A Little Gratitude and a Give-Away

One of the first things we teach our kids is how to say please and thank you. Mumma, Dadda, and ta were the first words my girls learnt to say. This post is all about showing a little gratitude and saying thank you, I think it's especially important to be thankful at this time of the year, don't you? 

So without any further adieu, here are some things I'm thankful for at the moment:

I'm thankful for having a family to spend Christmas day with, Anthony is away working and it would be rather lonely with just me and the girls...to be honest we'd probably be eating sandwiches for lunch if it was up to me!

My family...there was one more sister to come a few years later...

x

I'm thankful for receiving gorgeous presents from far-flung lands and lovely bloggy friends...

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I received a parcel from Liz yesterday. I knew Liz was sending me this gorgeous apron

 A cross stitched boxing kangaroo and a map of Australia!

Apron perfection!

but look at all the other wonderful treasures I found inside her parcel...

* the most gorgeous calendar

* 150th anniversary of W.A. souvenir tablecloth in pristine condition

* one of Liz's famous hand-made tea cosy's. So thick and, well...cosy. Guaranteed to keep your pot warm and in one of my all-time favourite colour combos. 

Liz makes them to order btw. You should see her liquorice allsorts cosy! Gorgeous. Click here  for more info.

* a funny Scottish t.towel (I always wondered what mingin meant Liz!)

* the little book is an old grade one school reading book issued by the N.S.W. Education Department. It's a perfect example of how greatly the standards and expectations of children at this age has changed over the years (and not in a good way!) Have a look...

 I wonder how this little Australian reader ended up in a charity shop in Scotland...

Lovely Max, dolls house maker extrordinaire (and all round nice girl) sent me a package of loveliness too

that groovy looking retro fabric you can see at the back is a peg bag...hands down, the nicest I've ever seen.

Please spare a thought for Max and her family. Poor old Christchurch has been battered by earthquakes again and more are expected. Some Christmas! Max was in the garden with her little daughter during the first one, she describes it like this:

"surreal. with the ground waving up and down like someone shaking out a sheet. And so long I thought it would never stop. I had to hold a tree so as not to fall"

What can I say?

I am so thankful that I have not had to endure a natural disaster like the people of Christchurch. I hope they are spared further quakes. Stay safe Max and co. Stay safe Kiwis.

To top it off, this time a little closer to home, I also received this

gorgeous vintage chenille sun-dress from lovely Tam who read I was on the hunt for one and kindly sent it over, just like that! Lucky girl, aren't I. 

No pics of me in it because it's a smidge on the short side, and my legs (and my ego!) are not up to public scrutiny. Perfect for popping on over my bathers though. 

 x

I'm also grateful to be Adelaide and Annabel's Mum. They are healthy, bright and gorgeous and I love them even though their bedrooms are always messy and they drive me crazy when they fight.

Christmas 2009...I've always loved this pic

and I still need to remind them to say please and thank you btw.

x

Now, the give-away (you deserve one for getting this far!) To thank you for reading Lucy Vi during the year, and to wish you a Merry Christmas I am giving away a 2012 Frankie diary...

I picked up the little nativity from Vinnies a couple of days ago...couldn't resist it because it is made in Bethlehem!

All you need to do is comment. Open to anyone, anywhere. No need to be a follower, but I'd be particularly chuffed if one of my lovely followers was the lucky winner.

I don't know about you, but in my neck of the woods these things are as scarce as hen's teeth! So get commenting!

I'll use random generator to choose a winner, lets say on the 7th of Jan, that should give you plenty of time...

Please note: I've changed my mind regarding the cut-off date for this little give-away. After all, what good's a diary if you can't start writing in it in the beginning of the year! The winner will now be chosen on the 1st of Jan. I hope that's ok, it just makes more sense to me doing it then x

x

p.s. still looking for a new home for this