So much to say, so much to tell, so much to get excited about!
But first of all a winner! Of course you’re all winners (we’re all winners simply because we make it through each and every day without killing each other or the cat) but today I have one specific winner and that person will be sent a copy of this book ….
Out of 177 entries (wow, that is a huge number!!)
The winner is Gigi and this was Gigi’s answer.
gigi says:
when its cold and wet like today I love to warm the house with a home made soup. When in season I make Lovage soup but at this time of year it has to me butternut squash with coconut milk and chilli…
…..when my kids come home from school we love to make a fresh jam roll or banana bread…. gobbled up in minutes! 
Take care of your little family Cherry. I’m 3 years a cancer survivor and the first year is like a slow motion car crash, I received the all clear early on but you still feel the vibrations months later. It makes every moment in my kitchen with my kiddies special… I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore
I used the Random Number generator but I’m darned if I can get the stupid widget on my site and I’ve been at it for forty five minutes so I’m not going to bother any longer. I’m very touched that Gigi won as you can see from her response that she is a Cancer survivor and I’m realising, as she stated, that even when you get the all clear there still may be some cleaning up to do afterwards. It’s a journey, a climb and all of those other things that mean the same thing. I’m also going to try her Butternut Squash with Coconut Milk and Chili. I’ll make my own recipe Gigi and see how it compares to yours.
Gigi, please send your address to me at info@cherrymenlove.com
The responses that came in for this giveaway were so fantastic to read. I’m not kidding. The tales of cooking with parents, grandparents and children and creating wonderful dishes FOR other people and friends were like reading a fantastic, heartwarming book on the culinary lives of others. I think I’ll have more giveaways in the future and I got the tiniest glimpse in to why Oprah did her Favourite Things shows. Jeez, she must have been walking on air for weeks after shooting those babies!
And speaking of babies….
My sister’s waters broke the day before yesterday and she has been in labor ever since. Good grief, those Menlove children just never want to come out! But right now things are ‘progressing’ she is in hospital and the Midwife has said it all looks ‘promising’.
Come on little one, you can do it!!! Time to come out and join the madness…..and receive the love of course!
Have a wonderful weekend, I love you, I love that you read this site. I shall be with you on Monday with an update from the second part of the book shoot. I have a third part happening in January but next week we’re shooting the Christmas chapter. So you can imagine that there will be very little sleep going on because I’ll be so excited.
Have I ever told you how much I love Christmas?????………….
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Congratulations Gigi and continued good health!
Cherry,
Congratulations to all on the birth of your nephew. There is nothing better to underscore all the good in the world than the birth of a baby.
Looking forward to hearing about the next photo shoot!
Marilyn (in Dallas)
Congratulations Gigi, well done.
Ooooh so excited about the book Cherry!
x
A very deserving winner. How exciting waiting on news of the new baby. I couldn’t believe how nervous I was when my sister was in. When its yourself, you don’t have time to think about it.
OOOh Christmas!! That’s also one of my fav meals to cook. I cannot wait!
Congrats to the winner – it was one of the best answers anyway IMHO
Hopefully Jodie has had her baby by now?!
I cannot wait to see all the christmas decorations, I’m sure to gain some inspiration. Good Luck to your sister and the new arrival.
Gem I hope something turns up for you, how frightening to be without a home. Please do let us know.
Well done, Gigi – such a lovely story of hope, regarding cancer. My friend is battling breast cancer at the age of 34, with little girls of 7 and 4. Before she was diagnosed, I always thought that once you had the all-clear, that was that…now I know it’s really only the beginning of a different life, one where the “c” word is never far from your thoughts.
Congratulations to Gigi.
Yes Cherry you have told us that you LOVE Christmas. You told us with that amazingly beautiful picture of your beautiful house all decorated with a frosting of snow. It was gorgeous.
Meredith
I just used the Random Number Generator for a give away and I could no longer get it to copy onto my blog, either. Something has changed with it… but at least it still works!
I love Christmas decorating and was wondering if you are going to keep yours up for the Holidays since you are working on that chapter?
Poor Gem loosing her house but something WILL turn up. And poor Rachel loosing all that expensive Emma B china. I remember when my children were little my middle child coming into our bedroom one Sunday morning saying, “Mummy all the stuff is on the floor”. My lovely shelves had crashed to the ground with all my china and crystal on them, so I know how it feels Rachel. But you get over it and it somehow comes back to you especially if you are generous to others. Congratulations to Gi Gi whose story puts all our sadnesses into perspective. We’re still here and live to see another day. We may have lost our china and even our homes but we have HOPE. They say it keeps you alive in extreme circumstances so hang in there Gem.
Hooray for Gigi!!! Wonderful news. And Rachel, I can make you feel better. We are being evicted from our gorgeous rented home at Christmas time as have a HORRID landlord who has sold the house very suddenly after promising he wouldn’t.
And we have nowhere to go at the moment. Very stressed, tearful and worn out.
I am sorry that your pottery all broke. I just hope you can fix some of it?
And Cherry, looking forward to more giveaways.
x xx
Congratulations Gigi!
Cherry, have a wonderful weekend!
Patty xo
Michigan U.S.
Errr… I think you may have mentioned loving Christmas once or twice yes!
Can’t wait to see Part 2 of the book shoot and of course hear the baby news on Monday.
Well done to Gigi on winning and hope you all have a lovely weekend with your loved onces.
Take care, Bex.x
Good luck Jodie. Fingers crossed your doing well.
yipppppeeee….stunned and surprised Gigi here. Can’t believe I won. I always enter and never expect that I might win. Especially happy as I’ve always wanted to own MrsB! Tks all of u for kind wishes. I’m well into recovery from ovarian cancer now, and feel very lucky and grateful for all I have. Cherry I heard today that if you massage a pregnant womans feet you speed up the labour!! Worth a try? Happy weekend to you all.
well deserve Gigi….enjoy
Can’t wait to see your book Cherry, it’s going to be just beautiful!!! Look forward to see a few sneaky pics (we hope!!) of the Christmas chapter, I think I love Christmas just as much as you do!!! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and hope your sister and her baby have a very safe arrival xx
Congrats Gigi. I’ve already put the book on my Amazon wish list and I’ll give my hubby a nudge in that direction this weekend . I love Christmas tooHope Jodie isn’t too exhausted. Poor thing. Have a lovely weekend.
congrats to the winner, though I’m sulking it wasn’t me!
Gigi deserves to win for her gorgeous name alone!
Poor Jodie. Labour is really not a fun time. But at least knowing you get a gorgeous baby at the end of it keeps you going.
Sending love and good wishes. Hope that babe is out today.
Have a lovely weekend Cherry
xx
Congrats to Gigi – hope she stays well. Good vibes to Jodie and that baby! Maybe make her a curry Cherry, isnt that suppoed to do the trick?
Look forward to your next update and hope next weeks shoot goes well x
Congrats to Gigi and loads of energy and best wishes for your sister.
I needed a bit of pick you up news, my lovely wall dresser full of Emma Bridgewater pottery which I’ve been collecting for the past 20 years fell off the wall last night – utter carnage! At the mo I have 2 big baskets of bits. Where to start?
Things have to get better.
Oh no, Rachel, I feel a bit sick. I’m so sorry!
oops! and well done to Gigi
The baby knows it’s cold out here and wants to stay where it’s snuggly warm!
Hope it all goes well, how exciting x
Yay for gigi. A great and relevant answer.
Bless you, Katie. You’re so generous. Isn’t the Beeton book great. I could spend all Winter in it!!! Cx