1100th Post Celebration!

It’s a little bit overdue, but I wanted to celebrate my 1100th post! The milestone was reached about two weeks ago. I still shake my head with amazement about how much this blog has been part of my life since the beginning of 2007. I originally intended to share simple stories about life at our country cottage and our travels. However, the scope has expanded and grown over time. I never dreamt that it would inspire me to improve and share my love of photography – a bonus!

I have made many wonderful friends here. Like throwing coins down a wishing well, I had no idea whether I would have any readers or followers. It was an act of faith. And somehow, people found their way here. I am thrilled beyond words that people came back, time and time again. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

1000th Post Celebration!

Holy cow, this is my 1000th post! And January 1st will mark my 6-year anniversary! It’s hard to believe that I have blogging that long because it has gone by in a flash. Who would have thought that my fingers could type that much and my wee noggin could think of that many things to say? And I have to give a lot of credit to my dear readers and blogging buddies for improving my photography along the way. You keep motivating me to do better!

Thank you for your continued support and visiting this little spot on the World Wide Web. There are a ka-zillion other places where you can visit during your busy lives, so I am honored that you stop in here from time to time. I still shake my head in wonderment at the magic of the Internet and how it connects me with people all over the world.

A Special (Surprise) Giveaway for My Friends

I can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate all of the support and prayers you have given us throughout the past five months, ever since we found out Mr. Jim’s cancer diagnosis.  So I recently put on my thinking cap and decided to have a special surprise giveaway to show my appreciation.  

Giveaway Announcement

The giveaway odds were really good to win a Lana Manis Designs print! The lucky person is…

Sally at Whispering Hope

Congratulations, Sally! I will send Lana your e-mail so that she can confer with you on your selection and address information.

Spotlight and Giveaway - Lana Manis Designs

From time to time, I have posted about various fine and folk arts and the creative people behind them. Today, I want to introduce you to blogging friend, artisan, and fellow Tennesseean: Lana Manis.

I have admired Lana’s exquisite art work over the years and have watched her effortless transitions in mastering various media. She has recently branched out into a new direction for her cottage industry by creating chic, cottage style paintings with a modernly fresh pallete of colors. To support her business efforts, Lana has rolled out a new blog and etsy shop.  Both of them are called Lana Manis Designs. And she has asked me to help her spread the word and offer a giveaway for one of her lovely fine art prints! Of course, I said yes!

So Who Won the Giveaway?

Marty helped me with the random number generator this morning, and three lucky bloggers have won a set of my photo note cards! Give a big round of applause for these devoted blogging friends:

• Renae at Simple Sequins
• Lana at Honeysuckle Lane's Simple Joys
• Diane at Lavender Dreams

I’ve sent out e-mails to each of the winners, and their package will be mailed out later on this week.

900th Post Celebration - Reminder

Did you read about my 900th post celebration? Did you sign up? If not, check out the link on my sidebar! With three prizes, the odds are really good! The winners will be announced on Tuesday morning.

900th Post Celebration!

My blog reached a significant milestone this week. It has logged in 900 posts! That’s a whole lot of talking. And goodness knows how many photos were included in all of those posts. Thank you for your devoted friendships and taking the time to visit with me here. It means more than you will ever know.

Grow Your Blog Party

I’m participating in the Grow Your Blog Party by Vickie of 2 Bags Full. If you are a new visitor, welcome to my place! For longtime blogging friends, I’m always glad you stopped by!

My name is Donna. I live in beautiful east Tennessee with my devoted husband (aka, sweet baboo). After a long engineering career, I retired in late 2007. We’re now enjoying life in the slow lane here at our country cottage, fondly named Grey Havens. Every now and then, we scamper off on travel adventures. We share a passion for photography, and I constantly strive to improve my skills. Various handcrafts have entertained me over the years, including needlework, and I am particularly proficient in making messes in my studio room.

It’s My Blog’s Five-Year Anniversary! (So Who Won the Giveaway?)

It’s now 2013 and my blog has reached its five-year anniversary! Marty, my irrepressible blog greeter, was hopping with excitement this morning. It was time to have a drawing and determine who won a photo book of my Alaska images! Ah, he knew that there was more afoot. He knew that I had been keeping mum on a decision to give away two books – one that features various Alaska landscapes and critters, and one that features the brown bears of Brooks Falls. And Marty knew that I also created a couple of desktop calendars for additional prizes.

800 Posts! And Expecting the Unexpected

Hooray! I’ve reached the milestone of 800 blog posts! I have to admit to myself that it is quite an accomplishment. On January 1, I’ll be (mentally) dancing a jig and celebrating five years out here in blogland. Not too shabby.

So what I have learned along the way? One important lesson is to expect the unexpected. Inspiration for blog posts and photos come from the little life moments that take me a bit by surprise and make me pause. Sometimes, they even make me giggle.

Alaska Photo Book

Juneau, Alaska

I’ve been working hard on the Alaska photo book! I’ve decided to use Snapfish for this initial project. I may try out other publishing platforms later on, such as blurb and iBooks, and tinker with more serious books that include descriptive text. 

As I noted in an earlier post, the photo book will be awarded to a lucky blog reader to celebrate my upcoming 5-year anniversary and 800 posts. How do you enter? It’s simple: (1) be a follower, and (2) comment on my posts in November and December. (Only one comment per post will count.)

Warm up those fingers and go for it!

Photo Book Survey Results - Alaska Wins!

juvenile harbor seal, Dawes Glacier, Endicott Arm, Alaska

Thank you, dear blogging friends, for voting in my recent survey and for your encouragement about producing a photo book. Many of you will be happy to know that the theme with the most votes was Alaska! Grand scenics, animals, and flowers/trees rated closely behind. Antiquities/folk art, bears, and birds also secured many votes. Here’s the good news. With the variety of photos to choose from our two recent Alaska trips, all of the themes will be represented! 

A Little Survey

rose illumination

I’m planning and thinking ahead (for a change). In a few months, my blog will celebrate five years of being “out there” on the world wide web! I will also achieve a milestone of 800 posts about the same time. So I will host a special giveaway to my faithful blogging buddies as part of the festivities! It will be limited to only followers and those who comment on my posts. Keep that tidbit tucked away in your memories!

The prize will be a photo book of some of my special images. The only quandary I have at this point is the subject matter. I want you to have a voice in the selection! So there is a little survey posted over on the sidebar. Please complete the survey, indicating your preference for the theme:

• Alaska
• Animals
• Antiquities and Folk Art
• Bears
• Birds
• Flowers and Trees
• Grand Scenics

You may vote for more than one selection. I will keep the survey up through October 17. 

Thank you!

Folk Magazine - Thank You!

My friend Janice of the Gypsy Farm Girl blog recently had a giveaway for a copy of Folk magazine. She was celebrating the accomplishment of two dreams: to see the beautiful countryside blooming with the famous Texas bluebonnet blooms, and to be published in a magazine. I had the good fortune of winning the prize! 

Who Won the Giveaway Prize?

Are you wondering who won the giveaway prize for my 700th post celebration? The winner gets to choose a selection of handmade products by Farmgirl Cyn of Farm Fresh. 

Well, wonder no more! Marty tossed the entries into his magical rabbit hat and picked out…

Kim of Homesteader's Heart! 

Congratulations, girlfriend! You have been a long-time follower and blogging friend. I bet you’ve actually read every single one of my 700 posts too! 

Kim said in her entry that she would like to win either Farmgirl Cyn’s soap or salves. Ha-ha, she’ll have to make a choice now that she won!

Surprise Gift from Villeroy and Boch

It was a special surprise when Villeroy and Boch sent me an e-mail and told me that I had won a gift drawing! And the prize was this wonderful steak fork and knife set! 

I recently visited their web site to purchase some replacement pieces for our 25-year old set of Design Naif dinnerware. (We adore the folk art designs of this charming set!) After I placed the online order, I noticed that they have a blog. It is so refreshing to see a few companies still have blogs that are available to everyone. So many are using Facebook instead, which alienates faithful customers, like me, who don’t participate in that social network platform. But I digress…

For the month of May, they had the steak fork/knife set as a Father’s Day giveaway prize. My father never cooked or BBQ’d anything, so I bragged about my husband’s legendary cooking skills instead. And Lady Luck smiled on my entry! We received the package this past week and already tested it out on some juicy sirloin steaks. They work beautifully!

Thank you, Villeroy and Boch!

700th Post Celebration and Giveaway!

When I looked at my blog’s statistics the other day, I could have sworn that I was going to be celebrating my 600th post anniversary. I was wrong! I’ve reached a milestone of 700 posts! Gracious, that’s a whole lot of writing and photographs. For my long-time friends, thanks for hanging in there with me all these years. For my newer friends, thanks for finding my little corner in cyberspace. I plan to keep on blogging and making it interesting. This is where I hang out to share tidbits about our cottage life and travels, and I intend to remain here for a long time to come.

For this celebration, I’m offering a special giveaway and featuring a special blogging friend, Farmgirl Cyn! She started a selling blog recently called Farm Fresh. It features a delightful selection of handcrafted bar soaps, laundry soap, ointments/salves, and finishing salts/rubs. (Teas and infusions will be available later.) 

4-Year Blogging Anniversary Celebration!

My blog turned 4 years old on January 1st, and I promised to have a little celebration to commemorate this milestone. I planned way back in early December to have a different kind of giveaway this time. Unlike most giveaways, you don’t enter on this post. All my faithful friends who commented during the month of December were included in a surprise drawing! 

December was a tough month for us because of hubby’s surgery. So I wasn’t able to post as much as usual. My dear blogging friends stuck with me, faithfully commented when I posted, and lifted our spirits. You have no idea how much you brightened our days! And it is precisely because of such dedication that I continue this blog and try to bring a little cheer back to you. 

So here is the surprise gift! I recently made up a batch of handmade cards that feature some of my scenic Alaska photos. 

As a token of my appreciation, a set of cards will go out to the following four winners:

 

Kim of Homesteader's Heart

Donna of Made in Heaven

Irene of Irene's Desk

Ann of Ann's Snap, Edit, & Scrap

Congratulations! And THANK YOU for being my friend!

And the winner is...

It’s been a wild workweek for me, and I’ve had no spare time to prepare any blog posts. So this is going to be short and sweet.

Thank you so much for all the good wishes on my 600th post celebration. I have gotten heapings of encouragement from many of you over the past (almost) four years, and it touches my heart. I’m going to keep plugging along on this labor of love for many more years to come! 

Marty spun the digital wheel this morning with a random number generator to determine the winner. And who is going to receive the 600th post giveaway goodies? 

Jann of A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson!

Congratulations, Jann! Oh, aren't you going to have some crafting fun with that glitter?!  I hope that you will like the other prizes too.  I will be contacting you and sending your package right out to you this weekend!