The Winner, my Birthday boy and Butterflies galore!

The lucky winner of my Trick or Treat Giveaway is...









are you ready?

get set...

wait for it...

Gin, of Keepsake Moments.


Congratulations Gin and a big thank you to everyone who played my game. I wish I could give you all something, because I cherish your friendships and love you all.



Also, today is Gizzy's Birthday! Yes, his Birthday is November 1st and today he's 12 years old, but he doesn't look a day over five, look at that face:

I took these photos on Friday afternoon. I could not believe all the butterflies that were out on that Lantana bush! There were so many of them, but they fluttered so quickly that it was difficult for me to get a good shot of more than two together, just look at this bush...how many can you see?







Gizzy sat patiently on the swing, watching me and waiting while I snapped photos.









I could not believe all that action. I thought I was at Callaway (Butterfly) Gardens.

I also saw a spider, a big ole bumble bee, a honey bee and a couple of different moths, but they were all too quick for me.

Today is your Birthday, Gizzy! Happy Birthday to you!

You are such a good boy!

Again, Congratulations, Gin and remember to give me your address!

My Halloween "Trick or Treat" Giveaway

Let's see, what shall I give you, my pretties?












How about this pretty Witch...ahem...Lacecraft book:

This 64 page, hardcover book (8 1/2" X 11") called "Learn Lacecraft" by Audrey Vincente Dean, was published by The Main Street Press in New Jersey; First American Edition, 1987.

The winner of this Trick or Treat Giveaway will receive a beautiful, hardcover book entiteled "Learn Witch... (ahem)...Lacecraft" and it will be great for all my crafty friends and followers that are good with their hands. And, if you are not feeling so crafty, just remember that Christmas is not far off, so this would make a thoughtful gift for someone who enjoys making things with lace.

I am also including one of my lovely hand rocheted bookmarks with a snowball and a snowflake, one on each end. Here's a picture of it:



Learn Lacecraft is the first book to bring together all the know-how for working with lace. Old and new techniques for using lace, on romantic furnishings and clothings, in decorative sewing and embroidery, are here in this book. There are more than 50 projects to make with lace, all with easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams, and many exciting ideas for using lace in crafts and needlework.

To give you a better idea of what's inside, look at these pages:

































On a side note: When ever I think of lace, I remember the play "Arsenic and Old Lace" that I saw years ago at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. The play had Jean Stapleton in it (you will remember her as Edith Bunker in All in the Family) and actress Marion Ross, who is best known for playing Ritchie's mom in Happy Days.



So much for nostalgia!




Kitty says, to win this Trick or Treat Giveaway, you must do the following (meow):


Post a comment here (between now and 10/31 at midnight) to get one chance to win, BUT, and this is IMPORTANT! Be sure your comment starts with the words "Trick or Treat" - or else, no treat!




If you follow my blog, you'll get a second chance to win (2)

If you post a link on your blog, linking back to me and my Giveaway here, then you will get a third chance to win (3)




Please make sure to leave me a comment indicating hat you have linked back to my blog so that I can go see.

This Giveaway will only last for three days, until the end of the day on Saturday, October 31st (Halloween) and then it's over.

The next morning, (if I survive Halloween) I will write out tickets for every name and let Gizzy or Middi pick one so I can post another article, announcing the name of the winner.

So, don't be a ghost and not show up for this Giveaway, or rather be a ghost and do show up, since it is Halloween, after all. I really appreciate everyone taking time to write a comment and I always look forward to seeing who has visited me here.

Hope your Halloween holiday is glowing with good fun, good friends and lots of laughter - be it ever so eeeeeerie, deary! he, he, he, heeeeeeeeee, cackle-cackle, screeeeeech!!!

...and the Winners are:

Drumroll, please...

First Place goes to Tina's Ubu, Contestant No. 10.

Ubu gets to help his mom pick out $15 worth of items from my shop and I will pay for shipping. Tina, please e-mail me at www.HoneyBeeCrochet@live.com
to inform me of your selection(s) and your shipping address. Congratulations to Ubu! Well done!
















Second Place goes to Marcel's Pitty Pat, Contestant No. 11.

Pitty Pat gets to help her mom pick something from my shop in the amount of $10 and I will pay for shipping. Again, please send me an e-mail (or convo on Etsy) with your choice and your mailing address. Congratulations, Pitty Pat. Good job!












Third Place goes to Stephanie's Baby cat, Contestant No. 9.
Baby can help her mom choose something from my shop in the amount of $10 and I will pay for the shipping. Congratulations, Baby, you stylish kitty, you!

I also would like to offer a Special Mention award, because I feel that this entry is not only unique, but the contestant is very near and dear to my heart, namely Contestant No. 4, the European (or Western) Honeybee, submitted by Jess from The Beneficial Bee. As you can probably tell from the name of my shop, my blog and the items I crochet, I support honeybee research and hope that we can find the cause for CCD before it's too late.




Jess, thank you for entering Bee Farmer in my Pet Costume Contest and please feel free to either a) select a gift from my Etsy shop in the amount of $10, but you would pay for the shipping or b) allow me to surprise you with a gift and I will pay for the shipping. Just let me know at your convenience and be sure to leave me your mailing address as well. Thanks again! A lot of people got a big kick out of seeing your bee.



Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank every and all contestants for entering and bringing so many smiles to people's faces. I wish I could send you all a gift, but please be assured that your participation has brought so much joy and happiness to a lot of people, so nothing was in vain. You are truly all winners in my book. I appreciate you and the love you have for your pets, because people who love animals are all my heroes. God bless you and thanks again for playing.

Heads Up!

Carve the pumpkin and be sure to hit "done" after you are finished!




















I'll be having a Halloween Trick or Treat Giveaway, right after I announce the winners of my Pet Costume Contest on Thursday, 10/29/09 through 10/31/09. I hope you can all join the fun!














"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."
(Shakespeare)
He, he, he, heeeeeeeeeee! cackle - cackle, screeeech!!

Have you voted yet?

Just peeking in to remind you - ever so gently - to please, please, PLEASE vote for your favorite pet costume contestant!

Remember to ask all your family and friends, colleagues and fellow bloggers to please vote also, because a person can only cast one vote from the same computer...thank you!

...and for those of you that have not voted yet - you know who you are!!!

...don't make me use my stinger! (ouch!)

Voting Poll is now open!

From now through next Wednesday, 10/28/09, we will be voting for our most favorite pet costume contestant. For this purpose, I have installed a Voting Poll on my side bar (to your left.) For your convenience, I have also placed photos of each of our lovely contestants right below the voting poll that links directly to their respective posts by simply clicking on the photo.

I hope this helps make the voting process a bit easier for you, since I know you are all very busy people and I truly appreciate your taking the time to vote. Thank you!

The first place winner gets to pick $15 from my shop with FREE shipping. I will also offer a small gift for second and third place.

Thank you for your vote!

Chestnuts roasting on an ...

... no, not an open fire, but a baking sheet in my oven. How lucky can I get! A couple of dear friends just stopped by and brought me these lovely chestnuts from their trees...just picked and they even removed the stickers for me.











I always used to see just one kind of Chestnut tree in Germany. We called them Kastanien. I just learned from one of my readers that there are edible and non-edible ones, called the Horse Chestnut. Below is a photo of the edible chestnuts. They have a spikier shell.



The following is a picture of the non-edible Horse Chestnut.



Thankfully, my two friends know the difference!


Here are the ones I baked in the oven. I criss crossed them on top and they popped open and taste oh, so sweet and good. Warm, kind of chewy and bread like, they go great with a cup of fresh coffee. Hey, I have more. Come on over and I'll share!

Did you know that Chestnuts are very healthy and that they are the only nuts allowed on some reducing diets? You can read more here, but this gives you a quick glance of the nutritional value of Chestnuts:

Water (g) 48.2 84.8
Protein (g) 3.4 0.2
Fat (g) 0.2 0.1
total Carbohydrate (g) 32.1 14.0
Sugars (g) 3.3 1.0
Energy (kJ) 730 230
Dietary Fibre (g) 14.9 0.1
Calcium (mg) 17.6 7.0
Zinc (mg) 0.4 88
Iron (mg) 0.7 0.3
Sodium (mg) 0.8 1.0
Potassium (mg) 468 110

As you can see, unlike most nuts, they are very low in fat. They also have a lot of potassium and, as all nuts contain protein. All the more reasons to enjoy some "Chestnuts" and if you can roast them on an open fire, then more power to you. Happy eatings!