Happy new year

Hi everyone, 

So 2013 is almost over here in Australia! Today I completed the last of this years kindnesses! :) Another 365days of kind deeds! I'm sure there are more than 365 actual kindnesses done this year but that just shows how simple it is to do!!! 

Next year it starts all over again!!! :) 

Wishing you all a happy new year! 

Luv Daena x

Blessed... A few days after Christmas! :)

Hey everyone,

So in Australia it's a couple of days after Christmas, and I am still avoiding the shops and the after-Christmas sales! I have been given so much this week that I am overcome with gratitude! Now I just need to find homes for it all! 

How can you say thank you to those who have made a difference? 

One act of kindness my mum & I received yesterday was that our neighbour had swept up the leaves & cleaned up the cobwebs on our front veranda. I have been so busy with sorting out Christmas presents & getting things done for others, since I got home from my trip, that I hadn't had a chance to do it yet! I must admit it was bothering me, so it was simply wonderful to receive that small act of kindness! 

My sister Vandra (who helps on the Facebook page), her husband & kids have welcomed mum & I into their home, shared meals & gifts with us...etc! the kids even let us sleep in for a couple of hours extra yesterday! I have even discovered I don't mind playing with Lego with my 5 & 9 yr old niece & nephew, which keeps them happily distracted! So blessed!!! Thank you!!!!

I have been given so much... Thank you just doesn't seem to cut it! But thank you to my friends & family who have spoilt me with presents, kind words & loving actions! You have made a huge difference to both me & my mum (whom I care for)! 

To all those who do not know me personally... I just wanted to Thank you!!! Because you have welcomed me into your lives with a few clicks of a button & that spreads more kindness! Thank you for your continued & loving support of this blog!!! 

Luv Daena! X 

Alive and well...

Hello my lovely blog followers. I have so much to tell you and not a lot of time... 

For those of you who follow my page on Facebook you may already know...

 I did a 2 & a half month trip around the world and had an amazing experience that I am so very grateful for!

 Sadly I had limited access to internet and mainly it was to let my loved ones know I was alright and had arrived safely at my next destination! So I didn't have much time to keep you all posted on the blog! I tried to keep Facebook updated but I have been terribly remiss in blogging! 

So this is my HUGE apology! Sorry for dropping off the face of the blogosphere for a whopping 6 months! 

If you are wondering if I have been keeping up with my kindnesses... You betcha! :) I feel like that is a part of me now... And I'm hoping to do it again next year! Last year I was a LOT more prepared for getting you to see all my kindnesses before the end Of the year... This year... Not so much! I feel like all of this year I have been running behind! 

So much has happened to me this year on a personal level that I have been struggling to do much on a regular basis! Or specifically anything additional like blogging on a regular basis! 

My wonderful sister Vandra has stepped up and helped me out with the Facebook page particularly when I was on my Trip as I never knew when I would have internet access! Thank you so very much V!!! :) 

I have had so much love and support for this year of kindnesses and on my round the world trip! I am so grateful for you all! 

I hope I haven't let anyone down! Because you are all capable of such amazing acts of kindness!!! If you ever need a 365days of kindness buddy... I'm here! :) 

Anyways, I hope you are all prepared for the Christmas season! I hope you are all surrounded by love & kindness on Christmas Day (or for those like us... The three days over Christmas)! :) 

For those of you who celebrated the solstice last night... Happy summer solstice (in the Southern Hemisphere) and winter solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere)! Hope you have a happy & blessed time of year! 

For those who do not celebrate or do not believe... I wish you love and kindness and a lovely end to the year! 

Thanks for the last few years worth of support!!! You are all amazing! :) x

Luv Daena

Hello my lovelies...

Hello my lovely people,
How are you all? I hope you are all well!
So last you saw of my posts was that it was my birthday. I had a wonderful birthday celebration and was thoroughly spoilt! Thank you to everyone who sent messages and birthday wishes! :) It was grately appreciated.

So there are several things coming up for me, and some of them are things that I may need YOUR help with. As of this time next week I will be in hospital having surgery. And the doctors have warned me that it could take a little while to get everything back up and running. But that I should be well recovered in 6 weeks time... which is good because in 8 weeks I am leaving on my round the world trip! :)

As I am not sure I will have regular access to internet connection whilst I am jet setting about, I am actually looking for someone to keep the page on Facebook and this blog going! It would only be for a couple of months. But if anyone is interested to be a "Guest Blogger" on this page, let me know. I am looking for someone who is willing to undertake a month or two of doing a kindness everyday... like I do but in miniature. :) I am not sure yet, what this will look like or how it will work, but if you are interested... please let me know! :) You can send a private message to act_positive@hotmail.com or contact me through the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/365daysOfKindness

My round the world trip was paid off, amazingly, yesterday. So excited about all the places I will get to visit again and some that I will see for the first time! :) I leave Perth, Western Australia (my home town) on the 30th... so its all very exciting and a little nerve racking! Not long now.

So some awesome stuff has happened in the world of kindness this week with the launch of the Thankyou Waters expanding range! So those who have read last years Kindnesses (and if you could read this years ones... it is also in there), Thankyou Water is a product which is helping people all over the world! :) If you want to see what i mean, check out the video. 



The most exciting part is that they are branching out into food and body care... which will provide food and hygeine to those who need it most. One of the best bits about that is that you dont have to go out of your way to give to charity, as of this week the two major AUSTRALIAN supermarkets have agreed to provide the Thankyou Product range in their stores, which means you can buy them whilst you are doing your weekly shopping. And the lives that will change as a result is amazing! :)  It encourages me that we can make a difference in a HUGE way by doing something so very simple! 

For those of you in other countries, perhaps you could contact Thankyou.co and get information or something to start your own version in your own country. Its an idea at least?!

For those who have been hanging out for news on my Kindnesses this year (Feb to now), i'm afraid you will have to wait a little longer for them. I decided that i wanted to finish putting last years kindnesses in the album (as i have a dedicated scrap book album - like year 1 of this project). I did however have a slight glitch. Every night I write ten or more blessings about the day and then I add what I have been doing for 365days at the end. Every night I write the date and year so I can put them online at a later stage. My little glitch came when I was writing the kindnesses into my album, which is all based on 2012 and I was careful for the first ten or so entries in the album to make sure the date was right. But the next 30 days or so I completely was acting on auto pilot and wrote 2013... so i'm hoping not too many people notice as they read the books! lol!

Anyways, Thank you all for your continued love and support! I always appreciate your words of encouragement and enthusiasm.

Much love to you all,
Luv Daena x

Happy Birthday to me - Happy Anniversary to Kindness

Hey everyone,

Its my birthday today... which means it is a bit of an anniversary to this project and to its predecessor Project 25. It was on my birthday in 2009 that I asked my friends to go about doing kind deeds for my during the year (end date was June 25, 2010). We had about 35 Kindnesses completed and over 300 people interested in the project. It was of course 6 months after this project that I started 365days of kindness, because I had realized if I wanted to make a difference I had to lead by example. And its 2 and a half years later that I am still trying to inspire you all to do kind acts for those in your community.

So today, for my birthday, for me, please do a kind deed for another person! If you want to share it you can. Facebook has messages, here has comments. I love to hear from you all. It can be as simple as a kind word to a stranger, a smile, some money left for a stranger to find, a hot meal to someone who needs it, a hug for a person who lives alone, make a cup of tea for your mother (I do this all the time... she loves it!), cook a meal for your friends, give a stranger a bunch of flowers (or a single flower - a bunch could make lots of peoples day better), make someone laugh (good clean silly jokes are awesome)... really the more you want to do, the better. Kindness is a way to make your day better too! :)  I would wish you a happy birthday too... but apparently that is just a little weird! So, I hope you have a wonderful "Daena Day" (As some of my friends call it). I have been enjoying a nice warm snuggly sleep in and later I will do a kind deed for someone else! :)

Much love,
Daena x
(p.s. I turn 28 today... wow time flies when you are having fun!)

Life... its what happens when you are busy making other plans

Hello my lovelies,

So you may think I must of sustained an injury or something for me not to update you for 2 WHOLE MONTHS! But I assure you I am alive and well!

Somethings that have changed since I last wrote... the number one thing is Sleep! So many of you know I am a Chronic Insomniac. Well I have made several life style changes and have managed to achieve the miraculous... I am sleeping! Sleep, you might think is pretty under-rated, but from a person who went for about 6 years with a maximum of 4 hours sleep a night (average - sometimes less sometimes more), I consider sleep a jewel. Having said that sleep is actually taking up a lot of my time. Its like my body wants me to get back all that missing sleep in a few weeks. I didn't realize how much time I would be missing by actually sleeping. However, mum likes to remind me that at least I don't need as much time because my brain is more active and I achieve things now in half the time that I used too. So its a blessing to sleep but I'm still adjusting to the reality of it.

The exciting news is my round-the-world trip is now paid for! YAY! I leave for the first leg of my trip which is Canada on the 30th of September! Exciting! So many friends and places to visit! :) I just cant wait... but i have to! :) 

On the family front, I have been supporting my sister, V, as best I can. Recently the company she was working for went into Voluntary Administration, here in Australia, and as of today (10th of June) the company has had to ceased trading. My sister (and all her fellow co-workers/bosses/management etc) have had the last few weeks from hell. They have been trying to assure customers and support those on the same level/above them. But effectually as of today my darling sister is without a job, one that she loved with a passion. There is nothing I could do for her, apart from support her, love her, encourage her, and organize her (okay my OCD is coming out again). I just want to wish all of those from my sisters company all the love, support and kindness this little blogger can muster. You all did a spectacular job for the last 15 years! Thank you from the bottom of my scrap-booking heart!

Some of you already know, if you follow 365days of Kindness on Facebook, that in the last few weeks 3 of my friends have lost loved ones. Some have been fast and shocking, others slow and painful. I have spent a fair amount of time with my friends doing my best to support them. Be it drinks and distractions, or late night Facebook chats. Thank you (God/universe/mother/spirit), for such extra-ordinary lives that these amazing people lived. May they all Rest in Peace.

For me personally, Funerals are always hard. I have been to dozens of funerals in my lifetime, but since Dad has been sick, funerals have taken on a life of their own. It is hard when you are constantly being told that your dad is going to die soon, to then see someone not have to suffer in such a long drawn out manner. The first time, we were told Dad wouldn't live until Christmas, and that was in 2007 while I was living in England finishing my undergraduate degree. Dad has a major brain disease that is very rare ( 20,000 people world wide have Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy) and every few months/years he has a major turn for the worse. He has been so good for some time now, so we are almost living on a razors edge waiting for another bad turn. In other words, we go through cycles of grief regularly, and sometimes I find it hard when I see my friends families, where they are able to grieve and move on. They dont have to wait for the painful end of their fathers life's. To be honest there is often a jealousy that comes with it, and then a deep guilt as a result for wishing a death on anybody. I need to clarify my dad's life is a miracle, the doctors are continually baffled by him, and I cherish every moment I have with him. But there is such emotions at funerals that are often hard to handle. I love my friends deeply and am always grateful that I can support them in any way. I just wanted to explain to others this is one of the other reasons I have been offline recently. It is because I want to be a positive role model, not someone who acts without thought. But I thought it was important to share that it is okay to feel different than others. I mean i have talked to other families of Dementia patients (one of dads disease side effects is Fronto-Temperal Demential), and when I talk to them and explain how I have felt, they are almost relieved that they aren't the only ones to feel like that. I hope honesty helps someone else in a situation similar to mine, just so you know you aren't crazy.

Life has such an interesting way of reminding us what is and what isn't important. Family, friends, my communities and our world, are so profoundly important to me. Kindness is so important. I have seen how people react around shock, change and grief. It has been hard to witness how rudely, violently and badly people react to it. But I am continually reminded to be kind to unkind people, because they need it the most. It is often really hard to do this... particularly to those who are rude to you when you are most fragile!

I had the funniest experience with a drive through lady recently. She was rude and dismissive when she took our order, so I made the effort to yell "Have a wonderful day" through our window to her as we were about to leave. Now I don't know if it made much of a difference to her, but I know that our car full of people, burst into laughter. The upset she had caused us in her interaction with us was made better by a little kindness. If you want to bring kindness to your own life, start by bringing kindness to others. It makes a massive difference!

Anyway, I am still doing my kindnesses. Every night now, I write it in my gratitude journal! I keep writing all the things I am grateful for, particularly the things I can do for other people, and others have done for me. I am so blessed that I to be able to share these stories with you all!

I wanted to say thank you for those of you who keep checking this page even when things have been in stasis for a couple months. You are wonderful! You keep encouraging me to write more! Thank you!

Much love to you all,
Luv Daena x

Facebook... 100 likes

So for many of you, you have been following this blog for a while, but it has only been for a year or so that I have been hosting a Facebook page too! The aim for my Facebook page was to make people laugh, smile, think & be inspired to be kinder to themselves and others! :)
In the last day or so, we have hit a milestone at the Facebook page, that I wanted to share here!

We have 100 likes! :) yay!

I am so very grateful for the support & enthusiasm of all of you! You have encouraged me to keep going with this little project and your support makes me want to keep posting! :) my aim has only ever been to show others how simple it is to be kind, how easy & and how inexpensive it is to act with kindness to
make our world a better place! And you have shared your own stories & shown me other inspiring stories that also make what I do feel right in so many more ways! So Thank you! Thank you very much! :)

Luv Daena x

Ps. The photo is a screen shot of the page & the pages milestone! :)

Im alive and kicking in some cases literally

Hey everyone,
you are probably wondering if i have fallen off the planet, of gotten lost in my own town, or something rather drastic, but im here to assure you i am still alive... and still going with my kindnesses. I just wanted to let you know i have been continuing with my kindnesses even if I'm behind posting the monthly kindnesses or weekly, or daily for that matter. SO many plans to be organised! Well they go out the window when you are so engaged with everyday life.

Anyways, part of the reason i have only been on this blog occasionally recently is there have been a few family health issues. Mum had to have another round of surgery, this time for what i love to call "routine mantainence" but she thinks i make her sound like a computer, and she apparently "isn't one"... much to my amusement (mainly because she had to clarify)! Things didn't quite go to plan, but things are slowly (and i mean SLOWLY!) getting back to normal.

My dad had a fall at his nursing home recently, and while he is not injured (apart from a sore bum apparently) it has shaking his confidence a lot, and ours a little too. Dad has been our miracle man for so long, that when he shows fragility, its kind of scarey.


I have been working in the communal garden at our set of units and have recently planted, a peach tree, thyme, basil, carrots, and keep my mint, parsely, rosemary and a crazy pumpkin (literally took over the garden) and chilli bush. My kindnesses have included giving some of our crazy pumkin plant's big pumkins to different neighbours to enjoy, after it tried to take over the pathways to all the houses. We have already got 6 pumpkins off it and its producing more by the day!! I have been helping one of the elderly residents with her planting and pruning, and she has been teaching me so much about gardening, so its a win for both of us really!

Mum and i have also realised how much "stuff" we have... its quite amazing how much "stuff" you accumulate on a day to day basis, or on a yearly basis. So we have decided to start going through things and giving away what we can and throwing away what we cant. We are shredding and then giving the paper shreddings to pet stores or to my sister for her chooks, the first lots been used in the garden as more mulch.  We gave my sister and brother-in-law a bookcase today. It was hilarious because my brother-in-law and neighbour (who is ex-navy) were attaching the bookcase to the back of the car... lets just say the tears of laughter were running down my leg(jk). It was very funny.
We have also already filled up our rubbish bin to make sure that we are getting rid of as much as possible. We have been giving old clothes to people we know can use them (if they cant use them, then they pass it on). And there is soooooooo much more. Mum tires easily, so i have been keeping her plied with tea and cookies (for those who saw my recent photo of the over cook i did a couple of weeks ago... well you know what I'm talking about). It is very slow going, but its will mean that we have more time for people and less time for "stuff"... well that's the theory anyways.

I did a kindness recently that was one of my favorites. I was on my way to pick up some junk food for mum for dinner (while this was a kindness... its wasn't the only one), and i decided that i would buy dinner for the car behind me. I am blessed to have money! its not much but its enough that i can do nice things for other people and not be too worried about what happens next in terms of budget. For a long time, there was no-one behind me in the drive thru line, i was almost at the window to pay when this car pulled in behind me, with two young guy in it. I don't know who they are or what they even ate, but i asked the guy behind the counter if i could pay for the car behind me and he looked at me funny, but said sure. So I did. I got my food and drove away. I love the idea that the guys in the car behind me would have been confused but happy and that they may have done something similar for someone else... but in truth i don't know... and i never will! That's what made this one so fun! A sneaky act of Kindness... or more acurately a Random Act of Kindness. It was so simple. I didn't know kindness could be that simple, but it was. Seriously... you should try it. Its awesome! :)

On a really exciting note, I am currently planning a round the world trip! Its going to be awesome! im going to Canada (Edmonton), USA(Washington, NYC & Boston), Ireland (Dublin), England (Hull & London), Wales (Holyhead & Cardiff), France (Paris), Germany (Colgne), Italy (Rome) and Egypt (Cairo - with a 8 day tour down the Nile)! I am so very excited that the planning is going so well and i have friends & family in a lot of those places and I will get to see them again! I am so very blessed too, not many get the opportunity to travel as often as I have. If you live in any of these locations, let me know about the "must see" things I simply cant miss....

Okay... what else? i have no idea. So much has been happening that i don't know if i am here or there! But i keep my kindnesses going, as should you. Making a cup of tea or coffee for a neighbour (doesn't cost much), helping to carry a heavy load for another (its free), smiling at a complete stranger for no reason (it makes you feel good too). So many simple ways you can be kind.

Anyways, much love,
Daena

p.s the "literal kicking" comes because i am back at Karate. Last year I wasn't well enough to go very often, but i love going and I love teaching people how to protect themselves. We teach that in a dangerous situation you should run first, and only when you can't run do you stay and fight. But we want you to be prepared for both. So a lot of what we do is fitness... so you can run fast! :) I love it, and the teacher has been teaching me for almost 20 years (he's no spring chicken - but can still beat me at any competition... so lets hope he doesn't see that comment! lol). I recently got my lifetime membership (oh that is SCAREY... apparently i'm no spring chicken either! lol!).  And if you are trying to figure out my age... didn't you know its rude to ask a lady her age?! lol! however if i give it to you freely... well thats a whole other kettle of fish! *Coughs* 27 *coughs*. ;)

Questions and answers - Golden Pen Magazine.

Hey everyone,

I have just entered myself into an awesome competition that could have this project in the Golden Pen Magazine and their website. They are talking about the importance of passion. If you know anyone else who is worthy of this please share this link with them, or nominate them yourself! http://goldenpen.com.au/2013/03/are-you-going-to-be-one-of-the-top-100-most-passionate-people/

I have just had to answer 4 very interesting questions about my passion, Kindness! If I don't get through to the final stage I will share my answers with you. 

One of the editors wrote on Facebook about what they are looking for... "

I am looking for 100 people who know what they are passionate about? Are you one of them? If you have a burning passion and you can say, 'yes, that's me', then comment below and tell us what it is that pushes all your buttons, gets you hot under the collar about and that you are willing to dedicate your life to..."

What can I say, I have a passion for kindness. I think it is important to share these awesome opportunities too! I hope you have a passion in your life that keeps you motivated and enthusiastic about life. This project is mine! :)

Much love, I hope you are all doing well,  

Luv Daena x

Paying it Forward

Hi all,
I just wanted to share with you one of the pay-it-forwards that I did vicariously today!

The story starts about 5 months ago my mum & I helped out at a community day for the nursing home my dad lives in! We put in heaps of hard work & helped them raise a total of about $3000AUD! As a thank you the nursing home staff gave us a HUGE box of chocolates (1.32kgs to be exact). We gratefully accepted the gift along with a bunch of flowers each! We were spoilt but knew neither of us could eat the chocolate (my mum has diabetes & I'm trying to avoid getting it!)!

So instead we thought of donating it to a local emergency services like the police station! We made a few plans that fell through but it finally happened! today I could pass that HUGE box of chocolates along!

It just so happens that a huge brushfire threatened my sisters house, & many more houses yesterday, and they had to evacuate! but my sister didn't have enough time to grab anything on her way to pick the kids up from school, not knowing it would be too dangerous to return after that! so she and her kids had the clothes on their backs & their car, my brother-in-law was at work and only had the clothes he had with him etc. it turned out that it took 150 firefighters, and several airplane water bombers all afternoon & all night to contain the situation, but contain it they did! My sister & her family was allowed to return home today.

My sister came down to my house with her kids for lunch (she didn't have any food to give them for lunch as before school they still weren't allowed to return home) so she bought them down to us & we all had lunch together!

Now my sister & I had talked about this box of chocolates a few times (after all our house/unit is tiny & the box is massive). And today we were reminded of the importance of our emergency services, particularly the fire fighters!

My sister lives down the road from their local volunteer firefighters station, so I decided to give the chocolates to her for her to give to any firefighters she came across (if they were still at the station as it was early evening). So that is what my sister did!

She dropped the chocolates in, after seeing that several cars were still at the station and gave them the chocolates & told them thank you for everything they had done to keep her house & all other houses safe in the massive blaze! The fire fighters were very thankful & my sister left in tears! She felt as blessed as I did to pass it on!

I was just grateful I still had my sister, & her family safe while men and women volunteers & career fire fighters put their lives on the line! Thank you to everyone who made a difference in that fire & all other fires here in Australia (& around the world)!

My sister & I now know how much of a blessing it is to pay it forward!

Luv Daena x

Facebook and the monday funny...

Hey everyone,
So what I have been doing, for those of you not on my facebook page, is that I try and improve the mood of my followers by sharing a funny photo or quote or video on a Monday. Monday is often a hard day to get back into the swing of the working week and we all need a laugh to help improve our moods! :)

Today's funny is a "doozie " and I thought that everyone here could benefit from a good giggle too!

So here is today's Monday funny:

I don't know about you, but I love Taylor Swift and her music... and this is something that makes me now giggle every time I hear this particular song! I don't think laughter is bad at all! enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this and it brings a smile to your face too! :)
Luv Daena x

p.s. The more times you watch it the funnier it is! :D I have watched it at least 6 times already and it hasn't gotten old yet! :)

5000 page views and beyond....

Hey Guys and Girls,

Thank you so much to everyone who has been following along with my journey this year and the last two. I know that this time two years ago I was excited when I had one or two page views appearing on the page... let alone an over whelming 5100+ so far. I know I promised you all a follow up, for those crazy statistic lovers like me, so here it is....

The darker the country that is represented, the higher number of page views! :) Thanks everyone!

United States - 1434 views
Russia - 1374 views
Australia - 1120 views 

United Kingdom -165 views

Germany - 96 views

Israel - 56 views

France - 46 views

Brazil - 39 views

Netherlands - 33 views

Thailand - 27 views

Welcome to Israel, it hasnt been long but I love your enthusiasm for my page! Thank you! :D

For everyone else! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I just want you to all know that I am so grateful for the continued support! :)

And for those of you who are interested the most popular post with a whole 67 Page views was "Alive and kicking! September kindnesses..."

Well I am off to go and do today's kindness and support some friends who are armature actors in a play, that another friend wrote! Sometimes doing kind deeds are so much fun... actually it is more than sometimes... its most of the time! :) 

I hope you are all doing really well!

Much love to you all, and thanks again

Luv Daena x

Good Intentions.... the end of January Kindnesses

Hey everyone,
trust me when I say that I had not forgotten about this blog. Why is it that we always have such good intentions to be organised (and regular about blogging) but that's not always what happens, sadly.

So life has been pretty busy and crazy since I last blogged. But I keep thinking about this stuff... and i do try to at least post everyday on the Facebook page! :) I plan things I want to write about but its the actual effort of getting my laptop out and sorting it all out and writing up everything! I don't know if its just me but I have these days when I just want to avoid the computer and live a simpler life. Its kind of funny I guess that I can be so anti-social when I'm such a social butterfly... but I keep coming back so I guess its all good! lol!

So here are the kindnesses for the rest of ....

January 2013 (continued)

January 13: I went and helped a friend out at the house he has just built by helping him paint a bunch of walls in his house. I also bought dinner for my mum because I was too tired to make anything for dinner.

January 14: I drove mum to the hospital to see where we had to wait for almost 3 hours. I waited with mum, trying to keep her company. We both donated some money to the “Hospital Volunteers” who had bought us tea and coffee. I also sat & listened to an elderly Chinese woman in the waiting room for two hours as she told me her story. I also came home and sanded down the front park bench in preparation for re-staining & varnishing. I also made some “Lotion Bars” to give my brother-in-law for his cracked hands. I made a delicious and healthy dinner.

This is the front bench partly sanded down!

 January 15: I managed to wake mum up in time for her medications and made her a hot lunch in the heat of the very hot day – because she really enjoys bacon & eggs. I offered to take someone to the train station so they could get home safely.

January 16: I helped a friend at Netball when I took care of his rings because he didn’t have enough time to put them away before they had to be on court. I also made mum a delicious pad Thai so we didn’t go out and buy food, thus saving money. Mum and I also called a friend whose neighbourhood we were in to see if she wanted a visitor or 2 but she wasn’t home.

January 17: today I promoted a friends play “The Standover Man” at the Perth Fringe Festival. I bought mum afternoon tea and made a healthy dinner. Whilst mum and I were shopping we had seen a woman in the store sobbing her eyes out, surrounded by supermarket staff, when we exited the store the same lady (Still in distress) was leaving from the same exit and her care wasn’t far from ours. I helped her out by helping her steer her trolley down the ramp and asked her about what had happened. Apparently her wallet, with a whole bunch of money, had been stolen in the supermarket and she was freaking out because she was a single mum with very little, making a fresh start in a new state. Mum and I spent time talking to her and reminding her that there was some small blessings like the thief had been caught on CCTV and that the supermarket had given her the trolley full of shopping for free – which is a credit to the supermarket. She left a little calmer. Mum ad I also stitched up some teddy bears for the Samaritans Purse Christmas Shoebox appeal (which will start collecting in October).

January 18: I met with one of my dads friends, after organising a time for her to come and see dad at his nursing home. She used to visit my dad as a volunteer from the Red Cross. And when she had graduated University and moved interstate she was sad to leave dad. But when she came home to visit her family recently she made the effort to come back to visit dad too. It was lovely for him to see her and vice versa. We organised a card from Dad to her too. I also invited a neighbour in for a coffee before I went and picked up a friend to take to a wedding because his partner was in the bridal party. I also acted as an MC (Master of Ceremonies) at the wedding reception & drove some friends home because they were drinking.

January 19: I did a lot of sleeping after the weekend. I also organised a friends gift for a baby shower, bought some stuff for the shoebox appeal & spent the evening sewing up teddy bears & giving them faces & sewing details on them. I also made mum quiches for dinner, and made her a pot of tea (which we don't do very often) to help cheer her up a bit. I also helped out a mum at the shops by showing her where the the highlighters were because I had heard her talking about her kids “Back to School List” and she was struggling to find them.

January 20: I helped mum write a note to a friend for a baby shower, I also too a tray of food around (particularly to my sister because it was food she was allowed to eat). I also put the first coat of stain and varnish on the front bench today (a job I never thought I would do). I made some “Vick’sVapour Rub Shower Disks” for the family to use if they need to. I also sewed up the next 3 teddy bears and gave them faces ready for the shoebox appeal.

January 21: I did the final two coats of stain and varnish on the park bench. It looks really good – very inviting. It also makes a nice place where mum & I can sit down on a cool evenings & enjoy a cuppa or a cold drink. I also helped make her bed because she had to clear off all the paperwork before I could help her change the sheets into new ones she got for Christmas.

January 22: I acted as a chauffeur and waited with mum while the RAC man came to replace our car battery. I also helped a lady get a lady a shopping trolley & chatted to strangers I was in line with, to pass the time. I also helped out at Poker by sorting cards, stacking chairs & putting a table cover on. I also chatted to a stranger at Poker and made a new friend.

January 23: I posted to my blog and recognised people who had made a difference to me. I played a full game of netball! We lost but I learned a lot! We were down a couple of players so I stepped up and did my best. I also made mum Prawn Pad Thai after netball.

January 24: I bought my favourite Soy Chai Latte (& some chicken bites) and shared them with a friend. I also finished 3 more shoe box teddy bears. I spent the evening with my nephew watching our favourite shows – Starwars and Grand Designs! 

January 25: I finished 3 more teddy bears. I also watch Starwars (2 movie marathon) with my nephew that I have been promising him for 6 months. My nephew and I also walked down to my dads nursing home (so he could visit his grand-dad) & we could deliver much needed supplies. I also put the dishes away for my sister after dinner at IKEA!

January 26: I completed 3 more bears and watched “The Princess Diaries” with my niece because she was sleeping over. I also made her her choice of bacon on toast for breakfast. I also got a friend a drink and offered to drive another friend home, but he ended up staying the night.

January 27: I prepared salad, sausages and rolls to be used for a picnic lunch. I also provided a friend with shoes so she could go to a pub with us and not have to go home first.

January 28: today I made tea and coffee for my neighbours as a thank you for work they had done in our garden. I also made coffee for a visiting friend. I also made the effort to drive to the other side of town to see some friends I don't see very often.

January 29: today I wasn’t well but got up and went with mum to go to the Drs. I also made a cuppa for my mum. I helped pack up at Poker & talked to & included new people into “the regular” players. I stacked chairs, sorted & packed up the deck of cards & packed up the table and covered it. I also cheered on the final players.

January 30: I was in a lot of pain today die to some long standing health issues but I did couple of loads of washing and even managed to make dinner for my mum, after spending most of the day in the foetal position.

January 31: I finished off making a digital calendar for my sister & sending it to the company (Creative Memories) for printing. I added important dates and edited/sent it off whilst adding all voucher information and such to the order.

I hope you like this... I will be getting up to date very soon... again! lol! I'm sorry if you have been keeping an eye on the blog and been disappointed I've not been posting regularly! As long as you keep YOUR kindnesses up then I will be very happy! :) 

Thank you so very much for keeping checking out this blog and supporting me! :P

Lots of love....

from Daena xxxx

p.s. to those of you who have been keeping my mum in your thoughts and prayers because of her eyes, things are getting better. She is on her way to being healed... thank you all for your love and support! It has really made a big difference to me & mum! :D

keeping up the kindnesses...

Hey everyone,
I realised that I didn't post anything last week so I thought I had better keep you all in the loop!

Okay so for the last two weeks or so (give or take a few days) my mum has been out of action because of her Iritis. I know that one of the funny stories I posted last time was about this, so I wont explain it all again. Needless to say mum has practically be been blind for a while now, so my responsibilities have gone through the roof... not that I mind, I mean I am a full time carer and a kindness ambassador to boot, its just that my time has been a little more taken up with the practical day to day activities that mum cant do herself! :)

I have also had several special events this last week too. Including a hens day, a wedding where i was the Master of Ceremonies(MC), a baby shower for my childhood best friend, a few birthday parties, a farewell party for a friend moving interstate and that's the things I can think of off the top of my head and doesn't include the regular day to day & weekly activities!

This week I also started a kindness project for my mum too. Recently one of our neighbors did some work in our front garden and cleaned it all up, making it look all pretty and cleaned up the mess of my gardening (im not a very tidy gardener! lol). What really stood out after their wonderful job was our front bench in the porch! Everything else was all clean & pretty looking except the decrepid paint-peeling front bench. Mum and I discussed throwing it out and getting a new one... but after careful consideration I decided it would be more environmentally friendly and cheaper if I just restored the old park bench to its former glory. This has meant I have spent lots of time sanding back the old slats and scrubbing back the ends, then staining and varnishing the slats so that the whole things looks like brand new! and brand new it looks too! :) I am pretty impressed with the job! It was something that mum couldn't do for herself, it gave me a project so I didnt go stir crazy (as mum hasn't left the house much because of her eyes) and also meant that we have a shiny new park bench in our porch! Kindness completed! :) 

This is me doing the second coat of the stain! looks pretty good here! looks even better now! :D

This week has also had me witnessing a few kind deeds... (I love this as it makes me feel like the little things that I am doing is having a knock on effect).

Yesterday our car refused to start so one of our neighbours helped us out by giving us a jump start! Thank you! :) this meant we made it to an important doctors appointment on time & i am really grateful for that!

Also I was very proud of my mum, because yesterday we went to a little cafe we love for afternoon tea and where we were sitting meant I had my back to a couple of ladies who were chatting. I was happily munching on the delicious cake we had ordered, but mum was paying attention. Later as we went to pay mum told the waitress she wanted to pay for the two ladies to have their afternoon tea, as apparently they were concerned about spending too much on afternoon tea and not having enough money for something else. The waitress was thrilled, and told us she would tell them right away. Mum was awesome because she asked the waitress to wait until we had left the store so that they didn't really know who had done it, but that a kind act had been done for them! So proud of my mum!

The last of the kindnesses I witnessed yesterday was by the owner of the little green grocer near our house. Mum and I usually go to the large supermarkets but noticed the special on fruit & veg was much better than in store so we bought all our fruit & veg at the local green grocer. The owner of the store was the one serving us and after we spent quite a bit of money she gave us eggs for free "as a gift" she said. I love the fact that she was so generous! I will be going back to that store not just because of her generosity but because of the good value of their produce, and their excellent customer service! I love that I can also support a local food producer because in recent months I have seen several disappear under mounting costs put upon them by rents and by being unable to compete with the big stores!

Well I think that's probably all from me at the moment! I will be posting the next kindnesses as soon as I have enough time to go through my gratitude diary and type them all out! :D

I hope this finds you well!
Luv Daena x

The first 12 days of January Kindnesses! its a miracle!

Hey everyone, 

for those who have been following me for the last two years, this may be a huge shock to you! But here is the kindnesses for:

JANUARY 2013 (so far...)

January 1: I did a bit of work in the communal garden and did several loads of washing for mum because she wasn't well. I also made all meals today so I didn't have to leave her unattended.

January 2: Today I drove an hour and a half round trip to return a car I borrowed. I also spent 20 minutes on the phone with a friend in distress. I just listened to her as she talked, ranted and sobbed. I made a difference just by being a friend and listening.

January 3: I met up with a few friends I haven't seen in such a long time. I helped out a friend by lending her some sewing patterns. I made a coffee for a visiting friend. I also paid for another friends dinner and drinks because he had bought our tickets to see the movie THE HOBBIT in Gold Class. I also made sure mum had a back-up plan whilst I was out, because she hadn't been very well. I also gave out the second of the TOP SECRET mission books today - this person has asked to remain anonymous!

My favorite quote from the Hobbit movie! :)

the copy of the three books... the first of which i gave away today! :) Exciting!

January 4: I made a special trip to see a friend who had had a car accident yesterday, because they just needed a hug! I also helped mum by carrying her shopping out to the car for her because it was too awkward and heavy for her to do!

January 5: I checked in with my friend who had had they car accident. I also made a coffee for a visiting friend & got up early to clean the house so mum wasn't distressed about visitors in her untidy house. I also made a stand for one of my friendships – I asked hard questions of both of us and was able to move on, friendship intact.

January 6: Today I reminded a friend to take her medications, as we had been talking so long, she had forgotten. I also made the effort to go to some friends farewell, but I was late and managed to miss them.

January 7: I made the effort to visit a friend on her lunch break and I paid for her lunch. I also helped mum out when after shopping for stationary (for the Operation Christmas Child – shoebox appeal – mums getting the stationary now while its cheap), she had to get them to the car and drop them off at one of the co-ordinators houses. Also helped mum finish off some teddy bears she has been making for the shoe boxes too! Mum knitted them but I sewed them up, added the stuffing and added their faces! (some of them look a little ugly – but someone will love them!)

January 8: Today it was too hot to go anywhere so I made an effort to connect to my online community and did my best to support another person doing RAK's everyday of the year (sound familiar?) and I did that by sending them a note of support on their page. You can check this group out here!

I also helped mum – So this past week mum has been blind! I say blind because she has an eye condition called Iritis that mean that occasionally her irises become inflamed! To prevent permanent eye damage she has to dilate her eyes and that means her eyes can't regulate light & sight! So she has to have her eyes covered & be in the dark all the time! This in turn leads her to go stir crazy! I don't blame her, I don't know how I'd cope in the same situation!
Anyway, this time I had a plan though! I have recently gotten some of Matthew Reilly's books on CD which I transferred to my iPhone for mum to listen to so she would have something to do instead of laying in the dark bored out of her mind! So I set the play list up for mum with the book in chronological order (as most books are) and left her be!
I have to state here that my darling mum is not very technologically minded... But after twenty minutes I came back to check on her! She told me she was struggling to get into the book because it seemed to be jumping all over the place! Now for those of you who have read "The Contest" you would appreciate that this is pretty accurate of the story line. So I asked her which part she was up to! When she told me I was a bit surprised but decided to check my iPhone... What I didn't realise when I was putting the play list on for mum is that it was still on Shuffle from when I had used the music on it and she had been listening to bits from all chapters & clips from the book! I couldn't believe I had been so silly, apologised for my stupidity & took the play list off shuffle & she listened to the book for another four hours!
But wait... There's more!
So I had to use my phone and didn't want to inconvenience mums story time so I transferred the book to an old iPod I had laying around and then started the book up again and went & used my phone! I came back about 15minutes later to check on her & she said it seemed to be jumping around again! So this time I went to the iPod immediately! And I had done it again! My iPod was still on shuffle & was giving mum parts of the story she wasn't up to yet! My poor mother! Lol! She was pretty much having an unintentional read-your-own-adventure book read to her! I couldn't believe I had managed to do it to mum twice! I feel like an idiot but sometimes the best intentions don't always go as we plan! At least now I know to check the shuffle playlist option next time! Lol! Oh and mum loved the book, even with all the interesting side lines to it! Lol! Kindness still achieved but this one came with a good chuckle too! :)

January 9: Today I went and visited a friend! When I arrived she was part way through doing the washing up – so I grabbed a tea towel and dried up for her. She was grateful and kept telling me that I didn't have to do it! But I did! I also bought some of mums favourite food to use in dinner because she needed a pick me up with being blind for so long.

January 10: I handed out the 2^nd 365days-of-kindness book to Vandra after she had done a kindness and reported it to me. “I didn't do it to get a book. But thank you” she said!

I also helped my niece and nephew earn their pocket money by giving them jobs to do around our house. I helped my nephew with the weeding and my niece with the sweeping out the back. My nephew dried up the dishes and my niece (who is only four) put out a load of washing – with a little help! To get his daily quota of jobs he also swept the floor in the kitchen, and set the table for dinner.

I also let my nephew play one of his games on my Wii after MONTHS of begging because his Wii had broken.

January 11: today I took mum down to the hospital and waited with her to be seen. I also thanked the doctors that participated in her care. With mums Acute Bilateral Iritis, what usually occurs is that it flares up occasionally and can usually be resolved in about 24 hours. But there have been added complications this time and it hasn't gone away like usual. We are back at the hospital this coming week for more tests! (So please keep us in your thoughts!)

January 12: Well you might think its still around lunchtime how is it that you have already completed your kindness for the day? Well today I actually helped a friend by editing a CV a friend was writing because she just needed a second opinion and some fresh eyes! :) Now this might not be my only kindness today, but its still one! :)

Oh my goodness! Oh My goodness! Can you believe it? I am actually up to date with my kindnesses! Its a miracle!!!! :) hehehe! I hope you enjoy this! :) I am trying to keep up to date with these from now on... life is crazy and unpredictable so don't hold it against me if I fall behind! :) 

I hope you enjoy! 

Luv Daena xxx

November Kindnesses...

Hey guys,
I wrote this blog post that I meant to post before Christmas but I was away from my computer for longer than I thought! So
here is the blog as I wrote it then and here are the kindnesses for...

NOVEMBER 2012

November 1: Iencouraged a friend who was struggling (online). I also made a cup oftea for both mum and a visiting friend. I also learned some newskills and made Australian Damper (in the oven, not over an openflame sadly), and Potato, egg and spinach salad. Very yummy andstuff I had never made before. I also bought a “Hello GreenTomorrow” cup from the Avon Cosmetics Company which arrived today, which means reducingthe disposable coffee cups that make it to landfill. PHOTO (still coming)

November 2:Today I went to a different post office to find “thank you water”and they didnt have any and I was devastated. I helped my sister handfeed and look after a very sick and egg bound chicken (who might notmake the night). I also managed to keep the peace between my nieceand nephew for an hour or two by letting my niece play computer gameson my laptop – which I was working on and had to find other thingsto do until she had had enough.

November 3: I lent some clothes to a friend for a dress-up party & acted as a skipper so my friends could drink and I could drive them safely to and from the party. 

me dressed as a student from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter world! :)

November 4:Ihelped a friend bring in her washing during a rainstorm and I gotabsolutely soaked but the clothes were dry (go figure). I also helped out with my sick niece when she was throwing up because bothher parents are sympathetic vomiters.

November 5: Ichatted with my neightbours, did some more gardening and planned todrop off an old bedside table to a friend who needs one (but outscheduled plans were postponed). I also made mum several cups of teaand hot water and spent time planning and promoting blogs for others.

November 6:Whilst shopping I helped a lady (who was amazingly shorter than me)get a product off the top shelf. Also, whist waiting in line noticedcheap fruit mince pies on display out the front and whilst the checkout-chick was processing payments for someone before me, I grabbed some of the pies to add to my trolley. The guy behind me inthe queue remarked about how good they looked so I went and grabbed some from him too.

November 7:Finally gave the bedside table to my friend who was without. I made conversation with our waitress at lunch and said thank you and complimented our delicious meal. 

November 8:today mum and I went through some box and sorted stuff to go to different people and different charities.

our car boot filled with goodies

November 9: I looked after myself by having a day in bed because I was sick and needed the sleep. I still supported a friend online who needed some encouragement. I also paid for a takeaway dinner for mum and I because I no energy to cook.

November 10:Today was another day in bed. I did push through the exhaustion and made lunch & dinner for mum and I even though I wasnt well at all. I also promoted Telethon on my Facebook Page! I rested today in preparation for my volunteering tomorrow.

November 11: I volunteered for Telethon in the phone rooms for 4 hours and helped collect some of the $16,800,000 that was raised this weekend. I also spoke kindly to actors who seemed frazzled and asked politely and gave stars the room to refuse a photograph. I also acted as skipper,so my friend didnt have to drive. 

Me(Left) with Tanya - the girl who got me into this! :)

November 12: I bought my neighbours rubbish bins in. I also made the effort to doseveral loads of washing for mum. I had thought I was completely healed by my body still needed a few hours sleep during the day to recouperate from “overdoing it”. PHOTO

November 13: I paid for mums lunch. I helped put chairs away for the craft ladies(which has sort of become a tradition now). I also helped sort, pack& stack chairs, playing card at the poker tournament.

November 14: I did lots. I helped the older ladies at church do the washing up and I stacked some chairs. I also invited a neighbour in for a coffee after she had had a rough couple of days. I also went to netball (eventhough I couldn't play because i'm still not 100%) and I did the scoring for the first 2 and a half quarters then a player hurt theirankle, so I sat with her, so it was elevated and I kept Ice on ituntil we had finished the game. I also let the injured friend use myphone so she could call her husband to let him know and prepare forher when she got home. Mum and I also bought a 2012 bear from K-martto go under the wishing tree (which is situated inside the store).PHOTO

November 15: I helped an elderly lady who was struggling to push her trolley up aramp – she was very grateful. I also drove part of the way to our holiday in Busselton/Margaret River so Tanya (Who had been awake from very early that morning) could rest and not need to concentrate as much. 

Tanya, Taylor and I on our weekend road trip! :)

November 16: Taylor and I made a delicious cooked breakfast for us all to enjoy. I bought water for my friends on our road trip and I also acted as skipper so my friends could drink on our tour of wineries and breweries.

November 17: I waited alone outside a brewery to secure a good table for us to havelunch at. I also told a guy where there were showers to cool off his feet after he burnt them running on hot tarmac. He was amused but grateful.

November 18: I washed the windows of the car on our return to Perth. I also gave 4 free tickets, to an estranged neighbour, because it was to an event being held in a location close to her daughters house. I also gave my mum lots of cuddles after not seeing her for 4 days.

November 19: today I helped out the Mothers Union group mum is apart of by helping some of the old ladies make no-cook Christmas recipes. I also drove across town to help a friend in desperate need – she had been told she had to leave her accommodation immediately. I picked her up,helped her pack up her stuff and took her and all her stuff to a safe place until shegets back on her feet and finds safe accommodation in the future.

November 20: I ran some errands for mum, helped clean & sort out my dads wardrobe (in his nursing home). I put away some of the heavy chairs,helped a friend prepare dinner for us and acted as “celebrity dealer” at a table poker tournament.

November 21:Mum, a stranger and I all helped a little girl who has lost hermother in IKEA. The three of us adults worked together to find staffand to talk to any mum along the way. We eventually found the littlegirls mum at the same time as we found a staff member. The girl andher mother were incredibly relieved to be reunited!

November 22: I wished an American I met in a specialty food store “HappyThanksgiving”. I also bought lunch for mum and made healthy dinnerfor us both. I also gave one of my neighbours some of my home growntomatoes and invited a different neighbour to share a coffee with us.I also supported a friend, when someone had been mean to her.

November 23: Imade a special trip to dads (Whilst I was sick) to drop off some newunderwear, mouth wash and de-odoriser (for his room). I also gave thenext two vine ripened tomatoes to a different neighbour to yesterday.I also sent a supportive message to a friend who had been struggling.

November 24: Igot up at 5.50am to take our washing off the line because it lookedlike the storm would hit at any minute. Mum and I drove a long way to see my nieces first ballet recital. I also swept the floor at my sisters house and bought the washing in off the back line before the storm stuck at my sisters house. I acted as the designated driver for two of my friends so they could drink safely and I bought a drink for a friend who was also acting as a designated driver.

November 25:Today I felt like a zombie but still managed to help my sister prepare for a party at her house by doing some tidying up, some sweeping and some organising.

November 26: I made the effort to thank a cleaning lady at our food hall who hadstealthily managed to take my dirty dishes from our table without menoticing. I also made the effort to return a trolley to the trolleyreturn because there were none near our car, with the closest onebeing a fair distance away. I also saved fuel and the environment by“running” to the large shopping centre so I didn’t have to drive or catch a cab or the bus.

November 27: I acted as a chauffeur for my mum and drove her to a doctorsappointment in the city. I went running in Kingspark and helped alost tourist find the DNA tower. I also bought 3 bottles of THANK YOUWATER and helped pack up after poker. I packed up and sorted cards,chairs, and tables. We had a new fill in Poker Organiser runningtonight’s event and she was really surprised and very grateful thatme (and a couple of others) made the effort to help her out. She told me that apparently at other venues people just sit back and watch as she packs up alone.

November 28: I had an allergic reaction over night so wasn't very well but I managed to make mum a cup of tea. I also managed to be a listening ear for a friend who is struggling with a relationship issue. I didn't do as much as usual but I hope it still made a difference.

November 29: I woke mum up this morning with a cup of tea in bed. I also took mumout to lunch and a movie (SKYFALL – 007). I also made small talkwith out waitress and was very thankful for her service. Mum and I also chatted to some other James Bond fans after the movie. 

Mum with the movie poster on our way into see the movie! So exciting! :D

November 30: Ibought “dinner” for mum and I and talked to and supported a friend whose relationship had come to the end. They needed a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.

I hope you enjoyed this quick post. 

I will be away from the laptop for a few days. I am focusing on my family and friends. I hope you all have a wonderful christmas day and I shall see you all back here after christmas! 

Much love, thanks and kindness to you all! 

Luv Daena 

Sorry you had to wait so long... December Kindnesses

Hey everyone,  
sorry I haven't posted in a few days, I think my brain has been in holiday mode! For those who have been checking the blog to see the last of 2012s kindnesses, they are finally here!

My mum (who I am carer for) has been a sick and my job is to look after her, so that has been & is my priority this week! But I am still doing kindnesses which goes to show just how easy it is to do a kind deed a day! :) if anyone has any ideas of kind acts I might be able to perform in this new year, please post them in the comments section of the blog! I would love to hear from you all! :) thank you all for your love, support, encouragement & understanding! You all rock! :) 

So here is the kindnesses for: 

December 2012

December 1:

started typing the last three months worth of kindnesses ready to blog. I also did some gardening in the communal garden. I put up the Christmas tree for mum, in the hop to bring “holiday cheer” to our home. Also did 3 loads of washing and all the vacuuming without being asked

December 2: I helped a lady at a popular craft store to return a broken window blind. I helped an elderly man who had been waiting for the toilet key, by giving it to him after a lady had walked off with it in her shopping trolley. I also made cups of tea for mum after she received some news that an elderly friend Had been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. Mum was very upset (naturally) so I did my best to comfort her.

December 3: I bought my neighbours rubbish bin in, helped mum change her sheets and wrote a blog post on gratitude. I did my best to act as a listening ear for a friend & a blunt perspective (My friend asked me for it! I didn't just give it). I also learned a new skill – making butter chicken! Yummy! :)

December 4: After I parked my car, I collected a shopping trolley that was beside my car space. Then I put two more in the trolley return too, making sure no-ones car got damaged. I put away some cards at Poker, and packed up some chairs too to help out the Poker league co-ordinator.

December 5: Today I had dinner at a friends house and did the washing up for her. I also did the scoring during most of the netball game. I made a special trip to the shops to buy my sister a crochet hook for her to use at the school so she could help with a school project!

December 6: I woke mum up with a cup of tea. I also invited a neighbour in for a coffee. I also helped a lady at the shops by getting her a trolley, because she had her arms filled with stuff. I even helped the same lady again by getting her a plastic bag – we both laughed when we realised we were the same people as earlier. I had thought I was helping another person but she was grateful for my double kindness.

December 7: I made drinks for mum and I, and also decorated dads bedroom all Christmassy so he didn't miss out on the festivity. Mum and I also passed our condolences on to staff at dads nursing home because 2 long term patients had passed away within a day of each other.

December 8: I went to a 3^rd birthday party where I helped out in the kitchen by taking food to the tables and drying up the dishes after they'd been washed and I even poured some drinks. I also made small talk with a couple of strangers at the shops, everyone is so chatty around Christmas. I also made a delicious Daena Friendly Chinese Meal for mum and I to share. I am learning new skills! It was also delicious!

December 9: I dried up after having dinner at a friends house. Also I said thank you to my Facebook and blog fans by posting a THANK YOU and celebrating the blog reaching 4000 page views, & 80 Facebook fans!

December 10: I put someone's trolley away in the car park. I also performed “Fish First Aid” on my nephews fish, after it had managed to jump out of its fish tank and under a cupboard. It took about 10minutes to find the missing fish, and get him out from under the cupboard. When we finally got him out he was still breathing, so I put the fish back in the water again, cleaned off the cobwebs it had acquired under the cupboard. I lay held the fish under the water filter for a little while and then lay him on the bottom of the tank and then about an hour later the poor (almost dead fish) started swimming around again, like nothing had happened! It was a weird story but a pretty awesome Christmas MIRACLE!

December 11: Today I went to my nieces first nativity play & took photos for my sister.

I also helped out a lady at the local shops. We were both in line for Layby's and she was picking them all up before her kids got home from school and after we chatted for a while (The layby staff were very busy & they took a little while to track down all the laybys). When they did bring them out, there was a mountain of them, so having seen an empty trolley near by earlier, I went and got it for her so she could actually push all her Laybys and not have to try and carry them. I also collected a man's meal for him at poker, because it was ready and he was in the middle of a hand.

December 12: I was unwell but went to the shops to pick up some food and Layby's of my own for Christmas and as I was in the queue the woman in front of me, who was obviously pregnant, but seemed to be struggling with reaching the back of her trolley so I offered to help her but she refused. I then realised that the pregnant woman was a girl I used to go to high school with about 9 years ago. I haven't seen her since then and so we had a very brief chat but she looked happy. And that made me happy as well! I also gave mum one of her Christmas gifts early, because she really needed her new diary to start planning events in the new year!

December 13: I invited a neighbour in for coffee, helped mum sort and wrap her Christmas gifts for the family (but she wouldn't let me wrap mine... lol). I learned how to make Tabouleh – with good from our garden! I acted as a listening ear for a friend when she visited and gave her her Christmas gifts early to help cheer her up! I stood watch over the family belongings at the kids Christmas concert and did some OCD organising at my sisters house. I also listened intently as my nephews friend told me a story about his life!

December 14: today I helped my sister by carrying the heavy gift basket, up the hill to the classes, so the gift baskets could be presented to the teachers. I also helped out the mum of a pair of twins by holding one up so he could see Santa, like his brother (whom his mum was holding). I also picked up my brother-in-law from his Christmas party and let him crash on our couch, so he could sleep off the wine before he headed home to my sister & their kids in the morning!

December 15: I wrote a Facebook post about the need for Kindness in our world today, more than any other day. I also helped a friend clean her house. I also helped mum get more prepared for Christmas by wrapping a heap of presents for her.

December 16: Today I contacted an old friend I had lost contact with them and spent chunks of the day catching up via digital media. I did the washing up, a job neither mum or I relish, and I did it without hints or begging from mum!

December 17: I made a coffee for a visiting friend and invited a neighbour in for one too. I also made the effort to go and see a friend during her lunch break so we could catch up! We had a good time too!

December 18: I acted as a chauffeur, driving mum from doctor appointments, craft and hair dressing appointments. I also made some of the craft ladies cups of tea, and gave them small gifts as a thank you for all that they had done this year for mum and I. I also checked a friend in to poker, because he was running late and might have missed out. I also helped pack up some cards at Poker.

December 19: I gave an elderly single lady a huge hug because she doesn't get much physical contact. I also made the effort to drive to the other side of the city to see a friend who was leaving for Europe today and would be gone for two months. I also took my mum and family friend out to lunch ~ I had won another $25 bar voucher. I also offered a couple my shopping trolley after I had finished with it, I was returning it and they were entering the store. I also wished a stranger whom I had made small talk with a Merry Christmas, and she was enthusiastic in wishing me one too!

December 20: I made funny faces at a baby to keep it occupied whilst its parents were trying to finish their dinner. I also found a shopping bag in a trolley, so took it down to the centre management/concierge desk. On my way back I made two kids very happy by paying $2 for them to have a go on the rotating train ride in the shopping centre. I left as soon as it started up.

December 21: I got up early to help mum get errands done before the shops got too busy. I also drove to our chiropractors office to drop a gift off for her.

December 22: I did my blog post with 2 of the 3 kindnesses posted from the TOP SECRET mission. I also made the effort to see family friends and exchange gifts with them before Christmas. I also helped perk a friend up who just needed some support.

December 23: Mum and I took Dad out of his nursing home and took him to church, and then out to lunch with our “extended family”. I helped get dad in and out of the car, so mum didn't have to . Mum and I also gave little home made thank you/Christmas gifts to the staff at dads nursing home & to our neighbours. I also bought mum dinner!

December 24: I drove all the way down to Bremer Bay, so mum didn't have to do any of the driving. I also watered my sisters pots, fed my nephews fish, & fed and watered the chickens before we left for down south. I did some cleaning for a family friend. I also cooked prawns on the BBQ for the whole family.

December 25 CHRISTMAS DAY: I had offered to be the person to get up with the kids, at the crack of dawn (so the other adults could sleep in) but the Adults were up before the kids. I also made breakfast for the whole family.

December 26: I helped mum by pulling her up a hill (very steep). I also helped out with dinner for the 6 of us because I BBQ'd the meat and some Veggies. I also helped my brother-in-law out by reading a bed time story to my nephew, so my B.I.L didn't have too!

December 27: I cleaned up and vacuumed the whole house we were staying at before the owner returned home, so he would have a nice surprise when he did get home. I also acted as Skipper for my BIL who had been drinking with the owner of the holiday house.

December 28: I supported a friend by watching her do her 14,000m skydive. I also packed up the car in preparation for our return to home, because mum couldn't do any heavy lifting.

I drove the full 6 hours trip back to Perth. I fed my nephews 2 fish, made sure the chickens had plenty of water (it was a sweltering 42*C today), and I gave them some weeds to fuss over. I watered the gardens! I bought mum dinner. I also spent some time chatting to a lady who was working at one of the visitors centre in a small country town (on our return home), because she was manning it on her own.

December 29: Today I bought lunch for a friend on the way to her house. And then bought dinner for mum and I whilst we were camping at my sisters house. We again, fed the chickens, watered down their enclosure, watered them, fed the fish, watered the garden.

December 30: I cleaned out the water & fed my sisters chickens by making up some of their special food! I also fed the fish, did a load of washing for them, watered the garden and bought their mail in. I also made mum a much needed cup of tea!

December 31: I did the food shopping on my own, so mum could rest. I also made the effort to put my shopping trolley away, even though it wasn't an easy thing to do. I also drove out of my way to take my friends home after a New Years Eve party when it was unlikely they were going to get a taxi home.

I hope you enjoy these! I cant believe that I am almost up to date with the blog! Only 6 days out currently! Which is a crazy aweosme improvement on last years blogging! :) 

Thank you again to everyone who helped make 2012 such a raging success! :) There were more than 366 kindnesses done last year, by me alone. So if you all started doing just one a week... just think of the difference we could make in this world of ours!

Much love and kindness to you all, 
Love Daena x