I Like Thursday #202

 Welcome to my 202nd I Like Thursday post.  Weekly, there are a group of bloggers which create a post of things that they like/love during the previous week.  You can find us all over at LeeAnna's blog-- Not Afraid of Color, where she hosts us, and offers encouragement.  

I had a weird week.  I had what started out as a tummy problem, turned into a migraine, and then back into a tummy problem so I actually called off of work 2 days.  I slept a lot, read a lot, and played catch up on some sewing.  

I managed the Moda BH bonus block 1 in the 4. 5 inch size in my fashion.

BH 4 Bonus Block 1 4.5 inch

BH 4 Bonus Blocks 1 Roundabout

I then worked on cutting out blocks 4, 5 and the bonus block 2.  I think it takes me longer to select the fabrics than to sew the two blocks.

Blocks 4 called Spinners

 

BH 4 Block 4 Spinners

BH 4 Block 5 9 inch

BH 4 Block 4 4.5 inch

BH 4 Block 5 Two of Five

 

BH 4 Block 5 Two of Five

BH 4 Block 5 4.5 inch Block

BH 4 Block 5 9 inch block

BH 4 Bonus Block 2 Mix and Match

BH 4 Bonus Block 2 4.5 inch

BH 4 Bonus Block 2 9 inch Block

BH Bonus Block 2 Mix and Match

 

Moda BH 4 Block 6 Spinning into Spring

 

BH 4 Block 6 Spinning into Spring

BH 4 Block 6 9 inch block

BH 4 Block 6 4.5 inch block

I also finished 3 ribbon blocks

Ribbon Star Block 15

Ribbon Star 14

Ribbon Star Block 13

 I also did a seamstress job of fixing some sleeves on a person's work shirts, and I put one of the borders on my Joy in the Journey quilt.  

I also put borders on the paper pieced bunny I made a few weeks ago.  Now to quilt, and make into a pillow.

 

During my days off there was an 80 degree day, but we are back to barely in the 40's for the highs.  I still do not have any tulips, but my giant snowdrops have bloomed.  

The kids took the deck off where the pool used to be.  We decided any building not necessary would be removed and salvaged for our next property.

 What was really funny is somehow an Easter Egg ended up down here in the planter and it had candy in it even!

Since the weather has warmed up a bit the clucky girls are laying a lot more.  I get almost 2 dozen eggs a day.  One day there was an egg which was huge.

I have read a lot of books recently, but the stand outs were the following:

The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper.  The book starts out after WWI when new bride Fleur Richards discovers her husband has been killed just a few days before the Armistice her whole life is turned upside down to find out she just travel to Australia to claim her inheritance that her husband left her, even though they were married such a short time. 
 

The book jumps back and forth between 1850's Australia, and post WWI Australia where Fleur discovers many secrets.  

Death at the Workhouse by Emily Organ is the 8th book in the Penny Green Mysteries.  When Penny and her sister infiltrate the workhouse to report on the conditions they are surprised at how some people are turned away because of their age, or their inability to work.  But when 2 of the male inmates are discovered dead, it is easy to suppose that they killed each other, but Penny suspects something completely different. 

The Gang of St. Bride's is the 9th installment of the Penny Green Mysteries by Emily Organ.  In this installment Penny is sad to be leaving her Fleet Street career due to her impending nuptials to Inspector Blakely because no married woman continues to work after her marriage.  But before her wedding day Penny is investigating the robberies in Picadilly by a gang of women.  During her inquiry she is given a riddle to solve which is purported to lead her to the leader of the gang of St. Bride's.  

 

Thank you for stopping by, now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color to check out the other I Like Thursday posts.  

I Like Thursday #201

Welcome to my 201st I Like Thursday post.  Weekly LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color encourages others to share things that they have discovered during the week that they like/love.  

I love flowers, and I enjoy my garden which is a work in progress.  I am a willy nilly gardener.  I put things where I want to see them, no real plan other than does it need sun/shade, how tall is it?  While it is too cold to garden here yet, I loved these flowers that I spied at work.

Lovely tulips which are yellow with hints of pink and green in the petals.

 

While it is hard to tell these hyacinths were almost a yellowish peach color.  I sometimes contemplate, perhaps I could buy them, and plant them later.  But then cooler heads prevail the less things to move the better, right?  The other reason why I don't buy plants yet is this:

I saw a meme the other day and it made me giggle:

 

My housekeeping style can be best described as "There appears to have been a struggle"

I liked these magnets I saw at work.  

 I saw a recipe to make strawberry brownies and so I thought I would try it.  They were quick, easy and very yummy.  The glaze is a lemon glaze.

The brownies were made with a strawberry cake mix, 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, and 2 eggs.  

Also it is that time of year one of my favorite ice cream flavors is out.

I haven't done a lot of sewing this past week because I worked 8 days in a row.  I did work a bit on my wool applique.  I had a pillow that Dawn of Relaxing Robin had given me and it is  great size to sit on my lap and do my applique. 

 

I also found a little chicken pincushion I made and use it to stick my pins that I used in the applique piece.  

I love doing wool applique and using the lana wool from Aurifil.  I have some motifs which were not really red, but not really pink either, so I ordered some of the smaller spools in hopes one would work.  

 

Wednesday was my first day off and I worked on the Moda Blockheads 4 bonus block from a couple of weeks ago.  The 9 inch block was easy.

 But I didn't like the 4.5 inch block since it was just a quarter of the 9 inch block.  I tried to calculate the math to make the 4 1/2 inch block and I think I had a mental block.  I started one and thought it would be too small.

So I started again and it was too big.

 

Recalculating I determined that the first block was the correct size.  I managed to get another quarter done before I had to leave for an appointment.  I still have 2 more to make.  I also need to do the blocks 4 and 5 which are available.  

I realized that I had only a couple more books in the Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries by C.S. Harris, so I decided to finish up the series.

London 1814 and the body of a beautiful music teacher is discovered in an alley in the middle of a blizzard.  Is her death related to her ties with the royal family and Princess Charlotte?
 

Sebastian must investigate the death of Lord Ashworth, the husband of his niece Stephanie.  Ashworth was a dissolute, handsome man.  Investigating Lord Ashworth's death, Lord Devlin discovers just how wicked Ashworth truly was, and worries that perhaps Stephanie murdered him. 
 

Nicholas Hayes the 3rd son of the late Earl of Seaford was convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, but at the last minute he is transported to Botany Bay, and was believed dead.  During a warm summer evening Nicholas Hayes body is discovered in London and as Lord Devilin investigates, it is discovered he also has been seen with a young boy.  Who killed Nicholas Hayes, and where is the young boy?

The war in France is finally over.  In 1811 two families are viciously murdered, it is believed that a young seaman John Williams is the culprit but hangs himself in his cell before he is brought to trial.  When the lead investigator Edwin Pym is found murdered much in the same manner in 1814 the city fears that a serial killer is back on the loose. 

Thanks for stopping by, now head over to LeeAnna's and check out the other I Like Thursday posts.  

I Like Thursday #200

 Woohoo!  my 200th I Like Thursday post.  I should have done it last week, but I was just not feeling it.  Sometimes it is hard to have a grateful heart, and it takes everything within your  being to just get through the day.  

I Like Thursday is hosted by LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color and a group of bloggers share things that they have discovered that they like/love during the week.  

One thing about living in Michigan.  It always seems to me like the seasons change, not gradually, but almost with an explosion!  My daffodils went from this last week.  Barely peeking up through the leaf litter.  Then we had some cold days.

Imagine my delight at the first kind of warm day and I saw these start to open.  Of course my picture I took that day didn't work so picture 2 on a cooler, very windy and rainy day, but the explosion of color!

I took a few days off and I was glad I did.  I kind of had to do a reset.  There were a couple of sunny days and I attempted to sit outside and read.  Unfortunately if I am outside it seems that it is a signal for visitors.  Furry visitors.

What did I do on my days off?  I read, sewed a little.  I got caught up on Moda Blockheads 4 blocks 2.

9 inch block

4 1/2 inch block

Block 3 is done also!

Block 3 9 inch block

Block 3 4 1/2 inch block

One very neat thing I have seen during the Blockheads 4 posts by the designers are Robin Pickens Color Theory posts.  They are very interesting. 

I don't watch TV often.  Perhaps it is because there isn't a lot to watch, but some shows were favorites that I would sit and watch with Jeff, and for the longest time it was hard to watch.  

I will admit I binge watched Outlander on Starz and am actually caught up to the current season and waiting for the next episode which is on Saturday.

I also started watching Bridgerton and have been binge watching that series too.  

The good thing while I am watching TV.  I have been working on some handwork.  An Afghan--the pattern is from Ravelry and called Granny in the Sky with Diamonds.  

 I have also been doing some hand sewing on some wool pieces.  I finished the snowflakes.  I apologize they need to be ironed.  I think I may add some embroidery to these when I am finished with all the blocks.

 

I am now working on this piece.  

We have had the crazy temps like elsewhere in the country.  One day in the 70's, the next it is barely 20 so when the small gas heater in the sun room quit I was a wee bit frustrated.  Thank goodness for Google and YouTube.  I found the solution and fixed it myself.

I saw this video on Facebook and went to find it on YouTube.  I thought it was amazing watching this very talented lady make vintage inspired lampshades.

I don't know about you, but people seem to love sugar cookies during the spring.  When I saw this video on how they make cookie cutters I thought it was very cool.

Some of the books I read this past couple of weeks.

The final 3 books in the Underwood Brothers series by Suzanne Downes.  

 

The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustain. Set in 1920's Mississippi on The Trace, Ada swore she would never return after leaving, but circumstances demand she returns to the stilt house and face her father, knowing there will be a price to pay.  Matilda is the daughter of a sharecropper and wants to escape to the North where she hears that they are treated better.    

The Lace Makers of Glenmara By Heather Barbieri   "You can always start again" is what Kate Robinson's mother always told her, "You just start a new thread."  After the dismal showing of her recent lingerie fashion line, nursing a broken heart because her fiance' left her for a lingerie model, and the death of her mother, Kate has travels to Ireland to clear her head and think of her next steps.  While exploring, Kate arrives in Glenmara and without a bus to leave meets a group of lace makers.  Bernie who takes her in, Aileen, Moira, Oona, and Colleen. 

Thanks for stopping by, please visit the other I Like Thursday bloggers at Not Afraid of Color.