Back to school and another fun book...

Well it's back to school today.  I can't wait to hear all about Thanksgiving break for 17 fourth graders.  They are always so lively the day after a vacation.  :)


Here is another book that I recently purchased and 17 4th graders approve.  (We've already read it twice and they would listen to it again.)  

GUYKU: A Year of Haiku for Boys

Click here to see some sample pages.

This book moves through the seasons of the year with haiku poems that describe things that boys (and girls) like to do outside.  My class LOVES this book.  Each haiku puts a great picture in your head, and for a 45 year old, brings back memories.  You can see sample pages of the book on Amazon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Giveaway Winner Is....

     First, I have to say that I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to have only one winner.  I wanted everyone who entered to win!  Guess I'll need to have more giveaways so more people get a turn.   It's been fun to read your comments and visit blogs I hadn't seen before.  I sincerely thank everyone who entered!  
     I had my husband pick the name out of a basket with the 32 entries each written on a slip of paper.  The winner of my first ever blog giveaway is Country Log Cabin Quilter!!!  If you'll send an email to me with your address I will pop the goods in the mail to you as soon as I get your information.  Congratulations!

Books Can Make a Wonderful Gift

     I love all kinds of picture books.  I have an {almost} embarrassingly large collection, but can justify it because of teaching elementary school.  But the truth is I don't always buy the books to use at school. Sometimes I just love the story and know that I will read it again and again.  Over the next couple of weeks I am going to try to share some of the books that I think would make a great book to give as a gift or to share with your family.
I'm going to start with one of my all-time favorite Christmas books:
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.   

Click here for a link to this hardcover 

version that comes with a CD.

     My Aunt Carolyn told me about this book a few years ago and I am so glad she did!  In the story, a boy and his mother have discovered that the family nativity scene has been lost in their move to a new town.  The mother makes contact with a local wood carver, Jonathan Toomey, and makes arrangements for a new set to be carved.  But Jonathan Toomey thinks that Christmas is "pish posh".  And so begins the story of how a little boy's simple faith can help to heal a man whose hurting has consumed him.  

     This book was also made into a movie which I own and have watched over and over.  I don't usually like books made into movies, but this one is pretty close, and I think well done.  If you are looking for something new to add to your Christmas movie collection, you might want to consider adding this one.  

Click here for a link to this movie on Amazon.

If you want to be entered in my giveaway you can click here to get to the post where you need to add a comment after you become a follower.  I plan to (randomly) pick the winner on Tuesday morning (November 23rd) before I leave for work, so be sure to enter before then!

Another Blog Hop to enjoy this week:

 

Click here to see the line-up for this fun blog hop!

I just took a few minutes and cruised the projects that have been posted and there are some really good ones.  
There are some great table toppers, a long-john money holder, a fabric cookie tray and lots more.  
And the cookie recipes all look so good, I just have to give some of them a try.  I think the first one will be Snicker Surprise Cookies shared by Sherri Falls of This & That - they are calling my name. :)

My Double Digit Dance Giveaway - finally!

Way back at the beginning of the school year I noticed that my followers had reached double digit status.  I got a kick out of that because when I started my blog I did it kind of as a joke/gift to my sister.  I didn't really expect anyone to notice.  Well, as I have found in blog-land lots of people surf around looking at each other's blogs,  A few people started following right away.  I remember sending a link for my blog to my sister, and when she viewed it she couldn't believe I already had a follower - Dan from Yesterday Once More - who by the way is hopefully going to soon unveil the painting and redecorating he's been doing at his house:)

Anyway a few people have stopped by on occasion and taken a look at Libbieshome.  It has been fun to read their comments and encouragement.  So I'd like to offer up a little giveaway like I promised way back in September.  I had to change some of the items I had thought of/made because the Fall season is almost over.  

Here are some close-ups of the items in this giveaway.  Nothing spectacular, just some things that I saw or made that made me smile.  

A little pillow I stitched...

The back of the pillow.
The tea towel is also part of the giveaway.

Some candles and candle holders.  

I made the tealights from the ones you can buy at the dollar store.

I just got such a kick out of these snowman candles 

when I saw them that I had to add them in.  

Sorry, but the holder isn't part of the giveaway.

Here are the rules for the giveaway:

1.  You must be a follower of my blog. 

2.  You must leave a comment on this post saying that you would like to be entered in the giveaway.

I will pick a winner the morning of Tuesday November 23rd.  I will put the items in the mail as soon as I get an address - hopefully the day before Thanksgiving.

You really might want to check out this blog post...

Grammee Linda from Behind My Red Door has been doing a weekly post of thankful thoughts.  Today's post was especially meaningful for me.  I think everyone could benefit from reading the story of the blind boy and the meaning of that story that you will find toward the end of her post.  I hope you all have a beautiful day.

My ornie from the swap!

I received my ornie from Kendra a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't let myself enjoy it until I put my ornie in the mail to my swap partner.  I finally got a chance to put the finishing touches on mine and get it in the mail yesterday.  (Just before the deadline of November 15th - Yikes!  So if you are Lynda in Illinois don't give up, it's on it's way!) 
Kendra sent me a really prim looking snowman and an extra jingle tag.  Aren't they so cute?!  Thank you, Kendra!

I don't have my tree up yet so I hung it on my jelly cupboard.

I can't show you a picture of the ornie I sent to my swap partner because she hasn't seen it yet, but here are some candy cane ornies that I just made.  I grunged them with a coffee and spice mixture, and then baked them in the oven for a bit.  I love the smell of these ornies while baking and afterwards!  I'm not really sure where I am going to put them, but when I start my holiday decorating I'll figure it out and take another picture.  
I got the red ticking candy cane idea as well as an idea for some ticking hearts from Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 3.

I am having trouble with my scanner, so I took pictures of the pages from the Gooseberry book.  I found several things in this 3rd Christmas Book that I'd like to make or adapt to my liking.  I actually love looking through these Gooseberry Christmas books again and again.  And I noticed that you can get most of them on Amazon for dirt cheap.  This volume 3 is selling for as little as 30 cents!!  Click here for a link to that page.  I started collecting when they first came out, so I didn't get a deal, but I've made several gifts based on the projects in the books so I guess I got my money's worth from them anyway.

I know Halloween is over, but I wanted to show where I put some of my treats.  (JoBeth will be relieved to see that I didn't throw the cookie cutter away!  It was on my counter when I took the pictures and I didn't see it until later.)

WARNING:  If you are person who has difficulty with keeping up with things like window washing, then you might enjoy seeing that you aren't alone.  However, if you are a person who is faithful about making window washing part of your routine, then you might be slightly horrified when you see my less than clean windows exposed by the flash.  :)

That's it for now, but I will definitely be back later today with the details for my giveaway which I mentioned in this post from way back when.  


P.S. Happy Birthday wishes to Carolyn over at Lee Prairie Designs!  I love the pictures she shared of herself from a few years back.  Her blog is one of my favorites because of her neat way of weaving a bit of nostalgia into many of her posts.

Another blog hop people might be interested in. It started today with a post by Brenda from "With Thy Needle & Thread".  She shared a really cute Santa punch needle design and a great cookie swap recipe.  Enjoy!

Happy November!

After a long month away from blogging I am going to make a serious effort to get back to it.  October was a challenging month for us for a variety of reasons, but it's time to shift my focus back to something positive.
I have really enjoyed Karen's (My Yellow Farmhouse) blogging during the month of October.  She has such a nice way of sharing pictures of scenery around her, and the quilts in her life.  It was really uplifting! 
Also uplifting is Grammee Linda's (Behind My Red Door) commitment to blogging during the month of November about things she is thankful for.  She also shares beautiful thoughts and pictures.  (And I must admit I love the sneak peeks of upcoming houses for A Primitive Place magazine!  :)


So here's my start at the month of giving thanks.  I am thankful that October is over.  It wasn't a great month for me, and I am ready for the clean slate of a new month.  I am thankful that I have a husband who is tuned in to life and us.  I am thankful for family and friends who understand.


And on a lighter note, I am thankful for teenagers who walk around my block in costume, singing.  That one's for you, Libby.  ;)