Thursday, February 24, 2011

OWOH WINNERS!!

 I was supposed to draw my winners on Feb 17th!  That very day we had a huge storm and our power was out for 4 days, and even on Monday...it kept going off!  I've been catching up ever since!   So, I am JUST NOW announcing my winners for the One World One Heart giveaway.  And, just in time, because ANOTHER big storm is coming in as I write this!!  Ugh....please send me positive thoughts to keep our electricity ON!!

Here are my two winners:

and

Congratulations!  

Thank you to all who stopped by to visit during OWOH.  I look forward to getting to know you better!!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

OWOH I almost made the whole trip!

Whew!  I tried to get to all of the blogs on the list before the deadline and I stayed up late late late.  I think I had less than a hundred left when I finally gave up.  Wow.  What fun!  I found so many great new blogs to follow!  

I am going to do my drawing tonight just to let those last minute entries count....because I was one of them myself!!

I received almost 800 visits from all over the world during the event....wow!

I'm looking forward to going back and visiting new favorite blogs at my leisure!  Thanks to everyone who stopped by for a visit.  I appreciate each and every one of you!

One World One Heart 2011- ECO bag


It's time for the magic carpet ride again!!  I'm so excited!!  I've been waiting and waiting for this.  This will be my 3rd year to participate and each year I have had the most fun visiting blogs from all over the world.  Each participant gives something away and let me tell you...it's incredible how many talented and creative people there are!  I have been so lucky to receive many precious treasures!


I'm so happy to meet you!  I love blogging and I have loved meeting all the terrific bloggers out there.  My name is Stephanie, I'm married to my high school sweetheart (very cool guy!), empty nester (woo hoo!), I'm a grandma and I live in the mountains of Northern California.  I like to make things, usually with fabric.  Since I joined a Rock band (read all about it http://stephaniesbandblog.blogspot.com), I haven't had as much time to create....or at least my creation has taken a different track! 

For the OWOH occasion, I am giving away TWO of my latest creations, a handy ECO friendly tote/shopping bag that folds up for travel.  I made these for Christmas and got lots of compliments.  You can keep it in the car or leave it in your suitcase.  There will be TWO winners!

The tote/shopping back opened:

And here is the same bag rolled up and closed with a velcro flap, it looks like a cute little purse:


This is the second bag opened out.  And, this one is reversible:


There is a large pocket on the outside:



You fold it the long way and roll it up with the handles out:


This is the bag all folded up, it has velcro to keep it closed:


If you like these bags and would like instructions to make your  own, let me know and I will post them.  It's a very simple process.

To enter, please leave your name and email address.  If you don't put your email address, I have to go searching for it and when there are hundreds....that can be a lot of searching!!  If you win, I will notify you by email. 

The drawing is February 17th.  I will announce the winners here on my blog the following day. 

You simply MUST take the trip around the world with me and experience all the wonderful blogs.  

I have to say how much I just LOVE Lisa's artwork...isn't it wonderful??


Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your trip! 

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Keeping up with technology...or trying to

I have always loved gadgets.  When I was little I was in love with my "cassette" recorder.  I didn't even know anyone else who had one.  I recorded everything and everyone (ask my sister...he he)!!  Remember the first "walkmans"?  And, I remember our first computer, which was just a glorified typewriter.  Remember DOS?  We had the blue screen with white letters.  I thought it was amazing.  I remember floppy vs hard disks, and don't even get me started on ZIP disks(ugh).    Those first games that our kids played...they seem so lame compared to what they have now.  And my first car phone had a SUITCASE to carry it in!  But, wow...the idea of talking on the phone from my car.  It was like magic!  My kids have often asked me what kind of music I liked when I was young.  I tell them that I liked whatever was on the radio!  We didn't have the internet.  If the radio didn't play it, how would I even know about it?  

Fast forward.  I have been carrying around these wonderful "high" tech items:
digital recorder, ipod, camera, pda/phone:




And it's just too much.  My purse doesn't have enough pockets for all this and besides, it's too heavy.  So, at the urging of my daughter who got an Iphone, I got this:


And, it is supposed to replace all of those other items.  So far....NOT.  I'm starting to use the Ipod on my phone, but I haven't transferred ALL of my music...I have too much.  I want to go in and choose just my favorite music to put on my Iphone, but that sounds like a daunting task.  I'm still in transition on that.

I haven't given up on my digital recorder yet.  I still use it to recorder music to practice for the band, and I still use it to record our shows.  But, I don't carry it with me all the time anymore.  If I need to record a thought or a note, I will use the Iphone....but admittedly, I still have to search around to remember how to do that!

The PDA was a favorite of mine for many many years.  And, the Iphone has replaced it completely!  I am syncing my calendar and can go online and play games.  All things I used to use my PDA for.  So, there's one!

The camera.  Here is a picture from my old camera


My camera was not without it's problems.  It often had those little dots that look like water spots.  But, always in different places. 

Here is the same picture from my Iphone:


I prefer the other one, spots and all.   So, how can I NOT carry my camera with me?





I was talking to a friend who is a professional photographer and he told me that the problem was ME and not the Iphone.  So, with his suggestions, I downloaded some "filters".  

Here is a regular pic (from the Iphone):



Same picture with a filter applied:


So that was cool.

Here is another:


Here is the same picture with a filter applied:


That was also cool.

But, this whole ...take a picture...save the picture...apply the filter....save again....well that's not me.  I don't particularly like taking photos.  I just take a picture to save a moment or to show on my blog.  I don't want to take any extra steps at all!  

It would be nice to have my Iphone be my camera, but for now, I'm still carrying around my old one!

Yesterday I felt particularly HIGH tech.  I wanted to get a movie.  Hubby told me to go to Redbox.  I went to the one I always go to and they didn't have the one I wanted.  I was shopping and running errands and he told me on the phone to go to another one.  So, I pulled over and opened the Redbox "ap" and found the movie at a location just seconds from where I was.  I got there and there was a line.  So, while I was waiting for my turn, I got on my phone and reserved the movie.  Just like that.  If someone in front of me wanted my movie...TOO LATE!  I already got it.  I was feeling pretty smug!

I'm still learning all the wonderful things this phone can do.  And, I'm sure I have just scratched the surface.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Happy Birthday to my precious girl

It's her birthday...and not just any birthday....it's the big 3-0!  Woo Hoo.  She thinks it's old and I want to shake her and tell her what "I" know...this is a terrific age to be!   She will love her 30's, I'm positive!  

She was a precious baby, sweet girl and we've been so close.  I'm really lucky.  I have a ton of photographs.  Almost literally!  Hubby is a photographer...so you can imagine!  I could spend hours sifting through photos.  I decided to narrow it down and include pictures of her and me.  That made it really easy!  


I love this picture!  It's like time travel for me.  I can remember that moment and everything about it.  I love those candid 'everyday' pictures that capture real life.  


My girl was always soooo cuddly.  I held her most of the time.


This is from Yosemite...we go way back with this special place.  


She has always been a "girlie girl" (I don't know where she gets it!) and I always LOVED fixing her hair and dressing her up.  Gotta love those pigtails!


And she has always been a really happy person.  She does have a temper, but it's always short lived.  I remember when she used to get mad and she would stomp her foot and say loudly "I'n not Hoppy!". 


This is from our fun trip to New York with her Jr. High choir.  We couldn't be in NYC and not go to Broadway!  

This looks like Yosemite again!  


I always called her my "precious angel", but the "little devil" fits too!


My one and only backpacking trip.  It was so wonderful that I could write pages about it.  And, it was a really bonding time for my daughter and me.


Her teen years were a dream.  She was a gymnast, cheerleader, swimmer and she even placed 2nd Runner up in the Local county pageant.  It has always been fun to be her mom!


My daughter's wedding was one of the very best days of my life.  We both say that we would love to do that all over again!

Her we are just recently.  She lives right next door and we have many good times together.


I was honored to be included with her girlfriends for a day of pampering!



And, I gave her 30 presents to honor her special day, (will admit to adding some pieces of candy to pad the numbers!).   

This past 30 years has been wonderful.  I'm looking forward to the next 30!  Happy Birthday Sweetie!!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Woo Hoo...I made it! #542

I made it on the list!  That Lisa is incredible.  I don't know how she does this?!  I put OWOH on my calendar with the plan to be one of the very first to participate.  Then as it approached, I could not think of anything wonderful to give.  So, I procrastinated.  Then I started visiting the wonderful blogs on the list and I HAD to participate.   I am officially #542.  Last year I think it went way over 1,000, so I will be in the middle of the list.  That will be just fine.   I am truly enjoying my travels around the world and I am amazed by the fabulous giveaways that  are being offered.  I am going to up the ante and add to my giveaway asap.  What fun!

If you are on this journey too, I have a few tips to share with you that may save you some time.  

Commenting/Entering:  First, write a basic message to post on your comments that include your name, email and blog address, then "copy" it, (control C).  It's really hard for the blog author to find this information when you have hundreds of comments.  So... when you visit a blog, write something personal and then "paste" your basic message underneath.   

If you have a blog...I love hearing about you and where you live.  I didn't put this information on mine until I realized that I was enjoying that part of other people's posts.  

As you travel, either bookmark the blogs that you really resonate with or "follow" them.  It's almost impossible to find them again because there are so many.  I have found blogs that I have followed over the past couple of years and truly enjoyed that I originally found on my OWOH journey.

Have fun on your trip!