And The Winner Is....

First, I want to thank everyone who entered my first giveaway for this pair of beautiful vintage diamond and amethyst earrings.  I'm so thrilled with your response, that I have decided to host yet another jewelry giveaway, only this time it will be for "1950's Vintage Bling" so come back tomorrow for the details and to check out the glitter I have lined up for some lucky winner and just in time for New Years!

Now on to our winner of the fabulous Vintage Diamond and Amethyst Earrings!

DRUMROLL PLEASE

I'd like to CONGRATULATE:  Vandy of The Testosterone Three and Me


Hey Vandy, all you have to do is email me at menonewmom@yahoo.ca with your mailing address and I will get these lovely little beauties ready and then ship them out to you!

Everyone, please join me in congratulating Vandy and I'd like to invite all of you back tomorrow to check out my New Year's Bling Jewelry Giveaway!!!!

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by both Tamara from Over the Home Spun Hedge and Tami of Hearts Make Families to do the Getting To Know You Survey so here goes.

Have you started your Christmas shopping? 
Yes


Tell me about one of your special traditions.
One special tradition is the cherry cheesecake we have when we eat Christmas dinner at my mom's place.


When do you put up your Tree?
Usually about 2 weeks before Christmas


Are you a Black Friday shopper?
We don't have Black Friday in Canada but I can promise you that if we did, I would NOT be out in it.


Do you Travel at Christmas or Stay home?
Depends, this year we are staying put.


What is your funniest Christmas memory?
Not sure if it was the funniest but my best is the year I did a treasure hunt for my little brother to find his gift.  Had him searching all over the house where he would find clues written on paper as to where to find the next clue until finally his present from me.  It was fun and he loved it.  I think I was probably about 14 at the time which would have made him around 9.


What is your favorite Christmas Movie of All time?
I go for the comedies more than the sappy classics.  I like Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation. 


Do you do your own Christmas Baking? What’s your favorite treat?
I don't really do any baking, just the standard turkey dinner.  My favorite treat is the special pineapple and cherry Christmas cake my mom bakes every year.  Delicious and one I don't share when I snag a piece.


Fake or Real Tree?
Always real and farmed.


What day (as a Mom) does the actual panic set in to get it all done?
Usually around the 20th but with my daughter being only 3 1/2, we could have Christmas any day after the 25th and she wouldn't know the difference.


Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?
Not usually, by then I'm usually just having a nice glass of wine to celebrate after putting all the gifts under the tree after she goes to bed.


What is your favorite family fun time at Christmas?
Watching my daughter's face when she comes downstairs and sees her sock hanging from the fireplace bulging with gifts.


What Christmas craft do you like the best?
I don't know if it's an actual craft but making fancy bows and decorations for the presents. 


Christmas music? Yes or No. And if yes, What is your favorite song?
We play some Christmas music but I go for the classics, not really a favorite I can think of.  I don't really care for Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer but the rest are okay.


When do you plan to finish all your shopping?
Already done!


All  bloggers are welcome to join in, even if you haven’t been tagged.

Just simply copy and paste the questions into your blog, and then answer them.


Happy Holiday's Everyone!

WTF Friday

Before you read on, be sure to check out my Amethyst and Diamond Earrings Giveaway! You can read more about it and how to enter Here

Now on to post number two of my new series WTF Friday!

Yes, it's that time again, time to bitch about something that annoys the hell out of me.  This is one little annoyance that I can count on at least twice a year.  The problem?  Collection of those damn paper leaf bags for both Spring and Fall cleanup.

I swear, it doesn't matter when I fill those bags, the minute I kick them to the curb, I can count on it raining for the next 5 days straight.  This not only leaves the bags soaking wet but rots out the bottom so they split open spilling their contents all over the sidewalk, driveway or lawn. This wouldn't be such a big deal if I only had 4 or 5 of these bags during clean up, but I live in an old neighborhood where the trees are huge and the leaves are everywhere. No only that, whoever lived in our home before we bought it must have been part groundhog because there are gardens around 3 sides of the house. That's a hell of a lot of raking, clipping and cleaning twice a year. So I can pretty much keep the local hardware store in business just buying leaf bags. I bet I fill 40 to 50 of these damn bags twice a year trying to keep up with the yard work around here. Hubby you ask? Don't bother, according to him, gardening is my thing. I'm lucky to get him to mow the lawn once in a while.

I know what you're thinking, "Well just put them out a couple of days before the scheduled pick up" which is exactly what I do. We have been living in this one-horse town for more than three years now and for the last three years straight, the scheduled pick up of these damn bags is always running a good one to two weeks behind so waiting until the last gun is fired would be great if I actually knew when that was. Trouble is, the minute I missed that first scheduled day of pick up would be the one and only time the trucks would be on time. And the use of plastic has been banned which would be a good thing if they would just pick up the paper ones on time.

So here I am, bitching about those damn leaf bags sitting outside while I'm typing this post and yes it's raining and yes, the damn collection was supposed to be last week! So if I'm slow getting posts done next week, you'll know where to find me, outside raking up all those damn leaves again only this time off the driveway instead of the lawn!

Spreading The Christmas Spirit

Before you read on, be sure to check out my Amethyst and Diamond Earrings Giveaway! You can read more about it and how to enter Here

Now back to how I spread Christmas Cheer!

One thing I rarely show is my soft side. I have a special affection for children at Christmas time and do what I can to contribute to households that Santa may overlook.

Last year, I called around looking for a family to adopt at Christmas but found that this was no longer done in our small town. Everyone I spoke with directed me to the Salvation Army so I gave them a call.

I spoke to a friendly gal there who told me that they do a Christmas gift drive every year where anyone who wants to can buy a gift, donate it and the Salvation Army will make sure it makes its way to a needy child. I questioned her wanting to know what age groups were most overlooked and she was quick to mention that it was the teens. She said they get more than enough for the 0 -12 year olds but that they are always short on gifts for ages 13 and up. We went over a few items that they wanted and I went out and spent around $100 on that age group. I did my shopping at Zellers (like Walmart) and I'm pleased to say that when I told the manager there what I was doing, he approved an additional discount on my total bill of 20% to help out.

My husband delivered those gifts to the Salvation Army to the delight of the workers there. So because that information was only available to me a few weeks prior to Christmas, there wasn't a heck of a lot I could do for that year but this year is different.

As soon as Christmas 2008 was over, I went to work filling a large box with as many teen gifts as I could find. Everything had to have an unlimited shelf life so I focused on comb, brush mirror sets, make-up brushes, manicure sets and things of that nature. Things that I new I loved as a teen. I checked around and found actual battery operated manicure sets that were $19.99 before Christmas being cleared out for 99 cents.  I bought the last two and into the box they went. Two cool little digital pocket cameras that were $14.99 for $5.99. Last Summer I found a great deal on $20 watches for only $7.99 and purchased two to donate (just had to pull the pins to save the battery).

You can take a look here at the photo I took the other day to see what was purchased during the last 11 months. This has already been dropped off but is only Part I of the Christmas spirit we spread around each Holiday Season.

Stay tuned for Part II and Part III!!  Hope I've inspired you to spread around your own Christmas Cheer this year and help out some children who may not otherwise receive a gift from Santa!

Wordless Wednesday

Before you read on, be sure to check out my Amethyst and Diamond Earrings Giveaway! You can read more about it and how to enter Here

Now, back to Wordless Wednesday!

With the colder weather barreling down on us, I thought I would theme my upcoming Wordless Wednesday's based on living in an old Historic Home.  Ours was built in 1891 and was renovated back in 2007. Some features are original, some parts have been completely updated. I'm nosey as Hell and love to snoop around other people's digs so here is your opportunity to check out what the inside of my home is like.

If you want to comment on any of the renovations we did, or the mess and dustballs, go ahead and be completely honest. Just like anyone else who takes on a job of this size we screwed up some things and nailed others. Not to mention, we couldn't babysit the workers because at the time of the actual renovation, our daughter was only 9 months old.  The dust that is kicked up in an old house when you tear out walls and ceilings is no place for a baby! I don't consider myself a great housekeeper either.

This series of Wordless Wednesday posts will be a trip around my old house, what I like and don't like about living in a house that is "Older than the hills".

Yes, I know, I just can't be wordless!

This is one thing that I liked when we bought this house.  In the attic there were two old fancy hot-water radiators.  We had them sandblasted, repainted and reinstalled on the first floor where we could enjoy their beauty.

Diamond and Amethyst Earrings Give Away!!

I'm so thrilled to be hosting my very first GIVEAWAY and what a GIVEAWAY it is!!!!

I have been holding back a few secrets from my blogging buddies, one of them being that I buy and sell vintage jewelry. Love collecting this stuff and I'm always buying and selling to help build up my own collection.

So to celebrate the upcoming Christmas Season, I will be GIVING AWAY a beautiful pair of 10K Yellow and White Gold Amethyst and Diamond earrings!!!!

Now, let me clear up one thing.  These earrings are vintage ie pre-loved however they have been thoroughly inspected, cleaned and polished and are in gorgeous, ready to wear condition.  They will be mailed out in a lovely red cardboard jewelry box to the lucky winner!

A little about these lovely little beauties!

Each 10K solid yellow gold stud houses a beautiful oval faceted amethyst surrounded by 10 genuine diamond (tested) accent stones.  Each amethyst is 3mm x 5mm with the entire earring top being 6mm x 9.5mm.

Perfect for work, blue jeans or a special evening out, these gorgeous earrings will work with nearly everything in your wardrobe!

Back of each earring is clearly stamped 10K while the butterflies that were acquired with them are stamped 14K.

For pierced ears only and February's birthstone.

Now let's go over the rules:

To enter you MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG.

You MUST leave one comment on THIS POST - That is your entry into the contest.

You may leave 3 Additional comments (entries) on this post BUT only if you:  BLOG ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY WITH A LINK BACK TO THIS POST!

The maximum number of comments (entries) per person is 4 (yes, I will be checking!) and that is ONLY for those who blog about this contest with the link back to this post.  All other FOLLOWERS can enter ONCE by leaving one comment on THIS post.

I will be using the total number of valid comments on THIS post to select the winner using the Random Number Generator.  I will count down the list of valid comments and match the number selected to that number comment and voila, our lucky winner!

*PLEASE NOTE:
 Your FIRST comment will be your entry into this contest, all subsequent comments that do not meet the guidelines above will be deleted
ALL deleted comments will be EXCLUDED from the official count when determining the winner.

The draw will take place on Sunday, December 6, 2009 so be sure to check back!  The lucky winner will be announced then and have 48 hours to claim their prize!  It is the responsibility of that winner to provide their mailing information to me at menonewmom@yahoo.ca  If that commenter does not contact me within that 48-hour period, I will select another winner.  Any duty or taxes incurred at the time of delivery are the responsibility of the recipient.

So make sure you are following me and leave ONE comment here. Then get busy blogging about this terrific GIVEAWAY with a link back to this post so you can come back and leave 3 more comments!!!

Good Luck and keep checking back.  I have more jewelry giveaways coming!!

PS:  I'm going to have company for the next couple of days so won't be able to comment as much as I'd like but I'll be back in full swing on Thursday!

Any Guy's Need An Excuse Not to Help Out?

Yes, I know I'm on a break but when I found this Thanksgiving story, just had to share the link so you can all have a good chuckle!

You guys out there looking for an excuse not to help out with the cooking during the holidays, send your wives over to Carl's Place  and see what happened when he decided to help out Lol!

Enjoy!!