Mountain Musings

'Tis the Season...

...for everything this month but blogging and blog reading! But here's a post to catch you up a bit!

Actually, this may be the first Christmas in quite the number of years that I'm not rushing to finish a quilt, a scrapbook, or some other crazy project I started waaay too late to remain sane! I really miss the adrenaline rush and excitement that a "gotta-get-'er-done" project generates! Tell me what you're rushing to finish this last week before Christmas--I'll pray that you finish in time--I've been there, done that!

Instead we've been focusing on other activities such as:

• Enjoying a couples' lunch date with our long-time friends, Fred and Chris
• Inviting my friend, Dorothy, to visit for some Valley adventures and overnights
• Hosting missionary friends from PNG who were passing through our area
• Experiencing a just-opened little coffee house in Crozet with Tom (for sandwiches but not the coffee, thank you though!)
• Packaging up basket and soap orders (there's still time to order before Christmas---limited selection of baskets left--contact Hannah for availability)
• And preparing for my sister to arrive in a few days to spend Christmas with us. Busy but fun times!

Here are some photos to share of the above special times together:

When the miles separate friends...you find ways to get together and keep up with each others' lives. This particular Saturday found us traveling to Richmond to meet Fred and Chris, who had traveled from Newport News to join us, and then we ate together at Whole Foods Grocery...yes, a grocery store with an out-of-this-world gourmet salad bar!

We girls talked quilts, of course! Chris brought her recently completed Christmas quilt to show me. Isn't the snowflake quilting on the back just wonderful?!

My friend, Dorothy--a faithful blog reader and commenter--came to visit last week, and we took in the sights in the area. From the Dayton Farmer's Market and Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg to Woodrow Wilson's Birthplace and the Pampered Palate and neat shops downtown, we thoroughly enjoyed the time together. Here's Dorothy just before she left:

Our friends, Kim and Annie, who have been missionaries for quite a number of years in Papua New Guinea, were headed to Kentucky to spend Christmas with family when they stopped by this week. What a treat to catch up on all their news and understand better how to pray for their situation.

Here's Annie after breakfast sharing pictures with Granny of their village and translation work:

And Kim and Jonathan enjoyed some pickin' and grinnin' and entertained us with their music:

And...all too soon it was time for them to get on the road, too. I'm reminded so many times when friends come and leave that one day there will be no sad good-byes.

Below: the Green House Coffee Shop where Tom and I enjoyed a delicious lunch yesterday. If you're ever over the mountain near Crozet, I would recommend the hot and toasty Southwest Turkey Panini.

Special thanks to my friend, Kendra over at Kendra's Korner, who blogged about her trip to Green House or I never would have known about the place.

These next few days I'll be planning the menu and preparing ahead just a bit for my sister's arrival on Tuesday. I hope you're enjoying this wonderful season, too, with friends and family. Take lots of pictures and make lots of memories!

 ~ Deb

Post Road Vintage..A New Love

Recently Heather, over at Post Road Vintage blog (farmhouse decoration plus homemade inspiration!), posted a photo of her mason jar chick feeder filled with chocolate chips and M&Ms. You can view and purchase it here. Neat idea!

And you can see all her Post Road Vintage products for sale here and here.

Heather asked her email newsletter subscribers to send in some creative ideas of how they would use her chick feeder. She's in the midst of her winter photo shoot for her shop and wanted to go with a winter-white theme.

I sent in my idea of filling her blue mason jar with cotton balls. She did an excellent job photographing that idea, don't you think?

Anyway...she picked my idea!!! How fun! You can read about it here. So...one of these unique chick feeders is winging its way this week to Mountain Musings all the way from snowy Lake Linden, Michigan. Thank you, Heather!

I'm planning on filling it with cotton balls and placing it on my bathroom counter as soon as it arrives!

Why not head over to her shop and check out her other Mason jar treasures!

~Deb

Oooh, Vera!

Isn't she gorgeous?

My generous blogging friend, Vicki, over at 2 Bags Full, is giving away yet another Vera bag! This one is in fall's newest and most popular colors - Suzani.

I love it because it's so colorful! I've not won any of the bags Vicki's given away on her blog in the past, but this one just might have my name on it! Head on over and sign up for it here.

Also because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, Vicki is advertising Pinky on her blog.

Susan from the blog Days at Buttermilk Cottage is on a personal mission to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness.  She designed this adorable little lamb and is selling the knitted version, the PDF pattern, and also the kit containing the pattern and yarns to make your own Pinky.

More information here. 

And last, but not least, Vicki is giving away a Twirly Birds Pink Vera bag in the Breast Cancer Awareness pattern if you join her Facebook page. I'm not a facebooker so I can't win this one, but if you are, head over to Vicki's blog and find out what you do.

Winners will be picked on November 4th.

~Deb

B is For Bet

I have a younger sister named Bet (and she won't let me forget the younger part!).

Bet hasn't blogged in just about forever!

Actually, she's the one who gave us the gift of a Typepad blog back in 2004. I gave up long ago hinting that she should start blogging again...

Well, out of the blue she now has a new blog name, new theme, and new posts are up! She also has a new camera which helps in posting beautiful pictures--she loves flowers like I do!

Head on over to B is for Bet and leave her some bloggy comment love. You can read below what she'll be blogging about:

"So B is for Bet. And for my miniature schnauzer Barney. And for books.  And for big ideas sometimes. And for blessings all the time. And for a lot more B's to come before I'm done I hope. I plan to blog about all of these.

I hope you'll join me here to find out what's going on in B is for Bet's little corner of the world."

Just tell her that her older sister sent you!

~ Deb

Winner! #31

Thank you so much to all the commenters who stopped by for our 1,600 posts giveaway! I think this was my favorite giveaway that we've done because I enjoyed reading all your sweet comments about your mom!

We all have some great moms, don't we? I know I do!

Are you ready for the winner?

Comment #31: Jodi

Oh! What a SWEET giveaway!! If I win I will give this gift to my Mom -- she is the sweetest ever ... of course I am biased! ;) Mom never ever left us with babysitters but she quit her teaching job when I was born and spent all her time with us kids! Not only is she a full-time Pastor's Wife but she also homeschooled us and taught us not just the "academics" but the things of the LORD most of all !!!! I have been SO blessed!!!

Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Congratulations, Jodi! If you would email me your mailing address and let me know which two fragrances of Hannah's soap you would like, I will get this in the mail to you right away!

Thank you all again for being faithful Mountain Musings readers! All of us here wish you a very Happy and special Mother's Day!

~Deb

1,600!

Mountain Musings hit a record 1,600 posts earlier this week when Granny wrote about preparing for her craft show. Today's post actually marks our 1,602 post!

As promised, we think that milestone calls for a giveaway! How about something that each of the ladies here at Mountain Musings had a part in making?

No, we can't ship you any of Sarah's delicious desserts, and I didn't have time to make you a quilt...but this is what we can send you if your name is chosen:

A Jelly Basket* ~ made by Granny, of course! She told me to pick one of my favorites just for this giveaway. It was a hard choice! This basket is made with dyed red and green reeds for added color and dipped in walnut stain as only Granny can do!

And look what's inside this basket:

Two bars of Hannah's handmade cold-process soap (I selected Citrus Patchouli and Sweet Lemon Basil for this picture, but you can pick your favorite two scents from her Pleasant View Soaps website if you win).

A tube of Chocolate-Orange Truffle lip butter (made by Hannah) is also included.

Two handmade washcloths knitted by Deb and some of Sarah's favorite recipes tucked in the back complete the gift basket.

Ooh, wait...an antique key is also hanging from the handle for an added touch of whimsy. I love it!

Would you like to win this 1,600-post giveaway? Wouldn't it make a nice Mother's Day gift...or maybe a gift for yourself?

Just leave a comment on this post telling us something nice about your mother.

Deadline for entering is one week from today--next Friday, May 6, at midnight EST. We'll draw a random name from all entries next Saturday, May 7.

Have a delightful weekend! See you on the blog next week.

~Deb

*A variety of baskets are for sale in Granny's Basket Shop and can be found here and in her Etsy Shop here.

Family Strategies Audio Giveaway Winner!

Family Strategies: Practical Issues for Building Healthy Families is a new audio webinar to encourage Biblical thinking in several areas of raising children and building God-honoring family life, such as mealtimes, family worship, sibling rivalry and character training, hospitality, entrepreneurship, and more. Read further details and hear samples of the topics here.

This morning we used Random Number Generator to see which one of you readers would receive a free "ticket" to this series, allowing you to participate by downloading the 30 minute weekly episodes, hosted by Doug and Beall Phillips. The series begins tomorrow--Tuesday, March 1st, and lasts 20 weeks. Listen to the messages at your convenience.

And the winner is comment #13............................Jenny!

Jenny commented: My favorite topic to hear would be the one on Mealtime! I'm interested in being able to maximize on all our together time, and...well...everyone eats so we'd have a captive audience:)

Jenny, please email me (girotti at wildblue dot net) your mailing address so we can get the information to Vision Forum as soon as possible!

Thank you to everyone who participated! If you didn't win and are interested in ordering this series, be sure to do so by midnight CST February 28 to save $10 and get 2 bonus messages.

~Deb

Family Strategies Audio Giveaway

strat-e-gies: The art of devising or employing plans or stratagems toward a goal.

Calling all Christian families--it's time for another special giveaway here on Mountain Musings (courtesy of Vision Forum)!

Family Strategies: Practical Issues for Building Healthy Families is a new audio webinar to encourage Biblical thinking in several areas of raising children and building God-honoring family life, such as mealtimes, family worship, sibling rivalry and character training, hospitality, entrepreneurship, and more. Read further details and hear samples of the topics here.

One of you readers will receive a free "ticket" to this series, allowing you to participate by downloading the 30 minute weekly episodes, hosted by Doug and Beall Phillips. The series begins this coming Tuesday, March 1st and lasts 20 weeks. Listen to the messages at your convenience.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling us one of the 20 topics you'd like to hear or that interests you the most. I'll start. I'd be interested in listening to How to Prepare for a Year of Home Education.

This post is now closed and giveaway winner has been announced!

If you are interested in ordering this series, be sure to do so by February 28 to save $10 and get 2 bonus messages.

~Hannah

A Backward Glance at 2010

Happy New Year, Everyone!

We're celebrating not only the beginning of a new year but the beginning of our 7th year of blogging!

Oh, my, it is hard to believe that we received Typepad as a Christmas gift back in 2004, and after 1,550 posts we're still at it! We're thankful to have made so many new friends in the process. Thanks for reading and commenting and being one of those friends!

We're taking a look back at 2010 in photos and thanking the Lord for the blessings He's given us throughout this past year:

January, 2010 ~ The Blessing of Friendship

Last January I met my friend, Dorothy, at Wintergreen Ski Resort (blogged about here), and Tom and I met our friends Fred and Chris in Richmond for a lunch date at Ukrops. We also met as couples again in September (blogged about here). I'm thanking the Lord for special friendships!

February, 2010 ~ Delivering a Cake

Sarah, our diligent dessert maker, takes cake orders by word-of-mouth advertising, and if Dad needs a cake for any of his work functions, he knows who to ask(blogged about here).

March, 2010 ~ Making Melody

March ended up being the month for music. Hannah and Sarah practiced for the upcoming Hymn Sing in northern Virginia.

April, 2010 ~ New Garden Fence

Jonathan and Erich worked hard to get the posts in for the new fence (blogged about here). And (below)Tom and Hannah unload all the pickets. I love new fences! This spring we'll be painting it white.

May, 2010 ~ Geo-Caching

This is a local waterfall that we never would have known about until we followed the geo-cache coordinates and clues. What a beautiful spot at the end of a hike!

 ~ Photography Boot Camp

Tom, Hannah, and I traveled to Fairfax Station to participate in a photography boot camp. It was an excellent time of learning (blogged about here). 

Also in May we spent a week at my sister's in South Carolina. See days 137-142 in Hannah's photo album.

June, 2010 ~ Our Friends Moved Away

Our church friends moved back to Chicago, and we still miss them.

June will definitely be remembered for the hospital trip and major surgery; I spent the summer recuperating, and I'm thankful the Lord brought me through that rough time.

July, 2010 ~ Celebrating a Birthday!

I love birthdays, and this family really spoils me! Fun!

August, 2010 ~ Opening the 30th Anniversary Quilt

What a surprise this was (blogged about here)!

~ Anniversary Trip to Canada 
August was all about our 30th anniversary! Here's the link to the post that sums it all up with links to each day's adventures in case you missed them.

September, 2010 ~ Baskets Everywhere!

The month of September: baskets! Here's the link to Granny's series of guest posts.

October, 2010 ~ Travels from North to South!

~ Family trip to Connecticut to see Tom's side of the family

Jonathan and his cousin fished from the backyard dock at Tom's sister's home in Niantic while Grampa and Hannah watched. We enjoyed visiting the Connecticut relatives before heading north to Saratoga and on to Niagara Falls.

~ Niagara Falls, New York

This was our first time at Niagara Falls--what a powerful force in God's creation! Jonathan posted another picture of the Falls on his blog here.

~ Satellite Beach, Florida

We returned from Niagara on a Friday afternoon...the very next morning Granny, Hannah, and I left for Florida! What a whirlwind of travel! But so very fun! Here's a link to all the posts on our Florida trip in case you missed them.

November, 2010 ~ Jonathan turns 25!

Sarah prepared one of Jonathan's favorites ~ Turtle Cake.

November will also be remembered for soap making classes and visiting friends at Thanksgiving.

December, 2010 ~ Baking Cookies

Baking gingerbread cookies for Christmas...this was before the oven malfunction which means the oven broiled instead of baking the cookies!

~ Uh, Oh...

Why do bad things happen to good gingerbread men??  We're waiting for the repairman to show up--hopefully this week to fix the problem.

~~~~~            ~~~~~            ~~~~~            ~~~~~           ~~~~~

Well, that's been our 2010...and we didn't even mention quilting and gardening and all the other things that make up our lives here at Mountain Musings. But if you stick around in 2011, I'm sure we'll be off on more adventures with plenty of pictures to share!

We hope your 2011 is a good one!

~Deb

Quilt Tour Begins

Today begins the Star-Struck Quilt Tour! Be sure to visit all the participants and check back on Saturday, August 28th for our questions and answers with Barbara Cline here on Mountain Musings--and enter our giveaway!