TOPS, CAPRI'S, & SKIRTS - OH, MY~Self-Care 2026; Castle Rock-WA

Monday, July 20th: We drove to Chehalis this afternoon for shopping 🚘🛒🛍️ - I came home with a whole new wardrobe from the thrift store, there  😊 I prefer thrift store shopping because the clothing items are more eclectic than trendy, or age specific. I'm not ready for granny clothes, but I'm wise enough to understand that I have to wistfully bypass some appealing clothing that whispers, "buy me": I'm between the 2 timeline slots; so, I walked the aging line & made wise choices today. While walking the aisles & filling my cart with tops that fit comfortably & smoothly over my massive mammas (the main reason I went shopping today), I remembered Holland saying he likes women wearing skirts; so, a few went into my shopping cart, too - along with a skort. Skirts were making sense to me as I made my item selections: they are easier to wiggle into than the leggings threaded with lycra that mimic wrestling with a girdle. Not fun. And, at my age (70, in December) - I'm preferring the easy, fun, side of life rather than the stress-inducing, vain, side: clothing that slides easily over my love handles without needing the boost of a smooth shoe horn, or a full cardio workout of yanking, pulling, and jumping … works for me now.

I've outgrown much of the clothing in my closet - literally & figuratively. My husband likes to eat manly meals & we are living a sedentary life … it is showing on both of us; my body has aged, my hair has grayed significantly, & my life has changed: my wardrobe no longer [fits] on any of those points, & needed updating.

Though the change of scenery, & the thrift store was the main reason the drive was made, we also did some shopping at the Wal*Mart Superstore there, in Chehalis-WA; & enjoyed a Sonic Chili Dogs & Tater Tots, before coming back home 🌭🍟

Centralia Goodwill Store from TR RV Resort, Castle Rock~via I-5 N; 30 min (30.7 miles)

Centralia Goodwill Store; #519 Harrison Ave, Centralia, WA - next time I come here, if I come solo lobo … I'll get a Rueben sandwich @ the Country Cousin Restaurant, & visit the Fort Borst Park - which has paved walking trails.

Chehalis Wal*Mart Superstore from Centralia Goodwill Store~via I-5 S; 10 min (4.6 mi)

Chehalis Wal*Mart Superstore; #1601 NW Louisiana Ave, Chehalis, WA

I had gotten a workout with the in-and-out of Betsy activity; the arm & hand activity of sliding hangers back and forth (and then, items shopping at Wal*Mart = same motion, different activity) - the continuous actions of lifting clothing items held up for viewing before decisions were made to place said item in my cart, or back on the rack (and then, items shopping at Wal*Mart = same motion, different activity); the torso twisting activity as I walked down aisles (and then, items shopping at Wal*Mart = same motion, different activity); and then the bag toting actions of shopping in the stores … it may not seem like much of a workout, but shopping can actually engage muscle groups, beneficially. That's my story & I'm sticking with it:

Bodyweight Glute Step-up; in & out of Betsy, x7

Body Twists

Bodyweight Standing Wringing The Towel Exercise

Hand Strengthening Grip Exercises

Farmer's Walk; several, heavy, grocery bags from store to truck & visa versa.

Today was Holland's first experience of buying clothes with & for me … and I told him to be brutally honest with me when we got home, and I tried everything on for a show & tell session 👀 - I want to look presentable, frontside & backside: he agreed to be the judge & jury 👍👎 as to what goes into my closet; and what goes back. I assured him that his honesty in this situation would not hurt my feelings 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨; I do buy what I like - but I don't want to look like an aging fool when I go out in public. And I don't want to embarrass my husband, who will sometimes be seen with me in the public square. I was sure I had shopped & selected with a discerning eye; but a second opinion is always beneficial 😘

New tops = my breasts were no longer squished.

Capri's = no greased shoe horn needed to pull them up my thighs to settle comfortably over my love handles.

Skirts = freedom, all the way around; what a glorious feeling - oh, my!

Everything got a showing 👀, an approval 👌, & goes into my closet 😊

I'm glad, because the newer, updated clothes, were really needed; nothing fancy, but everything road gypsy stylish … as well as the compact mini printer we also brought home with us - which can be utilized in Betsy's cab, if necessary; Holland has been talking about this printer for as long as we've been on the road.

Now, he has it.

Mini Printer

I noticed a rash on the inside of my arm - probably an allergic reaction caused by preservatives in the food I ate, earlier.

I have noticed that my Tablet screen has a few scratches on it: nothing serious, but seeing them motivated me into designing a simple cover for it.

MOD Open-End Tablet Cover; no pattern written up … stiff cardboard cut to protect screen, & covered; creating a pocket to slide the Tablet, into.

And we saw a lovely sunset this evening as we were fueling Betsy up. We may be driving to Woodland tomorrow.

Lovely sunset seen at the Space Age Travel Center, in Castle Rock-WA

This Monday was - as the intro picture for today suggested, was truly a marvelous blessing.

ANNA'S SIXTY; Castle Rock-WA

My cousin posted this timely article to her FB Page; it is exactly the  reminding encouragement & spiritual boost, I needed to hear this Sunday 😘

Anna is highlighted in the Scripture passage of Luke 2:36-38.

The Reminder: There isn't just one kind of prayer. There's authority prayer, for what's under your jurisdiction. Warfare prayer, against spiritual forces. And prophetic intercession … the Anna kind - for a person with free will, where you stand faithfully before God for years while honoring the choice Elohim, Himself, refuses to override (the choice of mankind's free will); Elohim waits for the turning towards Him to begin the healing, restorative work needed for a whole healing in lives that have been damaged. Nothing is beyond repair when hurting people turn towards Elohim for restoration, a healing touch from Yeshua, and power-infused, life-changing experience, from the Ruach HaKo'desh.

Spiritual Boost: You are exactly where you need to be, difficult as it may seem. As frustrating as it may look. Hardships always result in blessings. And love never fails. A mother's prayers are heard - and often answered in ways the natural eye cannot see: sometimes, the parent goes to their eternal rest without seeing the prayers answered. Free will … & God's timing, not ours. An unsaved spouse is covered & sanctified by the saved spouse; Elohim hears the prayerful pleas & often answers in ways the natural eye cannot see & many times, an unequal yoke is meant for a humbling of both hearts, for the benefit of His glory to shine forth.

There is no gain without pain.

If not for the rain, sunshine would be taken for granted.

God is good all the time … and all the time, God is good. Amen!

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ANNA'S SIXTY

~By Ruth Callahan

We preach Hannah, who prayed for one year and got her son. We preach Abraham, who waited twenty-five. Nobody preaches Anna.

She's four verses in the Christmas story, and most sermons walk right past her to get to the shepherds. A widow. A prophetess. 

Scripture says she served God in the temple night and day with fasting and prayer — and that she was eighty-four years old before she finally saw the promise she had waited her whole life for.

Do the math on that. Decades of interceding before the answer ever walked through the doors.

I found her the year I'd decided I was a failure.

I'd been praying for my son for a long time by then — longer than I like to count. And I'd started to believe the silence meant something about me. That if I were more faithful, prayed with more power, had less doubt, God would have answered by now. I looked around my church at the women whose children still sat beside them on Sunday and felt like the least faithful mother in the building.

Then a book I'd been given put Anna in front of me — really in front of me — and asked a question that turned the whole thing over. What if the length of your waiting isn't the measure of your failure? What if some of us aren't failing at all — we're Annas, called to a long watch, and nobody ever trained us for it?

Because here's what it taught me. There isn't just one kind of prayer. There's authority prayer, for what's under your jurisdiction. Warfare prayer, against spiritual forces. And prophetic intercession — the Anna kind — for a person with free will, where you stand faithfully before God for years while honoring the choice He Himself refuses to override.

I'd been praying like my son was still under my roof, commanding an outcome over a grown man who has his own will. It wasn't weak faith. It was the wrong weapon for a battle I was never taught to fight. Anna knew the right one. So did Daniel, who fasted twenty-one days while a war he couldn't see raged in the heavens. So did Paul, who asked three times and got a holy no and kept going.

There's a name for what they had. Intercessory longevity — the strength to keep praying faithfully when the battle is measured in years, not weeks. It's not the booby prize for mothers whose prayers "didn't work." It's the highest form of the thing. Anna didn't waste sixty years. She spent them holding a promise before the throne until it was time.

I don't know when my son's story turns. That's between him and God, and I've stopped pretending the timeline was ever mine to set. But I've stopped grading myself on it. His choices are his — not the final mark on my worth as his mother. And I've stopped believing the silence means I've been forgotten. A prayer can disappear into quiet and still be moving, kept before God, reaching a child in the places a mother's arms can't.

If you've been praying for years and started to think the length of the wait is proof of your failure — it isn't. You might just be an Anna the church forgot to prepare.

MOD MOSAIC PATTERN PAPERBACK COVER~Pattern; Castle Rock-WA

MOD MOSAIC PATTERN PAPERBACK COVER

I'm on a roll this month with designing paperback covers ✂️📏🧶📚

I've mentioned before - in previous posts - how I get bored quickly; well, I also get bored with the same-ole', same ole' … I need constant change: habits, scenery, tasty delights, patterns, ect. Right now, I'm kinds focused on switching out book covers.

I'm reading borrowed books from a friend, and the goal is to get them back to him without cover damages, hence the cover turnovers.

This cover will fit a paperback = 7-1/2" L x 4" W

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Materials: Worsted Yarn, in color of choice; small amount of scrap yarn for a length of marker yarn; Sock Yarn, small amount in matching color (or contrast color if desired) #I-9 & #1 aluminum crochet hooks; scissors; tapestry needle; trim of choice (if trim is desired)

Terms used:

MC = main color

CC = contrast color

FR LP = frnt loop

BK LP = back loop

ch = chain

EA = each

EO = end off

rem'g = remaining

rpt = repeat

RS = right side

r = row

sc = single crochet

st = stitch

T = turn

WS = wrong side

x = repeat

With yarn & crochet hook, make a chain of 56

Row 1: T & sc in 9 ch, place marker yarn, sc in next 37 ch, place marker yarn, sc in rem'g 9 sc; ch 1 & T

Row 2: Sc in 9 ch, slide marker up row, sc in next 37 ch, slide marker up row, sc in rem'g 9 sc; ch 1 & T

Row 3: With MC sc in 9 ch, slide marker up row, drop MC & attach CC, carrying MC along backside of work - work this CC pattern *dc in front loop of sc of previous row & sc in back loop of next st*; rpt * to * across 23 sts, place marker yarn, drop CC & pick up MC to sc in rem'g 24 sts … and continue to slide marker up row to mark cover flap 9 sc; ch 1 & T

Row 3 pattern - dc in front loop of sc of previous row …

Row 3 pattern - sc in back loop of next st

Row 3 pattern - rpt dc & sc pattern a TL of x23 sts, M, sc x24; slide markers up row~Front-facing view.

Row 3 pattern - carrying MC along backside of work; WS view.

Row 4: With MC, sc across row - carrying CC along frontside of work, & slide markers up row as you come to them (55)

Carrying CC along backside of work; RS view.

Rows 5 thru 31: Rpt rows 4 & 5 for pattern; for a length of 7"; checking now and then for length (every book is sized differently, even if quoted measurements are the same). EO

Row 5~Work Row 3 dc, sc pattern.

Work in established pattern for a length of 7-in; checking now and then for length.

Go back to the beginning of the last row & attach MC … work 1 row of sc. EO

Finishing: With RS facing, fold 10 sts of the flap backward & whipstitch EA end closed - weave in loose ends. Turn flap inward to make a pocket to slip cover edge into. Rpt with other cover flap, in same manner.

Turn flap inward to make a pocket to slip cover edge into.

Page Marker: With #1 hook & sock yarn; attach yarn in center top of Book Cover, & make a ch of chosen length - attach trim (or not) & back chain to beginning ch. EO and weave in loose ends.

Button trim page marker.

MOD CROCHET BLUE PAPERBACK COVER~Pattern; Castle Rock-WA

MOD Crochet Blue Paperback Cover

It was a rocking, wet, Day here: a miserable time to be out & about, but I had a dentist appointment at 9 AM - so, we bundled up & braved the stormy weather ☔️⚡️

When I got back from the dentist, I decided to design & craft 📏🧶✂️ another paperback cover 📕 … I get bored easily, and this seemed something I could do that would occupy my time until the Novocain 💉wore off - it was also a chance to try a new crochet pattern (not my own pattern, but an interesting one I saw viewing an online reel), which I used for the cover trim 😉

This pattern used very simple, basic crochet sts - even the trim that may sound complicated, is actually a very simplistic, repeating pattern; easy & quick to do.

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Materials: Red Heart Worsted Yarn, in MC, CC1 & CC2; small amount of scrap yarn for a length of marker yarn; Sock Yarn, small amount in matching color (or contrast color if desired) #I-9 & #1 aluminum crochet hooks; scissors; tapestry needle; trim of choice (if trim is desired)

Terms used:

MC = main color

CC = contrast color

ch = chain

EO = end off

rem'g = remaining

rpt = repeat

r = row

sc = single crochet

T = turn

With MC yarn, & crochet hook, make a chain of 49; T

Row 1: Ch 1 and  sc in 8 ch, place marker, sc in next 32 ch, place marker, sc in rem'g 8 ch; ch 1 & T

Work in sc rows, until you have completed 30 rows total - moving marker up row to keep count accurate. EO

Trim: With a length of scrap yarn, mark where you want your trim placement.

With crochet hook, attach CC1 to bottom edge of trim placement marker - centering evenly.

Yo & draw yarn through all loops on hook.

Yo & draw yarn through all loops on hook.

Holding 1st loop against hook shank, slip the hook tip under the next 3 loops … yo, & draw yarn through the 3 loops.

Hold 2 loops against hook shank, slip the hook tip under the next 3 loops … yo, & draw yarn through the 2 loops.

Hold 3 loops against hook shank, slip the hook tip under the last  loop … yo, & draw yarn through all 4 loops on hook.

Slip the hook tip under the last loop, & draw yarn through all 4 loops.

Repeat the loop process, until you have reached the length needed. EO & weave in loose ends.

With a light hand, tack the trim in place.

Rpt the loop design process to length needed.

With CC2 & crochet hook, secure the trim to book cover with sl sts. EO & weave in loose ends.

Finishing: With RS facing, fold 10 sts of the flap backward & whipstitch EA end closed - weave in loose ends. Turn flap inward to make a pocket to slip cover edge into.

Repeat with other cover flap, in same manner.

I did not make a bookmark for this cover, but I have included my method for making a bookmark if one is desired:

Page Marker: With #1 hook & sock yarn; attach yarn in center top of Book Cover, & make a ch of chosen length - attach trim (or not) & back chain to beginning ch. EO and weave in loose ends.