Quilts and Blankets

Hello my friends! It's Saturday and we're home. We'v been home since Monday and it's been hot and humid ever since we arrived back here. I haven't left the condo since Monday except to take Zoey outside and I'm loving it. 

I have a big surprise to show you. The day before Mom's Memorial service I received a box in the mail from Canada. That was a surprising in itself, but look what was inside!

A BEE QUILT! Valerie from the "Wandering Cat Studio" blog sent me this amazing, amazing quilt. She knows how much I love bees and although she says there's an error or two with seams, I cannot find ANYTHING wrong with it. It is just stunning and I am speechless. It arrived at the perfect time. There was so much stress happening at that time. I've wrapped myself up in it many times already. Here, let me show you this work of art.

It covers the queen size bed.

A closer look at the intricate squares. Nine patches are one of my favorite quilt block patterns. :-)

Bees, bees, bees all over the backing fabric.  Bzzzzzzzz

And here is her shop name below. Run over and check out all of her beautiful quilts if you haven't seen them yet. You'll be impressed by the quality. She and her Mom put together pure works of art.

Valerie, I can't express enough how much I am humbled by your beautiful gift of love. I will cherish it and love it as long as I'm here on this earth. Thank you!

Meanwhile, Miss Piper picked out yarn from my stash for a new blanket to match her newly, (in the past year), decorated bedroom. It went from a toddler to a teenager overnight. Just like she did!

I made squares during the entire camping trip and drive and then when we got home I began putting them together. It is 9 squares by 13 squares and each square is 4 inches. The border adds another inch between each square.

Piper wanted to have a "lacey" border like I put on a blanket for her baby dolls a few years ago and she wanted it in a creamy color. This color looks like french vanilla ice cream to me.

Working on the border. I think I went around the blanket with a chain 3, single crochet stitch about 8 to 10 times. Zoey's lambey had to get in on the action. Our floor sometimes looks like a toddlers room with all of her toys. :-)

Piper came over to swim with Papa yesterday afternoon and while they were in the pool, I finished up the border. She didn't even wait for me to wash it, but took it home with her. She seems to love it. Mandy washed it when they got home and...

she not only wrapped up with it on the couch last night, it's now on her bed too. Lizzie approves! The border yarn matches her bedspread pretty well. I do love making things for my sweet Piper because she's actively involved in the process of pattern choice, color choice and then she uses everything I make. She even knew exactly how big she wanted the squares to be. It's wonderful to make things for people who appreciate the work and and the love that go into every stitch.

Tomorrow we'll go to church in the morning and then drop Zoey off with Lizzie and go to Brad's parents for Father's Day lunch. It was nice of them to invite us and we always enjoy their company. I just made 36 deviled eggs to contribute. They always go over well at a picnic don't they?

I'm praying for the people of Israel and Iran today. Actually, for people all over the world. Sometimes it seems like everything is going crazy and then I remember that nothing surprises the Lord. He knows exactly what will happen and when, and I just need to put my trust and faith in Him. I am watching every day for the return of Jesus. The Bible says no one knows the day or the hour, but that we should always be prepared in and out of season. So I watch, wait and pray. Always praying for the hope of blessed salvation for everyone.

Have a lovely weekend my friends and Happy Father's Day to all of your Dad's and Husbands.


Blessings and love,

Betsy

Oh How I Love Jesus

Text: Frederick Whitfield

Music: Transitional American Melody

1

There is a name I love to hear,
  I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in mine ear,
  The sweetest name on earth.

 

Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
  Because He first loved me!

2

It tells me of a Savior’s love,
  Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood,
  The sinner’s perfect plea.

3

It tells me what my Father hath,
  In store for every day,
And though I tread a darksome path,
  Yields sunshine all the way.

4

It tells of One whose loving heart
  Can feel my deepest woe,
Who in each sorrow bears a part
  That none can bear below.

Graduation Day!

Graduation is over and we are back on the road again.

This photo was taken Friday when we stopped at a rest area in Indiana for lunch. Look at all of that moss on the roof of the picnic shelter. It obviously has lots of rain here. It was raining while we ate too!

A bit closer. 

Graduation at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday morning. There were almost 500 graduates.

Here’s our 👩‍🎓 graduate. Amanda is a school nurse and is planning to continue on for her doctorate. She leaves next week for Kenya where she’ll be doing mission work for the summer. She has previously been on the medical mission field in Haiti. She’s beautiful inside and out. Amanda also played the piano for Mom’smemorial service. She’s multitalented!💜

Photos afterwards….with us

and Curt and Barb. For those of you who don’t know, Dennis and Curt are cousins and lifelong best friends. The four of us actually went on our first date together 49+ years ago.

We took Amanda to lunch after graduation and found this guy hanging out close to the restaurant.

This is where we camped Friday and Saturday nights. It’s just over the border from Kentucky in Indiana. It rained the entire time we were here with just short periods between showers. I love the sound of rain on the camper roof while we’re sleeping.

Last night we went to the highly recommended Norma Jeans for ice cream. It was delicious. I had raspberry truffle. Oh my! Dennis had blueberry cheesecake, Curt had Oreo cookie dough and Barb had salted caramel. Everyone was VERY happy. 🍨🍦

Today we had planned to go to Mammoth Cave, but the heat and humidity was actually making me ill. I could tolerate it at the first two campgrounds because we had electricity and could run our AC when in the camper. But the Mammoth Cave campground has no electric sites. Dennis made the executive decision not to go. We’re disappointed of course, but our main reason for the trip was the graduation and we did that. We were going separate ways from Curt and Barb anyway, as they’re heading northeast to visit Barb’s family. We’re now heading towards home with no clear plan of where we’ll camp for the night.  We may get home tomorrow or it may be a couple of days if we decide to stop somewhere. 

Meanwhile I’m crocheting squares for Piper’s blanket while riding in the truck.  Sorry that I just read your blogs this morning, the last campground didn’t have any cell reception or internet. Take care my friends.

Blessings and love,

Betsy 

Kentucky or Bust!

We left for Amanda’s graduation in Louisville, Kentucky on Wednesday morning. We stayed at finger Lakes State Park in Missouri the first two nights. Today we’re on the road and should arrive at a state park just north of Louisville in Indiana in a few hours. 

This is our camping buddies cool camper. Would you believe I forgot to take a photo of ours?

The first night when we arrived, Curt and Barb opened up their camper and everything was wet. It had poured down rain the night before in Omaha and apparently when their camper is down, it leaks. The mattress was soaked through and through along with all of the bedding. Dennis and Curt ran to the nearest Walmart and bought an air mattress for them to use while theirs dries out.

With the humidity here that’s not an easy feat. It’s been between 93 and 97% since we left home.

Today we’re trying to outrun severe thunderstorms. The goal is to get our camp set up before the storms hit this afternoon, but I’m not sure we’re going to make it. That’s Curt and Barb ahead of us.

This was the traffic in St. Louis a little while ago. There’s the St. Louis arch! No way could you convince me to live where traffic is this heavy. We are 52 1/2 feet long between the truck and the camper, and driving through this is not fun.

Right after we saw the arch we drove over this bridge. Curt is still leading the way!

What a neat bridge.

So far we’re having a great time. We only have electricity at our site the next two nights. When we are at Mammoth Cave, there is no electricity so we won’t be able to run the air conditioner. Yikes! I may not survive or we’ll leave early. 

Blessings and Love,

Betsy