Some of our Navy friends out here had a baby shower for Me and another spouse who is excepting a baby soon.  I knew it was coming, but thought that they were going to do a group gift since that is what has been done for us in the past.  But as the shower got closer I realized that I needed to come up with a gift on my own.  I didn't have a ton of time (1 1/2 days to be exact) but I wanted to do something that would be special.  So I went back to a pattern that I had made before and knew would work up quickly.

This is what I came up with

I loved it on paper, and in the store when I picked out the fabric, and when I wrapped it...  But when she opened it and right now looking at the picture, I think the pink looks strange, Most of the flowers have pink on them, but I think I should have used a pink trim instead of yellow.  Also, the back is a plain lavender and when I was done quilting it I thought it would have been nicer with a subtle print to the purple.

Since I was on a time crunch I quilted it by machine.  I outlined all the blocks and the borders.  Then I quilted a few inches inside of the flower wreath.  I didn't have enough time to tie some yellow ribbon or yarn in the center of each flower like I wanted to, but I'm still happy with it overall.  And it went together a lot faster than the first time I did this pattern.  Probably because I didn't go exclusively by the pattern, I made it my own with the material I had and then took it to the fabric store to find a backing and border fabric.  And that is what a scrappy quilt is meant to be I think.

Anyway.  The pattern is one of Eleanor Burns Free patterns on her Quilt in a Day website.  It is the Rainbow wreath pattern that can be downloaded there.

1 step forward, 2 steps back

So I posted a while ago that I was excited about the tulips that I planted, they are still doing great. (Aside from the 2 that were eaten by animals and the 1 that was broken in half. I'm not sure if that was done by a child or animal...)I've been so excited about planting because after our long winter I am just SO tired of seeing the ugly bare branches everywhere. so with the success of my tulips I decided to buy some beautiful blue hydrangeas that were at the grocery store. I got 3 of them and kept them in the pots, but put them where I intended to plant them for a few days to see how they would do and they looked like this...

They seemed fine, so I went ahead and planted them. The next day I saw them and they were DEAD!!! Like this...

I was so frustrated and I just kept thinking about what a horrible gardener I am. I called my Mom who said that night there must have been a frost that killed the flowers and leaves, but that the roots should still be good, so I should leave them there and next year they might bloom again. LEAVE THE UGLY DEAD PLANTS IN THE SAME SPOT WHERE I SEE THEM EVERYDAY FOR A YEAR? Ug, talk about a daily reminder that I have a brown thumb.

I guess this is my 'I can't be good at everything' post.

Better luck next time

But on a brighter note, there are a few things in the yard that have been sprouting on their own. The Strawberry and blueberry bushes look good and the butterfly bush looks like it will be pretty again in the summer. But there are some things I can't identify, I call them my mystery plants. These I think will be flowers, but I have no idea what kind

And about a hundred of these have popped up all up and down the driveway. At first I thought they might be tulips, but now I am wondering if they are trees growing from all the acorns that came down in the fall. If they are trees I will have to go and pick all of them, but if they are not, I will be so excited to have flowers growing along the driveway.

What do you think my mystery plants are?

-Bri.