And the giveaway winner is...

One slip for each time you entered...

 

I dumped the slips into a hatbox, put the lid on, and shook it.

 

I opened the lid a crack, and my brother reached in and drew out one slip. 

 

One slip, with the name of the winner scrawled upon it...

 

And the winner of the crocheted tam is...

 

 

Kellie!

 

Congratulations, Kellie!

Shoot me an email or give me a call, and we'll find a time for you to pick up your tam...and maybe squeeze in a few rounds of Fox and Geese;)

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~ 

 

Thank you to everyone who participated!  I had a lot of fun hosting this giveaway, and I plan to have more in the future=)  Would everyone like that?

 

Happy Trails y'all!

Christmas Creativity

And here is the finished Christmas Ice Skate door decoration...

 

Sweet, isn't it?

 

I took greenery cut from the trees in our forest and fake red berries and stuck them in the top, then tied the plaid ribbon around the top of the skate.  I used the skate's laces to make a loop on the other side of the skate to hang it from the wreath hanger. 

 

I think it turned out rather well, and I had fun making it:)

 

Merry Christmas!

 

.....

 

A few weeks ago the cover of our Plow & Hearth catalog caught my eye...

 

Isn't that a cute idea?  I love it!

 

So, I'm working on making one of my own using my old pair of ice skates which are now too small for me.

 

The only thing I've done so far is clean the skate, and also cover part of the blade - I can just imagine my dad's reaction when the blade starts chipping paint off the door.  Not pretty;)

 

I used felt to cover the front and the back of the blade.

 

Now, I just have to decide whether to use fake greenery, or real. 

 

I think I'll go with real - we've got plenty of that around here:)

 

 

Happy trails y'all!

Snow report...

Since our first snow on the 18th, it's been snowing quite a bit each day, and we now have 9 in.   It's snowing right now, and we're supposed to get ten more inches if it continues to snow all day and all tonight.  Whoopie!!!

 

The only problem with a lot of snow is that it's pretty much impossible to ice skate on our pond (that's are 1/2 acre pond that you see beyond the bushes), unless we clear it off.  Sometimes when the ice is really thick, we use our small garden tractor to plow part of it off.  That's always nice, sine no one feels like ice skating after using a snow shovel to clear the pond;)

 

In the meantime, I think some sledding is in order today!=D

 

Happy trails y'all!

Snow!

Here I sit, mug of cocoa in hand, watching the snow fall.

 

 

It was raining cats and dogs when I went to bed, but this morning I woke up to a wonderful, beautiful, clean blanket of snow.  It's about 3 inches deep already! 

I remember several years ago when it started snowing one night and kept going all through the night and all the next day, and by the end of it we had over a foot of snow.  We couldn't believe it.

 

Snow makes everything beautiful.  Everything so quiet and peaceful.  I love it:) 

I probably wont love it come January, but right now, I simply adore snow=)

 

 

Our faithful Kubota - what would we do without you?  We wouldn't be going anywhere this winter without you to plow our driveway, that's for sure!

 

.....

 

And now for a surprise...

 

Announcing my very first blog giveaway!!!  *applause*

 

In honor of the first snow of the season, I am giving away...

 

...this lovely tam, crochet by yours truly.

 

The hat is gray with a gray, green and purple pom-pom on top - the pom-pom can be removed, if you wish, but it really adds a lot to the hat.

 

There are also two green stripes running around the underside of the hat.

 

{dog not included}

 

To enter this giveaway:

• Follow my blog and leave a comment letting me know you've done so (if you already follow my blog, you can enter anyway, but you still have to comment:)  My Google Friends Connect widget is located on my home page sidebar.
• Blog about this giveaway (or you can use Facebook or Twitter if you wish) and leave a comment letting me know you've done so.
• Comment and share what your favorite winter/snow sport is (example: skiing, sledding, snowballing, snowshoeing, etc.)

Update: I just realized that next Thursday is Thanksgiving (food!=), so the giveaway will now end on Saturday the 27th of November at the stroke of midnight.  The winner will be announced on the following Sunday.

 

So, let the giveaway begin!!

 

Happy Trails, y'all!

Wallpaper Wednesday

Do you ever have days where you get up in the morning and right away you're just bubbling over with joy and happiness?  That's how I feel today.  I don't know why, I just am.  Actually, that's not entirely true.  I do know why.  It's because once again I've realized just how much Jesus loves me.   Just thinking about that makes me feel so safe and happy and full of joy.   Joy is contagious, so I thought I'd try and "infect" the rest of you with it today:)

 

.....

 

For today's wallpaper, I give you Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden in...Sabrina!

 

{Full size image located on the Graphic Design page}

 

Sabrina is without a doubt one of my very favorite movies.  I have a lot of favorite movies - my Blogger profile shows lengthy evidence of that fact - but only a few make it onto my very favorite list.  And this is definitely one of them.   I love romantic comedies.  Humor and romance - can it get any better?   Especially when combined with Audrey Hepburn and Bogie!  Oh yes, I love this movie=) 

 

"David, you make it sound so vulgar, as if the son of the Mustard King were being offered in marriage to the daughter of the Hot Dog dynasty."

 

I have fond memories of the first time I saw it.   It was last March when I was visiting my cousins back east.  Fortified with truffles and chocolate dipped nuts (left over from the wedding), Abbie and I stayed up late watching and laughing.  Such fun:) 

 

Okay, I'm done with my little stroll down memory lane...

 

Have a wonderful, joy filled day everyone!

Wallpaper Wednesday

Today was a simply beautiful day!  A bit chilly, but a wonderful Autumn day.

 

Last night I promised Bob that I would ride him today if it wasn't raining. 

So, we rode for about an hour, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon playing Risk with Alex and Matthew C.  They were beating me soundly when he had to leave.

 

Okay, today is Wednesday (really?  I astonish myself sometimes), which means it's time for a new wallpaper...

 

.....

 

Presenting, as requested by Abbie and Kellie....Gregory Peck!

 

{Full size image located on the Graphic Design page}

 

I decided to go for a simpler look on this one, and I really like how it turned out.  I hope it meets with your approval, Cuz:)

To be honest, Gregory Peck really doesn't do much for me...but I love his eyebrows.

 

That's all for today, folks!

{Belated} Wallpaper Wednesday

Once again I am posting Wednesday's wallpaper on Thursday.

 

This time I have a simple explanation and excuse - I was sick in bed all day yesterday. 

Oh, no need to worry, I'm feeling much better today:)  But I was not yesterday, and spent the day in bed with books, movies, and my sweet puppy, whose new nickname is "Queenie" because I was watching a western with Steve McQueen in it;) 

 

.....

 

So, I was going to share the Singin' in the Rain wallpaper that I came up with, but there's something about it that's bugging me.  Instead, I have another musical wallpaper prepared...and no, that doesn't mean the wallpaper is muscial.

 

And here it is, my second wallpaper from the movie...Swing Time!

 

{Full size image available on the Graphic Design page}

 

Yes, Kellie.  I finally watched this movie, and I love it!  Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance so beautifully together.

 

Note: The large background image is from Dr. Macro's collection, and the smaller inset photo was found using Google Images.

 

I'll try to have Singin' in the Rain ready for next Wallpaper Wednesday, and no, I haven't forgotten about Gregory Peck.  I'll be working on his wallpaper this week.

 

That's all for now folks!