Give Away Winners, Pink Hat and Mystery Object Solved

Hello!  I printed up the names of those who left a comment on my GiveAway blog post (and 2 for those who mentioned it in their blogs) and cut them up and put them in my nearly finished hat and Dayle drew 5 names.  :-)

Congrats to the winners!  Please email me your home address and I will get the beads wrapped in bubble wrap and a padded envelope and get them on their way to you.  Please take a photo of your bead and how you use it when you receive it and share with us.  Fun!  Also let me know if you want to choose one or if you'll be happy to let me pick one for you.  Email me at teresa.kasner @ gmail.com (take the spaces out, but this will save my email from getting harvested by eBots).  

I'm almost done with my "Pretty Kitty RESIST" hat.  I'll model it for you with my shawl when it's finished.  I also think I'll make a crocheted flower for the side.  What do you think?  I hope people don't look at me when I'm wearing this and think.. "There goes a LIVE one!".  :-)

Dayle and I attended a memorial service for a longtime friend of ours, Melvin, on Saturday.  We've known he and his wife Diane for over 40 years.  Diane and I were Dairy Goat 4-H leaders together for 5 years.  I told a story at the service about how one time on the way home from the county fair where we showed our Nubian dairy goats, I came upon a man on the road who'd just hit a woman with a huge tree branch.  I stopped and was trying to save her, Melvin pulled up behind me and jumped out of his truck (both of our trucks were filled with children and goats) - I told him what was going on and Melvin told the man - "Listen buddy, this is America, and in America we don't beat our women!!!".  I was able to get her into my truck while Melvin kept them man away and I took her home with me where she was able to call family to come and get her.  Melvin and I saved that girl that day, I'll never forget it.  Melvin will be missed.  We took my friend Sally home afterwards and on our way home snapped this cloudy and grey image of the Columbia River Gorge.

We went to dinner at Tad's Chicken 'n Dumplins that evening and were cheered by the fire in the fireplace and the red gingham curtains.

This is the riverside dining room below.

One of our Christmas Cactus is in bloom.. such a delicate blossom.

Dayle collected the eggs while Kristi was gone and washed them up.  Eggs, anyone?  LOL!

We had another "Three Dog Night" for 2 nights while the kids were at the beach.  This is Meeka getting a chest rub.

The whole pack was keeping an eye on Dayle as he had his lunch.  :-)

Remember the iron ring (that I found in my grandfather's barn in Oklahoma) with 2 hooks on it that I asked you all if you knew what it was?  WELL.. 

My cousin Mark in Oklahoma asked around and emailed me this:  "This is some of Karen’s cousin's harness that lives in Idaho. He has draft horses. This is on the back of horse on the rump it goes to the hames and the crupper hooks to it also. He couldn’t remember the name of it though."  This is different but similar enough that I believe we've solved the mystery!  Thanks, Mark!!  (ETA: I just got an email from a draft horse harness company and they confirmed what Mark said and told me it's called a "Harness Hook".)

If you've made it through this post, you get a gold star.  LOL!  I think I'll go finish the ribbing on my pink hat.  Have a great week!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)