It's Already November!

Happy November 1st to you all!  Can you believe it's already November?  I can't.  It's been a year and that's all I can say.  I'm ready to begin afresh.

One bit of news.  You know how in my past few posts I've talked about rain a LOT?  Well, here in Spokane we got almost an inch more of rain in October than has ever been recorded in one month.  Not just in October, but in ANY month since they began keeping the weather records.  That's a lot of rain.  Good to know it wasn't just part of my crazy imagination, thinking we had lots. :-)

Let's start out with some cute faces, shall we?  Just some of the thank you notes from the children who received mittens a couple of weeks ago.

I love how the teachers took photos with them wearing the mittens.  How sweet and thoughtful was that?

89 pairs were taken to the school.  There are 82 first graders this year so there are a few extra pairs in case new students arrive.  I just wanted to share some of these cute faces with all of you.

Teresa, (Teresa Kasner) is making a C2C crocheted blanket and generously shared the free pattern with me.  It was so fun to make and is 38 inches square.

Here's a close up.  I admit, I cheated and used a baby yarn that was white with pastel flecks so I didn't change colors every two rows as the pattern called for.  It was MUCH quicker this way and no ends to sew in.  Nice!  This will go to the Crisis Nursery.

I completed another square for my sock blanket.  Each nine patch square is about 12x12 inches with the cream border.  I really like how these are going together and are pretty much no-thought knitting. Something I'm enjoying right now.

I had a set of salt and pepper shakers that were the mill type grinders we bought years ago while at the Oregon coast.  Well the salt mill quit working so I took it apart, cleaned it well, re-filled it and it still didn't work.  I bought new salt crystals and it still didn't work so look what Dennis bought for me this weekend.  The Pioneer Woman's S & P shakers.  I love them.  I'm going back to the "old-fashioned" shaker type.  Lots less to go wrong with them. :-)  Aren't they just happy and cheerful?

A photo of my flowers from Trader Joe's taken this morning, almost 4 weeks after I bought them.  Still looking okay but starting to wilt.  I'm buying new ones today.  These have made me very happy for almost a month.  For $3.99 I think this is quite a bargain.

Looky what else Dennis bought for me! I love this.  It's a 20 ounce mug and I've been using it everyday for my water.  Quite perfect for me wouldn't you say?  My favorite color is purple/lavender and of course my last name being Queen he couldn't go wrong with this mug.

Now for Miss Piper.  This may be overload, but being a Grandma I'm invoking my Grandma rights and sharing anyway.    :-)

Mandy made her this cute sweater last week.  I think she did an amazing job on it and Piper models it so well.  Yay!  My daughter likes to knit too!  Yippee!!!  How fun is that?!  Isn't it beautifully made?

Our little "Doc McStuffins" for Halloween.  Grandpa and I sent her this for her birthday.  We got her a set just like it two years ago but she had outgrown it.  She loves playing Doc with her babies and stuffed animals.

Daddy, (Brad) and Piper trick-or-treating.

And my girls.  I sent Mandy and Piper matching "Snappy" hats last week.  I was hoping I made the right size for Piper since the pattern didn't go that small.  I think they are both so beautiful.  And they fit.  And they like them.  It makes my heart happy.

So, today was interesting.  A mammogram with a pacemaker.  I don't recommend it.  Ha!  Oh. My. Goodness.  That was painful but done for another year.  I thought they were painful before and that didn't hold a candle to this time.  She did show me the picture in 3D of my pacemaker being squished by the machine.  Quite interesting. Ha!

Then I had a second ultrasound on my arm from the bee sting.  They still aren't sure what's going on. The radiologist even came in and talked to me.  He can't believe how swollen it still is after almost 7 weeks but didn't see any absesses or pockets of infection.  He made sure to say that I could still have infection but he can't see it with the ultrasound.

I did get out of the bone desity test that they do with physicals for us old ladies.  They realized I had one last year so I didn't need that one.  Yippee!  That would have been the only pain-free test all week and I didn't have to have it!  Oh the irony of it all.

I have the mylegram on my back on Friday so Dennis has to take the day off to stay with me.  I'm not supposed to be alone for 24 hours. No walking around afterwards for those 24 hours. Just to the bathroom.  That will give me lots of time to knit, right?

I looking forward to the new year.  A new start.  Feeling much, much better.  The past two years haven't been great healthwise, but it has given me the opportunity to appreciate my friends who have been there for me.  Driving me to appointments when I couldn't.  Praying for me.  Listening to me whine.  :-) And lots of YOU are included in that group of friends.  It's also given me lots and lots of time to knit and crochet for charity, so it hasn't been wasted time.  I look at those little children's faces wearing the mittens and I realize that God can use me wherever I am, in whatever state I am in.  And He can use you too.

I hope you're all having a lovely week so far.  I think of you all very, very often and I'm so glad for each of you.

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2

Blessinsgs always,
Betsy

Still Rain

Well hello everyone!  Would you believe it is raining again?  Yes, I know I live in Washington and everyone believes it rains all of the time here, but they are thinking about the other side of the Cascade mountains and the Seattle area.  We live in what is called "high desert" and usually only have a rainy period in the spring and maybe a few small showers in the fall.  This year?  All bets are off.  So far we are in the 2nd rainiest October in recorded history.  I may need to buy a rowboat!

But, the trees are pretty  down the street.  I took this from the truck window on Monday because all of the trees in our yard are bare of leaves already.

We even have moss growing in our driveway!  That has NEVER happened in all of the years we've lived here.  I feel like I've moved to Portland.  But as long as it's raining, it's not snow so it's okay with me.  It makes for a cozy house.  Yesterday I baked a chicken and tonight I'm making homemade chicken pot pie with the leftovers.

I got out the 38year old Kenmore sewing machine to do some mending yesterday.  This machine has never been worked on and is a trooper.  I've made lots of clothes and quilts with it.  It was my very first Christmas gift from Dennis the first year we were married.  Very basic but it does the job well.

I started on next years mittens yesterday!  I forgot to mention in my last post that I delivered the mittens about 2 weeks ago and they were so happy to get them.  I received an envelope FULL of thank you notes in the mail yesterday and I'll share some of them with you next time.  We had a few days of below freezing temperatures and I wanted the children to have warm hands so I delivered them a bit earlier than last year.

I made two pair yesterday to go into the bag for next year!  I feel very good having made this start already.  And in my favorite color!

The SAL cross-stitch I did with Vicky (Stitchy McFloss) is done!  I absolutely had the best time working on this and it went very quickly.

Dennis hung it up for me last night.  A perfect place for it, wouldn't you say?  I think it will be left up all year and not just at Christmas as a good reminder to us that our hope is not in this life with it's troubles and trials.

My Trader Joe's $3.99 flowers after THREE WEEKS!  Can you believe how beautiful these flowers still are after 3 weeks?  Very worth every penny.  I just change the water every few days and trim the stems at the same time so they keep absorbing water.  Love them.

And here is Miss Pipers school picture.  She goes to Londontowne Christian Academy  for pre-school on Tuesday and Thursdays and they have this blue polo shirt as a uniform.  The picture was taken on her birthday!  She told her Mama that the lady was trying to get her to smile.  I would say she succeeded and made her laugh!  I love this little girl with my entire heart!  I miss her more than anyone can imagine.

So.  The trip to the coast.  It didn't happen.  Suffice it to say that I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.  I'm tired of not doing any fun things.  I missed seeing my sweet friends.  They were all wonderful about it, but gosh, I was so looking forward to going.  I'm having an ultrasound done on my arm on Friday because of the sting/bite that I got five weeks ago.  It's still swollen, sore and red and the doctor thinks there could be infection deep inside.  Next Monday I have a mammogram and bone density scan.  I didn't have my mammogram last year because of the recent pacemaker surgery so he is adamant I get it done ASAP.  Then the following week I'm supposed to have a mylegram, (spelling) on my back.  Whew!  Once again, I will be glad when this year is done and over and I certainly hope next year will be better. 

I want to see my girls again.  FaceTime is great, but no substitute for actual touching and little girl kisses.  I really don't mean to complain though.  So many are so much worse off than I am.  I can still knit and crochet for other people and I have family and friends who love me.  That is a GOOD thing!  Dennis and I took a drive with Chloe to the lake on Monday when it was 70 degrees and had a nice walk.  No one was there except the guys closing up and we had nice visits with all of them.  And Dennis and I had four wonderful days together.  I miss him this week, the house isn't the same with him back at work.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the changing seasons wherever you may be.

"But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love: for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." Psalm 59:16

Blessings,

Betsy

Fall Days

It's Wednesday and another crisp fall day here in Spokane.  I keep hearing about heat waves around the country, but it's certainly not here.  Our temperatures have been lower than average for weeks and most of the leaves have fallen already around our neighborhood.

We bought a new mattress a few months ago and the queen size quilt I had made no longer fit it because the new mattresses are so deep.  A friend at church made this quilt for us, actually her Mom had 80+ tops pieced when she passed away.  Eva-Mae made the tops and then her daughter, Nancy would bind and hand quilt them.  Nancy added some fabric to make the border deeper and then hand-quilted this beautiful blanket for us.  I need to get some new pillow covers to match but isn't it nice?  I love it.  I'll take the one I made out to the trailer for our queen size bed there.

Do you see the painting of the Arc de Triomphe in the top left corner?  Dennis and I watched the artist paint this while we were in Paris a few years ago.  We bought it for the equivalent of about $10!  It cost a LOT more than that to frame it when we got home because it wasn't in U.S. measurements.  I love it though.  Lots of good memories.

This is my progress so far on the cross stitch SAL I'm doing with Vicki, (Stitchy McFloss).  Isn't it cute?  Feel free to join in.  The pattern is free on Vicki's blog and we'd love to have company in this stitching fun!

I also made three "Knitted Knockers" for a local oncology unit.  If you've never heard of them, they are given to women who are being treated for breast cancer and are much, much more comfortable than the silicone ones you get from the medical profession.  I have had two friend use ones I've made for them and they are so appreciative.  They are so soft on the scar tissue.  If you don't have a local place to donate them, there is a national group that collects them, stuffs them and mails them to women who would like them.  You can find them as a group on Ravelry or just google Knitted Knockers and you'll find the free pattern and all of the information you need regarding appropriate yarns, etc.  Everyone can make a difference even if you don't knit or crochet.  It's a non-profit group that also accepts donations to pay for stuffing materials and postage.

I started  a new pair of socks too!  I always seem to have several projects going at once don't I?

Another sock yarn leftover square in in process.

And two squares are done.  I think I'm going to like this blanket.

These are my Trader Joe's flowers two weeks after I bought them.  Isn't it amazing how nice they still look?  I just change the water every few days and they keep making my home beautiful. :-)

Friday morning we're heading to Oregon and the coast.  I'm excited to see all of the girls and Dennis is looking forward to visiting with Teresa's husband Dayle.  They really hit it off when they met last time.  I hope there is some sunshine while we're there so we can do some beach walking, but the forecast isn't looking too promising.  It will still be nice to get away and relax a bit.

I "almost" bought a new car yesterday.  My CRV was in for a recall issue and I had to use the restroom after 3 hours of waiting.  It happened to be located in the new car showroom, of course!  The man we have bought our last two cars from was there and recognized me.  He showed me the brand new CRV and I was smitten.  Hubby had already told me to buy one if I saw one I liked. He seriously did.  I have the most amazing husband.  I told the saleman I needed to talk to Dennis.  After three calls last night to Dennis, he had lowered the price almost $8000.00!  I am probably an idiot, but I called him today and said no thank you.  Dennis said I could get it, but I just have a problem spending that much money when I love the car I have.  Now I feel like I've saved lots and lots of money.  I should reward myself somehow.  Ha! Ha!  And for those of you that know we teach Financial Peace classes, we do have the money saved for a replacement car when needed.  No payments.  But I think that makes it even harder to buy.

Not much else is new since I last wrote.  I'm going back to the doctor tomorrow because my arm where I was stung 4 weeks ago is still swollen and very sore.  He wants to see it again.  Bleh!  I have packing to do for my trip.  And I'm tired of doctors. 

No new pictures of sweet Piper but she got five injections as the doctor on Monday during her well child check.  She's skinny and tall according to the national percentile.  The little one eats more than a grown man does!  Seriously!  You should see her eat.  Her Daddy is like that too though.  And her other grandma is tall and thin.  I used to be.  Would you believe I weighed 95 lbs. and was 5'10" when we were married!  True.  Some things have changed in a BIG way and not for the better!

Okay friends, I hope it's gorgeous wherever you may be and you're enjoying the change of seasons.  I'm going to do some dusting and a little cleaning before it's time to fix dinner.  I didn't get my chores done earlier because it was our annual "meet with the insurance guy" day today to review our various insurance policies. Always fun.  Not!

"The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice."  Proverbs 12:15

Seems appropriate right now.  Enough said.

Blessings,
Betsy