Grateful

This week, I am grateful for so much. This week, I feel very loved. So many lovely friends and family have really helped me out. This sole parenting thing is hard work and exhausting. Bring on Christmas, as Chris will be home with us then. We can be a family again.

• I am grateful Chris was able to get a flight home last weekend to see Abbey's gymnastics display. He was here for one night only, but it was worth it.
• I am grateful I won this amazing giveaway. Jennie makes the most gorgeous dolls, and the purple softie I won is adorable!
• I am grateful I can sew, as I made Abbey's costume for her gymnastics display - a jelly fish skirt.
• I am grateful one of my friends Kate had Abbey over for a play date this week, so I could get a few hours of respite, do some yoga to calm my mind and she cooked dinner for us too. Abbey adores your Mia, and was talking about you for hours afterwards.
• I am grateful for this post from Tracey who got me all inspired to make some some of our own Rodolph the reindeer cookie suckers - Abbey (and I!) had lots of fun.
• I am grateful my mum looked after the girls so I could get my food shopping done, so very quickly, as I had no kids with me (thank you for pruning the roses, again)
• I am grateful this week as my step-dad Steve mowed our back lawn and completely made over over our whole front garden - it looks amazing, and is the most wonderful Christmas present we could have asked for.
• I am grateful my dear friend Yvette had us over for a catch up, let us trash her house, and she made gingerbread dough for our big girls to make some cookies. I love our chats, and discovering our never ending similar interests. I am grateful our big girls play so well together (and now our little girls join in, so cute) I am so grateful our paths crossed and we are friends.
• I am grateful for a catch up and kids play date with my dear friend Nell - it felt like ages since we had a natter. Your friendship is so easy and natural and means so much to me.
• I am grateful our local library runs an amazing kids program of story time with singing and dancing and arts and crafts. This week's session was extra special, as our librarian had arranged for Santa to visit - a very funny Santa who rides his motorbike right into the library (his number plate is also "Santa") He reads a story and tells lots of jokes, we had so much fun.

Maxabella loves land is the home for gratefulness today, pop in and visit.

Have a lovely weekend to you.

Cat

At my house.....

We have had a very quiet week. Two little girls had runny noses (one of them was also cutting two new teeth), and one big girl (me!) sick with a razor blade sore throat, aching ears, cold flushes and just general aching all over. It really is no fun looking after kids when you are sick, especially when your husband is away for two days and one night on a work trip. We seemed to live in our pj's for most of the week (which was fun)

I am almost better, but the little girls still have runny noses.

Today we have had the most lovely day. My dear friend Ruth who I have known since primary school is visiting Australia. We have been friends for 27 years.

Ruth lives in South America now, after many years in London. Chris and I met through Ruth and her husband, and she was bridesmaid at our wedding. Cupcake Nell and her two kiddies came over too, and we had the most lovely time catching up, drinking tea, eating chicken and avocado rolls and chocolate brownie slice.

On the weekend we made these hand print art works. One hand print from each of us on a page, a different colour each. Blue for daddy, purple for me, pink for Abbey and red for Zoe. It was quite difficult getting a good hand print from Zoe, she wanted to eat the paint.

Join in, and visit Lou to see what other peeps are doing this week.

Visit Kasia and see what other kiddie crafts peeps are doing this week.

Have a lovely week.

Cat.