Hey Everyone,
How many of you logged on to the blog today, just to see if i managed to keep the ball rolling and post the July Kindnesses? (I did... but i dont think i count! :)
So there are lots of photos in this one... because i was a very busy beaver and did a whole range of stuff... from looking after sick doggies, to helping at quiz nights, to planning weddings, to baking cakes for everything, and singing.
So I hope you enjoy this fun filled installment of the 2012 kindnesses.
Here is
JULY 2012
July 1: Took Amber to the vet and spent
the day and night looking after her.
 |
| Amber spent the majority of her time from when we started looking after her, on her dog bed. She was unsteady getting up and going to the toilet, so had to be taken out on a lead for the first little while that we stayed with her. |
 |
| This is the rest of the "pet family" of Amber's, Her sister Ebony and her cat Spyder. I was hand feeding Amber when the other pets wanted to join in and spend time with me and Amber. They are such beautiful animals. (This is also me in my sexy Penguin Pajamas... thats right! I love penguins so much... they are even on SEVERAL pairs of my pajamas!). |
|
July 2: Spent more time looking after
Amber. Took Amber to the vet and she was admitted for an x-ray and
ultrasound.
July 3: I prepared a whole lot of stuff
ready for a wedding soon. I even started to decorate some glass wear.
July 4: Prepared fruit for making a
wedding cake and Visited Amber in hospital (she lost a lot of weight
but was happy to see us).
July 5: Clearned up the house of the
friend whilst they were away.
July 6: Mum and I baked 80 cupcakes
ready to help out at a quiz night. I also helped set up the hall for
the fundraising quiz night!
July 7: Did a lot of work for the Quiz
night. Including taking/iciing cupcakes, helping set up and singing
in the guest band. Amber returned home from the hospital and we took
up 4 hourly feeding rosters.
 |
| This is me singing in the band for the Salvation Army quiz night (hence the shield in the back ground). It looks like i'm eating the microphone... mmmm... yummy! ;) |
July 8: Sent a thank you message to two
friends who had bought me a birthday gift and helped friends get
ready for their wedding. Got up early to do the early morning feeds
for Amber (7am).
 |
| Amber was getting up and moving around by this point. She had very little energy but she and her cat Spyder came and vied for attention when i was sitting on the lounge chair... a sure sign of improvement. |
July 9: Continued to look after a very
sick dog. Feeding and getting her up to go to the toilet every four
hours.
July 10: bought a cake for one of the
craft ladies birthdays.
July 11: Did some full on wedding
preparation, with another girl Em (she and i had been conscripted to do the afternoon tea for the wedding together). Bought more lollies, did placement plans for the
afternoon tea and did a lot more glass decorating at my house. Then returned to the house we were house-sitting, and Amber's
medications had to change so we had to start getting up earlier (6am) to
give her medication before her food at 7am.
July 12: I did some washing, cleaning,
vacuuming and pet care at a friends house.
July 13: Got the last of the lollies to
pack into glass ware, waited for someone to drop off the key for the
venue and also did a huge amount of packing and also finished
creating trees out of dead branches. Did the final touches to the
wedding cake.
 |
| Why is it after you promise lots of photos that you realize the background is terribly messy. Oh well... The wedding had three sets of colours: Orange and Blue, Red and Yellow, & Green and Purple.This is just one of the tests we had for the colours. |
July 14 (THE WEDDING): Returned to my
house for 9am to pack the last of the glassware, lollies and cutlery
into boxes, 10am people came to fill their cars with boxes and take
to the venue(Em took the key and opened up the venue and started setting up whilst i was still packing peoples cars). Then I left my house to get to the Venue at 11am.
Decorated the hall completely with many helpers (thanks guys... you
rocked). Went to the wedding at 1pm. (Whilst we hosted the afternoon
tea – mum took the awesome cake to the reception venue with some
help). Had the afternoon tea from 2pm-3.30pm. Then had to pack it all
up again. Finished packing at around 5pm. Had a celebratory/exhausted
pre-dinner snack at 5.15pm. Had the reception at 6pm. Party over by
11pm and I was in bed after taking Amber for a midnight toilet break.
 |
| This is the Orange and Blue colour scheme. I probably should have explained before that this was a candy store themed wedding with all the candy/glassware/bowls/cutlery etc in the colour of the tables. This made sorting M&Ms, Skittles and other multicoloured sweets a rather tedious task... but the affect was STUNNING! |
 |
| The Green & Purple colour scheme was amazing because it had two shelving units laid on their sides to add extra height and give a different look to the other two sets of tables. This was also the central table, so to make it different we just used one set of ballons in the middle instead of two sets at either end like on the other two table sets. |
 |
| The Red and Yellow colour scheme. I have to appologise for the quality of the photographs, but at this point i was in a bit of a frenzy, trying to make sure it all looked good before heading over to the church for the wedding ceremony. |
 |
| These were the twig trees that i made to hang the bonbierre bags on, so people could get an empty bag off the tree and then fill it will lollies from the table thus making their own take-home-wedding-gift. Brillian Idea. The bride was a genious when she thought of this (alas, i cant take the credit for the idea... only the final product). |
|
 |
| This is the view of all of the tables down the middle of the hall. The orange and green was the first thing you saw as you walked into the room. It looked amazing. As you walked in, you wanted to keep walking and see what there was to offer. This also helped move people though the hall so there wasnt a bottle neck of people as they all came in. |
 |
| This is a wider view of the previous photo and you can see the "trees" against the wall to the right of the photo. It looked amazing. I was so glad it turned out so well. We had lots of compliments. And the bride and groom loved it especially... which was a huge relief after all the work we had put in to it. | |
|
 |
| This is the wedding cake that mum and i made for this wedding! It was just gorgeous. The only thing is, the beautifully hand made figurines on top of the cake went missing that night. So if anyone has seen these beautiful little hand made figures can you please contact me and let me know where they are. The bride and groom are quite determined to get them back, because they were made for them by a friend. |
July 15: Looked after myself by having
a “rest” day – but still kept doing the pet care regime.
July 16: Did the early shift of pet
care so mum could get some much needed rest. Sent messages of love to
a family who had just lost their loved one at dads nursing home.
July 17: Cleaned the house and make the
house look awesome and cleaner that before we picked up the house
owners from the airport. We did the best to make it look really clean
and welcoming because they were going to have their own hands full
looking after a very sick dog when they got home.
July 18: Helped a friend build an
Architectural model and helped cheer up a sad friend.
 |
| This was the model we had to build. Sadly i cant remember what it is, or who its by, but i know its famous!? Im sure that is no help at all. If i find out what it is... I will update this. |
July 19: walked a friend to her car in
a dodgy neighbourhood late at night. Provided some friends with
endless amounts of amusement because I got a fit of the giggles that
last about half an hour.
July 20: I visited a sick friend and
spent some time baking with my niece and nephew.
July 21: Organised some “feel good
movies” for mum as she wasn’t very well.
July 22: Invited one of our neighbours
in for a coffee and a chat.
July 23: Made a CD of my favourite
songs and gave it to a friend.
July 24: did the washing up at craft
and make cups of tea for mum and offered to do the same for the other
craft ladies.
July 25: Helped a friend out by holding
Blankets so she could photograph them before she sent them off to a
charity,
July 26: Volunteered to help at a
Community Day at my dads nursing home and attended an organizing
committee meeting for it.
July 27: Baked over 120 cupcakes in
preparation for an engagement party – Iced them late in the evening
and also made and decorated a BIG cake too.
July 28: Took Big cake and cupcakes to
the engagement party and made it all look very pretty! :)
 |
| These were the 120 cupcakes (the worse looking ones got kept as "just in case" cupcakes. there were two flavours chocolate and vanilla and the middle cake was a nice boiled chocolate mud cake (a receipe I LOVE). |
 |
| I loved this cake. Not only is it heart shaped by it has crazy wiggles on it too... something else I love to do! :) The bows and icing hearts of sticks were great too... trying to match the colour exactly was a little tough... but the whole effect was spectacular! :) |
July 29: Spent all day at my sisters
house getting my Kindnesses in order and putting them all in a photo
album to show non-technical/computer using people what I am doing and
all about this project (Similar to last years scrap booking album).
July 30: Helped a lady when her baby
pram fell over! Thankfully this happened just after (and possibly as
a result), the baby was removed from the pram.
July 31: Bought a drink for a friend at
a pub. I also started crocheting a friends birthday present (you will
see the photos of it in the August Kindnesses).
NOTE (at present): Amber the dog is
still alive and is miraculously doing better. She lost lots of weight
and is on a very restricted diet. She is still on four-six hourly
feeds but her attitude and energy levels have increased to the point
that she can play and toilet herself. She has even been up to her old
hints of mischief (much to the frustration of her human mummy). Mum
and I keep cuddling her, when we visit her and her sister Ebony (and
their cat brother Spyder). Amber, Ebony, & Spyder are like family to mum and I, we have known them for such a long time, the world would be a sadder place without any one of them. Even though it was tough to look after Amber when she was sick, and whilst her owners were away, we are in no way bitter about looking after her. We are glad she has survived, against all odds. She is such a special dog and she is cherished by us and by her owners. The owners appreciated our hard work and effort by showering us with gifts and gratitude. Which we indeed grateful for, but that Amber survived for her owners to see again, that was the true gift!
So, four times in four days (and yes, when i started writing this it was on the fourth day... although technically I'm pretty sure its a new day), is pretty good for me. I am almost up to date! :) HOORAY for small miracles.
I hope you have enjoyed the photos, the stories and the kindnesses.I am glad i have been able to make peoples lives and special days that bit more special! :)
May this find you in health and happiness,
luv Daena X
