Blog Hop Party Giveaway + A Little Of The Green

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing

It's Friday!  I'm amazed at how quickly the week has flown by.  I did some sewing and finished up the last swap of the for this month.  Grocery shopping was attended to and the normal chores and making of meals.  Somehow the hours are never long enough, even with the added daylight at the end of the day.  Today I'm off to a workshop being presented by our guild.  It will be a day of learning and fun.  This weekend they are forecasting a winter type storm to move into our area.  Hopefully it will add to our meager rainfall total for the year.  We will be attending a 70th birthday party Saturday that is to be held on the patio.  I sure hope they have lots of heaters!  What will your weekend be like?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

St. Patrick's Day

Tomorrow, March 17, is St. Patrick's Day.  Whether you believe in the luck of the Irish or not, it's fun to have another day to celebrate.  And since green is my favorite color, it has to be one of my favorite days.  Here are a few facts concerning all things St. Patrick's and luck:

* St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

* The actual color of St. Patrick is blue. Green became associated with St. Patrick's Day during the 19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by fairies and immortals, and also by people to encourage their crops to grow.

* The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737.

* The phrase, "Drowning The Shamrock" is from the custom of floating the shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish believe that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.

* Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

* The name “ leprechaun” has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word “leipreachan,” which means “a kind of aqueous sprite.” Or, it could be from “leath bhrogan,” which means “shoemaker.”

* The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737.

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THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

CELEBRATE ST PATRICK'S DAY

(aka Blog Hop Party with Giveaways)

What's better than celebrating St Patrick's Day with a giveaway?  How about having a blog hop with lots of giveaways!  It's Blog Hop Party with Giveaways time!!

I'm joining in the fun being coordinated by Michele over at the Quilting Gallery.  Last year there were over 240 participants.  Everyone who is participating has to make a post today.  Starting tomorrow (or late tonight) Michele will post a list of all the participants.  All you have to do is click HERE for the long list of giveaways.

And you may be asking what I'm giving away?  How about......

Two (2) charm packs of Prayer Flag by April Cornell for moda to one lucky winner.  

This giveaway is open to everyone.  Yes, I will ship overseas.  This giveaway will remain open until Friday, March 23, at 5:00 pm PST.  The winner will be announced in a brief post on Saturday, March 24 by noon.

How can you win these two charm packs?  Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite color - and if you have a reason for a certain color then include that if you wish.  

My answer would be:

"My favorite color is green.  Green reminds me of nature and I love seeing everything growing out in my yard".

Fine Print

1.  You must have a way for me to reach you.  If you are a 'no reply blogger' then you must include your email in your comment.  If I can't reach you, you can't win!!  If you aren't sure if you are a 'no reply blogger' take a look at my left sidebar.

2.  Only one comment per person. All others will be excluded.

3.  If you do not tell me your favorite color - your comment will be eliminated from the giveaway.

4.  You do not have to be a follower of my blog, but if you enjoy my ramblings, I would love it if you would become a regular follower.

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STITCHERY UPDATE

I've continued to work on my Summer Sampler counted cross stitch.....

This is how much I had done two weeks ago (3-2-12).

This is how much I had completed last Friday (3-9-12).

And this is where I am today.  I didn't have as much time to stitch this week as I would have liked to.  I feel like they are making floss skeins smaller than they used to.  I had to buy some more skeins of a couple of the colors to be able to continue working on it.

Design: Summer Sampler

Designer: Sandy Orton for Kooler Design Studio

Fabric: 18 count cream Aida cloth

Fiber: 2 strands over 1 - DMC floss

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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Sarah, over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, is organizing this year's Hands 2 Help Charity Quilt Challenge.  And here are this year's guidelines!  You will be signing up to make a quilt or quilts for one or both of two charitable causes.  First up is something I'm calling The NOLA Project.  Quilts will be distributed to grade-school children in St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans.  St. Bernard Parish was hit incredibly hard by Hurricane Katrina.  The second charity this year is an ongoing project of Emily of Em's Scrapbag.  You can choose to make quilts for Happy Chemo, an organization that provides quilts and comfort for chemo patients.  With two charities to choose from this year, you can choose a wide variety of sizes and styles of quilts - something for everyone!   Sign-ups will be Sunday March 18th through Saturday, March 24th.  There are even prizes to be won.  For all of the details on this great event, just click on the link above or on the button above.  I hope you will consider participating in this worthy quilt challenge.

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TODAY'S GOAL

To learn something new at a workshop I am attending.

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GIVEAWAYS

The Barn Hollow is having a giveaway.  You could win a darling 6" bunny.  This giveaway ends Saturday, March 31.

Quiltville's Quips and Snips is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Quilts from Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks.  This giveaway ends Sunday, March 25.

Lavender Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win 6 quilt shop quality fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, March 20.

Quilting Gallery is having a giveaway.  You could win a Moda fat quarter bundle of your choice from the Fat Quarter Shop.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, March 21.

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FINAL THOUGHT