HAIR......

Bella's hair has grown out enough for a pony tail.  She looks so cute with a pony tail.

READING CHALLENGE....

I'm doing a reading challenge.  It's called Vintage Mystery Bingo.

 It's being hosted by Bev over at My Reader's Block.  I'm doing the Silver Mystery Bingo.  My first book is "Read One Book with an Animal in the Title".  I am going to try and do this with my Agatha Christie collection.  We'll see, I may have to switch off authors.

Elephants Can Remember - Agatha Christie

Product Description(Amazon.com)
"The Ravenscrofts didn't seem that kind of person. They seemed well balanced and placid..." And yet, twelve years earlier, the husband had shot the wife, and then himself-or perhaps it was the other way around, since sets of both of their fingerprints were on the gun, and the gun had fallen between them. The case haunts Ariadne Oliver, who had been a friend of the couple. The famous mystery novelist desires this real-life mystery solved, and calls upon Hercule Poirot to help her do so. Poirot is now a very old man, but his mind is as nimble and as sharp as ever and can still penetrate deep into the shadows. But as Poirot and Mrs. Oliver and Superintendent Spence reopen the long-closed case, a startling discovery awaits them. And if memory serves Poirot (and it does!), crime-like history-has a tendency to repeat itself.

MY THOUGHTS
I really liked this book!  Classic Agatha Christie writing.  She sets up the story and then leads you along with all the clues.  I didn't get the clue I needed to solve the mystery until almost at the end of the book.  I can't really tell too much with out giving the ending away.  So I'll just say if you like reading classic mysteries, this is the book for you.

NEEDLEWORK TUESDAY

yea I know it's Wednesday, so I'm a day behind.  Heather over at Books and Quilts is the host for Needlework Tuesday.  Everyone gets to share what they have been working on.  I've been working on a new Afghan.  I first saw this over at Heather's place.  It is a Crochet Along and is taking place over at Red Heart Yarn.  The Afghan is called, Checkerboard's Texture Throw.  I've got 2 of the blocks done.  The Cross Stitched block and I've gotten a couple of the Granny Square blocks done.  They put out a new pattern for this Afghan every 2 weeks.  This Crochet Along started January 22. 

This is my Cross Stitch Block.

This is my Granny Square Block

CROCHET UPDATE....

I finished up 2 afghans this week.  The Candy Stripe Afghan is done.

And the Granny Got Color Afghan is finished.  The link will take you to the post I made about this Afghan.  I was going to make it a little bigger, but decided it was big enough. 

THURSDAY....

afternoon the hubby was looking out the living room window.  Bella decided to jump on his back and look too.

Then she decided to watch a little t.v. while she was there.

ASLEEP....

Luke fell asleep on the couch before he got to his bed.  He was tuckered out.  I've made it Sepia toned, because it dulls the colors down, the couch, pillows and blanket were blocking out Luke.  You couldn hardly see him with all the colors.

BLOG HOPPING....

You ever start at one blog and wind up going to lots of other blogs?  I do it a lot.  I visit a friend's blog and see something interesting at their blog.  Click on their link and it leads me to another blog and on I go.....blog hopping.  Well I did that today.  I can't even remember where I started...lol.   Anyway I ended up at Bev's place....My Reader's Block.  She is hosting a reading challenge.  As I was reading the challenge it made think about books.  Which I must confess I've not been reading much lately.  I think I burned myself out....but would really like to get back into reading again.  I miss it lots.  And one of my favorite books to read is mysteries.  My favorite mystery writer is Agatha Christie.  I have lots of her books on my book shelf.    Bit I've gotten off subject.

Bev has a reading challenge I want to participate in.  Don't know if I'll finish it, but would really like to try it.  It's called....Vintage Mystery Bingo.  I'm going for the Silver Mystery Bingo.

Now all I have to do is find the appropriate books to read.  Don't forget to head to Bev's place to check this out.  She also has lots of other reading challenges at her place.  Just do some browsing and you may go blog hopping too!

FILL THE FRAME....

Luke likes to make faces when you take his picture.  Or he gets right up on top of you.  So I think this picture definitely fills the frame.

BIRD(s)......

these are the scavenger's of the back yard.  They flock in and gobble up all the garbage we throw out.  I'm not sure, but I think they are Starlings.  They are very noisy birds.

HANDMADE....

This is the afghan I'm currently working on.  I call it Candy Stripe.  I'm using the yarn from the big bag my hubby got at a rummage sale, plus some extra I already had on hand. 

FOGGY BELL

This is the bell in our backyard.  You can see the fog rolling in.  There is also snow in that fog. 

ART.....

depending on what you consider to be art.   I googled art and this is what I got.

"the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power."

So I guess you could consider this as art from Bella and Luke.

They are busy working on their art.

 

 The results of their work.

Bella is on the left and Luke is on the right.

NEW QUILTS....

I am currently working on 2 quilts.  Sunbonnet Sue/Overall Sam quilt.  Sue and Sam are a 12" block.  I have all the applique work done.  Just need the filler block.
Sunbonnet Sue Block

Overall Sam Block

The other quilt I'm working on is Under the Sea.  The blocks are 9" and I'm still appliqueing them, I have a lot more to do for this one.
Fish Block

Shell Block

Turtle Block

I need to get to Joann Fabrics, but can't at this time as there is still snow and ice out there.  Have to wait for it to melt.  One of my worst fears is I might fall and break something.  With no insurance it would be a major bill we can't afford. 

BASKET.....

kind of a basket.  It's actually the laundry hamper.  The kids use it as a toy and they are redecorating it with crayons.  Mostly they like to get in the hamper.  You can't see Bella very well, but she's in there.

You can see her feet sticking out.

SATURDAY.....

The better part of 2 hours is what it took to turn this....

into this....

I like my yarn rolled into balls when I'm crocheting.  And before anyone asks, no the twins did not help, I did this while they were taking their nap.

FRIDAY......

Bella and Luke were playing around in the front room and watching Blues Clues.  My hubby came back to the computer room and told me I needed to take a picture.  So I grabbed my camera and this is what I got.

They were in the toy box watching Blues Clues, one of their favorite tv shows.

DUSK.....

The sky was such a pretty color yesterday evening.  Snapped a picture of it.  I should have known it was coming.....snow.  We got a couple inches today.  Just enough to make the roads slick. 

BIRDBATH....

I took this picture after our winter storm went through.  The birdbath is behind that blue ball, with the 7 or 8 inches of snow on it.  It's mostly all melted now.

KIDS.....

do the funniest things.  Bella and Luke don't get along all the time.  Actually most of the time.  They play by themselves most of the time.  But they do play together until one of them gets tired of it.  But I caught them doing something I hadn't seen them do before.....

Hug

CANINE

Billy, our miniature dachshund, is about as domestic as they come.  He's a laid back, easy going dog.  When we were have our snow storm a couple weeks ago, he got all snowy when he went out for a potty break.   I captured some of the snow that was on him.

"It's a little snowy out there"

 "It's melting fast."

"Are we done now."

Love the look on his face.