Giveaway Day!

There aren't enough days in the weekend.
  ~Rod Schmidt

I'm so glad it's Monday!  We were so busy this weekend that we barely had time to enjoy DH's two days off from work.  We left the house at 9:30 Saturday morning and didn't return until 4:30 except to drop off a few perishables.  DH was kind enough to order dinner delivered from a local Chinese restaurant because I was in no mood to cook.  Sunday started a bit more leisurely as I took my time perusing the local paper.  We spent the rest of the morning wrapping gifts and boxing them in preparation for shipping out this morning.  Added to that was the normal 5 loads of wash and a bit of straightening up and you have the total of our weekend.  I'm looking to a more peaceful and quiet day today!  How was your weekend?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Poinsettia

Today is Poinsettia Day!  All year long there’s hardly a poinsettia to be found, and then suddenly the holiday season rolls around and POOF these bright red plants are showing up in homes and offices all over the country. Here are some fun facts to help you celebrate this day:

* Did you know that the poinsettia's main attraction is not its flowers, but its leaves? The flowers of the plant are the yellow clustered buds in the center. The colored leafy parts are actually bracts or modified leaves.

* Poinsettias come in a variety of colors from red, salmon, and apricot to yellow, cream, and white. There are also unusual speckled or marbled varieties like "Jingle Bells" and "Candy Cane" with several colors blended together.

* Although every state in the United States grows poinsettias commercially, California is the top producer with about 27 million pots grown, followed by Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Michigan, each with about 14 million pots.

* Did you know that in the wild, the poinsettia can reach heights of 12 feet with leaves measuring six to eight inches across? It is actually a small tropical tree belonging to the Euphorbia plant family.

* In the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, the Aztecs used the poinsettia leaves to dye fabric for clothing and the sap for medicinal purposes

* True or False? The poinsettia is a poisonous plant. If you answered false, you're correct. The plant has been tested repeatedly and cleared of this charge by the National Poison Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and the American Medical Association. The POINSINDEX Information Service, the main information resource for poison control centers across the country, reports that even if a 50-pound child consumed more than 500 poinsettia bracts--the amount tested in scientific experiments--the consequences would not be fatal. Even at this high level, no toxicity was found.

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MINIS ALL READY FOR GIVING

I finally finished up the two little mini quilts we are giving as a gift to my SIL and BIL.....

First is this snowflake.  I was going to go with a Christmas theme but since the time for decorating will basically be over by the time they open it, I figured I should go with something more neutral like winter.

Then I decided the next holiday to create a mini for was Easter.  What better way to celebrate than with an Easter basket filled with a dyed egg and chocolate bunny.  Both of these little quilts measure 6 1/2 inches square.  They will hang on a table top wire stand.  I found the patterns for the applique at Fat Cat Patterns and shrunk them down to fit on the size block I wanted.  I now need to get these wrapped and in the mail.

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GIVEAWAY DAY !

This giveaway is now closed!

Sew, Mama, Sew! has once again organized Giveaway Day and I am happy to be participating.  I'm going to giveaway away......

A charm pack of Pure by Sweetwater for Moda.  This is a package of forty-two 5" squares.  In case you don't know what fabrics are included in the Pure line, here is a sample picture:

How can you win this charm pack of Pure?  Easy!  Just leave me a comment telling me whether you have a furry friend(s) in your family and what their name is.  If you don't have a furry friend, then tell me what your favorite animal is.

Rules:

1.  Only one comment per person

2.  You must leave me some way to contact you.  If you are a No-Reply blogger, please include your email address in your comment.  If I can't contact you, you can not win.  If you aren't sure if you are a No-Reply blogger, check out the info in my left sidebar.

3.  This giveaway is open to everyone - yes, that means international.

4.  This giveaway will end Friday, December 16, at 5:00 pm PST.

5.  The winner will be selected with the help of random.org and posted Saturday, December 17, no later than noon.

Now that you've entered my giveaway, don't forget to go to Sew, Mama, Sew! and check out all of the other giveaways!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will continue working on my Gardener's Journal quilt

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GIVEAWAYS

Normally I post giveaways I find here while blog hopping.  However, with today's Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day and Friday's Party Hop Blog with Giveaways, I figured you had enough to keep you busy.  But don't forget to enter my giveaway from Friday (just in case you missed it) - you can enter that giveaway HERE.

I will return to my normal list of giveaways on Wednesday.

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FINAL THOUGHT