Weeding

 

Granddaughter Nora came a couple of times to weed the front yard beds,  She did a good job, and they look better.

The Felco pruners are here, a Christmas gift from aunts Sarah and Winnie, with her name engraved.  She's landed on landscape design as her major so it was an appropriate gift.

It was such a win/win.  I could pay her, over her objections, and feed her.  And I'm sure the neighbors are grateful.

I'm still hopeful, but it loos like a few of my favorite plants didn't make it through the winter.  Still, the ones that did are filling in nicely.

Except for some top soil, I've put off any visits to the nursery.  Probably just as well, there are frost warnings tonight and tomorrow night.

Hot Cross Buns

 

I decided to not make red beet eggs this year.  No one in the family is as impressed with them as I am.

There may, and may not, be egg coloring at my daughter's house.  The grands are 18 and 21.  The Easter baskets (pails) with goodies and plastic eggs with dollar bills - those will still be there.

At my house, hot cross buns are still a tradition.  I got them yesterday at the little bakery in the downtown area, family owned since 1927, open 3:00 am to 3:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday.

The clerk put an extra one in my package because it was a little small.  It was delicious.

Something Wrong

 

I thought I'd finished piecing this baby quilt, minus the borders.  It wasn't until I'd looked at the picture that I realized something was wrong.  It isn't too obvious, I'd looked at it time and again on my design wall, but it's there.

I considered leaving it, but in the end I just couldn't.  I just had to take that part of the quilt apart and fix it.

I'm always amazed how piecing that looks like we think it should shows up on a photograph.  Sometimes even more in black and white.   That's my quilting hint for the day - photograph your "finished" piecing, set the photo aside, then look at it again in a few hours.  The next day is even better.

Hint:  to find the error, look at the seond row, far right.  Those little lion heads look like they are vertical.  The other lion head blocks look horizontal.

Walk Today

 

Daylight Savings Time, love it or hate it.  I love it.  I welcome that hour of light placed at the end of the day.

I can't say that it was easy taking that first spring walk up the hill today.  Not the big steep hill on the street below.  Not the shorter but steeper hill going up to the park.  Not the long but less steep hill on the street behind me - I did that one last week.

The one to the left as I go out my door.  A very short block, all up hill.  And then, once I was up there I walked as far as the library.

One of the houses on the way to the library has the prettiest daffodils every spring.  A few have popped out already, with many mor to come.

In my bed the onions and chives have suddenly shot up.  I don't eat any of them, I just like their early green-ness.  Those onions and the iris are some of the first signs up spring.

Off The Floor

 

The Moda Blockheads 6 wallhanging is off the floor and ready for quilting.  (The quilting will take a while because there is a baby quilt in process.)

Because I didn't want a big quilt, there is this wallhanging plus a couple of table toppers.

One of the attractions of this project was hoping that it would help my piecing be more precise.  I'm now more apt to starch my fabric every time prior to cutting. To move the needle over three clicks to get the scant 1/4" seam that works for me.  

Note:  the three clicks may not work for you and your machine.  And, not every machine has the capability to move the needle to the right, but I hope yours does.

I always was a seam presser, and I always use a regular ironing board and iron just so I will get in and out of my chair a lot.  It's like extra exercise, even though the project takes just longer.   There was a lot of getting up and down here.

Starting out, I didn't know what each block would look like and then how they would fit together. I used a white fabric and a blue/gray solid in each block.  Even though there is a lot of movement in the quilt, that kept it from being too chaotic.  

This Recipe Worked Out

This time, the new recipe worked out, for eggplant parmesan.

And I'm wondering why it took me so long to try it.  

What helped - the Private Selection marinara sauce.  That's one of Kroger's labels, and I don't think I've ever been disappointed with anything under that label.  And the combination of frsh mozerella and parmesan.  And oven roasting the eggplant - that alone I'll do again.  

This afternoon I want to get out and walk, while the high temperatue will be 61, and tomorrow it will be 45.

I'm so dismayed about our country's attacking Iran.  I am dismayed about so much news these days, but for me this is a whole new level of dismay.

Best Kind of Snow

 

It's a surprise snow this morning, at least to me.  Huge flakes, 33 degrees.

And it's the best kind of snow because streets and sidewalks are clear and the high today will be 51 degrees.  Bushes and branches are collecting the snow and look so very pretty.

I'm thinking about trying eggplant parm today, it doesn't look too hard, and even if the eggplant doesn't work out like I want it to I can pivot to baked spaghetti.

My last experiment was pad Thai and that was a big failure.