A Discount Birthday

I'm 34 today. I really like birthdays. As I've gotten older, I think I've started expecting less on birthdays, and that makes it more fun. Instead of being on edge, wondering if my husband (or others) will fulfill whatever expectations I have, I can really enjoy whatever comes my way. It's nice to be celebrated, whether in big ways or in little.

I didn't really have a list of "wants" this year--instead, I'm looking forward to spending some time with my husband. Tomorrow night we'll head to Maggiano's. We love good Italian food! I purchased a Maggiano's BuyWithMe voucher recently. In my opinion, a dinner out is even more fun when it's discounted! We recently babysat for some friends' kids, and we'll be "cashing in" when they take care of our kids tomorrow.

In mid-April I got a very cute dress at the Ann Taylor 40% off sale. I posted this photo on Facebook, saying that I needed to plan a date night so that I could wear the dress.

It's taken over four months, but I'm finally going to get to wear the dress! It'll be great to have some much-needed alone time out with my man.

And tonight, I'll get some dessert:

I got a Groupon for Marble Slab Creamery several weeks ago, and have been saving it for my birthday. I'm getting a great discount on a cake I plan to thoroughly enjoy. I might even share!

All in all, as I eat my discounted food, wear my discounted dress, and appreciate free babysitting, I think it'll be a birthday full of rich blessing!

New friends

On the second day of school, I was asking Chickie about the new friends she was making. She was telling me the names that she remembered (an impressive number of names!) A couple of her comments made me laugh.

"Mom, why do you keep asking me if they're nice? They're all nice!" (Yay!!!)

"One of them is named Joey. But he's not a baby kangaroo." (Glad she clarified.)

Crochet Giveaway!

It's time for a C. Beth Crochet giveaway! And this one will appeal to those of you who have a competitive streak.... Details are at the end of this post!

I just completed my second crocheted purse. This was for my mom. She helped pick the yarn/fabric combo, and I love it. In fact, while I am very fond of my own crocheted purse, I think the colors on this one are really more appealing.



The finished product is really cute.



Cute little rosette...



And plenty of pockets!





These purses are big projects. I could go on all day about how long one of them takes. But I think the best way to express it is to tell you how many crochet stitches were required for this bag.

Only I'm not going to tell you. That's where the contest comes in!

Guess the number of crochet stitches in this purse. If you guess closest, you'll win the prize of your choice, either...

...a cute flower headband. (You'll get to choose from various colors.) OR...

...a little case suitable for a phone, pens/markers, or other small items. (You'll get to choose from various colors.) OR...

...$15 plus free shipping toward a hat or other crocheted project of your choice!

Okay, here are the details:

How to win:

• Guess how many crochet stitches are in the purse I made for my mom. I am ONLY counting stitches on the front, back, sides, bottom, and straps. I didn't count stitches required to join all the pieces; the flower; or the little tabs that snap on the top and sides. For those of you who crochet, you may want to know that most of the stitches are HDC stitches.
• Leave your guess here as a comment. Please also let me know if someone referred you to the contest (and their name!)
  
• You may enter ONE additional time by going to the C. Beth Crochet Facebook Page. Again, guess the number of stitches. (You'll want to choose a different number than you use here!) Leave your guess as a comment by clicking here. You will need to "Like" the page before you can comment there.
  

The benefits of SHARING:

• Share this contest on your blog, Facebook page, Twitter, billboards, public access television, by leaving annoying flyers on people's windshields...whatever!
• When you share, be sure to tell people that in their entry they need to tell me that you sent them! You might want to copy and paste this text for Facebook: "C. Beth Crochet is doing a giveaway! Tell her I sent you--we could both win! http://cbethblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/crochet-giveaway.html" Or, for Twitter, "Crochet givewaway from @CBethTweet! Tell her I sent you--we could both win! http://cbethblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/crochet-giveaway.html", Please don't comment here telling me where you shared. Just make sure anyone you refer includes your name in their entry.
  
• If your friend gives you credit in their winning entry (here or on the Facebook page), you win too! You'll both get to choose a prize!

Final details:

• The contest will run through 11:59 p.m. Central time on 8/31/11. On 9/1/11 (my birthday!) I'll name the winner. Whoever guesses closest will win. In case of a tie, I will use random.org as a tiebreaker. Winner will be announced here and on Facebook on or around 9/1/11. Please be sure that I have a way to contact you! If I don't hear back from the winner by the end of the day on 9/4/11, a new winner will be chosen.
  
• Shipping to the U.S. or Canada is included. If you live in another country, you are welcome to enter. However, you'll need to pay to ship your prize.

Have fun!