I finally got some time to do some sewing this week, finish a book, and take some photos of the garden. The daffodils continue to produce more blooms, such happy faces. I now have three separate areas in bloom, with a fourth one on the way.

This one next to the retaining wall is doing well.

In the front, these are in the hosta bed, and are the first things to come up.

In the front flower bed, three little hyacinths are trying to put on a show. The creamy yellow one looks pretty, and smells so good.

Near the back of the bed, this white one is putting out a few blooms on one stalk.

A little purple one is also trying to bloom a bit.

This is our cherry tree, and it should not be blooming until April. But it is coming out now. This winter we have had no snow at all. Not one day. It is way too warm for this early in the year. I enjoy the flowers, but I am fearful of a late freeze that will hurt our local apple orchards.

Our furry squirrel friends are stopping by regularly now. It is funny to watch them gobble down their sandwich treats. Oliver had his tongue out for his picture, funny! He might have been trying to get the peanut butter off the roof of his mouth. He was on the veranda yesterday, sitting at the glass door looking cute, politely folded paws clearly asking for a meal. He got one.

The other one sat next to the pole that holds the bird feeder, probably hoping for seeds to fall as he ate his sandwich. The ones with the white tufts behind their ears still don’t have names. There are two of them.

Down in the basement, my seedlings have begun sprouting, only a week later. I’m looking forward to lots of fresh tomatoes and basil, along with maybe some squash and pie pumpkins this year.

I have two more books for you this weekend. Two different genres, both good. Amazon links are provided if you want to read the synopses, or see about getting one on Kindle or Audible. Thanks you for using my affiliate links when you can.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – In the category of ‘something different’, this novel is a glimpse into the world of video games, and the intricacies of relationships. Without being tedious, the reader understands better the difficulties in designing multi levels of games. Sam and Sadie meet as children, and have an on-again-off-again relationship, always as friends and colleagues, never lovers. They meet again in college and design a blockbuster game that makes them rich, but have difficulty moving on from there. The characters are richly drawn, with all the flaws of normal people, ups and downs in their lives influence their game designs. The book spans 30 years of their lives as they weather conflict and tragedy, highs and lows. Immensely entertaining and hard to put down, and gives the reader a much better insight into the world of programming and world building.
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis – told in two timelines, one beginning in 1919 and the other in 1966, with the characters converging near the end. It is part mystery novel, part family drama, centered around the house and its secrets, well written, with interesting characters. Although the 1966 timeline starts out a bit overreaching, it comes together as it progresses. Overall, an enjoyable read.

After a long day of sewing on Friday, I went to the kitchen and realized I had neglected to defrost anything for dinner. I had no plan at all, and no idea what to do. Opening the refrigerator showed slim pickings. Normally in this instance, I’d take some leftovers and make an Anything Quiche, but this time I didn’t have any leftovers either. But, I did have a Boboli thin crust in the freezer, and some of the tomato sauce packets on the shelf. I pulled the last quarter of a bag of spinach, my last fresh tomato, a few green onions from the vegetable crisper and some kielbasa from the meat drawer, along with some mozzarella cheese. Voila, instant dinner! I am going to keep these crusts on hand like I do frozen ravioli for fast meals when I don’t plan. I would have added mushrooms too, but I didn’t have those either.

Saturday, I worked on the QOV until I finished it. I’ll show you more on that tomorrow.

It was a cold and rainy day all day yesterday, a great day to sew and listen to an audiobook on the headphones My Sweet Babboo got for me. It was the perfect time to do my Bourbon Chicken in the slow cooker. I served it on shell pasta, with charred Brussels sprouts.

Wednesday, we’ll begin a fun quilt along for National Quilting Month. Do you have your jelly roll and yard of background fabric ready to go? Order one from Fat Quarter Shop today to have it in time for the project. See all the fabulous prints and colorways, many on sale, just click on Jelly Rolls and Rollie Pollies at Fat Quarter Shop. I’ll be using the Tucker Trimmer in a speed technique you may like – the ruler is available at Fat Quarter Shop. But I’ll also show you how to do the cuts with your square up ruler, it just is a bit more effort.

Then Friday, we will check in again for Stashbusters.

What are your plans for the week? Do you have a jelly roll for the quilt along? What’s your go-to meal from the pantry?