About Me

February 24, 2013

My 100th Post Contest!

A week between posts.

Busy, busy time in our lives. 

So 2 posts in 1 today.

A 2 for 1 deal!

My 100th post, complete with 
my 1st contest giveaway. 

And my contribution to 
Mockingbird Hill Cottage's 
"A Favorite Thing" weekly check in. 

I started this blog on 
September 3rd, 2011
It's taken almost 2.5 years for me to 
reach 100 posts. The first year, I wrote 
exactly 35 posts. Ironically, in 2012
I wrote exactly 35 posts. To date,
for 2013, I have now written
30 posts. I think I'll beat my high 
of 35 for this year. 

My first contest, complete with a 
giveaway is small but manageable.
I hope you'll join in! 

I have selected a brand new, tiny 
but cute, picture frame. It measures 
approximately 2 inches x 3 inches, 
with the picture slot smaller. It is ceramic, 
with hand painted flowers 
and a plastic protector that covers 
the photo. Bonus feature: it has a strong
magnet on the back so you can hang it in a 
variety of places. 


To win, please tell me how long 
you have been blogging, 
why you started blogging,  
how long it took you to 
reach your 100th post and 
how you find the blogs you love to
read now. Briefly tell me why a blog 
catches your attention and what you 
like to see to keep reading. 

Leave a comment below and 
I'll randomly choose the winner 
on Sunday, March 3rd, 2013
the 2.5 year anniversary of this blog. 
If it's a sunny day, I may throw in an 
extra bonus item to sweeten the deal. 
Keep your fingers crossed for 
a sunny day in Canada!!

Now on to our next post within the post. 

For my contribution to "A Favorite Thing",
the most incredible charity shop purchase
we've made to date. 
Special on so many levels. 


Almost 24 years ago, our home was
gutted by fire. A fire set at midnight by 
our foster child, who had an idea in his
head that if he had come into foster care
because he had done something wrong, 
maybe he would get sent home if he did
something wrong. We were getting ready
to have our youngest son at the time
christened on the weekend, 
a small baby just 6 months old.


Foster child admired the Christening gown, 
worn by many family members and our
beloved children as we laid it out that night. 
Hours later, he woke us up to tell us that
the house was on fire. We fled, unharmed
and grateful for the warning. Many of our
precious items (photos, wedding and baby
videos, family heirlooms) were saved or
untouched. But our precious
Christening gown was gone. It was, as the
fire inspector discovered later, the
item that foster child lit to start the fire. 


We did have our son Christened, years later,
when our next youngest baby was born. But
we never found another gown, until Friday. 

Working a bit later than usual, we almost
didn't make our weekly Friday afternoon
trek to the shop. Sneaking in just a
short time before it would be closing,
we rushed thru, finding a few
lovely items and paying before
they called the closing announcement.
We bid our farewells and 
walked towards the door. 

And there it was, tucked behind the 
wall, a small piece of lace catching my 
eye. My husband was almost out the 
door and I quickly grabbed his arm, 
then grabbed the gown. Silky, creamy
and oh so soft. But as I held it tightly
in my hand, I was sure I would turn the
price tag over and reveal a high
figure. To our great surprise, the
tag read just $20. What??!!
Without question and just a 
glance to each other, we rushed up
to the counter. Everyone began to 
comment on our "find" and we
beamed! If only they knew what
this beautiful, not a mark on it
gown means to us. 
Thanking everyone, we gathered 
it in our arms and left the 
shop, our hearts beating and 
our smiles getting bigger as we
headed towards our home. 

It took more than 20 years but
we found our perfect heirloom item. 
Our kids are too old but our newest
granddaughter will be the first to 
wear this special dress. And from
there we will pass it along to the
newest family members as they
arrive, on the day their name
will be proclaimed as official. 

Every family has a story to tell.
Part of ours will be how this
Christening gown came into
 our lives. Discarded by another
family, ours saw the precious
meaning behind the lacy, 
silky creation. 

8 comments:

Cheapchick said...

Congrats! What a great story. I am at 255 posts and just reached 100 followers this Christmas. I think I reached 100 post within the end of my first year as I only post 2 or 3 times a week when I feel the urge (otherwise you can feel like it is a drag to blog). This is a milestone. Lots of bloggers don't make it to this point - Cheers!

Chy said...

Thanks Cheapchick! Good to know how long it took. Wow, 100 followers is amazing! I can't imagine getting there.

Elizabethd said...

What a lovely end to your story. So happy that you found this lovely dress.

Elizabethd said...

I'd like to enter for the giveaway if you are going outside Canada?
I've been blogging since 2007, when we lived in France. It was a way to express myself amongst English speaking people. I don't remember how long it took to reach 100 posts, but I used to write one or two a week. The blogs I find now are mostly from Christian women's blogs, amongst all the 'old' friends already there.
I love to see a pretty blog, I'm interested in other countries especially as my daughter lives in Canada. I like to read a variety of different blogs,often with personal stories.

Claudia said...

Oh my goodness - this story brought a tear to my eye! That's a miracle right there. Finding your christening dress, even all these many years later. I'm glad no one was harmed in that terrible fire.

Congrats on your 100th post.

Thanks so much for joining in this week..xo
Claudia

Chy said...

Absolutely Elizabeth. You are entered! Have you visited your daughter in Canada? We're on our way to Europe this fall. Can't wait for our trip.

Thank you Claudia. It was a miracle that we found this gown. I'm looking forward to watching our children's little ones wear it on their naming day. And passing it along.

Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

That is a beautiful dress. What a major find. Good for you!! I just read you are going to Europe. How fabulous! I really envy you. I can not wait to hear about your trip.

Chy said...

Thanks Softie! I haven't been to Europe since I was 16, so a bit nervous about making such a big trip. I'm sure it will be fun!