Life!!!

This is our plate for the new year ahead. We have each chosen a word we wanted to put on the plate, mine is PERSEVERANCE, to keep on keeping on!! To carry on whatever set of circumstances comes up, and for me to be joyful. That nicely fits in with Ellie's word JOY, which she is and gives to us all! Our own little miracle!Joe wanted GRATEFUL, which he is for all things. He told me the most important thing to him is his Mummy and Daddy. Andy chose STRENGTH,not just the physical but mental aswell. I suppose as a lot of you would say about your own year, we have had an interesting one, I hold to my belief a day at a time, and we have had fun and laughter! Watching Joe play football Saturday mornings has become a regular family event, with Ellie trying to get a football to play with, and then coming home for a bacon butty and a hot bath, to snuggles with Ellie in bed, to seeing Joe in his Christmas Nativity as an alien, don't ask, to cooking Sunday lunches together, to only see Ellie wing it across the table, to sharing midnight feasts, to hot choccy's in bed, or to Joe coming into chat while I'm in the bath, to spending time with family and friends, to spending time away with Andy, all special in their own way!

The year ahead, what does hold for each of us, we don't know. It was brought home to me recently, as I have mentioned to savour each and every moment! My Dad came to visit, he has Alzheimer's and has recently deteriorated rapidly it seems. For me it was the first time he didn't recognise who I was, and thought I was his sister. He seemed sad, and said he was. We were able to talk, hug and cry. My mum is his carer and amazing, eventhough she would say she isn't!
So I am grateful, for Andy, Joe, Ellie, my family and amazing friends, and my life, and to God!
So as we go forward into the New year, don't put things off,say I love you to those special people that we love,not just once,take that time to smile and hug and hold your loved ones close! Take the time to say I'm sorry, please forgive me, thank you and it's okay.

To me the secret of hapiness is freedom and the secret of freedom courage! I hope you have a happy, peaceful, and hopeful New Year!!!

Special memories!

This picture was taken by my 5 year old son, really impressed with it!after our midnight feast which was held at about 7ish,couldn't stay up till 12!!!! We had fun, sitting on our bed eating crisps, chocolates, Ellie was keen to hold onto them, and popcorn to, it was a special few moments! We had fun and laughter, all lying on the bed together and chatting, Ellie giggling at what Joe was doing!

Over Advent we have been doing our advent envelopes, inspired by my sister Wendy a couple of years ago. I got organised for it, and wrote a list of what we were doing for each day, but somehow a long the way, I misplaced it, so it is a surprise for us each morning when Joe opens it!!

So for Joe, its a way of counting down till Christmas day, he keeps saying how many days it is to go. I have enjoyed spending time, doing fun things, I suppose we have been preparing for Christmas, which Advent is all about preparation! Suppose it got me thinking, what things I am preparing for? How do I go about it? Is it with trepidation, stress, fearing even?Maybe what I need to do more is live in the moment, and enjoy the times I have, and make those special memories, you don't need much to make a special memory!! So as we awake on Christmas wherever we are, and whoever we are with, make each moment count! We hope to be in Ipswich with Andy's parents, my parents will be with my two sisters and their families, making special memories!! Go out and do it!

Cracked but not broken!!!

I love doing our Christmas Tree, our decorations aren't perfect, or colour co-ordinated, or top of the range, but some are made, and some of them have their stories to tell but all cherished. This is a picture of one of the oldest Christmas decorations we have for our tree. This came from my Grandma, so when I do my tree, it makes me remember of the happy times I spent with her and my Grandad, particularly the Christmas's we had in Aberdovey! The last one we had there was the first one after my Grandad had died,my dad had just been diagnosed with Alzheimers and I was heavily pregnant with Joe, and being tube fed, so there was no Christmas dinner for me! My sister Wendy kept Dad occupied, and my other sister Katy and I cooked, Grandma sat in a chair in the kitchen drinking sherry and delegating!!! My mum was ill in bed! It could have been a tough one, but it wasn't it was a special time, and the last Christmas my Grandma had!We remember it with fondness!
Looking at this bell, you can see some of the glitter has come off and it is chipped and cracked, life can be like that sometimes!
This year we had an extra helper, my niece Hanni. Both her and Joe decorated most of the tree, can't really say that Ellie helped much, at the time she was being a stroppy two year old!!!
So our tree may look disjointed, and maybe abit top heavy but to me it doesn't matter, what matters is it was done with love and by people I love!