Grow your Blog Party 2015....

..... Woo Hoo!  It is party time, Grow your Blog Party time that is.

Now, this is the third year, I have taken part in this wonderful, online party, hosted by the lovely Vickie from 2 Bags Full.

I will have to apologise in advance to previous partygoers as I steal a little of previous year's posts for this one.

Welcome to all of the party goers - I hope that you enjoy visiting everyone's blog.  Please follow this link to see who is partying with me.

For those of you who are new to my blog, I will tell you a few things about myself that is not on my header above:

I have had this blog, Kitten Stitching for over four years now and I absolutely love it!  In it I chronicle the ups and downs of my life (and if you scroll back a few posts you will see that I have had both in the past week or so; the highest of highs when DS1 was married on January 10th and the lowest of lows when my DFIL passed away unexpectedly on January 16th).

This is me, congratulating my new daughter-in-law.

 In many ways, I find writing this blog to be so very therapeutic.  It is strange, even though blogging is a global forum, I actually find it very intimate and  I have made so many good online cross stitchy friends who have enriched my life immensely and give me so much support through the good times and the bad.  I cannot thank each and every one of you enough!  Thank you, to all my lovely bloggy friends.

How did I start? Well, my dear online friend Ginny, started me on this blogging journey when we "met" when I was searching for a Henry VIII Cross stitch pattern.  Funnily enough, Ginny doesn't blog all that much anymore but we still keep in touch on FB - Thank you, Ginny.

Now, talking about Henry VIII - I am mad for the Tudors, so I have several Tudor WIPs and I started a FB group called Tudor Tuesday SAL - if you are on FB, love the Tudors and would like to join, just let me know - here is a link to the FB group.

                                

                         

Oh, and by the way, Henry and his six wives is still very much a work in progress four years later - but I do not want to write about how very many WIPs I have but I can tell you that there are too many!

Basically, I am a passionate historian and luckily for me, that is what my job is now.  I work as a publisher of History (and other subject areas) books for a large educational publisher here in Australia.  It is a great job and I love it - although working full time does cut into my stitching time!

As well as stitching, I read a lot - around 100 to 120 books a year.If you are on Shelfari  you can see what I have read/am reading there or you can see what I am reading on my Shelfari shelf on the sidebar of my blog, if you like.  I always read several books at once but my main books at the moment are The Goldfinch and The Miniaturist.

This year (as every year) I am trying to be more organised with my stitching.  I am involved in a number of SALs and one exchange so far and the SDUCJC2015 challenge in honour of SoCalDebbie who unexpectedly passed away last year. (I am trying to have 59 starts over January/Feb but since Life has got in the way big time, I am going to have to do it over January/Feb/March.  I usually find that I am one of those people who the busier they are usually the more they can achieve!  

Lastly, I wish to have a mystery Giveaway for reading this post.  Well, the same as last year, the mystery is that I have not yet decided what the Gifts will be!  And yes, I said Gifts, because the same as last year, I am going to have two Giveaways: one for Australian bloggy friends and one for Overseas bloggy friends.  So, here are the rules:

1. You must comment on THIS POST only, telling me that you would like to be entered in the Giveaway.
2. In your comment, please tell me if you are an Aussie or Overseas bloggy friend and please include your email address and your blog address.
3. The Giveaway closes on Feb 14th, winners' names will be drawn on  Feb 15th.

So, thanks for visiting, enjoy the Blog Party and good luck for the Giveaway.

hugs, 

Grow Your Blog Party

Today's the day! For the 2014 party and a Mystery Giveaway! (Sorry to those of you who visited me for the party last year, as I have borrowed a little bit from that post!)

For the Grow Your Blog party! 

Welcome to all of the party goers - I hope that you enjoy visiting everyone's blog.  Please follow the link above to see who is partying with me.

For those of you who are new to my blog, I will tell you a few things about myself that is not on my header above:

1. I have had this blog, Kitten Stitching for nearly three years now and I absolutely love it!  I have made so many good online cross stitchy friends who have enriched my life immensely.  Thank you!
2. My dear online friend Ginny, started me on this blogging journey when we "met" when I was searching for a Henry VIII Cross stitch pattern.  Funnily enough, Ginny doesn't blog all that much anymore but we still keep in touch on FB - Thank you, Ginny.
3. Now, talking about Henry VIII - I am mad for the Tudors, so I have several Tudor WIPs and I started a FB group called Tudor Tuesday SAL - if you are on FB, love the Tudors and would like to join, just let me know - here is a link to the FB group.

4. Basically, I am a passionate historian and luckily for me, that is what my job is now.  I work as a publisher of History books for a large educational publisher here in Australia.  It is a great job and I love it - although working full time does cut into my stitching time!

5. As well as stitching, I read a lot - in 2012 I read 120 novels, in 2013 I planned to read 150 but as my mother was very ill last year (she passed away on November 25th) I read far less than this.  So,  this year I am aiming for 120 again - I have already read 11 books this year so I am on my way.  If you are on Shelfari or Goodreads you can see what I have read/am reading there or  you can see what I am reading on my Shelfari shelf on the sidebar of my blog, if you like.  I always read several books at once but my main book at the moment is the wonderful "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak but more of that in another post.

6. This year (as every year) I am trying to be more organised with my stitching.  I am involved in a number of SALs and PIFs and two exchanges so far.  I find that I am one of those people who the busier they are usually the more they can achieve!  

Now, I thought that you might like to see a picture of me as a young girl, with my sisters:  (Can you guess which one I am?)

Lastly, I promised you a mystery Giveaway for reading this post.  Well, the mystery is that I have not yet decided what the Gifts will be!  Yes, I said Gifts.  That is because I am going to have two Giveaways: one for Australian bloggy friends and one for Overseas bloggy friends.  So, here are the rules:

1. You must comment on THIS POST only, telling me that you would like to be entered in the Giveaway.
2. In your comment, please tell me if you are an Aussie or Overseas bloggy friend and please include your email address and your blog address.
3. The Giveaway closes on Feb 14th, winners' names will be drawn on  Feb 15th.

So, thanks for visiting, enjoy the Blog Party and good luck for the Giveaway.

hugs, 

Today's the day! For a party and a Mystery Giveaway!

For the Grow Your Own Blog party! 

Welcome to all of the party goers - I hope that you enjoy visiting everyone's blog.  Please follow the link above to see who is partying with me.

For those of you who are new to my blog, I will tell you a few things about myself that is not on my header above:

1. I have been on blogger about 18 months or so and I am absolutely hooked!  I have made so many good online cross stitchy friends who have enriched my life immensely.  Thank you!
2. My dear online friend Ginny, started me on this blogging journey when we "met" when I was searching for a Henry VIII Cross stitch pattern.  Funnily enough, Ginny doesn't blog all that much anymore but we still keep in touch on FB - Thank you, Ginny.
3. Now, talking about Henry VIII - I am mad for the Tudors, so I have several Tudor WIPs plus some I am planning to do - so watch this space!

4. Basically, I am a passionate historian and luckily for me, that is what my job is now.  I work as a publisher of History books for a large educational publisher here in Australia.  It is a great job and I love it - although working full time does cut into my stitching time!

5. As well as stitching, I read a lot - last year I read 120 novels.  This year I plan to read 150.  You can see what I am reading on my Shelfari shelf on the sidebar of my blog, if you like.

6. This year I am trying to be more organised with my stitching.  I am involved in a number of SALs and PIFs and one exchange so far.  I find that I am one of those people who the busier they are usuallythe more they can achieve!  

Now, I thought that you might like to see the most recent picture of me:

Lastly, I promised you a mystery Giveaway for reading this post.  Well, the mystery is that I have not yet decided what the Gifts will be!  Yes, I said Gifts.  That is because I am going to have two Giveaways: one for Australian bloggy friends and one for Overseas bloggy friends.  So, here are the rules:

1. You must be a follower of this blog - new or old, it does not matter.
2. You must comment on THIS POST only, telling me that you would like to be entered in the Giveaway.
3. In your comment, please tell me if you are an Aussie or Overseas bloggy friend and please include your email address and your blog address.
4. The Giveaway closes on Feb 1st, winners' names will be drawn on Feb 2nd.

So, thanks for visiting, enjoy the Blog Party and good luck for the Giveaway.

hugs, 

You are invited...

.... to the  Grow Your Own Blog party! 

It's on tomorrow - so come back then and check out my blog and visit all or some of the other party goers.  It should be a blast! 

hugs, 

P.S. Thank you to all the lovely bloggers who comment on my posts - I love to have you visit and I do try to reply to your comments but sometimes I fall behind in my replies - so please forgive me and know that I appreciate each and every one of you.