Merry Christmas !!

Happy Holidays bloggers!l.  And a big 'THANK YOU' for making CraftyDad a part of your online world.  I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

Enjoy this special time of year with family and friends. 

Freebie Friday Winner Announced

Hey Bloggers!

Are you on the edge of your seat?  Waiting and wondering?  Who won the free book?

It's official.  The Freebie Friday book goes to:

Secret Cake

Secret Cake added her name to the mailing list and left a comment on the blog post to make her eligible. Her name was picked out of the hat over the weekend and voila, she's the winner.

I'll be in touch with her to get her mailing address and the book will be on its way.

Keep checking back...there will be another giveaway in January 2010.  Wow...2010.  That sounds different, doesn't it?  Time flies.  Make the most of it!

 

Freebie Friday! - and - New Tissue Holder in the Shop

Hey bloggers!

HAPPY FRIDAY! It's such a good feeling to know we've made it through another week. However....I guess that means that we're getting closer to the big day. Christmas is just a few days away. Are you ready? Is the tree trimmed? Do you have all your presents bought and wrapped? The Crafty Dad house is abuzz with activity these days. My wife (bless her heart) is the official gift-buyer and wrapper. Although I did help accompany her on a gift-buying trip a few weeks ago. It was a lot of fun. Always good to have some 'alone' time...even if it's spent at the mall.

We made a trip to Shipshewana a couple weekends ago and I found some really great fabric for tissue holders. I finally had a minute (after making a dozen bumble bee tissue holders -- thank you Kimberly for the great order!) to whip up a new design. I think it's going to be a big hit. Here's a sneak peek:

Let me know what you think. You can get a better view by visiting my shop.

Hey...it's Friday. And not just ANY Friday. It's Freebie Friday. It's the last day to sign up for the book giveaway I blogged about here.

Don't waste another minute: sign up now.

Best of luck to you.

These are a few of my favorite ....

Little Guy, Crafty Mom, Mr. Teenager and Riley

The Reason for the Season

Yes, it truly IS the reason for the season.  The wreaths and bows and trees and packages and cookies and candies are great.  Shopping isn't too bad either (it gives my wife and I some 'alone' time).  I enjoy all the Holiday songs too. And the family get-togethers.  But...the real reason for the season is because God sent his only son to Earth to save us from our sins.  Now THAT'S a gift.  The greatest gift of all.

Nativty set by JimShore.

I hope you are enjoying this special time of the year.

It's the Bee's Knees

I've been working with an Etsy customer for the past several days on a special order of twelve (12) tissue holders. I shared the sample with her last night and she approved! Excited? Yes...I'm very excited to start on her order.

Here's what she ordered:

Twelve Tissue Holders Comin' Up!

Okay. Gotta run. Busy day ahead. Hey: don't forget to sign up for my Freebie Friday book giveaway.

Hope you have a great day,

Sometimes the Simple Things are the Best

Indeed: sometimes the very simplest of dishes are the tastiest. Case in point is my wife's chicken and noodles. It's a family favorite. And mashed potatoes on the side. Oh yes...a match made in food heaven.

She's been making this hearty combination for several years. However, she's been adding something new lately. She adds a couple tablespoons of Watkins Chicken Soup and Gravy Base. And I kid you not, it has made a good thing even better.

Along with mashed potatoes, I like my chicken and noodles topped off with sweet corn (frozen or canned). Yum-O!

December's "Freebie Friday" Announcement

Freebie Friday Coming Up!

The December "Freebie Friday" will be another book (yes...I like books...and I hope you do too). This is a brand new copy of Eduardo Xol's Home Sense -- simple solutions to enhance where and how you live. Photography by Doug Myers. The ISBN is 978-0-06-124976-1 for those of you that might be interested. Eduardo is the designer from ABC's hit show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Some photos of the inside of this beautifully-photographed book.
[Click on the image to get a better view.]

So...how do you enter? It's easy:

STEP 1. Make sure you're signed up by using the form over on the right-hand sidebar of my blog. I just need your name and your email address. That keeps you in the running for the Freebie Friday giveaways;

STEP 2. Leave a comment on this post.

The fine print:

The deadline for the drawing is midnight EST on Friday, December 18, 2009.

The winner will be drawn over the weekend of December 19 and 20.

The winner will be announced on Monday, December 21st.

Since it's the 'most wonderful time of the year' everyone is invited to join in the fun. Whether you live in the US, Canada or anywhere else in the world. Sign up. And Good Luck!

Speaking of books. What are you reading these days. I recently re-joined the Good Cook Club and got four books for $1.00 each. And..I bit the bullet and bought a fifth book for 1/2 price. ('Cuz I'm a sucker for a good deal.) Here's what has my attention:

Currently on my night stand.

• Alton Brown's Good Eats [ISBN: 978-1-58479-795-1]
• Diane Phillips: Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever [ISBN: 978-0-8118-6657-6]
• The Deen Brothers: Ya'll Come Eat [ISBN: 978-0-696-23397-5]
• Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten): Back to Basics Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients [ISBN: 978-1-4000-5435-0]
• Elizabeth Yarnell: Glorious One-Pot Meals [ISBN: 978-1-60751-581-4]
• The Ellie Krieger book, The Food You Crave [ISBN: 978-1-60085-021-9] was a gift from my wife. (Thanks Honey..I love it!) She bought it at the Cleveland Clinic when she was there a few weeks ago for a follow-up visit with the neurologist (for the horrible headaches and sharp pains in the right side of her head.)

In between the One-Pot Meal book and the Food Network magazine is Bon Appetit.

I also subscribe to Food Networks magazine. Mmm, mmm, good.

I guess you might say that food is on my mind these days (every day people, EVERY day!). But... honestly...my wife will be going back to her five-days-a-week work schedule after the Holidays. So...one of my New Year's resolutions is to help with dinner. It's tough for us to figure out what we're going to have for dinner some nights. I thought some fresh ideas might get me in the mood for helping out. We'll see how it goes.

Hope you have a good week. Remember: do something crafty!

P.S. Sorry about all the different photo formats. I was having fun with Picnik today.

The 2009 Crafty Dad Family Christmas Tree

At last count, there were 1,200 lights on this year's tree. This photo does not do the tree justice. I think I need to figure out how to change some settings on my camera!

Watkins Introduces New Aloe and Green Tea Personal Care Items!

Check it out!  Watkins has introduced a Green Tea and Aloe Body Wash and a Green Tea and Aloe Shampoo.

You can purchase them at my Watkins web store.