And the Winner is!

Boy - you guys are great! I had 390 people enter the November Giveaway Contest. I am still reading through all your hopes and dreams and wishes. It seems that the question really did strike a chord with many of you. I may write a little more about that next week.

The winner is Susan. Now here is the funny thing - when I read her entry, I said to myself "Boy, it would be really great if this woman won." But I don't cheat - I take my contests seriously and use a Random Number Generator.

Here's what she wrote:

I can't even begin to explain how hard this is for me to answer. I'm 27 years old, and I take care of my disabled 66 year old mother alone. My boyfriend lives in California - we've been dating for 2 1/2 years. It's very hard for me to imagine forgetting about familial obligations. I'm from Appalachia, and it's very ingrained in me. I guess my dream would be to first know that my mom was somewhere safe and happy in order for me to feel like I could truly enjoy my own dream. I went to graduate school in the Midwest, and it was very hard for me. My dream would be to own a home near Snowshoe Resort in WV, spending time sleeping late and staying up late pursuing my favorite rejuvenating hobbies: knitting, yoga, and reading. In this dream, of course, the boyfriend will be able to be there, too. Who am I kidding, I would love for my mom to be there, too, but I would mostly just appreciate knowing that I have help and don't have to take care of her alone anymore.

So, Susan - Congratulations to you! I've already emailed you - I hope this makes your weekend.

By the way - My family and I will be selling our lamb meat at The Amherst Farmer's Market on the Common tomorrow from 7:30 to 2:00. Please stop by to say hi if you are in the area. We are really happy that they are letting us be "guest vendors" even if it is going to be freezing and windy! We will be bundled up.

Since it is getting close to the holidays, I thought I would remind you of one of my tutorials to make a "Holiday Birch Village." This is one of the most popular blog posts I have ever done and it gets linked by big sights a lot. Here's one of the houses Julia and I made last year. I already have a date with some good friends of mine - we have made these houses together the last couple of years and we're doing it again in a couple weeks. It's a great afternoon if you want to just relax with friends and do a little crafting.


Here is the link to the tutorial: Holiday Birch House Tutorial here. I've got to get trouncing around in the woods for supplies. I love that! Good weekend everyone!