Friday Fragments ~ February 12th

Welcome! Just bring your fragmented self in and have a cup of coffee, I should have made a coffee cake or some other sweet treat for Fragmented Friday. Maybe next week! Homemade cinnamon rolls sound pretty nice, come to think of it.

Friday Fragments is a figment of Mrs. 4444’s(Half Past Kissing Time)fragmented imagination, allowing each of us to clean out the remaining cobwebs from our week. In a way, it is akin to the old “Saturday night bath,” ‘cause you get to wash away any remaining dirt and grit that is still trying to attach itself, along with any parasites! Whew! You’ll feel better. You know you will!

The two main news items my brain latch on to this week were:

The weather, snow, rain, ice, snow, snow and of course more snow. I heard one weatherman say, if Dallas rec’d the amount of snow the forecast was calling for, they (Dallastonians) will have actually rec’d more snow than parts of the Rocky Mountains! Now, that is just plain strange. Oh my, those poor “fair weather drivers of Dallas” – just saying, I bet it has been crazy in Big D!

(But hey, Washington, D.C. is practically shut down. Maybe there is a silver lining here. Ya’ think?)

The other news flash was the fact Iran and Almond Joy were
going to do something to us westerners on the 11th. Must have turned out to be a “water haul” (read DUD) or they are a day late and a dollar short (as my mama would say). Ether way, we have been spared, and for that I am very thankful.

I have spent any extra time I could muster learning to make buttons – er, blog buttons in Paint. Here is one I have nearly finished.



I know it is a little *big* but I am still working on it. Next, I have to learn how to add it as a gadget and make it link back here. I think I may already be working on borrowed brain cells.

In my attempt to learn something new, I stumbled on to a couple of sites that are pretty cool. Tons of graphics, web design stuff and it is free!!! At least what I looked at was free. Here are the two sites:

Just Something I Made

The Graphic Fairy

You can find lots more Friday Fragments by visiting Mrs. 4444’s site, Half Past Kissing Time.



Sweet dreams everyone!

Cheryl

We Have a Winner!

We have a winner! Congratulations, Whitney! I know you are going to love the necklace.

Whitney has until Friday, February 12th, 9:00 a.m. to shoot me an email. If I do not hear from Whitney, we will Random Generate someone else.....so listen up, Whitney! (J.K.)

Thank each of you for participating and especially for becoming followers of Mountain Berry Gems. And a special thank you to Kit! May the work of your hands continue to be blessed, girl. You got talent! *And I have my eye on a little number over there myself.*

Okay, I will be posting another giveaway in a few days, probably about a week. So ya'll check back. I am working on something special, but it will take a few days to pull it all together, because I am slow.

Everyone loves babies, because they are so sweet, innocent, and smell like babies! And NO, this is not the next giveaway. This little number is my new great-niece, Darby Elizabeth. She is six weeks old and I just thought I would show her off a little. She looks just like her Mama, Stacy.

Ya'll just ooooo and ahahah all you want! Isn't she just a sweet little princess?!



I found lots of cool stuff today, but I am too tired to share....oh, but there are some great giveaways going on over at A Giveaway Addicted Mommy, so you might want to check it out!

You guys in the heavy snow areas, be safe and stay warm!

Blessings,
Cheryl

Valentines' Day Is Just Around the Corner!

I wanted to show you all the delightful Valentine garland my friend Frannie made, but I couldn't upload her pictures. I kept getting gobblygook! So, I did a little surfing and found another garland that is really cool and I think you will like it, too! You can find the complete instructions at Until Wednesday Calls. You will also find many more projects!



What special plans do you have for Valentines' Day? Are you making a special dinner? Red Velvet Cake? Be sure and share your ideas in the comments!

Remember, one more day to get in on the giveaway sponsored by Mountain Berry Gems! You can still join in the fun here.

You might want to also checkout Katie's post on Dishin'and Dishes. She has a very poignant post.

BTW - Both Katie and Georgie at Decisionally Challenged, along with myself have made the final nominations for the Okie Blog Awards. We are up against some stiff competition ~ especially Katie and I. (Maybe I should say, we are in great company!) Anyway, if you are an Oklahoma blogger and would like to cast your vote you have until Sunday, February 14th. You will find the instructions and the final ballot information here.

I am amazed at the number of talented bloggers here in Oklahoma! Many were nominated for an Okie Blog Award, but many were not. Still their talent and their love of blogging oozes out and we are all blessed. Spend a little time just checking out the diversity and spirit of Oklahoma Bloggers. Good luck to all the nominees!

Also, thank you, Jen, for all your hard work. You must have the patience of a saint

And thank you, Mike, for starting the whole thing!



In the meantime, think LOVE!

Blessings & hugs,
Cheryl

One More Day!

Reminder: Tomorrow (2/10) is the last day to get signed up for our giveaway! If you haven't done so, HURRY! Kit did a beautiful job on this lovely necklace and with a little co-operation from the weather, the winner will receive her prize before Valentine's Day. Also, be sure and visit Mountain Berry Gems.

I am so ready for spring! I am wondering if we will ever get all the broken limbs and damaged trees cut, stacked and out of the way? I have noticed we have green appearing in the fence rows! Such a welcome sign of better things to come.

Suzanne over on Chickens in the Road has an awesome recipe for Brown Sugar Scrub posted today. One of the comments suggest adding a few drops vitamin E. I am sure that would make it even better. If you haven't visited Suzanne's site before, you really should check it out. You'll be glad you did! She always has lots of wonderful ideas that would make awesome gifts. Enjoy a bit of "ordinary splendor" by having a cup of coffee and paying Suzanne a visit.

What else is going on? I have developed such a cough, no one is resting around here. My barking is keeping everyone awake, but it is keeping me from talking as much. I am sure all concerned are glad for that. No, I haven't been to the doctor, just doing the home remedy thing. The good news is, I can see my cheek bones once again! As they say, "every cloud has a silver lining."

In Galatians, Paul reminds us to "not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." I always thought I understood what he meant, but recently I have seen a whole new light shed on this subject. Why is it, when we attempt to bless someone, someone else (with good intentions) is standing at the ready to correct us? My heart longs for a time when life will be simple. That when we extend a helping hand, there will be others also willing to help, rather than slap our wrists. My experience is minor (although worrisome) compared to the missionaries in Haiti that now are standing trial for "only trying to help." This world is indeed a complicated place.

There will be better days!

I am presently working on our next giveaway. Check back and be ready.

May your days be full of sunshine and your hearts warm with love!

Blessings,
Cheryl

I Am So Excited!!!

A Little Valentine Treat


I am so excited! (Besides the fact that there is still much evidence of our ice storm!) I had planned to post this earlier, thus ending the contest a few days earlier. But Oklahoma weather has a way of interfering with the best of intentions. Nevertheless, you are going to love this!

You know, when you go blog stalking…er, hopping….blog hopping, sometimes you meet the nicest people! Recently, that is what happened to me. Through a series of clicks of the mouse, I meet Tiffany, who makes beautiful jewelry. We did a bit of emailing and visiting, which enabled me to meet Kit, Tiffany’s sister. Kit is a fulltime student, with a minor in studio arts and as fortune would have it, like Tiffany, Kit also makes beautiful, unique (as in one of a kind) jewelry.

You can see Kit’s gorgeous jewelry on her website, Mountain Birdie Gems.

Tiffany and Kit have very graciously donated a beautiful necklace for me to giveaway!!! Isn't it lovely?!! (If you read the post earlier, you know I am still looking for my camera, however, Tiffany and Kit not only provided the necklace, but they also had my back on the pictures! ~ Thanks, girls!)

Here is the written description of the necklace:

The chain length is 16". The heart is a freshwater coin pearl, with a heart shaped bundle of almost 30 garnets. The cluster of garnets is wire wrapped together tightly and is about 1" in length.

Take my word for it, it is stunning!! And I love, love, love garnets! The coin pearl heart is tiny and so very delicate looking, adding even more beauty to the overall appeal of the necklace. It will make someone a beautiful Valentine treasure!!!

So how can you win this wonderful treasure?

First, you run on over and take a look at Kit’s beautiful handiwork. Next, become a follower of Mountain Birdie Gems. Return here and tell me, you became a follower of MBG. Also, tell me which is your very favorite item on Kim’s site! If you are not already a follower here, you will receive an extra entry for becoming a follower.

So to recap….

You will receive one entry for visiting Mountain Birdie Gems and becoming a follower! (Be sure a leave a comment here, telling me you are now following MBG.)

You will receive another entry for commenting (here), posting your favorite creation from Mountain Birdie Gems!

And if you are not presently a follower of Prairie Maid, you will receive a bonus entry for becoming a follower! (Simply leave a comment telling me you are a follower or have just become a follower! Don’t make me have to think.)

Please, be sure a leave a way for me to contact you! Winner will have 24 hours to respond. If there is no response another person will be selected. Thanks!

The winner will be selected by the random number thingie February 10th and mailed February 11th (provided there is not another ice storm! It we are iced in, it will be mailed as soon as we can dig out and make our way to the post office.)

I would love to see Mountain Birdie Gems receive 30 new followers!!! If her total followers goes to 35 by February 10th, I will sponsor another giveaway!!!

If you would like to take a peek at Tiffany’s jewelry, click on the button for The Silver Cottage in the sidebar.

Be sure and check back often! We are going to feature a number of giveaways and contests the next few months! You do not want to miss a thing!

On a side note: It is wonderful to have electricity once more!! I am blessed ~ I have hot water, plenty of light, and can use the computer again!!! Now, to find my camera! ~ I am sorry to update, we are once again without power. Ice and limbs continue to fall and the poor power crews are struggling to keep up! Please pray for the guys out there trying to keep things running.

Blessings,
Cheryl

P.S. Georgie, if you are reading this, your sweet Mama said, this necklace has her name written all over it. *smile* Mothers’ Day is May 9th! *wink*

Due to the Incoming Weather ~

BTW ~ this is not my buffalo and I did not take the picture! This isn't even Larry!

Oklahoma is changing the words to the State Song. It now goes like this:
SNOW…….klahoma Where the cold front's sweepin' down the plain
And the piles of sleet, beneath your feet
Follow right behind the freezing rain!

SNOW…….klahoma Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Travel home from work and hope some jerk
Doesn’t wreck our car passing by!

(A friend of mine posted this on Facebook. Thanks, Shelley!)

Stay warm everyone! And think SPRING!

Hugs!
Cheryl

Tuesday’s Notes ~ Posted on Wednesday (Because AT&T’s signal wasn’t!)

Faith aka Mama Horse




Nominations for the Okie Blog Awards

Attention! Only a few days left to nominate your favorite blog for the Okie Blog Awards! (Come on, you know you want to do this!) You have until next Tuesday, February 3rd. Voting will take place the second week of February and winners will be announced in the days following.

There are approximately 1400 or so bloggers that belong to Blog Oklahoma. ~ I know, I spent every night for about a week checking out the different blog sites! Like the state which we belong to, we are a diverse group. There is something for everyone. My only disappointment was the fact some really cool bloggers are no longer blogging! Nevertheless, there is a wealth of talent to be found and participating in the blog awards helps to bring awareness to this growing community resource. Whether you are looking for entertainment, news, or information you are sure to find just what you want and make new friends along the way.

With all contest, there are rules; however, these are pretty simple. In order to nominate a particular blog, you need to a) be a blogger and b) at least one blog author reside in Oklahoma. You can find out all the particulars here.

You can nominate in as many categories as you like, just nominate one blog/blogger for each. Or if you had rather (and you are not familiar with too many of the different blogs) just nominate your favorite blog in the categories that blog is best suited for. Prairie Maid is nominated in one or two ~ best rural (maybe) and best newcomer ~ I’d tell, but I am not sure. I appreciate any and all support, but the important thing is to support those people who are taking the time to share their lives with you!

(I really think there should be a category for “Best Old Dog, That *has* Learned New Tricks!” Blogging has forced me to learn many new things. Who would of thought?!

You can find a list of all the categories for the 2009 awards here.

Today, be sure and checkout what Katie is cooking up over at Dishin and Dishes. Her daughters made these (to die for) Cookies-n-Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes (say that 5 times without stopping!) If you are looking for a great food blog, Katie is top-notch!

Remember, Georgie has that cool giveaway going on. Friday is the last day. You can find out all about it here.

And there is always *always* something happening with Ree over at Pioneer Woman!

So, grab another cup of coffee and enjoy your day!



On another note, those that would, please pray for my neighbor. She receives the results of her biopsy tomorrow.

BTW ~ If you see my camera, be sure and call. I have turned this house upside down looking for it. Dh started giving the grandsons riding lessons yesterday and Mama horse (Faith) was in no mood to be messed with. We had quite the rodeo….and NO CAMERA!



Update ~ still no camera! Waiting to hear from Dot. Georgie and Katie, I am ignoring the weather, so completely (except dh made me go to the grocery and the feed store this morning). Praying those weather dudes are just over reacting.

Georgie, we will see what we can do about Robbers Cave this summer! Wonder if anyone else would be interested?

Hugs!
Cheryl,