Grande Finale Prize Winner!

I know that we are moving into two weeks past the end of Christmas in July, but as promised, I did choose a winner for the Grande Finale Prize earlier today.  I'm not going to post a photo of it here - I decided to wait until she has received it, and then I can show photos and tell you about it.

You may or may not recall that to be eligible for said prize, the only thing you needed to do was to comment on any of the Christmas in July posts - so if you commented once, you had once chance; if you commented 4 times, you had four times the chance to win.  I took all of the names each time, wrote then on a piece of paper, and put them in a bowl.  I mixed them around, and put them on the floor, where Pip happened to be the one around, so he chose the winner. And so, the person whose name was on the piece of paper that Pip first started to chew is:

*****WitchKnit*****

Congratulations!!  Please send your name and mailing address to me at thekittyknitterATverizonDOTnet.  I'll get the package ready, and let you know when it's on the way.

Again, thanks to everyone who commented and participated.  This morning I was thinking it was so long ago, but then realized that we are only talking a little bit of time since the end of July - time does indeed not wait for us.  😊

*****

I did in fact survive my walk back and forth to the SEPTA headquarters yesterday to get my Senior Pass so I can ride for free on public transportation going forward.  But it did knock me out for the rest of the day, and when I got home, I was drenched with sweat.  

(not actually me)

Fortunately, I had a little wait once I got there which allowed me to both cool down and dry off a bit.  In the end, even though I had made an effort to pull myself together so the photo had a better chance to get a decent photo, it didn't matter.  The woman who took the photo didn't tell me where to sit ("I thought you'd know") and also took the photo off-center.  So the photo looks like it was taken from about 5 miles away.  Oh well, I have the card now that's what matters.

Not much else to report.  Today is even hotter than yesterday (how that is possible, I don't know, but there you go), and so inside is the place to be.  

Tomorrow I will be at work all day because it is the first day of BugFest, and this year the Library and Archives will be doing tours for those in attendance who are interested.  Hopefully we'll get some takers, but in any case, it will be an extra reason to be happy that it's Friday!  

So now you're all caught up.  If you are also baking somewhere in the heat, I hope you can manage to keep cool.  Take care.

Wrapping Up With the Week 4 Winner

Happy August!  Seems weird to say "August" but time marches on, even if I am confused about it.  

There were so many good answers to my question for Week 4 of Christmas in July - I loved reading them, and they also made me very hungry!  There were a few things that were completely new to me, and others that I've never tried, even though I know people who enjoy them, and then of course the tried and true favorites.  I also found a few things that I completely forgot could be special holiday goodies, so thanks for the reminders!

When I asked the random number generator to choose a winner, it rolled around for a bit (OK, maybe the Internet connection lapsed briefly) but finally landed on:

***Dee!***

Here is what she said in response to the question of about a favorite food that you make for a holiday and *could* make other times of year, but just do not:

"I'll be right behind you scooping up the dressing/stuffing/filling ... only made at Thanksgiving.  I think that way it tastes extra good because it is rare.

I make it just the way my mom did. Nothing else would do. Funny thing is, it is the exact way Steve's mom made it too. So no huffin' and fussin' at Thanksgiving over whos dressing to make."

This made me laugh, because the first time we made stuffing for Thanksgiving after we were married, The Tim and I also realized that our moms made stuffing 99% the same too!  My mother-in-law added one different ingredient, and it is not something that makes the overall recipe vastly different.  If nothing else, it adds a bit of extra, complementary flavor, so it's all good.

Dee, I know I have your address with my Christmas card stuff, but just so that I don't have to dig it out, please send me your mailing address when you have the chance, so I can get things going.  I'm hoping to send all of the packages out by the end of this week.  I'll let everyone know when they are on their way.

And remember, there is still one prize available, so if you have added a comment on ANY of the posts for the giveaways, you are eligible - no further action is necessary!  I'll announce that winner in the next couple of days.

I really want to say another huge thank you to everyone who has participated this year!  I can say that I really and truly enjoy doing this, and I have made some new blog friends and acquaintances every year, which makes me very happy.  I do wish I had enough prizes for everyone, but I hope you know that the drawings really are random, and I am never involved directly other than telling the random number generator the number ranges to use.

******

The weekend was freakin' lovely here!  I mean pretty, comfortable days and nights with the windows open, and a sheet pulled over you by morning.  Just the best.  We did nothing special, but enjoyed some nice walks, and cleaning up a bit outside since we could do that without being ready to pass out from the heat and humidity.  It was a nice, calm, enjoyable two days, and for once the weekend felt longer than just those days, which at least for me, I can't say happens that often.

I got some knitting done, some reading done, and organized some other things to plan ahead.  I also actuallly cleaned the house, which wasn't too bad - because since I've kept up with it more than usual, there wasn't a whole lot to do.  I wish I could keep that up, but like most other things, it goes in spurts.  So I'll enjoy it while I can.  

I hope this week will be kind to all of us.  Take care.

Week 4 - How Is It Already Week 4??

Hi all!  I'll admit I wasn't ready for this!  Though in many ways July felt eternal (it was soooooo hot and sooooo humid!), I find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that this is the last week of July.  

Which also means it's the last week of

Christmas in July 2021!!

I have to tell all of you that I have really appreciated your willingness to play along and answer my mostly silly questions.  It really would be fun to be able to send a package to every single person, but until I win the lottery (meaning I would have to actually purchase a ticket), I fear that will not be the case.

Anyhoo, here is the prize for this week's giveaway:

It's a basket of goodies!

Obviously, this small basket - large enough for a sock project or some other small item.  You could also store needles, notions, or whatever strikes your fancy in it.

Also included are a set of stitch holders, and a skein of Must Stash Sock Yarn in the Father Christmas colorway, which as you can see has lovely shades in it, and it is not IN YOUR FACE Christmas-y.  This is a stripey skein, I think it creates 10 stripes per repeat.  (The skein is currently upstairs and I am currently downstairs.  I'm afraid that laziness wins out here, people.)

Like what you see?  Well then tell me your answer to this question:

What is one of your VERY FAVORITE holiday dishes that you cannot wait to have at a holiday, and for whatever reason you never make any other time of the year, even though you could?

Potato salad only on the 4th of July??  Pumpkin pie only at Thanksgiving??  You get the idea.

If you are interested in being part of the giveaway, post a comment containing your answer on this post only, no later than 12 noon U.S. Eastern Daylight time on Sunday, August 1, 2021 (August 1!!!).  I'll choose a winner, once again relying on the random number generator, and announce said winner on Monday.   

My answer to this question would have to be stuffing.  I absolutely adore stuffing at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I start to think about it at the beginning of November, and my mouth waters at just the suggestion!  Could I make it anytime during the year?  Of course!  Do I make it at any other time?  Nope.  I don't even consider making it.  I like to think that it's because only having it those two times during the wintertime holidays makes it extra special, and maybe even extra yummy.  But it could also be that I am just not as motivated to take the time to do it any other time of year ... 

Right now though, some stuffing would sure taste good. 😋

P.S. Please once again excuse any weirdness in layout, font, etc. here.  After posting last week from my tablet, everything is now changed in settings for the blog, and I probably won't be able to adjust things until this weekend.  Just wanted to let you know - I'm sure you're all up in arms about it, right???

Two Winners, But Only One Is For Week 3

Hello and I hope your weekend was a good one!  Mine was frustrating, but OK.  You may have heard that Google sent out an update for Chromebooks with a typo in it, causing users to not be able to log in.  They sent out a fix, but as of right now, my laptop has not been updated, and I need to use my laptop for work, so I will have to use the nuclear option, and wipe it clean and start all over, losing some stuff again.  I'm upset, but since I lost SO MUCH MORE when my previous laptop died, I'm kind of just numb about it now.

But overall the weekend was fine, and there's more about the best part at the end of the post.

Now to the reason most of you are here, the announcement of Week 3's winner.  Roll the drums, because the winner is:

EllenD !!!!!!

This was her response to the question about reading words, thinking they were pronounced one way, and then hearing/learning the actual pronounciation.

We had to take turns reading aloud (and I hated doing it).  I pronounced the word "pigeon""pie-gee-n" and the whole class burst out laughing.  I was so embarrassed!

Ellen, CONGRATULATIONS on being the winner this week!  When you get a chance, please send your complete name and mailing address in an e-mail to thekittyknitterATverizon.net (I promise that's  correct!).

I had so much fun finding out that all of you also had experiences similar to mine - isn't it funny how words - often even simple ones - can throw you off a cliff?  Thanks for participating. 😊

******

So I mentioned last week that I was headed out on Sunday to a baseball game with my friend Lisa.  Well, that was yesterday, and boy did we have fun!  It was absolutely wonderful to get to see and hug her in person bed catch up!  Plus it was amazing to get to see this in person again after so long:

The usher in our section was kind enough to take our picture:

The Tim: WHY does your hair look weird?

Me: Because I was super sweaty and had just taken off my hat.

The Tim: Well it looks really weird.

Me: Go away.

Aaron Nola pitched, and wow was he on point!  I the 9th inning, the Phillies were ahead 2-1, we needed only one more out to win, and a Braves hitter got a home run - at which time the manager TOOK HIM OUT OF THE GAME, much to the extreme dismay of those of us in the stands (of course, EPIC booing ensued).  But fortunately as soon as the next guy was pitching, he struck him out and we won the game!!!

I was exhausted by the time I got home,  but in the best way.  It was a wonderful day, an impressive game, and a win on top of it was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Let's hope this week will try to be as agreeable. 

***Apologies for any weird formatting or other wonkiness in this post.  I'm not that good with all of it on my tablet,  and have only so much patience at any given time to figure things out.

Week 3 Is Already Upon Us!

 Hello there, and welcome to Week #3 of Christmas in July!!  

If this were Double Jeopardy, I would say that this is when the scores double, and anything can happen - but it's not, and we are not keeping score (well, at least I'm not), but I guess anything could still happen ...

In this week's drawing, the giveaway prize definitely NOT be a year's worth of Rice-a-Roni.  (When I was a kid, it seemed that a lot game shows had the consolation prize of a year's worth of Rice-a-Roni, "The San Franciso Treat" - I found this intriguing, because a) I had never ever had Rice-a-Roni, and b) it was always shown with a stock image of a cablecar, and that seemed incredibly exotic to me!)

Anyway, moving away from game shows, let's see what the prize is for this week:

Though the project bag is Christmas-themed, the book is most definitely not!  

This is a project bag that is definitely a good size for a sock project, or any other smaller types of things you may be knitting.  I purchased it from Sugar Tots a few years ago, but I have so many holiday-themed project bags, I have never ever used it.  It's so cute, I wanted it to have a happy home with a knitter who would use it and appreciate it.

As for the book, the Goodreads summary is here, and my review of it is here. It does take place in Philadelphia, but you don't have to be familiar with the city to enjoy it.  It's a good story, and is as much about families and relationships as it is about opioids and those who are suffering addiction.  (But it has nothing to do with Christmastime or the holiday season as a setting to the story.)  I won my copy in a Goodreads giveaway, so it seemed only fair to pass it along in another kind of giveaway.

Here's your question for this week:

What is a word or phrase/expression that you first encountered in print, and mentally pronounced one way, only to then actually hear it, and you'd missed the right pronunciation altogether?

Let me know in the comments on this post only.  You have until 12 noon (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time) on Sunday, July 25, 2021.  I'll once again call on the random number generator, and announce the winner in a post on Monday.  And don't forget - any comments will also give you an entry into the final prize for this year!

My answer - well, I have two that came to mind.  I used to love Nancy Drew mysteries, and sh would be referred to often as a "girl sleuth." I understood what it meant from the context, but in my head I thought it was pronounced as SLEE-UTH.  I was amazed to learn that "sloth" was correct.

The other was the expression "C'mon," which for who knows what reason I thought was short for "See you on Monday."  It didn't necessarily make a lot of sense when someone in a book would say, "See you on Monday, let's go to the store," but I would just move along.  Then one time I heard someone reading aloud say it, and then it made a lot more sense ... 😂

Your turn!

Week 2 - We Have Another Winner!

PLEASE NOTE: I mis-typed my e-mail address in the original version of this post, and I apologize.  It has been corrected below.

(How sad is it when you can't get your very own e-mail address correct??)

*****

Hello on a Monday, and as promised we have a winner for Week 2 of our giveaways for Christmas in July!  There weren't as many entries for the actual prize this week as there had been for last week, but I think some people either just don't do counted cross-stitch, or have tried it and don't care for it.  Which I get - I know very few people who love doing all of the craft things they have tried.

Anyway, Ye Olde Randome Numbber Generatore was consulted, and without any bias, it told me that the winner for Week 2 is:

Kim in Oregon!!!

This was her answer to the question: What is your favorite TV show ever?

"I think I'll have to say either 'The West Wing' or 'Sports Night.'  They're sort of related."

In my opinion, these are excellent choices!  I also really liked both of these shows, and as a matter of fact, we are currently on Season 4 of our re-watch of "The West Wing."  And I also get what she means about them being somewhat related.

So please join me in a round of applause to congratulate Kim!  Please send your name and mailing address to me at thekittyknitterATverizonDOTnet, and I'll let you know when the package is on the way.

Thanks to all who participated, you'll have another shot at things in a couple of days.  😊

NOTE to Karen51:  I never received your e-mail, either in my regular mail or in the spam/junk mailbox.  Please try sending it again to the address above, as my e-mail has been known to have weirdnesses, and it's worth another try.

I really enjoyed reading about the shows people like(d).  I'm also pleased because all of them were things I knew about, so I didn't feel like I'd missed out on something good that everyone else knew about.  God forbid, I miss a good TV show,  you know ...

*****

Vacation is over as of today.  At least I don't actually have to go into the building for work until tomorrow, that helps some.  But I am grateful first of all that I had vacation time that I could take, and second of all, that I enjoyed every minute of it so much!  Now to look forward to the next day off/vacation time.  

We had a nice weekend, not a lot of activity, but it was very enjoyable to just spend some quiet time together.  Yesterday was a day when I should have just not even tried at all to knit, though.  Have you ever picked up your knitting, and for whatever reason, it's like you have either never knit at all, or you have completely forgotten how it works?  That was me yesterday.  Anything in progress I tried to work on, I ended up ripping out.  And then I attempted to start a pair of socks, and that was just 100% a disaster.  So late in the afternoon, I just decided to put everything away, out of immediate sight, and read for a while instead.  Hopefully when I pick anything up next time, I'll remember how to use knitting needles!

So that's the news from here.  I hope all of you enjoyed a good weekend, and that we all have a week that treats us well, or at least kindly.  Take care.

Attention Cross-Stitchers! Christmas in July Week 2

I'm sorry for anyone who is disappointed this week, but rather than a knitting-related prize, I have one for those who enjoy counted cross-stitch.  I know some of you do more than one craft, so you may not be as disappointed as others, but it seems only fair to branch out with some of the prizes.

For the second week of Christmas in July, the giveaway prize is this one:

OK, so it's not completely as pictured above, BUT - it is a kit that includes the pattern, all of the floss needed, and the fabric, so I think that's a good deal!  As a matter of fact, I thought it was such a good deal, I purchased it on two separate occasions.  😲

Sigh.  Yes, I had seen this on the Floss Toss podcast, on one of the early episodes, and I loved it!  So I found a kit on 123Stitch.com, and bought one for myself.  Then a few months later, I remembered how much I liked the project, but did not remember having purchased the kit - so I bought another one.  Only when I actually went to pull it out and start stitching, did I realize I had two of the same thing.  

Two good things did come out of this experience, however: 1) I now remember to check before I even look around online for any cross-stitch projects, and 2) I had a stitch prize for Christmas in July!  

Interested?  Well then, to be considered for this prize, let me know the following:

What is your favorite TV show ever?

Let me know in the comments on this post only.  You have until 12 noon (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time) on Sunday, July 18, 2021.  I'll once again call on the random number generator, and announce the winner in a post on Monday.  And don't forget - any comments will also give you an entry into the final prize for this year!

My answer?  My favorite TV show ever is "Mr. Ed."  I have always loved that show, in spite of how ridiculous it is.  Mr. Ed had the best lines, and I used to love how he used the telephone, watched TV, and would not say anything if anyone other than Wilbur was around.  I still watch the reruns, and you may be interested to know that on more than one occasion, I have won a Mr. Ed sound-alike contest.  Talk about hidden talent, right??  (Most people prefer it remain hidden.)

OK, your turn!  

And good luck, Wilbur.  😘

Week 1 Winner and Wow Did I Enjoy That!

Hello all, here's hoping that things are OK where you are.  Though between weather, the Covid variant, and everything else that seems to be going on in the world, I know that can seem like somewhat of a tall order.  

However, we do have something fun to talk about, and that is we have our first winner for the 2021 version of Christmas in July!  I have to tell all of you, I have seldom enjoyed reading comments as much as I did for this - I truly love this kind of thing, as I am fascinated by people's life progressions.  There were SO many fun surprises to read about, and did you happen to notice that one of the people who commented currently lives in Wheeling, West Virginia - hometown of MOI???  I have a thousand questions which I will of course not ask, because they are none of my business, but I so want to know where she lives there, does she know anyone I know, does she want to be best friends, where does she work, etc.?  I've decided to just answer those questions in my own brain the way I want to answer them, that way she retains some privacy and I continue in my fantasy.  😊

In any case, yesterday I called up the ever-reliable random number generator, and it chose the comment from:

KAREN51!!!!!

Here is her response to the question: Where were you born?

I was born in the Ripon, Wisconsin hospital.  We live about an hour and a half south of there now.  Left the state for 13 years and then returned.

Please give a round of applause for both Karen51 and Ripon, Wisconsin!  I have never been to Ripon, but I have been to a few different places in Wisconsin (which were lovely), and I have heard of Ripon College.  

Congratulations, Karen51!! Please send me your complete name and mailing address via e-mail - my address is: thekittyknitterATverizonDOTnet.  In the subject line please say something like "Address for prize package" so that I don't think it's spam.  I will let you know when your package is on the way.  

I love that so many people lived near to, or in the same place where they were born; and it was so fun to read about other people's journeys from points A to B in a roundabout way.  Thanks SO much to everyone who was willing to participate - and remember, this makes you already eligible for the big prize at the end of all of this!

******

In other news that is good, I am on vacation this week - YAY!  No, I'm not going anywhere other than my own house and the coolest room in it, since we are in the high 90s with my unloved humidity added to the mix for the whole week.  But that is fine because I don't even have to think about work or anyone there.  And other than a dr appt in an hour or so this a.m., my time is my own.  The big question is, will I accomplish even one of the approximately 4000 things I have on my list of what I would like to do?  Stay tuned ...

OK, I'd better get myself in gear to get dressed, etc. to go to the aforementioned dr appt.  Thanks again to all who played along, and don't forget to check again on Wednesday to see what the next thing will be!

Take care, everyone, and have the best week you can.

Here We Go Again! Christmas in July - Week 1

 

Hello there, and welcome to the Fourth Annual Christmas in July here at The Ravell'd Sleave!  Who'da thunk I would be doing this for the fourth year in a row?  I have a hard time doing much of anything for four years, though it helps if it is something fun.  😀

For any new readers - and to review for the regulars - here's how it works.  Each Wednesday during July, I will have a post that has a prize associated with it.  To participate, I'll ask a question that you should answer, or ask you to talk about something specific, etc.  Then you leave your comment on the post for that week, and on the Sunday of that week, I choose a winner.  Monday's post will announce who that person is, they contact me, and I send them the goodies.  I must add a disclaimer: I often don't send the prizes until I send them all at the end of the month.  In any case, I always let the person know when things are on their way.  This is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.  I set aside a bit of money throughout the year for everything, so don't worry about postage costs, etc.  

Something is new this year - at the end of the month, I'll choose someone from ALL of the comments on ALL of the posts, and they will be the recipient of an extra-special prize!  I know that I originally said that I would announce all of this ahead of the first week, but I kept changing my mind about what the extra thing would be, so you're getting it now.  All prizes are related to knitting/crochet, needlework, and/or reading.  So you may only be interested in some of the giveaways, but remember that any comment on any week's post will make you eligible for the big giveaway.

******

Now that the details are done, here is the prize for this week:

This is a kit I purchased a while back from Molly Klein Design, called The Santa Paws Kit.  I love it, but realized a while back that if I hadn't used it by now, I was probably not going to use it.  So, I thought that I would like to give it a good home.

The project bag is so cute - a little Christmastime village scene that includes a weiner dog in a festive sweater!  And the accompanying yarn is her Sweet Tea Sugar Sparkle Sock (100 g/463 yards; 75% superwash merino, 20% nylon, 5% silver stellina).  It's really so pretty, and the teeny bit of sparkle really works with the colors of the yarn, and makes it look more holiday-ish.

Just FYI, my yarn and project bags, etc., are stored in bins that also contain mothballs, and the dog and cats are just not interested in them, nor do they go near them.  Also, I have had the prizes out of the bins for a couple of weeks, so they no longer have mothball smell!  

If you are interested in being in the drawing for this giveaway, here is your question for Week 1:

Where were you born? 

And I don't mean "in a hospital," or "under a tree" (though that might be interesting!), rather I mean, in what geographical location?  I am always interested in this, because some people were born in the same place where they currently live, while others were born in a far flung place from where they find themselves now.

My answer:  I was born in Wheeling, West Virginia.  After that we moved around a lot, then we moved back there - it was weird, because my sisters and of course my parents were familiar with everything, but I had no memory of any of it!

******

Leave a comment on this post only no later than 12 noon (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time), on Sunday, July 11, 2021, and you will be part of the drawing.  I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner, and announce it in a post on Monday.

Good luck!