Tuesday rolls around

 Poor Oscar---he's worn out but I think happy to be back in the house.  We just got back from walking up and down the lane and it pretty warm out with full blazing sun.   (My home thermometer says 74 but my phone thinks its 78.)   He was panting by the time we got back and I was about to join him while we headed to our mutual watering stations once back in the house.   He is conked out near the door and Skyler's scratching post now.  Meanwhile I think I may have sunburned the back of my neck.

Almost offficially spring!  The Bradford pears are open in their full snowy white.  Tulip trees are in bloom and the forsythia bush is open as well.  Today I noticed that my neighbors pink tree is blooming  now too--not sure what it is as first glance it looks like a dogwood but possibly is a flowering cherry??   Pretty.  The azaleas don't appear to be doing anything while the camellia is still flowering.  The daffodils are done but I think the star gazer lily stalks are trying to come up.  Robert hit part of it with the lawn mower today.  Yep, the yard had to be mowed to knock down all the weeds.  He did some of the weed whacking in my back yard dragging out the electric whacker from the shed as his apparently did not winter well.  Meeanwhile I was out pulling some of the weedy stuff up from around the fence and the area out in front.  I started spraying near the chain link fence at his request too.  Rain is due in tomorrow so I'll have to wait to continue with my part of the yard work.  It looks so much better out there now!  

Inside I have been working on the commission piece.   Mostly  I cut yesterday to get the squares down to a uniform size but I bordered the grandmother's embroidered piece after taking the stitching out that kept the piece from raveling while she worked on it.  I needed to get it flat in order to sew on the framing green.  I just pinned the squares that need to be included near it on the back of one of my existing quilts.

The handprint is a special piece celebrating the young girl it is going to as are the Chinese themed pieces as she was adopted from China.  There is apparently a tradition of 100 days of gifts for a child and this quilt is to be made with 100 pieces of fabric that her grandmother collected.  The result will be her 10th birthday present.

 To keep the quilt from getting too huge I have combined pieces by making 4 patches and 3 D bowties, etc.  One block is a log cabin block but I have to remake it--smaller, 9 ish down to 6 inch finished.  I drew it up in EQ so I could use the 17 existing fabrics once I took it apart.   I got a few of the pieced blocks done this afternoon but much more remains.  Unless I have Oscar go back outside, it might be tomorrow.  I've got it down to 72 sections plus grandma's piece but I'll still need to figure how it all fits together from what you see above.

Meanwhile to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I have been listening to a mix of Celtic Thunder on you tube.  This will take you to "Ireland's Call".  This is one of my favorites along with "Caledonia".  I left my "Kiss me I'm Irish" button put away.  The anniversary of DJ's and my first kiss, one of our memories.   

Not much going on, not much to pass on.  Think I'm heading to the kitchen for a bit.  Peel some taters for corned beef hash??