Giveaway to celebrate 369 days of unbrilliance!

I have been so busy and had so much stuff going on that I literally couldn't get enough time to post yesterday.  I started and was going to do my anniversary post with celebratory giveaway that involved uploading pictures, and blogger gave me all kinds of sh*t interference when I tried to move the pics and put text around them.  Good lord!  I need a class or something.  Before I continue into "official anniversary post", I just want to thank all of you for your suggestions and instructions regarding changing things on my blog.  Obviously I haven't done it yet as your looking at the same stale template I've had for awhile.  But a new look will be coming soon!

June 12 of '09 was my first post.  I'd had another blog for a couple of months that I just did for myself and ultimately folded because... I'm not sure why.  Actually I am sure...I wanted someone besides myself to talk to and hadn't figured out that to get readers you have to go out and read and comment.  My then 25 y/o daughter clued me into that one!  (Actually she and a couple of her friends from college read it and gave me good feedback and told Jean she has a cool mom!)  But it was more random musings about stuff like how eff-ing darned expensive it is to get hair colored and such.  Also about my search for genuine meaningful spirituality. 

What got me officially started with weight loss blogging was stumbling upon Pasta Queen last May.  I was so enchanted with her writing, humor and amazing weightloss story that I spent a week reading her entire archive, which was essentially like reading a fantastic memoir.  I still read her, and she's been through a lot of stuff on this journey...ups, downs and all around.  But always with head (and headaches!) staying above water and keeping on keepin' on.  Occasionally a comment on her blog would intrigue me and I'd follow the link...find another blog, and the rest is magnificent  very mundane but personally meaningful history.  I started this blog, wondering if it would last longer than my first, and voila!  The first time I got a comment from a human I DID NOT spawn, I was beyond thrilled and delighted.  You'd have thought I got an manuscript accepted from a major publishing house.  It's been a great experience.  And now, as of today (thank you most recent follower) I 'm at 99 followers!  Maybe I'll hit the ever coveted by greedy me only 100 followers before the next milennium!  Slow and steady it's been for this blogger.  Just like my evolution in life.

Anyway, I've said many times how much this blogging community means to me.  Wonderful people, wonderful writers, inspiration, motivation, support, direction, advice, great humor, honesty, bloggy puffy heart love, REALITY and the ever popular food pictures!  It's all here, all the time and being a part of if has greatly enhanced my life. 

To shamelessly promote my wares share my gratitude, I'm going to do a giveaway.  Figures that one of the least successful (so far but just wait!) weight losers is doing a giveaway that does not include any weight loss material, but it's going to include a food item....let me hear and AMEN!

I'm an addicted knitter (something more positive than the booze and food addictions!) and one knitting kick I got on several years ago was felting.  This is where you knit with 100% wool, then wash the item in HOT water with agitation, and the knitted product turns into a dense heavy felt.  I'm a purse and bag freak, so I got into making bags.  I sold a lot of them, gave some to friends, and still have a lot of them.  So I'm going to give away the bags. 

I'm putting up pictures of the bags and in order to be put in the drawing, you need to comment that you'd like to be entered and which bag you'd particularly like.  If you have questions about size, you can email me and I can give you specifics.  Also, one lucky person will also receive a jar of PB2, the peanut butter that has 45 cal/2 Tbspoons that TJ and other bloggers have written about.  I finally broke down and bought some - but you have to buy 4 jars minimum!! So If you'd also like a jar of the peanut butter, indicate that in your comment too!  It's pretty darn good.  This morning I put 1 tbsp. into my steel cut oatmeal just when it was done cooking, and it tasted fantastic!!

I've already confessed to a blog friend that I'm a little nervous doing a giveaway, esp. this one, in case no one is interested.  The old core of low self-esteem rears it's ugly head, even though that piece of me has been largely healed.  Bottom line, if no one is interested it's okay.  I'm sure someone will be interested in the PB2 and if enough people are I'll give away 2 jars.  Anyhow, if you want to be entered, comment or email me by midnight Friday June 18th.  I'll do a drawing and announce winners on Sunday, the 20th.

Finally - My food has been great the last few days, as has exercise.  It's more of a challenge with #1 son home along with son #2.  I made a huge amount of stuffed peppers thinking we'd have 2 dinners out of them.  Well, we got one dinner and they had lunch and snacks with the rest before the next dinner!  I only got one serving!  Does a mom's heart good.   Have a good day everyone.