Music Monday

I know it's been a while since I've done a Music Monday, but this week, this song hits home.  Every time I hear it, I think of the Tornado victims throughout the South.  I also think how lucky, how blessed I have been that I, and my friends and family, escaped unharmed.  Still, the need is very great.

I have friends in Tuscaloosa.  I have family in Birmingham.  I have friends in North Mississippi, and East Mississippi, and Georgia.  They are all OK, but there are so many who have lost everything-- and more than 300 who lost their lives. 

One of the 150+ tornadoes touched down just a few miles from my house.  It hit close to home in more ways than one.

Please consider making a donation to the charity of your choice.  The Pioneer Woman is having a contest of sorts on her blog.  For every comment, she will donate a quarter to Tornado relief.  At the end of the week, she will choose 4 comments at random and donate $500 to the commenter's charity of choice.

Naturally, I can't afford to do that, but I can do this.  Make a donation to the charity of your choice, and it doesn't have to be money.  Our church is taking up clothes and bottled water to send down to Tuscaloosa.  If you know of an organization that is doing something similar, that is great.  Anyway, make a donation of your choice --any amount-- then leave a comment on this post (NOT on FB please).  Next Friday May 13th, I will draw one name at random to receive one hank of my new Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome Select sock yarn. 


Let's let these people know that we will stand by them. 

That we won't let go.

And The Winner Is...

But first, let me show you my Saturday Sky:

It was a beautiful day today, all day. I had my windows open--just don't tell my allergist. I didn't watch much football, though. LSU is on their bye week, and nobody is showing the Texas game. I watched most of the Alabama-Kentucky game, then had to go pick up Cody from his band festival, so I missed the last little bit of it.

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for-- contest results.

First, let me say that I was surprised at how many correct answers I received. You people are smart! So, I took all the names of those who had submitted correct answers, put them into my official Dallas Cowboys sideline hat

stuck my gnarly little hand in

and drew out the name of the grand prize winner.

KJo! Congratulations, you have been e-mailed!

Then I put all the names of those who sent in incorrect answers into the hat

stuck my gnarly hand in again

and drew the winning name for the consolation prize.

Jessica! Congratulations, you have been e-mailed.

There were lots of interesting guesses. I won't get into all of them here, but I almost wish I'd added a prize for the most off the wall answer. Oh well, maybe next time.

Now, before I reveal the correct answer, I'd like to address one of the more common incorrect answers I received. The ad stated that Steve McNair led the Tennessee Titans to their first AFC championship in the team's 40 year history. Many of you had stated that this was in error because the team had won the championship in 1960 and 1961. While the team may have won an AFL championship in the past, this was its first AFC Championship, leading to the team's first Super Bowl appearance. They aren't the same thing, so this isn't an error.

And the moment you've all been waiting for: The correct answer is: (lots of you guessed it right, too)

ELI MANNING IS NOT FROM MISSISSIPPI!

He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Unlike the other four men pictured who are actually Mississippians, Eli Manning only went to college in Mississippi.

So there you have it, and that's the end of another contest. Thank you all for playing. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

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Contest Post

Click here to find it.

Just a couple of days left.

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It's Contest Time Again!

A few weeks ago, I posted about Mississippi's new Ad Campaign to try to improve the image of the state. I'm not going to rehash all I said in that post. You can go read it if you wanna. However, one of these ads will be the basis of my new contest, and yes it is football themed. The contest is simple.

Tell me what is wrong with this ad:

(Click to enbiggen)

This ad contains what I would consider to be a pretty significant error. Just tell me what it is and you get your name in the hat for some fabulous prizes. But more about that later.

To enter, just send an e-mail to isshinryubearmom@yahoo.com with your answer. Do not try to leave comments on this post. You can't, because I turned the comment option off. Everyone who e-mails me with the correct answer will get your name into a drawing to receive this prize package:

• One 400 yard skein of superwash merino/nylon blend sock yarn, hand dyed by Mississippi native Laura Linneman in the color Tales of Desperaux
• One jar of Sweet Potato Marmalade made from Vardaman, MS sweet potatoes.
• One gel candle in the scent Cotton Blossom, hand made by a local artisan who didn't have business cards, so I've forgotten her name (Sorry!)
• One plantable book mark by local crafter Vicki at Keep It Sweet & Simple Paperworks. Yes, there are seeds embedded in the paper, so when you are tired of using it as a bookmark, you can dampen the paper and plant it. Instructions are included.
• Anything else I find to include between now and the end of the contest.

What if you really, really want to enter the contest, but don't have a clue as to what the error in the ad is? You, too, can play. Simply drop me an e-mail saying something to the effect of, "I don't have a clue as to what the answer is, but please put my name in the hat as well."

And your name will be put into the hat for this consolation prize:



A 100 gram skein of Shelly Dyes Sock Yarn in the color What Willie Wore. She's not from Mississippi, but it's been sitting in my closet located in Mississippi for like, a year now.

PLUS

A print in the size of your choice (up to 8 X 10) of this fabulous photo of wild Mississippi Black Eyed Susans taken by Mississippi resident (but not native) me.



It's that easy. Oh, I should note that incorrect answers will also be put into the hat for the consolation prize. If you guess, and guess wrong, you still have a chance to win something, so what have you got to lose?

The contest will run until October 4th when I get out of bed. I will then draw names and announce the winner. But wait....what if nobody guesses the correct answer? No problem. I'll just put all the names into the same hat, and the first name I draw will get the first prize, and the second name will get the second prize. That's it.

Let the guessing begin!

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Getting to Know you Contest Questionnaire:

Knitty Otter is having a contest on her blog. To enter, just fill out the following questionnaire and post a link to it in the comments of her blog.

Getting to Know you Contest Questionnaire:

1.) How long have you been knitting?

Since early 2000. I remember that because one of my very first projects, other than the ubiquitous garter stitch scarf, was a sweater and hat set for my oldest nephew for his very first Christmas. He was born in March 2000.

2.) How long have you been knitting socks?

About a year and a half. Here is my very first pair.

3.) What do you do with a problem like Maria?

Stick her in a cheesy movie and make yourself millions of dollars.

4.) What is your all time favorite sock yarn?

Hard to say since I haven't really tried all that many. I'm really liking the way my Cherry Tree Hill Supersock socks are turning out, though. I also like Austermann step, if only they had better colors.

5.) Toe Up or Cuff Down?

I know both, but prefer cuff down.

6.) What's your favorite color (this week or for all time)? Do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

Teal. Looking at my yarn stash, you'd think I prefer reds/oranges. I think that's just because there are so few of the right teals out there. I can't stand the browny oranges and greens that look somewhat like vomit.

7.) Do you have a pet(s)?

Why yes. I have two dogs, Katie and Rylea, one ornery cat, Squeaky, and seven snakes: Scarlett, Monty, Blaze, Slider, Sunset, Snow, and Onyx Aloysius (he's the only one who needs a middle name.)

8.) Babies: Oven Roasted or Barbecued?

Why is fried not an option?

9.) Besides socks what is your favorite type of thing to knit?

I'm a lace knittin fool here lately.

10.) What's your favorite scent?

Sweet feed and saddle leather. But when you have to go with store boughten scents, I guess a vanilla will do.

11.) What music are you really loving right now? Like a song or a band?

Here lately, I've been listening to my son's band videos on YouTube. Maybe I'm just missing him.

12.) How many pairs of socks have you hand knit?

Twenty pairs. Wow, I didn't realize I'd done so many.

13.) What's your favorite treat? Salty or Sweet?

Sweet, all the way. Ice cream is the absolute best.

14.) What was the most interesting thing you smelled yesterday. Not good or bad necessarily, just the thing that stuck out most so that you actually took notice of it.

I would have to say my supervisor's cologne/aftershave or whatever it was. He always dresses nice (he can, because he doesn't have to actually work) and smells good.

15.) Needles - DPN's: Wooden, metal or plastic?

Knitpicks Nickel plated, unless I'm casting on lace. Then they shoop right out of my project. For my next lace project, I'm going to try the Harmony DPNs.

16.) What is your favorite sock pattern that you've knit? What do you recommend?

Yukon Leaves. I don't know what it is about this pattern, but they were my favorite to knit, and are my favorite to wear.

17.) The last Question: If you were stuck on a deserted island who would you want with you, what knitting would you want with you and would you ever want to leave?

Hmmm, that's a hard one. Long time readers will think they know the answer, but in a real life situation, I think I would want someone who knows more about survival in the wilderness than him. I'll have to think on that some more. For knitting, I would want a never ending supply of cotton. Not only could I knit with it, but I could make fish nets, tie stuff together, and make hammocks. We're talking survival, baby, not recreation. Would I ever want to leave? Definitely. I don't think I could go that long without a shower, or a teeth brushing.

Calendar Contest

Lynn is having a contest to celebrate her second bloggiversary. All you gotta do is post a picture of your June calendar to your blog, then leave a link in the comments of her contest post. Here is my June calendar:

And here is Cody's:

And The Winner Is....

But first off, the answers. This was actually kind of hard to pull together. I had a hard time finding celebrities with brown eyes. You would think, with brown eyes being the dominant gene, there would be more of them around, but no. Even the ones I thought surely would have brown eyes, didn't. Nicholas Cage, for example. I thought surely with his dark hair and complexion, he'd have brown eyes. Not so. His eyes are blue.

Anyway, to put you out of your misery, here are the answers:

1. Robert Sean Leonard
2. Brad Paisley
3. Howie Mandel
4. Tony Romo
5. Keanu Reeves
6. Tim McGraw
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The winner is:


Congratulations, Sharon. You have been e-mailed.

It's a lot of fun to host contests. I want to do one at least quarterly. I know knitting looms weren't the most popular of prized, but I did want them to go to a good home. Next time, the prize will be yarn of some sort.

Ta ta for now. I'm off to rack my brain for more contest ideas.

And The Winners Are:

But first, let me say that hosting this contest has been a lot of fun. So much so that I'm already planning the next one. It will be a challenge, too, because I'm not really that fond of those "just leave any old comment and you're entered" contests. It'll be easier than this one was. I think.

I have more to comment on this contest, but I know you're all chomping at the bit to know who won. There were two people who tied for the most correct answers, with 10. So I randomly selected, and the winner is ANNA! Congratulations, Anna. You have been e-mailed.

The rest of the names were put into a hat (with links getting you an extra entry)

and a name drawn
and the winner is SARAH!! Congratulations, you have been e-mailed.

One thing that surprised me about this contest was the sheer number of people who said it was just too hard, and didn't even try! I wanted everyone to be able to participate, which is why I added the random drawing for a second prize. They could have put any old name down and still have been entered into the drawing, but they didn't. They just gave up. I found that to be quite surprising. I actually had one person who guessed The Twelve Apostles. Totally off base, but it still got her entry.

Another thing that surprised me was how hard it was to find pictures of these guys smiling. That fact played a big part in who I chose to feature in this contest. I'd originally wanted to use the more well known quarterbacks, but in the end, I had to go with the ones I managed to find the best pictures of. If you guessed the theme was NFL quarterbacks, you guessed correctly. And here are the answers:

1. Ben Rothlisberger--Pittsburgh Steelers I was surprised at how many people guessed that this one was Tom Brady.

2. Brett Favre--Green Bay Packers Someone stated that this one was the most obvious of the twelve. She must have been right, because this picture received the most correct guesses.


3. Chad Pennington--New York Jets When I made up the contest, he was still the starter. I'd hoped to use all starting QBs, but again the pictures put the limitation on that.

4. David Garrard--Jacksonville Jaguars

5. Donovan McNabb--Philadelphia Eagles

6. Eli Manning--New York Giants Many people got him and Peyton mixed up, but just as many got them correct.

7. Jamarcus Russell--Oakland Raiders Very few people guessed this one correctly. It goes back to the who-I-could-find-pictures-of factor. I know he is a non-starting rookie, but he does have a nice smile!

8. Matt Leinart--Arizona Cardinals This is the man whose name I couldn't find a way to work into my blog. If you got him right, kudos to you!

9. Peyton Manning--Indianapolis Colts I should have thought this one was the most obvious, because of all the commercials, but more people got Brett Favre correct than Peyton.

10. Tom Brady--New England Patriots This one really surprised me. Very few people guessed that this was Tom Brady. The most often given answer was Troy Aikman.

11. Vince Young--Tennessee Titans

12. Tony Romo--Dallas Cowboys You know he had to be in there somewhere. How can you not love that smile!

So that's it for this round. Thank you to everyone who participated, and congratulations to the winners.

Look for more contests after the New Year. I've got at least two in mind...

A Contest--In Which I Combine The Passions Of My Life

STICKY--Scroll down for regular posts. Please read the contest rules carefully before posting comments. Thank you.

This month, one of my karate buddies got his braces off. In honor of this occasion, I have decided to hold a contest. I've posted here several photographs of smiles. Can you identify all 12?

UPDATE (11/28/07): My apologies to everyone. I was thinking that the 30th was Thursday. I realized this morning it isn't. So you have until midnight FRIDAY night to submit or revise your entries. Sorry about that.


HINT #1: They are all men. Even though one of them has a rather feminine smile, he is still a man.

HINT: #2: They are all different men. Some of the smiles may look alike, but there are 12 different men represented there.

HINT #3: Though they all appear on TV regularly, none of them are actors.

HINT #4: Though none of them are professional actors, at least 4 currently appear in commercials.

HINT #5: They are all athletes.

HINT #6: They all play the same sport.

HINT #7: They all play (or played) the same position.

HINT #8: Here it is, the biggest hint I will give you. Eleven of these twelve men have been mentioned by name--first and last--somewhere in my blog.

That's the most I can tell you without giving you all the answers outright. Have fun and happy guessing.

Official rules:

The contest will run until November 30th, giving you plenty of time to guess and research. These pictures were all gleaned from the internet--many from the same site--and all are relatively famous--some more so than others. There is a theme to them as well. I'm not going to tell what it is. That would give it away, but once you've guessed a couple, you should be able to figure it out. Send an e-mail to isshinryubearmom @ yahoo (dot) com with your answers. If I don't acknowledge your e-mail within a day or two, nag me about it until I do. Do not put your answers in the comments. We don't want to give our opponents hints, now, do we? Comments with answers in them will be deleted.

The winner will be the one who has guessed the most answers correctly. If there is a tie, those names will be put into a hat and the winner will be drawn randomly. All entries, regardless of the number of correct answers, will be entered into a random drawing for a prize just for playing. Also, if you link to me on your blog, leave me a comment letting me know that you did so, and you'll get your name into the hat an extra time.

First prize will be this:

.Two 50 gram balls of Knit Picks Essential in the Riverbed colorway, and not one, not two, but three, yes three, count them, three sets of double pointed needles. The two on the left are Clover bamboo in sizes 2.25 mm and 3.25 mm. The set on the left is Comfort Zone size US 2. It doesn't give the mm size. Neither of the bamboo sets has been used as far as I can remember. They aren't warped and look brand new. Nothing is wrong with them, I've just decided I prefer Knit Picks nickel plated needles. The Comfort Zone needles I tried to use, but just couldn't get used to how bendy they are.

Second prize--the one decided by the random drawing will be this:



Two undyed balls of Patons Classic Merino wool. This yarn is 100% wool, and great for dying or felting. Each ball is 100 grams and just over 200 yards of worsted weight wool. It should be enough to make a hat and matching gloves, or a decent sized scarf.

Answers, along with the winner, will be revealed the first couple of days of December.

So are you ready? Let the guessing begin!

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