The big clean up.

I have taken a few days off work to spring clean.  I trust that as I get cupboard and drawers in order and carpets and walls clean, my jumbled thoughts will be put in order as well:)  I trust that as I purge my house of unnecessary things and rubbish that have accumulated over many years...that I will purge myself from negative thoughts.  Wynand's old room became my guest room when he married and it is still filled with things that he left behind.  Lately I have not even been able to scrap because of the untidiness of my study...so it is purge, purge and more purging.

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I have been tagged by Desire. The rules are - I need to pass this award to five people, post on their blog that I left this award, and then I need to answer a list of questions in one word (Huh?...not possible)Please note this post was drafted on Saturday so things might have changed since then. Here goes:

1. Where is your cell phone? Dunno
2. Your hair?on my head
3. Your mother? Kidds Beach
4. Your father? Kidds Beach
5. Your favorite food? Lamb knuckle
6. Your dream last night? Don't reach REM sleep so no dreaming for me:(
7. Your dream/goal? Reaching as many people for Christ as possible.

8. Your favorite drink? coffee
9. What room are you in? study
10. Your hobby? Scrapping
11. Your fear? That I will not be sensitive to the voice of the Lord

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? I am happy with right here
13. Where were you last night? home watching rugby with DH

14. Something that you aren't? negative
15. Muffins? Chocolate
16. Wish list item?Getting my car back before Christmas
17. Where did you grow up? Port Elizabeth
18. Last thing you did? jumped on the trampoline with Christian
19. What are you wearing? bermuda pants and top
20.Your TV? Plasma
21. Your Pets? Sharpei's Smokey and Nala
22. Friends? Only a few....but very precious

23. Your life? Happy

24. Your mood? tired and a little sad
25. Missing Someone? Ansie
26. Vehicle?  Red Peugeot 307HDi (when I get it back one day)
27. Something your not wearing? shoes
28. Your favorite store? Don't like shopping

29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When was the last time you laughed?I laugh a lot
31. Last time you cried? this morning
32. Your best friend? Ansie
33. One place that I go to over and over? Plettenberg Bay
34. Facebook? nope not for me
35.Favorite place to eat? Ginger

Now just look at that spacing...blogger is doing it's own thing again today.  Schucks...I can't only tag 5 people...you know that I read your blogs and love them so you are tagged.

It will all work out

Saturday I felt emotionally bankrupt...so tired that I just told my very concerned DH to just leave me alone or else I might just bite:)  So many things were happening that I had no control over and my spirit was so disturbed and in revolt against what I could not change.

What an awesome God we serve....just these words of Romans 8:28 put me at peace."We know that all things work together for good to those who love God...."  It may not always seem so!  Sometimes when we are suffering heartbreak, tragedy, disappointment, frustration, and bereavement, we wonder what good can come out of it.  But this verse gives us hope and clarity; whatever God permits to come into our lives is designed to conform us to the image of His Son.  When we see this, it takes the question mark out of our intercessory prayers.  Our lives are not controlled by the impersonal forces such as chance, luck or fate, but by our wonderful, personal Lord and Saviour, who is "Too loving to be unkind and too wise to err."


In My Utmost for His highest Oswald Chambers writes:  "The circumstances of a saint's life are ordained of God.  In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance.  God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can't understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands.  God brings you to places, among people, and into certain conditions to accomplish a definite purpose through the intercession of the Spirit in you.  Never put yourself in front of your circumstances and say, "I'm going to be my own providence here; I will watch this closely, or protect myself from that."  (It is as if this was specially for me...that is exactly what I was saying to myself.)  All your circumstances are in the hand of God, and therefore you don't ever have to think they are unnatural or unique.

So with this in mind we went through a ceremony yesterday that went against the grain of everything I believe in to support one of our loved ones.  Thank you A, S and M for your wise counsel, your concern and your love.

Eerste River (photo post)

Last weekend we spent the weekend at a beach resort called Eerste River, an hour and 20 minutes outside Port Elizabeth.  Eerste River is a gorgeous gated resort with no shops and totally not commercialised.  I think that is why it is so magical.  You park your car and that is where you remain until you pack up and go home.  Nadia organised the weekend and some of her family was also invited.  The house that she rented for the weekend has six bedrooms, five with double beds and one with six single beds...which meant that we were all very comfy.

This was the view that greeted us on our arrival.

The next morning when we woke this was the view from our room.

Now don't you think we are blessed to live in this beautiful country of ours. Wynand woke us up at 5 o'clock on Saturday morning with a very feverish Lukas.  We gave him some meds and he slept between his oupa and ouma until later. Is this not the MOST GORGEOUS face?

Saturday was the most beautiful windless day and we lazed around on the deck and watched the waves.

It was our turn to supply the meal and opted for a "potjie" and a potbread made over the coals.

Bianca sitting in the sun like a dassie.

We watched the rugby final and some of us were happy with the result and some of us were not.  Nadia and Wynand enjoyed some time on the deck outside the house.

They are such a gorgeous, happy couple.

After supper we played board games and Marissa (Nadia's sister) took out the guitar and the two girls treated us to some beautiful songs. Marissa writes and records gospel music.

Sunday was a cold and miserable day but we still enjoyed every moment of playing...

and playing some more....

...and eating, we seemed to have done quite a lot of that:)

Could not resist taking this photo of Bianca having a good laugh.

and these of Lukas...being told not to play with mommy's make up...not happy at all.

Not happy at all.

Just love him to bits.

To nurture and protect...

...that is how I have always seen my role in the life of my children.  I know that over the years I have become somewhat of a rescuer...trying to protect them from experiencing pain or hurt. 

I was planning on writing a wonderful post full of happiness and photos of last weekend at Eerste Rivier and about the delightful time I had with Shayne.  Maybe I still will, but not now.

This morning my son stood in front of me with a dull look in his eyes and his words broke my heart into a million little pieces.  "Mamma, ek voel so leeg." (I feel so empty.)

I feel so helpless.

What is on top?

I was tagged by my friend on Robin's Perch to show what I have on my desktop.... Me, my bokkie and our four grand bambinos of course.

What do you have on yours?

First Mini album

Okay...I know it is not spectacular...but I wanted to document my "first ever mini book".  My oldest son Kobus, turned 30 on 13 October.  I decided some time ago to do a mini album for him - telling his story.  The plan was to scrap his first 18 years.  This was one of the biggest challenges for me so far.  Needless to say it was impossible to put so many years into one album...so I ended up doing the mini album up to his first school day.  When I get the courage for it I will attempt to put his school going years into an album as well. I have the idea that he could tell me more about his life after six...and that some of it will make my hair stand on end:)

The cover.

Another challenge for me....to scrap in Afrikaans.

First page - I would give anything to have all my photos digital.  These photos lost such a lot of colour.

I decided that the pages (6x6) are just to small to still journal on as well.  So I did the journaling as a letter to him.

A fancy fold out page.

 

 

 

Here I did a little pocket for extra photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I have decided was that I am going to start mini albums for Wynand and Bianca now and do a page now and then, working on this all the time nearly killed me:)

Oh yes...if you want to do a mini album and need some pointers Lisa (Star Sailor) is doing a weekly tutorial which is truly a step-by-step on the Swirlydoos Forum...here is the link. Just click on the Monday Morning Mini madness links. I will be using these tutorials as a guideline for Wynand and Bianca's albums.

Sketch 54 : Little miss confident

It is time for the Little Shop of Sketches sketch no 54.  Here is the sketch done by Tania.  I would love it if you would try your hand at doing a layout with this sketch and upload your layout to the gallery.

 

Here is my layout.  I used a photo I took of Leane in Plettenberg Bay.  She is such a confident little girl.

Today I want to leave you with this verse from Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

Come means to believe; to receive; to eat; to drink; to look; to confess; to hear; to enter a door; to touch the hem of His garment; and to accept the gift of eternal life through Christ our Lord.
To Me: The object of our faith is not a church, a creed, or a clergyman, but the living Christ.

Choices and consequences.

In June I  blogged about hobo's, traffic light beggars...call them what you want.  I mentioned in the post that I had just taken Oom Chris off the street for the umpteenth time.  June is when the cold really sets in here in Port Elizabeth.  Oom Chris has been at the mission on-and-off for the past six years.  Through the winter months all goes well and he stays happily at the mission...but when the weather starts getting warmer, off he goes...

Oom Chris is over 65 and gets a social pension for the aged.  When we took him back in June we placed his bank card and ID document in the care of the social worker.  She draws his money, pays his expenses and the rest of his money is administered so that it lasts for the month.  We have to protect Oom Chris against himself, he is an alcoholic and if he has to take care of his own money....he will booze it up for a week and will have nothing left to pay for his keep...that way the vicious circle on the streets start.  Begging for money to buy booze, to drink yourself into a stupor, to survive another bitterly cold night on the streets.

Summer is starting and during September he got his ID document from the social worker under false pretenses and off he went to the bank to get an new bank card.  I guess you can figure out the rest of this sorry story.

On Tuesday last week, I was driving my usual route to pick Bianca up at the college.  Oom Chris knows my car and has in the past ducked and dived when he saw me coming.  With me driving a courtesy vehicle at the moment, he only realised when he bent down  to my window to beg that it was me...he got such a shock when he saw my face and he turned to hurry away.  I just shook my head and called after him.  I said "Oom Chris gaan huistoe en as ek jou weer hier kry, ry ek bo-oor jou." (Go home and if I see you here again I will drive over you{he knows I did not mean it...or does he?}).  He went back to the mission, we took his card and ID document into safe keeping again....until next time.  Oh yes...with us being plunged back into winter since yesterday...I am sure he is glad he is back.

You have any idea how weird it feels to reprimand somebody who is old enough to be my father?

Oh yes....for you who don't know Afrikaans - "Oom" means uncle... Afrikaans people tend to use the word uncle and aunt for elderly people.  The funny thing is that at the Mission we are Tannie (Aunty) Lynette  and Oom (Uncle) Kobus to everybody...even people older than us.  Now that took A LOT of getting used to!

Weekend photo post

On Sunday morning we went to church and stopped for coffee with Kobus Jr. and Lache.  After we left Leane started crying for her Ouma and  we were just around the corner when my son phoned to tell us to come back for her. When we arrived at home Wynand, Christian and Lukas was there as well...so nice having all the little ones at the same time.

The trampoline was fitted on Thursday and I now have proof that it gives tremendous pleasure irrespective of age.  Our lawn is terribly messed up after all the building operations and the trampoline people just lifted the paving and left the mountain of soil and the mess for us to fix...so excuse the rubble in the background.

We giggled at Lukas doing his little jig on the trampoline.

Leane was the wild one...ordering anybody to "move" when she wanted to jump.

Christian loved it.

Even Bianca decided that it was cool to have fun.

Even this Ouma was coaxed onto the mat and loved it.

Christian enjoyed bouncing us.

They say it is excellent excercise to jump and very good for muscle development in children...maybe Kirsty can tell us more?

All in all...I had a lovely weekend.

Your house as seen by.....

you.....

....a potential buyer.

...your bank.

....an appraiser.

...the municipal rates and taxes department.

Well...that was the impression I got when the municipality started calculating property rates at current market value last year.