A Special End of the Year Drawing

I was under the weather yesterday and apologize for not finishing the post.  I could not bring myself to go back to the computer and literally slept all day!  We all need those days at times.  There was ice covering everything outside, including each blade of grass. Church was cancelled due to icy roads so there was no place to rush off to. The Christmas tree was lit all day and when I wasn't sleeping, I was in the big green recliner next to it reading a book.  I keep telling myself one day I will take a reading vacation- you know, when you do nothing but read for a few days.

Anyway, I did the drawing and the winners were Lynn from NC and Vicki from MN.  Each will receive a little bundle of the blue fabrics from the Snowfolk fabric line.

I have been listing Instant Download patterns on Craftsy a little at a time.  If you want a pattern NOW, that's the way to go!  You can see my store here-

Visit pgpeddler2634293's Craftsy Pattern Store »

I have more to add this morning so keep checking back.  I am thinking about adding cross stitch and punchneedle on there at some point.  

Have you ever purchased Instant downloads?  If so, do you like it better? or not?

This last drawing coming up is for the Snowfolk fabric panel...

and a yard of the navy snowflake fabric to finish it up.

 

To Enter:

Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com before next Saturday night, December 28, at midnight central time. If you are not sure of this time zone, make sure you email before Saturday.

In the Subject LINE of the email put WEEK 4 SNOWFOLK.
This is very important.  ALL emails without this exact wording are not considered for the drawing.

In the BODY of the email- put your name and mailing address.
WE do not share this info with anyone, in fact, we delete them after the drawing.  This just makes it faster to ship the fabric TO YOU.
If you don't put your name and address BOTH in there, we will make a big ~~sigh~~ and draw another name.

I will post the winners next week.


ONE MORE THING- I will have a SPECIAL DRAWING at the end of the four weeks, after New Years, for each person that enters accordingly.  If you enter all 4 weeks, you get 4 chances.  If you enter 3 weeks, you get 3 chances, and so on, and so on. 

The Snowfolk Week 1 WINNER is....

I got my Christmas tree put up and Grace, my 6 year old granddaughter, came to help me decorate with the ornaments last night. She did a great job distributing the ornaments all over and not just in one spot like last year!  She even pointed out where each one was hanging last year.  It's a kid thing I guess!  We listened to Christmas music and she sang songs for me while we worked.
It was one of those special bonding times.  Her PaPa fed her ice cream and chocolate syrup afterwards for being such a good helper.  Now it's on to decorations around the house.

I got a new Kindle Fire last week and boy, I can't seem to set it down.  All I want to do is read.  I had the original Kindle and I loved it but the Fire is lit so I can read in bed without the lights on.  It also alerts me as to how many hours I have left to finish each book.  Great for deciding- go to sleep?  or just finish? I love it.

I did the Week #1 drawing first thing this morning, sifting through all of the emails and tossing the few who failed to add their address (~~sigh~~).  I pulled a winner, lucky number 37 this time, going by the order the emails come in.  The winner is Nora from NC.  Congratulations Nora, I will be sending you a little bundle of red fabrics from the Snowfolk line this week.  I love doing these drawings!

In fact, if I get 25% more entries this week,  I will draw TWO names this next weekend. Keep entering and tell your friends.  You just never know.

This week we have a drawing for the green bundle from the Snowfolk line.

So, here's what you do for the Week 2:

Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com before next Saturday night, December 14, at midnight central time. If you are not sure of this time zone, make sure you email before Saturday.

In the Subject LINE of the email put WEEK 2 GREENS.
This is very important.  ALL emails without this exact wording are not considered for the drawing.

In the BODY of the email- put your name and mailing address.
WE do not share this info with anyone, in fact, we delete them after the drawing.  This just makes it faster to ship the fabric TO YOU.
If you don't put your name and address in there, we will make a big sigh and draw another name.

ONE MORE THING- I will have a SPECIAL DRAWING at the end of the four weeks for each person that enters accordingly.  If you enter all 4 weeks, you get 4 chances.  If you enter 3 weeks, you get 3 chances, and so on.  

I have put some of the bundles in my Etsy Store if you want to see the whole line.  It's full of reds, greens and navy blues.  Perfect for snowmen and frosty ideas.

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/prairiegrovepeddler

I just listed a bunch of finished things on Ebay.   If you still need some gifts, check this out...

 CRAFTRGRL on EBAY

Such a Wonderful Time of the Year!

Well, the weather outside is frightful
 but the fire is so delightful.

and since I've no place to go, 
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

OK, so it's not really snowing.  It's not even THAT cold.  But a person can dream right?
I love snowy nights when I have no place to go.  I did spend yesterday cutting up snowman fabric.  It's from my line called Snowfolk by Benartex.  The line has lots of navy blues, greens and reds.

Here's the panel that goes with the line.  

I've decided to do a DRAWING each of the next four weekends on THIS BLOG for a small collection of the fabric line. 

Week 1- seven fat quarters of red and tan fabrics

Week 2- seven fat quarters of green and tan fabrics

Week 3- seven fat quarters of navy and blue fabrics

Week 4- the panel pictured above and a yard of navy snowflake fabric to finish it.

So, here's what you do for the first drawing,  Week 1:

Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com before Saturday night, December 7, at midnight central time. If you are not sure of this time zone, make sure you email before Saturday.

In the Subject LINE of the email put WEEK 1 REDS.
This is very important.  ALL emails without this exact wording are not considered for the drawing.

In the BODY of the email- put your name and mailing address.
WE do not share this info with anyone, in fact, we delete them after the drawing.  This just makes it faster to ship the fabric.
If you don't put your name and address in there, we will draw another name.

It's pretty simple. 

If you live overseas, enter.  It's not just for the U. S. We will send it to you if you win.  I promise.

This week, here is what's NEW on ETSY.

A Brand New Year

It's been a while since I blogged and I don't even know why. I've just been so busy I guess. Christmas was a wonderful success for us. It snowed. A beautiful wet- stick to everything - kind of snow. It was a real treat for my sister and brother-in-law from Houston.

We also had an ice fog one day while they were here. If you've ever see an ice fog, you know just how beautiful they are. Fortunately, we didn't have to travel on either day. The ice fog left about an inch of fuzzy crystals on everything.

We spent New year's Eve watching the Marx Brothers movies all evening. I fell asleep on the recliner about 11:00 so I went to bed early. I felt pretty sure the New year would come whether I stayed up or not. My husband and son stayed up to usher in the new year for me.

The Christmas tree is now taken down - only just a memory for another year. I vacuumed up the last of the pine needles and packed away the last box this morning. The beds have been stripped, the leftovers are eaten, the candies long gone, the trash has been picked up and life moves on. It's a brand new year after all.

I spent today cleaning and organizing my work room. I had left it in a heap making Christmas presents. I just closed the door to the guests and truthfully have not thought about it until today. Time to get back to work. Watch for a drawing later this month. It's been a while. I'm almost finished with the next Little Candle Mat. Hopefully this week I'll be posting pictures.

Merry Christmas Eve!

I must be getting better because I actually made chocolate chip cookies today and didn't burn any of them. I also made 2 pumpkin rolls (yum) and 2 more batches of rice krispie treats. Nathan got to pick sprinkles to put on those rice krispie treats so now we have blue ones and red/green ones. Very colorful treats!

My sister and brother-in-law came to town tonight so let the festivities begin! Tomorrow my kids and grandkids all come. It will be a wonderful family gathering. My only regret is that my mother couldn't come. She is older and afraid of traveling in the bad weather we are expected to get so she cancelled her trip. She will stay in Memphis with my Aunt Jean where it's warm and toasty! I know they'll enjoy their time together.

I got our beagle a new plush doggie bed for Christmas and she hasn't come out of it since (just kidding of course!) She does love it though. Kristi came today and we filled all of the stockings and wrapped the rest of the gifts. As they say, I am ready for Christmas now.

It's so late but I'm watching Narnia- Prince Caspian tonight. You know how hard it is to turn off the TV in the middle of a good movie! Sooo, I have a pot of coffee and a laptop and I'm taking advantage of the quiet before everyone gets here tomorrow.

A very Merry Christmas to you all!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Well, the weather outside is frightful,

but the fire is so delightful.

And since there's no place to go-

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

We are expecting snow tomorrow, just in time for Christmas. I feel sorry for everyone who has to travel tomorrow. I know it will be a mess in the midwest and probably lots of other places.

All I have left to do is bake cookies. I made fudge yesterday but it didn't set up. My husband was delighted as he loves fudge sauce on his ice cream and now he has an ample supply! We even joked when I made the fudge that if it didn't set up, he got it! I think he jinxed me!

I have to admit that I'm not the best cook anymore. Years ago I was a great cook but as I got busy and I didn't cook much, I lost the touch. Maybe it's the desire more than the touch. A few years ago I tried to make 2 coconut pies for Christmas dinner. The first batch burned as I had the heat too high and walked away for "just a moment". You know how that goes! Anyway, I was disgusted and started over. The pan was beyond repair at the time and I think it took weeks of soaking and boiling water to get the black off. The second batch went fine and I added the mix to a purchased graham cracker crust. The minute I picked it up to carry it into the dining room to cool, the foil pan buckled and the entire messy pie covered my carpet. I was so upset, I cried. I just wasn't meant to have coconut pie that year. I'm a little more careful these days in carrying food around over carpet!

I have the ingredients to make coconut pie this year but the memories are still quite painful. I might opt for coconut cake this year instead. I am making pumpkin rolls today along with a few varieties of cookies. If I can get them done without burning a pan, I'll be doing good!

Meanwhile, Patrick has found a new favorite toy. He is enjoying the plastic ornaments I have in a glass basket on the coffee table.

I just painted two of my bathrooms recently and redecorated them. I did a flower arrangement for my new pink bathroom. What do you think? I have a lot of off white shabby chic in there and it's so feminine now. I won't let the boys use it!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

It's Very, Very Cold Outside!

Well, I've finally started to think about Christmas shopping. I have a whole 1-1/2 weeks to do it so that should be enough. We're going light this year as most Americans, I suppose.

I had the girls over last week to make stockings for everyone we were missing and now I just need to fill them. The decorating is done and the house is organized. I stocked up on candy canes. All I have left to do is shop I guess.

Sarah and David took Grace to a Holiday concert this week and got their picture taken so I thought I'd share. Nathan and Patrick were also over. Patrick is finally a Nana's boy. He doesn't normally like anyone but mom and dad but somehow, I won him over. Finally. Now he follows me around with his arms raised to be held. What a joy- he's such a cutie! Nathan will be 3 in two weeks. My, how fast those babies grow. This Christmas will be pretty special for all of us.

By the way, Grace saw the Salvation Army volunteer at the store ringing the bell the other day and Sarah explained to her about why we give money to them. The next time they went, Grace donated a dollar from her piggy bank for what she called "kids that didn't have homes." Sarah was raking the leaves later that day and she said that Grace stood on the porch ringing the wind chimes for a good half hour yelling "stop and give money for kids." Someday she'll be a bellringer I guess!

Lions, Tigers & Bears- Oh My!

I talked to my neighbor yesterday - she called with alarming news. We have a mountain lion in our neighborhood. Wow, that's hard to imagine. It's not like I live in Colorado or Wyoming. This is Missouri, you know, the Midwest , with homes and farms everywhere. I knew there were black bears in Missouri and I guess I knew there were mountain lions but who knew they were within a mile?

It's pretty creepy really. Another neighbor has found two dogs that were killed and the remains of a deer with a huge cat paw print nearby. I think he is going to set out bait to photograph the animal. You can't shoot mountain lions in MO, they are protected. Our Conservation Dept has released breeding pairs in past years and I think they have collars on to monitor them. I know they mostly eat deer but I seem to be creeped out now going outside after dark, not knowing what is lurking out there.

We have a miniature beagle but she is a tough little thing and I don't worry too much about her. She chases away even large dogs and coyotes- she got plenty of experience at our last farm. She is a cow girl so to speak. During the day, she hangs out with the cows across the road. When there are calves, she breaks them in with play! She probably thinks she's a short cow. She even cuddles and naps with them on occasion. Hopefully the big cat won't mess with her or the calves.

There is one calf over there right now that's black and white. It looks like a goat from a distance but I saw it in the road last week and it's definitely a calf! Those calves like to sneak under fencing for the better grass near the road.

On a lighter note, I am all decorated for Christmas. I have a few sewing needs this week to finish before we have lots of company for Christmas. My husband has a
really old favorite rocking chair. You know, the kind you keep in the basement and normally don't let people see. Well, he decided he wanted to plant it in the guest room so he can read in there at night. I found some great fabric that matches my curtains in there and I'm going to cover the cushions. I doubt he'll even notice but I will! Isn't it pretty?

We've been busy redoing the bathroom fixtures and painting. New faucets, lights, towel racks, it really looks pretty good. Next year I hope to change out the sinks. It's too close to the holiday for that much of a mess for me. It can wait for now.

Black Friday

Dishes are done. House is cleaned. Leftovers in the frig. I even have a pot of navy bean soup cooking in the crock pot for tonight. The turkey was good, my husband cooked it this year. I got the tree put up last evening but the lights didn't work so what's a girl to do? Toss them and shop for new ones. I went out to Wal-Mart last night looking for LCD lights for the tree and they had none. Imagine- not a LCD package in sight. So, I headed to Michaels. I got 2 packages of 100 lights each. We'll see if that's enough to make the tree glow!

I'm excited to decorate the tree this year- our first Christmas in this new house. I opened a box with my nativity set and found quite a surprise. Apparently, I haven't set up my nativity set for a few years, 6 years to be exact.

The last year I put it out was when we lived in Iowa and I moved from Iowa in 1994. I have been looking for our Christmas stockings for about 6 years and I found them in the box with the nativity set. I now have an additional son-in-law and daughter-in-law plus five grandchildren. I guess I have a few more stockings to make. I also found a great tree skirt I'd made and completely forgot about. Another duh moment for me! It's great though and I'll be using it from now on.

I hand painted the nativity set around 1985. I had a kiln and taught ceramics in those days and I love to paint. My husband went deer hunting that year and took my two small children to my mom's for the weekend. I was in Heaven! I painted all night long and never slept that weekend. I was determined to get it done before they returned and I did. A few years later I painted a second set for my mom. I've been moving the set around for these 25 years and it's held up pretty well. I am finally putting it out on display this year.

I'm headed out soon to do a bit of shopping. (I'm out of creamer so I can't have coffee until I shop anyway!) Starbucks, here I come! I'm looking forward to a little Christmas shopping. I've studied the ads, made my lists and checked them twice, so to speak. I'm headed to Penney's for a few more of those great blankets to start. Have a great Friday!

Beautiful Autumn Morning

I just love it when the heat comes on in the morning in early fall and there's that smell. You know, the one that smells warm and cozy. It's probably the dust burning off of the furnace but it has that smell that reminds me of when I was a child and getting ready for school. I remember getting ready on the bedroom floor next to the heat register. That was before the days of programmable thermostats and everyone turned their temps way low at night to save money. Brrrrrr. That smell always brings back those cold morning memories.

OK, just got another cup of coffee so I can keep going. I've done it again- I am addicted to my cinnamon coffee creamer again. It's almost winter, it's cold out and coffee is just so good in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, you know, just anytime. I'll work on my addiction in the Spring. My secret motto these days- why do today what you can put off til tomorrow? I guess it's a Fall thing, the motivation to work fades and I'm in more of a mood to clean the house and re-organize for the holidays.

I'll be putting up the Christmas tree next weekend so I have a lot of shifting and cleaning to do. Yesterday, I took my beloved13 piece Queen Ann dining room set to an antique shop near St. Louis to sell. It is from 1920 and a huge set. We were the third owners, having purchased it at auction in 1978. I wanted to sell it when I moved last year but didn't find time. I have no dining room now and it is a huge set and needs a lot of space. My last dining room was 16' x 20' and it took up every bit of the space.

For the last year, my dismantled 9' table was leaning against the wall in my hallway, the 6' buffet was in my kitchen along with my credenza, oak desk and table set, the china cabinet was in my living room along with all of my living room furniture, a book case and two curio cabinets. The chairs and leaves were scattered all over the basement. It was time to go. I know I'll move again someday but I don't plan to get a bigger house at this stage in my life. It's so empty here this morning! The hall is so big now!

I did do a drawing this morning and I was surprised at how many entered for the new quilt project patterns. There are two winners, chosen by my husband.

They are: Jan from FL and Diane from MO

Congratulations ladies!

I also want to say thank you to everyone who faithfully reads the Blog and I'll also send one of the 4 x 4's to all of you who entered this past week. I'll be emailing you for your choice. Thanks for entering.

Oh, one more thing- I shopped at Penney's yesterday and got new blankets and, oh my goodness! I LOVE them. If you need blankets, check out the Chris Madden LuxPlush blankets. I'm having seven extra people for Christmas and needed a lot more bedding and there's no better place for bedding than Penney's. I had purchased their plush blankets which, by the way, are on sale for $19.99, any size, mind you! A great deal in itself.

Anyway, yesterday at the store, I needed a purple one (I am coordinating colors for my two new granddaughters- one loves purple and one loves teal, so what's a grandma to do?) and the only kind that had purple was the Chris Madden ones. I also got two new lap quilts for the living room in the same brand. Last night, I didn't want to leave the recliner and neither did Austin. The blankets were heavenly. It's worth taking a peak if you need some- they cost more but are so worth it. I hope this link works....

http://tiny.cc/zl18e

Nothing like a quick post ( I know, too late) Watch for an email from me on your choice of 4 x 4. Have a great week ladies!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone! It is dreary and raining outside but all of our company came to town yesterday and the festivities began last night. Grace was in a Christmas pageant and preformed beautifully. She's quite the little ham, I might add. Nathan's big birthday party is today so we'll be celebrating that also with family and friends. I didn't do a lot of baking this year as most of my kitchen is packed but Sarah is graciously providing meals for all of the family for the next 4 days while they are all in town. She's a wonderful cook, too, I might add. Our rain is turning to snow tomorrow so we will have a white Christmas in the Midwest after all. I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

Christmas Week Giveaway

This week I'll offer Cross Stitch Chart #53 Christmas Ornaments and Chart #54 Little Candle Mats- American Sheep for the weekly giveaway. There will be two winners. All you have to do is email me by midnight next Saturday with "Christmas" in the title and included your name and mailing address. Every week we have many entries that do not include their address and they are not considered. Please remember to add it in there. We don't share it nor do we store it for future spam. That's a promise. It just makes sending out the prize much easier and faster when we already have it.

For the quilters, we offer a giveaway this week of two quilt patterns- #369 Winter's Song and #383 Three Stockings. All you have to do is email me before midnight next Saturday with "Quilt" in the title and send you name and mailing address. I'll personally pick two winners next Sunday morning before I go to church.

My beagle is going crazy this morning due to the two coyotes hunting mice in the field behind us. There's snow on the ground and I can see them very clearly today. They are about twice the size of my beagle and she's smart enough to stay a good distance away while barking to make sure they know they are in HER territory! She's a tough one. Sometimes she will chase after one if it's alone until it turns on her and she runs back to the house with her tail between her legs! Very pretty out there with the snow.

Busy Time of the Year

Wow, Christmas is next week already and I have not started my shopping yet. Honestly, I have been so busy with the move and all, time just simply slipped away from me. I guess it's to late to start shopping online so I'll likely have to face the crowd and just do it. We have a great Mall here and normally it's not crowded during the day. My biggest problem is what to get everyone. I guess tonight I'll start making a list, checking it twice, and well, you know. I did put a Christmas tree up even though I actually thought about skipping it this year with the move so close and all. Just call Ebeneezer I guess.

Incidentally, Stitches, Etc. in St. Charles, MO will have my trunk show starting next week. My Little Candle Mats will be on display along with other models.

Don't forget to enter for the Tree Skirt Giveaway before Saturday at midnight. There's already a LOT of entries so competition is great with this one! I've sold almost all of the quilts listed last week. If you're interested in any of the quilts that were listed, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com and I'll see if I still have it. Thanks to everyone who helped me clear out a large stack of quilts. I'm sure I'll find more to let go of once I get everything moved.

Christmas Winners!

Well, we have two winners for last week. They are Donna from TN and Joan from SD. Congratulations ladies! I sent you an email.

I did something special on my Newsletter last week and had a lot of comments about it. Thanks to everyone who responded in time and got a free chart.

This week I thought I'd offer THREE Cardinal charts- they are the ones pictured here. We'll also have THREE winners this week. By the way, this contest is open to everyone, whether you are in the United States or not.

To enter, email me before next Saturday at midnight. Put you entire mailing address in there (sorry, those without are not considered for winning and we have had a lot of them incomplete) and "Cardinal" in the title. Good luck!

Monday Morning

I'm looking forward to a great day of shopping and getting my hair done. With Christmas coming, I'll spend a few days each week getting ready. I got my tree up Saturday and had dinner after church yesterday for all the kids and grandkids. Nathan was particularly fond of the old tricycle ornament from Hallmark that's probably 15 years old.

My favorite ornament remains to be a Lang ornament I got at the International Quilt Festival in Houston years ago. I have a lot of Lang & Hallmark ornaments.

If all goes well with the house purchase, I am moving in January so I've been doing a lot of packing and reorganizing these days in my spare time. Even though January is not a great time of the year to be outside, hopefully the weather will cooperate when it's time to actually move!

A Lot of Winners!

Wow, there were so many entries this past week! Last week we drew 2 names, and as promised, today we drew 4. Our winners are Kathy from LA, Barb from NY, Trish from Ontario, and Louise from NC. Congratulations ladies. I'll be sending you charts tomorrow.

This next week, we will draw only 2 names. In keeping with the Christmas spirit, the prize is 2 charts from the Little Candle Mat series, #48, Stockings & #49, Poinsettias. All you have to do is email before midnight next
Saturday, put "LCM" in the title, and send your name & mailing address. It's really pretty simple.

Entries without the mailing address included are not considered. We've been doing drawings for a while now and it's much easier to send the free charts right away without having to contact the winners and wait for a reply, which sometimes would take weeks. WE don't keep those addresses on file nor do we share your information with anyone, that's a promise.

Thank you to everyone who enters faithfully each week and thank you for all of the sweet notes that I get with the entries.

Christmas is coming!

Well, the weekend flew by so quickly and I didn't even get to go shopping. I normally stay away from the Black Friday crowds anyway. I did look a bit online. It's always great to Christmas shop in your jammies. The turkey leftovers are all gone and all the casserole dishes are washed and put away. I spent last night finishing a few new cross stitch designs and thought I'd share a peak. This one will be going to distributors this week and on the website sometime this week also.

A Whole New Week for a Drawing

Well, it's getting closer to Christmas so it's time to start offering some Christmas charts. This week the drawing will be for 2 charts,
#41, Stockings Were Hung and #40, The Ornament Sampler. All you have to do to enter is email me with your name, address and email address at PGPeddler@aol.com and put "Stockings" in the title. If I get a lot of entries again, I'll probable draw two or maybe even three names this week. Good luck!