A Winner!

Well, "RANDOM.ORG" was declared a winner. I can't figure out how to get the image from there onto here, so you are just going to have to trust me.  It declared comment 21 the winner, who is Rosanna!!! 

Rosie, it's all yours, and I will send you a copy of my Edith pattern through Ravelry, so check there for it. 

Congrats, and thanks all for entertaining me by playing.

The LAST Winner!

Kay, seriously, this last seven weeks of blogging has been absolutely crazy. Fun, but crazy!  Giveaways are always exciting: sponsored giveaways are even better!  I'm still so thankful to Inspired By Finn for their necklace giveaway, and Down to Earth Toys for the toy boat!  But, through it all I've definitely felt blogging pressure that I'm not sure I LOVE.  I mean, when I started this blog I did it because of two friends, Cheryl and Sarah, who have family blogs.  Both are places I love to go to catch up on their lives, see pictures of their kids and feel connected with them though they are millions of miles away. 

During the last seven weeks I've felt I HAD to blog in order for people to be able to comment enough. I don't like to HAVE to do anything, really.  And frankly, sometimes I don't want to blog, or sometimes I want to blog about the mundane, silly things in life: things that may not be accompanied by an incredible picture, or an original craft.  You know, like how today on the way home from Church Eli asked us to sing "Away in a Manger" and then stopped us to ask how, if Baby Jesus slept in the manger, he cuddled with his mommy (which, obviously, he did - Jesus definitely would have co-slept!) Or, how Silas folded his arms, or rather just one arm, which I suppose isn't folding at all, but you get the picture, during prayer this morning!  I'm not sure if anyone at all wants to hear about such things, but I think they are worthy of recording, and since my blog has kind of become my record keeping, this is where I tend to want to put such things. 

I guess what I'm saying, dear readers, is that I really hope you aren't reading this to find anything more than the adventures of one mommy, babbling on as though someone cares.  Because I think it's fun, I will continue to post some of my crafts, but from this point on you are going to be getting a lot more of me and less of that.  Hope that's okay with you all! 

But, let's not end this adventure on a terse note, let's be happy and giveaway the very last giveaway!  Using Random.org, and counting ALL the comments, even the few somewhat LAME ones, the winner of my two crocheted hats is....

Cheryl Snell!!!! 

There were two particular followers who have commented religiously on every post over the last seven weeks, and Cheryl has been one of them, so I'm glad she has won.  Cheryl, you are just going to have to wait until you are back in Alberta in December to get these hats (which, BTW, I am SO excited for!)  All the more reason for you to see us BEFORE Christmas!


And, because many people have asked, and I have generally ignored, and since I am a machine with the crochet hook, if anyone wants to order either of the two hats in this giveaway, in any colour you would like, I would be happy to hook one up for you!  $15 for one, or $25 for two.  Just send me an email and we can talk shop. 

Lastly, because both Canadian and American Thankgiving are now out of the way, I can say, without stepping on anyone's toes, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Overwhelmed by Random thoughts

So, let's all just play a little game and pretend that it is Sunday night, and that little old Jenny didn't forget to post her Nativity giveaway winner, and that tomorrow is Monday, not Tuesday, and that she will post her next giveaway then.  Did you do it?  Good.  I feel better already.

Let me start by saying that I can't believe it is November 22 already. Days are so stealthy, I keep missing them as they go by. 

I am almost done my Christmas shopping, which was pretty easy because our entire budget is lower than you can imagine, so getting to the end of it means getting to the end of my shopping. 

I almost hate looking at blogs these days because there are so many cute ideas out there, and I want to do them all, but to decorate a house, you need a house, so there's really no point.  I've put all the good ideas I'm finding into a file to save for next Christmas, when there will be a whole new pile of brilliant ideas, and I will just be even more overwhelmed than I am right now!  Crap.

We did get our family photos taken this week. My incredible friend, Scott Hutchinson, braved -18 degree weather to get the shot I had in my head.  He is amazing.  Stay tuned for a post with the pictures, and stay tuned just a little bit longer for a little gem in your mailbox, complete with a picture of my beautiful family and an update of our goings on.  If you want one, and you don't think I have your address, send it my way so I can send the love your way!

So, without further ado, the winner of the Nativity is....


Erin Wallace!!!

Yeah!  Erin is a dear friend whom we met in Michigan.  The joyous thing is, she and her family are from Alberta and are moving back in December!  So yes, Erin, this will have to be an excuse to get together over the holidays - I won't ship it to you just for you to pack it up and move it back. 

Becoming a Doula

Two months before Silas was born, belly swollen and anticipation peaking, my incredible friend Sierra and her darling husband asked me to be part of the birth of their first daughter, to take pictures while they were focusing on other things. It was quite honestly one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life!  While I had seen countless videos of birth, actually witnessing their little Evelyn be born into this world was deeply spiritual for me.

(I don't think I even took this picture, I think it was from Jonathan's phone!)

I went to the birth armed with the knowledge I had from preparing for two births, but little else.  I like to think I was more useful than just being a photographer, but I'm not so sure.  Regardless, the experience left me with a desire to do it again, better educated and equipped to help the birthing mother through labour,

This weekend I began that journey.  I spent an emotional, educational and exciting three days in a workshop to become a certified birth doula.  A doula is someone who accompanies a woman in labour, providing emotional and physical support and offering comfort measures. There are incredible studies showing that with continuous support through labour, women are less likely to 
- receive regional analgesia
- have any analgesia/anesthesia
- give birth with vacuum or forceps
- give birth by cesarean
- be dissatisfied with their birth experience

This weekend I learned the basics of how to provide that support.  Most of the books on the reading list I had already read, and many of the comfort measures they taught us I learned as I prepared for the births of my two sons. However, considering how those births went, having a doula by my side at my next birth will be absolutely imperative: somehow all that I knew went out the window when I was in labour! 

Although I didn't expect it to, the workshop also provided me with a chance to heal a little from the memories and emotions I have been harboring about Silas's birth. As we talked through what a doula could do in similar circumstances, as I shared parts of my story with the other 29 women there, I don't know if I gave myself permission to grieve, or excused myself from the guilt I had surrounding that birth, but I definitely walked away with less pain and regret. That alone was worth the weekend!

So, now that the workshop is complete, to become a certified doula I need to attend three births, do a bunch of paperwork and I will be on my way!  After four years of being completely consumed by birth, I am so excited to be taking this step.  While I have no intention of ever making a living out of this, hopefully I will be able to help some women as they become mothers!  I quite honestly can't think of anything I would rather do with this kind of knowledge. 



And, as it is the end of the week, I get to announce a winner for my felted wool ball giveaway.  I was super excited to see that the very person who inspired this weekend won the giveaway, Sierra Hocklander!  Yeah! Sierra, let me know if you want me to personalize the balls or not, and I will be sending a package your way in the next week. Congratulations!

Only two more giveaways left! Come back tomorrow to see what's in store for this week!

Doilies, and a WINNER!

There is so much I love about the Christmas season, I don't even know where to begin.  This weekend I have learned to love Christmas Craft Fairs, where you can find everything from national brand name scrapbooking supplies to Grandma-made Barbie clothes.  It's probably a good thing I have NO money, because there was a lot of tempting goodness out there, but I resisted quite admirably.  I did, however, find a booth covered in these wonderful Grandma-made (that's right, I coined a new term - better than handmade, because it's made by a grandma) doilies.  She was selling them for a buck a piece.  I couldn't resist!

What will I do with these darling little gems?  I envision an afghan or a quilt appliqued with doilies, or a bouquet of lavender wrapped in one.  I don't know just yet, but now that they have a good home I'm sure they will blossom into something wonderful!



And now what you've all been waiting for, the winner of the Down To Earth Toys giveaway...

Picked by random.org, the winner is...

akathemom

Congratulations Alice, you WON!

For all that entered, please remember this holiday season to keep our generous sponsor, Down To Earth Toys, in mind as you strive to buy responsibly!

Inspired By Finn Amber Necklace WINNER!!!

This week there were a few too many entries for me to do on my own, so I finally went to Random.org and let them pick the winner!  I am apparently not smart enough to copy the image here, so again, you are just going to have to trust me that I am honest (next blog post is going to be about blogging integrity...).

So, drum roll please!

The winner of this weeks giveaway (anything 16 inches or smaller from Inspired By Finn) is...

Comment 54: The Pratts!

Congratulations, Lindsay!!!

You have 48 hours to send me your shipping information, along with the piece of jewelry you'd like (anything 16 inches or SMALLER that is in stock - if there is a [0] after the size in the drop-down box it is out of stock.)  Inspired by Finn will ship your prize directly to you!

For those of you who didn't win, but would like to try out the amazing benifits of amber jewelry, don't forget to take advantage of their offer to save 20% on ANY purchase.  Go to http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=339&uid=102544519787403 to get the info!


Thanks for playing, all, and come back tomorrow for ANOTHER amazing sponsored giveaway!!!

Pom-Pom Tutorial, and a Winner!

While this may be Simple Simon to some, I had to have a lesson to make the pom-poms for the legwarmers. My sister Alice, who was a true child of the 80's, assured me that I didn't need to buy a special pom-pom maker like the tutorials I found said I did. So... here's the simple, no special tools required, pom-pom tutorial!

First of all, cut a piece of yarn about 8 inches long and place it between your first two fingers (this is easier than trying to shove it through your fingers when they are wrapped up).  Then wrap yarn around the tips of those two fingers. 

I wrapped it around 100 times.

Then take the 8 inch piece of yarn, bring it around the entire bundle of yarn and tie a really tight knot.

You want this to be really, really tight. It helps to have someone put their little finger on it while you tie.  I couldn't take a picture of that, while tying the knot.  Sorry.

Then, after you tie the first knot, wrap it around to the other side and tie another. And then wrap it around again, if you want. This way you know it's really secure.
Then take scissors and cut the loops all the way around.

You'll end up with a super messy looking ball like this.

Then, using the scissors trim your pom-pom until it is nice and round. You basically want to trim all the strands until they are the same length, the length of the shortest ones. This gets messy, so I did it over a plastic bag so I could pick it up and throw it away.

Once it's all trimmed, you will have a darling little pom-pom to use as you wish.  Eli wants to add googly eyes to these and make monsters.  If monsters aren't your thing, thread some yarn through the centre of the pom-pom using a tapestry needle, and then you can sew them to whatever you like! 

There you go.  I really do love these things. I'm making a hat right now that I'm going to add some to.  They'll be cute as well!

Anyway, on to this weeks giveaway winner. Picked again at random, this time by Eli, the winner of the Christmas tags (which, by the way, my sister-in-law Renee said would also be great to use as decorations with current pictures of children - just change them up every year) is.... Shannon Evans... again!  I swear, it isn't rigged.  There were 19 comments made this week. I wrote the numbers 1-19 on evenly sized pieces of paper and Eli picked the one with number 14 on it.  Shannon happened to be the 14th comment of the week.  So, Shannon wins for the second week in a row!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for a sponsored giveaway!  You are so excited, I promise!

Winner!!!

I've picked a winner in my first of my 7 weeks of giveaways, and the winner is, picked by "Random dot Ben," my nephew:


Shannon at Evans Journal who just ran Mellisa's Road Race in Banff this weekend.  She didn't come in first, but I'm pretty sure she beat all the other mothers of five that ran!!!


Yeah, Shann. I'm so excited for you!  Contact me in the next  24 hours, and we will get it shipped to you.

Okay, let's be realistic, I'm just going to give it to you next time you are in town.  No shipping will happen with you, dear Shannon. Sorry about that!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for this weeks giveaway, and comment, comment, comment!  You could be next!

And the winner is...

Some suggested that this would not be a fair contest, but let me assure you, that while I was waiting for Si to wake up this morning, I couldn't have been more fair.  To prove it, here is the evidence.  

First I wrote out all your names:

Then I crumpled them up:

In the hat they go:

And the winner is...

And since I'm feeling generous, I pulled another:

Yeah Callie and Cassie!!!  You win the first ever Hands Full of Happiness Giveaway!  Congratulations!  Send me your addresses, and I will mail off your hats.  If you have changed your mind about which one you want, let me know that as well.  YEAH!!!

And for the rest of you, don't worry, I've still got tons of yarn I need to get through, and no shortage of time to use it (humf!)

Thanks all for participating, it was fun!