Mega Box of Awesome! Review and Giveaway

You may remember that last month I did a review of the Box of OMG! which is box of goodies for girls. Well this month I received a MEGA Box of Awesome which is box of goodies for boys. 

A Box of Awesome is a box of goodies that are delivered to your home. There are two types of boxes. A standard box which you can get for free if you are randomly picked to receive one or build up your points on the website. The other type is a Mega box which you can get by subscribing to the service for £4.99 per box or you may get awarded a free one if you do unboxing videos which is how I received this one. I get the boxes for my nieces and nephews who love to see what the goodies are each time and share them amongst themselves. 

So lets have a look at what's inside Mega Box of Awesome #9. First of all in every box you receive information about the Box of Awesome! and how you can enter into the unboxing competition to win great prizes. In this case the most creative unboxing video will win a GoPro Camera PLUS everyone who does an unboxing video will be put into a awesome hat and a random entrant will win an iPad Mini. Also every time they release a new box one person will get a golden ticket in their box. In this case if you received it you get to win loads of Batman LEGO sets! There is also a Box of Awesome sticker and a leaflet about the Futur8 Awards. There is also a card with a code on that you can share with your friends so they can get extra points on the Box of Awesome page. Once you have signed up and logged into the Box of Awesome site just click on Awesome points at the top of the page and enter the following code AWESOMEBUDDY and you will get 10 points. 

Next up in the box I got some Transformers cards from topps. This is a new trading card game that kids can play and collect. And some wrestling stickers that you can collect for the topps sticker album. 

I also received a packet of Match Attax cards which I know a lot of boys collect. And two packs of yummy Haribo Bunny Mix. Everyone in my family (including me) loves Haribo so this is always a winner. 

I also received a book called Compton Valance The Most Powerful Box in the Universe by Matt Brown. This book is priced at £5.99 in the shops and looks really cool inside. All the writing is different sizes and fonts with illustrations too which means whilst it is a big book it doesn't get too boring. I am sure one of my nephews will love this book.

And finally my personal favourite items in this box. A Where's Wally? mini book with magnifying lens which is priced £3.99 in the shops, a Where's Wally? poster (with activities to do on the back) and a Where's Wally? cardboard standee.  The boys and girls in my family really love Where's Wally? it will keep them busy for awhile in the summer holidays. 

I think for £4.99 the Mega Box of Awesome is worth it considering that the items inside the box are valued nearer £10. It's also great for children to receive the box through the post and get to see what surprises are inside. I know my nieces and nephews look forward to opening their boxes each time to see what's inside. 

You can check out mine and my niece Lilly unboxing our boxes on our youtube channel. 

Box of Awesome have kindly given me a MEGA Box of Awesome to give away to one of my readers. 

(Note: The contents in the box may be different to what I received)

To enter the competition simply complete as many of the steps as you wish on the Rafflecopter form below. A winner will be chosen at random at the end of the competition. The competition is open to residents of the UK only. Good Luck. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

Wins Of The Week - 28th July 2014

I am late with this weeks wins of the week again due to bad fatigue yesterday. Feeling a lot better today though so here are the prizes I received this week. 

Competition prize win number 1128: A X-Men: Days of Future Past goody bag (not sure where it came from as there was no note inside) which included a t-shirt, a light up frisbee, a keyring and a notebook. Neil has already claimed the t-shirt. 

Competition prize win number 1129: A personalised razor from Wilkinson Sword. I entered the competition on the Wilkinson Sword facebook page quite awhile ago. I am glad I entered as it's a really nice prize and it has Neil's name on it so another for him. 

Competition prize win number 1130: A complete set of Moshi Monster Moshlings series 10 which I won from Jacintaz3's blog. My niece Lilly has already claimed these. They are really cute. I especially like the toast one. 

Competition prize win number 1131: A box of Really Rotten Experiments. This is a win for Lilly as it was entered in her name from National Geographic Kids Magazine so when I go down to Bath in a few weeks time I will be taking it with me for her. She is going to love this as she likes doing Science experiments. I won a years subscription to the magazine so I get it every month and enter on her behalf then pass the magazine on to her when I see her so she can read it and have all the posters and everything. It's a great magazine, I actually enjoy having a little read through too and they have lots of competitions every month. I love winning things for Lilly and the other children in my family. 

Competition prize number 1132: And finally my last prize of the week is a box of After Eights which I won from the After Eight facebook page. Yummy! 

That's all for the last week. Don't forget I have a great competition running to win a Cadbury Chocolate Treasure box. Join in the competition here. 

Why not leave me a comment telling me what you have won over the past week. 

Prizes waiting to arrive

Case of Magners cider from Magners

Hobgoblin Tankard from Hobgoblin

Football Mascot

£50 John Lewis Vouchers from 888ladies

Downhill DVD from Gentlemensgoods.com

Age Defy shampoo and conditioner from Supersavvyme

Boost - Pink Lemonade from Boost

Mario Party: Island Tour for 3DS from Lilla Loves Blog

£250 kids Joules Clothes from Kiddycharts

Budweiser smart phone cover from Budweiser

Eye-Fi Memory Card from Mummy To Max blog

Encore Dog Pate from Encore Dog

Ray-Ban Aviator Sunglasses from J20 

PetShop.co.uk Review

PetShop.co.uk is an online shop for all your pets needs including food, treats and toys. The shop caters for all pets including cats, dogs and small animals. You can shop on their website for your favourite brands including Felix and Pedigree but they also have an extensive range of brands that you might not find in your local supermarket. They also offer a brilliant Bottomless Bowl subscription service where you can auto reorder your favourite products so you never have to worry about running out of food and treats and there's free delivery on all orders over £19.99 so it's good to order in bulk.

PetShopBowl very kindly sent us a box of goodies for our two cats Harvey and Tigger and our dog Shortie to try out. We were very impressed with the service as they sent out an email to us to tell us when to expect our delivery. We also liked the fact that they boxed our goodies in a re-used box. We are all for recycling and now we have recycled the box too. Here is a picture of the goodies we were sent.

Here is what we thought of the products:

Food

For the cats, Harvey and Tigger, we received six tins of Almo Nature Legend Cat Food in three different flavours; salmon, mackerel and chicken with cheese. To say they loved it is an understatement. They have never tried this food before and when we opened the first tin of Salmon, we were surprised to find that it didn't look like it was made for animals, it looked good enough for people to eat (not that Harvey or Tigger would give us a chance to try).  It didn't take long for them to eat the whole tin between them and they licked every last bit out of their bowls.

Our cats usually eat dry food during the day and then have a little bit of wet food in the evening. These were real treats and at 85p a tin we think it is well worth it especially as they loved it so much. We will definitely be looking at trying some of the other flavours with them soon.

For the dog, Shortie, we received six cartons of Almo Nature Daily Menu Food in three different flavours of tuna with rice, tuna with swordfish and chicken and turkey. We were surprised by the packaging as we have never seen wet dog food in cartons before but they were very easy to open (there are instructions on the top of each carton to show you how).  The food contains no preservatives or colourings and only contains top quality meat and meat-by-products/fish and fish by-products. Shortie was very excited to try this new food as he could smell it as soon as the carton was opened. The texture was nice, it wasn't sloppy or full of jelly or gravy like some foods; it was full of meat which Shortie really enjoyed.

Shortie usually has dry food with a bit of wet food on the top, so we only gave him a few spoonfuls from the carton and it was easy to store the rest in the fridge for the next day. This food is currently on special offer from PetShopBowl at just 90p a carton (usual price £1.20) which is excellent value considering the quality of the food.

We felt that Almo Nature was a high quality product that we wouldn't normally have picked up to try but because our pets enjoyed it so much we can see ourselves buying it in the future for treats alongside their regular food.

Toys

For Shortie we received a Kong Toy. This is a rubber toy which you can put treats in and then the dog has to work and play to get the treat out. You can use any sort of treat or fill it with peanut butter or pate style spreads. We decided to put some of Shortie's favourite treats (sausages) inside the Kong which worked well as they wedged in easily. We think big treats work better because small treats will fall out too easily without much effort and not be much of a challenge for the dog. 

We have never given Shortie a toy like this before and we are not sure what his previous owners would have given him. At first he was confused and didn't really understand what it was all about. Once he realised there was sausages in there he started to play with it a bit and try to get them out. As I write this he has managed to get half the sausages out but the rest are still in there and he has hidden it under his pillow for later. He does look like he has stopped playing with it now but every now and again he goes back and licks it trying to get the sausages out.

For the cats we received a Jolly Moggy Laser toy. The toy came with batteries and includes a clip to attach it to your belt or keyring. We know that are cats enjoy playing with laser toys as we've had some before but with this one we were really impressed with the range; even in sunlight we could stand at one side of the house and see clearly and brightly the red dot on the other side of the house. Our cats enjoy chasing the light around the house (providing Shortie is no where near them because he wants to get involved but doesn't really understand what is going on). 

Treats

For Shortie we received some Lily's Kitchen Rise & Shine treats. We received beef liver and fresh carrots with botanical herbs flavour. Shortie really liked these treats which according to the box are 100% natural and good for his teeth and coat. I haven't seen this brand before in the supermarket so it was nice for him to try something different. 

For the cats we received chicken flavoured Dreamies. We have given the cats these before and they are definitely one of the cats favourite treats. 

Thank you to PetShop.co.uk for sending us these great products for testing and if the animals could say thank you too they would. 

Trip to Ludlow Dog Day

On Sunday Neil's parents Bonnie and Dave kindly took us to the first Ludlow dog day at the beautiful Stokesay Court. My main reason for going was because I run Jules Hudson Fans (Jules is a TV presenter on Escape To The Country and Countryfile) on Twitter and Facebook and I knew Jules was there to open the show and spending some time there so I wanted to pop along to say hello and to get some pictures of him for the group. 

So we set out at 10am to get there for around 11am but sadly on the way a cyclist had collapsed in the middle of the road to Ludlow and the air ambulance was there so we couldn't get passed. We waited in the queue of traffic for some time before deciding to turn around and go back on ourselves and find another route so we didn't end up arriving at the show until just after midday. I really hope the cyclist is feeling better now. When we arrived and parked as I was getting out of the car I could hear Jules speaking to everyone over the speakers but by the time we got up to the main area he had finished. 

Stokesay Court is a beautiful setting with lovely gardens. The house was used as an Auxiliary Military Hospital in World War I and in recent years was used as a location for the film Atonement.  

Stokesay Court - Picture taken by Andrea Lawry of Paws Galore Grooming

It was a very warm day when we got there and our dog Shortie was very hot but the organisers of the day had a fresh supply of water for the dogs in many places around the show with regular top ups as well which was brilliant (even though I did have a bottle of water with me for Shortie too). I have never seen so many dogs in one place before. The show was packed, I did hear someone say that over 4000 people attended. A few of my friends from the Jules Hudson Fans Facebook group were at the show as well. Hilary and Philippa had come from Wales to see Jules and to meet up. Luckily I had their phone numbers so it wasn't long before I found them. Philippa knew where Jules was so we went over to him and his partner Tania to say hello. When Jules saw me he put his arm around me and I gave him a little kiss on the cheek. I had last seen him in April so it was good to see him again and he looked great. Lots of people kept coming up to him for autographs and pictures and I have to say I felt like a very proud fan. Jules is such a lovely person, a very talented tv presenter and very easy to talk to. 

Not long after I had arrived Jules had entered his black Labrador, Iolo into the fastest sausage eating competition. Us fans watched and cheered them on but Iolo was more interested in all the dogs around him than the sausages so they were out in the first round. I was going to enter Shortie in the Vintage dogs category but because we arrived a little late we missed it. 

Jules and Iolo in the fastest sausage eater competition

  

After Jules and Iolo finished we got to chat to Jules for a few minutes and have our pictures with him. Here they are: 

Me, Jules, Philippa and Hilary

Me, Shortie and Jules 

Afterwards Jules went off with some friends for awhile so we went and sat in the sandwich area which was in the shelter so our dogs could cool off and we could have a chat. It was great to chat to Philippa and Hilary about Jules and other things. It's amazing because we would never have met if it hadn't been thanks to our mutual appreciation of Jules. I have made many friends within the Facebook group and I am really looking forward to our big meet up with Jules in London in September. It's going to be great fun. 

Jules popped over to our table for awhile later in the afternoon and we had a little chat before he had to go off and judge the "Prettiest Bitch" category which had about 100 dogs in. 

Jules on our table 

Poor Jules I took quite a few pictures of him but I like to get them for people on the group who can't come along so they can get a feeling of the day.
Also at the dog day there was some incredible displays including the Paws For Thought Dog Display Team whose dogs jumped through the fire. Amazing! 

Paws For Thought Dog Display Team - Picture taken by Andrea Lawry of Paws Galore Grooming

It was such a great day, with great stalls, food, drink and a brilliant band playing too. The organisers, the Rotary Club of Ludlow and owners of  Stokesay Court made it such a great day and I hope they raised lots of money for their chosen charities. 

This is one of my favourite pictures from the day of Jules with his dog Iolo. It's the first time I met Iolo and he is such a lovely boy. 

Jules and Iolo

Thanks to Jules for being so lovely and letting me take lots of pictures of him for the group. Thanks to all at Stokesay Court. Thanks to Bonnie and Dave for taking us. It was a brilliant day!

Links:
Stokesay Court
Jules Hudson's Official Website
Follow Jules on twitter
Follow JulesHudsonFans on twitter
Jules Hudson Fans on Facebook
Paws Galore Grooming
Paws for Thought Dog Display Team

Wins Of The Week - 21st July 2014

I am a day late in posting my wins of the week. I was off seeing Jules Hudson and having fun at Ludlow Dog Day yesterday. I am going to do a post about the day later in the week. I had three wins this week and here they are:

Competition prize win number 1125: I received an awesome Simply Red bundle of cds and dvds from The Musix Fix on twitter. They are great, I love the way they look like hardback books. Looking forward to listening to the cds.

Competition prize win number 1126: This prize arrived for my niece Lilly. I entered the competition on her behalf and will be taking the prize down to Bath soon when I go and visit her. The prize is a Smiggle stationery bundle. I showed Lilly the prize on Skype when I chatted to her in the week and she was really pleased and is going to use some of it for school when she goes back in September. It's such a lovely design. I love the pen that looks like a pencil.

Competition prize win number 1127: And finally a prize for Neil. Some Redbush Tea from Redbush Tea on twitter. I am not a tea drinker at all. I don't like hot drinks much but Neil is really pleased with these.

That's all for this week. Don't forget I have a great competition running on my blog to win a Cadbury's Chocolate Treasure box. Join in the competition here.

Why not leave a comment telling me what you won this week. 

Prizes waiting to arrive: 

Case of Magners Cider from Magners

Complete set of Series 10 Moshi Monsters from Jacintaz3 blog

Hobgoblin Tankard from Hobgoblin

Football Mascot

£50 John Lewis Voucher from 888ladies

Downhill DVD from GentlemensGoods.com

Age Deft Shampoo and Conditioner from Supersavvyme

Box of After Eights from After Eights

Boost - Pink Lemonade from Boost

Mario Party 3DS game from Lilla Loves blog

£250 of Joules Kids clothing from Kiddycharts

Budweiser Smart Phone cover from Budweiser

Eye-Fi Memory Card from Mummy To The Max blog

Beyond The Broom Cupboard

Everyone has celebrity crushes when they are younger but mine is so special that he even helped me find love. Here is my story on how I found love thanks to my first and longest crush, Phillip Schofield.

When I was 8 years old I would come home from school and the first thing I would do is turn the television on and watch CBBC. Not because I particularly liked all the programs but because of the presenter in the broom cupboard with the cute gopher puppet. I soon found out his name, Phillip Schofield. At 8 years old my thoughts towards Phillip was of course very innocent but I can remember thinking  he was the most perfect boy ever and one day I even told my mum that I was going to marry him and hold his hand. As I started to grow up I did get teased a little bit about liking Phillip from some adults in my life but that didn't stop me from liking him and wishing I could be his girlfriend. I remember I used to sleep on the bottom bunk bed and on the wall I had stuck up a picture of Phillip with blu-tack. I would look at that picture every single night before I fell asleep. 

Phillip in the CBBC Broom cupboard..

When I was around the age of 12 we went to see Phillip in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Bristol Hippodrome. I thought this was going to be my chance to finally meet Phillip. I watched the show and thought he was amazing and was so pleased to be in the same room as him. When my mum told me afterwards that we had to go straight home I was really upset. I didn't let on to anyone but I did cry that night because I really wanted to meet him. In a way I am quite glad I didn't get to meet Phillip then because I know there would have been so many people there I would have been just one of many fans. My mum has said she has been to many theatre shows but never has she seen an audience clap and cheer as much as they did for Phillip in Joseph, his performance was amazing. 

Phillip as Joseph

I followed Phillip's career all through my life and then one day in my mid 20s I decided to email This Morning telling them about how much I liked Phillip. I have to admit here I think I was slightly drunk when I wrote and sent the email. I didn't think anything about it afterwards but then a few days later someone from This Morning rang me and asked for my address as Phillip wanted to send me an autograph. I was really pleased and eagerly awaited it's arrival. When it arrived it was a picture of Phillip and on the back he had written "To Ellen - thanks so much for your lovely e-mail, you are certainly a loyal fan & it's much appreciated. Lots of love Phillip Schofield." 

After receiving the email it got me thinking that there wasn't really any good websites about Phillip online so I decided to make a website dedicated to him called Schofield Fans (originally Phillip Schofield Online). At the time forums were really in so I set up a forum on the site and soon other fans started to join. I thought maybe one day Phillip might come on the forum but how would we know it was really him and not someone pretending to be him. So I decided to set up a special account on there for him and I sent him the details. Not long after and thanks to a couple of other fans who saw him at the National TV Awards he signed on to the forum and left us a message. It was so exciting. I couldn't believe that Phillip Schofield had taken the time to login and talk to us. I thought it was so lovely because not many celebrities would bother but soon I came to realise just how lovely and genuine Phillip is. 

So roll on a few more months a small group of us fans decided to go and meet Phillip outside the ITV studios. I managed to organise a date to meet him and say hello outside the studio when he came out after work and before he went home. To say I was nervous was an understatement. I suffer from bad anxiety anyway (see my depression post) so I knew I was going to be nervous but I never thought I would be as nervous as I was. In fact if it wasn't for a couple of the girls from the group helping me out I wouldn't have got there. I wasn't just nervous because I was meeting the man who I thought was so perfect and amazing but also because a part of me was worried that he might not live up to the expectations I had of him over the last 20 years. I know that sounds crazy but not long before meeting Phillip I got in touch with the boy I first liked in my teens and he was vile and rude to me and it kind of ruined my memories of him. I didn't need to worry though because Phillip was so lovely and even better in real life. He came out with a smile on his face and asked which one of the group was Ellen. I was pushed forward towards him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Everyone else followed after me. We had a lovely time chatting to him for over an hour. I will never forget the first time I met Phillip. I went to London about eight times after that with the Schofield Fans to see Phillip and every time was amazing. I even told Phillip about my anxiety problems and that is why I had never been to see any of his shows being filmed and he was really kind and understanding about it. Phillip also gave me his personal email address so that it was easier to keep in contact. Here are some pictures from the meet ups with Phillip. 

Me with Phillip the first time we met

Giving Phillip a birthday kiss

One day I got an email from a guy from ITV saying that Phillip had joined twitter. I didn't have a clue what twitter was at the time but I signed up less than 24 hours after Phillip and started following him. I remember his first tweet to me was a funny tweet about it not taking me long to find him. I was the ninth person that Phillip followed on twitter and I am quite proud of that. In a way twitter was the beginning of the end for the Schofield Fans site because it wasn't needed as much because it was easier to keep in contact with him on twitter and find out what he was up to. Also he had a brand new amazing official website. So it wasn't too long that Schofield Fans ended but before it did and when I first joined twitter I started following some of the people Phillip was following to try and get more people on to our site. Phillip randomly selected people to follow in the beginning and one of those people was Neil. I started chatting to some of the fans on twitter and for some reason I felt really drawn to Neil. We started chatting a lot in direct messages. 

Not long after we started chatting Neil went on holiday for three weeks and during that time I felt like I missed him which was a really weird feeling because we had never met or even spoken on the phone. In fact at the time I didn't even know his real name, just his twitter name which was originally @wakeupscared.  All through my life from the age of 18 onwards I had relationships with guys, some lasted a couple of months, some a couple of years but I always seemed to get bored of them. It was almost like I would be dating someone and then get bored and start looking for the next boyfriend but around my mid twenties I decided enough was enough and I stopped dating. I had male friends but it was just friendship. So by the time I had started talking to Neil I had been single for about five years. 

When Neil returned from his holiday I decided to tell him how I felt, that I had missed talking to him. He had missed talking to me too. We decided to have a chat on the phone and after a few weeks of chatting we decided we should meet up. I was so nervous that day he came down to Bath to see me. He arrived in the evening by train. I waited for him on the bridge over the railway line. I saw the train coming in and kept looking down because I was scared of what he would think of me. He came straight up to me on the bridge and passionately kissed me. I was blown away. We walked back to my house. He was a little shorter than I thought he would be but he was perfect for me. I fell in love with him instantly. When we got back to my house we turned the television on and Phillip was on presenting The Cube. We watched and chatted about how we wouldn't have met if I hadn't followed Phillip on to twitter. Even in that first weekend with Neil I knew things were going to be different. I knew I was totally in love with him. In the past I felt I was in love but now I realise I wasn't, not properly, I was always still looking for the one and then I met him, Neil. He made me feel good about myself. He made me feel complete. He made me laugh and feel totally loved. 

Me with the love of my life Neil. 

Two years after we met we decided to get engaged. To be honest it wasn't the most romantic proposal we just sort of decided together that the time was right. After telling our family members we decided to tell the world on twitter and thank Phillip. Not long after Phillip retweeted our tweet and tweeted us back with "Many Congratulations @Webkin1979 @NON53N53 and I'm chuffed I played cupid :)" the very next day we had The Sun on the doorstep wanting our story and magazines emailing etc which we found a bit odd because we didn't think anyone would really be interested in our story. 

We are coming up to being together for five years now. We still haven't got married yet but I am sure we will get around to it some day. People often ask if I would invite Phillip to my wedding. I would love to but I know he is a very busy person and realistically probably wouldn't be able to make it. 

Neil makes me so happy

My engagement ring.

Neil makes me feel so happy. He makes me feel complete. Neil is my happily ever after. I am still a huge fan of Phillip and will always admire him as he is an incredibly talented lovely man. To Phillip I may be just one of his many fans but to me he will always be my first and longest crush who helped me find the love of my life.

Update: In September 2014 we went to London to see Phillip and thank him personally. You can read about our visit here. 

Links: 

Phillip Schofield's Official Website

Follow Phillip on twitter - @Schofe

Follow me on twitter - @Webkinsworld

Wins Of The Week - 13th July 2014

I have had some amazing wins this week which you can see on the prizes I am awaiting for. I never record a win in my book until it has actually arrived. Here are the prizes that I received this week: 

Competition prize win number 1122: On Monday I won $50 Paypal cash from Spaceships & Laser Beams blog. I seem to be having more luck on the Rafflecopter type competitions these days and I am really making an effort to enter even the massive ones as being unemployed at the moment any bit of cash is a real help. The people on this blog sent my prize over really quickly and it worked out at about £29. Every little really helps at the moment. 

Competition prize win number 1123: I received a copy of Stalingrad on blu-ray from The Hollywood News. I haven't watched it yet but the blurb on the back says "A band of determined Russian soldiers fight to hold a strategic building in their devastated city against a ruthless Germany army, and in the process become deeply connected to a Russian woman who has been living there. In Stalingrad, directed by Fedor Bondarchuk, the scale of the battle contrasts dramatically with the human drama of the Russian soldiers, the few remaining civilians and their invaders and Stalingrad".  The film has some great reviews. I am looking forward to watching it soon. 

Competition prize win number 1124: And finally this week I received my vouchers for the Higgidy quiche I won and Steve's Leaves salad on the Higgidy Catch A Quiche instant win game. You have to collect the picnic items falling down and if you catch any of the thousands of products they have to give away you get vouchers for them. There is also a prize for the best score of the day. Still plenty of time to play  (and you can play daily) so check it out and good luck. 

Why not leave a comment with what you have won this week. 

Prizes waiting to arrive: 

Case of Magners cider from Magners

Complete set of series 10 Moshi Monsters from Jacintaz3

Hobgoblin Tankard from Hobgoblin

Football mascot

£50 John Lewis Voucher from 888ladies

Downhill on DVD from Gentlemensgoods

Age Defy shampoo/conditioner from Supersavvyme

Box of After Eights from After Eights

Bottle of Boost Lemonade from Boost

Redbush Citrus Tea from Redbush

£250 Joules kids clothing from Kiddycharts

Indulgence Hamper from Lilla Loves blog

My Memory Box - The Early Days and Giveaway

I am quite a sentimental person and have kept various things from throughout my life in a big box which I have called "my memory box". So I thought it would be a great idea to share them with everyone. This is the first instalment from the first five years of my life. 

I was born on the 18th April, 1979.  I had big bright blue eyes. Number one in the charts when I was born was "Bright Eyes" by Art Garfunkel and it has now become one of my favourite songs. My mum was 21 and my dad was 24 when I was born. From what I was told I was a fairly good baby that didn't cry too much.  

In my memory box of course I have photographs. Here is one of my mum holding me when I was 3 weeks old. 

My mum and dad kept The Sun, Daily Express and Bath Evening Chronicle from the day I was born. In fact in one of the papers is the half filled out crossword my dad was doing whilst waiting for me to arrive. It's great looking through the papers especially at the adverts and the cost of things. You could buy a really nice home in Bath in Poets Corner for £27,000 back in 1979. Now houses in the same area cost £350,000 or more.

My parents also kept the newspaper from the 19th April with the announcement of my birth. Shame the papers couldn't spell Patricia correctly but still it's lovely to have. 

Around the time there was a lot of talk about the general election coming up a couple of weeks after my birth so the papers were full of Margaret Thatcher. Whilst I know a lot of people didn't like her I decided about 10 years or so ago when I was collecting autographs to send off a page from one of my newspapers from the day I born with a picture of her on and ask her to sign it. I did worry about it a little as I didn't want to lose a page from the paper but I risked it and two months later she sent it back to me signed. 

My parents also kept all the cards they received from my family and their friends. Some of the people I don't know but it's still cool to read through them. And also they kept one of my first dresses and a cardigan from when I did ballet aged 4 or 5 (I don't think I did it for very long though).

Birth cards

Me aged 3 

My first dress

Ballet top

The fact my parents kept all these items shows just how happy they were to have me. I love them so much and I love the fact that I still have all this as part of my memory box.

****** Giveaway ******

My blog has reached just over 2 months old so I thought it would be lovely to run another competition to say thank you to my readers. The prize is a lovely Cadbury Treasure box as pictured below. 

To enter the competition simply complete as many steps on the Rafflecopter form below. The winner will be chosen at the end of the competition. The competition is open to residents of the UK only. Good Luck. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com