The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,000 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.
I’ve been away from my blog for about 6 weeks. I’ve never taken a break quite that long before, not even when I gave birth to my son just over a year ago.
Even while I was away, my little blog generated lots of hits and I’m so thankful to all my readers for continuing to check out my blog! Thank you!
Since I’ve been away, a few things have changed in my daily routine. First, we added a new member to our family in the form of a live-in nanny for my son. She’s great and my son fell in love with her almost immediately. I couldn’t be more thankful for that.
Second, I returned to work in the office on a full-time basis. I had dreaded this particular change for months, only to find out that it wasn’t half bad. I’m enjoying having something else to do during the day and I still get to spend a few hours with my little boy each night when I get home. I definitely feel lucky that the transition has been so smooth for all of us.
At first, I had no idea how I would make time for my skin care experiments. Yet, in the past few weeks, I’ve managed to whip up batches of vapo rub, belly butter, and homemade deodorant. Phew! I’ve even been experimenting with new waxes. It’s all about balance and now, I’m sure I’ll continue to find time for my skin care products.
To help my family kick-start this year, we decided to try something new. We have introduced the Jar of Positivity. I got this idea from a post I saw on Facebook and I loved it. Basically, we can write down anything that makes us smile or happy on a little piece of paper and then stuff it into the jar. We’ll save all the notes until the end of the year and then read them around Christmas time. To be honest, I’m not sure that “Positivity” is actually a word. Nonetheless, for 2014, it is in our household!
“Jar of Positivity”
I’ve come to look forward to the WordPress Annual Report each year. I’m thankful that my little blog has grown each year and this report shows that! 2013 was a wonderful year for my blog. I met lots of like-minded bloggers and enjoyed sharing tips and tricks with you all. Thank you!
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 10,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
This Father’s Day is a very special one in my household. It’s my husband’s first father’s day as a dad!
I wanted to get him something that would remind him of our little guy, no matter where he was. It took me a while to figure out the perfect gift, but eventually I decided to get him a pocket watch.
First, I ventured into the world of Etsy for the first time. I was looking for a pocket watch and found a few on Etsy. I emailed each of the sellers and asked them about their watches and they all provided great information. In the end, I bought a black pocket watch from Kristin at My Personal Memories .
The watch arrived a few days ago in a wooden box and perfectly intact.
I did two things to personalize this for my husband. First, I had the front of the watch engraved with my son’s initials and birthday. Kristin did that before sending me the watch in the mail.
Second, I affixed a lock of hair from my son’s first hair cut on the inside of cover of the pocket watch. My hubby always makes sure that my son’s hair is styled nicely as well as trimmed properly, so I thought this would be meaningful for him.
Now, my husband has a little reminder of our son that he can have with him at all times, no matter where he is.
A few weeks ago, I received an invitation to be part of the Happify group. I had never heard of Happify before and I had no idea how they found me. Nevertheless, I kept an open mind and decided to check it out. I’m so glad that I took the time explore it. Here’s what I found out.
Happify is based on recent scientific breakthroughs that say that happiness is a skill. It lays out five different skill areas that help people master the happiness skills. They are Savor, Thank, Aspire, Give, and Empathize. The theory is that, by mastering these skills, you will be happier more often and enjoy life more!
Happify.com is just getting started and they have invited people to try out their happiness activities to help them refine their offering. I’ve been working on these skills for the past few weeks now. It takes minimal time out of my day and I’m definitely enjoying life even more than before!
As an early user of Happify, I am a Happify Pioneer. Through this website, I’ve made connections with other Pioneers who are all working toward the same goal. It’s great to hear all the wonderful ways they are taking time to enjoy life and take note of the small things that make our lives so rich.
Each of the activities that I’ve done through Happify are very simple. You are challenged to savor the moment you’re in, share a 
happy moment with a friend and invite them to do the same, or take time to spend with your friends and family. These are all simple activities and ones that I often let slip by because I was too focused on the next thing on my To Do list.
I especially like the reminders to savor the moment. With a new baby at home, I don’t want to miss out on anything. This is an early photo of my son checking out his hands. He’s already pretty good at being in the moment!
Do you want to give this a whirl? If you have five extra minutes to spare in your day, I highly recommend it! You can check out the site here and if you’re interested, you can sign up in the same place.
We are so thrilled to announce to all our supportive GiG Members and followers across all our networks that we have been approached by one of the popular skincare and cosmetic brands in Korea, The Skin Shop, to collaborate with us for this amazing giveaway just for you! Three lucky GiG Winners will have the chance to grab all premium goodies from this brand’s range by simply entering this giveaway! (see below for more info)
So, just a little backstory on the brand – The Skin Shop (TSS), with the tagline ‘Nature of the natural beauty cosmetic’ has been supplying nature-friendly cosmetics to their customers and has expanded since in the overseas market (Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, and soon in North America). This brand is currently endorsed by one of Korea’s popular ballad boy band called 2AM! (fangirling commence! :P)
The Skin Shop aims to present to you the magic…
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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 7,300 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 12 years to get that many views.
Check out this great FREE WORLDWIDE GIVEAWAY, sponsored by T. at StorybookApothecary!
This is a very innovative Giveaway that incorporates all of your feedback and a shopping trip on your behalf!
In short, you let T. know what beauty products she should pick up on her Black Friday shopping extravaganza. She’ll do her best to pick up your suggested items. However, if you’ve ever shopped on a Black Friday in the U.S., you’ll know that it can be a wee bit hectic!
If your name is chosen, you’ll benefit from the suggestions made by all of the entrants into the contest!
Entries into the contest are due by November 20th, so don’t delay. Click here to learn how to get your entries in!
Black Friday Beauty Giveaway
How do you feel about another FREE WORLDWIDE GIVEAWAY?! I know…it’s hard to say “No Thanks”, isn’t it?
D. at Sweet Jelly Bean is running her very own giveaway this week and the contest ends in a couple of days. So, the time is now, if you’re interested in participating. Here are the details of her Little Treat Giveaway:
To see picture of the whole package and to enter the contest, click here and follow the directions!
Little Treat Giveaway
It’s that lovely time of year again in Canada when we celebrate Thanksgiving. For me, Thanksgiving signifies that the seasons are changing and that it’s time to give thanks for all the blessings in our lives.
Wikipedia will tell you that Canadian Thanksgiving can be traced back to a couple of different originating dates.
Some trace the beginnings of this holiday back to the explorer Martin 
Frobisher. He had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. After his third voyage, he held a formal ceremony to give thanks for surviving the long journey from England. It was held near Baffin Island.
Others give credit for Canadian Thanksgiving to early French settlers who arrived in Canada with Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century. Their celebrations were tied to the end of the harvest season.
The actual date for the Thanksgiving celebration has varied over the years. It wasn’t until 1957 that the Canadian Parliament designated the 2nd Monday of October as Thanksgiving Monday.
1. I am thankful for all the support you’ve all given me for my blog! My readership has gone up exponentially this year. I first had a big jump in readership around March. Since then, the numbers have continued to increase. I’ve also been nominated for three awards (Sunshine Award, Beautiful Blogger Award, and Inspiring Blog Award) and have had a chance to get to know many of you. I love following your blogs and am honoured that you follow mine back! Thank you!
2. I am thankful for the miracle of being pregnant! I’m in my 32nd week and looking forward to welcoming a new baby into our lives. My husband and I are so excited to start this new chapter of our lives.
3. I am thankful for all of the love and support from my friends and family. They are always there for me when I need them. I know that I’m lucky to be surrounded by such an awesome support network. Thank you!
My family always celebrates Thanksgiving with a big family dinner. This year, 
I’ve put myself in charge of making dessert for everyone. Even though the traditional dessert is a pumpkin pie, I decided to make use of all the apples and cranberries I have in my house and make an apple-cranberry crumble. When it’s topped with ice cream, could you really ask for anything more? Here it is!
Au Naturel Essence 