I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.  

Do I have to choose?

Got home from my Gees Bend Quilting Retreat Thursday afternoon to find this on my back porch: 

I had forgotten an impulse purchase of a bag of 50 daffodil bulbs, and did not get them planted in November.  Found them in March, planted them in pots on my covered porch.  First bloom!  More will follow soon.  I'm the only person on the mountain with daffodils this late in the season! Ha! 

These are my quilts from the workshop:

I'll have to show you more detail after I decide what to do with them.  These two are my favorites:

I need to explain these two quilt-tops.  The top one, the little 9-patch, is a "granny square" that is inspired by a quilt that my Mom's Mom (Maw-Granny) made from flour sacks and old dresses.  I may have to build a whole quilt of these!

The bottom one is as close as I could get to a "Gees Bend" style.  I have an unhealthy obsession with symmetry, and the crazy border is the result of my trying to cut loose and cut up - literally.  Still pretty symmetrical.  I have a long way to go...

The portrait in the middle is a screen print of a painting of the Madonna, done by Victoria - she even signed it!  I also have signatures of other quilters who were inspirational and helpful (Kim and Anna Maria), including Mary Anne and China, the Gees Bend quilters.  I need to get Cathy to sign it, too - she's the reason I came on the retreat, and she is a gem - smart, engaging, sweet - and talented.

Almost three days of quilting!  Then, today, I had to start rescuing the house.  Yuck.  Anything - anything - distraction!  I found two leftover pineapples from Easter, so I decided to try to make the pineapple-infused vodka for Firebird's-style martinis.  I think it has to sit for 21 days:

Then we went to a nursery to get:

• a new bowl for the birdbath (check!)
• flowers for the planters at the mailbox (check!)
• a water-feature for the area in front of the swing in the yard (fail - keep looking)

 I need to get back to my sewing room.