First Snow Winner

We have had so much fun this week with the giveaway. The stories shared about your most memorable Christmas gift have been heart warming, funny, unique and touching. Some of my favorites involved red purses, go-go boots, ice skating rinks, love and extraordinary family memories. Thank you all for sharing your stories.

At midnight last night I wrote all the names for each entry and cut them up to put in the bowl. This morning my husband stuck his hand in and pulled out the winning entry.

Drum roll please...

Sharon at Life With Jack and Jill. If you haven’t read Sharon’s blog, it is filled with humor, dry wit, family and a love for her babies, Jack and Jill. She is a great read and you should check her out. Sharon, send me your address via e-mail and I will get you package in the mail on Monday. Congratulations and thank you all for participating. This was so much fun.

Merry Christmas,

First Snow-First Giveaway

Hello farm friends, we had our first snow of the season this weekend and it was beautiful. Big, white, cottony flakes peppered down all day Saturday. It didn’t cover the roads, but provided a thin layer of snow over everything else making it ideal for Christmas decorating and shopping.

This past week, I shared my appreciation for the wonderful blog friends I have, and in this spirit I decided it was time to do a giveaway for our Verde Farm buddies. The rules are simple: If you are a follower you get one entry. For a second entry, comment on this post and include the most memorable Christmas gift you ever received, and why. For a third, if you share the giveaway on your blog or in one of your posts, that will enter you another time. Just be sure to tell me that you shared it. If you are not a follower and you become one, you get entered automatically and have the above options for extra entries. If you don't want to follow and just enjoy stopping by, that is perfectly fine too. You don't have to be a follower to win, just share a comment so I can add your name to the bowl.

The prize is a wonderful gift basket from a beautiful place called Yellow Goat Farm.  They make wonderful soaps, herbal lotions and sachets as well as unusual jams, and all from organic herbs. I think you will love the goodies in this basket. The giveaway starts now and will close Friday Dec. 10, at midnight. I will announce the winner the following day and get it in the mail to you by Christmas. Good luck to all our wonderful friends.

We are linking up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.  If you’ve never seen Mary’s site or the Mosaic Monday entries, you are missing out.  Beautiful entries every week. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas,

A Special Christmas Memory and Gift From White Sheep Farm

I got the wonderful news last week I had won a giveaway from Teri at White Sheep Farm. She has wonderful giveaways, and her handiwork is amazing. She asked us to share a favorite Christmas memory with her and she would select her favorite. I had to share one of mine. This is the story with a little more detail.

Teri’s Wintry Front Porch Scene

When I was in my twenties, and before I got married, my family had a house in the Smokey Mountains, near Gatlinburg, Tn.  I lived in Asheville, N.C. at the time and my family lived in W.Va.  Of course, the house wasn’t centrally located, but we sort-of looked at it that way. At any rate, it was a place to meet. A special place. I’ll not soon forget meeting my family a few days before Christmas during that period to spend old fashioned Christmas’s--as in stringing cranberry and popcorn garlands to place on the live tree we bought a few hours earlier from a local grower. It would also be pretty hard to erase the sounds of Bing Crosby, or Nat King Cole, and how Cole’s voice never failed to make the room a little warmer--even in front of a sturdy, crackling fire built by my daddy. I’ve never wondered about what we missed on TV those nights, because we didn’t have a TV in the room--but I do remember and cherish being with my family, laughing, singing and belonging.

I remember one Christmas Eve snowstorm that was a beauty. The flakes floated down, seemingly one by one, white cottony flakes landing perfectly on trees, window panes and the immediate, twinkly world in general. The snow put us all in a giddy mood and we took it all in together. My dad helped several visitors to the mountain out of the ditch, and spent a lot of time clearing the walkways and steps for us. He loved to stay busy and there was plenty to do. It was simply a postcard Christmas for our family and we soaked it all in, the snow, the old-fashion tree, the food but most importantly the love and laughter of being a family.

My dad passed away almost four years ago. Our Christmas’s have never been the same and never will. Among many things I miss about him, I miss his laugh. It’ll be hard to unlearn the sound of his laugh-- giddy and booming, so full of life.  We still enjoy our family and cherish the times we are together but a big heart and big personality is missing. He loved Christmas and we miss him terribly, even more so this time of year.

Me, Daddy and my little sister Anna many years ago

Well, that was my story and she chose it to win the giveaway, although it was a condensed version. It touched my heart and when I got my special gift in the mail, I was thrilled. She made me an adorable sleeping mouse in a match stick box.  See the precious note to Santa? She also threw in this beautiful pillow “Its a Wonderful Life,” one of my favorite movies ever and definitely one of my favorite quotes. It is a wonderful life, and I thank you Teri for this wonderful Christmas gift.

Lil’ Mouse

Santa’s note

It’s a Wonderful Life Pillow in with potpourri

If you haven’t seen Teri’s blog, please check it out. She has beautiful sheep, spins her own fiber and makes wonderful primitive decorations. I know you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Merry Christmas all,

Unexpected Friendship

Friendship

Blogging has been an unexpected light in my life. My friend at "Farm Girl Digital Designs" has been telling me for a long time that we should start a blog here at Verde Farm. I thought it sounded like a good idea, but where to find the time? While Richie and I pondered starting a small business with our farm, we knew we needed a website. Jill, a.k.a. Farm Girl, came to the rescue. She designed our blog, header, button and took many of our pictures. I asked her to do a special button for Verde Cottage, and she did that, as well.  She's been so supportive and does wonderful work. Check out her website and check out her abundant creativity.

I remember putting up my first post and thinking: “Who would read this? Would this interest anyone but us?” I was shocked when I got my first comments. Shocked and thrilled. I quickly came to know many of you--and in such a short time. I felt as if I had new friends. I truly look forward to your posts, comments and e-mails. The graciousness and interest from folks all over the US, and the world, for that matter, is positive, warm and unexpected.

For example, I've received two spontaneous gifts in the mail for no reason at all.  My first was from Julie, at "Dog Trot Farm."She read one of my fall posts about decorations and my inability to find the cute crows she had in her house. Sure enough, a box full of crows flying south from Maine to West Virginia arrived in no time, along with a cute little pumpkin--a surprise for someone she didn't even know, out of the blue, just because. 

Julie’s Window Boxes

One of my Maine Crows

Secondly, my friend Peggy at "A Primitive Plot" sent me an adorable pumpkin with a crow on top she designed herself. "Everyone needs a fun box in the mail sometimes," she said. And so, another crow flew from Michigan to West Virginia to someone she didn't even know, out of the blue, just because. 

Peggy’s Beautiful Crafting

My Michigan Crow

This is the way it goes with blogging. The people that love to blog are special folks and ultimately giving of themselves through their posts, comments, e-mails and so much more. I am so thankful for this unexpected gift and all my wonderful new friends who share their lives with me and allow me to share our lives with them.