i won a prize, phillip's walking, and nestle-free week

We had a cozy supper tonight of fresh homemade bread and lentil soup served in our snazzy new soup bowls. I love the weekend - I made apple sauce, bread, soup, penne alfredo, rearranged the living room, went through all of my clothes, giving lots away, putting summer things away and hanging up sweaters and winter clothes. Also did the same with all of Phillip's, storing some for future babes, giving some away, and tidily putting away all kinds of clean, bigger things. Which he 'helped' with, and we had lots of fun. Oh, and I made some soap, too. Hanging out at home is the best way I can think of to spend the weekend, and I'm fine with admitting that. Who needs parties when you could be reading 'Belly Button Beach' with Phillip on a pile of clothes?
I may have mentioned before that I seldom win anything. You know, that's just not true. I won a dishcloth on Sarah's blog, soap from Gracefruit, and many other things I can't recall at the moment. I am one lucky gal. I have a knack for winning door prizes at almost any event I attend, and this weekend was no exception. I went to a baby fair with Mr P (the best prize of all) yesterday, and won a cloth diapering set made by Little Squirts, a local business run by a mom. Her products are very well made, and I can't wait to try them out. I won one all-in-one, a doubler (liner), four flannel wipes, a set of bamboo nursing pads, and (this is the best part) - a travel bag for transporting the dirty dipes! Brilliant. Her diapers are sold locally at City Drug Store, too.

And oh-my-goodness-I can't-believe-I-forgot-to-tell-you - Phillip is walking! Did you catch that? WALKING! We tried to get a decent video clip today, but didn't. There will definitely be one coming shortly.

And did you know that it's Nestle-free Week? The primary reason is that the company often is not complying with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitues, including aggressive marketing of infant formula to mothers living in conditions which make it impossible to safely prepare formula, because there isn't access to clean water. I personally avoid Nestle products year-round, but this is a specific week to bring people's concerns to Nestle's attention by not buying their products, and letting them know. To find out more, visit Baby Milk Action. And consider a different brand of chocolate bars for Halloween this year, perhaps.

the last blogaversary giveaway winners

I'm home, the babe is bathed and in bed, and I'm ready to choose some winners! Thanks so much for the stories - I enjoyed reading them.

The local winner of the stainless steel kitchen organizer thingy is Ingrid, who found an ulu (an ulu!) at an almost-yard-sale. That's definitely an odd find.

And the non-local winner of three bars of soap made by moi is TC who wrote the funniest 'heard' comment:

"From someone (namely myself) who values books too highly, and obviously spends too much time reading them rather than working on his math skills.

SIGN: All books one dollar.
TC (with four books in hand): Will you take five dollars?

My bartering skills get rusty over the winter."

I'll get your prizes to you nifty winners post-haste - TC, please e-mail me with the types of soap you'd prefer. Thanks to everyone, and have a fine weekend!

one day left for the last September giveaway!

Don't forget to comment on this post before I get home from work tomorrow and have a chance to select the winners (around 5:00 PM Atlantic). If you're local, you can win a lovely brushed steel kitchen organizer thing, and if you're non-local, you could win three bars of my wickedly fantastic soap!

"I don't want silk. I want polyester."

Nope, no one's getting this bowl. It's a handmade sugar maple bowl I found at a yard sale this morning. Along with the set below (not handmade, but lovely solid wood). Total: $3. Phillip loves wooden bowls, which is great, because he can throw them as much as he likes.

Here's the deal for this last blogaversary giveaway. I found this at a yard sale (I know, not Frenchy's, but the same idea) and love it. But a) I don't need it and b) it doesn't fit in with anything in our house. We have the antiquey mismatched thing going on, while this would fit in beautifully in a more modern kitchen with brushed steel appliances or an office-y space. It hangs on the wall, has four magnets with it, and pegs for hanging keys on. And the notepaper holder, which I think is dreamy. The catch: it's pretty large (probably 12 inches by 12 inches or so, maybe bigger) and I am not planning on paying shipping for this to anywhere in the world, since that would mean that we would no longer be able to eat. So here's the plan: I'll choose two winners from comments on this post, one local, and one non-local. The non-local winner will win three bars of my fabulous soap!

Here's the question: What's the strangest or funniest thing you've ever seen or heard at a yard sale or thrift store?

Mine were this past week.

Seen: A prosthetic lower left leg with a HUGE foot. No, I'm not kidding.

Heard: "I don't want silk. I want polyester."

I'll choose two winners (again, one local and one non-local) on Friday, September 26. I can't wait to read your stories!

second giveaway winner

Congratulations to Sarah, the winner of the thrifted Gap bag, for the following story:

"I had a recent Frenchy grossness when I was in Yarmouth a few months ago visiting my mother. I was looking for some fabric to make a scarf. The idea I had in my head was driving my nuts... I had all the colours and fabric prints all stuck in my head. I couldn't believe how well I was doing.. finding everything I was imagining. I just needed a dark fabric to use for the outside of the scarf. I wondered over to men's section. I noticed there was someone coming over to the same bin as I, which usually makes my uncomfortable, because others tend to take what I was looking at in the first place. Anyway, the guy that came out of the dressing room, was coming over to the bin for Men's pants, which is where I was. I was looking at the pants he was about to drop back in the bin, and thought... that fabric would be so awesome! So, when he left, I grabbed the pants. They were a Tommy Tweed baggy type pants and they were brown! As I was walking up to to pay for all the clothes I found, I kind of noticed my hand was a little damp.... I'm just going to say that the pants I had JUST picked up, had fresh boogies in them, and I had pretty much covered my hand in it. I was so grossed out... and disappointed because that was the perfect fabric.
(I did find a better fabric at Walmart once I got back to Halifax)

Cheers,
Sarah"

Sarah, I'll give the bag to your Mom next week when I see her, if that's okay. :)

Oh yes, that's gross. And I had forgotten to share a gross story from when I was a kid, which my sister reminded me of when she left this comment:

"Ooo, I have one! At one of the Digby Frenchy's, the person I was with decided to buy some candy from one of the vending machines near the door. She inserted her money, extended her hand and turned the handle to catch the hot tamales...and the pile of ants that came with them!

Oh, wait -- THAT WAS YOU!!"

Thanks, Mar. I still like hot tamales. Mmmm.

In other news, I'm in the process of putting all of my photos in one flickr stream, using Migratr. It's a fantastic free tool for moving photos from one hosting site to another, and I am SO grateful for how easy it makes the whole process that I might even make a donation. I purchased a flickr pro account, and wanted to move all of my pictures (including pics from a different flickr account) into that one. Not possible through flickr. Then I came across this great tool which let me easily move those pictures over, and pictures I've posted here on this blog (which are saved in Picasa web album) without having to rename and tag all of them. How cool is that? The only thing is that it's not compatible with Macs, so I'm moving them on my work computer while I'm doing work (it takes awhile). I should have all of my photos organized and in one place very soon, which I am extremely pleased about. Have I mentioned that this is a great tool?

blogaversary giveaway the second

The second giveaway for this blogaversary month is this Gap bag, found at Frenchy's awhile ago. I love it but never use it, so if you will, leave a comment and it could be yours! It's in pristine condition, and has a magnetic snap closure and an inside zippered pocket. It's not terribly wide, but would be great for carrying a few magazines or books.

To win the bag, comments on this post should be a story of the grossest thing you've ever seen (or bought) at a thrift store. Because we all know that along with the great finds, there can be some not-so-great finds. And some plain disgusting things. I think my find just might be the grossest of all.

I was looking for a pair of pyjamas at Frenchy's one day, many years ago. When I was in high school, actually - I've had the Frenchy's bug (not the one that leaves you red and itchy) since junior high. I picked up a pyjama shirt, and something fell onto the bottom of the bin with a small clatter. It was hard and dry and brown and had a sort of handley-looking thing on it. I looked a bit more closely, and realized what it once had been. The 'handley-looking thing' was a tail. I found a dried up, dead mouse in a Frenchy's lingerie bin. And the strangest part, looking back, is what I did with it - I picked it up (picked it up!) and took it up to the cashier. I can't remember what she said, but she promptly whisked it away.

If you can beat that story, you win the bag. If there's no standout winner, I'll get my friend the random number generator to choose a winner. Now these are stories I really can't wait to read! Have a great weekend!

Edited to add: The winner will be announced on Wednesday, September 17.

magical number 7!

And the winner of the scarf is comment #7 from Ms Ready! I was tempted to choose this one just because it's great, and then the random number generator chose for me!

"I don't know if this counts but I will share it anyway because I think it's a great story. There I was, completely engrossed in my Frenchy's shopping. I had just tried on a boat load of clothes and had the 'no' pile at the top of my basket to return to the proper bins. Finally I made my way up to the counter with my purchases. As I began unloading my basket I thought, wait a minute, didn't I come in here with a jacket? Frantically I retraced my steps looking for my favorite comfy $150 wool coat in every bin and dressing room I could find, but alas, the coat was nowhere to be found. Suddenly the cashier says...um...actually I think I might have just sold it to someone else, for $5.00. Nope, I wasn't loving the Frenchy's bargains that day. She didn't really know who the person was that she sold it to, but I left my name and number in the hopes that some miracle would occur and my coat would be returned. A week passes by, and one afternoon my phone rings. God love caller ID when I saw "Guy's Frenchy's" blazing across the mini telephone screen. The lady who had accidently purchased my coat a week before, and subsequently had it drycleaned, had returned to Frenchy's and been recognized by the same cashier. She was calling me from Frenchy's to say yes, I could have my coat back. The next day I meandered into Frenchy's with a thank you card and a little gift for the good samaritan to retrieve my long lost, freshly dry cleaned coat. My best thrift store find ever :)"

E-mail me at grahamsherrie at yahoo dot ca, and we'll work out the details! Thanks to everyone for your stories, I loved reading them! I'll try to post the next giveaway tonight after the boy is asleep.

great giveaway at Simple Mom

This is one of my new soaps - Cafe Mocha. It smells divine. Made with coffee, coffee grounds, and a fabulous fragrance. I love it!

I know I've been mentioning lots of giveaways lately, but did I mention that I won one recently? Some beautiful soaps from Elizabeth of Gracefruit. They haven't arrived yet, but I'll surely post them when they do.

Other miscellany - my credit card company credited my card for the Well, Naturally incident. Yay!

So here's my point - there's a FANTASTIC giveaway at Simple Mom. Reusable produce bags, and the cutest little apron that I ever did see, amongst other great prizes. Just comment over here with your favourite thing about fall for your chance to win! Good luck!

baby shoe giveaway

If you have a wee one who could use some snazzy new shoes, there's a giveaway over at Now Entering Momville going on right now. The winner will receive a pair of Jack and Lily shoes of their choice! I think P's little feet would look so cute in the solid chocolate pair pictured above (the picture is from their site.) Ah, if only they were made of chocolate! Anyhoo, the contest is here.

The Creative Family by Amanda Soule giveaway

I bought this book a few weeks ago, and love it. It's an overused word, but it's inspiring. Full of great ideas of projects to do with little ones, and more than that, how to foster creativity in daily family life. Phillip even loves it, and says "Baby!" over and over when he sees it. I love this book, and you can read a fantastic interview with the author and have a chance to win your very own copy over here at Simple Mom. Good luck!

selected by Mr P himself

Our random drawing this morning was conducted by Phillip with the help of his Nanny who is here for the week. He reached to the left, he reached to the right, and he finally chose local yokel Connie as the winner! I'll drop your bar of Peppermint Vanilla soap off next time I'm at your school, Connie!

red dots and green tidbits

I mentioned quickly in passing the other day that you can sign up with the Red Dot Campaign to have Canada Post stop delivering unaddressed mail to your mailbox. That's about all I said - I think it deserves a bit of further explanation. It's been mentioned on CBC on a few different shows lately, and I think it's great. Here's why:

Flyers are made from trees, require fossil fuels for production, ink, shipping, and delivery, are outdated in a very short period of time and end up in the recycling bin, requiring more energy to recycle. And here's the thing: they're available for free, online at store websites! So, as a former flyer fanatic, I'm signing up with the Red Dot Campaign and checking out weekly deals on store websites from now on.

BUT

This will only stop the flyers and unaddressed mail which Canada Post delivers from appearing in your mailbox. In these here parts, independent carriers deliver the larger bundles of other flyers. So here's what I'm going to do as well as signing up for the Red Dot Campaign: put a cute little sign on our mailbox with the polite request: "No Flyers Please", which will hopefully prevent those ones from appearing as well.

Other green goings on for the Grahams and other local folks to write in your calendars:

Saturday March 29 at 8pm: Earth Hour party at our house (it also happens to be the day before my birthday!) Should be a good time.

Tuesday April 22: Earth Day Potluck at our house! More details forthcoming.

And check out www.worldchanging.com for some inspiration and gobs of thought-provoking, quality green information (I'm particularly interested in 'Shopping Our Way to Safety' (left sidebar) and am on my way to request it from the library right now!)

Lastly - another contest! (To reward those of you who either read the whole post or at least scrolled to the bottom.) One bar of Peppermint Vanilla soap to someone randomly drawn on Monday, February 11, who comments with a promise to sign up for the Red Dot Campaign (I'll keep asking you about it, too!)

winner du jour

Phillip and I put the names in a jar...
I reached in...
And the winner is...
Hi, I'm terri! Well hi, I'm Sherrie, and if you send me an email (grahamsherrie at yahoo dot ca) with your name and address, I'll send you your hard-won soaps!

Thank you again for all of your sweet comments - I'm still beaming.

Only a few more hours...

If you haven't commented yet on my 500th post contest, you only have a few hours left! The cutoff is tonight at midnight, and I'll randomly draw a winner tomorrow afternoon when I get home from work! The post to comment on is here.

What?! 500 posts? That deserves a contest!

As I was daydreaming, my 500th post was, fittingly, about Frenchy's. I think that 500 posts deserves a contest! The winner will receive two bars of soap handmade by moi - one Vanilla Peppermint, and one Mango Smoothie (unless you happen to have a citrus allergy, in which case substitution can be made.)

To enter, leave a comment about what you like the best about the 500 previous posts - it can be as vague or as specific as you like. You have until midnight (Atlantic) Tuesday January 29th to enter, and I will randomly draw a winner on Wednesday when I get home from work.

Happy commenting!

and the winners are...

Congratulations to Jessicah, SarahC, and Mama! Adam drew your names this morning. E-mail me your mailing addresses (grahamsherrie at yahoo dot ca), and I will send some soap off to you as soon as it's made; hopefully this week. Any preferences for type? I'll see what I can do to accommodate those. Happy washing!