{ I think the origins of the project are here at http://365grateful.com/ }
Okay, so I fell behind after having no internet access for over 3 weeks, then sadly I got overwhelmed with catching up and gave up! I am going to begin again because this is a wonderful thing to do!!
so... from today - 30th January 2012 here we go......
{I will be posting the photos in reverse order, so that you don't need to scroll down
to see the latest entry!}
TODAY I AM GRATEFUL FOR...
#5.. Fri 3/2/12
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| I made a big a yummy salad for lunch! |
#4.. Thurs 2/2/12
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| my magazine subscription arrived, {and I found a few mins to flick through and enjoy it}. |
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| Hooray for small treats I can still have, despite beginning Weight Watchers on Sunday! |
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| It's day 2 and he loves school...yay! |
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| My littlest man was brave & excited to begin school (AND I had a few kid free ours to catch up with pals!) |
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You can see part 1 below, where my 'grateful story' began....
...Starting from July 10th 2011:
[ - see bottom pic - I will be posting the photos in reverse order, so that you don't need to scroll down to see the latest entry!]
TODAY I AM GRATEFUL FOR...
#64 Tues 13/9/11#141.. Tues 22/11/11
#140.. Mon 21/11/11
#139.. Sun 20/11/11
#132.. Sun 13/11/11
#131.. Sat 12/11/11
#130.. Fri 11/11/11
#129.. Thurs 10/11/11
#127.. Tues 8/11/11
#126.. Mon 7/11/11
#124.. Sat 5/11/11
#123.. Fri 4/11/11
#122.. Thurs 3/11/11
#121.. Weds 2/11/11
#120.. Tues 1/11/11
#119.. Mon 31/10/11
#118.. Sun 30/10/11
#117.. Sat 29/10/11
#116.. Fri 04/11/11
#115.. Thurs 03/11/11
#114.. Weds 02/11/11
#113.. Tues 01/11/11
#112.. Mon 31/10/11
#111.. Sun 30/10/11
#110 Sat 29/10/11
#109 Fri 28/10/11
still catching up post holiday....bear with me for filling in the gaps!!! :)
#108 Thurs 27/10/11
#107 Weds 26/10/11
#106 Tues 25/10/11
#105 Mon 24/10/11
#104 Sun 23/10/11
#103 Sat 22/10/11
#102 Fri 21/10/11
#101 Thurs 20/10/11 still catching up post holiday....bear with me for filling in the gaps!!! :)
#100 Weds 19/10/11
#99 Tues 18/10/11
#98 Mon 17/10/11
#97 Sun 16/10/11
#96 Sat 15/10/11
#95 Fri 14/10/11
#94 Thurs 13/10/11
#93 Weds 12/10/11
#92 Tues 11/10/11
#91 Mon 10/10/11
#90 Sun 9/10/11
#89 Sat 8/10/11
#88 Fri 7/10/11
#87 Thurs 6/10/11
#86 Weds 5/10/11
#85 Tues 4/10/11
#84 Mon 3/10/11
#83 Sun 2/10/11
#82 Sat 1/10/11
#81 Fri 30/9/11
#80 Thurs 29/9/11
#79 Weds 28/9/11
#78 Tues 27/9/11
#77 Mon 26/9/11
#76 Sun 25/9/11
#75 Sat 24/9/11
#74 Fri 23/9/11
#73 Thurs 22/9/11
#72 Weds 21/9/11
#71 Tues 20/9/11
#70 Mon 19/9/11
#69 Sun 18/9/11
#68 Sat 17/9/11
#67 Fri 16/9/11
#66 Thurs 15/9/11
#65 Weds 14/9/11
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... my hairdresser - it feels good to have nice neat hair once in a while!! |
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... trying out something different on the boys for dinner, homemade Beef Chimichangas! |
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| {image} I have been reeeeeally tired this week and I am grateful for a catch-up sleep! ... Last night I slept for SIXTEEN hours!!!! |
#133.. Mon 14/11/11
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... yay, Sculptures by the Sea exhibition and fish n chips on the beach - all with friends!! |
#131.. Sat 12/11/11
#130.. Fri 11/11/11
#129.. Thurs 10/11/11
... getting vege-phobe Finn to eat raw veg for an after-school snack!
#128.. Weds 9/11/11...Another sweltering day but Toby has bounced back to normal after being really
sick last night (likely with sunstroke!!).
{I was so glad for my hubby being in the right place at the right time!!}
... a refreshing iced coffee on a sweltering day with my lovely friend Teresa!!
#126.. Mon 7/11/11
...a fab surprise parcel from a friend!!
#125.. Sun 6/11/11 |
... my 'spoils' from the annual local Art & Craft Show {I always enjoy a visit!!} |
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... some pirate fun in the sun at Spike's 5th birthday party for my 2 little shipmates!! |
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...ending a quiet, energy-recuperating day with a treat, ... organic Blueberry ice cream! |
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| ... so glad that 'Super-Hubby' was here for vomiting-child-sleepless-night & that Finn was recovering well today! |
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...watching Toby having so much fun at Learn 'n' Move! |
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| {image: my homemade fascinator for Melbourne Cup day!} ... a fun day with friends! |
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| ... just hangin' out! |
 ). |
... my wonderful hubby doing my tax return, whilst I took the boys food shopping, (and treated them to gelato!!) |
#116.. Fri 04/11/11
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... new life! {Finn's class have eggs, which are hatching into chicks in their class for 2 weeks}. |
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...watching (a nonchalant) Finn & his buddies in their school play "Meg & Mog"!! |
#114.. Weds 02/11/11
... a lovely day spent with my friend Charlotte (and TJ & Jamesy!),
which included TJ getting his first ever school uniform,
and delighting in trying it on!!
#112.. Mon 31/10/11
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... brunch with Emma, and Remy & Toby. |
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... a fun day at (our friend's son) Tyler's Baptism. |
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... fish & chips at the beach for dinner |
#109 Fri 28/10/11
still catching up post holiday....bear with me for filling in the gaps!!! :)
#108 Thurs 27/10/11
#107 Weds 26/10/11
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... delicious homemade Canneloni, made with the help of a (little) friend! |
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...our local Woollies {so handy for satisfying impromptu dinner whims!} |
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| {image} ... One more day at home as a family before our holiday ends! |
#103 Sat 22/10/11
#102 Fri 21/10/11
#101 Thurs 20/10/11 still catching up post holiday....bear with me for filling in the gaps!!! :)
#100 Weds 19/10/11
#99 Tues 18/10/11
#98 Mon 17/10/11
#97 Sun 16/10/11
#96 Sat 15/10/11
#95 Fri 14/10/11
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... a lovely Thai dinner by the river, down at Boat Quay. |
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  ... a 3 hour 'Nanna-Nap' during the day, to help with the jet-lag, then getting to go to a restaurant I've wanted to try for years! |
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| ... another safe journey followed by cheap eats from the supermarket in our room for dinner |
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| ... my amazing in-laws! {on our last day of our holiday in England they took us to white Horse Hill, followed by a lovely country pub for lunch; in the evening they drove us to Heathrow in two cars, and graciously saw us off yet AGAIN!!} They are so wonderful & kind}. |
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...a REALLY fun day at a farm with 'Grandma' & 'Grandad'! :) |
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... my family & stripes! {even though it was sad to say goodbye to my family as I will be leaving the UK to head back to Australia shortly, we had a lovely time together, and had a laugh at how we all accidentally turned up in striped clothing!!!} |
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... time spent with loved ones. |
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| ... my wonderful brother, (who took another day off today work to be with us) and how my kids are so close to him & the rest of the family despite limited & sparse time spent together. |
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... being there to help Mum celebrate her birthday!! |
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...another visit with my Nonna, who was very jolly!! Followed by a yummy English treat! {Scones (homemade by Cynthia) & clotted cream with strawberry jam & fresh raspberries. Yummy!} |
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| {image & history} ... a quiet day spent pottering in my home town ~ Leamington Spa |
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... my sister. |
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... time spent with very precious people! Including my brother, my sister and my bestest ever friend!! |
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... memory making moments!! {We had a really special day with Nanna AND Grandma & Grandad, in beautiful Cotswald village Bourton-on-the-Water and later dinner at a riverside pub in Stratford-on-Avon}. |
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| ... these 3 VERY SPECIAL LADIES! My Mum took me to see my Nonna in hospital, it was so lovely to spend some time with her since my last trip home a year ago. In the evening we celebrated my wonderful mother-in-law, Cynthia's birthday. |
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| ... my lovely Mum! ... Seeing her today for the first time in just over a year was a real treat! {I am also very grateful to my Sis for welcoming us to stay in her home} |
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| ... Best of British! we had a lovely family lunch, including some tasty British berries, the weather was again unseasonably lovely, and we spent time in beautiful countryside. |
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... a great day with family! {The weather was unseasonably glorious, my brother-in-law, his wife & their fab dog Merlin, came to visit & we had lots of fun, including F & T discovering Conkers for the first time!} |
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... I am so grateful for my WONDERFUL in-laws, {...who drove a long way in 2 cars to warmly greet us at the airport and take us to stay in their home} .... (& of course another safe flight!). |
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... another fun family day out. (at one of our fave places to visit - The Singapore Science Centre) |
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| ... a great day out with my 3 boys! {since we last came to Singapore a year ago Universal Studios has opened, it was fun to have somewhere new to try out, but not before having a lovely swim in the hotel pool of course!!} |
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| ... arriving in SINGAPORE after a safe flight :) {We set off today on our annual visit to the UK, to see our families, via a 3 night stop-over in Singapore. It was exciting to be going on holiday!} |
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| {image} Finn's Kindy teacher sent texts, messages & called to talk to him & see how he, and the rest of us were. She is the best teacher one could wish for for their child's first foray into the world of SCHOOL!! (& for a first-timer school-mum too!) |
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3 things I am grateful for today are: 1. The art show is final over with and was wonderful, it came to fruition so well & was probably THE most rewarding thing I have EVER done! 2. The Kindy families all collectively bis on the class artwork at the auction & gifted it to ME!! 3. My baby had an asthma attack & got carted off to hospital in an ambulance, but he remained cheerful & it all 'came good'. Thank Goodness. |
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...A busy & useful but also fun Day! Toby & I went into his preschool for a couple of hours to make brooches with the Monday kids, which was lovely; then we had a nice lunch of salad & the BEST hot chips in Sydney, followed by completing jobs on our to-do list, such as a haircut for the little Mister!!... There's not much, that's more satisfying than ticking things off a to-do-list! |
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| ...Finn! ... here's my gorgeous Finn-Lou-Lou off to a party!! |
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 ...Teamwork & easy dinners!! (a group of us parents & kids, spent the day helping the Kindy teacher, up at school, preparing for the fast approaching Art Show fundraiser, this was followed by an Alfresco pizza for 10 of us). |
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| ... SWEET TREATS {'Zumbo' Macarons - in: burnt caramel butterscotch, choc, burnt fig, salted popcorn & blackcurrant} ... to share with my boys & give a little extra energy on a busy day! (for me that meant helping up at school for several hours, for the upcoming Art Show). |
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... a new (free) parking spot discovered, along with a beautiful house which made me feel like I was on holiday in France! |
|
 ...A glorious Blue-Sky-Spring-Day!! (I LOVE the intense blue of the sky here, and today this somehow gave me the feeling that my Auntie is now at peace) |
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| TJ and I had a nice picnic in the park with our good friends Adele & Jodie, {and they helped to distract me from my auntie's funeral going on without me, 1000's of miles away}. |
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| I got to have a long (75mins) Skype conversation with My precious brother and Mum today. |
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| A lazy, chilled day with afternoon tea at a local cafe! |
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| ... good friends! I had a morning coffee with a couple of my new good-friends from School. {I am so grateful, for what all of my new friends have brought to my life!} |
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| ... having my custom order completed! There was a teachers' strike today, and we spent the day at the park, so I was relieved to have finished off my order for 100 recycled paper flowers last night, leaving me free to relax today! |
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| ... a busy, fun and very social "Mummy & Toby Day", (which included discovering at his Kindy orientation picnic that not only does he know a few kids already, but a good friend from pre-school will be in his class too!) |
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| ...helping my boys to share their worries & woes, { if they sometimes don't want to tell me - they can tell their 'worry stones' instead!! They both loved this little gift I surprised them with today!} |
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| {image} |
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| ... Mary Poppins (on DVD) for entertaining the kids!! |
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| Image: Father's Day gifts for 'Daddy' ... my boys are lucky enough to have such a great Dad!! |
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...having had you in my life Auntie Sandra, you were a source of inspiration to me, in many ways { Rest in peace now with Uncle Dennis } photo taken with my aunt & uncle during my first year of life, my christening possibly? |
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... a refreshing Apple Mojito!! I had a long & very busy day - most of which I spent volunteering my help at school. I just took 45 minutes for myself, to have a break at lunchtime, and enjoyed some fresh air and this refreshing drink, which consists of apple, lime, mint & soda water, (oh and a spinach & ricotta pastry!!) |
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... finding a little time out from my busy schedule to have a nice long relaxing bath!! {if you look closely you may see my clock has no glass and the hands are fixed on with bluetack!!} |
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...TJ and I enjoyed hours of quality time together, on this beautiful sunny "Mummy & Toby Day"!! |
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... every Tuesday morning, I now get to work with my lovely friend Teresa, whom I wasn't getting to see often at all due to our mutually very busy lives!! After working we enjoy a coffee & chat together... It's lovely! |
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| TJ (above) - with his fruity brekkie, & Finn-Finn (below) with his 2 fave soft toy pals & his mad morning-hair!! Awww, Bless!! :-0) |
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... My babies!! My healthy, happy babies! Today was a sad day for my online crafty friends and I, one member of our 'community', Julie-Ann, died today, following a tragic plane crash which killed her daughter last week. There is nothing like such an horrific event to make one count their blessings! I always appreciate my kids, but never more so than on a day like today... |
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| {image} We booked our flights ... to go & visit our family & friends back home in the UK! |
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| ... the last game of the under 6's soccer season was such fun, a great end to a fun season was had by all The Supers!! |
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... such fabulous fun with my Kindy buddies making these awesome Calder-esque mobiles! |
 |
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| ...Time off for good behaviour!!... I had a rare evening out with 3 of my girlfriends. |
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| ... my brave little man, no complaints & even smiling just minutes after being sick! |
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| ... a 'little-bit-naughty-but-yummy' after-dinner treat! |
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| I have arranged a trade - some buttons from my collection in return for this fabbo necklace!! Yay! |
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| ... finding 3 of my childhood-favourite-treats at the Supermarket (in the imported UK foods section) today, {& coming home with them too - of course!!!} nom nom nom, ahh the memories.....!!! |
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| ... courtesy of our first drop-off children's party we had some kid free time - 2 hours for Coffee & a wander around the neighbourhood including Rozelle Markets |
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| ... it was great to have Mr C return home after a long and busy week on my own with the munchkins!! |
#40 Thurs 16/8/11
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| ... a thank you card that changed the colour of my day!! |
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| ... sharing in Harry's 6th Birthday celebrations! |
Thanks to Lara there was yummy pizza for dinner and bubbly for us Mum's,
Toby and I took along this whacky bug cake, which we had fun making today!
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The blue sky - the blue skies here are just amazing - today was a gorgeous sunny winter's day!! |
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...Having fun helping TJ to do simple crafts with dotty stickers, I just love his enjoyment of art!! |
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| reverse garbage |
...Finding something very useful at a great price and having fun at the same time!!!
{I am helping at school, with the Kindy class section of the art-show-fundraiser at the end of term,
& today a couple of us visited 'Reverse Garbage' and bought some amazing fabric for making our 'circus tent' effect - which is required for our Alexander Calder inspired Circus theme}.
...A delicious, nutritious inexpensive family lunch at our fave local Japanese restaurant!
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...helping the kids at school with Painting! After having a couple of weeks of not being able to volunteer at school for art class, I really missed all my little buddies in the Kindy class, so I was very pleased to return today! We got to paint, and are working on our Art Show pieces, it was fun. Messy. But fun! |
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| ...having beautiful kids that make me smile!! |
TJ came home from Preschool today with this lifesize drawing of what he wants to be when
he grows up - a CHEF!
Although, he really, actually wants to be a "Dancing Warrior Chef"
(I don't think his carer Deonie could draw that!!!! lol)
 |
| ... a fun day at the School Athletics Carnival, Finn had a fabulous day, here he is with the ribbons he received for some of his events. I got to do a good deed and help all day, (writing down race winners' times), whilst sitting with my leg up, in the sunshine. And TJ got to play outside all day with a friend & share a picnic! I do so love our little school !!! |
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...My Bella Nonna reaching 92 today! I just wish she didn't have to spend it in the hospital, {Get well soon Nonna, Happy Birthday ~ Ti amo molto!! x x x} |
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...The perfect excuse to spend time doodling with colourful felt pens! (ie. a 4 yr old that INSISTS I draw with him!! We spent many hours of quality time, just the 2 of us, today doing crafts, watching TV, reading story books, splashing around in the bath...!) |
#29 Sun 07/8/11
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...fresh air & coffee with old friends! I was grateful to get out of the house for a while today, and see some friends we haven't seen for months - we went to the park & got takeaway coffees. {This little 'hole in the wall' coffee shop probably makes the BEST coffee in the whole district!!} |
#28 Sat 06/8/11
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... Yummy Curry takeaway for dinner from our favourite Indian restaurant, my favourite dish is the mixed vegetable curry {to which they add paneer as a special request for me!} Nom nom nom! |
#27 Fri 05/8/11
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| Fish 'n' Chips for tea!! After I had a successful committee meeting at the local Bowling Club, for the School's upcoming Art Show, (it felt good to feel a bit useful again!!), we stayed on and had dinner there! |
#26 Thurs 04/8/11
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| The helping hand of my Soulmate! not just today, but since my operation, well - suffice it to say Hubs has been an absolute STAR, he has basically done everything at home & for the boys, whilst simultaneously working VERY hard (and silly hours too) on a huge project at work! |
#25 Weds 03/8/11
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| Lara & Frankie! Today my fab friend Lara brought Finn home from school, and brought me the latest copy of Frankie mag to read! She even made me a cuppa too! |
#24 Tues 02/8/11
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| ... a lovely long soak! {this is not my bath but it's rather nicer, hence the pic!!) I have now been able to have my first bath since my knee op. I also went to the hospital to see the surgeon today and my knee is healing well, and I really turned a corner with my recovery today. |
#23 Mon 01/8/11
Good friends:
Adele & Caterina - two of my best friends - (both of whom, I've not seen in a while)
came to visit today. Adele was a star she brought her gorgeous 3 yr old daughter Jodie, who occupied TJ (my 4 yr old) happily for 3 hours plus hot chocolate and cakes,
AND she made us all lunch, then emptied my dishwasher!!
Another lovely friend Alex fetched Finn (my 6 yr old) from school (& not for the first time since my operation either!!). Lucky me!
I'm so grateful to have many lovely friends!
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| Jelly beans and painkillers! The 3 boys went and did the food shopping and came back with a pack of my fave lollies (Jelly Belly Beans), as a treat!! {nom nom nom!} |
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| image |
... having a long recuperating lie in.
{This is the design on my FAB Orla Kierly quilt cover} -
(which I got for half price in the Boxing Day sales incidentally!!)
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| PAINKILLERS, MAGS & TV REMOTE! ... quiet time to rest and recuperate further - 2 out of my 4 of mag subscriptions turned up (I love these as Christmas / b'day pressies, can you tell?!), so I had time to flick, and watch day time Reality TV design shows. Nice! I also made it out for the first time to the school Christmas in July fete, it was nice to see some friendly faces, and eat mince pies. |
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| 'yay' to helpful friends and to takeaway! |
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I had a knee operation today - I was grateful all went well. Everyone was wonderful at the hospital, including a lovely, elderly deaf lady I got to chat with. I was grateful to be collected and then looked after by my darling hubs and to have the chance to sleep a lot & to rest my sore leg!! |
#17 Tues 26/7/11
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| {image} |
The ability to make my kids giggle!! Wish I could bottle those giggles! :)
#16 Mon 25/7/11
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| The oppurtunity to try something new! Purple carrots! I roasted them with olive oil, sea salt & honey as part of a roast chicken dinner. They tasted quite like roasted parsnips. |
#15 Sun 24/7/11
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| A family meal at our favourite restaurant - 'Thai Patong'. I had Pad Thai and a frozen Mango Daiquiri for a treat! Yum! |
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| A delicious cafe brunch! |
#13 Fri 22/7/11
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| Today I was very grateful to receive news that my Nonna, who has been very sick in hospital the last couple of weeks, was doing better. Along with the rest of my family, she lives in the UK, whilst I live here in Australia, (the distance and lack of contact can be terribly hard at times). This photo of my lovely 'Nonna Tina' (real name: Concetta), was taken when I saw her last, on my most recent visit to the UK, almost a year ago. |
#12 Thurs 21/7/11
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For those of you that don't know this - I help out at my son's school, doing Arts & Crafts with his Kindergarten Class. I usually do this on Fridays, but today, the teacher asked me to come in for an impromptu session to make paper snowflakes with the kids! I could NOT remember for the life of me how - so guess what - yep! I GOOGLED it!! So today I am very grateful for Good old google and the internet!! Above is one I made to show them! Here'a a great youtube video of one that's really simple for the kids to do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi0bfV9lAzA |
#11 Weds 20/7/11
Sweet treat: today I treated myself to a couple of yummy macarons
{ 'Kaffir lime & Ginger' and 'Salted Butter Caramel' flavours}.
#10 Tues 19/7/11
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I began a new job today - I will be an assistant to the teacher at Art 'n' Move classes (just on Tuesday mornings, for the time being). I am grateful that it went well and was fun! {Here I am in my uniform!!} :0) |
#9 Mon 18/7/11
My car has been at the Auto-hospital all last week, so I was so grateful to have it back today, to run errands on our last day of schools hols, such as pre-new-term haircuts!! AND it was all clean and shiny, inside and out! Bonus!! : )
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Today we spent a lovely few hours at the local "Christmas in July Festival", I was very grateful for the free and inexpensive kids activities and for our fab community in general, we love it here! :) |
#7 Sat 16/7/11
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We had a nice day together as a family today, (just mooching about the shopping centre mostly), & the boys got to do something special, that they had wanted to for a long time (bouncing up really HIGH, on a mega-trampoene, whilst safely strapped into a harness!). |
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Finn and I had our last special day of just us, for these holidays today. We enjoyed a lazy morning, followed by our fave 'sarnies' for lunch - TUNA & SWEETCORN! yum! |
#5 Thurs 14/7/11
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Finn and I had a lovely day together today, whilst TJ was at pre-school. We had a playdate for most of the day with his friend Lucy; her lovely mum Ange made us a yummy lunch and gave us ice cream, we went to a puppet show and of course the park!! (Then he let me have a nice nanna-nap after we got home!!) |
#4 Weds 13/7/11
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...random acts of kindness from strangers and people only vaguely known!! Today the bus driver (my car is at the car-hospital), waived the charge for my kids, and a fellow parent from the school, (whom I only know enough to say HI to), gave me a substantial discount off my bill, when I ate lunch at his cafe - plus he gave my sons one of these delightful cookies each! |
#3 Tues 12/7/11
- today, I was lucky enough to have some special, quality-time, one on one with Mr. Finn, (age 6), my eldest son. He's on school hols and his brother was at pre-school. We had morning tea at a cafe and he entertained me with funny faces! :)
#2 Mon 11/7/11
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Today I got to have a lovely chat with my Mum, who lives on the other side of the world (in the UK).We didn't use a telephone box of course, we chatted FREE on Skype. {I just thought this was a nicer image and represented my chat better!!} |
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| My 3 special boys! {of course I just HAD to start with THE most significant 'thing' I am grateful for!!} |
