March 07, 2009

Uphill's First Free-for-All


It's time for Uphill's first Free-for-All!

What exactly is a free-for-all? Well, I looked it up, just to make sure.

Dictionary.com says that a free-for-all is a contest, open to everyone and usually without rules - and it's usually disordered, impulsive, or out-of control.

Hmmm....well, this free-for-all does have just a few rules...and hopefully it won't be completely out of control!

The rules are:

  • Everyone who has made a comment during the last month is entered into a drawing.
  • On the selected day, we'll choose one name - they win the prize.
  • Every time you make a comment, you are entered once. Therefore, the more comments you make, the more times you are entered.
  • The prizes will be handcrafted treasures made by the very talented members of my family.

The prize for Uphill's first Free-for-All will be:

A custom family portrait from
Dysfunctional Art!


This is an awesome gift and one that you will really treasure. Julene does hilarious family drawings that focus on each person's hobbies, talents, or idiosyncrasies. They make great wall portraits, Christmas cards, baby announcements, wedding gifts...well, the list could go on and on.

Your prize will include a portrait of up to five people. (This is a value of 50 to 80 bucks - not too shabby!) You'll get to tell Julene all about the people in the portrait - something funny, their hobbies, anything you'd like. She'll do the rest!

Let me show you some pictures from Dysfunctional Art....just click on the pictures to see them up close.

Kids 'n' their Toys  

This one is called "Kids n their Toys."

Here's another one.

Cats, Cats, Cats

It's called "Cat Psychology."  Look really close to see all the funny details.

On the Job  

This one's called "On the Job."  You really need to go to Julene's website to read about it - it's hilarious!


This month's drawing will be held on Monday, March 9. That gives you two more days to make comments and get entered into the drawing. Comments close Monday at 8:00 a.m.

Why don't you make a comment now?

And just to make things interesting, anybody who makes a comment on Julene's blog - Dysfunctional Art - before Monday will also be entered into the drawing! Be sure to visit - you'll love what you see!

Thingy
Mar 7, 2009 9:03:43 AM

7 Comments

Danielle

Cute blog! I'll have to wait until the kids are asleep to be able to read more; I love reading about our ancestors.

Aunt Julenes pictures are awesome! I definitely need to visit her blog too!

Posted by: Danielle | March 07, 2009 at 12:36 PM

Tipper

I'm in! I'm in!! Such a neat prize!!

Posted by: Tipper | March 07, 2009 at 01:12 PM

Mike J

What a cool prize. Count me in.

Posted by: Mike J | March 07, 2009 at 02:58 PM

Thomas MacEntee

Yowza! You know I can actually be very verbose . . .

Posted by: Thomas MacEntee | March 07, 2009 at 04:11 PM

Jenny-Jenny

Checked out that website the other day and I love her stuff. I really need to win!!

Posted by: Jenny-Jenny | March 08, 2009 at 12:20 AM

Becky Jamison

Actually the "dysfunctional" part looks pretty realistic for my famly! Love the drawings. Now I'm going to go look at Julene's site. Thans for putting me on to it, JoLyn. Mmmmmm Jolyn, and Julene. Clever.

Posted by: Becky Jamison | March 08, 2009 at 08:53 AM

Liberty

Awesome site JoLyn! I loved it--my grandmother passed away 6 years ago now and I wait every Spring to see her beautiful flowers come up. They are just little reminders of her. Also, thanks...I was feeling a bit jealous about your trip to Guatemala, but now...I don't really want to travel with you at all:) Have fun!

Posted by: Liberty | April 03, 2009 at 09:58 AM

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A Pinch of This and a Dash of That Naomi Heninger was a good cook. That's what it says in a history written by her granddaughter. And I believe it. Especially when I read how hard she had to work to put on a good meal. These days, you can make a gourmet meal with all the fixings and hardly do any work, thanks to Costco and pre-made everything.... And if you throw away the box, everybody will think you made it yourself! But it wasn't that way for Naomi. Back in the early 1900's, everything was homemade. Naomi cooked on a coal stove and baked in a coal oven. When someone asked her for a recipe, she would say, "I put a dash of this and a pinch of that - a handful of flour - a cap of vanilla - a sprinkle of nutmeg." Vanilla was her favorite flavoring, and nutmeg her favorite spice. She was well-known for her yummy pies - no one could make them quite as good. She always made her pie crusts from lard that she rendered herself. Okay, wait a minute...what in the world is rendered lard? I looked it up online and the Homesick Texan has a great explanation of what it is and how to make it yourself. Basically, you take pig fat and cook all the bits of meat out of it, then strain it and save the fat to use in cooking. Hmmm...I just use Crisco out of a can. Anyway, Naomi's apple pies were the best. She used Asterkin apples if they were available, and if not, she used her own bottled apples. (Yes, every year she bottled hundreds of quarts of fruit.) For the pie, she sliced the apples thin, dotted them with butter, some sugar, and always nutmeg that she would grind herself. Grind herself? I just get it out of a bottle... When Naomi called one of the children to bring a cup of cold water from the pump (FROM THE PUMP!), they knew their daddy was hungry for pies . It took several pies to go around, and they could each have one piece - there were ten children after all. She made custard pies (always flavored with nutmeg, and a little lemon extract); mincemeat pies (made from scratch); and squash pies (prepared from a squash, not a can!) Naomi made a couple of delicious desserts that were everybody's favorite. One was called Lumpy Dick. Apparently, a lumpy dick is a simple boiled pudding. The Big Oven says that you take boiling water, add white flour and stir until it is the consistency of lumpy mush, add a pinch of salt, then serve warm or cold with milk and sugar. Another was Dead Pig Pudding. Really. When Naomi made suet pudding, she put it in muslin and tied each end in a double knot. It resembled a dead pig with its feet in the air. So it was called Dead Pig Pudding. And suet pudding? Well, suet is actually raw beef or mutton...
PREVIOUS POST
The Free-for-All Has a Winner... Thanks to everybody who has commented at Uphill Both Ways in the last month! They are: Becky Jamison, Jenny, Brenda, Thomas MacEntee, Mike J, Tipper, Danielle, Jenna, Evelyn Yvonne Theriault, Janet Iles, Dirt Princess, Greta Koehl, Debbie, LVP, Dawn, Amy (We Tree), Ryan, Linda Jean Limes Ellis, tgtank, Terri, Kay, Msteri, Lorine McGinnis Schulze, Kevin, Patti Hobbs, clsgunnell, Judith Richards Shubert, Gayle Gresham, and Susan L. Arday, Nells, and Vikki. The winner of this month's Free-for-All is..... Tipper of Blind Pig and the Acorn! Congratulations, Tipper! Hopefully when Tipper receives her custom family portrait from Dysfunctional Art, she'll let us take a peek! Most of the people who've commented here during the month have some really great blogs. Be sure to click on their names - I've added their links so you can visit! And remember...I love comments! Next month we'll have another Free-for-All - every time you comment, your name will be entered in the drawing. And who knows what awesome gift you'll get!

JoLyn

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