Happy Easter!

 

 Yesterday AJ and I did some yard projects - we put up new lights up in the patio area, cleaned out the koi pond a bit, cleaned up the last of the leaves and dead plants - ready for Spring!  I love the new lights in the patio - multi-colored, changing patterns and I can make them brighter of dim them, depending on my mood (my favorite RBG led lights). 

I have a water lily blooming already!

One of the neighbor's tree buds.

I filled in a little bit more of the quilt option #1 (the blank spaces are for fabric that would need to be cut for this version or left whole for the border to option #2, so I need to decide which version before I cut it).  I also don't have room on my design board for the whole quilt to go up - there is one more row on the left, the top and two on the right, so you definitely have to use your imagination on this one!

And here are two versions of Option #2 - the difference between the two are the placement of the gold blocks.  This version has a wide boarder around the edge.

I got the Big Reveal for the mystery quilt - and I like it!  I didn't look at the instructions, I just started putting it up, based on what I "thought" the pictured showed me.  Here is my first attempt: 

This is about the point I realized I didn't have enough of the turquoise blocks to finish the quilt.  I spent a few panicked minutes looking for the "missing" turquoise blocks before I really looked at the instructions.  The purple blocks go in the middle, the turquoise will go more on the outside corners (I didn't get that far yet).  This is closer to what the quilt should look like - still a lot of blocks to put in:

My roses are blooming - just in time for the rain, unfortunately.   

 

The last set of blocks are done for the Mystery quilt - ready for the big reveal on Wednesday.  This should be a fun quilt to put together - the blocks are a lot of fun to rearrange - below are the same blocks in two different arrangements - we'll have to wait and see what the designer had in mind, and if I see something I like better.

I also worked on my Lady Liberty quilt and now have to go back and get more fabric.  Since it's a "block a month", the pattern came with Block 2 on one side of the paged and Block 3 on the other.  I didn't realize I hadn't turned the page.....duh!  I now have a duplicate of the 2nd block - not what I wanted or needed. The worst part, I didn't even realize it until I put it up with the other blocks for a photo. Best laid plans! 

 

My "side quilt" is growing!  I make a block between other quilts - just whenever I fell like it.  I have all the white background fabric and book fabrics cut out, so I just have to cut the cat out and put one together.  I'm liking the different colored cats. 

The garden is growing!  I have cucumber, zucchini and beans coming up!  We have 2+inches of rain forecast for this week, which will give them a good soaking, and hopefully will not wash them away!

Jessie followed me to the bathroom the other day, and noticed the second hand on the clock.  She spent a few minutes trying to figure how to catch it. 

 

Here are some of the blocks for the latest Mystery Quilt, the Mystery Five-0 Luau quilt.  I should have the "final reveal" next week, so will see what the quilt looks like when the blocks go together. 

 The RBD Challenge quilt is coming along - around the half-way point for blocks.   

And how NOT to put your quilt block together.....eventually (after ripping out the seam and resewing) this became the bottom right block in the set above.

 

'Tis the season - I walked out this weekend, and the pool is covered in pollen.  The poor skimmer was chugging along,doing it's best though.  The cars are green, the driveway is green, everything is green!

 

The garden is in!  This is the earliest I've ever put in the garden.  I'm taking a chance that the heat dome doesn't disappear under a cold front, but it doesn't look like it will.  I got everything in - tomatoes, peppers (thought I could use some bell pepper plants) beans, zucchini, cucumbers, and eggplants.  I'm ready!

 

The babies got their first outside day on Saturday.  We were a balmy 80+ degrees and no wind, so they got to play on the patio.  I even found a couple of sticks to put in their cage for roosts. They are still too young to be outside at night, but with our heat wave, they can stay out during the day. They should be fully feathered in a couple of weeks, so will be able to go into the chicken pen close to the big girls, assuming we are done with winter (I know, never assume - I just have a feeling that this is going to be one of those years that we skip spring and go from winter to summer).