Wednesday 14 September 2011

I love Good Housekeeping Magazine

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I love Good Housekeeping magazine .. especially when I am featured it it!   You can imagine the scene as my mother got her copy .. she rushed out bought 5 more and gave one to all her friends . I did draw the line when she mentioned she might pop a copy of he article onto the fridge.  I'm not four mum I insisted .. but I was grinning,  because she's just bursting with pride!

When I started tweeting last year I had no idea that it would lead to some really special friendships.  In fact I had no idea where it would lead.  It all looked rather complicated and clicky (no pun intended.)
It took me several weeks to get going, but once I did I met likeminded people who love food and all that goes with this.  I am part of a community and I like to think I contribute and listen to my fellow tweeters.  What I had never imagined was that I would make friends.  Real friends that I treasure and trust and wouldn’t be without.

 So when my fabulous recipe book publicist Kate called me to say that Good Housekeeping magazine were interested in my unusual friendship I was delighted to chat to them and share my story about one particular friend who I me on Twitter. My Friend's name is Helen and she has a site called Fuss Free Flavours.  I really treasure our friendship.  She’s a great foodie and a wonderful lady and a friend who is generous and funny.  Under normal circumstance I am not sure we would have had the chance to get know each other ... I am not, however, going to tell you the story here. You can read it in this month’s Good Housekeeping on page 38.

What I will tell you is that the photo shoot was absolutely brilliant. We  went to a location in London for the shoot and it was such fun.  It was lovely to have the chance to have my make up done and hair and styling was amazing.  The staff were lovely down to earth people who made us all feel very special and the attention to detail and getting the story and the real feel for us and our friendship was superb.

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I’ve had many reporters and articles written about me by journalists in the past. All the articles have been good but none that have quite captured the essence a story and they just got feel of our friendship so perfectly. The team checked all their facts and the tone to get it dead on.  Impressive when you consider the amount of work they have to do to get such a publication out.   For this reason I shall say that if I were only to buy one magazine then this would be it  … so after years of reading my mum’s I’ve stopped pinching it and subscribed myself.

So in the mean time you can win a year's subscription to Good Housekeeping Magazine by telling me who your best friend is and why in the comments below .. it's that simple to enter!

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There is one main way to enter  .. just leave a comment below. There are 3 more chanced to win .. .  and you must leave a separate comment for each bonus entry otherwise they will not be counted. For a chance to win please comment and tell me who your bet friend is and why they are such a great friend.

For a second chance to win please tweet this post using the button below and you MUST comment with your twitter ID telling me you have done so.

For a third chance to win please follow me
@VanessaKimbell on Twitter and comment below to tell me you have done so.

For a fourth chance to win please like my facebook page and comment below to tell me you have done so. Each Comment counts and an entrance and you can have a maximum of 4 entries to win this subscription

This giveaway is open to all readers over 18 with a UK mainland address.  There is no cash alternative. The winner will be chosen using an online randomiser and announced on the winners page on Thursday 29th September. You need to leave your e-mail address in order to comment, I am the only person that can see it. Please do not include your email in the actual comment as well.
This competition on behalf of The National Magazine Company Limited trading as Hearst Magazines UK and they will be responsible for sending the prize to the winner. Their decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Closing date: 2pm Thursday 29th September
Good_housekeeping_magazine

116 comments:

  1. I am following you on twitter @Little_Me_Rants

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  2. Oh I love competitions. So, best friends. To me a best friend is someone that however long you are apart when you meet again it is as if you were never separated. I live a long way from all my friends and family. Some I have lost touch with, but others it's as if I am still next door.

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  3. My best friend, its a tricky one. I have a lot of really good friends but to me a best friend is something truly special.

    Until recently I would of said my Mum, unfortunately she passed away in May.
    (sorry didn't mean to put a downer on this comment!)

    I suppose when big things happen expectantly you do re-prioritise things a bit.
    I would say now that my best friend is a toss up between my gorgeous sister, and my equally gorgeous boyfriend! Both are absolute stars and know me better than I know myself.

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  4. Also following you on twitter

    (ID=nellyscupcakes)

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  5. Tweeted, followed and liked
    @jujugaboo
    Julie Brett

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  6. My best friend is without a doubt my husband:)

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  7. Great giveaway! I love GH Magazine too!

    My Beest Friend is Katie - she's a supportive shoulder who makes me get off of my bottom and do things!

    I'm @feefeegabor on Twitter

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  8. I've retweeted your tweet @feefeegabor

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  9. I am following (or should that be stalking!) you on twitter @feefeegabor

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  10. I've liked your FB page. I'm Fee Edwards MSE on Facebook.

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  11. My best friend is my husband. We have similar ideas and opinions and we can always tell each other if we're wrong. We enjoys each others company and can always be ourselves.

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  12. tracyannnewton@yahoo.co.uk

    A best friend won't bail you out of jail at three o'clock in the morning ........ she will be sat in the cell with you!

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  13. I LOVE the article photo! I have tweeted this!

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  14. My best friend is my husband. He is loving supportive and so wonderful to me.
    littlegray88 at yahoo dot com

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  15. My best friend is a girl i grew up with back home in Devon. Known her since Primary School and we both now have 2 children and text/tweet daily! I live away as i'm an army wife now but we're each others first port of call whenever within a 50mile radius! Love her to bits! Always there for each other, good times and bad :-)

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  16. Have shared the link. (BTW my best friends name is Fiona!
    @french_caroline

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  17. Following you on Twitter.
    @french_caroline

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  18. Have also liked your facebook page x
    Caroline French

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  19. Congratulations on getting featured in Good Housekeeping!
    The competition is great, fingers crossed. A best friend is someone who is always there for you with their support no matter what, even if they can't actually be there in person. Even when I haven't seen my best friends in a while it still feels like we've never been apart! :) x

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  20. Following on twitter as @JennyEavesMSE :) x

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  21. Tweeted as well, @JennyEavesMSE! :) x

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  22. I've tweeted :)

    @Hattiebluebell

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  23. I've liked your FB page

    Amanda Borley
    x

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  24. I also follow you on twitter

    @hattiebluebell

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  25. Liked on Facebook and following on Twitter (@IckiePooh)

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  26. liked on Facebook and following on Twitter @IckiePooh

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  27. Congratulations Vanessa. I've never read a copy of Good Housekeeping but sounds as though I should buy a copy now just to find out how you got together with Helen.

    My best friend is CT - he's the only one I feel I can truly be myself in all my guises.

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  28. My best friend is someone I have known since I was 16 and she lives in the States. She is always there for me when I need her and if I turned up on her doorstep tomorrow she would welcome me with open arms!

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  29. I have re-tweeted @walpolegirl

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  30. I already follow you on twitter - @walpolegirl

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  31. I have already 'liked' you on Facebook

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  32. This is a great post and reminds me of flicking through old copies of Good Housekeeping when I was a child - pouring over the house pictures and the food of course. I too met Helen via Twitter and she kindly lent me an airbed in her flat for a couple of nights when I attended a conference in London. My teens were aghast - 'you are going to stay with someone you've met on Twitter!' Not the best example to give my children perhaps, but there is something about people who love to prepare and share food on and offline that seems to make them generous and caring. A pleasure to meet you on and offline too and sorry if this is a rambling comment :)

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  33. morning, great prize, love this mag

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  34. passed on via f/b

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  35. liked and shared twitter
    @oldwalshy

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  36. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  37. My best friend is probably @firsttimemum1 as although I don't see her as much as I used to when we were at Uni, we always have something to talk about! @goriami

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  38. Lovely prize - I'm a big fan of Good Housekeeping Magazine too :-)

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  39. Well, my best friend without a doubt has got to be my mum. She has taught me so much, to be a fab mum, good wife and how to cook. She has been very ill recently and i realised just how much she means to me, defo my number one girl, love carmela xx

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  40. I'm following u on twitter! Yummychooeats

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  41. My best friend is my 21 year old Son Stephen. Three years a go he had a motorbike accident and I could of lost him, the pain I felt was beyond measure and I will never forget how that felt. When he came home from hospital I would hear him crying in the night because of the pain, so I would sit up all night with him and watch movies, they were long nights, but a very special time.

    Stephen is the second eldest of my brood and one of five, he has never been an easy child and has really tested me over the years, but I have never ever not supported him or been there for him and now he has the most amazing job and is really making something of his life, I am so proud of him.

    I can tell Stephen anything and he is always there for me, he is the one person I could definitely say would die for me and I would die for him and thats why he is my best friend.

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  42. My best friend is my wife - with her I can be my most grumpy, horrible self and she still thinks, after thirty two years, that I'm fantastic!

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  43. I tweeted your post! @jaynerly

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  44. I already follow you on twitter!

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  45. Great article/picture of you and Helen!

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  46. I am following you on twitter @BabesShelley

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  47. I have also liked you facebook page - Michelle Shelley Bruce

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  48. it's a close call between my hubby and my sister. I can tell both anything and they love me even when I'm stressed out and being horrible!

    Great mag, great competition thanks x

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  49. I follow you on facebook too.

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  50. I have retweeted this post @TwitTottee

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  51. My best friend is my sister, Kathy.

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  52. My best friend is my husband because he is kind, caring and nutritious - in fact I think he is quite delicious ... martinball@gmx.com

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  53. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  54. I follow on Facebook as Maya Russell.
    @maisietoo

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  55. I'm a follower on Twitter.
    @maisietoo

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  56. My best friend is Charmaine. I've known her from primary school. She's fun and we share things together. I tell her things I wouldn't tell my own mother!
    @maisietoo

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  57. My best friend is my husband as we have been together through thick and thin and survived numerous moves and several tours of duty

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  58. Ooh I lurve Good Housekeeping mag!! My best friend is with a doubt my sister Emma. She is a fabulous Aunty to my 2 young boys and is always there for me. She is honest and frank (which is great when you need outfit advice!) and loving and caring.

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  59. Tweeted using the button! I follow you already. @juliaplatia

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  60. Doh! Meant to say without a doubt!! LOL!!

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  61. i've entered and i'm kushlacat at gmail.com

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  62. have followed you on the twit and i'm @katscreamy

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  63. have liked you on fb and i'm kat screamy

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  64. I was introduced to my BF by a mutual friend. She said we'd get on as we were so alike and we are! We've been best friends for 8 years now. We are so alike that we often get mistaken for sisters or each others children's mum! We like the same foods, wine, flowers. clothes. If I see something I can tell instantly if she'd like it or not.If we go out for dinner we even order the same things! She's been there for me in my darkest and most difficult times as I have been for her and we never need to ask the other to help out we just know what's needed and when. We're like two halves of the same person. She's my soul mate. I forget sometimes that she's not always been a part of my life.But she probably knows more about me than many of the people who have. We never judge each other, we just support each other, through thick and thin, come what may. She's called Karen. I moved 200 miles away and aside from my Mum she is the person I miss the most. But we still keep in touch and we're still really close even though we're miles apart x

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  65. Definitely my other half, no matter what mood I am in he always manages to make me laugh, even if it's him in the doghouse!

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  66. I am following you on Twitter, @UtterlyBumpty. Many thanks.

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  67. And I have liked the Prepped Facebook page. Kind regards.

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  68. Finally found the Tweet button and tweeted too!

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  69. Used to subscribe but had to 'cut back' so now rely on hand me down copies so would love to win this

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  70. My best friend is Corrina, we've been through so much together - working for ourselves, boyfriend problems, financial problems ... and we've always managed to see the funny or positive side and pick each other up out of the doldrums. She now lives abroad and I only see her once a year, or less, now, but seeing her is the highlight of my year and I always come away from our 'meet ups' with a renewed enthusiasm for everything; she's the best!

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  71. I've tweeted about the competition as @LoveWinning

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  72. I'm following you on Twitter as @LoveWinning

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  73. Congratulations on your feature in Good Housekeeping!! My best friend in the whole wide world without a doubt is my husband. He is my rock, the person I share everything with, the good and the bad, who I can talk to when I feel down and who can always cheer me up no matter what is going on around me. (coppelia100@btinternet.com)

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  74. I don't use twitter unfortunately but I do use facebook and have liked your page :-)(Hayley Morris Todd)

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  75. Great comp, thank you, I would love to be in GH - maybe one day!

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  76. What lovely pictures. I'm intrigued now about how you and Helen got to be such good friends so I'll just have to go out and get the mag!
    I also follow fuss free flavours and it's lovely to hear about interactions across the bloggosphere :-)
    @piperanddaisy

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  77. I've tweeted about your comp & just realised I didn't tell you in my first comment about my best friend. Me & my best friend are both called Sue and we worked together for years so our colleagues used to call me Willy and her Billy....it's a long story!
    Sue started out as my boss and became my best friend after she helped me prep for an interview for another job. She always says she was trying to get rid of me...but I think she's joking :-) We've been best pals for about 10 years now and next to my family she's the person I love most of all in the world, in fact she really is like another sister (an older sister of course;-) @piperanddaisy

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  78. I've followed you on twitter @piperanddaisy

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  79. I've liked you on facebook (Sue Willshee) @piperanddaisy

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  80. I follow you on facebook already - as Lindy Hine

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  81. I already follow you on twitter @LindyHine

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  82. My best friend is my husband because he totally lets me be Me. He is my sounding board in life and I am extremely lucky to have him as my partner.

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  83. I follow you on twitter

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  84. I retweeted about this post @dazzler2980

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  85. Retweeted about this giveaway - @dazzler2980

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  86. Liked your FB page too!

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  87. My best friend would be one of the parents I met at school, we are always in contact and normally manage to laugh our way out of all situations good and bad. And if laughing doesnt work coffee and cake is a true winner.

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  88. Im following you on twitter @kimnhol

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  89. I have re tweeted your tweet @kimnhol

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  90. And finally liked you on facebook :) now is it time for coffee and cake :)

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  91. I've known my best friend since our children were in nursery together some 20 years ago. We've laughed and cried together over their escapades, shared coffee and cakes - just waiting for the wedding invite next :)

    @happyfox

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  92. I've liked your FB page

    Diana Cotter

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  93. I'm following you on Twitter @happyfox

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  94. My best friend is Eimear - why? because she has been there through thick and thin and is always on hand for a chat or advice and I love her to bits.

    Liked your FB and following on Twitter :o)

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  95. Hi, I am really really pleased to have won. Thank you so much Do I need to send you my postal address?

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  96. honestly I do not like Good Housekeeping Magazine, but my wife do love, she asks me to buy it when I go to the supermarket and I can't say no to my sweetie pie

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If you are reading my blog I must warn you that I am not impartial. I want to influence you. I want to make you stop for just a moment and consider the effect of a lifetime of seemingly insignificant decisions and how making small delicious choices can change the world.

I believe that we can change the world one bite at a time.

It's a delicious revolution.