i HEART coffee! GIVEAWAY!

I LOVE coffee. I always have loved coffee. I can remember as a little Whipper Snapper going around the table after big family dinners, when all the adults were sitting around yacking and drinking coffee, I'd ask for a sips of everyones coffee. My Grandpa used to tell me it would stunt my growth. Which is not true GrandPAW....and if it was I wouldn't have cared. If it were true, I would be sitting on about 5 pillows right now as I write.

BECAUSE I LUV you MORE than my COFFEE.....I know it's hard to believe but it's true!!! I am giving away RedLetterWords NEW print.

The Coffee print is a 12x12 Cafe Mount Art Print! (as seen above)

Wouldn't this look FABulosO in your kitchen? YES it would! OR in a breakfast nook....if you have one of those luverly places in your home.

You would look especially marvelous in your "I heart Coffee" apron (made by my Mom!), drinking your coffee next to your Coffee Print. MMhmm, I can see it now......

I got a little bossy with my Mom. I told her make the skirt full, give it a nice high cummerbund waist, and some big pockets for stuff. She did it all, she's such a good listener.

Isn't the material adorable. The coffee brown with the steaming swirls, and the red hearts, tied together with the names of Coffee Drinks Fabric!

The reversible bow on the back!

Mom you out did yourself this time!!!

I couldn't believe it when I told my good friend Dee that my Mom was making me a "I Heart Coffee" apron, and she screeched,

"AAAAhhhhh, I've been working on a print of coffee drinks I want you to give it away with the apron!"

Well then of course I screeched "Kaw-a-BUNGA that Rocks!", and well we nearly got booted out of the restaurant we were having lunch at, for causing such a ruckus! Spoil sports! I tell ya great minds think alike! You can read more about Dee's mind on her blog, and then you can check out all her other fantastical products here.

ENTER TO WIN:

The COFFEE print from RedLetterWords

AND

The "I Heart Coffee" Apron made by My Mom

Tell me DO YOU like Coffee? If yes, how do you like your Java-Joe?

Do you like it black, with cream, or cream and sugar, flavored cream, or just milk? Do you only drink espresso drinks? If so what's your fave?

ONE comment per person, BUT if you share this giveaway on TWITTER or your FACEBOOK page, then I will throw an extra entry in the bag!

Comments excepted until midnight Friday, February 11th!

WINNER will be announced Saturday, February 12th.

If you missed the last TWO Giveaways skeedaddle here, then here, to enter to WIN!

Cheers!

GIVEAWAY WINNER and a look back on my first year.....

In honor of my 1 year Bloggiversary I am announcing YVONNE, come on down.........you are the lucky winner of Jaden Hairs Steamy Kitchen Cookbook and a Redletterwords 12x12 cafe mount print!!!

Yvonne, you can find my email in my profile over yonder....send me an email with your full name and mailing address and Dee at Redletterwords and Me/Myself/&I will send you your print and cookbook.

Every time I do a giveaway, I hate picking a winner. I procrastinate, a little bit, take lots of deep breaths. Go to the bathroom 5 times. Get a snack. Why? I think it's because I hate to pick just one winner. I want you all to win. I always hated being the team captain in gym class too, so much pressure!

I absolutely loved hearing what each of you enjoy serving your guests. I wish that I could come sit down with each of you and eat every single one of the meals you described.

It's been an amazing year. I will never regret listening to my heart and my friends and starting Strawberry CAKE. Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to start writing. I love cooking, and it turns out I don't mind writing either....so in that another blog was born.

I will never forget how I actually felt just before I clicked on the "publish post" button for the first time. I thought I was going to puke. I was so worried that if someone would happen to read my blog, they would scrunch up their face and shake there head and never return.

I just revisited my first month of blogging. Jeez-Louise....I didn't even post a picture, well because we still had dial up! And my camera stunk! Way back then (1 year ago) if I were to post a picture it took about the time it takes me to make beds, fold a load of laundry, and unload the dishwasher to post one stinkin' picture! Kenny gave me a new camera for Christmas and shortly after that I started using an air card to get a faster connection...kinda...if the wind wasn't blowing and the sky was clear, I could upload a picture or two. I live in Michigan, remember, the land of wind and clouds. It took a trip to the Ranch for me to figure out the joys of satellite internet. The day I returned, I was on the horn with a satellite service , and they were here the next day planting a giant dish outside in my shrubs....hey! a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.

A bowl of barfy looking pumpkin seeds was my first post that included a picture. You would think I would have gone for something a bit more appetizing....like perhaps a picture of Strawberry Cake.....nah...let's take half a day to post a picture of slimy seeds. I told you I'm a numb skull.

It's interesting to see what posts received the most reaction from readers. Of course all of the Sheila & Ree posts were very popular. My highest traffic was on this post, because Ree gave me a shout-out on her Facebook page....and my blog went BEZERKO. We were on a road trip out East at the time, my phone started ringing off the hook. I was ignoring it....I was on vacation. Finally I answered to a freaked out Big D, gasping for air and trying to tell me Ree had given me a shout out on Facebook. Hokey Pete!

This post also got a bit of a reaction.

Some of my recipes that people seem to feel strongly about are:

My Favorite Mac-n-Cheese

Saturday Morning Traditions

Cobb Guacamole

Pumpkin Spice Donut Muffins & these Donuts

What really matters, is not the volume of comments or visitors to my site, but when someone, says, "thanks, you made me smile today". I gotta tell ya those comments get me right in the tear ducts. I really, really feel blessed to have you all in my life. Thanks for reading. Here's to another year!

Cheers!

STEAMY kitchen + REDLETTERwords=GIVEAWAY!!!

This Friday is the ONE year Anniversary of my first post on Strawberry CAKE.

Yipee-WOOhoo!

Because I luv ya, I wanted to do a GIVEAWAY, and it turns out it's going to be a double whammy! I still cant believe that anyone besides my first two commenter's (thank you Heather and Big D) even reads this stuff..... I want to say Thank You for coming over here, it makes me so happy when you do.

I am a huge fan of Jaden Hairs blog Steamy Kitchen. She has great recipes that are delicious, quick, and easy. I was a total geek when I got to meet her last week in San Francisco.

She was so sweet, she didn't mind my geek-a-tude at all. I was the first one at the book table, just in case her book sold out, and she very graciously signed two copies. One for YOU and one for ME!

We LOVE any type of Asian food in this house. Chinese, Sushi, Thai, you name it, my kids love it! Look at my boys they are looking through my new cookbook deciding what I should make first. Luke thinks I need to cook every recipe........maybe I will eventually.

Goof-ball! Who's kid is this?

More goofballs, oohing and aahing over all the yummy pictures and recipes.

The Steamy Kitchen is only the first part of my the giveaway! The second part is this print from Redletterwords!!!!

12x12 cafe mount

My friend Dee is so sweet (maybe because of all the goodies she eats over here at my hacienda). When I told her I was doing the Steamy Kitchen Cookbook giveaway she said "Oh! I want to give you my new print to giveaway with it!". I was driving when she told me, I nearly went bumping over the curb I was so excited.

The verse on this print is from Hebrews 13:2. I love this verse, it reminds me of my Grandma telling me about how during the depression, even though they barely had enough to feed their own family, they never turned anyone away that happened to show up on their doorstep during dinner time, because they might be an angel!

This would look fabulous in your kitchen or dining room, I just know it! It's a good thing Dee will be sending the winner the print, because if I got my grimy paws on it it may never get to the winner.

Ok enough blabbin....here's what you need to do to be eligible to win:

1. Leave a comment below telling me what recipe you love to make when you have guests over. One comment only please.

*** if you want more than one chance to win....***

-Twitter this giveaway and mention @lstrawberrycake in your tweet

-link this giveaway to your FaceBook page

-Check out Redletterwords site and have a look around, tell me what your favorite print is in your comment!

Because I am a night owl, I will take comments until 12pm Friday night! Then I will pick one winner randomly to win Jaden Hair's Steamy Kitchen Cookbook AND the above 12x12 cafe mount print from Redletterwords.

Hugs to you all!