I'm Grateful for good times with Friends! - Day 5

Isn't friendship something we should all be grateful for!!!

It started out with two like minded people, and then we turned into three and then along came four!

Its great to have such awesome Besties, 

you know that they will be there for you through thick and thin

but you just have to remember to talk to them!
They aren't mind readers!!!

We have been through lots of different situations together, 

through health & fitness, sickness,

children & teenage dramas

Huge changes and too much sameness.....

Through it all we stick together!

We didnt have as much time together last year as we were all pursing different interests,

but regardless we always make the effort

to celebrate each other milestones....

Here we are at Jack & Bridgeys Birthday Party at the Verdict!

I just adore this photo!!

Gratuity - 4th January - Earplugs!

I've never been much of a light sleeper!

Infact I can usually sleep through anything at all!

But since I've opened the shop, down time in my brain means worrying about Money, about Window Decor, about my orders, about staffing, about keeping the floor clean...

anything and everything i worry about now and I was never a worrier!
I was like well if there's money there's money and if there's none than we are broke!! Kinda attitude.

So I have a routine now

I go to bed and read until my brain in clear and then just fall off to sleep.

But I am now easily woken and it irratates me so much, because I start to worry, I have panick attacks that make me sick in the stomach and the whole thing is just a catch 22.
I cant turn the light on to read and  I was totally shocked that the ereader i got for christmas doesn't have a light to allow you to read in the dark!!! I mean, I would think that would be the first thing you would want in an ereader!!! 

So I toss and turn, toss and turn trying to switch off. I finally switch off enough to drift into slumber and then Stu starts snoring!!  I roll over and wake Stuart up cause he has always been a really light sleeper and then we are both tossing and turning and keeping each other awake!

So this morning at about 5am after being awake since 2.30 the birds started outside, and i just snapped!'

I dont wear earplugs because i have really small earholes and they hurt! But I squished and squished and got it small enough to shuv in only in one ear cause i couldn't find the other one in the dark. 

So i slept on the side that didn't have the ear plug in and it was enough to drown out most of the noises!
Finally I got the sleep!!

So today I am thankful for earplugs!
Tonight i will put them in when i go to bed and hopefully I will have a full nights sleep!!

Jodi's 365 Gratuity Challenge - Day 3 "Kitchen Bitch"

Day 3....

Stuart  features in my Gratuity Challenge today

and I would say he will feature in many because of the marvelous things he does for me...

But for today I am grateful to Stuart because even though he works

  very  relatively ok, somewhat hard doing his job from home,

he has taken on the mundane housewife stuff because I am now in the shop everyday.

He does the washing/folding and he cooks tea everyday!!

And he seams to enjoy the cooking too, where as I hate it! 

And Im not the good at it, but Stuart seams to know what goes with what which is very tasty!!!

So today my darling husband, I am grateful that you took on the role as "Kitchen Bitch".

(As he calls himself!) Though i wonder, when i was cooking was this what i was called???

Enchanted Events & Balloons Blog....

Have you joined my Enchanted Events & Balloons Blog yet?

Become a follower!

Click here to link to the blog

and click the follow button to get feeds when I post!

And the Facebook Follow button!

Thank you!

Jodi's 365 Gratuity Challenge - Day 2

I was lying in bed this morning thinking about what I would be grateful for today....

Believe me, it was shaping up that I wouldn't be grateful for much and I hadn't even gotten out of bed!

So the day proceeded along...

Did some washing, stripped the bed and the dining room table..

Started to think about tea, so I grabbed Emelia and we headed to the shops!

Emelia!

In two weeks she will be gone again and for a full 11 months this time...

When she is home, she is a bit handy you know.

Wanna come for a run up the street? Yeh

Wanna decorate my window? Yeh

There is another female in the house to take my side!

She is always up to some kind of mischief and excitement which keeps life interesting - frustrating yes, but also interesting!

So today I am grateful to have my daughter home for a while...

I have to take advantage of the little remaining time there is left!

I'm sure there is still heaps of work she can do!! hehe...

No, I have to really get as much for her company before she goes back that I can without being all "clingy". She hates that!

Josh Turns 21 & Emelia graduates!

December was massive

and Blogging was the last thing I thought about!

So now that i am gathering some spare time with the  holidays

I will share some catchups!

On the 9th December My baby turned 21!

Because Stu went to Emerald to drive Emelia home, and it was just me & Josh

and the fact that Josh really isn't a party kinda bloke

we just had a little celebration here at home...

So I just got some Mud Cakes

I had a massive bunch of balloons delivered to the post office!!

and off course a huge bag of lollies and goodies he likes

He blew out his candles

which i missed with the camera!!! Grr and he wouldn't do it again!

And then he went back to what he does and i went back to what i do...

It was very quiet!

But the week before, he and his mates went to Tamworth to PaintBall.

There was a huge bunch of them

Because his mate Kane also has a birthday round the same time, so they planned this combined celebration!

He came home with this!

In the meantime in Emerald

Emelia was graduating from her Cert 3 In Agriculture specialsing in Horse Breeding.

Here is the Year at the College..

(Emelia is up the back on the right! She was very happy because she has NEVER been in the back row for a photo like this, cause she is so tiny she is always in the front!!)

And here she is collecting her Certificate.

Then earlier the kids had their Annual Ball.

It took me this long to get a photo!

Not happy about that i can tell you!

Here she is with her Boyfriend Shauny..

He bought her the pink corsage to match her dress! Isn't that lovely old fashioned romance!
But he is a cutey Shauny!

I haven't met him, but Stuart has. Shauny picked him up from the airport when Stu flew down to Emerald because Emelia was away on an excursion!

Apparently Shauny was so nervous, but Stuart was very impressed!
Stuart is never impressed by anyone Emelia has interest in!!

Hmmm?????

2012 Gratitude Challenge Day 1 - PARANORMAL/TEEN BOOKS

This is going to be fun!

In 2007 I did a 365 days photos of me challenge

and it was fantastic!

And I know I am so looking forward to this challenge

Day 1 - I am grateful for my BOOKS

In 2011 I read approx 60 Books! Give or take a few...

All the books or most in the last few years are listed on my blog in order of me reading them!

I love to read!

The reason why I am listing this as a Gratitude is because I have always loved to read

I love to be transported into an imaginary place

and enjoy the complete freedom of thought that reading brings me.

This is the reason why i read alot of Paranormal and Teen Novels!
I like the separation from real life!
Real Life is far too stressful!

That being said though, I have been known to read Autobiographies and do enjoy them

but I wont read books about violence against woman

or real life violence...

Vampire and Werewolf Violence is ok though because its all just pretend anyway!

My favorite place to read is in bed in my jarmies!

Today I spent most of the day in bed, in my jarmies

reading this book:

Fateful by Claudia Grey

Set on the Titanic!

Wonderful alternative story with a little history thrown in there...

Have a Happy New Year 

all my fantastic and appreciated Blog Followers...

I know the last few months have been boring

but i promise to have more instore for you this year!

In fact, it was also my BLOGGERVERSARY on the 30th December!

I cant believe i have been doing this now for 5 years!

Want to see my very first post?

You will find it here