Not only do a have the winners from my blog giveaway to announce, but I also have the details for another fabulous giveaway at Prim Originals to share.
First off, Prim Originals is having a giveaway and I really hope I win! So I probably shouldn’t tell you about it, right? Fewer names = greater chance of me winning? Nah, that wouldn’t be playing fair. Liz is a talented artist and to prove it, I have two of her prints hanging in our living room on my “art wall”. Okay, it’s really only a half wall, but it will grow…. My embarrassing admission is that one of these prints was purchased as a gift, but I liked it so much that I kept it. (Don’t worry, the intended recipient never knew what happened and got a different gift that made her just as happy!)
On to my giveaway, I was surprised at how fast the comments poured in – and very touched by all the nice things you said! Thank you! I printed out the first 40-odd names at midnight when I was getting ready to go to bed, and printed the rest out today. Snip, snip, and into the hat so everyone had a chance to pull a name. Without further ado, here are the five winners:
Congratulations, and once again, thank you so much for your friendship and encouragement!
Today’s adventure was heading over to the doggie hotel where Rigby and Lola will be staying during our time in Maine. I wanted to see it for myself and also to give Lola a chance to experience it before getting “dumped” there for three weeks. Lola’s a bit of a scaredy-cat and I thought it would be less frightening for her if she could see it beforehand. Ideally, I’d prefer to bring both dogs but I can’t handle both of them and all four kids in a new setting on my own. Visits to the kennel are only permitted during certain hours to reduce stress for the dogs who are already staying there; Niek would’ve been glad to help, but of course visiting hours occur during the workday. But we managed fine and I’m feeling better about the necessity of leaving our dogs behind.
Other recent adventures have involved ice cream. It’s been hot-hot-hot, and that means cool treats. Arden is a huge fan of popsicles and since we are all huge fans of Arden, I thought these pictures would bring a few smiles. 
And there have been some cooking adventures as I experiment with some gluten-free products – I want to show my mom how easy it is to live gluten-free (so she’ll stick to her doctor-recommended diet), and that means experimenting on my family beforehand. Ha ha. I’ve learned that soy flour cannot replace regular flour, but only enhance it (to add extra protein/moisture/etc.). I should’ve read about soy flour before attempting this soy-flour foccaccia bread. As you can see, it was a resounding failure. Fortunately, I baked a “normal” one at the same time so we did not go hungry. LOL!
Tomorrow’s adventure will be having Annemarie over for a visit. Actually, she’ll be the one having an adventure, as both dogs are shedding like mad at the moment and even twice-daily vaccuuming doesn’t keep up with the furballs and dirt that’s constantly getting tracked in. Chateau Chaos looks much more chaotic than usual these days, but Annemarie’s a brave woman. I can hardly wait to see her!
Wishing you well! Thank you once again for visiting with me here – I certainly enjoy the company!
Off to the ER doc tomorrow to get it checked and to hopefully burn the smelly elastic support sock I’ve had to wear all week. The kids have been great – Max even helped with the dishes last night!
Next up, by the same author (I checked out the only two books the local library has by him) is The White Road.
Last night, my sinuses decided to flare up again and I just sat there with a headache, trying to motivate myself to at least go to bed. Today I started something, but when I picked the boys up for lunch it turned out that Max was too ill to go back to school and I’ve been a nurse-mommy this afternoon. Seems like everyone is sick! On a brighter note, have you seen 
Rowen’s decided to take up permanent residence on my lap now that her lifelong playmate has abandoned her for the halls of higher learning. LOL. Nah, really, Rowen is doing quite well at adjusting to Nicky’s absence, but she is much more possessive of me. Which means I get very little time without her on my lap or hanging off my leg. Both are difficult stitching positions, as you can see.
Rigby doesn’t like our weather either, and has adopted a decidedly hangdog look. He misses his long, frequent walks. But neither of us really likes getting wet and muddy, so we’ll just have to keep making do the best we can.
