Ladies! I think a Friday afternoon deserves a celebration. We’ve almost made it through the entire work week! Woo hoo! We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is always the hardest part of the giveaway because we’d love to gift all 3,911 of you, but alas, we cannot, which I guess is what makes a giveaway so fun. With that said, join me in celebrating our SIX beloved winners for this fabulous giveaway. Believe me when I say we here at the office are coveting each of the gifts and almost threw a fit when we realized we couldn’t enter the giveaway ourselves. We love fun stuff like this just as much as you do!
So, without further ado, congratulations to…
Grand Prize Winner: Cara Koski
Second Prize Winner: Ansley DuRant
Gift number 3: Victoria Gelberg
Gift number 4: Kim Tipton
Gift number 5: Anne Dailey
Gift number 6: Leslie Wood
If y’all would please email me (Lindsee) at [email protected] with your mailing address we willl get these prizes to you ASAP. We love y’all so very, very much. Thanks for playing along. Hope you each have a beautiful, fall weekend!
DEAR SIESTAS! THE MERE THOUGHT OF YOU IS MAKING ME GO ALL-CAPSY.
It has been FOREVER and then some but I have been thinking about you. I know I haven’t been in this here blog-space much recently but I can assure you that I’m still at LPM. My days are full since I’m working and going to school part-time. AGAIN. Yes, again. Somehow even when I vow to walk away for good, I end up right back in the classroom in some capacity. This time around I’m working slowly on a M.A. in Biblical Languages at Houston Baptist University. When I’m not researching something for a project at LPM, I’m taking a Greek class in the Septuagint and a Hebrew readings class in the Joseph narrative. Oh, and how could I forget to mention Winston Jeffrey Fitzpatrick?! A little over a year ago Colin brought home a baby rottweiler and our life has never been the same since (even when I desperately want it to be!). Winnie is SO, SO bad but we love him madly.
Here is W posing in my dining room. Or demanding a filet mignon cooked over medium, I’m not really sure.
Here he is again furious about having to wear his birthday hat:
But really, enough about us.
I want to talk about YOU and a fall giveaway we are doing because we love you and appreciate you.
Now, I should mention at this point that if you are one of those people who is SO OVER all the talk about pumpkin-flavored anything, then you will want to run for your life.
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE.
Do I have a faithful fall remnant?
This weekend we had our first legit “cold-front” here in Houston. It was even down in the forties one night. Glory be! The crisp cold air in my lungs got to me in the best way possible and, of all things, I wanted to cook. There’s just something about fall that always brings me back to the kitchen. Nothing better than listening to a little Norah Jones or The Civil Wars with the windows cracked open, cool breeze dancing through the house, while a chili or stew simmers on the stove. I thought just maybe fall might do the same for some of you so the grand prize winner will get a red Le Creuset signature round dutch oven (red not orange like the one on the box).
I love it passionately and do not want to let it go. I even enjoy posing with the beloved dutch oven:
The second prize to be claimed is a $100 gift card to Pottery Barn because, let’s be honest, Pottery Barn during the fall season is heaven on earth:
Gift number 3 includes an amazing decorative pillow, fall flower arrangement, and Hill Country Home candle.
Gift number 4 includes a fun little clutch from Anthro, a scarf, several pairs of boot socks, and some gorgeous MAC makeup in fallish colors.
Here is Lindsee modeling the scarf. Love her and she can work a scarf better than anyone I know:
This MAC stuff is tough to photograph but fantastic (includes three eye shadow kits and two lipsticks in shades of Russian Red and Viva Glam III).
Gift number 5 has a bunch of fun stuff: Cook’s Illustrated Fall Entertaining magazine, kitchen towels, mulling spices, Hill Country Home candle (again this is one of my faves!), autumn cupcake decorating set, beautiful engraved silver dish, Trader Joe’s Pumpkin bread mix, and more.
Gift number 6 comes with a fun autumn welcome mat, potpourri, decorative kitchen towel, and my favorite ever mulled apple cider candle. DIVINE.
Here is Mom sorting out all the gifts. Isn’t she cute?
So dear friend, for a chance to win one of the six prizes, please leave a comment with your first and last name and tell us something you love about fall.
We love you so much,
Melissa
(Lindsee not pictured here ONLY because she was out of the office when we snapped this photo)
Wow! This is such a fun giveaway! Like everyone I love the fall colors. I also love to watch the leaves floating to the ground so gently. It is peaceful to watch. I enjoy eating pumpkin. I stock up on canned pumpkin at this time of year, so I can extend the pumpkin cooking through winter. My husband and I discovered the simple recipes using a can of pumpkin and a spice cake mix or bread mix or even brownie mix. The pumpkin replaces the oil and 1 egg. This makes the recipe so easy, and reduces the calories! Love that pumpkin!
I love everything about Fall. It’s my favorite time of the year. I get to turn off the air conditioner and not run the heat and just enjoy the cool crisp air as long as it lasts here in coastal North Carolina. I love the smells of a fire in the fireplace and goodies baking in the oven and I love Thanksgiving because it’s all about being thankful. And God has so blessed me that I have an abundance of thanks to Him who saved me. Blessings to you all.
Growing up in Alaska my favorite fall has always been the crunching sound of stomping iced-over mud puddles! Also I love soups, stews & chowders with crusty bread and the smell of apple cider or wassail simmering on the stove.
Megan Cutter
Susan Smith.
Fall is my FAVORITE (jumping in on the all caps love) time of the year for so many reasons, including: the colors are to. die. for; the humidity drops and every single hair on my head can finally Stand Down; the food…oh, my…the food; apples and pumpkins and cranberries, oh my; Christmas music (I know…I know…it’s too early but I’ve been listening to it for a long while now; and so much more. Absolutely just love it. Absolutely just love all of you and am so thankful for each of you at LPM and how you minister to us. Hugs!
Fall is my favorite season! Apple picking, cider mills, baking soup and fresh baked bread, are all of the simple pleasures of life that come with fall. The colors of the leaves and the crisp air, plus FOOTBALL season..what more could one want?
Fall used to be the saddest most depressing time of the year for me, until Jesus began setting me freed from childhood trauma that I didn’t consciously remember. Now, I can say I truly love the cooler temperatures, (after this summer in KS City that has been huge!) the lovely fall leaves, and a reason to make and enjoy homemade chili.
I love the cool fall weather!
Beth Petty from Georgia- Gorgeous sunsets & sunrises, the awesome painting of His bear shadow in NC, rustling beautifully colored leaves, roasted squash, chili, fire in the fireplace, windows open, dinner on the porch, low humidity, renewed feelings of thankfulness (especially for summer in the rear view window) and GEORGIA BULLDOG FOOTBALL!!! Woof!
I love the leaves changing color and the cooler weather. 😀
I love the cool crisp breeze blowing in my face while watching high school football. Thank you for the chance to enter 🙂
Autumn is such a great time for walking especially if you live in the country. The leaves crunch underfoot and all the little animals seem in a hurry to get things ready for winter. The air feels fresher somehow after the passing of stifling heat. Which brings me to the other reason I love autumn- summers in the south are almost unbearable. And I sweat. Like a man. I’m assuming this blog welcomes honesty so I figured I’d just put that one out there. Oh, yeah, and I like my winter clothing more than my summer wardrobe. The more I can cover up, the better. Give me a turtleneck any day of the week. Please! Father Time and gravity take there toll on the body. Thank God the inner man, woman, is being renewed daily!
Ooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, how fun is this??? Thank you for thinking of such girlfriend-things! Just this morning, I was telling my sis how I have missed Beth on the blog lately, because I consider her my friend. She may not know me, but she is a friend dear to my heart. How wonderful is God to gift us with these special and unique friendships?!?
So, something I love about autumn-snuggling up in my heated-mattress-padded bed with windows open and burying underneath the heavy-weighted blankets! Such a peaceful sleep!
I love the Fall the best. After a hot busy summer we seem to slow down. Even with Thanksgiving & Christmas we seem to focus on family more. Plus the smells of fall are the best!
There are many reasons why Fall is my favorite season…the colors, the scents, the cooler weather. BUT what I *love* about Fall is that my husband and I celebrate our anniversary on November 22nd! This year will mark anniversary number 9, woo-hoo!
I’m Sandy Smith. I love the beauty of fall…the magnificent colors!! I think God made Fall just for me!! But I’m happy to share fall with y’all!!
My favorite things about fall: wearing hoodies, curling up on the couch with a warm blanket and a good book, bonfires, a cool breeze, football season!, fall colors (I could wear them or decorate with them year round), and most importantly- a reprieve from the hot summers of south Arkansas.
I love the beautiful color of this season. The orange and yellow of the leaves and the brilliant red of the burning bush. Sometimes as I look around you just know that God must love color and I have to tell Him that He did good… real good!
OOPS! I forgot to leave my name. I am Alicia Guthrie from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I love fall for all the reasons I already mentioned. Perfect weather, football, beautiful colors..it’s amazing. 🙂
I love that the weather is cooler, but there are still days warm enough to play outside with my daughter.
I love the beautiful painting God paints with all the different colors of the leaves! I love walking through the leaves after they fall on the ground and the crunchy sound they make! The fall always reminds me that God is in control, this is what makes me love fall the most!
Joyce Daley…fall is my favorite season of the year and in northern NJ it was especially beautiful this year. I posted an obnoxious number of pictures on my blog this past month. We are in hurricane clean up mode right now and on day 4 without power. Still, feeling luckier than so many.
The day before Sandy struck I took a picture of a tree so stunning dressed all in red beside our town’s lake. I have looked at that picture many times since, a reminder of Gods creativity, and also his faithfulness. Would I love this tree as much if it stayed red all year? Looking forward to the changing leaves is also part of the joy of autumn. Color is my favorite thing about fall…and this fall I will add hot showers, heat, and electricity to my list too. NJ/NY continues to need much prayer.
I love the few days we get of real “fall weather” in Georgia – cool breezes but warm sunshine, and maple trees in all their colors! God is SO good!
Hi! I’m Jamie. I love fall because of the cool weather. Living in Phoenix, we live for the “fall,” “winter” and “spring” (anytime it dips below 90 degrees). The people leave their air conditioning for the great outdoors and it begins to feel alive here again. Fall is the BEST time of year!
I love the changing of the leaves and the wind hollowing at night!!
Rebecca Saiz
The leaves changing and everything pumpkin – I cannot get enough! Getting ready to frost a pumpkin cake right now!
My name is Vickie Anderson in Oklahoma City. I have loved fall this time around because I have enjoyed walking through the woods around my neighborhood with my grandkids. One of my grandkids said, “Look grandma it’s raining leaves.” Oh the beautiful creation of God:)
I’m Pam O’Brien… what an awesome giveaway. Thanks!
I love the color of fall; the blue of an October sky, the warm hues of changing leaves (especially when each leaf is multi colored!); I love to watch the leaves fall from tall trees, how they glide and twirl; I love that it’s sweater weather and time to light cozy fires; and, I’m among those who are not tired of pumpkin-flavored everything yet.
Some things I love about fall:
Foliage Frolics
Apples, Apples, Apples
Losing Leaves
our Limitless Lord who shows Himself beautiful in this majestic display of colors
I live in Arizona, so when fall comes, it is a blessed relief from the heat! I love being able to leave all the windows open and my kiddos needing a blanket when they get up in the morning. I grew up in Maine, so I miss the colors – ah, but the beauty of living where I do, I can drive up into the mountains a couple of hours away and see them, then come back to the desert where we almost never get snow! Still, fall is definitely my favorite time of year. 🙂
What don’t I love about fall?! The colors here in Michigan were AMAZING this year! I love being cozy by the fireplace, drinking warm drinks, sleeping all snuggled up with cool air on my face, picking apples at the orchard (on years not like this one, where the apple crops were almost all destroyed), roasting pumpkins to use in baking (which makes my house smell AWESOME)…Ahh, I do love fall. 🙂
Hey! I’m Bonnie Wallace in Charleston, SC. I love the fresh breath of cool fall air after a stuffy humid HOT summer! 😀 Xoxo!
I love some coolness in the air (since we don’t see alot of it) and using Pumpkin Spice creamer in my coffee while I sit on the patio in the morning. Ahhhhhhh.
Darenda Leffel
I love fall; the colors just take my breath away because like a fierce storm God’s majesty is on full display. Also because I think the seasons are like life. Fall ushers us into a break from the heat , days where you breathe easier , are willing to cuddle and wrap up in the comfort of someone who loves you. Isn’t that just what God does for us, after the fires of life He cools us and wraps us up in His love for sweet comfort ?
Not to mention that the cool days and nights wipe my memory clear of scorching heat so He lets me know I crossed His mind and gifts me with Fall
Love you girls.
I too LOVE the awesome colors….but my favorite thing throughout the years is walking in that crisp air hearing the crunch and crackle of those falling leaves!
It seems to make you forget anything around and I catch myself cracking a smile and looking around to see if anyone is sharing my silliness!
This is my favorite time of year! Probably the thing I love most about it is keeping up with lots of family traditions even tough, as a military family, we are thousands of miles from our extended family.
Wow! What wonderful gifts 🙂 I love the cooler weather fall brings (although in AZ the coolness only comes once the sun goes down!) 😉 I am also a sucker for anything pumpkin scented or flavored.
I love fall – I love the slight crispness in the air (we don’t get a lot in Alabama but we do get some!). I love the colors on the trees. I would love to win 🙂
My name is Jennifer Watson and I love watching my miracle daughters dance and play in the leaves in their adorable fall boots. I love that they make me want to dance too with unfiltered joy and belly laughs. I love that they call me mommy and that I still need mine at 36 in this crazy, busy life of full-time ministry. Crazy thankful and snuggly in this fall season. I love it!
My name is Marilyn Miller and fall is my absolute favorite season. I love the blue skies, the white cotton fields, the cool mornings but warm days and the excitment of getting ready for the holidays. Such a fun giveaway!
I love football, boots, warm drinks, an occasional cool day (South MS), girl time while the boys are in the woods, and my favorite…getting dark early! I know it’s weird but the hubby works outside. Everyone comes in earlier when it gets dark earlier. Makes for earlier dinners and longer evenings…more family time!
Rosa Fleming and I love the crisp fall air and the wonderful colors of fall, cinnamon, apples, and pumpkins too.
I didn’t use to like the Fall season. However, just like seasons change in our lives, God has changed my attitude toward the Fall. It has become one of my most favorite times of the year! Go figure! I find that with the beautiful, cool weather outside brings out the cozy inside. I don’t even mind the rains when they come. It just makes me want to get in the kitchen and get the smells of some great soups going!! I love to cook! Nothing better than a mocha, hot apple cider, all the while wearing warm and cozy norwegian socks, while cooking comfort food inside. God has inspired me through the color of Fall leaves too. I need to be willing to change in this season whether it is show His colors more true and vibrant for others to see, or let things fall off that He wants to take away, just like the winds blow the leaves off the tree. Thanks for the chance to share!
I do love Fall. The beauty of God’s earth, the foods that go along with Fall, football, fires in the fireplace, and the closeness of family are just a few of the reasons I love Fall.
My favorite things (have to do at least two because it is my favorite time of year)are (1) the colors of the trees in New Mexico and (2) pumpkin spice falvoring from Starbucks.
Autumn rocks because my beloved beautiful zinnia’s are completely showing off their best colors yet! Autumn is heading into the Holidays & I open our one hundred year old home to tons of parties & my favorite afternoon tea time with the girls. I love autumn be aide this pastors wife of twenty years needs a time to dig in the dirt & celebrate what has been and what is to come! Praise Him.
Amy Mason from Savannah, GA
Definitely the clothes! Bring on the cute sweaters!
The very best thing about fall for me is the smell and feel of cooler air. It gives me the feeling of new life after summer’s seemingly unending heat. I live in Florida. Summer goes on for most of the year!
I love the leaves changing color
My name is Jessica Reed and I live in San Diego, CA. Don’t get a lot of the fall season here. I do always go home for Thanksgiving though. My parents are in Northern California. They live out in the country. My favorite things about fall up there are the beautiful leaves on all the oak trees, the brisk cool weather, and all the smells; home cooked meals, pies, and candles. Oh and one more thing, a fire in my Dad’s wood burning stove. That’s fall to me!
Hi my name is Teri Wenck and I live in Austin Texas. Fall is one of my favorite times in Texas, why?!?1 because the weather is pretty amazing. March and October/November have to be the best Texas weather months. The weather isn’t too cold or too rainy, there is a beautiful little fog that comes up off the lake (really a river) that runs through town on my morning commute and I just love it and the leaves around Lady Bird lake (again it is really a river) have changed to a pretty autumn orange.