Gratitude and Giveaways, Part II

Well, the big "Fall into Fall Giveaway" has ended and out there in Blogland there are about 50 lucky winners who will soon receive packages of goodies in the mail. Earlier tonight I packed up the box that will go off to Sherri at AQuiltingLife. I found the perfect box in the basement that the basket of woolfelt would fit into and still leave room for the 15 other items I added each day of the Giveaway. Once I know Sherri has received the box and she's had a peek inside, then I'll post what she received. I love doing this. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I will never use all the sewing stuff I have and I love to see it go to someone who might use it or at least enjoy seeing it in their stash of fabrics!! Hee hee!
I also received word today that Mary Grace at Hookedonneedles.com/ received the little blue basket of vintage trims and she liked the extra little goodies I placed in the bottom of the basket (some fall fat quarters) and her kids liked the Milk Duds I tucked in each corner of the box! I was a little late getting the Pumpkin filled with goodies sent off to Angie at CedarChestQuilts but any day now it should arrive on her doorstep. Don't you just love it when you get something in the mail? I sure do. Just makes my day when the mailman has to come to my door with something instead of just putting letters, bills, etc. in the mailbox.
I was quite excited back in July when I received the little cupcake that I won from Joanna at MrMonkeySuit. I couldn't believe I won. Still can't. Granted, it was just a cupcake but it came on a day when I was really "down" and just opening the package and seeing the cupcake reminded me of being a kid and I didn't feel so "down" anymore. Then there was the package from Scott at BlueNickelStudios who sent me the goodies you see in this photo. They were my prize for taking third place in the Tootsie Roll Pop Mini Quilt Contest. This is one of those times when I say "gee, if someone had asked me if I would ever make a quilt out of Tootsie Roll Pop wrappers, I would say why would I do that?" Well, I did because it was a challenge, a lark, kind of like "coloring outside the lines".




In the bag was this panel that will make a nice wallhanging in my green bedroom that is full of quilts and bears, toys, and books and other fun stuff that my grandson enjoys. Also in the bag were two blue nickels, a trademark that comes with anything you receive from Scott. I'll keep one and the other goes to my grandson. I'm not sure but I think Scott sent me two just for that purpose because I commented on his post that my grandson wanted to know why he was painting nickels.

This whole aspect of giveaways and sharing was not what I expected from blogging. I thought I'd just be writing about my quilts, family, what I enjoy doing but it is so much more. I have now "crossed paths" with some of the most interesting bloggers and I am sure there are more to come. I have come to think of us as "a mutual admiration society", you know, like in that old song by Doris Day. We like each other because we share similar crafting or sewing interests. Then sometimes you even find out you grew up just 20 miles from each other as I did with Tammy at QuiltTherapy! So, anyway, I won on Scott's blog, so he visited my blog when I posted by "Twenty-five years in the making" quilt and he was the one who guessed the closest to the actual size of the quilt. For his efforts, I sent him fat quarters of each of the four glitter fabrics you see below. I like them a lot and plan to use them in a fall table runner. But nothing in my stash matched. Well, lo and behold, Sue at FeatherstoneQuilteworks was having a little mini Giveaway for the first three who posted a comment prior to her 10,000 visitor and I was one of them. When my little gift came in the mail - it's the leaf fabric with the beige background - I happened to lay it next to my glitteries and wow! it was just right. Then a couple of weeks ago, I was in River City Quilts in Mankato and there in the fat quarters were two pieces with purple backgrounds from the same fabric line. Lucky me, I bought them. These fabrics and a whole suitcase of fall fabrics are going with me to our retreat in just a little over a week. I will have lots of show and tell for you when we return. In the meantime, there's lots of work to do!

One can't work without nourishment, so occasionally I go downtown to eat lunch one day during the week. This week, I went to Bittersweet for the Tomato Basil Soup. Absolutely delicious!! Last week it was the Chicken Salad at Toody's and the week before my husband and I enjoyed Saturday night dinner at the Hog Wild Eatery. This is a town of just about 900 people and there are three great places to eat! Now that provides inspiration for me when I don't have to cook!!


This is the quilt that I am currently sharing that hangs in the back dining area at Bittersweet. It was a little hard to get a good picture because of the table but I think you can see that it is a pretty quilt. It's likely from the 30's, made by Mrs. Larson from Burnside, Iowa and intended for just a double bed top or it could be used on a twin bed. It's a favorite of mine and it's full story is a good one for another post at another time. By the way, see that rack that holds the quilt? A friend left that on my doorstep when she gave up quilting for knitting because she knew I would make good use of it. :-)

So, I've rattled on about all these great Giveaway's, good food, good friends, and I just have to add one more picture of the trees in our backyard. It's sort of a "giveaway", too, as in "the green leaves are giving way to red and gold more every day". :-) The prettiest colors are past but still there are days when the sun shines on the trees and they almost glow! We never had such pretty trees in our yard at our old house. I just love looking out in my backyard here!

This whole gratitude theme started when I signed up for Melissa's "Gratitude Swap" (her blog is OneCraftyMumma ) and then my swap partner, Teresa, (at DiddleDaddleDesigns) sent me that lovely "Give Thanks" mini quilt. If you check out her blog you'll see that she is posting things for which she is thankful. I like reading her lists. There is much we can be thankful for even in these tough times. I am thankful that my husband has a good job, that my kids are doing well, for my grandson whose so much fun and for my mother whose health is getting better everyday. I miss my dad but there is still joy in every day. I don't see my sister and brother often as we live a good distance from each other, but I am thankful that I have such a great sister and a great brother. I am thankful for my home, old friends and new ones which include all you bloggers that I have recently met. I am thankful that I have enough that I can share with others some of the talents and gifts that I have. I am just plain thankful and I hope you are, too. I don't know where this blogging journey will lead or if it even leads anywhere but I sure do know that I am enjoying it and right now, that is all that counts.

That's all for this post. I'm going to try my skills at a couple of tutorials this weekend so wish me luck that I do it right! And if not, please give me thoughts on doing it better!

Sandi

P.S. It was quite cool here this morning and we have not yet turned on our heat. Kaiser disappeared from his usual spot in my sewing room and when I went in search of him, I found him snuggled on the couch with a comforter that Steve covers up with when he's on the couch. Caught in the act again, I am sure Kaiser is saying "Please go away, I am warm and comfy and want to go back to sleep. No paparazzi, please!"