The end of one year and the start of another.  It’s always a bit of a weird time between Christmas and New Year, but despite the weather being awful and grey and rainy (some days it felt like the sun didn’t even bother to get out of bed) we managed to make the most of our time together.

Here’s what we got up to in my latest #projecthappy post:

Day 661:  Boxing Day.  Me wearing my Christmas pressie from the husband – a gorgeous pair of boots that actually fit.  And don’t have holes in.  He’s so clever 🙂 And I took the girls to the sales (only one shop though – that was about as much as I could handle!) and they chose a new pair of shoes each.  I love their completely unique styles 🙂

Day 662:  A lazy Sunday morning spent reading, playing with the kitten and shooting photos (this one was completely un-posed – she just happened to sit in the most beautiful light by the window to read her book and I happened to capture her at just the right moment 🙂 )

Day 663:  Cabin fever set in so we had a quick scoot to the park at sunset to blow away the cobwebs

Day 664:  Today I went to visit Annie, my Dad’s wife, for the first time since Dad’s funeral ten months ago and I was really nervous in the lead up to it.  It was lovely to see her and we chatted and reminisced and cried together, both in their flat and over a cuppa in a local cafe.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  Plus the six hours worth of travelling gave me plenty of time to reflect and think.  The whole day was much better than I’d anticipated it to be and for that I am grateful.

Day 665:  Today we wrote thank you letters.  I think it’s so important for us to be grateful for the things we’ve received and the thought that goes into the presents that people give us.  I love seeing the news that the girls put into their letters to people – it really shows how they are growing up.

Day 666:  New Year’s Eve.  I celebrated alone at home – the girls were in bed and my husband was at work making sure that everyone on a NYE night out was having a good time.  So I watched Graham Norton, Bryan Adams and the fireworks on the TV as Big Ben struck midnight, I lit a candle for my Dad and then I went to bed.  I’m so rock and roll #not.

Day 667:  New Year’s Day brought a surprise visit from Sophie!  She popped in to give a birthday card and present to Lola and everyone was so happy to see her 🙂  (I also spent today taking down the Christmas decorations, cleaning the house from top to bottom and preparing for Lola’s birthday tomorrow – a day of organising felt like a good way to start the new year)

Day 668:  My littlest girl turned six today!  She had a cupcake decorating party at home with four of her friends and her sisters.  All day she kept giving me enormous cuddles and whispering in my ear “Today is the best day ever Mummy!”

Day 669:  The last day of the Christmas holidays before the girls go back to school tomorrow.  It rained all day, so we spent the afternoon playing Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit as a family

Day 670:  Back to school.  Two of the girls were looking forward to it, one wasn’t, but we got there on time with everything we needed (PE kits, lunchboxes, reading books etc…) which was pretty impressive.  The peace and quiet at home was lovely, but I did miss them instantly as I walked out of the playground at 9 o’clock.   A day of clients and responding to emails made the time pass quickly, and when we got home from the afternoon pick-up we started our happy moments/memories/gratitude/lovely things jar.  I intend to do this every year and it never lasts more than a couple of days, but this year I’m determined to continue it all the way through to New Years Eve.

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