I pick up the floor every night before I go to bed (mainly so I don't trip in the dark....) and first thing in the morning, it looks like this:

And one of Allison's Pokemon toys became a chew toy - poor nitoran....

 

It was sunny and 71 degrees yesterday as promised, so the garden got a make-over (got out my pitchfork, and turned the dirt, added fertilizer and fresh dirt, re-turned it) and finished cleaning out the rose garden area and added fresh bark.  A few other odds and ends of yard work got done too - a beautiful day for the yard!

 

Yesterday we had a break in the rain, and I got some yardwork done - and found my day lilies are coming up!  The rain came back in the afternoon, but I was able to get the area off the patio cleaned out and the rose bush trimmed.  I hope to get more done today - we are supposed to be sunny and 75 degrees!!

 

I needed to get a new badge for work (my badge from Columbia Bank was one of the "few that for some reason didn't convert to Umpqua Bank security system" - really???)  So, I needed a new photo for the badge.  I did one with glasses, one with out - and it's official - I'm getting old!  I need to update my photo on the blog too, so that's next on my to-do list today.

Sometimes they are just too cute to not take a picture of...though in this case I was wanting to sit in this chair.  We compromised - I brought in another chair to sit in.....

 

More of my "try new thing" progress - curved piecing for my quilt top.  It's definitely not perfect, but I'm happy with it.  

I also had a supervisor - she makes it hard to press seams though....

 

In keeping with my non-New Year's resolutions to try new things, I made bacon and mushroom stuffed pork tenderloin for dinner the other night.  It turned out pretty tasty, and very pretty!

 

I finally rehung the quilts in the hallway, hoping that the cats have matured enough that the quilts are no longer toys.  They are still playing with them, but they don't seem to be using them as ladders....yet anyway.

 

AJ and I were having fun playing with the photos he took of the cats - zooming in on Jessie's eyes.... 

 

 I made it to Spokane just in front of the winter storm.  Not too much snow, but enough to shut down the freeways due to accidents.  That made the bank shut up offices so everyone could make it home.  I walked, so it was a fun little jaunt!  It got just a bit chilly overnight….

AJ and I built a new chicken run this weekend. The pop-up covers that I had just didn’t seem big enough to keep all of the rain off the chickens. It went together better faster than I thought it would, and was pretty easy, except for all of the zip ties that have to be put on, it came with 250 zip ties….

I'm off to Spokane tomorrow for work, and I think I picked a bad time to go (even though I wasn't the one picking the time.....)  I think I'm going to be very cold.....

 

Every January I usually host a jewelry making party for friends - normally the book club group, but not exclusively them.  This year Robin showed us how to hammer metal out for earrings, and we had so much fun!  I need to go get my own supplies now!  (Yes, it's a need....)  We still worked with beads as well.  It was a fun afternoon.  It was a day of heavy rain outside and hot soups inside (Zuppa Toscana and Minestrone soup minus the pasta - I forgot to add it...) Here are some of the earrings we made - the bowl is a hand-made wooden bowl that Leona's husband made.  I keep my keys in it, and it made a great display for us!