of pace too.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and be warm for us.

Then, on Friday, we're off to go camping again for a couple of days.  We're heading north this time to Loon Lake.  Dear friends, Larry & Nita from church are going with us. They have a beautiful motor home and we've camped with them in the past, but it's been a long, long time.  After all, we sold our camper over ten years ago!  How time flies! 

Our son in Montana has made reservations for us to go camping with them in July near Missoula, MT.  It's close to half-way for all of us and I can't wait!  I haven't seen my grandbabies for over two months now.  That's way to long for a grandma to go without wrapping her arms around her babies, don't you think? 

So that's my busy life in a few paragraphs.  I went to knitting group and visited the nursing home yesterday.  I always enjoy Tuesdays.  VA was even up in her chair at the nursing home and we got to visit a bit.  Usually she's in bed sleeping and I can't rouse her enough to chat.  She'll be 90 this year and the alzheimers is taking it's toll on her.  I can tell she doesn't even know who I am anymore, but always loves to see me.

Well, I think that's about it.  Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone and I hope the sun is shining wherever you are on this beautiful June day.

Blessings,

Betsy

Ski Helmet Reveal!

Good Thursday Morning to my friends in blogland!  My oh my, we had a doozy of a rain/thunderstorm yesterday that lasted most of the day.  Today is sunny and beautiful but the rain yesterday gave me a chance to sit in my recliner to finish the second ski helmet for the Pine Ridge Reservation without feeling like I should be doing yard work.  I think the goal is 70 helmets by fall, 30 black for the tribal police and 40 for the Emergency Medical Technicians, (EMT's).  Here are my two finished helmets.  What do you think?

They were a fairly easy knit.  I believe the pattern was written by one of the list moderators on Ravelry and has been approved by the police force as part of their uniform.  The only yarn that has been approved is this navy and the black from Hobby Lobby, "I Love This Yarn".  I've never used it before, but it was very soft to work with and easy on my hands.  I know they need the acrylic for easy care since I'm sure they will be getting very muddy and wet at times.

For those of you who crochet, the website I gave on the post last night is a VERY worthy cause.  They are collecting granny squares to try to get into the Guiness Book of World Records.  After that, the blanket will be divided up into afghan sized blankets and distributed to the shelters for the people who are still without a place to live after the earthquake/tsunami last year.  I really hope you'll consider helping with a square or two if you're a crocheter.  I mailed my 10 squares off yesterday.

Chloe had to get four shots yesterday, but now she's all caught up for at least a year on all of them.  She was due for two this month and two in July so we just did them all in one day. The veteranarian's office is not her favorite place to be.  She shakes terribly with nerves whenever we go there.  The poor baby.  She is also deathly afraid of thunder and just as we got out of the car at the vet's office, a HUGE clap of thunder sounded.  She was shaking so badly, I thought I would have to carry her inside.  After we got home, I gave her a baby aspirin and she slept all day and seems perfectly normal today.  Sometimes it's like having another child around!

I just found out yesterday that there is a bridal shower at church two weeks from Sunday.  I always make the queen sized crocheted blankets for the girls when they get married, so yesterday I bought the yarn for a blanket and will begin it today.  I'm hoping I get it finished in time but I've never begun one so late before.  Pray my hands will fly!

Tonight is Bible Study at our house so I'm going to bake some cookies this morning.  We always meet somewhere for dinner, (fast food), before study because most people don't have time to go home and fix dinner and still be here on time.  Tonight we're meeting at Burger King.  Not my favorite choice, but some people love it.  I haven't been there for several years and I'm hoping for a salad on the menu.  I've actually lost 1.5 lbs. in the past two weeks and I would like to keep that number going downward so my clothes would fit better and I wouldn't be so short of breath all the time.

Well, I better get busy or I'll never get anything done.  I've already vacuumed, dusted and done a load of laundry so I'm off to a good start!  I'll see you all soon.

Blessings,

Betsy