Thankful Thursday: Good news from people I love!

Hello everyone!

I hope your week is going great! I can't really complain, not only I've had 3 weeks off, in which though I haven't got much sleep due to some renovations from one of my neighbours, I've managed to get some rest, read some very much awaited books, get myself a new wi-fi router when they came around to check why my connection was spotty and got myself an awesome piece of bookish swag in the mail in the shape of a custom relic postcard by Gwenda Bond!

So yeah, even if I'm extremely thankful for all that, that's not just what this Thankful Thursday is gonna be about, it is gonna be about spending time with my friends, being silly with them and getting some great news from them! In 2014 I already have a confirmed date of a wedding from one of my besties, another quite probable that same year and another confirmed wedding for 2015! YAY!

And now I'm gonna leave you all with a few silly pictures of my meet up with my besties to give them their gift sarees for their b-days and how they loved wearing them, and how much fun I had putting them on!

Explaining the folding

Where's that safety piiiiin?!

 

And now over the arm and ready!

 

Tucking it in properly!

NAMASTE!

Thankful Thursday: The perks of being a book blogger!

For this week's Thankful Thursday I want to say thank you for all the things that as a book lover and huge bookworm I'm really excited about since I started being a bit dedicated to book blogging!

Everything started with Goodreads, that website might have pros and cons as everything does, but being able to keep track of what I read and even more important, being able to keep a list of books I want to read and knowing when they come out, that's priceless for me!

Then, I have to mention Twitter... who would have thought authors would be so willing and nice to interact with readers in such a great way! Also, meeting and chatting with other book bloggers, getting recommendations and tips... Twitter is a goldmine!

And for what I am the most grateful and still quite startruck is about the possibility of getting Advanced copies of books, the ARCs, something that a pair of years back I had no idea it existed! I'm so honoured every time I get approved for one on NetGalley and even more when an author sends me one!

Once again, THANK YOU!

Thankful Thursday: The kindness of others.

Hello everyone!

Thankful Thursday is that little space I like spending each week thinking of something I'm grateful for.
Sometimes is easier to complain about the bad than to be thankful about the good, but I think it's even more important to look for the good and acknowlegde it.

What I am thankful for this week? I'm thankful for all the people that are kind and nice to me one way or the other. Doesn't matter if it's a stranger, a friend, a co-worker... If we stop and think about it, there's always someone that can be there when we need a lil push, a kind word or a nice gesture, and we need to focus more on that and on spreading it than on complaining about the not-so-nice one that cut us on the exit for the highway!

Be kind.

And have a cupcake!

Thankful Thursday: A place to find peace: the cottage!

Hello everyone!

Today I'm gonna be away from the laptop, a proper internet connection, work and the heat by the time you get to read this entry. And I thought that it was just fitting that I'd be making this week's Thankful Thursday about a place that's my safe place and has been since I can remember!

My parents bought a plot of land on the outs of this tiny village (when I say tiny, I mean it, it has like 3 families living all year round) about 60 something kilometres from where we live and they built a house there (and I mean they did the actual building, my mum, dad and my bro! I came into the family with all the work done!). It's a wonderful place, so quiet, much cooler during the summers, with a lot of nature around and with the most amazing sky at night you can imagine! Let's not forget the doggies my dad has, and you can imagine why going there is the perfect recipe to relax, recharge and renew yourself! I'm so thankful I have such an amazing place so close by where I can just feel better as soon as I step out of the car!

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday: Gifting others

Hello everyone!

This week has been quite busy, even if I had my first day off since I went back to work after vacation (2 full weeks!) but I was mostly lazy that day!

For this week's Thankful Thursday I wanna say thank you for having the money to spare and the friends to buy things for! I can't wait till I can give my friends the sarees I got for them, and it's amazing seeing them so excited to get them!

Time to spend with them, enjoying each other's company and having a lil something to make them smile, it's absolutely priceless!

Thankful Thursday: Winning Giveaways!

Hello everyone! How's your week going?

Mine is going fairly well, work is fairly insane busy but that's kinda usual anyways. For today's Thankful Thursday I wanna say thank you cause I've been insanely lucky to win a bunch of giveaways this past two weeks!

First, last week I won a Twitter giveaway from author Ashley Elston for an ARC of Alienated by Melissa Landers!

Then, I won a preorder of Avalon by Mindee Arnett at Realm of Fiction!

And today I won a preorder of All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill at My Friends Are Fiction!

I'm just SO happy and grateful! And I'm also thinking it might just be the time to play the lottery! ;)

Thankful Thursday: The Silver Linings!

Hello everyone!

I think I've missed two weeks of my Thankful Thursday posts, and it's not that I didn't have reasons to be thankful for, quite contrary, since I was spending time with the bf and that's not as common as I'd want!

For today's Thankful Thursday I wanna say thank you for the silver linings, all those little things that put a smile on your face even after being in a bad mood, or having a crappy day at work...

I've had a pair of those both yesterday and today. Yesterday I had a super crazy busy end of shift at work, which meant I ended up leaving late and was super stressed, but when I got home... ta dah! A parking spot right in front of my door! And parking is really a sore issue here, so made my day!

And today? Feeling blah, aunt Irma around, work quite busy again... but, when I got home I had some awesome bookmarks from author Mindee Arnett in the mail, AUTHOGRAPHED!! Again, big smile!

Thinking positive is not easy, do I know it! But we always need to remember to always look on the bright side of life! *whistling*

Thankful Thursday: It's Always The Little Things...

Hello everyone!

Here I am, in India, with a borrowed laptop, and remembering this time that today is Thursday, and so it's time to say thank you!

For today's Thankful Thursday I'm gonna be thankful for the small things that so many of us take for granted to easily all the time...

The fact that we can wake up in the morning next to the person we love.

Turning around in bed to be kissed good morning.

Having a normal conversation on the phone with your mother every day even if we're right now thousands of miles away.

Having a doggy licking your hand to show you that you're loved.

Being able to eat roti and paranthas again cause you've found gluten free atta.

Having a smile come to your face more easily every day...

And finding yourself saying thank you happier every day.

Thankful Thursday: Being able to gift my friends

Hello everyone!

Again, I almost forget about Thankful Thursday before Thursday is over!

Today I want to be thankful for being able to give gifts to other, nevermind of the value of the gift, but being able to give something to other people and see a smile on their face.

Yesterday I gave my friend Irene a saree for her birthday and I just had such a blast draping it on her and seeing how happy her face was!

Thankful Thursday: Smile

I'm already late for Thankful Thursday, but I didn't want to miss this week's post, cause I think it's extremely necessary to be grateful for the positive, and keep the focus on the positive.

So what I'm thankful for today? I'm thankful for the all the smiles.

There's nothing better than a smile. A smile can not only help others that can be cheered up by your smile, but also it can cheer yourself up. Fake it till you make it!

A smile is the most powerful weapon in the world, it can melt ice and brighten up a day, and smile can make someone's day better, and that's a lesson I truly learnt at my job. A grumpy patient can turn into a extremely nice one if you enter with a smile and a smiling nurse can make a patient's day better.

Smile, you'll feel better and you'll make others feel better, there are always reasons to smile, even through the most bitter of tears.

SMILE!




And I had completely forgotten, but this is my 400th blog entry! WOW! Who would have though I'd make it till 400 posts! Thank you everyone! See? Another reason to smile!

Thankful Thursday: Online friends

Hello everyone!

Here we are again, and since it's Thursday, it's time to be thankful out loud.

So today my Thankful Thursday is for all my online friends.

It's so incredible that I've met so many amazing people through the internet, first though the Star Wars message boards, where even more than anyone, I met my boyfriend! And then, unexpectedly enough, I met handmade crafters and sellers through eBay when I started buying handmade. After joining a pair of handmade & crafting forums some of those sellers have become actual friends I keep in touch with, cause they're not only extremely talented artists but also awesome people!

If you want to meet quite a lot of them, do check out the Attack of the Craft boards! Thank you for being there Cindy, Kim, Lex, Ranon, Brooke, Mara, Ky, Maria, Deanna, Jamie, Cheri, Jinx, Andreanna, Nixx, Nicoles, Amber, Marykitten and Marycakes and everyone else, I love you loads!

And I want to give a special mention to two friends that I've met through the crafters, Etsy and became friends on Facebook: Marie-Helene, my dear fellow mad bookwork from Canada; and Deb, amazingly talented artist and my beloved taste twin! I love you guys!

So, thank you, Universe for putting such great people on my way to meet!

Thankful Thursday: Technology

Hello everyone!

Hope you guys are having an awesome Thursday! I'm working night shift tonight, so all I'm doing today is mostly being lazy...

For today's Thankful Thursday I wanna say how terribly thankful I have for technology. I'm not gonna go into all the darkness and dangers of being constantly plugged, but I'm gonna highlight some of the great things I find about some of it.

First of all, without the internet, I don't think I would have met my boyfriend. Cause what are the odds of meeting a guy from India that loves Star Wars if not through the official Star Wars message boards? Unlikely doesn't even start to describe it. So yeah, I'm thankful to George Lucas for making the movies and everything that came out of it!

Other technologies I love? Skype, it's just amazing that I can talk to my boyfriend from laptop to laptop on videocall or phone to phone on Skype call, and not having to worry about the humongous phone bill that would accompany it...

Twitter is another new thing I like, I know there are loads of bad things about the darker side of twitter or how inane it can be... but it can also be said about so many other things. I've discovered I like interacting with people on twitter, sellers, crafters, bloggers and most recently, authors. I love the chance to be able to tell an author I've loved their books, and I love getting the updates for sequels and getting a chance to get an ARC or swag from them!

So, thank you human brain that can think of all of this and allows us to be able to interact with others in ways we wouldn't have thought possible a few years back! And thank you, Uncle George!

 

Thankful Thursday: The Little Things...

Hi there everyone!

I've had a bit of a busy week, so I still have like 3 or 4 book reviews to write, maybe next Monday I'll have some of them up!

Today for Thankful Thursday I just wanna say I'm thankful for those little things, there are so many of them that can make a good day better, a meh day a good one, and a bad day tolerable.

Those little things like climbing in your warm bed with your blankie and your comforter after working night shift for 10 hours, like the sun through your window and a song playing that makes you smile, like a hug from a friend just because, like a smile that makes you smile, a good book you don't want to put down...

So many little things can and will make things better, just make sure to keep your eyes open to see them all!

Thankful Thursday: Days off and inspiration.

Hello everyone!

I'm a bit behind on some of my book entries, cause I have a few reviews pending, but I've been down with a cold, and my brain wasn't at full capacity!

Today for Thankful Thursday I'm just happy for having days off to recover from being sick, to rest, to switch off my brain from work, and specially this week, for having the energy and inspiration to bake, decorate and photograph a special dozen of cupcakes!

I've had such a blast and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself, so I'm feeling quite grateful!


More on said cupcakes soon! ;)

Thankful Thursday: My co-workers!

Hello everyone!

Not a very active blogging week this one, but my sleep hasn't been at its best, and despite having awesome books to talk about and other goodies to share, my brain hasn't been at its most coherent!

Today for Thankful Thursday I want to give a huge shout out to all my co-workers, that are not just awesome professionals and fantasticly humane nurses that I'd love to have taking care of me, but also great people to work with, that cheer me up when I need it, that help me when my brain is not at its best and/or work is completely overwhelming, and also, that help me get more time to spend with the bf by exchanging days and covering for me!

Thank you so much to all of you my dears!

At work and out of it, I'm super thankful for you all!

Thankful Thursday: Books are a girl's best friends

I'm sure you've all heard that "Diamonds are a girl's best friends", well, in this particular's girl's case, books are my best friends.

And so today for my Thankful Thursday I'm going to say thank you to all the books I've read and loved, that made me laugh, that made me cry, that made me cringe and that in one way or another have made me feel.

I want to say thank you all the writers that have shared with us their experiences and the worlds inside their heads, writing a book is first and foremost as any other part of the arts, a labor of love, so thank you for having stories for us to read.

Thank you to all the books I've read, regardless of the genre, for inspiring me, for making me a citizen of the world, for expanding my horizons, for improving my Spanish and my English, and for always being those friends I can count on to hide from the world and from my own mind when everything gets to be too much for me to deal with. Thank you for being there to help me cope and thank you for giving me all sort of worlds to lose myself to, to live a thousand lives, to dream a thousand dreams.

Thank you.

Thankful Thursday: My friends

Hello everyone! Happy Thankful Thursday!

What am I thankful for today? Today I'm choosing to be thankful for being so lucky to have such amazing friends as I do!

First off, my friends from college/nursing school! We started calling ourselves the DUE-PACs (like a pack of DUE that's the acronym for the official name for nurses in Spain) and we've been friends since out first year in college and through our training days, boring classes, birthday celebrations in the cold, Náyade moving to Italy and all sort of life things... Here we are 12 years after graduating and still friends! The photo was taken last year at Pilu's wedding, and boy did we have a blast!

Some friends have been there for so long, even I don't see them quite as much, but those friends that are childhood friends always hold a very dear part of your heart.

Then we have my friend Gema, with whom I've been friends for over 20 years and going strong, her boyfriend Emi and Emi's brother, Alber, who are also two very dear friends of mine!

And last but nowhere near least, my very dear friend Irene, who I've also know for many years, and met through other friends.

As I've said before, I consider myself extremely lucky to have such great friends around me. Thank you, I love you all!!

Thankful Thursday!

Hello everyone!

Today is Thursday, and once again I'm here to say thank you!

Today I'm thankful for two small things, but that have helped me feel much better!

For starters, this past Tuesday I finally decided to sign up for NetGalley, a website where "professional readers" as well as teachers, librarians, can get ARCs (Advanced Reader's Copy) of books. The idea for ARCs is that they are uncorrected proofs, released in small quantities, and some changes are sometimes made between them and the final books.

Well, right the next day, yesterday I was told one of my two first requests was approved, so now I have my very first ARC in my hands! (well, technically, my tablet & my phone). It's for Gold by Talia Vance, from the Bandia series. So super happy bookworm me - check!

And the second reason is that today at work, the son of one of my patients gave me this sweet little gift!

My own super cute EVA foam mini-me! Complete with curly hair! Ain't that just super sweet?

So once again, THANK YOU!!

Thankful Thursday: Being a nurse.

Thursday it's here and with it, another entry to say "thank you".

What am I thankful this Thursday for today? I'm thankful for my job, for being a nurse, for still having a decent paying job in these uncertain times, and for having one with great co-workers, that allows me to exchange shifts and get a few extra days off when going on holidays, and where a Monday or a Sunday don't really mean the same than to other people.

As a nurse I deal with people and illness and as an Oncology nurse I deal with death way more often that I'd like to, but I've also got some of the most amazing lessons in life and how to live it from many of my patients. And as the photo right before this lines shows, there are so many that beat it and make it, that it's worth the fight. Cancer sucks, but if there's something I've learnt from my job is that life is worth living to the fullest and with the biggest smile in your face!

So, once again, Thank You!

Thankful Thursday: My family

Hello everyone!

I have decided to start a new entry for Thursdays, instead of my Travelling ones, I'm gonna do a little exercise of thankfulness. From now on, whenever I show photos of where I've been, it'll be on Tuesdays!

I got the idea while having a bit of a tough time on Tuesday, and doing my typical therapy: reading. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare, I never thought that a book could be just this kind of amazing emotional therapy. but this one was. Books have always been scapes for me, but this one was beyond that.
And there I got the idea for Thankful Thursdays.

And what I'm thankful for today? My family.

I've always considered myself lucky, cause I have a wonderful set of parents, with my crazy dad and my more serious mum, my older brother and my sister in law that is as much a sister as any sister I could have had.

And of course, my crazy adorable nephews! Both kiddos are grown up and taller than me, and they love teasing their grandpa!

So that's what I'm thankful for, for having an amazing family that I love, that loves me and supports me and has made me the person I am today.