I have a lot of things to get caught up on. Where shall I start?

First: It was a perfectly beautiful day in our neighborhood. Lots of sunshine and a no fleece kind of day. I walked almost 11,000 steps and did 74 minutes of aerobic walking.

Food Stamp Diet: Someone left a link to Hillbilly Housewife in the comments. Thought some of you might be interested in checking out this site. There is an Emergency $45 menu for a family. There is a shopping list and recipes. So, I will be going back here if and when we decide to embark on this program.

This Day in the Life: I took part in the national diary day for working women on Tuesday. I was not sure that they would want me, but when I said that I was excited about the possibilities for creativity and work after one retires, they asked me to participate. Here is a link to their website. Thirty of the diaries will be selected for publication in a book next year. The big thing that I noticed is that I did not piddle (a term I got from Karoda’s latest blog post) while I was keeping a journal of my day. I was very focused and got a lot of work done. Hmmm! It was somewhat like being on a retreat or in a workshop where I have others watching how I am spending my time. Maybe I should put up a webcam n my studio and let you all keep track of me!!

Mail call: I did a postcard swap with Beate Knapp from Dusseldorf, Germany. Mine arrived today. I love it.

Robin of Quilt Antics blog lives in Hawaii. I met her at Art Quilt Tahoe. She recently posted about hearing an NPR blurb about the costly mess of plastic grocery bags in the landfill. She showed a shopping bag that she purchased and a knock off that she made. I teased her for the pattern. She not only sent me the pattern, but I also received this awesome Hawaiian shirt fabric to use to make the bag. I plan to make several of these and to stop using plastic bags. Trader Joe’s puts your name in a drawing for free groceries if you bring in your own bags.

The circles and lines piece: This may end up being a quilt by committee. I love hearing all your comments. One major change that I made was to make a new orange section. I used a hand-dye which is more complex and picks up more of the colors in the small circles. I put in some slivers of green, but I used a more toned down hand-dye. With trepidation, I am posting it as it looks on my design wall, now. Nothing is seamed. It is folded and pinned. The gray organza may get cut and I’ll have two sections going horizontally. Don’t know how to test this without cutting it!! Diane wondered what I wanted it to be about. She couldn’t see a focal point. My idea is to get a very simple Asian aesthetic. I was looking at photographs of Japanese gardens where there are rocks and a few plants and the soil or sand is raked. I am a bit worried that the orange is too strong, but sometimes they have a splash of color. I may make that strip much narrower. So here it is:

Last, but not least, Birthday Greetings to Stephanie: Friday is my baby’s birthday. Stephanie, my tall, lanky daughter is in some ways the least like me and in many ways, the most like me of my three children. She is a very private person, a stay at home mom and an accomplished home keeper. She is brilliant and wise. She sometimes makes me feel like the child because she always knows the right thing to say and do, and I often don’t. In that way, she is like her father. When we moved here a year ago, I didn’t know how we would get along. I have tried very hard not to be too involved in her day to day life with her family, and she has done the same for us. I think we have a very comfortable relationship. Being this close to family means so much to me. and I treasure my relationship with her and the time I have with my grandchildren.

Here is a photo of Steph in a hat that she just made. Cool, isn’t it!

Check out this wonderful drawing corner that she made for M & M.

And just look at these stuffed things that she has made:

There will be many more stuffed woodland objects for a show she is doing with Lisa in San Francisco in May. Here is the invite:

Tomorrow night we will go out for Vietnamese food and then birthday cake back at the Barnes’ house. The big question is will I have time to make a cake or will I go to the bakery?

I am so excited because I am getting an eye exam tomorrow and there will soon be new glasses!!