Giveaway winners

Today is the drawing for the winners of my January giveaway! I had to manually number the entrants as I'd written some comments myself, and also some folks can't enter (sorry, Navita luv...let me know when you move to the U.S.!).

So, here's the list:
1. Cynthia
2. Wendy
3. Carrie-Gigi
4. Stace
5. Nahiacreations
6. Julie
7. Maureen
8. Heidi
9. Tiffany - books
10. Silverhartgirl – books
11. Kaycee – books first
12. Little Shadow Creations – tomatoes
13. Michelle – Chocolate & Marmalade Tea – tomatoes
14. Epicure
15. Staci

And here are the 2 numbers that Random.org chose:I'll be contacting you, Stace and Kaycee...and congratulations!

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Thankful Thursday

I think posting all week last week took the oomph out of me, so I've been quiet on the blogging front. However, it's Thursday yet again.

Before I tell you what I'm thankful for, I want to share a couple of pics:Did we get snow or did we get snow?? This was taken right after I let the dog out so she could accompany dh to take care of the chickens. Notice how she wasn't going to venture into the deep parts? Everybody and their dogs (really) were talking about peanut butter on Twitter for a while - the tainting and other topics. Inspired by Joanna's post, I made my own peanut butter "cups" (they were more like peanut butter balls). They were kind of ugly (like Turtles candy), but very tasty and quite easy to make. (ds#2 made the heart plate...which is for sale, in case anyone was wondering *smile*)

Anyway, this week, I'm thankful for:

1) ds#1 - who is my spell checker/editor and bird ID expert. He'll turn 13 on Sunday - may he always find Scientific American and LEGOs more interesting than violent video games and other unwholesome teen activities. *sniffle*

2) ds#2 - who is my human GPS. I'd be lost a thousand times while driving if he didn't know the exact direction to places. I know it's probably a skill which is a by-product of his ASD (autism spectrum disorder...I get annoyed when people use acronyms they don't explain), but I still appreciate it since I'm directionally challenge.

I believe I'm suppose to pick 2 winners for my giveaway tomorrow. Come back for more fun!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Just started a new blog

It's not much of a blog, really, but it is my place to showcase and catalog some very interesting online articles I found through tweets (from the folks I follow on Twitter.com).

It's called Educational Links From Twitter and Beyond (yeah, a play on the "to infinity and beyond" line from Toy Story 2). :)

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Love from the very special Carrie-Gigi!

Carrie, who has two terrific blogs that I read: Mud Puddle Girl and Under the Willow, and who also sells wonderful soaps, pretty fabric bags, and the cozy Billows, has bestowed some love on me, once again. Those of you who've been here for a while know how special she is to me. I love her products (scrumptious soaps and nourishing hand creams, among other things) and she loves ours (our fun-shaped soaps and ds#2's ceramic plate). The blog awards she gave me are
As usual, I find it hard to re-bestow (is there such a word?) awards because I am so fond of all of you who visit me and whose blogs I visit. But, I will pass this along to those in the right hand column of my blog: all my "followers" and all those blogs I have linked to that are a part of my "must-reads".

Now, go out and enjoy your Saturday! :)

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Comfort Week - Image

Today is the last day of the Comfort Week Project. I'd like to thank Sherrie (Frenchy's Finds) for creating it. I'd also like to say how much I enjoyed looking at or reading everyone else's entries. And when I get some time this weekend, I'll have to add some to my "follow" list. :)

Friday's theme is image: a picture that represents total comfort to you; either an image of your own or a link to one you love.

This one was easy. Star gazing has always made me feel the most alive and happy and comforted. I feel one with the universe and content to imagine the sentient life outside our own solar system. You can't see the following with naked eye (even a good telescope wouldn't show it quite so well), but it's a fine example of the sort of astrophotography that I enjoy perusing when I'm not out star-gazing.The above stunning image of the Andromeda Galaxy (our closest galactic neighbor) was taken from the wonderful book, Galaxies by Timothy Ferris (the image below got cut off by my scanner): And there we have it, folks. Don't forget to check out the other participants in this fun project, and have a great weekend!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Thankful Thursday

Well, this week, I'm thankful

1) that I don't have a bad, full-blown cold like many poor folks have been having...I have just a teeny one. ;}

2) for the awards I've been receiving, the latest from Rose at All About Cakes3) for all the generous giveaways from other folks. Today it's Urban Debris.

It's been an up and down week here; hope everyone else's has been good or better!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Comfort Week - Habit

Sherrie, Frenchy's Finds, started the Comfort Week theme; please check out the other participants!

Thursday's theme is habit: a behaviour or routine that brings you comfort.

That's a tough one.

I would have to say it's my tea habit. I loooove coffee, but one cup a day will do me. But tea, I drink all day long: black, green, red, white, herbal, decaf. Love them all, especially in the winter.

Here's a sampling of my mugs and teas. The mug on the right is made by a local potter who is the wife of one of dh's colleagues. She is very talented!"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Comfort Week - Place

Sherrie, Frenchy's Finds, started the Comfort Week theme; please check out the other participants!

Wednesday's theme is place: the place most comfortable to you.

Mine is undoubtedly my own home. It's our dream home on 27 acres, and it was designed by us to suit our needs. I'm a homebody anyway, so even if our home was a hovel, it'd probably still be my favorite place in the world."He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Oh, d-d-d-d'oh!

That was my best impression of Piglet-meets-Homer Simpson. Thank you; you may hold the applause. ;)

It actually refers to my continued flakiness: I forgot to specify the end date of my giveaway. I'm going to pick 2 recipients, one for the books, one for the tomatoes, on January 30th, the last Friday of the month.

I should know better than to cover too many topic in one post. :>

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Comfort Week - Home

Sherrie of Frenchy's Finds started the Comfort Week theme; please check out the other participants!

Tuesday's theme is home: the most comfortable (or comforting) thing in your home.

For me, my special chair, is likely the most comforting and comfy thing in our home. It's usually covered with books and magazines that I'm reading, as well as a knitting project.I had to have the ottoman that went with it, natch. :)

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Comfort Week - Food

Sherri, over at the lovely Frenchy's Finds blog, which is both eye candy and substance, is sponsoring a Comfort Week, that will culminate in a prize: three bars of her Birch Bark Soap soaps. Please check Sherrie's post for the other participants, and feel free to sign up too by letting her know on her blog.

The theme for Monday is food. I have a lot of food that I consider comfort food, even those I didn't grow up with (such as eggplant borani). But congee (jook in Chinese) has to be one of my all-time favorite. I don't have a photo of ours, but here's picture of one of my favorite types of congee:If you've never had preserved duck egg (also known as thousand year old egg, and the smell will tell you why) before, don't order this. The above image is from the wonderful, wonderful little book:Dh doesn't make this variation, because even though the sweet man has learned how to make it and love it, and that's pretty amazing for a non-Chinese guy, he prefers not to eat preserved duck eggs. So, he usually makes it with a chicken or turkey carcass for the base broth.

Here's a basic recipe for congee; as I mentioned, we use chicken or turkey broth instead of water, which makes it richer (but also renders it non-vegetarian). We toss in the shredded meats from the carcass that was used to make the stock, but you can put in any meat, veggie, salty fermented bean curd (because I'm sure everyone has a jar of that sitting around their kitchen), etc, that you want.

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Giveaways Galore, and another award!

When it rains, it...is better than pennies from heaven, I'm tellin' ya! So here are a couple more giveaways I've found, as well as my own.

Over at Soapaholics Anonymous, Heidi is giving away a 16 oz bottle of calendula and comfrey infused oil! Go enter and read about how you can use this wonderful product.

Then, to celebrate her 100th post, Michelle at Chocolate and Marmalade Tea is giving away the sweetest Valentine set! You'll have to get yourself over there to see all the wonderful things included in it and to enter.

As for my giveaway, I'll bore you with the background story first (well, you have to suffer some to win, you know!). Dh wandered into my art/sewing/soaping/crafting room a couple of days ago when I was in there, and he remarks how it gives him the heebie-jeebies because it's so cluttered (thanks, dear). Then he peeked into the closet and groused about all the books in there that I had bought when I used to be the Scholastic Book Club coordinator for my homeschool group, and asked that I please get rid of them, and soon.

So, the first part of my giveaway is a set of kids' books, fun facts for kids of all ages, but probably especially perfect for homeschoolers. If you can't see the titles from my photo (because you all know what wonderful photos I take...NOT), they are the Usborne Encyclopedia of Planet Earth, a Scholastic Science Supergiants volume on the Wright Brothers, and an Ocean Origami book (with origami paper and stickers to complete your creations).

The second part of my giveaway is a 2 oz bag (3 if I can sneak some more out without dh noticing...heh heh) of our very own dried tomatoes - both cherry and grape tomatoes - grown with love in our garden and without pesticides or other harmful chemicals. I'd tell you how we pick the tomato hornworms off by hand, but I'd probably gross you out. Here it is in a jar, but I'll be mailing it in a baggie. Sorry, this second part is only available to those in the U.S. as I'm not sure what the mailing protocol for veggies is to other countries.These dried tomatoes are perfect for making sundried tomato paste, and kicks the tom kha soup up another notch with their tangy sweetness.

Please leave me a comment to be entered for the drawing; make sure it has your contact info somewhere, either a link to your blog/website or your email addy (your username on the comment usually has a link to your blog or email). Tell me which part, books or tomatoes or either, you'd like to be entered for.

I'm not trying to drum up traffic to my site, but if you do post about this contest please put that in your comment and you'll have a second entry. Or if you tell a friend about it and the friend drops by to enter, tell this friend to let me know you sent them, and that's another entry for you.

Finally, more blog love! This time, it's from The Blonde Duck, whose "A Duck in Her Pond" blog is one of the most creative ones I've ever read . She bestowed the following on me:Muchas gracias, Duckie!

This just in (added at 3:35pm), Cynthia at The Good Enough Witch (how can you not read a blog with that name??) also bestowed the above on me.

And, flaky me, I just realized that I was supposed to list 10 honest/interesting things about myself with this award. I'm not sure I know what that means...I've always been honest with my readers, unless I'm making some sarcastic joke, of course. If I'm to tell you things about myself, why would I make it up? My sister will just show up here and tell me off if I lied.

So, here goes nuthin':

1) My cell phone's ring tone is the call of a Wood Thrush. It throws me because when I hear a real wood thrush, I want to answer my phone.

2) I have to clean my toilets/bathrooms every weekend or I go nuts. Wait, I am nuts. I'd go more nuts, then.

3) I know I'm gonna get an earful from a lot of folks, but watching baseball or football puts me right to sleep.

4) I still have an unrequited love for astrophysics.

5) I used to dislike cilantro, but now I can't get enough of it.

6) I was once asked to be a Miss Hong Kong contestant.

7) I used to get strep throat at least 3 times a year when I lived in Hong Kong.

8) I don't have an addictive personality, and can break away from just about anything in a New York minute (although you wouldn't know it the way I'm glued to the computer).

9) I fear crowds. I blame it on being short and fearing being trampled, but I think I just fear the mob mentality that can stem from a crowd.

10) I don't know how to program the downstairs VCR; we've had it for about 5 years now.

I don't know if those are interesting or not, but that's all I've got for the day. I'm supposed to pass it along to 7 other bloggers, but....well, those of you who show up often enough will know that I shirk that duty as a duty. ;)

And happy Sunday, everyone!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Yet another giveaway, Valentine crafts, and awards

I wasn't going to post so soon, but wanted to pass along and acknowledge a few fun things. :)

Firstly, Allover Art is having a giveaway at her blog! You should check out her lovely art on Etsy too.

Next, for cute Valentine craft ideas, look no further than Urban Debris' blog post.

Lastly, but not leastly *grin* is the award love that I've received lately.

From Stace at Stace's Space, this baby, as well as thisWendy at Athena Academy also gave me the Hooked On Your Blog award, so I'll combine the two. :) The rules are:
*List six things that make you happy.
*Pass the award on to 5 other bloggers
*Link back to the person who gave you the award.
*Link to the people you are passing it on to and leave them a comment to let them know.

Well, 6 things that make me happy are:
1) sunny days! Like today. It's 12F out, our thermostat is set on 68F, but because it's sunny, it's 70F in our living room...woohoo!
2) that my kids are old enough to let us sleep in in the mornings.
3) when I can breathe normally. I have some funky allergies that either make me congested or make me gasp for air like I can't fill my lungs.
4) meals that dh cooks with all, or most, of the ingredients from our own homestead (e.g. when he makes Laura's home-fries with our own eggs, potatoes, kale, onions, etc.)
5) knowing people actually read my blog, let alone give me awards...that definitely makes me happy (can't help it; it's the writer in me. I yearn to be read at some deep level).
6) ok, this is corny, but waking up each morning (even though I really hate to wake up...did I tell you I have some of the best dreams??...and get out of a warm bed). It means I'm alive, still, and I have a chance at tackling a whole 'nother day. Plus, I have indoor plumbing (see my previous Thankful Thursday post); what more can a gal ask for, really?

All right, then. I've linked back to my awarders (yup, made the word up), but per my usual lame self, I can't pick 5 people to give this to. I am hooked on more than 5 blogs (I'm hooked on way too many blogs for my sanity or productivity), and I'm even pretty good about commenting on each blog I visit. So I pat myself on the back, and pat all the rest of you on the back, and will move on.

Navita of the Zaayeeka blog, which never fails to have marvelous recipes (how am I suppose to maintain my weight reading all these wonderful food blogs??) gave me this award:I've had this award before, but one can't be loved too much!

Happy Friday, everyone; and hope your weekend is filled with fun and relaxation!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Another Giveaway notice

The Soup Diva is trying to drum up some visitors and has a lovely contest for a really cute apron from Carolyn's Kitchen (Michelle at Chocolate and Marmalade Tea, I think you'll love these!). Go enter to win and show her some bloggy love too!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Thankful Thursday

Again already?? I'm having deja vu (without the proper accents).

Has everyone else's week flown by as fast? Whoosh! Or is that BOOM?! It feels like it went by faster than the speed of sound. It couldn't have gone by faster than the speed of light or this post would weigh more than the planet. What? You are tired of physics jokes, you say?

All right. Before I tell you what I'm grateful for this week, I'd like to quote from the book "Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach:

"Happiness that the world cannot take away only flourishes in the secret garden of our souls....Ultimately, genuine happiness can only be realized once we commit to making it a personal priority in our lives."

This week, I am thankful for

1) indoor plumbing! No kidding. Every day, I wake up grateful that we have indoor plumbing. I think it's one of those great things that so many people take for granted, like oxygen to breathe (especially the unpolluted stuff), and clean water at our disposal, usually without have to walk several miles to carry home and at a ridiculously low price for its true worth.

That said, I'm also thankful that we have an outhouse on the hilltop for a little privacy when communing with nature. Here it is, as modeled by the boys, when dh was building it:2) my panic mode. Not "Don't Panic" in large friendly letters, but actual panic mode as in raised adrenaline levels and sick feeling in the stomach.

And why am I thankful for my panic mode? Because it usually reminds me to evaluate (or re-re-re-etc.evaluate) my priorities and not spend as much time on things that don't make me happy in the long run, or that take time away from being with the boys while they're still young and homeschooled.

What are you thankful for this week?

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

All About Cake's giveaway

I found the All About Cake blog through the Zaayeka blog (which is also an incredibly delicious blog). You can go enter, but I hope I win! LOL!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Cupcake experiments

It's been years since I last made cupcakes. In fact, it's been so long that I don't think I've ever made cupcakes before (except that dh tells me that I have made them in the past). Having seen tons of the most delectable cupcakes online lately, I was finally spurred to make some when Gracefruit posted a recipe at her site. NOTE: you are not allowed to head over to her site to view her gorgeous creations as mine are pathetic by comparison. *grin*

So anyway, using the Magnolia Bakery recipe, I made the vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting. Here's the batter:And fresh out of the oven:Finally, frosted:I left the frosting white just to avoid food coloring. It looks a bit sad because I have no frosting "instrument"; instead I used the plastic bag with a snipped corner method.

They may not be the most beautiful cupcakes (they're not the worst, I admit), but dh and the boys (and yes, me too) wolfed it all down in no time.

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Thankful Thursday

This week, I'm grateful that
1) we don't have 200 feet of snow like those poor folks in the Northeast and Northwest have!
2) our dog (above) is smart enough not to tangle with coyotes (whose lovely howls serenaded us last night in bed).

Hope everyone has had a really nice week so far!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

My first German Christmas Stollen

Normally, I'm too lazy to bother with breads that require a lot of work, but because 1) our dear friends, JGTH, moved to the West Coast and can't (or won't...ahem...LOL!) make one for us, and 2) they left us with all their homemade candied fruits and brandied raisins, I had no choice but to attempt the stollen.

Here's the batter - yeast, scalded milk, etc. - being stirred: Then, after various iterations, here's the dough before it was rolled out: After the dough is rolled out into a slab, you put the almond paste in the middle before folding it up. I'm proud to say that I made my own almond paste. ;) It's actually not very hard to make unless you have to blanch your own almonds and the skins don't come off properly, as happened to me. Regardless, the paste tasted authentic and delicious. I would recommend making your own almond paste if you like to get organic foods because it's nearly impossible to find organic almond paste.

Here is the final product - two large stollens, fresh out of the oven:They were really, really tasty. We just finished the last of it today. Next year, I might attempt Panettone. Giada de Laurentis, a professional chef on Food Network no less, said that they were hard to make and best left up to the professionals. I find it hard to believe and, besides which, her words sounded like a challenge to me ("I double-dog dare ya!"). I'll take her up on it.

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Thankful Thursday - the first post

Because I just have to do things my way (and I wonder where ds#1's obstinacy comes from), I'm starting, per my "resolutions", my very first Thankful Thursday.

This Thursday, I am most thankful for everyone who visits my blog - whether you leave a comment or not. I have met so many wonderful people who have brightened up my life, or my entire family's life (yes, you, Carrie-Gigi!).

And to all my wonderful online and real-time friends, I toast you with my rum and eggnog! Hugs and kisses!(Really, I am off to drink my rum and eggnog du jour.)

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet." ~ James Oppenheim