A follow-up.....

Just a follow-up to tell those who wanted to know.....this photo taken by my husband of Mennonite gals at the beach (with their shoes lined up neatly in a row) did win as the best Visual Vacation Image of the first 10 years of Delaware Beach Life magazine and is now part of a ten-year commemorative collector's edition!  Thanks to all who were so supportive of this!

UGLY FABRIC brown bag adventure.....

Want to have some fun AND get rid of some of your "WHY DID I BUY THAT?" fabric??? Click HERE to get info on joining the Brown Bag Ugly Fabric contest at the Stash Manicure blog. I'm joining and will look forward to getting someone else's "ugly" fabric and turning it into something that I will KEEP (that's how the adventure goes!!!) We have until March to finish and there will be some great prizes for some lucky participants. I'll put this button and the link on my sidebar, too, so it can be easily found for awhile. Deadline for entry is Sept. 1. You know I will use my GO to cut this ugly fabric easily so it can be made into something that is NOT ugly!!!

Our quilting group's Christmas luncheon.....

In my immediate neighborhood (within 4 blocks), we have a small quilting group. A few of us have quilted for awhile and some are newer quilters. We have a lot of fun and meet every few weeks. We will soon begin a row-by-row and are excited about that. We go out for a Christmas luncheon at a nice place nearby. This year we did Secret Santa and exchanged our gifts at the luncheon. The above photo shows all of us....from left to right....Linda, Kaye, Joann, Ann, Me, and Sherry. (You can click on these photos to see them larger.)

This picture shows Sherry clowning around by the poinsettia tree in the lobby that day. She was holding not only her own gift, but the gifts of the rest of us, also.
AND...a reminder.....there are only a few more days left to enter the Whirl Into Winter giveaways. To enter mine (if you didn't already enter...only one entry per person), click here.
To enter on other blogs, also, click on the snowflake icon on my right sidebar here and it will link you to where you can find the other giveaways. I will be drawing my winning names (2 people) on January 15 at 7 p.m. MY time (east coast), so don't miss out on the fun!

OH, NO.....some folks didn't give me contact information...

I'm just going to post this reminder one time and if it applies to you, then you'll need to correct the situation or I can't have your name in my giveaway. There are several people who entered the drawing but did NOT give their email address and they have NO blog and no way for me to contact them. If you think you are one of those folks, then you better click HERE and go enter again and INCLUDE your information. I also had one "anonymous" and those are automatically not in the giveaway as there is no way to identify them or contact them so don't enter anonymously, okay?

I don't like to delete any entries, but if I can't contact you, your name won't be in the drawing. Sorry....but that's pretty standard for all who do giveaways!

For others who didn't YET enter my Whirl Into Winter giveaway, click here to read the rules and enter. Deadline is January 15. Join the fun and click on the snowflake on the sidebar here to find lots of OTHER bloggers who are having giveaways at the same time!

Let's Pay It Forward this year.....

I am starting the new year off with a BANG! In addition to the Whirl Into Winter giveaway mentioned in yesterday's post, I am involved in an event that a blogging friend, Sara, was hosting..... a "Pay It Forward" .....PIF....activity on her blog recently. The first 3 to comment on her blog were to be part of her fun. I was the first to comment, so I am part of it. She was doing this as part of HER commitment to another blogging friend of hers (from whom she is getting a gift). Below is an explanation of how it goes...

For those of you that have not seen the movie the concept is this. Whenever someone does a good deed for you, instead of doing something nice back for that same person, you pay it forward. It's simple. You select the 3 people and send gifts to them....but I am doing this with SIX people BECAUSE....I have joined (at the same time) ANOTHER Pay It Forward with Mel. The only responsibility you have (if you are one of the people chosen from MY PIF) is that you promise to also pay it forward three fold to the 3 people who join YOUR Pay It Forward that you will then post on your blog after I notify you that you are one of the "winners" here. The gifts you make to send to others can be anything you want...maybe tailored to their likes (according to their profiles on their blogs)...or just something you enjoy making.

The gifts I make will be sent out sometime in the next six months. Then in return, you make the same PIF promise on your blog. You must have a blog to participate and you have up to six months to send out your handmade gifts. Ready to try to join in the fun?

If you want to participate - please leave me a comment in THIS January 2 post that you want to Pay It Forward! I know some PIF 's have taken the first 3 to comment, but I am varying that a bit and will accept all comments until January 7....and then 6 names will be drawn at random from among those commenting that they wish to be part of this...and the 6 "winners" will be notified and will have to post the PIF info on their blogs....and on and on it goes!!!

(And.....check out my Jan. 1 post to enter the big Whirl Into Winter giveaway if you didn't already do that. NOTE to those who post as "anonymous" or have their name but no blog or email address in their comment or connected to their name... please know that if you don't leave at least an email address in your comment, I can't contact you and you won't be in the drawing to be eligible to win on any giveaway I ever have here. SO...if you left a comment and there is no way for me to contact you, go comment again and leave your email address IN the comment. I hate to see anyone be left out who wants to be in this.)

Okay.....enter the big giveaway TODAY.....

Edited to add: This giveaway is now closed. The 2 winners' names as picked with a random # generator are: The Yellow Spoon (from Texas), who won first prize and num1rd (Paula...no blog...from Ohio), who won the second prize. I am waiting to hear their snail-mail addresses. If no reply within a reasonable amount of time, I'll draw new names for the prizes. Thanks, Debi for your great organizational skills with this fun giveaway event!

If you read last night's post here, you know the big Whirl Into Winter giveaway starts today. Debi (our contest organizer) had us post our "rules" yesterday so everyone could be ready to jump in and join today. We LOVE Debi!!! SO....re-read the rules from my post last night and then leave your comment here today if you are entering the fun. Be sure I can reach you on January 16 if you are the winner whose name I draw on January 15. AND...if you have a blog and post a link to THIS post on your blog, let me know you are doing that. Once I go and see that on your blog, I'll put your name into the drawing twice!

So..what are you waiting for? Re-read my December 31 evening message here for the rules (you know we all have rules and they need to be followed!!! I MUST have your little story as part of your comment or your entry isn't "valid".) Enter here and then click on that cute snowflake to enter LOTS of contests with LOTS of chances to win!!!

GOOD LUCK to all!

Edited to add: Since some have commented on my post LAST night, I will include them IF they commented on Jan. 1 THEIR time as well as count those who comment HERE on the Jan. 1 post. BUT..please be sure to tell me your favorite quilting project in your post in order for your comment to count. Thanks!

WHIRL into WINTER giveaway fun!!!

YIPPEE....Debi is hosting another fun MAJOR giveaway.(Read the rest of my post here to get in on MY giveaway and then.....click on the little snowflake guy on the right side of this blog to get to the rest of the giveaway blogs by way of Debi's page.) She has recruited many bloggers to participate and I am one of them. The number of bloggers doing this is more than 50! Each of them is hosting a giveaway. Isn't that TERRIFIC? This makes it easy for you to enter...you go to her blog and look at the list...click on each blog that is having a giveaway and follow that person's instructions to take part. You will have oodles of chances to win lots of prizes! Try your luck and see how you do! You have nothing to lose and a lot of nice things you may win.
NOW.........then......
My prize will be awarded (to a name drawn at random) on January 15. I will be giving away four fat quarters and a pattern and probably a few other goodies, too. I can't show them yet as I don't HAVE them yet, but will show a picture of them here as soon as I shop for them (probably on Sunday).

For now, leave a comment TOMORROW on the January 1 post only, telling me what your most favorite quilting project was. Only enter once and on THAT post...duplicate posts will not be counted. Also, the content of your answer does NOT determine if you are a winner or not...I'm just thinking it will be fun to hear your answers and you must answer the question to be in the drawing. ALL the names, regardless of the answers, will be part of the drawing and one lucky person will be the winner. OH...yes.....if you have a blog, mention my giveaway on your blog and put a link on YOUR blog to mine and I'll enter your name twice in my drawing. (Tell me in your comment that you are doing this so I will know to give you two chances in the drawing.)

Don't worry if you do NOT have a blog, because you can still enter. Just make sure you don't sign your comment as anonymous and that you have an email address connected with your profile. I will post the winner's name here on January 16, but I'd also like to email that person directly, too. (If someone's comment is anonymous, their name can't go into the drawing, unfortunately.) I am willing to ship international so you out-of-the-USA gals are welcome to join the fun.

So...let's all whirl into winter together for some fun with Debi's huge giveaway event! Leave your contest comment here TOMORROW and then click on the snowflake on the right sidebar and enter at the other blogs listed there!

A new beginning and some giveaways......

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~Bill Vaughan

A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. ~Author Unknown

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things. ~John Burroughs

As one year comes to a close and another is about to begin, I have posted a few New Year's quotations for you to enjoy......a couple that are whimsical and one that is a bit more reflective and introspective. In my December 22 post, I put a few ideas down for resolutions I am going to make regarding my quilting. Some of you said you were going to join with me and make some quilting resolutions, too. I'm hoping to hear about them soon.

The next two days will have posts here that may allow you to WIN something.....VERY late tonight (or extra-early tomorrow morning) a post about the Whirl Into Winter giveaway being run by "Debi Quilts" and in which I'm participating and giving a prize....and the following day, my Pay It Forward fun that will allow SIX of you to win a prize made by me! So I hope you will stick around for all the good times that lie ahead here! AND...may 2009 be a kinder, gentler year to ALL of us....filled with peace and good health.

Oh...a giveaway by Freda's Hive....what FUN!

Nanette and daughters are having a 7-day giveaway on their blog Freda's Hive. This is Day 2 of signups and you will need to read her December 7 post to get all the rules. It's a really fun giveaway, so why don't you pop over to her blog and leave a comment! Tell her you found her by reading my blog, okay?

Kathy is having a contest.....

Check out Kathy's blog. She is having a "pay-it-forward" contest.