GOT EGGS?

GOOD MORNING from cold, overcast, dreary Central California.  I don't know what happened to Spring, but apparently she's hanging on to one last hurrah!  It's a chilly 45 degrees, meaning my tomato plants have not grown once centimeter!  

Easter is just a few hours away ..... GOT EGGS?  I actually DO have enough for a few deviled eggs this Easter since my last purchase was 5 DOZEN!  I keep looking at those boxes in the fridge and saying WHAT WAS I THINKING?  Maybe the stray kitty in the back yard will eat one or two.

Anyone remember these plastic eggs?  When I was a kid, we dyed Easter eggs with the PAAS brand, on 16 layers of newspaper on our kitchen table.  I don't ever remember spilling anything, but we must have.  The PAAS disappeared one year, and in its place came these plastic eggs. 

Maybe it was because no one wanted to eat 50 deviled eggs.  Instead, we got little chocolate eggs inside the plastic ... or maybe jelly beans.  No CASH ever graced the colored plastic.  It was never the same after that.  I do remember one time we actually found a chocolate bunny, wrapped in that cheap colored tinfoil, but we never got to eat it.  That was for the adults!!  Maybe I'll hide a couple eggs for Cooper!!

On our first trip outside on this day, look what I found!  These roses are happy as Cooper with six little yellow balls!!  In spite of the cold, they are blooming off the rack!!

They improve the view considerably.  It's even better when the sun is out!

Too bad for me, I'm back on the diet with a big bang.  That pizza and piece of cake cost me TWO POUNDS!  How can that be?  Good grief ... I can't even splurge at one meal.  Okay, so there was two pieces of cake ... one pound for each piece.  I suppose today I should be out walking again!

I had a short conversation with the "boss" at the lodge, who actually FINALLY asked me to do Mothers Day.  I agreed, but only because I have two of the best people in the country to help.  They ran a catering business for many years.  You can't beat that!!  It's okay ... I've got three weeks ... and a game plan from the last four years that makes it at least a bit easier.

Since laying out in the sun wasn't an option, I put this quilt on the longarm.  The quest is to make them small enough as to not have to piece the backing ... but big enough for a lap quilt.  I almost didn't make it with this one.  You may be able to tell I cut down the side borders just a bit.  

It was trouble with a capital T from the git go!  The tension, though I didn't touch it from the last one, was WAY off.  I had to take out about two feet of stitching!  Big sigh!!!  Then, I don't know HOW, but I lost the programming for the beginning and ending stitches.  It was a test!!

I was finally able to finish it up, grumbling all the way.  I had two more to finish, but until that machine straightens up and flies right, I won't be doing either of them.  I know, probably operator error ... but I'm teaching him a lesson any way!!

Mostly I did things like pay my bills, pay my estimated taxes, set up my supplemental health care payments for which I get no benefit at all because I rarely ever go to the doctor, and celebrated that my electric and gas bill once again has a credit.  No more $300 charges for natural gas, unless Mother Nature decides to freeze us out again.  

And so that ended a lovely day!  It's almost Easter.  Remember the reason for the season, dye some eggs along with your fingers and celebrate.

Me?  I got a HUGE ham at Costco that should feed us for the next two months.  I'm going to try out a new recipe where you heat it up in a smoker, pour on a fabulous sweet sauce and smoke it lightly till hot and juicy.  Wish me luck!!!