So, the other day I opened my Grateful Jar and I thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve felt grateful for throughout the year…

 – A very cute puppy, who, for the most part is house trained.
I know what it was that made me write this one. I was having a moment of ‘what have we done? Why the hell did we buy a dog??! Because he was chewing everything and barking all the time… but then I looked at him and reminded myself that he’s pretty damn cute and I should be grateful for that furry little bugger.

– Autumn Leaves.
Needs no explanation, does it?

– That even though Piper is sick today, we are fortunate enough to live in a place where we have access to medicine, doctors & everything our baby needs.
This would have been one of those times where I was getting frustrated and down about Piper having a tummy bug, I always get super tense when either of our kids are sick – but thanks to the jar, I was able to put things in perspective and realise just how damn lucky we are.

– Knowing Erin.
I wrote this in the day of Erin’s funeral. She passed away last year after battling cancer. I arrived home after the funeral and I looked at the jar and wondered how the hell I was supposed to feel grateful for anything on a day like today. But then I remembered how lucky I had been having had the opportunity to simply know a person as beautiful, inspirational, brave and strong as Erin. I cried as I wrote those two words, and wished that I had known her better.

– Being able to meet a brand new baby boy on New Years Day
The first note I ever wrote for my grateful jar. On New Years Day we visited our wonderful friends Kerry and Mick at Westmead Hospital with their brand new baby Tom. A breathtaking and very special way to start the year.

– Music. Especially my Lily Allen album today while I’m cleaning.
It was one of those days where I started out feeling overwhelmed and annoyed at all the house-work that needed to be done, but then I put Lily Allen on and the cleaning turned to dancing… and singing (out of tune), and suddenly it didn’t seem so hard.

– Go back and read your blog post “A Single Moment” on 27 June 13
A very good reminder about the simple things in life that are worth being grateful for.

– The existence of Butter Stream
In 2012 I had experienced some of my lowest of lows, and often the hardest part would be the hours between 5pm and 7.30pm when the kids needed to be bathed, fed and put to bed and I would wish, wish, wish that Steve didn’t work so far away and that he could be home sooner. From the beginning of 2013 we started our own design business together (Butter Stream), which has meant that Steve works 15 minutes from home and ever since we’ve been able to have dinner together as a family, most nights, which has been lovely.

– The choice to try decreasing my medication & to increase it again when it didn’t work out.
Sometimes I still find myself feeling those teeny tiny feelings of inadequacy about the fact that I need to take a tablet each day in order to function. I know that there is nothing to feel inadequate about. I know that it comes down to brain chemistry. I know that this is the best thing for me… and yet still there is part of me that wants to find my way back off these tablets. I tried twice in 2013 to decrease my anti-depressants, but both times I found myself headed down-hill VERY fast. The important thing is that I recognised the signs, understood what was happening to me and why, and returned to my normal dose. Perhaps I’ll try again this year, perhaps I won’t, but I’ll be ready for whatever the outcome.

– A happy bird who is chirping & tweeting again
The reason? Poor Stripe the budgerigar was having a little fly out of his cage when he decided to swoop down to the kitchen floor, just as Piper was running through the kitchen from the opposite direction. Piper trod on Stripe, quite hard, in fact she actually slipped on him – so at the same time Piper fell and Stripe was smooshed. Steve took Stripe straight the vet who said he may never regain the use of his poor crushed foot. He sat very quietly in his cage, in a dark room for about a week (the vet suggested we keep things dark and quiet in order to keep him from becoming stressed). When I finally heard him start to sing and tweet again, I was just so happy to have those pretty noises back in the house. His foot did actually recover by the way, so I guess he’s a pretty tough little bird. Oh and Piper was fine too, of course.

– Coffee,  Baby Cinos and Banana Bread with Steve and the girls in our favourite spot
Local shops, favourite couches, good food, good company. Self explanatory.

– Toy Story 2, when they haven’t watched it for a while
TV can be magical sometimes, can’t it?

– Maddie reading a story to Piper while Piper sits cross-legged and watches her attentively
So lucky to have two beautiful girls.

– Playing squash with Steve
This one was a good reminder that we actually haven’t played squash in MONTHS. Things got busy, there wasn’t enough time and we stopped going. But for a while there we were really enjoying the chance to stay healthy together and have FUN. Must go back to squash courts.

– Making  choc-chip muffins with my girls
Love cooking with Maddie and Piper (when they don’t fight over who’s turn it is to stir or to crack the eggs or pour in the flour etc. etc.)

Of course there were plenty more things that happened throughout the year. Other notes in the jar and other things that I never took the time to write down, hearing news of a good friend’s pregnancy for instance, receiving a good review on one of my books, picking up a new job or a new client – but the ones above are just a few of the highlights that remind me that I am lucky to be part of this world.

I think it’s time I get started on a 2014 jar of happiness.