REASONS TO BE GRATEFUL

I have a large collection of draft posts. Ones that I have started and not finished, because:

• Something else grabbed my attention or excitement 
• They were planned in advance and are no longer relevant 
• They wait, their time to post is not yet right
• OR! Perhaps they just got overlooked!

And that's what happened today.  Because as I was scrolling down my list I had a sudden heart sink. I found a draft that truly should have been posted. 

Let me explain:

One lady at our WI would win the raffle nearly every time she entered.  But not me.  I support good causes and buy the occasional lottery ticket without high expectation of winning, but there is always hope! Perhaps I should change my attitude. They say a positive attitude helps. But I digress.... 

Sometimes I enter competitions too. Again, my chances of winning have proved to be slim in the past, but there was one day in June last year, when everything changed.

So why did my heart sink when I found this draft, instead of doing back flips with excitement?

Because my friend Julie offered a prize in collaboration with Chamby & Cor.

And I was the lucky winner!! 

And I never publically said thank you!! 
 
Okay, it is not a prison-able offence, but generosity and kindness should be acknowledged, and I like to treat others as I would like to be treated.  SO! Somewhat late, but nonetheless a huge thank you to Julie and to Chamby and Cor! My gifts have been lovingly used and appreciated, and I had difficulty in choosing from such a huge range of washi tapes. So it's worth checking out their website. And while you are at it, take a look at Julie's shop too.  That's where you can buy the hinged hoop and lots of other lovely things!  

But there is more!!  

On the very same day I heard from a friend.

She had joined the National Trust and as part of her membership she was given a ticket to pass on to a friend.  It allowed free entry to NT properties for a one-week period, and she gave it to me! 

I wrote about my visit here and was very grateful because we had a wonderful day out.  One of those days that stands out in memory.  One of those days I made into a book:

But there is still more!!

Because another friend sent an email to say she was offering me the gift of a free online course. She had signed up and could invite a friend to join her. Can you imagine?! 

All three were received on the same day! 

I was blown away!! 

So, I have reasons to be grateful.

Reasons to appreciate friendship and the act of giving/sharing.

And of course, I like to pay things forward and to say thank you. 
Even if it is later than planned. 


Thank you for popping by. I'll be back tomorrow with another post as part of my 30 Days Blogging Challenge. And I'd love to know if any of this resonates with you. Please tell me I am not alone in my long list of draft posts and having ones you planned but have not written!

AND THE WINNER IS!!

I can't believe the past 3 days.

First I received a 'Stylish Blog Award' from the very talented Jenny at Love and Peas. To say I was amazed is an under statement, I have only been blogging for 6 months and I still consider myself a beginner and on a steep learning curve. And so I felt REALLY touched that Jenny should consider me for this award. This means a huge amount and it has really given my confidence a boost. A HUGE THANK YOU to Jenny!

The Award requests that I share 7 pieces of information about myself then 'Pay It Forward' by nominating 7 'recently discovered' sylish blogs. Knowing how much this meant to me will give me great pleasure in passing it forward. So, the start the ball rolling here are 7 things about me you might not know:

1. I home educated both my children and they never went to school. I am very proud of how they turned out, and these years were some of my happiest and most fulfilling.

2. I love watching films on tv & dvd. There's something special about curling up at home, especially in front of the log burner on a dark winters night.

3. 'My name is Sandie.... and I am a hoarder'. Every time I throw something away, I need it. So I keep the crafting scraps, and paperback books that I've read, a collection of empty drink cans (great for making embellishments with on my Big Shot), fabric and egg boxes. I learned recently these are good to put in the liquidizer for making homemade paper. My 'space' grows like topsy turvy. Luckily my husband is forgiving, most of the time!
Oh.. and though I hoard I also regularly takes things to the charity shop, recycling centre etc. I just don't take enough!!

4. I've always dressed for comfort rather than style and I never used to understand people who loved shoes. I do now. In the past few years I have found some shoes that are fun, colourful, AND comfortable.
ps. I am getting rather a large collection of shoes.....

5. I love going out for days or away for short breaks. Just give me a map, car, and a few days free and I am away! England has some wonderful coast and places to visit. We already have a few trips planned for this year.

6. I like staying in unusual places. I can name a few: a one-time methodist chapel, a gypsy caravan, lighthouse ship, narrow boat, old miners cottage, converted stables... among others. As you can see, I like the simple things in life.
Just once in a while I like something a bit special too. Top of my list has to be the Hotel Bellagio in Los Vegas. With a room overlooking the fountain. That was magic!

7. I was at the birth of my first two grand daughters. How precious is that!! I have a new grand daughter born in November. Making 3. I love spending time with them.

So that's me. Now over to you....... the 7 blogs I am paying the "STYLISH BLOG AWARD" to (in no particular order!) are :

fromhighinthesky
counterfeitkitchallenge
loveandpeascreations
Little Imperfections
and handmade too....
double dog dare you
dandelion dreamer

On day 2 I went to my monthly crop. I will share what I made next time as I am still working on 3 of the projects. Karen & Karen put a lot of work in to make the day a success (thank you !) and here I won a £20 voucher to spend at A Trip Down Memory Lane. Again I was amazed, as I am usually the one whose raffle ticket number never gets called.

But it gets even better!

Today I received news that I was picked out of 108 people as winner of a blog hop!! I have never taken part in a blog hop before, but it was great fun and to hear that I had won one of the prizes was truely amazing!! Thank you so much to Shelly !! I think it was a case of beginners luck for both of us, as Shelly is a new member of the Scrapbook Challenge design team and this was also her first blog hop. What wonderful generous people I am meeting through my blog and creating.

I will be thoughtful about how else I pay pay these kindnesses forward. But for now, a big thank you to everyone who has added to my ever increasing surprise and gratitude.

I wonder if I should buy a lottery ticket this week???