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You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Mark Twain

Added to SoWal.com home page.

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You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Mark Twain

photos - http://sowal.com/photos-110808.html

wowza! they look really funn! can't wait to explore them all!

I drove by them tonight and they were so cute. Hope to see them this weekend at some point!!!

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Click to see more photos and some closeup looks at interiors and exteriors.

Cottages for Kids is open today from 10-2pm and tomorrow from 10-4pm. These are the last days to visit the playhouses as the auction is Saturday!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

__________________
You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Mark Twain

the cottages will not be open today until at least 1pm due to rain and the safety concerns that come with all of the playhouses being wet and slick.

will keep you posted. thanks!

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You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Mark Twain

at 1pm, we'll be selling raffle tickets and t-shirts.

tomorrow is the raffle and auction so stop by and get your $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win one of the cottages, Boudreaux's Shop n Shak!

Raffle - 10:30 am
Auction - 11am

Additional information here - www.cottagesforkids.org

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You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Mark Twain

The sun is coming out and the radar is looking good!!

happy auction day! rain rain go away!

I like the "Shop n Shak." Is that the one which Suzannah built?

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Yes, and we are going to win it in the raffle! OK- cross your fingers.

Please, someone who attended the auction, enlighten us about how it went.

does anyone have results of the auction/raffle?

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"If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them."
George Orwell

I have no info about the auction but I do know that one of the cottages was purchased and donated to South Walton Montessori Academy! yay! I'm not sure which cottage yet.

Video
http://30atelevision.com/play.php?vid=321

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Do you have the buzz?
www.30abuzz.com

Ying Yang headed to Alabama last Wednesday! I was hoping it would be closer so we could visit it. But it has a home, and I heard the owners were excited- they must have been to make all their own arrangements for removal and transport!

As the saying goes, It takes a Village; and ours was no ordinary Village! Cottages for Kids 2008 opened it’s gate on November 8th with a bang! Eglin Airforce Honor Guard graced us with their posting of the colors, while live music, provided by Jonah Sage, kept all the media and visitors happy.

Open to the public up until the auction on November 29th, The event raised over $160,000, which includes 3 cottages being sold at their "Buy it Now" prices, raffle ticket sales, donations made on-site, merchandise sales (t-shirts, posters & CVHN hats), sponsorships, and the 9 cottages sold at auction. In this economy, we would say that's a huge success, and a wonderful accomplishment for CVHN. Aside from the money raised, CVHN got some much needed exposure, introducing the public to what we do, and also giving tours of our Mobile Dental Clinic, "Just for Grins". We are so thankful for all the support we received from the community, from our builders and architects, to our sponsors and volunteers. Cottages for Kids 2008 has been a labor of love for so many people who came together to make it happen!

So, “what exactly did it take to make all of this happen”, you ask? Over 26 of the very best architects, builders and designers ( not to forget all of the contractors, businesses, trades, friends and family who contributed to each cottage) 26 financial sponsors, 22 In-Kind Sponsors, 1 Chairperson, 3 Co-Chairs, 12 committee heads, 25 committee members, and countless hours of planning. I bet you’re wondering about the Partridge in the Pear Tree, right?

We are proud to announce that 2 of the cottages were purchased at auction for a Children's Museum in Monroe Louisiana, where many kids will be able to enjoy them for a long time coming. Two cottages were donated to local non-profit Children in Crisis, and Velvet Sun Builders, Allen and Darla Wright, bought one to donate to the Montessori school in Pt. Washington. 2 are on their way to Tennessee, 1 to Indiana, 1 to Arkansas, 1 to Blake and Melody Morar's farm in Bruce, 1 to Alabama and 1 to a pre-school in Georgia. And one of the one's sold pre-auction will stay locally, in Destin.

Also, we asked visitors to vote for their favorite playhouses, and announced the "People's Choice Awards" right before the auction:

2nd runner up was The Crooked Cottage, designed by Thurber Architecture, built by Regal Stephens Construction, with interiors created by Porter-Smith Design.

1st runner up was Tweet Crib, designed by Chancey Design Partnership and built by John Willis Homes

And The People's Choice Award went to Fury from the Deep, designed by Archiscapes, and built by CJB Construction.

All 3 building teams received awards to be displayed in their offices.

But we have to confess, it wasn’t all about kids play; our Premiere Party, where we honor our building teams and sponsors, was a lot of fun! And our Volunteer Thank You party at Pizza by the Sea was a hit!

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You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Mark Twain

Thanks for all your hard work and thanks for the follow up - great job!