Birthday Winner!

(Mom in her new Christmas Parka - Ketchikan, Alaska 1971)

Early January and much of the northern world is covered in snow and ice.  When I was a small child, we lived in Ketchikan, Alaska where my dad had graduated from high school and my grandparents were commercial fisherman.  Mom was an Oregon girl who went to live on the island of Revillagigado with her young husband, having not even met her new in-laws until arriving in Alaska. Mom always said that Dad had a bit of gypsy blood and couldn't quite decide where he wanted to live.  We moved, along with the fishing or hunting seasons that were calling Dad's name, back and forth between Alaska and northeast Oregon several times when we kids were small. 

This picture of Mom was taken during one Alaska stay in 1971.  I remember it clearly.  Dad had purchased this beautiful parka for Mom for Christmas and made the mistake of taking me with him when he picked it up.  I was a precocious four year-old at the time and remember Dad telling me, "Now Paula.  Don't tell Mama about her new coat.  It's a secret."  I barely made it through the door at home that evening before blurting out, "Daddy bought you a new parka.  It's a secret!"

Dad didn't tell me secrets much after that....

Today was Mom's birthday so it is the day to draw a name for her birthday giveaway!

I hopped on over to random.org, popped in the numbers 1 through 9 (the amount of comments on the giveaway post) - clicked on go...and the winner is....

Tipper !

Congratulations to Tipper of Blind Pig and the Acorn!  These two coasters and that box of tea, along with two more coasters for a complete set of 4, will be headed your way!! (and for anyone who doesn't know Tipper - pop on over and introduce yourself - you will get lost in her incredible blog about life in Appalachia!)

Thanks everyone who stopped by and left a comment on the birthday giveaway post -

Happy January!

Terrible Tilly

Terrible Tilly, a photo by paulaniz67 on Flickr.

Tuesday - It's Tuesday!

Hey!  So maybe it's Wednesday but I seem to be making it a point recently to be late to everything, so...why not be late for Tuesday as well?  Now that we've decided it's Tuesday AND it's the first Tuesday of January   -   It's time for Turn the Page...Tuesday hosted by Adrienne of Some of a Kind!  Yipeee! Time to tell you all what I've been reading the last month and for you to tell the rest of us what adventures your reading has taken you on.

I read some fantastic books in December but am going to stick to telling you about just two of them so this post doesn't get to long and out of control. 

The Winter Sea was a wonderful novel that I didn't want to end. Even now, over a couple of weeks after finishing, my mind keeps going back to Sophia and wondering what she is up to now. In the Winter Sea, author Susanna Kearsley takes us on a journey of another author, Carrie McClelland, as she settles into a charming cabin on the Scottish cliffs. Carrie is writing a historical novel set at Slains Castle and gives the heroine the name of one of her own ancestors, Sophia Paterson. As Carrie writes and explores the ruins of Slains Castle, her characters become quite chatty and the story just seems to come alive as Carrie types.

The year is 1708 and the Jacobites are trying hard to help the young King James to reclaim his crown. Slains Castle is a very busy place, full of Stewart supporters and is the perfect cover for both French and Scottish fleets who support the cause as well. With some well-hidden coves, the ships can slip in and out quietly when needed. Sophia lost both of her parents young and her and her sister were sent to live with her uncle, John Drummond. Her sister has now passed away as well, in terrible circumstances and her uncle is deceased also. Sophia has arrived at Slains as the guest of the Countess of Erroll, a distance relation to John Drummond. In her research, Carrie begins to see startling similarities between what she has written and what actually took place at Slains during the time of her story. A retired Scottish doctor that is helping Carrie with her research suggests the possibility of ancestorial memory. Could this be what is happening? Is it even possible?


I really loved this book and the possibility of ancestorial memory. Our brains work in so many mysterious ways that are yet untapped and unknown. The author did a wonderful job of weaving both the past and present into her story; such wonderful history and just the perfect touch of romance.

For the new year, Adrienne has challenged us all to continue to dust off those books that have been lingering too long on our shelves, but to also read books from series that we have started.  Christmas with Anne covered both of those catergories for me this past month.  I loved the Anne of Green Gables series and always like a good Christmas read every year, so when I saw this at Goodwill months and months ago, I just had to bring it home.

Many of the short stories in this book were written as magazine stories by L.M. Montgomery and they are all either Christmas or New Years stories with sweet lessons to be learned. A couple of the stories are actually taken from the Anne series, so they were like visiting with familiar friends.  I very much enjoyed this one; it was the perfect light read for the week before Christmas and will go on my shelf with my other L.M. Montgomery books. 
 
Tell me, where did reading take you in December?  I hope you had some down time with a good book and a hot cup of tea. 
 
Speaking of that....please scroll down to my last post and enter the giveaway in celebration of my Mom's birthday!  

Mom's Birthday Giveaway

This is the perfect picture of my Mom.  She loved reading in the early morning and this picture was taken at my sister Stacey's house when Mom and Dad were visiting one year.  January 9th was Mom's birthday and even though she has been gone for many years now, Stacey and I like to celebrate her day by having Birthday Giveaway's on our blogs. 

This year Stacey is giving away a wonderful book that she thinks Mom would have loved called The Healing Quilt by Laurainne Snelling. 

Mom also loved to drink her tea in the mornings with her quiet time reading, so I will be making a set of four quilted coasters for my giveaway and a nice box of tea.  Just leave a comment, even just Hello will do, and you will be entered in my drawing for the coasters and tea. I'll draw a name sometime on the 9th.  

~Don't forget to pop over to Stacey's place, Stacey's Treasures, to be entered in her giveaway as well~

Happy beginning of 2012 all!