Merry Christmas, Happy New Year - Behind already!!

As my title says - I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that your new year got off to a flying start! Somehow, I'm three days into the new year and ALREADY feel like I'm running behind! :0) After ten days at the beach with my family (which, apart from a few of the usual family dramas, was most enjoyable!) we had one day at home that I spent tied to the sewing machine, frantically trying to finish those monkeys I talked about last post for the nieces and nephews, then we had the weekend with my Beloved Geek Boy's family at the Crows News Caravan Park. Not too far from home, that one, but we worked out a few years ago that the self-contained cabins aren't too pricey, give each family their own space to retreat to if they need it, no one's house gets trashed with the family invasion and there's a pool and lots of open space for all the nieces and nephews to run wild - which they did! :0) We arrived back this afternoon and now have to wrap our heads around the fact that holidays are over and we're both back at work tomorrow - SIGH! Why is it that another week would always be good ... no matter HOW long your holiday is! :0)

And as well as being behind in wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, I'm behind in letting you know the three extra prize winners I was responsible for announcing for the end of the 2009 One Project A Month Challenge. May Britt has already announced the December winner and her three extra winners taken from the full year's tally ... but you'll just have to wait a little longer before you find out who gets MY three prizes while I have a little say about the OPAM Challenge 09.

When May Britt and I first 'chatted' about setting up a 'little' challenge, it was to give ourselves and our blogging buddies who joined us a bit of incentive and encouragement to tackle some WISPs and to actually FINISH new projects that we started during the year. And we did that, with a whopping 5694 projects completed for the year! WOW!!! HOWEVER ... it became SOOOOOOOOOOOO much more! Throughout the year, not only have May Britt and I been privileged to see THOUSANDS of your finished craft projects, large and small, we have been welcomed into your lives. As we 'chatted' with you all via emails or popped into your blogs to collect monthly finish tallies, we were also witnesses to your lives. During 2009 we joined with you to welcome new babies, sent condolences as you mourned the loss of loved ones, rejoiced with you over special birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and special occasions, worried and prayed with you through illnesses, accidents, stressful events and life-changing moves and laughed with you as you searched for the humour and funny side of life. The OPAM Challenge may have started off just as a craft challenge to encourage us all to take some time out for ourselves, but it ended up being a giant, world-wide sewing circle that linked like-minded ladies into a network of blogging buddies and friends. On behalf of May Britt and myself, I would like to say ...

THANK YOU!!

... to you all for sharing your craft and your lives with us. I'm looking forward to expanding my blogging buddy network even more in 2010! :0)

But before THAT happens, I'd better tell you the three winners of my extra prizes. Drum roll ....

1. Annette S.

2. Judy S.

3. Tudy

CONGRATULATIONS, gals!! If you can all email me your snail mail addresses, I'll get your surprise prizes into the mail this week.

Now ... for all of you who have been asking "Will there be an OPAM Challenge for 2010?" The answer is ...

YES!!!

May Britt has decided not to co-host OPAM with me this year due to work and other time commitments ... and she wants the extra stitching time, too! :0) And I would like to say a big

THANK YOU!!

to May Britt for her help and friendship as we ran with a much BIGGER 'little' challenge than either of us originally counted on! :0) May Britt and I were blogging buddies before teaming up to host OPAM, but our friendship has certainly grown and bloomed as we've worked together and gotten to know each other over the last 12 months. And I know that will continue this year, as May Britt says she will be the first person to sign up for this year's OPAM Challenge because she STILL has lots of kits and projects she wants to finish! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Now, I certainly wouldn't be able to cope with running OPAM by myself, so this year, I am really excited to announce that my OPAM Challenge co-host for 2010 is ...

PEG!!!

YAY!!! Some of you (like me!) were part of Peg's challenge in 2008 that inspired May Britt and I to change OPAM from a personal challenge amonst four or five blogging buddies to the huge beast it became, so you just KNOW she will be a wonderful co-host with me! :0) Peg is an incredibly talented and prolific stitcher who just AMAZES me with how many projects she finishes - in fact, my nick name for her is "SUPER STITCHER"! Tee! Hee! Hee! So ...

WELCOME ABOARD PEG!!

I just KNOW we're going to have a ball encouraging you all and helping you keep track of all your stitching projects this year!! Make sure you pop over and welcome Peg to OPAM!!!

Before you get too carried away, though ... sign up isn't open yet!! The OFFICIAL SIGN UP for the 2010 One Project A Month Challenge will open on ...

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2010!!!

(Edit: Oops! Had the date there before, must have deleted it accidentally! Kept you guessing! Tee! Hee! Hee!)

Peg and I will BOTH post the list of Challenge guidelines and sign up will be by EMAIL ONLY to help us keep track. Make sure you read ALL the guidelines and follow the instructions outlined when you sign up, cos numbers for participation will be limited and if you don't do it right, you'll miss out on all the fun!!

PHEW!! I know that was a loooooong post with no photos, but as I said ... I'm playing catch up!! I promise photos next time. Stay tuned for OPAM details and sign up! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS