What better time to start back blogging than my birthday!

Hello,
   It has been a long, long time since I did a blog post. Many things have happened since last June. LOL To Start with my laptop gave up in Jan. So I got a new one, but it has Windows 8. Boy! Have I struggled with this. After using it for about 6 weeks now, I think I am doing pretty good. Now if I can just figure out how to post pictures. LOL Actually, I just click on the desktop app and use it like Windows 7. (grin) Working so far. So bear with me as I attempt a blog post after so many months and on a new laptop.
   This year has been a very rough year. Our winter has been hideous. We just had another snow storm last night. The wind is howling right now, but it is up to 3* right now. I am so ready for spring. These frigid temps and snow, then mud is really getting to me. I am ready to play in the garden.
   Kevin's mom is in the nursing home. She started getting worse about a month ago. It is not good. We went to see her yesterday. It was rough. She is in so much pain. They called hospice in last week and they are giving her morphine and any other pain management measures that they can. It works sometimes, and not sometimes. I feel so bad for this sweet lady who has been in my life for over 37 years. Please pray for pain relief for Fern.
   We lost our old beagle, Thunder, a couple of weeks ago. She would have been 17 later this year. She lived a long and happy life here on our little farm. She was even chasing rabbits last summer. She was slowing down so much and starting to have trouble getting up and down. I am glad she passed peacefully without us having to make that call.
    I have been completely out of the sewing and quilting mood for a month or so now. I don't think I have even turned my sewing machine on since Christmas. With all that is going on, I feel like I am in limbo. I have some projects in mind, but just can't seem to start them. I have been hand quilting on my Scrappy 36 Patch quilt for a few months now. I think I have about 12 blocks out of 42 left to quilt. I would like to get this one done to put on our bed this spring.
     We have big plans for the garden this spring. I have already ordered and received my heirloom seeds from www.rareseeds,com , Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Yesterday I bought jar lids. I plan to buy some every grocery shopping day. Since they are so expensive I figured I'd buy 10 boxes every other week. We also ordered a mini-orchard, 2 apple trees, 2 pear trees, and 2 plum trees, all dwarf. I ordered some perennial flower bulbs and some flower seeds. We need a little color too. (grin) I have 3 herb books on the way to me. I want to plant and maintain a medicinal herb garden. So we have lots of plans. Just praying the neighbors will not spray their fields on a windy day. Not sure I could handle losing everything again.
    On the health front, we have mostly given up eating any processed foods. My hubby has lost over 60 lbs doing this. Me, not so much, but I am a stress eater and we have had stress a plenty this winter. It was hard for me to clean out the fridge and throw out everything that had nasty stuff in it or had GMOs in them. Even my Lipton green tea with honey was questionable. So now I drink organic green tea. Very bland, but I am getting used to it.
     Today is my birthday, so I decided what better day to restart my blog. Mom gave me money to get my hair cut for my birthday, so I did it. Although, I am sure this is not what mom had in mind. LOL I have had various versions of a pixie hair cut for about 20 years now. I wanted something different. I have been growing my hair out ever since last Sept. so it was getting pretty long, for me. LOL So I am attempting to grow my hair out to about shoulder length. I had my stylist trim things up into as close to a bob as she could get. LOL We shall see. Once the summer heat hits, I may be going back for another short pixie cut. LOL First picture is before haircut, second after.

 Ok, I decided to go ahead and post a picture of my face. I am not a makeup sort of gal, so it is what it is. This is the first time I have had bangs that I did not comb to the side in many, many years. Still trying to decide whether I kike them or not. (grin)

 Kevin asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I asked for a crock to make kraut and dill pickles in. So this is what he ordered for me. It is an Ohio Stoneware 3 gallon crock.

Now on to a bit of crafty. I have plans to make a log cabin quilt for my niece who will be getting married in late summer. These are the fabric I have picked out.

I found a picture of my fabric that is a little closer to real life but without the red.

Not a great picture I am afraid, but the light makes things washed out. It is basically browns, greens, and creams with a red for the center blocks. These are all washed and ready to go. Just need to cut and sew. Maybe this week.
    Well, I guess this is enough for my first blog of the year. I will see how things go. I hope to continue the blog. If warm weather ever gets here, it will be full of green things growing, or at least I hope so. LOL Anyone reading this, have a great day.

 Winona