Bon Blogiversaire!

It's one year ago today since I started this blog. I'd been following craft and mothering blogs for a few years before and always fancied having a go at writing one myself. Then just as I was about to pack up our home and move the family to another country I finally decided that was the time to take the plunge! I set up a Blogger account, got my first choice of blog name (which I took as a good sign), wrote a post and nervously hit the publish button for the first time.

Over seventy posts later and countless imaginary posts that will never make it out of my head onto the screen (so much material, so little time!) I feel it has been one of the best spur of the moment decisions I ever made. First and foremost we now have a journal of our time here to share with friends and family which I know I would have never kept up without the perceived pressure of all of you out there anxiously awaiting another update! My photography has improved and most surprising to me, I have relished the challenge of writing. It's like my own personal homeschool!

The greatest benefit to me, however has been my unforseen entry into the community of ex-pat bloggers. Just like our real life community of ex-pat friends who I hadn't met this time last year, but who now mean so much to me, I also had no idea there was this blogging sub-genre until I started writing about living and travelling abroad. This community has not only brought wonderful blog friendships, but reading the comments left on so many of the Paris and Life in France blogs from readers who can only dream of visiting this country has really made me appreciate how lucky we are to live here. It's hard to take your children away from the only country, school and friends they have ever known and it's hard to set up life in bureaucratic, don't do it today if you can do it tomorrow France, but it's also amazing to have some of the most famous sights in the world on your doorstep, baguettes on tap from the local bakery, and your children in a class where fifteen nationalities are included and accepted.

I don't have a huge audience, and a tiny band of very loyal followers, but that rather reflects my life and I quite like it that way. I blog for our family and if anyone else stops by to read that's a much appreciated bonus.

Anyway, this is all a long winded way of getting round to announcing my first ever giveaway! A small thank you to everyone who comes here to read. I am offering one of my Liberty Paris Pillows to one lucky reader, just like the one above which I made last week for Georgia & Savannah's Girl Scout Leader who is moving back to the States at the end of term. If you would like to win one of these, simply leave a comment on this post telling me which of my posts made you come back for a second look. If you've never left a comment before, don't be shy, it's easy, just be sure your account is set up to show your email so I can let you know if you won! I'll announce the winner at the end of next week which will also be the end of the girls' first school year here - how time flies!

Bonne chance!