My Lucky Year??

Most people dread Friday the 13th but not me!
First of all I'm not superstitious and any of you that know me personally know that my lucky number is 13, or so it seems.
My birthday is March 13th, our wedding anniversary is on August 13th and my oldest son was born on February 13th so to me the thirteenth always seems to be a good day.
With that being said I'm hoping that this year, 2013, will be a good one for me.
So far I'm off to a good start.
I've recently won two giveaways from fellow bloggers.

The first one was from Ginger at Primitives by the Light of the Moon. She handmade this adorable little snowman pillow for her giveaway and then she threw in a bunch of extras. Just look at the beautiful heart pin cushion and scissor fob that she made as well as a crocheted dish cloth. On top of all those goodies she also included four great patterns for a gingerbread table runner, a stitchery pillow, an embroidery envelope and a stitchery accessory basket. 
I was shocked when I opened the package and found all of that!

The second giveaway was hosted by Kathy Schmitz who is a Moda designer. She  has a new fabric line to be released in April but 24 lucky readers were able to get an early sneak peek by winning a set of the 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 precuts and I was one of those lucky 24.
I love Moda fabrics and these designs are sew pretty.

I sure hope that this year is a great one and that my "lucky streak" continues.

A Quilter's Christmas Giveaway!!

It's time for a giveaway!

The winner will get both of the cookbooks shown above. I browsed through both books and took note of a good many recipes that I plan to make in the future & I'm sure you will find many too!

Easy to enter!
1. Must follow my blog and if you don't already then sign up now. I love meeting new bloggers!

2. Leave a comment on this post ONLY!

3. For a second chance entry you may announce my giveaway on your blog. If you do this then be sure to drop me a line so that I know you did it.

*If you don't have a blog ~ no problem~ just leave me an email address so that I can contact you if you win. You can leave it in a comment or you can email me (left sidebar) if you'd rather not share it with everyone.

Giveaway will end on Sunday December 11, 2011.
That is the day of Katie's birthday so I'll let the birthday girl pick a winner out of the hat.
Good Luck to everyone!

I'm Back & I Have a Few Winners

I'm back after a great week off!
I spent the first few days of the week doing absolutely nothing but sitting on the porch swing as I stitched away on my quilt blocks.
Then on Wednesday morning my oldest son and I boarded a school bus for a three day field trip down state. We went to places in and around Smoke Hole Caverns. (Seneca Rocks, Coopers Rock, Blackwater Falls, Devonian Shale, Spruce Knob, Sinks of Gandy and more.)
It was the BEST field trip that I have ever been on!!!
I had been to many of these locations before but never with a group of Science & History teachers. I've got loads and loads of pictures that I'll share with you all as soon as I get them loaded and organized.
Now, are you wondering who the winners are of the the Pampered Chef items??
I decided to share the winnings between 2 people & I let my husband pick the two winners out of a hat.

So the winner of the Mix N Chop, I-Slice and one Pan Scraper 

                             is Rhonda (from W.V.)

The second winner is going to recieve the Julienne Peeler, Season's Best mini cookbook, Chili Lime Rub and 2 Pan Scrapers.

Winner #2 is Susan in Derby

So congrats to Rhonda and Susan in Derby!
If you'll email me your addresses I will get these right out to you!

A Pampered Chef Giveaway while I take a Break!

Hope you all had a great Easter!

We are on Spring Break this week and since I have lots going on I have decided to take the week off from blogging. I'll be back next week hopefully all rested and recharged.

Until then, I have some Pampered Chef Goodies to give away.

I can't decide whether to give this all to one person or to split it up and share it between two of you. Let me know what you all think about that!
Included are:
~Mix N Chop - this is fabulous for breaking up hamburger when making sloppy joes and such.
~Julienne Peeler
~Season's Best mini cookbook
~I-Slice
~Nylon Pan Scrapers (very helpful when washing dishes)
~jar of Pampered Chef Chili Lime Rub

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of mine and if you aren't already   and want to be then simply sign up.
2. Leave me a comment on this post.
3. If you want an extra chance at winning then you may blog about my giveaway or add a picture of it to your sidebar. If you do this then be sure to let me know so that I can add your name twice.

Good luck to all and I'll be back next week with a winner or two! ( Hope to announce winner on Sunday or Monday.)

Lean Cuisine Codes & some Chit Chat

Are any of you collecting the codes on the Lean Cuisine boxes?
Do you need a few more?

Lean Cuisine is not typically on my grocery list however Kroger's was running a sale on them and I had several coupons so I went ahead and purchased a few of them.
Once I got home I noticed the Lunch Tote giveaway that was advertised on the back of the box.

They are giving away a free insulated lunch bag to anyone who collects 20 codes and enters them on Lean Cuisine's website. I haven't been to their website but their ad says that you can choose from 4 different styles.
Anyways, I have 5 codes from my boxes that I won't be using so if any of you are collecting them and would like a few more then just drop me an email. I will be glad to pass the codes on to the first person that emails me about them.
UPDATE:  Codes no longer available!

On the homefront ~ nothing is new!
I haven't been cooking anything wonderful to share with you or my family. Just the same old stuff!
The mood to cook has been recently replaced with the mood to sit and stitch or work jigsaw puzzles.

All I have left to do is to stitch these last three letters and then I can get it coffee stained and finished.

Then what?
Another stitchery?
Maybe some quilting with one of the free BOM patterns?
Give another go at rug hooking?
Finish the crocheted afghan that I began last winter?

Who knows? 
I guess I'll know when the mood strikes me!

I do know that these long gray days of winter seem to be going on forever.
I always long for the quiet peace that winter brings.   
~The long evenings perfect for getting cozy on the couch while working on a sewing project or watching a movie.
~The cooler temperatures that make baking & cooking so much more enjoyable.
~oh, and I love the SNOW! (which is falling right now)

But, I'm starting to think spring or better yet summer!
The time that we can get back into shorts and t-shirts, swimming and riding bikes, late nights sitting on the porch watching the kids catch fireflies....ahhh, doesn't it sound nice?

So what are your favorite things to do to help pass the time during these long winter months and what do you most look forward to summer for?

Chex Party Mix Winner

I've been using the the number generator at random.org for the last several giveaways but I thought I'd go the old fashioned route today.
So I cut and folded all the names this morning and placed them in a hat and then Gage pulled out a winner.

It's Angela from WEST VIRGINIA TREASURES!

Congratulations Angela and thank you to all who entered.
Angela if you will email me your postal address I will pass it on so that they can mail your package to you.
Hope you all are having a great weekend and staying warm!

Celebrate with a Chex Giveaway!

Chex Mix is a must have at our house during the holidays. Everyone loves it!

No matter what your taste is...sweet, salty or spicy...there is a Chex Mix just for you.
Looking for a gluten-free treat?
No worry, Chex has 4 gluten-free cereals that can be used in any Chex Mix recipe.
Visit CHEX.COM and see all the many recipe possiblities.

 Pumpkin Pie Crunch
Honey Nut Cherry Crunch
Cajun Kick
PB & Chocolate
Backyard BBQ
Chocolate Coffee Toffee Crunch
and a whole lot more.

They also have 3 new flavor recipes this holiday season.

Apple Pie Snack Mix
Chex Lemon Buddies
Tex Mex Party Mix

You can find the recipe cards for these new snacks at your local Walmart.

                   (box of Chex cereal, a large Chex tote and a measuring cup set)
I received this Chex Party Mix gift pack in exchange for a review from General Mills and in association with My Blog Spark. They have another gift pack to ship to one of my lucky readers!
So here's the deal:
If you'd like to enter this giveaway then leave a comment on this post. Maybe you could tell me which Chex Party Mix flavor is your favorite.
Giveaway will close on Sunday morning December 19 and winner will be announced.
Good Luck!

Contest is now over and the winner is Angela over at
West Virginia Treasures.

We have a WINNER!

Thanks to each and every one of you for entering. I truly wish I could give each of you a gift but that's just not possible.

I had lots of entries for this one!

I got up early this morning and went downstairs to the computer to pick a winner and in the middle of it all my camera decided to die. So I had to stop and get the charger so that I could charge the battery. While that was going on I fixed breakfast for the family and then had to take off to the mall for a few things. Long story short ~ I had good intentions to get this posted early this morning but that plan failed.
Sorry!

So without further ado....
                            the winner is

Now let's go back to the list and see who #38 is!

It's Cheryl over at WATER OAK HILL.
Congratulations Cheryl!
Send me your postal address and I'll get this right out to you.

Hope all of you have a great weekend!

Season of Giving Giveaway #2

Here is the second gift in my Season of Giving giveaway. Last month, Steph won the little Thanksgiving basket.
This month I have a candy cane purse made by *me* and filled with a Gooseberry Patch Christmas book, The Twelve Blessings of Christmas book by T.J. Mills (which has super cute graphics and recipes) a Hallmark serving tray and spreader and last but not least and Everlasting Candle (battery operated).

To Enter:

1. You must be a follower of my blog. If you are not then sign up on my sidebar.

2. Leave me a comment.

3. If you wish to have a 2nd chance of winning then blog about my giveaway on your blog or add my giveaway to your sidebar. Please be sure to let me know if you are doing this step so that I can add your name twice.

That's all there is to it!
I'm ending this and announcing the winner THIS Saturday so that I can ship it to you well before Chirstmas.
Good Luck to all!

This giveaway is now closed. Winner to be announced!

Happy Thanksgiving & a Congrats!

My Thanksgiving Giveaway is over and I thank all of you that entered.

I used the number generator at Random.org and got #5 which is Steph over at The Life of a Farmer's Wife.

Congratulations Steph!
Email me your address and I'll get this out to you tomorrow!

I hope all of you are having a great Thanksgiving Day surrounded by lots of family, friends and food.

Last Chance!

If you haven't signed up for my Thanksgiving giveaway then you better hurry!
It ends tomorrow and the winner will be announced.
Good Luck!

I thought that I would get a little break from my busy  schedule this week since we weren't schooling but that hasn't happened yet. Now I'm just busy catching up on all the things that I never have the time to do.
I've also been out doing more Christmas shopping before the chaos starts on Friday. I used to get up early and go shopping on Black Friday but it doesn't even sound interesting this year. I hate having to stand in line forever only to arrive and be told that the item has sold out. The other issue is the sea of rude & pushy people that will go to great lengths to get an item regardless of who they have to push out of the way to get it. 
I'd rather spend a little extra before the sales start, know that I actually have the item that I need and not have to deal with the sea of people on Friday morning.
However, I know many ladies love to shop that day and to those of you brave enough to go then I hope you find all the best deals!

Great Way to Wake Up!

I was in bed all tucked away in my warm blankets when I woke up to the sound of the mail truck pulling up in front of my house. He was bringing me my winning package from Carmen over at Waxed Out Creative Life.

She had a giveaway to celebrate her 200th post and I was the lucky winner. She has been talking about opening up some sort of selling blog on the internet and let me tell you...she really should!

Every piece that she sent was perfect. There was a stuffed prim pear, a caramel apple candle, lavender scented wooden clothespins, pumpkin cheesecake room spray and she even sent me a bar of her homemade lye soap that she made.

Thanks Carmen,

I love it all!

Busy Morning and an Alabama Package

I'm rather late today in adding a post to my blog but this morning has been a busy one.

I canned another batch of salsa this morning and then went out and cleared some more of the garden off. I believe my tomatoes are just about done for the season. I still have green beans, peppers, zucchini and sugar pumpkins growing and of course I'm saving my cornstalks for fall decorating.

I also put a crockpot meal together so that we could have a decent dinner after football tonight and I baked a dessert for afterwards. I will be sharing those recipes later if they pass my families taste test.

Now on to the package!

I received a package yesterday from Alabama! To be exact it came from Stephanie over at http://thelifeofafarmerswife.blogspot.com/.

Remember, she recently had a giveaway and I was the lucky winner!

We couldn't wait to open it up to see what she had sent.

There was a t-shirt, pecan cookies that were oh so good, grape soda, BBQ potato chips as well as Dill chips, cotton ( they are cotton farmers), apple butter, a loaf of sourdough bread, Red Diamond tea bags and a bottle of yellow syrup.

I thought the cotton was cool! We don't grow cotton in the north so this was something that I had never seen. The other thing I had never seen or tasted was the yellow syrup. She suggested eating it on biscuits so I will have to give it a try.

Thanks Stephanie! We all enjoyed your package.

Now, I thought the idea of having a giveaway of state-made products or even items that your state is well known for was a neat & different idea.

So...I'm rapidly approaching my 200th post and if I can come up with enough state items that I can easily ship then I may borrow Stephanie's idea and have a giveaway myself so you better stay tuned. :0)

Have a great day!

I WON!

Stephanie over at The Life of a Farmers Wife recently had a giveaway on her blog. This morning as I browsed through my favorite blogs I saw that she had picked the winner and guess what.....It was ME! ☺☺☺

Stop on over to her place to see what I won.

http://thelifeofafarmerswife.blogspot.com/