Home Again!

Hello my friends! We're safely back in Spokane. I have tons and tons of photos to share, but once again Blogger is NOT cooperating. I think I'm giving up. I will try to keep up with all of your blogs but I really believe I'm done. I have spent 3 hours trying to write one blog post. I do have an Instagram account where I post photos and you are all very, very welcome to follow me there. You can find me at- queenbetsy2 - and I would love to see you there. I will pop in here now and again and see if Blogger will let me post pictures and I will definitely still be reading your blogs and commenting as long as I can.

We had a great trip with beautiful weather on the way to Omaha with autumn colors through the mountains. Coming home it was crazy snowing through Iowa and S. Dakota. The roads were slushy in Wyoming but once we crossed into Montana it was gorgeous. Here in Spokane it's in the 60's all week and I'm enjoying the beautiful blue skies.

The girls in my family, seven of us, went to a painting party last Thursday and all of us painted pictures that actually turned out beautifully. We had a fun time and made some good memories

Piper's birthday parties were fun too. There were seven little girls at her party Saturday morning and then the family all came Saturday evening. I counted 24 people at that one! It was fun to catch up with everyone. We spent time with Dennis' Mom and sister on several different occasions during the week.

We left at 5:45 Sunday morning and finally stopped in Billings, MT that evening after over 15 hours of driving through pretty nasty weather. Then we had an easy 8 hour drive on Sunday, getting home in time to wash the car and get a pizza to take home for dinner. My poor car hasn't been that dirty since we bought it. I have over 11,300 miles on it and I just got it in May! Two trips to Omaha with over 3500 miles round trip for each trip was most of those miles!

It's good to be home but I'm sure missing Mandy and Piper.

I sure wish I could share pictures with you all, but please, please pop over to Instagram to see all the pictures I've posted over the past couple of weeks.

Much love to you all and be assured I'll be visiting your blogs. Feel free to email me anytime at queenbetsy2@gmail.com. I promise to reply!

"Yours, LORD is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in Heaven and Earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 1 Chronicles 29:11

Blessings,
Betsy

Bits and Pieces

Bits and pieces.  All that has been accomplished this week is packing and sitting.  I have gotten some knitting done, but my back has NOT been happy this week.  I don't know if it is because of the colder weather, but I have sat with ice on it quite a lot this week.  Which is making me dread the 24 hour drive this weekend.  The only thing that can get me to even contemplate this trip is that Piper, Mandy and family are waiting at the end of it.  I only hope I can move when I get there.  Seriously.  I don't want to be "Debbie Downer" about this, but my life of inactivity is getting very old.

Plus, I spent Sunday morning in the Emergency room with chest pain.  The only thing the doctor could figure out is that it could be related to my back spasms.  Apparently the muscles are all connected and they believe it was causing chest spasms, mimicing the symptoms of a heart attack.  They were sure it was a heart attack until the EKG and blood work showed differently.  As they always tell you, come back if it returns.  Well...I don't think so.  From now on out I'm taking my chances.  I had to give them $200.00 just to be seen for our co-pay, payable immediately.  Then will come the bills...deductibles, out-of-pocket, etc.  Something is seriously wrong with our medical system when you're afraid to go to the ER for a possible heart attack because of the cost.

Okay, I'm done whining.  Just frustrated and tired of being frustrated.  I have been knitting.  This is the Utilitarian Faroese Shawl which is on Ravelry as a paid for pattern.  It will be a Christmas gift for an unnamed recipient, just in case that person sees this, unlikely as it is, I want it to be a surprise.  As the pattern calls for, I'm using Homespun yarn.

 Next is the "Make a Long Story Short Blanket" and is also a Christmas gift.  I have used Caron "Big Cake" yarn.  It's been a super fun and easy knit, although the bigger needles have made my hands ache  a bit.  It is 40 x 68 inches and I am now closing up the end corner.  I'm very pleasde with how it turned out.

  

The leaves have turned and are almost gone from one of the trees in our front yard although the other one is still green.  Many trees in our neighborhood are already bare of leaves.  Very unusual to be gone so early.  I love the fall colors.  It's as though the trees put on a pretty show to encourage us all just before winter's icy blast.

 

These are the berries one one of our neighbors trees that is drooping over our fence.  There is a LOT of weight on this tree and it's hanging very low.  I think there will be plenty of food for the birds this winter.

This past weekend Mandy was wearing the "Wonderful Wallaby" sweater I made her a couple of years ago as it was chilly in Omaha.  Piper's eyes lit up and she ran into her bedroom and came out wearing the matching one that I had made for her at the same time.  Mandy sent me this picture of the two of them.  Dennis says it's one of his very favorite pictures of them.  However, Piper's sweater will NOT fit her very long.  Look how short those sleeves are.  I'm searching for more of this yarn and I'm taking the pattern and needles with me.  Hopefully I can find the yarn and get it done while there, if not I could make a good start anyway.

I hope all is well with all of you.  I met with our new house/pet sitter yesterday.  She's a sweetheart and we've known her for years and years, but none of the animals know her.  Ellen, our friend who normally stays here is having leg and hip issues and can't do our stairs.  We have a split level house with stairs everywhere. 

To top the week off, I had to take both Amelia and Frannie to the vet on Monday.  Mandy thought one of them might have a UTI but didn't know which one.  Since Amelia had one before, we thought it would be her.  Nope.  Back home I came and returned to the vet with Frannie.  So now she is on antibiotics twice a day for 10 days.  She already seems much better and no more accidents, but it's not easy getting her to take her medicine.  I'm hoping that goes well for Sheila.  She has a cat herself, so I think she may be experienced in giving them meds.

Wow!  This wasn't a very upbeat post.  Sorry about that.  It's life right now and I share that with all of you.  I hope I have lots more happy things to report next time I write after spending time with Miss Piper. :-)  That won't be until our return home, but I'll try to keep up with all of your posts while gone.  I hope your fall is a happy one and that your gardens are all harvested and you are enjoying the bounty and fruits of your hard work all summer.

"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

Blessings,
Betsy

It's over!

Summer is officially over.  The lake trailer is closed up for the season. The first two photos are what it looked like last Friday.  The second two are after we closed up for the season on Saturday.  I like the first two better. :-)

Mandy, if you're reading this, don't show Piper the next two pictures!  

I made this little poncho for Miss Piper and hope she can get some wear from it before it's too cold this year.  I did make it big enough that she should be able to wear it next spring too.  The pattern is one that Jennifer from the "Thistlebear" blog on my sidebar made for her daughter's birthday.  I used the same yarn she did, just in a different colorway because Piper loves, loves, loves pink.  I hope she likes it.  I made it on a whim and it only took two evenings!  Jennifer has all of the pattern information on her blog.  If you don't follow her, you should check her out.  I'm sure you would enjoy her posts.

 As part of Piper's birthday present, (She's 6 TODAY!), I made her a hat, scarf, mittens and wristwarmers.  I have already shown you the hat and wristwarmers earlier, but just made the mittens and scarf.  The yarn is from Hobby Lobby and is super soft.  I used about 1 and 1 1/2 skeins of "I Love This Yarn."

 I also started this blanket for Neal & Jenny for Christmas.  It's made from Caron's Big Cake yarn and I have four skeins.  It's knitted on the diagonal and is 38 inches wide.  I'm using the pattern "Make a Long Story Short Blanket" off of Ravelry.  I bought all of the yarn that Michaels had in this colorway so I really hope it's enough for a decent sized blanket.

We sealed our patio and sidwalk this morning.  Doesn't it look pretty and shiny?  We really wanted it done before another long winter with 3 foot of snow sitting on the concrete, but it has to be almost perfect weather with temps in the 60's or low 70's and on a day Dennis was off of work to prep the area, etc.  Finally today worked!

 Sorry this one is sideways.  But we love how it turned out. 

Last Friday at the lake, Burlington Northern Railroad replaced a bunch of ties on the track right behind our trailers.  It was very interesting to watch the entire process.  There were 17 different vehicles/tractors involved in the pulling out the spikes, removing steel plates, removing the old ties, replacing with the new ones, and then reversing the entire process.  I'm usually not that interested in this kind of thing, but I really did learn a lot by watching.  It is all done very quickly because there are two trains that use this track daily.  There were hundreds of ties replaced within a couple of hours!

 

 And look!  This tractor has a porta-potty and a water container on the back of it.  Look how dry it still is here.  We still have several fires burning around us.  In fact, I took my new car in for an oil change this week and the cabin filter was completely clogged with soot!  So much smoke in the air earlier this year.  I'm so glad that has cleared up finally.

As I said before, today is Miss Piper's 6th birthday and as I type this they are on an airplane flying from Chicago to Omaha.  They have been in Bavaria for the last 10 days.  Here she is in picture Mandy texted to me this morning while they were waiting to board the plane.  I can't wait to talk to them and hear all about the trip.  From the photos I recieved, it looks as though they had a great time.  Piper even got to wear a dirndl while there.  If I know Piper, I'm sure that she was thrilled with that.

We're leaving next Friday to drive back to Omaha for a week.  We have decided not to camp our way back because snow is already falling in parts of Montana and we would rather not be that cold!  Call me a wimp, but I'll give in and pay for a hotel if it means staying warm all night.

Piper's birthday party will be held while we're there so she'll get to stretch this birthday out for awhile.  I'm looking forward to seeing my sister and family while we're there.

We have a new housesitter staying here with the animals while we're gone and we're really hoping that all works out well.  Ellen has always stayed here when we traveled, but she's dealing with some health issues and she doesn't think she would be able to do our stairs right now.  It's hard to leave someone else here, but I'm sure it will all be fine.

One last bit of news is that my middle brother was sworn in as a police chaplain for the Council Bluffs, Iowa police department last week.  I am so very proud of him. It is a volunteer position.  He worked as an ambulance driver all of his life until his back gave out on him.  Then he worked for the 911 center in the records room until he retired two years ago.  Throughout his career he has always met with officers and prayed with them and just listened to them talk.  I don't think most of us realize the horrors that our officers see and face.  We just hear the bad stories about a few bad apples.  Most of them are there to serve and protect us at any price to themselves.  Lynn is there for them.  And they appreciate him.  He has continued to meet with them since his retirement, this merely makes it official. I am so proud to be his little sister.  He has such a HUGE heart for people.  I know he'll never see this, but I want everyone to know how much I love him.

I hope you all have a lovely week and are enjoying the weather.  Our leaves are turning very, very early this year and many of our trees have already shed their leaves.  Last year we still had leaves in November.  I have a hunch this is a warning of what our winter will be like.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthianss 4:18

Blessings,
Betsy