Winter Wonderland.....and a WINNER!

This is the scene that we awoke to this morning....a nice blanket of crisp, white snow. It looks so pretty with the sun glinting off of the fresh flakes, don't you think?

Okay, now for the real reason that you're here today......there is a winner for the giveaway!

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so I was thinking how nice it would be to have some Valentine's Day-inspired gifts. And, since all of my blogger friends are nifty thrifties, I thought the winner might enjoy these finds:







A pair of silver hearts to hold jewelry, potpourri, or little keepsakes......














A set of 5 hand-made Valentine's cards made by my daughter, Lacey, including envelopes. You can write your own sweet messages for loved ones on the inside.....













A pair of cute strawberry earrings to wear to bring a little bit of red to your wardrobe........














And, also included is a red clutch purse (LuLu) to use when you go out for your Valentine's Day dinner and a nice floral heart to add to your lovely decor.

So, without further waiting and suspense, I am pleased to announce that the winner is:

Vickie of Sand Flat Farm! Congratulations, Vickie!! Please be sure to stop by her blog and wish her a "Good for you!"

Now that the suspense is over, I hope that you all have a blessed weekend!

Thanks for participating in the giveaway!

--Liane

Happy New Year!

Good bye, 2010.....Hello, 2011! Happy New Year to one and all!

I wish I could have welcomed the new year at 12:01 a.m. this morning, but as usual, I was struggling to make it to 9 p.m. and gave up the fight at 8:50 p.m. What a party animal I am. I blame the wonderful sweet and sour chicken I had for dinner.

So, out with the old and in with the new!, as the saying goes. 2010 was a different kind of year for me. I had the awkward feeling of acknowledging that my son is in a serious relationship with a beautiful young lady. (I had to accept the fact that he is not my 6-year old little one anymore. And, hey, it seems as though I was just 19 not so long ago myself!) Our family has enjoyed opening our home to this young lady when she visits from Puerto Rico and growing a relationship with her as well.

Not only did I see my son changing, but my baby girl, all of a sudden, is not a young girl anymore. She somehow transformed into a young woman right before my eyes. She is going to be 18 in just a few months. Yikes!! I am so thankful that she has been able to go on a few mini-vacations with me and her dad this year. I'm looking forward to more!!

We also said 'good-bye' to our faithful mini-van this year. Well, we needed to get rid of it before it died for good in the drive way, and we bought a new car for the first time in our lives. I wanted to throw up for the first week we owned it because it was such a big purchase for us. But both Peter and myself have been so blessed that I know it was the right decision to make.

We welcomed two new family members, Beatrix and Hank. A month after losing Lacey's beloved Simba in March, we adopted Beatrix from the animal shelter. She's the fattest but prettiest cat I've ever seen and we love her to bits. We adopted Hank, a beagle/basset hound mix from our neighbor in June and are so happy that we did. He is the cutest dog and loves my husband unconditionally. Beatrix and Hank have become the best of friends.

I learned that I have high-blood pressure, or hypertension, and it was discovered in the nick of time. I am so grateful that it was diagnosed before I suffered a stroke or heart attack. The medication is working very well and this situation has forced me to take my health seriously. I am making big changes to my diet and want to be more responsible with my health.

I feel like 2011 will be a year of big changes. I'm not sure in what way yet, but I know that God is preparing me for something. I'm excited to see what the future holds for all of us.

**I just reached a milestone on Blogger. This is my 101st post. So, to celebrate, I am offering a giveaway. To enter, just leave a comment on this post. Comments will be accepted until Friday, January 7th. I will then randomly select a winner.** I like to keep the giveaway gifts a secret until the winner is selected. Who doesn't like a surprise?!

Welcome, 2011! May you be blessed in the coming year - I know I will be!!

--Liane

Generous.......

an adjective meaning to give or share*. I want to thank everyone for your generous birthday wishes to Lacey; your comments are all so sweet. I want to thank you for your friendship as well, and for popping in to share in today's blog post, my 80th! And before I announce the winner of my (mysterious) give-a-way, I want to share with you Lacey's generosity.......


Lace's hair grows very fast and was recently down to her waist. Putting it up in a bun was a major feat that required 5 or 6 clips and braiding it made my arms tired......So for the third time since she was 10 or 11............



Ta-da! She had at least 10 inches of hair cut off and donated to the Locks of Love organization. Locks of Love makes wigs for children who have lost their hair to various illnesses.

Now, here is a peek at my give-a-way:
These items are all inspired by Lacey and things that she enjoys: a wooden box with vintage grape design; a wooden "Natural" sign; small bag "Faith"; bunch of 10 Tootsie Pops; floral journal with a matching floral 'suitcase'.

And, without further procrastination......the winner is...........Diva Kreszl of Diva's Musings!

Congratulations!! Please send me an e-mail (go to my profile for address) with your complete mailing address and I can send your gift out pronto!

*A very big thank you to Vee, for posting this give-a-way on the sidebar of her lovely blog....Thank you, Vee!!

Thank you so very much for visiting today - I wish you all a wonderful and blessed weekend!

Love,
Liane

And the winner is........Oh, another Celebration!

As promised, today I am announcing the winner of my very first Give Away! Wahoo! Are you excited? I certainly am! I have been so looking forward to today - I've had so much fun selecting the items for the giveaway, and anticipating who could it possibly be.....

I apologize for the delay - I had to work this morning, then go grocery shopping, then run by the church, then put all of the groceries away, then run by a friend's house, and THEN, my computer started acting up and it took me almost an hour to fix it.

But first let me give you another reason why today is special:
That right there is my sis, Robin (of bittersweetpunkin) and her beloved, James, on their wedding day 17 years ago today! Look at those happy, smiling faces! And I am so pleased to say that they are still happy and smiling!! Happy Anniversary you two!

All right, drum roll, please. The winner* of this give away, is.......Terra!! You can click on her name to visit her blog.....and here's what she's won:There's a nice green tote bag, set of 3 nesting boxes, a tea lite or votive candle holder, a harvest decorated loaf pan (not mini - full size), a bag of simmering potpourri, and greatest of all, a bag of dark chocolate Godiva gems, and (not pictured) a pair of custom fall earrings.

I don't consider autumn to be 'over' until after Thanksgiving, that's why I chose autumn-related gifts. And, I'm actually surprised that I didn't break into the Godiva's and eat them myself (I'm really proud of me!).

So, Congratulations, Terra! Please e-mail me (go to my profile) so that I can mail out your goodies on Monday.

*The winner was chosen by all names of those who left a comment on my last post being placed in a hat and the lucky winner was plucked out by my daughter, Lacey.

So I hope that you all have a wonderful, blessed weekend!

--Liane

A Celebration . . . . . . and Give Away!

Today, my husband and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary.

It all started 25 years ago when I walked into my kitchen and saw this guy in a black leather jacket talking with my brother. I walked on by into the living room and asked my sister Robin who he was. He happened to be a friend of my brother's - they car-pooled to work together.

A couple of weeks later he asked me out - and I was firmly warned by my brother to 'stay away'. Well, that date - we went to the movies (his mom had to drive us because his car broke down) - turned into five years of dating before we married on October 21, 1989. I was 20 and he was 24. I was a few sizes slimmer and he had a little more insulation on the top of his head.

We've been through a lot of tough times - financial issues, loss of jobs, health issues with both him and my daughter - but God has seen us through. We've decided to postpone a night out for dinner because we don't want to miss our Bible study class tonight. And if anyone had told us 20 years ago that we'd be going to church on our anniversary we wouldn't have believed it. We celebrate our marriage every day by communicating and working together - each of us giving 100% - and making sure that God is at the center of this marriage. We want to glorify Him in our love for each other.

That being said, I've been thinking of a Surprise Give Away, and our anniversary celebration is a great excuse for one. To enter, please leave a comment on this post between now and Friday the 23rd. I will choose the winner on Saturday. I'm keeping the goodies a secret until Saturday!

Have a blessed day!!

--Liane

I'm a Winner!!!

Yes, it's true, and that's not only because I positively affirm it in the mirror every morning (not really).

I have been blessed to be a winner chosen in the Exhibitors Mall giveaway!! I received a small package in the mail today and it was chock full of wonderful goodies. And the gurlz there know me so well:Yup, that's ME! Chocolate Diva (hey, Rob, remember 'Chocolate Mama'?!!). And look see what else:
There are some yummy chocolate malted balls, some raspberry tea, a tea-bag rest in the shape of a teapot, and a beautiful tablespoon. And a sweet coaster that says 'Let the Heavens rejoice'!

Everything wonderful for some 'me' time. And I tell you, it came at a perfect time. I'm feeling some congestion in my chest and I've been sneezing all day, so this is a delightful bright spot in my day. So I want to give a great big THANK YOU!! to all of the E-Mall Gurlz!! Check out their site here.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday. I happened to whisk my soon-to-be 16 year old daughter away for the weekend. We went to a B&B in New Hampshire. It was fun to go on a road trip out of town and spend some quality time antiquing with my 'little' one. The boys survived on pizza and ice cream while we were gone, and I gave the house a quick cleaning when I got home. It was clean, but more of a 'man' clean if you know what I mean.

Also, I'll be sharing soon the gorgeous gift my dear sis, Robin, gave me recently. . . . . .

Hope you all have a blessed day!!

Liane

Give Away @ Exhibitors Mall . .. . . .

This just in -
Check out the giveaway here, at Exhibitors Mall. By following a few easy steps, you could qualify for up to 10 entries to this awesome giveaway. They have over 60 vendors, so the chance of getting something awesome is great!!

I know, I use the word 'awesome' a lot . . . . .

Have fun - and let me know if you're a winner!