Winter is getting old....

Today I decided to try out the new posting editor in Blogger.  I don't even know how long it's been around but I was messing with settings and there it was!  So here we go.

We woke up to ice again this morning.   Sigh.  It was pretty with the sun sparkling on it but the whole winter thing is getting old fast.  Today I read a news article that said Florida is the only state without snow or ice on the ground.  Sheesh!

The geese don't seem to mind.  They stroll around on the ice and hang out on the bank in the sunshine.  Of course this is when they aren't pooping on my lawn.

Despite the cold wind that whipped up today, the southern sun did it's work and melted the ice on my car.  It was all gone by noon.  Yippee.

And this afternoon there was lots of evidence of the ice beginning to melt on the pond.  The geese start falling through the ice and have to ice-break their way to the open water at the edge, leaving holes and pathways everywhere.

Our front steps are shaded and still slick.  I need to get some ice melt as soon as it comes back in stock in the stores.  If it keeps on like this I guess a shovel would be a prudent purchase as well.  (Darn it!)

The Christmas lights are still mostly up and also encased in ice.  Take-down is on the agenda for the coming weekend.  Hopefully we'll be healthy enough to do it!

I've been spending a lot of time lounging in my pjs the past two weeks and the dogs stay close.  Very close.  Ivy decided to use my footstool as a pillow while she kept my feet warm.  :-)

Ngaire stands guard at the front window. 

In the sewing room, I finished putting this bag together for Mom.  The pattern is "Versatility Tote" by Bloom Creek.  Mom has made several now and we've come up with a system.  She does the English paper piecing of the hexagons, then I put the bag together.  This is one of hers and I gave it back to her today so she can add the handles.

This one's mine.

I have so many UFOs but once in a while I have to be bad and start something new.  So last night I put together this "Abbey Bag."  I bought the pattern at the Fiber Arts Marketplace in Sanford on Saturday.  Connecting Threads has a kit for it and I was intrigued when I saw it in the catalog last week.  So I just had to buy the pattern when I saw it.  :-)  I've been trying to get a bunch of hand work done while I watch TV in the living room and this will be great for my threads and odds and ends.  I dug out four coordinating fat quarters I don't remember buying and was saving for I don't know what.  One of the fat quarters was short an inch so I had to piece the back of the bag.  It doesn't matter though.

The dogs are funny.  The pincushion part is filled with ground walnut shells from the pet store.  As soon as I started messing with the bag, the dogs were right at my side!  They know food when they smell it.  I showed them it was just shells but they sat all in a row next to my sewing table watching me closely.  Right now they are rattling their tags and generally being annoying, trying to tell me it's their dinnertime.  So I guess I better not disappoint them.  :-)