Condos for Purple Martins

 My husband loves his birds.

This past winter he came up with this idea for  the

purple martins.

He made the houses out of PVC drain pipe,

and had the local welder construct the framework.

He just finished raising it Thursday and

the first bird scout showed up.

Went in several of the houses to check them out.

Hopefully it met with his approval and

he brings back the whole flock.

They are a fun bird to watch.

 He devised a winch system to raise and lower it.

He is such a practical man.

I had him help me decide how to set up my

new Kola cabinet. He thought of a  better way than I .

Definately a left brained person.

A good balance with the right brain artist.

 close up of a unit.

My new Kola sewing cabinet

 Look at this bargain I found on Craig's list

Now I am really organized.

Finally the right height to avoid frozen shoulders.

All that stuff on the right used to set around my machine.

So much easier to work.

I just need to turn my chair to the right

and all my embellishments are there.

Very efficient.

Now to quit messing around with re-arranging

 and get to work creating again.

Wordless Wednesday

Sping Greens.

 Love the colors of spring. So many greens.

The light limey greens, the dark greens of the pines,

the yellow green of the oaks.

I found a Kola sewing cabinet on Craig's list for $300

just what I was needing to have the proper sewing height.

Only 45 minutes away too. What a bargin.

When I told my husband what they were new

he agreed to go with me to pick it up.

So this morning my husband will get it  out of the back of

my SUV and down the basement steps.

Thank goodness we have an appliance dolly.

Than I will start on either a segment of a quilt for Houston

or painting a chair for the Lafayette Museum of Art.

Both on my to be done list by May 1st.

Spring FLowers

 I picked all my tulips and daffodils to fill my vases.

The kitchen smells so good.

I decided to save the meatballs for Mothers day.

The ham, turkey and lamb was enjoyed by the young men

in the family there was even some leftovers for each family.

Liz brought some DeBrand chocolates. Yum.

The best part of hosting is making the menu.

It was good to see my grand kids again.

They are fun to have around.

Notice the McCoy vase in front I found this

 at a flea market last summer. It is perfect for spring.

The final load of dishes is in the dishwasher and the

washer is working on the tablecloths.

Time  to take it easy.

Good Friday was good.

 More of my small works of art.

When making these I get lost in the colors and patterns

of the fabrics I use. I like the earth tones a lot.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store early I thought to

avoid the crowds. Everyone else thought the same.

My family has several tall 6'4" boys that eat lots of food.

Grandsons that can eat their weight in food.

So we are having ham, a small turkey, lamb and

meat balls for lunch Sunday along with fruit plate,

 mashed potatoes, corn, pretzel strawberry jello salad,

pickles, olives and rolls. Whew.

Well a young  boy behind me at the grocery asked his mom

where I was going to put all the food in my cart.

She told him I probably had a big refrigerator.

Actually I have a spare for holidays in the garage.

It was almost embarrassing.

I hadn't been grocery shopping for 4 weeks

 so I had  a big list.

Went home and put it all away.

 Made 97 meatballs. Extras to freeze for later.

Finally at 2 in the afternoon I sat down for a rest.

Last night when I made my list of to do's for today

I was dismayed to find it a long one.

Oh well get going and get it done.

Send a little art in a card.

I spent the last 3 days making 45 art quilt cards.

Now I have to finish embellishing them with beads.

Put a label on the back, sign them and

slip them in their clear bags.

10 of them go to Lala's in Lafayette, Indiana.

The rest are for a quilt design symposium I

am going to at the end of May.

I hope they will appeal to other artist.

Easter is at my house so I need to

step away from the machine and work on the house.

In a weak moment I ordered 50 strawberry plants

I need to get them in the ground.

What was I thinking the birds will probably eat them all.

Have a great day and a blessed Easter week.