Friday 24 January 2014

'Grow Your Blog'

It is fair (although a little scary) to acknowledge to relative strangers that I started my personal blogging journey following a life changing accident.  Six years ago my life had changed beyond recognition - my body was broken and for a while my mind was lost.  And then after operations, physical treatments and on-going pain management and physiotherapy, I forced myself to accept my change of circumstances and to... choose happiness - not self pity.  To choose positivity over regret.
 
I had found escapism through reading some wonderfully popular blogs and recognised elements of my own personality in different places across the world.  This combined with the fact that I was journaling to help process changes that were happening in my life meant that starting my own blog seemed like another positive step.    My home journaling was mainly to recognise things each day that were good... positive... made me happy.  They were little glimpses amongst some very hard times but they were to be clung to.  And over time, recognising these things 'despite it all' became habit.  How wonderful is that?  In the bleakest of times, human nature can learn to focus on those moments of happiness and have faith.  And now, when I am incapacitated through pain I value Simple Things; small, everyday, natural, emotional or home based moments.  Please believe I'm not trying to say I have all the answers or that this was easy.  It completely wasn't.  But it did feel like a moment of clarity and helped me to find my new place in our world.

I blog for two key reasons - to more effectively record and appreciate all the transient elements of everyday life that bring happiness and secondly, to find a creative outlet to share all the things that I make, up-cycle or crochet with like minded people.  Through the love of my family, my friends and a few new friends my mind has healed and although I struggle physically... I am more grateful for my life now and SO appreciate the freedom to give more time to my family than I was able to before.

A friend once observed that I have an 'Old Soul' - and it is true that perhaps I was born in the wrong era!  I'm a lover of all things vintage (and did so before it was trendy and will do when it is well out of vogue!) and home made - there aren't too many with a similar attitude to me where we live.  This fantastic thing called blog-land means that I can find other people who value the simple things, nurture their family and home and embrace the randomness of photographing all things that inspire!  The balance on this blog has been largely family focused during the last quarter of 2013 and whilst I want that to remain key I do also want to gain confidence in sharing some more of my own makes this year.
 
So in an effort to go out of my comfort zone, I'm joining in with this 'Grow Your Blog' exchange.  I have been fortunate to meet a few wonderful people through this bit of cyber space and hope that 2014 will bring more my way!

As part of the huge gift Vicki of 2 Bags Full is organising with this Grow Your Blog event, I thought I'd join in the giving by holding my own giveaway.  Please just leave a comment below on this post to be entered.  I'll write a separate post on the giveaway next week - hopefully the light levels will be a bit better than they have been today (torrential rain).
The winner of the Giveaway will be announced on the 15th February so please go ahead and leave a comment on this post.  You can be entered a second time for leaving a comment on the actual Giveaway post next week too.

Happy New Year to all readers and welcome to those of you that are newly visiting!  I hope that you enjoy your visit to my bit of cyber space - take a look back through my first year of blogging and see if any of it floats your boat!!  I'm looking forward to reading some more inspirational and wonderful blogs taking part in the event too!

Janine x

23 comments:

  1. I hope that lots of people visit you and that you have fun growing your blog! xx

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  2. Hi Janine. Found you via the blog party and you sound like my kind of lady so will enjoy visiting you on a regular basis. Enjoy the party.
    Gillx

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  3. Janine, I marvel how often I hear the positive side of blogging! I am so happy my daughter advised me to use the Internet to meet new people. I find it a comfort and love to browse through blogs and see what happens in this one or that one's corner of the world!
    We each find a niche (love the comment about 'Old Soul'!) and enjoy the ride...
    It's been 5 years this month since I started (and a giveaway will be posted later this month too to celebrate).
    Kindly add my name in the hat for your giveaway please!
    Wishing you a lovely weekend,

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  4. Very nice to meet you Janine. I hopped over here from the GYB blog hop and i wanted to stop and say hello! I hope you'll pop over to my neck of the woods too. Please do enter my name in your GiveAway. I look forward to coming back and browsing your blog some more. Hugs! deb

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  5. Hello and nice to meet you Janine...I am from the blog hop today....you have a nice little blog going on here and I will be back again...please enter me into your giveaway...thank you.

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  6. Hello,

    Nice to meet you.:)
    I would like to participate in your giveaway.
    petitearmoire2@gmail.com

    Greetings.

    Bernadett

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  7. Hello. I'm glad life has improved for you. Blogging at first was a way for me to talk about things that frustrated me but could not share with people near me. Usually because they were the source. Now my blog is for my craft projects. I post rarely, when I feel like sharing.

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  8. Hi Janine. It's lovely to read your inspiring blog and share some of your daily life. I really enjoyed perusing your previous posts and once this GYB party is over I'll be back for more. Please enter me for your giveaway and drop by my blog for a visit.

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  9. Good Morning from across the big pond! I am a happy new follower of your blog. I look forward to reading more of your posts!

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  10. Hi Janine! Thanks so much for visiting my blog and becoming a follower! I will be happy to follow you and look forward to getting to know you better through your posts. I very much enjoy the simple things in life, too. Have a great day!

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  11. Good morning Janine! Thank you so much for visiting my blog and following along ... I hope you enjoy reading about my makes and life in general :) It's definitely going outside your comfort zone to open your life to the entire world! I think all of us had a little shaky feeling when we got started on this blogging. But the more I got to know the ladies that joined along with me, the more enjoyable it is. Lots of fun and very soon a lot of the same people seem to pop up in the various blog you follow. I already recognize a few people here among your group ;) I'll be tagging along as soon as I post this comment. Have a great day! Wendy x

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  12. Hi Janine
    Good to meet you - I'm off to explore your blog and learn more about you!

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    1. Hi Gill, I'm trying to leave a comment on each of my visitors GYB blog post but as you have no post I'll respond here! It's good to meet you too! J9 x

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  13. Janine: I am a new follower - Thank you for sharing your sweet feelings about blogging. I look forward to getting to know you.

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  14. Hi Janine! Nice to meet you! I found your comment on my blog this morning, headed over here, and 'followed' you right back. I love the 'everyday' blogs, and I have also been told that I was born in the wrong era. I look forward to visiting you again soon.
    Andrea

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  15. Hi Janine, so nice to meet you! I hope you get many new followers through this hop...that is how I found you...I am a new follower of your blog....hope you are having a great day.

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  16. Hi there, thanks for popping in to my blog to say hello! Hope you enjoy the bloggy party and I'm looking forward to following along with your adventures too :-)
    love Gilly xx

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  17. I love these blog hops, shame on me not to have taken part, I find a new one, enjoy a good read and then click on comments and find something I like, have a good read......... and so it goes on. I started to blog as part of my "bucket" list, for bucket read retirement. I new that I would need lots of things to fill my days with once I gave up work. Hmm, now i need at least 2 more days a week to fit everything in.

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  18. Old soul, eh? I think we all feel nostalgic at times for days of yesteryear. I know I do.

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  19. Thank you for sharing your lovely blog. I have enjoyed your writing and photos very much Take care. Happy hopping!

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  20. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on blogging! And your giveaway is full of so many lovelies!!

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  21. I am still working my way through the GYB hop. It was nice to meet you!
    ~Mary Ann
    http://littlehouseonthedairy.wordpress.com

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  22. Please do pluck up the courage to show what you've made. As you've already seen, this crafty blogging community is so incredibly supportive and kind. You'll get so much encouragement and your confidence will increase. Promise.

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