2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 59

Day 59 - Today I was very grateful to spend some time doing some things at home and then meet up with my friend Jillian for coffee :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 58

Day 58 - Today I am grateful that Mums house is all cleaned and empty ready for the new owners tomorrow! Mum apologised to me a couple of months before she died about how big the job would be to clear her things when she was no longer here. And it has been somewhat big. Especially the last two weeks since we pretty much knew the house was sold. 

Today Simon and I took the remaining furniture to the auction house, finished cleaning the house and took the rubbish to the dump. The family all took quite a few bits and pieces of furniture and other things, but over the last 10 days I was able to gift, sell, giveaway and recycle everything else. I was determined that none of Mums things would be dumped and I'm thrilled to say that all we dumped today was rubbish! 

I closed the door at Mums place for the last time and I picked this rose as I said goodbye to Mums last home :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 57

Day 57 - Today I am very grateful to Briana's new friends at Marshland School. Tonight the year 5 & 6 children are sleeping overnight in the school grounds. Briana was very reluctant to stay the night but her friends talked her into staying! It's 10.50pm and no phone call from the school. I'm so pleased for Briana and so happy she has such kind and fun new friends :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 56

Day 56 - Today I am SO grateful that a drainage man actually stepped foot on our property to scope the work needed for our Sleepout! He was great and super helpful, telling us what we need to get it underway! Thanks to Liz and Andrew Whitehead for helping us get in touch with him :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 55

Day 55 - Today I am grateful for the lovely comments I got today about my gratitude journal :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 54

Day 54 - Today I am grateful to the woman who came to pick up two Trade Me sales from Mums and did some extra "shopping". A lovely Irish lass turned up at Mums place to collect her iron and step ladder. I invited her to help herself to items that we haven't shared out or sold at the garage sale or Trade Me! She was reluctant at first but soon got into having a good look through what was there and ended up filling her car! So much so she said to me that she didn't have room for the stepladder! But we managed to squeeze it in - just! 

One of the main things she took was gifts Mum and Dad had received from their Home Hosting visitors from Japan. This lovely woman is a preschool teacher and her preschool is doing a project on Asian Culture. All her preschoolers will be able to have an authentic Japanese item. I think Mum would be really thrilled about that :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 53

Day 53 - Today I am very grateful to my sister-in-law Lynn who kept me company at the garage sale I had at Mums place this morning. Lynn got it all looking super terrific, and also went out and bought us coffee! I am also grateful to Kirsten who arrived with a cheeseburger. After having been on this weight management programme for 22 days, a cheeseburger tastes SOOOO good :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 52

Day 52 - Today I am very grateful to be at The Holiies in Concert. The musicianship, the harmonies, the songs! So amazing! And it's only intermission! Roll on the second half :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 51

Day 51 - Today I am very grateful for the gestures of help from different friends today. Thank you to my friend Maria for picking me up to go out to a womens seminar late this afternoon, was so nice to be driven and be able to have a wine or two!
Also we have our friends, The Springers, staying from Nelson for 3 nights. I go out and then come home to washing out, washing in and folded. The dishwasher stacked and set off, the dishwasher unstacked. Dinner ready! Hot chocolate made for us! What a treat. Then tonight Joanne, Nathan, Matt and I went and borrowed a trailer and went via Mums house and picked up all her heavy garden pots. A job I was dreading doing. The saying many hands make light work is indeed very true :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 50

Day 50 - Today I am especially grateful that the likes on my Facebook business page have gone up from 11 to 76 in 24 hours! Thank you so much to all my family, friends and the people I know in business who have acknowledged this new venture in my life :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 49

Day 49 - Today I am grateful that after a long night of work last night I was able to launch my new business website. I've been doing a bit of social media work for people over the last few years and after doing a business plan in 2010, it's finally time to get going and make it official! (Good things take time ;))
So please like my FACEBOOK page and share with your friends and I'll see you in the fun world of social media!

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 48

Day 48 - Today I am forever grateful that I had the most amazing Mother. Today would have been Mum's 84th birthday. It felt very strange not to be celebrating with her. After all I have been doing that for 46 years!
Most years Mum and I went out for lunch on her actual birthday. For many years we went to Ballantynes and our last trip there was to the Dilmah Tea House on February 17th 2011. Last Year Simon and I took her out to Oxford to Jo Seagers for lunch.
This year Kirsten, Olivia and I went to Ballantynes for lunch because as we couldn't celebrate with her, we celebrated for her! We even had her birthday number as our table number!

And today was another reason for celebration! Matthew started his new career, his first job after finishing his honours degree! He's working for Cerebral Fix, a game development company in the Epic Centre here in Christchurch.

I think it's pretty special that he started work today on Grans birthday! Maybe it's wishful thinking but I wonder if Matt's guardian angel is watching out for him! Mum called him her handsome prince (she also called him the absent minded professor from a young age) Matt was always destined for great things.

This is Matt, Mum and Me 21 years ago!

(Note the matching brown eyes!)

Tonight I am indeed grateful for many things :) x

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 47

Day 47 - Today I am grateful to have had a restful day at home with the children and to be tucked up ready for a big sleep in my own bed :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 46

Day 46 - Today I am grateful to be returning home to my children after being away on a short break. It's nice to be away but I always love going home :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 45

Day 45 - Today I am grateful to have spent Valentines day in Sydney with my Valentine :)

  

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 44

Day 44 - Today I am very grateful to my friend Anita who is ferrying the two youngest children to school while we are in Sydney :) 

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 43

Day 43 - Today I am grateful for my adult children who are in charge at home while I have a few days in Sydney with Glenn :) 

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 42

Day 42 - Today I am grateful to be surrounded by friends who GET me! I had an awesome lunch date, and all important catchup, with my friend Janese. And then out for dinner with the inspiring and totally awesome DC girls. It's so wonderful just to be able to be yourself and be understood :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 41

Day 41 - Today I am grateful to have some time to be able to plant some herbs, that I was given, in my salad garden after school today. It was such a beautiful afternoon to spend some time outside and I had time to think and plan what to plant next. I want to have a go at growing capsicums!

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 40

Day 40 - Today I am grateful for our new church, where we have all been made to feel very welcome. We took awhile to decide where to go to church after moving eastwards. It's always a bit nerve wracking going somewhere new, but right from the first time we visited last year we have been made to feel very at home :) 

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 39

Day 39 - Today I was grateful for a stunning Christchurch day to be able to take the two youngest children to see the sandcastle competition at New Brighton beach.

I took this photo up beside the pier. The creation to the left won the best childrens' sandcastle.

It was a fun afternoon :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 38

Day 38 - Today I was grateful to have a day of catching up with different people that I haven't seen for awhile. It's always special to see old friends and pick up where you left the last time you saw them! 

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 37

Day 37 - Today I am grateful to be a New Zealander. We are very lucky to live in such a beautiful country. I'm also grateful to have had a day off in what's been a crazy busy week. Happy Waitangi Day everyone :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 36

Day 36 - Today I am very grateful that I know some awesome women in business! I have had a few doors opened to me this year by successful women in business, willing to share their contacts and help me establish my new little business. Yesterday I attended a business womens' lunch and today I got my first official appointment! (Thanks to you Paula)
And also today I received an invitation in the mail to attend a women in business forum. So feeling very blessed and very grateful :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 35

Day 35 - Today I am grateful to be able to celebrate the 9th birthday of my youngest son Joshua. Josh is an amazing person. He is quick to learn, and has a funny sense of humour. He is very sensitive and feels things deeply. He is great at hugs and cuddles and loves being with his family. He also has some awesome friends.

Today after school he had a minecraft party!

I am also especially grateful to my 3 older children who helped me organised games and food :)

Here is the minecraft cake Kirsten made for Josh :)

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 34

Day 34 - Today I am grateful that Briana and Joshua had a happy first day at their new school.
There were a few nerves at the beginning of the day and it was very hard to get Briana to smile for the obligatory first day photo. So this is the best I could do.

I am also especially grateful to my friend Anita's daughter Nikita for looking out for Briana in the playground and making sure she had someone to sit with at lunch on her first day. She's an amazing wee friend!

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 33

Day 33 - Today I am grateful for older children who are great with technology.

Tomorrow Josh and Briana start at their new school and both of them are in a BYOD class (Bring Your Own Device). So they both have a new (cheap) laptop. I couldn't believe I was in Harvey Norman on Boxing Day, but it has paid off now. Matt and Kirsten have set up their laptops tonight ready to go in the morning.

Thanks Guys!

2014 Gratitude Journal - Day 32

Day 32 - Today I am grateful to be able to start something that is just for me!

Over the last few years I have slowly put on weight, to the point where a couple of weeks I stood on the scales and was shocked at the number staring at me. I had only ever been that heavy when I was VERY pregnant. So  I decided NOW is the time for action and today I embarked on a 90 day programme.

If you are interested, I'm blogging about it here :)