HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Hi everyone,

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Americans ;) :) :) Enjoy your day today :) :)

My dad and I took my aunt's dog for a walk this morning. Then we took a scenic drive along the ocean. Afterwards, we stopped at Whole Foods, so I could buy some coffee. Now we're home making breakfast.  We'll be cooking the turkey later today.

We got our turkey dinner from Whole Foods this year.  Believe it or not, this will be the first time that Dad and I have cooked a turkey ourselves. It should be easy. It's an organic turkey that's already fully cooked. We just have to heat and serve it, but still.... :) :) :)

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

GIVEAWAY WINNER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone,

Okay, we have a winner for my first ever giveaway.  Here's how I picked the winner.  I couldn't figure out the Random.org site, so I just wrote out a paper slip for each individual entry on my giveaway post. It was easy since there were only five entries.  All the slips of paper were the same size, and had each comment's name written on a seperate slip of paper. I folded them over, so I couldn't see the names.  This morning I grabbed those slips of paper, closed my eyes, and just shuffled for a couple of minutes. Then I picked one...and the winner is?

Wanda Lee :) :)

She has two blogs. Click here or here if you'd like to visit. She hosts some awesome tea parties every Tuesday...real tea with beautiful china :)

Here's what she said about the giveaway:
"What an amazing contest with this fabulous software. I would love to win this also!.., I am a follower as well."

Wanda Lee, please send me a private email.  I'll make sure you get the code to download your free copy of this software ;) :) It's a lot of fun :)

Thanks EVERYONE for participating in my giveaway :) :)  It was fun.  I think I've caught the "give-away" bug now...so I'll see about hosting some more of these giveaways :) :)

That's the news from the ocean shores of the California coast for today.  Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)

MY FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY. THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN.

UPDATE:  I AM EXTENDING THE DEADLINE TO ENTER THIS CONTEST TILL 10:30 P.M. PACIFIC STANDARD TIME :) :) THE REASON? I REALIZED I WON'T BE AT MY COMPUTER AT 9 P.M...SO THAT GIVES YOU ALL AN EXTRA HOUR AND A HALF TO ENTER TO WIN THE GIVEAWAY :) :) :)

Hi everyone,

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy....this is a huge occasion for my blog, because I am hosting my FIRST ever giveaway. What's the reason? Just because I can :) :) :)  

What a story.  When I first was approached by the MyMemories company, it was via email. I had NEVER heard of this company before.  So I asked my friends on Facebook about this.  My sweet friend Patti of Fill my Cup with Beauty told me of two blogs that had previously hosted a giveaway for MyMemories digital scrapbooking software.Those two blogs were, Blessings of a Stay at Home Mom, and Homesteader's Heart.  Feel free to visit their sites and see what beautiful creations they came up with.

Here are come of the creations that I came up with.

THIS WAS MY VERY FIRST PAGE THAT I MADE USING THIS DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING SOFTWARE FROM "MY MEMORIES".  I MADE THIS PAGE AFTER CHURCH ON SUNDAY.  THIS PAGE SHOWS SOME SHOTS OF THE FAMOUS CANNERY ROW IN MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA.

I sometimes think of myself as a "technological peasant" when it comes to computer software. I've never really understood it.  However, this software was really easy to use.  It was a lot of fun just exploring all the different scrapbooking options available. Let me tell you, there are a LOT of them that come free with this software. 

One of the first things it will ask you, when you open it up is to choose which kind of page you want to design. They have pre-made templates or you can create your own, or browse the web for more selections. I chose to create my own pages.  Oh, here's another cool thing, MyMemories digital scrapbooking software, then gives you the option of choosing a square page, an 8 1/2x11 page, or a landscape page layout for you to work with. I chose the 8 1/2x11 page, since that is what I use in my own personal scrapbook of ideas, recipes, etc.

So you can choose from their abundant selection of templates, create your own page (like I did in the previous photo). Here's another "create your own" page that I made. This time, I used one of my own photos as the background, selected a photo layout and added more photos of my own, with text.  This is what I came up with:

THIS IS ALSO CANNERY ROW IN MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA.  I USED ONE OF MY PHOTOS AS THE MAIN BACKGROUND, ADDED SMALLER PHOTOS FOR THE LAYOUT AND ADDED THE "CANNERY ROW" TEXT.

MyMemories digital scrapbooking software lets you do MORE than just scrapbooking. You could design really cute pages for a recipe book. Here's a full 8 1/2" x 11" page that I created.  I don't cook a lot, however, I do LOVE to make my own cleaning supplies at home. This is a recipe page for homemade laundry powder.

THIS IS A SAMPLE OF WHAT YOU COULD CREATE FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.  THIS WILL FIT EASILY INTO AN 8 1/2 X 11 INCH SHEET PROTECTOR.  OH, PLUS IT'S A REALLY USEFUL, MONEY-SAVING LAUNDRY POWDER RECIPE.

Here's a fun video demonstration from My Memories, that shows you a really nice variety of things you can create with this digital scrapbooking software.

Now for the super fun giveaway details.  You can win a copy of this digital scrapbooking software from MyMemories for your computer. Here's what you do to earn entries into the giveaway (Please leave an individual comment for each entry. It'll be easier to choose a winner at random that way.):

1) Be a follower of my blog

2) Go to the MyMemories page, take a look at all of their background templates and layouts, and tell me which one you like best.

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES:

3) Follow the MyMemories blog

4) Follow MyMemories on Facebook

5) Blog about my giveaway on your blog or Facebook page.  Make sure to post a link to my blog giveaway post. 


Here's a link to the MyMemories channel on YouTube. There are some wonderful video tutorials that really showcase all the things you can create with this wonderful digital software. Click here to pay a visit.

If you don't have a blog, no worries. Just make sure you give me your name and email address, and leave a comment here for each of the entry requirements.  This giveaway is open to all of my lovely blog friends :)




I have a special coupon code that you can use. It gives you $10 off the purchase of the MyMemories Suite Scrapbook software AND  a $10 coupon towards the MyMemories.com store.  Just use the following special discount code: STMMMS50832 here, if you decide to place an order.


You can also share that special discount code with your friends and family.


The contest will end at 9 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Tuesday - November 14th.  I'll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, November 15th.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave me a comment. This is my very FIRST giveaway...so I'm kind of nervous.  I'm also super excited. That's the news from the ocean shores of California.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

MY TEACUPS AND TEA THINGS & TEA TIME TUESDAY POST FOR NOVEMBER 8th.

Hi everyone, 

So I totally forgot about last Tuesday. Something in the California air has really done something to my sense of timing. Ever since I moved to California, the days just seem to run together so fast.  So TWO weeks ago, I showed you the Royal Albert sugar bowl and creamer that I won (as part of a mixed collection) at an auction. Today, I'm going to show you a little bit more.

THESE ARE ALL THE TEA THINGS THAT I WON AT THE SILENT AUCTION BACK IN SEPTEMBER. IT IS A REAL MIX OF DIFFERENT PIECES. ALL OF THEM ARE SO LOVELY.

The items that really caught my eye were the Royal Albert "Old Country Roses" creamer and matching sugar bowl.  The other items that caught my eye were the violet teacups, saucers and teapot.

These are the violet china tea things that I wanted to share with you all today.  If you look really closely, you'll notice that one of the teacup's, with matching saucer, is slightly different than the others. Oh, and to my surprise, the teapot was made in Japan, while everything else was made in England. Here are some close-up pictures of my lovely china:

THIS IS A CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE LOVELY VIOLET DETAIL ON THE TEAPOT.

EVEN THE LID ON THE TEAPOT HAS LOVELY DETAIL. ISN'T IT JUST BEAUTIFUL? YES, IT REALLY IS. THERE IS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT VIOLETS.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE VIOLET TEAPOT. THIS CAME AS A TOTAL SURPRISE, BECAUSE I KNEW THE OTHER PIECES HAD BEEN MADE IN ENGLAND.  THE DESIGNS MATCH ALMOST PERFECTLY.

HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL VIOLET TEACUP AND MATCHING SAUCER. THEY BOTH HAVE A LOVELY SCALLOPED EDGE WITH GOLD DETAIL AROUND THE RIM.

WHEN YOU TURN THE TEACUP AROUND, THERE IS A SOFTER VIOLET DETAIL ON THE OTHER SIDE. THIS IS SO DELICATE AND BEAUTIFUL.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THOSE "SECRET" FLOWER DETAILS ON THE INSIDE OF THE TEACUPS. IT REALLY ADDS A TOUCH OF SOMETHING LOVELY.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE VIOLET TEACUP WITH THE SCALLOPED EDGING.  I THINK SOME OF THE MARKINGS ARE VERY INTERESTING. HOWEVER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY SIGNIFY. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS, LET ME KNOW.

A LOVELY AND DELICATE VIOLET SAUCER WITH SCALLOPED EDGING.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE VIOLET SAUCER WITH THE SCALLOPED EDGING.

THIS WAS THE OTHER VIOLET TEACUP WITH MATCHING SAUCER. HMM...ON CLOSER INSPECTION, THEY MIGHT NOT BE VIOLETS AT ALL. IT'S CLOSE ENOUGH FOR ME. IT HAS A VERY GENTLE SCALLOPED EDGING WITH GOLD TRIM.

HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LARGER VIOLET DETAIL ON THE TEACUP AND SAUCER.

HERE'S THE VIEW OF THE SOFTER FLOWER DETAIL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TEACUP AND MATCHING SAUCER.

FINALLY, HERE IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THIS TEACUP...

...AND THE BACKSTAMP ON THE MATCHING SAUCER.

That completes my tea collection for today.  I'm really curious about the person who owned all these tea things before they came into my possesion. Whoever that person was, she must have had excellent taste and a love for flowers.

Oh, exciting times coming up on Wednesday. I will be hosting my very first give-away. So you'll have to come back Wednesday to have a look-see.  I'll post it as soon as I wake up on Wednesday morning.

Thanks for visiting me today. I love visitors and messages, too...so feel free to leave me a comment. That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)