I'm ready... Updated!

Well I'm chuffed still with my bag for £22.00, my mum however has managed to do 3 for £17.50!!

My lovely Mum decided she'd have a go at collecting a few bits and if she couldn't complete a whole sack, would contribute her extras to mine.  Well mum popped in to a charity shop, who donated to  her a small rucksack and a bag of spoons (good start!) and she carried on her search of goods.

Today there is a market on in our home town of Waterlooville, so Mum thought she'd have a peruse for items and came across a stall called 'All-Cam' Military surplus goods. Mum stopped to have a natter and see what they had, but when the guy who worked on the stall told her the prices of the items, mum politely declined with them being out of her price range.  The guy was then interested in to why mum wanted such items and so she explained 'The Rucksack Project' to him.  Immediately he offered mum a bag and sleeping unit for just £10, which she snapped up!

Mum, still chatting with the guy, who explained he was a Buddhist and very interested in the movement as his religion puts him clearly in the 'do good to get good' frame of mind at all times; the stall holder came over to join them.  Between the guy and mum, they explained to Keith Allen, the owner of 'All-Cam' about the project and what mum was trying to achieve.  Keith asked my mum if she had any other shopping to do, and could she come back to him before she left Waterlooville.

Upon mums return to the stall, she was shocked and delighted to find that Keith had filled the one rucksack mum had bought with warm clothes and indeed gave her two further rucksacks filled with thermal leggings, clothes and coats!  So that was it, mums mission complete, after not being sure she'd manage to complete one bag, she now had three!

Keith explained to my mum that he, his wife and children had been homeless and lived on the streets for a time and he knew how much these rucksacks would mean to a homeless person, just for some extra warmth at this time of year.  Mum left Keith and his colleague and bought three thermal flasks from Wilko for £7.50 for the three and ta-da! 3 rucksacks for £17.50! Mum also raided hers and my sisters cupboards for some extra food bits to pop in the bags.

Mum and I took the three rucksacks she had and the one I'd made and shared all the items out between the bags. For example I had a packet of 4 toothbrushes - so we split them and put one in each. We added some extra food items, added tshirts, shared out the thermal leggings, put a coat in each and were done!!!

TTFN, Sammy xx

December 2013....

2013 has been emotional. 

 

As we are getting closer to Christmas and I am stressing more and more that I'm not ready, I am very aware that the year is coming to a close very soon.  This year was the first entire year without Nan and I'm not sure if this is the reason, but I am struggling with Christmas somewhat this year.  It’s like I cannot get my brain in gear to cope with it, I keep putting things off and off and telling myself I will think about them all nearer to Christmas…. Well Mrs. B it is now only 6 days away! 

 

I've hardly sent any cards, I've hardly wrapped any presents, I've not done anything.  I haven’t even put a tree up (I do have put a few bits of decorations up and around the lounge so I'm not completely bar humbug) I have finished Christmas shopping, so for that I should be grateful, and I've finished my rucksack of course – but that is IT!  But these are the least of my worries and to be honest if my worries are this small, I have nothing to worry about at all.

 

As well as Christmas and all that jazz, December has sadly bought us to a very tragic end of the year.  One of my lovely friends husband’s very tragically lost his very very short battle with cancer and has left behind his beautiful wife and his daughter.  There aren’t enough words to express how terrible this is, how much this has saddened everyone and how very cruel of life it is.  He was known by lots of people and there have been lots of lovely tributes to him on his facebook page and reading what people have taken the time and written about him is just lovely – but just so sad that he has been taken far too soon.

So please remember, especially at this time of year, hold your loved ones close, give them an extra hug and kiss and tell them how much they mean to you, for life is short and so very cruel at times xx

 

Heaven has gained another angel and we have lost a lovely chap, a true gentleman, a fantastic family man and a wonderful friend.  His loss will be felt by many far and wide. Sleep tight Mr H, you can rest peacefully now.  All our thoughts and prayers to your family left behind, especially the two girls you love so much, my heart goes out to them all. Much love xxx

 

 

I'm ready!!...

Well that’s it, I'm all ready!

 

For Christmas?..... No!!! 

 

But for my rucksack to be handed to a homeless person at Centre Point on Monday 23^rd December 2013. 

 

This rucksack is my gift to a homeless person in Portsmouth this Christmas.  All together it cost me about £22.  We are encouraged to buy things from charity shops/donate items from home etc for the rucksack, but there are some items in there I bought new such as the toothbrushes, toothpaste, food, toiletries, pants and thermal vests.  The rucksack is mine, I bought it for a camping trip – never ever to be repeated, so it was just sat around doing nothing, so what better way to move it on! 

 

I did have a comment about how it is that someone could and does spend so much money on their rucksack and contents, but I didn’t see my £22 as lots of money; I looked at it as I would probably pay £30-£35 for hair cut for Christmas, I can deal with the inches and forego that haircut to provide for someone else, so really it actually saved me £8-£13!

 

I am so pleased to have found this event, to be part of it and to be able to have made a rucksack to make a small difference in a person life.  Reading (most) of the comments on the Portsmouth events page has really restored my faith in humanity.  Various people offering help, people offering lifts, people just generally pulling together all for the same cause – its just amazing.

 

Julie Eden is an amazing lady to have co-ordinated all of this for the Portsmouth area and to keep up with all the posts and questions on the events page, Julie truly is an inspirational lady.  Sadly I have to workon Monday 23^rd on the day of the actual event, so I will be dropping my pack off on Saturday, but I know the organiser and the volunteers at Centre Point will do a brilliant job of passing my gift on.  Thank you all for making this happen.

 

Remember…. The days are getting colder, have a warm heart.

 

I was once told by a small African boy, ‘It’s nice to be nice’, and he’s right it is.  This month hasn’t been the greatest and this is the only thing that has made me feel remotely Christmassy so far this year and so proud to be giving a worthwhile gift at this time of year.

Well done everyone and Merry Christmas! xxx

 

My bag and its contents….

Rucksack

Sleeping Bag

Scarf

Gloves

2xHats

3xJumpers

Dried Nuts

Dried Fruit

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Socks

Mugshots

Cup a Soups

Noodle box

Flask

Spoon

Pack of Thermal Tshirts

Pack of pants

Bars of Chocolate

Wet wipes

Foot gel

Bag of mints

Small box of Quality Street

The Rucksack Project

Ok, so I mentioned before about my desire to go shopping and buy pretty things… if not, trust me… it’s what’s on my mind constantly and being very poor it just isn’t the way forward!

 

I have however decided to get involved with the Rucksack project, which in my mind is just bluddy excellent, which I mentioned briefly in a previous post…http://www.mrssammyb13.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/charidee-at-christmas.html  

 

Here is a bit more about them, their website and some info as to why they started… 

 

http://www.rucksackproject.org/

 

THE HISTORY OF THE PROJECT
I Founded in November, 2009 in Bristol, (UK). It was born out of a desire to simply help a homeless person who was sleeping rough during the freezing winter months. One bitterly cold late November day, I was wandering around the centre of Bristol with the last £12 in my pocket, joining the crowds of Christmas shoppers in their trawl for the usual perfunctory gifts, when I stepped up out of an underpass and my eyes drew level with a cold looking homeless man looking lost among the legs of the well-dressed, warm people in their designer labelled clothes and carrying smart paper store bags walking blindly past them. This stark contrast really struck me given that it was 'the season of good will' and yet, these lost souls were ignored while people went about their shopping.

I'd often popped into a store and picked up a bag of food items and given them to someone in the past, but i wanted to do more. Like many people, I'd often thought about doing the Christmas soup kitchen thing, but had never taken that step and then it struck me what I could do.

I went to my local YMCA charity shop and explained that I wanted to get a rucksack and put in it a sleeping bag, a fleece, a hat, gloves, socks, underwear, a flask that I filled with hot soup, a spoon, some tins of food (with ring pulls) and anything else I could fit in it...

They were amazing and they gave me two full sets for just £6 because they appreciated what I wanted to do. £4 for soup in the supermarket filled both flasks with soup and an extra tin.

A lovely lady who happened to be in the shop overheard us and asked me to pick-out some extra clothes to put in.. They charged her just £5 for 4 fleece tops... Buy these items in various charity shops supports not only the homeless people receiving them, but also the great many charities out there raising funds for so many different causes.

I added some extra food from my cupboard then took them into Bristol where I gave them to 'Steve' and his friends who were sleeping rough.

Words cant express how grateful they were and that is the best damn present I could have given anyone that Christmas.

As a web/graphics designer and big Facebook user, I came home that afternoon feeling good but knowing I'd still only helped one person, which somehow felt a little unfair when there were still so many people out there who needed the same help and so, I decided not to be quiet about what I'd done, but instead set-up a page on Facebook, created a simple logo and header and called it "The Rucksack project…

I only did this to try and encourage a few friends and family to do what I had done.. i thought maybe we could get ten or fifteen packs out there in Bristol, but I had no idea what was about to happen.

Within a few weeks, it had spread to 80 people and I was thrilled to think a few more packs had gone out. Inevitably, the new year came bringing milder weather and it all went quiet again until the late autumn 2010. Over that winter, the numbers swelled to just over 400 Likes on the page and, by the time the following winter ended, the page had some 1,200 Likes and was starting to get interest all over the place.

In December 2012, to aid the project, I decided to make a video to show people what we were all about and called out on the page for a volunteer. That's how I met Amy Little. We shot the film over a couple of days and I got it edited and online just before Christmas 2012 and that helped the project get up to around 1250 Likes by the end of that winter.

Winter 2013 was when it really took off and, with only a gentle nudge on the Facebook page, it suddenly went crazy, gaining 250 new Likes a day at one stage and, within a month, we'd more than doubled the followers to 2,750! The media started taking an interest and I was being asked for interviews on radio stations across the country.

 

There is lots more info on the website and they have a facebook page too.  This somehow makes me feel more involved and actually doing something for charity, rather than chucking a few quid somewhere, which I'm sure will be equally appreciated, but Christmas makes me think more about presents and giving and what better idea!

 

I have started my rucksack, I have the bag and a sleeping bag and so far I've bought some socks.  This weekend I am going to hit the charity shops of Waterlooville as well as having a good sort through Barney’s warm jumpers he does not wear and hope to get my rucksack done and taken down to Central Point in Portsmouth (my local event) as soon as possible.

 

Here is a few links you may be interested to read as well…

 

(warning some swearing)http://fannythechampionoftheworld.com/2013/10/23/emotional-baggage/

 

http://www.cause4opinion.co.uk/2013/11/helping-the-homeless-this-winter/

 

 

I'll keep you posted, Sammy xxx

 

The horrors....

Oh dear, life is very stressful at the moment to say the least! 

We’ve had a very expensive few months of dented cars to pay for, open heart surgery on a van to pay for, an unexpected tax bill to pay for and a looming Christmas and New Year to get through.  (As anyone who is self employed in the building trade will know that Dec and Jan are not favourable months for income!)  And it has left me with the most awful black horrors of ‘I can’t cope I need to go to bed, ignore everyone and stay there!’ that I just cannot snap out of.

Needless to say the ol’ diet, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal is suffering also, although I'll measure the damage at weigh in on Saturday  Although 3 separate people in the last week have commented that I look like I've lost some weight, so at least that is not a bad thing!  My WW leader did suggest I take the dog for a walk up a big hill and then scream my lungs out when I got to the top, to release some stress.  So if you hear someone wailing like a banshee from the top of Butser, don’t worry – tis just me and Jarvis out on a wintery walk!!

I am in total bah humbug mode and actually considering not putting any decorations up this year(!).  I appear to be running out of time (I know it is only 5^thDecember!) with lots to do and no time to do it in.  The Christmas puds have already been forgone this year and we’ve bought one for Christmas day, but I have been making some other bits and pieces including Christmas cards.  I just haven’t got round to doing anything other than making them and putting them in a box though!  I did receive my first Christmas card yesterday which has sent me in to an even blinder state of panic that I have only thought about mine and not written a single one yet, but I should try and remember to keep calm there are a whole 20 days to go!

In the middle of all my moaning and having a bad day rubbish, I found out some terrible news about a friend.  Terrible news that reminded me that in more ways than one that moaning about menial rubbish is worthless.  There is always someone somewhere out there worse off than you with a much more positive attitude.  Who cares if the van is broke and cost more than two mortgage payments to fix, at least Barney is still here and able to drive it.  Be grateful for what you have, even if it is for one small thing you have, while everything else around you is falling apart.  Be grateful for your health, your friends and your family and you will be the richest person in the land.

Today is my God Daughters 11^th birthday and we are off out to celebrate for a meal tonight - having lovely friends, being a god mother and getting to celebrate with them all; I am very thankful.  The rest of the weekend I have a plan of how to get through it and what I'm going to do and when, just to keep me sane - for the ability to plan I am very thankful.

Shannon (my god daughter) and I on my wedding day, 8 years ago!!

So this is me…. begone black horrors, I simply don’t have time for you.  There is far too many good things in life that outweigh the bad every time.

Do have a think (if you have time of course and its not going to stress you out like me!) what you are thankful / grateful for, I promise it will make you feel a bit better and able to cope with the next five minutes at least.

TTFN, Sammy xxx 

Charidee at Christmas...

Well this year has certainly been a busy one, with turning 30 and all that jazz.  Lots of this year, I am very proud to say, has been focused on raising money for charities in one way or another. 

As most of you will know I had a big birthday bash (a little reminder...) http://mrssammyb13.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-mad-hatters-tea-party.html?m=1

I sourced most of the props for the party from charity shops, paid a fair price and did my bit.  But it didn’t stop there... After the party I sold all of the props and donated the money raised from the sales to charity.  So I'm very pleased to say that my 30^th birthday was not about spending senselessly for nothing, I raised lots of money for charity, which you can read more about here… http://mrssammyb13.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/charideee.html?m=1  

The final total from the props sold was approx…..

The Rowans Hospice –£60

British Heart Foundation – £70

Cancer Research – £115

Womb Cancer Research - £50

Well all of this has got me thinking about Christmas and charity, giving to others who deserve it and who need it more than ourselves.  So I started looking into volunteering at Christmas.  It is something I have always said I want to do, but ideally I would like to do something locally and just couldn’t find anything.  I also started looking at the food banks in the area to offer my time to, but they are only open during the week while I am at work, so again a no go :0(

I have also decided this Christmas, not to make Christmas puddings.  I have done it for the last few years, but this year I have just run out of time to make them.  I have had lots on with changing jobs, a poorly puppy and a trip to Barcelona – there are not enough hours in the day!  Believe it or not it usually costs me a small fortune to make the pudds, the ingredients/alcohol etc not to mention the 5 hours each one takes to boil!  So we have bought one, I do have one left over from last year we will use as well – so there is a small touch of homemade in there somewhere.  The money I have saved from this, I decided all else failing being able to find something worthy to do – I will donate it to charity.

That very day my decision was made, someone posted on facebook a link from Refuge regarding their Christmas list appeal; to buy a child and or an adult a present this Christmas.  Refuge supports 3,000 women and children, many people fleeing domestic violence are too afraid to risk collecting their belongings and arrive at the Refuge with little more than the clothes they and their children are wearing.  

My mum, who used to do Body Shop parties, used to donate her products that were used as samples (some opened and tried, others just opened and had been passed around at parties) to a local women’s refuge in Portsmouth, who were extremely grateful for shower gels/body creams/make up/ anything really.  We even donated all of my Nan's toiletries when she passed away (two large bags full - I have never seen so many bottles of unopened shampoo in one cupboard!) and what a worthy cause.

So I followed the link and did my bit and have happily purchased a present for a child and a mother, it only cost me £10, and someone with nothing will get a little Christmas cheer this Christmas.  If you want to have a look and help or find out what they do – do click on the link http://refuge.org.uk/get-involved/christmas-gift-list-appeal/

I still had a hankering to do more, and do more locally - but just really unsure what, until someone posted this on facebook…https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/358718177608188/

Just perfect!  A local charity I can actually do something for.  They recommend going to charity shops to buy the items in the rucksack and they are then given out at Centre Point in Portsmouth to the homeless this Christmas.  So off I go to do what I do best…. Shopping!!!

I'll keep you posted! 

TTFN, Sammy xx

Finally some good news!

Yep apart from the fact I'm still poorly! Bad chest and throat, loads of pain from all this coughing and now man flu take 2 to boot!!

I only went and got the job! Yahoo, hooray, bluddy marvellous, we aren’t going to starve come January when I'm made redundant! Yippee!  Plus it is a job I so want, albeit a bit far from home.  I did it for six months around this time last year and I loved it, it was fab.  Made me remember why I wanted to work in housing in the first place.

 

Although I can’t remember ever actually wanting to work in housing, and I am still not really sure what I want to do when I grow up!  I left school wanting to be a vet, hated college and only finished 2 of my A Levels and was desperate to leave education and go to work!  I worked lots of part time jobs for a while, in a pub, in a chip shop, and then finally landed myself a full time job in telesales – whoopee!  Now don’t get me wrong, I met some lovely friends, some I am still friends with now, but I was rubbish at telesales and got sacked!

Needing a new start after what was turning out to be a bad year, heart breaking time with an ex; which ended in him cheating on me, my grandad was diagnosed with cancer, sacked from my job because I was rubbish at sales and left not knowing what to do. Well I grabbed Kat and dragged her to Chichester uni with me (I missed applying, I missed clearing, hell I didn't even have the right qualifications - but I was obviously good at selling something!) and got me a place on a degree course, Social Studies. I worked (sometimes) hard for 3 years, met some very beautiful and lovely people and graduated.

Still had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up, just knew I needed a job! I met Barney in my second year go uni after taking a trip to Oz and I was very luckily able to give up my part time work in my last few months of uni with Barney supporting me, I knew I needed an income. I ended up working in a place my cousin works for a year or so in the facilities dept, which helped pay for our wedding, but for some reason I was determined I wanted to be an estate agent!

Next stop, a recruitment evening for an estate agents in Fareham, which nothing came of. So I took it upon myself to write to all of the local estate agents in the yellow pages and ask for a job. I did get quite a few interviews and settled on Fox and Sons in Fareham as a negotiator, sadly I forgot I was rubbish at selling! So I moved to branch administrator and loved it. Sadly sales was part of the job and I hated sales, but loved doing the 'sales chasing' and getting involved with the solicitors, so a new idea was born! Again I hit the yellow pages and wrote to all the local solicitors to ask for any vacant positions in conveyancing.

This time I was less successful, I only managed 2 interviews and I got a job at Coffin Mew, Fareham; working in the New Business Team in conveyancing. Lots of moving around the office, shuffling teams, promotion, saved from redundancy a few times, but in the end I got the chop.  Home not knowing what to do with myself and needing a job quite desperately, I managed to land myself an interview in a residential Lettings office as their administrator.  Only problem.... It was in Bognor, a 50 mile round trip from home.

Lettings.... I loved it! It is so for me. No sales pressure, busy often panic stricken environment, every day is different, it was brilliant. Had the wage not been so low and the office so far away, I think I probably would still be there now. But, itchy feet I get, and the need to work closer to home became apparent and I started looking around again. It was then that the job in my current company came up as a receptionist, more than the basic wage I was on in Bognor and being such a big company, scope to progress further hopefully!

I loved reception, I worked there for 9 months, until a position came up in Customer Services, which was again more money and I was sadly seduced by the pay packet and accepted a permanent position there. Don't get me wrong, some people love customer services, I did for a few months, but the call centre type strict environment is not for my nature and it was only going to be a matter of time before I was desperate to move on.

Miraculously a 6 month secondment in lettings came up, which it was able to apply for. Now when I first applied for a job at this company I was torn between two positions, one in reception and one in lettings; I only applied for reception as I was convinced that the only way in was to start at the bottom, so now I was shown this opportunity I wanted it more than ever.  It just comes back to what I always knew, I love lettings! I enjoyed working for the company again, enjoyed going to work and had such fun working against deadlines and juggling everything and loved every day being different. Sadly that 6 months came to an end and I landed back with a bump in customer services.

Well we've had a few changes since then and I am being made redundant. I don't feel sad about it in the slightest and am ready for the new challenges and know it will give me the push I need to find another job rather than languishing around doing something I don't like.  I recently got short listed for a job with the police in the control room answering 999 calls, but after spending a day doing assessments and an interview, I just didn't make the grade; which did knock my confidence somewhat. But a job in my current company came up in the lettings team!  

I applied, studied hard for the interview and was yesterday offered a full time permanent position in the team. I am so chuffed, so pleased and so looking forward to it! Just waiting for a start date and the new chapter begins!

TTFN, Sammy xxx

P.s sorry for the chapter and verse, have always had loads to say!!

P.p.s I lost 2lb this week at WW!!!

Yaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy all round xx