I Won A Giveaway!!

I hope everybody had a  blessed holiday, and I wish each of you a most beautiful New Year!!


BJ at Sweet Nothings, had a recent giveaway, for a free Ramsign. And I won, woohoo!!

The signs are beautifully made of iron and porcelain enamel. Porcelain enamel is a glass mass (mainly composed of silicon) with particularly strong adhesion properties, and the signs are coated with porcelain on the back as well as the front, and made to last forever.

 There are a number of choices as to color scheme, size, trim, etc., and they can do lettering, such as names, street names, etc., as well as numbers.
If you have not visited the website of Ramsign, you really should, just to read the very interesting story of how the process works, how the company revived a very old process, and see the wonderful things they can do. The production is entirely by hand, so no two pieces are ever exactly alike. I love that!

This is the sign I chose. It is called Highlander, and makes a sign that is very visible, so works great for address plagues. 

I am so happy to have won this beautiful sign, and I want to thank BJ at Sweet Nothings for the chance to win, and Ramsign for being so generous. I hope you will visit both of them!

Thanks for coming by today, I appreciate it! Hugs and blessings
Sandra

Christmas Mug Reveal

This should have been posted a few days ago, but since so many of us have taken a break from blogging due to the recent tragedy, I decided to wait until today.
I had never participated in a swap before, but Heather, from Heatherly Loves, set up a Christmas Mug Swap a few weeks ago, and I decided to take part. It was a great experience, and I can't wait for another swap! Heather kindly collected mailing addresses from those who wished to participate, and assigned names for each of us to send a mug to "our person". I received my lovely gift from Gail, at Purple Hues and Me. WOW! Gail was more than generous. I was so excited when my package arrived, before I had even put mine in the mail. And what a package it was---first off, it was wrapped in the cutest paw print paper.

 Inside was a darling basket, and in the basket was a wealth, not just a beautiful mug, but a gorgeous potholder, a tea towel, an adorable angel for the tree, and the cutest pin cushion chair on Earth! Have you ever seen anything so darling?

 Gail made this herself, and I love it! She also made the beautiful lace angel ornament. I collect angels, so how perfect is that?!

The mug is very large, perfect for my coffee!

My kitchen is done in a sort of European Wine Country theme, so this grape potholder fits right in!

Love the basket, and the tea towel!

 My pictures don't do any of this justice--not the fault of the camera at all, my own lack of skill and the combination of a very dark and dreary day. I wish you could see all of it in person, it is wonderful. AND Gail included a beautiful letter telling me about herself, and we have so many things in common. She lives in Arizona, wish she was not so far away.
Gail and I have exchanged emails, and I feel I now have a new friend. AND, she has a lovely blog, if you are not familiar with it, do yourself a favor and check it out.
She blogs at Purple Hues and Me.

I sent my mug to Claire at The Rustic Pig, and she, too has a wonderful blog!
This was a great experience, and I urge to participate in a swap if you have a chance.

Many thanks to Heather for setting this swap up for us!

Silence for Sandy Hook

                          

Charlotte Bacon (2/22/06), 6 years old

Daniel Barden (9/25/05), 7 years old

Rachel Davino (7/17/83), Staff member, 29 years old

Olivia Engel (7/18/06), 6 years old

Josephine Gay (12/11/05), 7 years old

Ana M. Marquez-Greene (4/4/06), 6 years old

Dylan Hockley (3/8/06), 6 years old

Dawn Hochsprung (6/28/65), Principal, 47 years old

Madeleine F. Hsu (7/10/06), 6 years old

Catherine V. Hubbard (6/8/06), 6 years old

Chase Kowalski (10/31/05), 7 years old

Nancy Lanza, 52 years old (mother of shooter)

Jesse Lewis (6/30/06), 6 years old

James Mattioli (03/22/06), 6 years old

Grace McDonnell (11/4/05), 7 years old

Anne Marie Murphy (7/25/60), Staff member, 52 years old

Emilie Parker (05/12/06), 6 years old

Jack Pinto (05/05/06), 6 years old

Noah Pozner (11/20/06), 6 years old

Caroline Previdi (9/07/06), 6 years old

Jessica Rekos (5/10/06), 6 years old

Avielle Richman (11/17/06) 6 years old

Lauren Rousseau (June 1982), Staff member, 30 years old

Mary Sherlach (2/11/56), Staff member, 56 years old

Victoria Soto (11/04/85), Staff member, 27 years old

Benjamin Wheeler (09/12/06), 6 years old

Allison N. Wyatt (07/03/06), 6 years old

A Christmas Prayer for a time of Grief

This is not the post I had planned for this weekend. I have been unable to post anything since Friday. The pain is too great.  Such senseless tragedy, in what is meant to be a season of joy. Precious children. I have two great-granddaughters a year or so younger than those slaughtered babies. It hits far too close to home, for all of us.  I am not one to talk about my faith on my blog. I firmly believe that each of us has the right to believe as they choose, to worship, or not, according to their own light. I have no desire to push my own belief on anyone else, nor to offend those who do not share my beliefs, or who choose to worship differently, or not at all.  The only thing I believe is universal is our ability to love others, regardless of external things, or varied religions, or different cultures and customs. Love. That is the one thing that can, and should, unite us, every one of us, with no exception, no exclusion, no separation, that one is Christian, one is Jewish, one is Buddhist, one is Hindu, one worships the purple-eyed bullfrog. It doesn't matter. Just love. Having said all that, I do wish to share with you an email that I received today. It speaks of Jesus, and the Story as laid forth in the Bible, but for those who do not hold Jesus nor the Bible sacred, I think the point is the same. It speaks to my heart in this time of darkness and grief. I hope it will speak to yours.

                            A Christmas Prayer
                              By Max Lucado

Dear Jesus,

It’s a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.

These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.

The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?

Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers.
The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod’s jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark
with poverty. Dark with violence.

Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.

Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.

This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.

Hopefully,
Your Children

I wish each of you a sense of peace, and I wish you love.
Blessings
Sandra 

Sisterhood of the World

I am so thrilled to be nominated for this award by Marci, at Stone Cottage Adventures! It is my first award, and I am touched and honored to be included!

So the rules of the award are as follows:

 

• Include award logo in blog post
• Thank the nominee and link back to their blog
• Post 7 interesting facts about yourself (See below)
• Pass the award to 7 deserving sisters  

My Nominees are:

Heather of Heatherly Loves

BJ   of sweet nothings

Gail of Purple Hues and Me

Maureen of It's All Connected

Cristina  of Remodeled and

Angelica of Decora Adora

Joani of My Southwest ramblings

As for interesting things about me, Oh, dear! I hope some of this is interesting!
 
I am the mother of one son and four daughters. My son is the oldest, at 47. My youngest daughter is 25. ( I have been a mama a long time!) In addition to one son and four daughters, I have one grandson and four granddaughters, and one great-grandson and four great granddaughters. How cool is that?!

I was a Firefighter/EMT for 15 years. Aside from raising my children, it was the most rewarding thing I have ever done, and I dearly loved it!

I was Mayor for two terms of the town I used to live in. (don't be impressed, it is a VERY small town. But it was an interesting experience)

I am a Southerner to the core. I am half-blood Cherokee Indian, the other half is Irish. My spiritual beliefs are those of my Cherokee ancestors, and I am Cherokee at heart. I do think my (sometimes off-beat) sense of humor is from the Irish side. I love all living things, and I share my home with four dogs and two cats.

I love to cook and am an accomplished baker. I have owned two restaurants, one a small country diner, which was in a hundred-year old church building, and the other a large nightclub/steak house, with live county bands and a big dance floor. (but I don't, and never have, used alcohol myself. Don't  like the taste)

At one time, I owned over a thousand cookbooks. I still have a large collection. I read them like other people read novels. I get ideas from them, but rarely follow a recipe exactly.

I absolutely love thunderstorms. And wood fires, fast-moving water, (especially waterfalls), and coffee.

That was my seven, but you notice that I managed to sneak a lot into those seven. One more, I don't talk overmuch in person, but when writing, I never know when to shut up!
 
I want to thank Marci again for this nomination! What fun to participate, and I am looking forward to learning more about my nominees!

Sandra 

If you are not already reading and/or following Marci, be sure to check out her wonderful blog! Stone Cottage Adventures

Remember Pearl Harbor

As we pause to remember the events of this date in 1941, and the heartbreaking years that followed, let us also remember that our country is not at peace today. Remember also the men and women who are, even now, fighting on foreign soil to protect our freedoms.

A great day with a Blogger friend!

Yesterday, I went into Springfield to meet friend and fellow blogger Danni of Silo Hill Farm. Danni was one of the first people I 'met' when I started reading blogs, and without her encouragement and help, I doubt I ever would have started my own blog. We had planned to meet on Nov. 16, but that turned out to be the day my great-granddaughter arrived, so we had to reschedule.
It was the most wonderful day! I knew Danni and I had a lot of things in common, but I was amazed at just how many. We were both a few minutes early to meet in the parking lot of Vendor's Mart, but we pulled in at the same time. 

Within the first three minutes, I felt like I had known her all my life! We wandered through the HUGE flea market, then over to Dollar Tree, which I do not have close to my home. It was amazing, so many fun things. 

After that, we went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch, which Danni very sweetly insisted was her treat. We finished our lunch, then just continued to sit and talk, learning a bit about the history of our lives. Never an awkward pause or  uncomfortable silence, it was like old friends having a weekly lunch. I loved it! Then we were off to the Restore, which I had never been to. Oh my goodness!!! I saw a sofa with matching loveseat as soon as we walked it, and immediately wished I could take it home with me. That place had sooo much stuff! If I had lots of money, and a truck, I would have brought a load of things home with me! As it was, I only bought a few small things, including a BRAND NEW 10" springform pan, for fifty cents!!
I had my camera with me, but we were having such a good time, I forgot to take pictures! I snapped one of the stores ( I should have zoomed closer, but doesn't my new camera take great pictures?!), but not inside the stores, or anything else, darn it.
It was a really wonderful day. Danni is as sweet and down to earth in person as she is online. I really feel like I have made a forever friend, and I can't wait until the next time we get together!

I hope you all have a great day today, too!
Sandra

Would you like to vote?

My new great-grand-daughter, Amaya, is in the Parent's Magazine Cutest Baby Contest. If you would care to vote for her, the link is below. If you vote, thank you!  If not, that is fine, too, and I thank you for stopping in!

  http://t.meredith.ly/MMziSLh

hugs and blessings

Sandra