CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY WINNER!

The Blogging Community is unlike anything else.  While preparing for my Christmas Giveaway, Hubs questioned why I would go through all of this effort to actually give a gift away to a stranger?  That is how he phrased his question.  It made me contemplate my personal experiences with Blogging.  Somewhere, during the visiting of others' blogs and posting comments and in turn sharing projects and having comments left for ourselves, we develop relationships.  What is amazing is that over time we actually feel like we know some of these people because we've made some kind of connection with them.

They offer support and praise and sometimes the relationship spills over from simple blogging to actually emailing one another on the side.  And I've witnessed, on others' blogs, people actually meeting, in person, and feeling as if they've known one another for EVER!  So I was quick to correct dear Hubs and let him know that my Blogging Community is not filled with strangers, but a wonderful, supportive group of creative individuals who constantly supply me with inspiration and joy each and every day!

Instead of concentrating on work yesterday afternoon at my office, I printed off my Followers list.  I then photocopied the names of those who kindly promoted my Giveaway on their Blog so they had extra credits.  I painstakingly cut the lists up with my scissors and deposited them into an envelope, which was sealed once my task was complete.

I asked Hubs to draw the winner from all the names in the envelope just before bed (in case there were any new entries before day's end).  I was so excited once he had selected a winner and he looked at the tiny slip of paper and got a funny grin on his face.  He said "You won't believe it"!  I figured he's yanking my chain and ordered him to just tell me who won!

Hubs had that silly grin because he knows that Chris is one of my special 'Blogging' buddies!  She is probably the first person I made a 'connection' with in Blogland!  I don't know how we came together but I think I found her blog first and her profile caught my eye because her daughter lives in Toronto, which is close to where I live.  That, along with the fact that she has 3 dogs (like me) and lives in an old farmhouse on 20 acres.  I'm a wannabe FarmGal stuck in Suburbia!  She's living my dream.  Chris extended a helping hand to me very early on when I was having some difficulties with Blogger.

Congratulations Chris!  If you haven't already paid her a visit, please go visit Chris at

Red Gate Farm.