Hello out there!

    Well, I'm back.  I wasn't ignoring blogland but sometimes I just wander away-kind of like when PH and I enter a store and I wander off in a direction he isn't looking in and we spend a goodly amount of time searching for each other.  That's kind of what happens.  I wander off and think there's nothing of worth to blog about, certainly not something that warrants a photo.   But this week I caught myself telling a group of school kids that keeping a diary or journal doesn't have to have the big events listed.  People will want to know how you spent your day...someday....because the future days will be so different from the now days.
     Already you can hear your voice echo in blogland as everyone runs to Instagram and I have to say I do miss the friends I've made through blogs.  They've moved on to instant gratification on Instagram-all pics, no talk.  Yes, I have an Instagram account but use it rarely.  
    So, I'm back.  You don't have to listen to my rant about those two books.  But I stand behind my rant.  JoJo Moyes books is absolutely everywhere and it's the inferior book.  Enough.

     This has been my evening project.  I do love looking at people's beautiful quilts but for me, I'm just drawn to the grandma quilts.  The old patterns, old styles and scrappy look. As Friend Marilyn said, "not art quilts but the Little House on the Prairie quilts."  Until she said that I hadn't put a name on what I gravitate to.  So, this simple blue and white nine patch is quilted in big stitch perle cotton, and the binding is almost completely sewn down. And it's very pretty.

    Because we put corn out for the squirrels to keep them away from the bird feeder, we have now attracted these cuties.  They're cute but come spring when nature greens up, they're very hungry and destructive.  For now, I can't help it.  I put the scoop of corn out for the squirrels and somehow these young deer send out the word.  We have to be so very still or they bolt.  Sometimes there are as many as seven out there.

      My birthday is coming up and yesterday we celebrated with the family.  We went to a Chinese restaurant on Chinese New Year but they knew we were coming and were prepared for us so it was all good.  I sat down at the end of the table with the kids as I always do.  I miss out on the conversations at the adult side of the table but I don't mind, these guys are the sprinkles on my cake.

  

 Chopsticks were challenging but Ceci gave it the ol' college try.

 Adelaide uses chopsticks often at home when eating noodles so she knew the tricks.