Happy New Year and a Calendar Winner!

I wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Thanks, everyone, for your interest and kind comments about  my calendar.  I wish I could send each and every one of you a calendar.  I'll have to do this again next year!

I drew a name for my calendar giveaway at the stroke of midnight.  Well, it was somewhere in that vicinity as I think every one of our clocks says something different, but there were a lot of fireworks going off, so it couldn't be too far off of that.  Fireworks just don't cut it here on the 4th of July since it doesn't get dark, but New Year's is the big day for fireworks as we have lots of dark.  The winner of the drawing is Theresa at The Run "A" Round Ranch Report.  Theresa lives in Texas and has a delightful blog about the goings on at her small ranch.  Because I had an extra calendar left, I drew a second name, and that calendar is going to Nell at Moments in Maple Glen.  Nell lives in British Columbia and posts wonderful photos of the gorgeous scenery in southern British Columbia, Canada.  I know you'll enjoy both of their blogs as much as I do.  Theresa and Nell, email me your mailing addresses and I'll get your calendars on their way to you.

Calendar Giveaway

I put together a calendar this year, and just picked the finished product up from the printers.  Although I've found a few proofing errors, I'm still happy with how it turned out.  Although I've been busy the last month and haven't had much time for blog visiting, I very much enjoy all of the wonderful people I've met through blogging.  To show my appreciation, I'm going to have a drawing on New Year's Eve for one of the calendars.  If you'd like to be in the drawing, comment on this post and mention that you'd like to be in the drawing.  You can also comment on any of the posts I do between now and then. 

Below is a collage of the 12 photos in the calendar, with the bottom three being bonus photos at the back of the calendar.

Good luck!

Alaska Tea Sampler Winners

Last night I drew the winners of my Alaska Tea Sampler giveaway....

.....and the winners are:        Mamabug @ Mamabug's Nature Photos
                                              Ruth @ Ruth's Photo Blog
                                              Granny @ grannysgarden

I am thrilled to see Alaskan teas going so far away, to Mamabug in Florida, Ruth in Canada, and Granny in Australia.  Please take a few minutes to visit their beautiful blogs.  Mamabug, Ruth, and Granny, click on my profile and there is an email link where you can email me your mailing address and I'll get your tea on the way.  Then we can sit and enjoy a cuppa from Alaska together! 

Sydney at Jingle in July and Last Chance for Giveaways

Today was our Jingle Bell Run.  As I wrote in an earlier post, which you can read by clicking HERE, because of our cold winters, last year we had our first Jingle Bell Run in July.  Today was the second year for Jingle in July, which is held in North Pole at the Santa Claus House.  We had beautiful weather and of course Santa was there too.  I have been working on the organizing committee, so the success of the Run has been exciting.  Last years Run had 208 people signed up to walk or run, and this year we had somewhere around 460, not counting the many dogs.  We had several participants from out of state, including as far away as New York, Washington DC, Florida, and even a couple from Switzerland.  Last year we raised $17,000, and it looks like we have more than doubled that amount this year.  Before the race an aerobics instructor led some warm-up exercises, and my granddaughter Sydney got into the spirit of it and followed along.

She was quite stylin in her yellow sunglasses and rain boots.

My team was Reindeer on Vacation, and Sydney did put on her reindeer antlers for a little bit.  While she was waiting for the start, she stocked up on some essentials for the walk.

She did some walking and running, hitched a ride or two with her auntie, and rode some in her stroller.  At the end of the  5K walk she was all tuckered out!  I believe her rock collection grew a bit along the way.

Tomorrow after 10:00 p.m. Alaska time I will be drawing three names to receive an Alaska Tea Sampler and I will post my winners Monday.  If you want to be including in the drawing leave a comment on this post or on the original post if you haven't already.  The teas are Wild Rose, Cranberry, Raspberry, and Blueberry.

The other giveaway is for two books and to be eligible for that drawing you need to go to the Jingle in July website and donate at least $15.  You can still donate for Jingle in July by clicking on the logo below, and your chances of winning the books are very good as no one has done so so far.  If you do, be sure and let me know.  If I don't give these away now I'll keep them and do a giveaway some time in the future. 

Colorful Barn

I saw this barn in the Skagit Valley in Washington a few weeks ago.  I like the contrast of the yellow field in front with the brown wood of the barn.  (Check out my Giveaways below.)

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To see more old barns click on the barn below to go to Trish's Barn Charm.

GIVEAWAY

There's still time to enter my giveaway drawings.  The first giveaway is three drawings for an Alaska Tea Sampler.  If you like tea or need a gift for someone who does you'll love this sampler.  Click on the photo below to go to the post about the drawing and leave a comment if you want to be included in the drawing.

 The second giveaway is a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation.  We're doing our Jingle Bell Run this Saturday, and anyone who donates $15 or more will be in the drawing for two beautiful Alaskan books.  Click on the photo below to go to that post and check out the books.  Click on the Jingle Bell Run logo to go to the Jingle in July website to donate to my team, Reindeer on Vacation.  Click the Donate button, find Elaine, and just follow the easy directions.  The drawings are both July 10th.  Good luck!!

Jingle in July Giveaway + Another

Many of you may be familiar with the Jingle Bell Run/Walk that is held by the Arthritis Foundation in many locations around the country in December. That doesn't work here in Interior Alaska because December can see temperatures of minus 40 and only a few hours of daylight, not to mention the snow-covered ground. Last year we held our first Jingle Bell Run in July starting at Santa Claus House in North Pole and circling around through a park and along the streets of North Pole. This year's Jingle in July is being held on July 9th. I have won a couple of giveaways in the past, and thought that this would be the perfect time to pay that forward. The Giveaway has two parts, one for my followers and one for the Arthritis Foundation. The Giveaway for Jingle in July is two Alaska books. The first book is Jon Van Zyle's Alaska Sketchbook, Four Seasons in the Far North. Jon Van Zyle is a well known Alaska artist. The book is a collection of paintings, sketches, pencil drawings, and personal diary entries that depict nature in Alaska over the four seasons. It is truly a small gem. The other book is a 2001 quarterly publication by the Alaska Geographic Society, Exploring Alaska's Birds. The organization ceased operation in 2003, and the trademark was bought by the Alaska Geographic Association in 2005. Although back issues are still being sold and certain issues of the old quarterly journals are re-released occasionally, this is an out-of-print book. It contains information and fantastic photos of birds in Alaska. To be eligible for this Giveaway you will need to go to my Jingle in July web page and donate at least $15 to the Arthritis Foundation through my personal web page. Click HERE to go to the Jingle in July web page. The link to my personal web page is incredibly complicated and long, so if you click on the donate button, then click on donate to a participant, and then where it asks to enter participant's name just type in Elaine and then click on Elaine at Reindeer on Vacation. You'll know you're on the right page when you see my photo with reindeer antlers and Hawaiian leis. Also, leave a note back on my blog so I will not miss your name in my drawing. Just for your information, 81% of the money donated will go to research and program services. Fundraising costs are 13% and management and general are the other 6%. Check out the website for more information.

The second Giveaway is actually three Giveaways. All you have to do is be a follower of my blog and comment on this post. Actually, my follower list keeps disappearing during the disruptions that Blogger has been having recently, so I won't actually hold you to that requirement. I will draw three names and send an Alaska Wild Teas Sampler to each. There are sixteen teabags in the sampler, four each of Cranberry, Wild Rose, Raspberry, and Blueberry. I will draw names for both Giveaways on July 10th, the day after the Jingle in July Run. I hope to see Alaska teas and books travel a long ways from Fairbanks! Good luck!

Below are some shots from last years Jingle in July. That's my team in the foreground, Reindeer on Vacation.

You can see the trail is a pleasant walk, including some beautiful wildflowers.

The photo below is of part of my team before the start. Walkers of course began after the serious runners had taken off. There's some kind of race in Fairbanks every weekend throughout the summer.

We'd all agree the sweetest member of my team was my granddaughter Sydney. She was content to ride in her stroller last year. She's two this year, and usually prefers to run on her own, so we'll see if she will stay in the stroller for the length of the course.

You can click on the logo below to go the Jingle in July website. You can do a search for Elaine, and my team, Reindeer on Vacation, should pop up. There's also a link in my sidebar.