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)
If I lived in the past, Autumn would hold terrible memories for me. However, in the fall of 1993, and after being a Christian for 15 years, I finally understood what it meant to let Jesus be Lord of my life. He was my Savior, but I didn’t trust Him. I didn’t truly know He really loved me, no matter what I did. So, when I figured it out, and on November 3, 1993, I gave myself to Him fully.
Fall is a reminder to me of all I’ve come through and that Jesus can redeem what has been lost.
This makes me very grateful.
Oh God Bless You Christy! And Happy New Creation birthday to you on November 3rd!
My FAVORITE thing about fall is opening the windows of my house and having a cool breeze to air it out. I live in FL, so this is HUGE!! 🙂
I love to see the leaves change, light a wood wick candle, and wear scarves with my boots. There is nothing more refreshing to see God’s creation proclaim who He is!
There are SO many things I love about the fall- the aromas of delicious foods, chiles being roasted, the pumpkin everything. I also love that daylight savings is just about here. I obviously do not have children yet. 🙂
I love fall because the temperatures in Austin are perfect! Goodbye 100+! Hello 70’s!
I love the changing colors of Fall!
I love the smells of fall. The leaves, the air, pumpkin spice candles, the baking…
Color-changing, chili-making, sweater-wearing, cinnamon-smelling, apple-picking, cool, crisp-air-breathing, snuggle time…Autum! Love it! Fun giveaway! Thanks for the pics! Love Winston in his birthday hat! God’s blessings and Happy Fall, Ya’ll! ; )
I love fall because I feel like a little part of me comes alive when the weather cools off, the leaves start to change, and the holidays are approaching. Fall is my favorite season of all! And the giveaways are fabulous! That would just make my fall complete to win one of those!
Deanna W. I love putting an extra blanket on the bed, wearing cozy socks and sweaters, hot chocolate, peppermint bark and those cinnamon-smelly pinecones!
I love the changes in menus in our home, I am one wacky girl that can’t eat soup, chili etc anytime it’s warm out. So, I love dusting off old but “new” recipes and let the scents fill our home. It’s also fun to watch God’s artistic ability come to life in vibrant reds, golds and oranges. And truly is there ANYTHING better than that first crisp evening in the stands at a football game?
I LOVE Fall colors, not just the trees, I love to wear Fall colors, and there’s just something nice about the way the sun sits in the sky. Crazy, I know, but I like it! 🙂
Love seeing the colors of the trees here in Vienna!! So beautiful!!
My name is Jess Soete. I love so many things about fall!! Cuddling with blankets, going to my parents’ place to hang out in front of their wood burning stove, pumpkin lattes, boots, a chance to use my slow cooker almost every day! It’s all great! That’s what I love about the midwest. We have 4 distinct seasons and I love every one of them.
Dear Melissa,
I would love to win one of these beautiful gifts but even if I don’t I am sitting here feeling overwhelminly blessed by by your loving and generous heart. So I feel like I’ve already gotten a gift and my heart has been blessed. Thank You! Love the picture of you and your Mom. Blessings to you.
Jennifer Catri
I love PUMPKIN everything about fall! Lattes, Shakes, Seeds, Pies, Decorations, Farms …all things Pumpkin until after Thanksgiving:)
I love fall because of the wonderful color display here in this part of MO. This fall was especially radiant.
I love the cool days and nights of fall. There is nothing better than a warm bowl of comforting soup on a cool night. I love spending the evenings outside with the kids and chasing them all over the place. Fall is my favorite season because it means holidays and family time.
OOOH FALL!!!
I love it all.
Leaves, food, hot drinks, and FOOTBALL!
Love wearing long sleeves. Sitting by a warm fire. Drinking a hot Chai tea latte. Walking through crunchy, colorful leaves. Cheering for Notre Dame football. Etc…
My favorite thing is football with my family!
I love breaking out all of my cozy knit sweaters and snuggling up around a bonfire with good friends to make smores. Living in Virginia I get to experience seeing all the leaves turn too. God definitely knows beauty!
My name is Bekah Freelan and my favorite thing about fall – is the apple pie chai that the coffee shop at IWU makes. They only sell it seasonally and I may or may not have called to see if it was on the menu yet so I could walk down there and buy a cup. (a large cup.) (Because the walk negates the calories.)
My favorite thing about fall is the fact that our family can snuggle together inside again after going every which way after the warm days of summer. It also means change too and this year especially as our oldest child is moving out on his own now that he is done with college and is a working man. The transitions of life thru the seasons is the working of God.
I love the colors, the smells and the sunsets!
I love watching my two little guys explore the beautiful outdoors, jump in the leaves, etc.
Fall in Minnesota… Time to take out the cozy warm clothes and have hot chocolate by a fire. Simply perfect!
It is hard to really narrow down what I love about fall so I am leaving you with a comma’ed series- celebrations that include, but not limited to- candy, feelings of thankfulness and gratefulness, and the giant celebration of the birth of our KING!
I LOVE fall! The richness of the colors, the crispness of the air (I can finally take a deep breath in without fear of smothering in humidity!), pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, soup, a blanket and my favorite book by the fire, and the sound of leaves crunching under foot while on a stroll. . .oh, and roasted marshmallows!
I am from Florida so fall just means I am not sweating all the time! Which is glorious after sweating for 6 months straight. I do love when I travel and see the fall leaves as the plane lands. It’s always a little bit of a shock to see the non-green leaves on the trees.
I live in New Mexico, so fall to me means the cottonwoods along the Rio Grande turning BEAUTIFUL hues of yellow tones and cooler temperatures with a hint of what’s to come in the winter! I also love rediscovering my put-away fall/winter clothes and getting to cook all of my favorite soups/stews!
Fall and winter are my favorite times of year. The cooler weather and fresh breeze beg time outside. I love the first few days of cooler weather when parents and kids start coming out of hiding from the hot summer to play and spend time together outside. It’s just such an inviting time of year!
Amy Hill – Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite season. I love everything – but maybe most of all: the smell of the air and of other people’s fireplaces burning at night (we used to have one when I was a kid so that smell in the air takes me back). PS- this is the best giveaway YET! fun-fun-fun! 🙂
also- not trying to brown-nose to win all those fabulous gifts or anything – but winnie is very sweet, and i love the way your dining room is decorated (esp. the window on the wall). super-cute. i think i need your decorating help!
I love the brilliant blue sky and the smell of the cool, crisp air. I love walking into our great room (which is mostly windows) and being surprised at how bright it is because all of the trees in the woods surrounding our house are now bright yellows, oranges and reds. It takes my breath away every time. Thank you for the opportunity to win a fun giveaway!
Dena Masterino – I would have said a cold, rainy fall day with a good book, a snuggly afghan, and a spice candle but after several such days post Sandy in Western PA, I’m longing for one last sunny breezy crisp day before winter really comes!
Punky Tolson:
Oh my! I absolutely LOVE all things PUMPKIN and autumn is my favorite season of all with the change of temperature, color, sights and smells!!! I have to believe that it is God’s fave season, too because He can show Himself off in such spectacular color!! I mean- just get your head around PHOTOSYNTHESIS! Is that not amazing? The change of leaves and the stunning colors God produces through that divine process are deserving of a standing ovation…which I do on many occasion as I walk the neighborhood. Except that I’m already standing.
Alas- we have not had quite the color in Dallas this year. In fact to date we have had exactly NO color, and today it looks and feels more like summer than autumn.
But a girl can dream, can’t she?
Thanks, Melissa!!
xo – P
PS: Your Mr. Winston is adorable!!!
I love Fall because it is just no longer hotter than (you know where) in Dallas, Texas. Cooler refreshing weather, walks in the neighborhood, high school football games, Community Fall Festivals where you get outside and talk to your neighbors, Texas State Fair (RIP Big Tex), etc. etc.
I’m Sherrie Watson and my favorite thing about fall is watching the leaves change colors, the crisp air and the clear sky.
Oh there are so many things I love about Fall! I love crunching leaves that are on the sidewalk!
Colima Smith
Sophie Fasullo
Dear me fall is a beauty! I’m a sista gal from Houston and go to school at Samford university in birmingham Alabama! Fall here is beautiful to say the least the colors are vivid and the wind twirls the leaves like they are dancing! And it sure does make the soul dance. It’s a perfect medium of cool weather and beauty in the hills! Hiking and sippin on hot coffee and soups. Scarfs, and boots lend to be comfy at all times. Coming from Houston to Birmingham I told myself that I would never forget to look up and be thankful because there, there my friends, are the hills! He alone can move mountains! So yesterday I did look up and this time I noticed the pine cones in the pine trees. One tree causes the growth of hundreds! A picture of his provision and detail! I am thankful for fall and how it reflects the changing seasons just like the changing seasons in our own lives. I’m a chi omega sister too 🙂
Love and hugs.
Sophie
To be honest, I didn’t use to love fall. It seemed to me to be a season of dying, although I admired the beautiful fall colors. My father (and my beloved dog) died two weeks apart before Thanksgiving several years ago. Now as I’ve grown older (and perhaps wiser) I see fall as a transitional time of slowing down from the hectic summer season and enjoying the additional family time; a time to cherish and be thankful for all that we have and had. I truly enjoy going out to cut wood, and snuggling up by a warm fire with my loved ones. I also love the delicious smells coming out of the kitchen while baking or making a pot of soup/chili, the spicy pumpkin candles, and a hot cup of cider or cocoa. And I also love the down time to crochet while watching whatever football game is on. What a beautiful, colorful season the Lord has given us! Warm colors, cool air… and every reason in the world to bask in His glory!
Michelle Pharis
I love the sunshine in the afternoons with the crisp mornings and evenings. And hot drinks.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. ….and OH HOW I love the season of Autumn….the changing of the leaves, the colors that God has so blessed us with to enjoy and be wrapped in His Abundance THIS DAY on earth! From California to Minnesota I have enjoyed His canvas painting and pray those colors penetrate all of our beings, for if the is just a mere glimpse…..a tiny smidge of an open window to the vast colors in His presence we cannot even comprehend with our earthly minds? Let the flood gates open and put on your seatbelt for the best ride of your life! Amen! Hallelujah! Thank You Father God!
I love the crisp nights and the blends of colors in the air. I love fall food and the festivals in small towns. I love the way family pictures look with a backdrop painted by God. I just love fall, y’all!
Fall is my absolute FAVORITE time of the year for a variety of reasons. The chief reason being the change of seasons. I love the change in colors, the change in weather and the opportunity to reflect on life and how it changes with time. To me no other season demonstrates God’s majesty and power like fall.
I love walking on cool nights and hearing the leaves crunch under my feet.
I Love that God uses the Fall colors to make us stop and take notice of our everyday surroundings.
What is there to NOT love about fall?!? The smell of fires burning & the images of warmth & comfort THAT brings, crisp winds on your face, scarces & sweaters, beautiful colors in the trees & on porches and in yard decorations, pumpkin spice smells & tastes, hot chocolate & blankets… SO many more things i could list. FALL is awesome, y’all!!!
One of my many favorite things about a Michigan fall… is that it is still not winter 😉
besides all the wonderful colors and smells, I love the sense of the old falling off and blowing away in such beauty knowing there will be a new beginning not so far away…knowing seasons will continue, each one uniquely designed.