Cards For The Ladies(7 More Sleeps To Baby)!

For the past three days we have been making thank you cards for the ladies who gave my mom a lovely baby shower. I used my scrapbooking things to make the cards. The littles, Beth and Gabrielle, joined in as well! We had a lot of fun! Tomorrow we are going to make the envelopes that the cards go in! Here are the pictures we took while we were doing it!

























The 'clean' table!

The finished products!

Peaceful Home?

The day started out perfectly! I got up, made my tea, got a few rusks and climbed back into bed. Nancy was still sleeping, so I left the light off. I closed my eyes and began to pray: "Dear Father please help us to have a good day". I drank the rest of my tea and ate my rusks. I got up, waved goodbye to my dad and went back inside to say good morning to my mom. I really hoped we would have a good day. We decided to go to the shop after breakfast to get some essential groceries (like toilet paper)! We had to walk, as my dad had the car. It was a beautiful Autumn morning. Fresh and crisp. A perfect day! It was a good walk and tired us out a lot, especially Gabrielle! I bought us some doughnuts, as I felt like something yummy, it was a nice little treat for us all but the sugar in them was probably not a good idea! Gabrielle was REALLY miserable when we got home, crying and shouting! I popped a few eggs in the steamer while we got the last few chores done. Nancy was very behind in all her chores as she was on sink duty, where she washes and dries the dishes the whole day, due to the two of us fighting over who was going to wash-up and who was going to dry. Beth was in everybodys' way and then tried to play a game of trains, which Gabrielle got into and sent the pair screaming at each other. Meanwhile, I was buttering bread desperately, trying not to get into trouble myself! My poor mom, she was trying to take everything slow and calmly, but it it didn't seem to be any use! Eventually, I gave everyone lunch and retired to my bedroom with my sandwiches and water to read my magazines and to get out of the way of the littles, who were louder than ever! After eating luch, I noticed that Gabrielle had eaten all her food! No wonder the poor thing was so miserable! Luckily, before I sat down to eat my lunch, I made wise decision to clean up the kitchen before I relaxed! That proved a REALLY good decision as the house was still messy from trying to 'clean' the house. Nancy, very sweetly decided to let Beth wash the dishes! Beth got water all over the floor, causing my mom to stress even more! Finally, we got Gabrielle down, which was a HUGE relief to us all! My mom read Beth a story and tucked her into bed! Aaah, peace at last. Nancy was making cards, my mom was in bed napping, Gabrielle and Beth were sleeping..... quiet! Now we had some peace! What the little ones' actually needed, was to go sleep sooner. We then would not have had to go through what we did! I now have the assurance that they will be in MUCH better mood when they wake up! Some days go like that! I can go back and learn from my mistakes! We should have got up and pulled our lazy selves up last night and gone to the shop! Then we would not have had to have so much stress! At least I can go to bed at night and laugh over what happened during the day! I can wake up tomorrow and try again! I can ask God to give us strengh to cope during the day! I can go and hug my little sisters who, just three hours before were my worst enemies! I can start the day clean and fresh! I can start the day with a 'clean slate', knowing that we will make mistakes and cannot expect a 'perfect' day! I just have to take the time to stop and pray. I can stop any time, anywhere, any place and any day! I can ask the Father to give me strengh to go on. We can have a peaceful home if we have peaceful hearts. The Father can give it to us if we ask Him. I am not saying that the moment we pray, we will be all sweet, gentle and loving! By no means will we! We have to learn! I will still pray for a gentle spirit and a peaceful home, but I need to learn from my mistakes. A bad day makes us stronger as a person and we are able to cope better next time! Although we had a very trying morning, we were still able to enjoy the rest of the day! We can get up, dust ourselves off and move on! We don't have to spoil the rest of the day thinking how badly we handled our bad circumstances. We can try again! We can have a peaceful home! Tomorrow I will not only pray for a good day, but for the strength to cope with whatever the day throws at us!

My First Show!

Yesterday was my first horseriding show.

I rode in two classes, the pole on the ground class and the 30cm class.
It was quite difficult, as I have only ever ridden a course once, so I got four penalties for crossing my tracks.
I got one rossete for the pole on the ground class, but not for the 30cm class.
I rode a Welsh Cob, called Flashie Lady, better known as Flash.
She is really cute, I would love her as my own pony!

I did have fun though! I will definately do it again!

I stayed to watch the other riders competing in the other classes.

Baby Shower! (9 more sleeps to baby)!

On Saturday we went to our friends so that my dad could watch the rugby. It was not really to watch the rugby, but for the ladies to give my mom a surprise baby shower! I was going to stay with my mom and help her, but I decided I would go with all the dads and the other children to go play putt-putt. Before we left, I asked my mom: "Will you be O.K. all by yourself"? My mom laughed at that, and said she would be fine! We had a great time at the putt-putt place and we had ice lollies, though it was rather cold! Meanwhile, my mom was being spoilt with beautiful baby clothes, towels and many lovely things! The ladies also gave my mom nappies and wetwipes, the practical things! They had lovely eats and things at the baby shower (one thing I regretted about going with the dads and children to the putt-putt place)! We had a lovely time playing putt-putt, though I came dead last! On the way home, we picked up some pizzas to take to the house where the baby shower was held, for supper. We stayed till about 8:30pm, as I had a show the next day. Here is a picture of all the things we got: We had a lovely time looking through everything and packing it all into the cupboard!















My mom was also given some beautiful flowers to take home with her! It was very sweet of the ladies to organize such a lovely time for my mom, it made her feel special!

12 More Sleeps!

12 More sleeps till our little angel arrives!
We went to the gynae on Tuesday, and he said that our baby will come on the 3rd of June, as my mom is being booked in for a Caesarean. We are all looking forward to her birth!

My Aunty Charmaine is going to stay with us while my mom is in hospital. This is a HUGE answer to prayer! My mom and dad did not know where we would stay. They really wanted us to stay at our house, where the little ones know the routine. That's why, when my Aunt told us she would stay with us, we praised God! We really did not want to drive round the country to friends' houses!

My mom is really in the last stages of the pregnancy and is really tired! We all have to pull together to cope. We have to do her share of walking now!

At the gynae, we could not go in, as the room was far to small for all of us! Instead, my mom showed us a picture of a beautifully formed face! It seems as if I know her in person already! It is really amazing! It is amazing what they can measure and see on the screen! She is 2,9 kg already! The smallest of us all so far!



The cute little face! Can you see it?
We are all counting the days till she is born! I have her baby record book in the bookshelf, all ready to write in!

We all like to say 'goodnight' to the baby (even though it is still in the tummy)!

I Cut My Hair!

Today I cut my hair! It was terrible feeling my lovely, long hair slip to the ground! My granny did it for me as she used to be a hairdresser! That means that I did not have to payto go to the hairdresser! It feels very strange now! I really wanted to cut my hair! My dad is not going to believe what I look like when he comes home! I had my hair cut once about two years ago, but it has grown a lot! It is much easier to brush now! Here are some before and after pictures of me.


Of course my little sister Gabrielle had to join in, she played with the wig my granny brought with (obviously in case something went horribly wrong with my hair, I guess)! Here are some of her before and after pictures!

Getting Ready For Baby!

At the moment we are getting ready for our dear little baby to be born!

Beth is folding Babygros and my mom is packing them beautifully into the cupboard!
It is not long till our precious little baby is to be born, just 17 more days!

My mom has bought white winter sheeting to make the fitted sheets for the cot. Yesterday we bought a mattress. My mom also bought some pink material to make curtains for the baby's cupboard and a quilt!

We are all very excited!

We are going to have a little 'nookie' in my mom's bedroom, that is the baby's place! It is going to be pink!














I bought the fluffiest pink blanket the other day! It is pink with white hearts on it!!
I also bought a pink receiver blanket with butterflies and flowers on it!

I really cannot belive that she is nearly here!
We love going to the shops and seeing all the adorable pink clothes!
I think some people cannot even hear themselves talking when we are 'oooohing' and 'aaaahing'
over the cute little clothes and blankets!
















I will post some pictures of the all the things my mom is going to make for our baby!

God Works Things Out!

As I write this, the ground is soaking wet from rain.
It rained heavily earlier, and poured the whole of last night.
The wind is also terrible! I was nearly blown away when I went outside!

Just as well my show was postponed to next week!


I can really say "God works things out"!
As I wrote here I was supposed to go to my first horse riding show today, but due to heavy storms predicted, it was postponed to next week Sunday (24th)!

This means that my mom can also come watch! She was unable to come, as she and my sister, Nancy, were going to stand in for me at my Saturday Market, so that I could participate in the show.

At my riding lesson on Thursday, my riding teacher, Kirsty, told me that there would be a huge storm on Saturday, so it would be wise to make it for another day! (It has been raining and storming since yesterday).

I thank God that he worked this out, because on Wednesday night I told my mom that I really wanted her to come and watch my show.

This prompted her to pray for some way for God to work it out so that she could come watch.

God answered her prayer and made the weather bad so that the show would be another day!

I can only say thank you!!!!!

God does answer prayers!

A Day In The Kitchen!

I love being in the kitchen! Cooking and baking and having fun!

On Wednesday, my mom was feeling very tired and ill, as it is only three more weeks till our new little baby will be born, so I decided to work in the kitchen!

Two weeks ago, I fell off at horse riding, and the tradition is, that you must take chocolate cake the next week! My riding teacher was in England last week, so I had to take cake this week instead. Chocolate cake was not high on my mom's list of priorities, so I decided to make the cake! It was a lot of fun!I also had to make my last batch of fudge for the market on Saturday. In the evening, while my mom and sister, Nancy were watching Pasella, I made bread, so that we would have for the next day. I also had to put a pot of millet on for breakfast the next morning. I had a lot of fun doing this!! My mom was also so relieved that she did not have to worry about lunch the next day, or breakfast!!! She was completely relaxed!!

Here are the recipes for all the things I made if you would like to try them.














The Worlds Best Chocolate Cake Recipe:

790ml cake flour
125ml cocoa
20ml baking powder
240ml butter
370ml castor sugar
275ml milk
4 large eggs
pinch salt
Method:
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and a pinch salt.
Beat the butter and castor sugar till light.
Add eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until just mixed.
Pour into two greased cake tins, or two muffin pans.
Bake in a preheated (180 C) oven for about an hour.
Remove from oven and leave to cool in the tin for ten minutes. Turn out and leave to cool completely before icing.

For The Icing:
Beat 150 g soft butter until light. Stir in 320 g sifted icing sugar and 20 ml cocoa powder.
Add 30 ml milk and beat well until smooth, spreadable cosistency.

Decorating tip:
Grate some chocolate and sprinkle on top. You can even put half a cherry on top for extra decoration!













Never Fail Wholewheat Bread!
1 packet yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
7 cups wholewheat flour
seeds of choice (we use pumpkin, sunflower and sesame)
3 to 4 cups water

Method:
Put yeast, sugar, salt and flour in a large bowl and mix.
Add the seeds and mix. Add the water and stir thoroughly.
Divide between two greased baking tins and put in the warmer draw or a sunny spot till bread has risen nicely.
Preheat oven to 180 c and bake for about 45 minutes.
Put on a cooling rack and leave to cool.











Yummiest Breakfast Ever!

1 cup dehusked millet
2 tsp cinnamon
half a cup raisins
1 grated apple
6 cups water

Method:
Put all the ingredients in the pot. Turn onto a low heat and leave to cook for about an hour. (remember to do this the night before) Turn on again the next morning and leave to warm and cook completely, (another half an hour to an hour).
Serve with sugar and milk.

Tip:
You can even put a blob of butter in to give a buttery favour!


Enjoy your baking and cooking like I did!

Have fun!

Mothers Day

My mom is such an amazing mother!
That's why I like Mothers Day, we can spoil her and make her feel special!

My mom has given up 'her' life, to raise me and my sisters! Wow!
Just think, she gave up all her desires and dreams, to be with us!
Whats more , is that she loves being a mom! She loves doing school with us, and baking, and learning 'with' us!

Mothers day is a day where we can thank the Lord for giving us a mother!

My mom uses Mothers Day to thank God for the privilege of being a mother!


This Mothers day, we had planned to go for a picnic at the Noordhoek Common, but at the last minute, my dad decided to go to Durbanville to visit his mother!!!

We can go to the Common another day, when it is not Mothers day! We are however, not able to visit my granny another day, because, it was Mothers day!

I really thank God for my mom. My mom is so helpful when it comes to school work, or when I need to talk to her about something!

Celebrate having a mom!

There are many children who do not have a mom that loves them, or no mom at all!

What would we do without a mother? I don't know!

Celebrating Every Day!

Today we had a picnic in our garden.
We decided that we could have a picnic in our backyard, we did not have to go out somewhere where we had to pay to get in.

We had a lovely time, just me and my sisters.

Gabrielle was so excited and could hardly wait to go and picnic outside.

I was reminded while I was sitting there, how precious life is.

Was I living each day as if it was my last?
Was I playing games with my sisters and doing things with them?

I usually don't go outside and sit with them while they eat their lunch, I usually read my HQ (horse) magazine over a cup of tea and a sandwich.

I found, while sitting there, that it is a lot more pleasant sitting with my sisters, than being inside by myself.













My sisters and I had a lovely time enjoying each others company.

Later on , once we had finished eating, we played cricket together.

I never knew how much fun we could have playing with the little ones!

What's more, the little ones felt important to be playing a game with their big sisters!

By just taking time to sit in the shade, on the grass and talking with my sisters, we had the lovliest lunch time ever!

I encourage you to do the same.

At first I did not think it would be fun. I was just going to pack them off with their lunch and enjoy the peace and quiet on my own!

There will be plenty of time to sit inside in winter, so we must treasure these bright and sunny days.
Also, I only have a few years of being a little girl left. Never again could I do the things I do now.

We don't have to pack huge, fancy lunches, we can take those peanut butter sandwiches and make a feast out of them!

We must celebrate every day!
We have to treasure each day and live it as if it was our last.

Enjoy today, cherish your siblings, have fun!

Live every moment as if it was your last!

Teddy Bear Fair

Yesterday we went to a wine farm in Constantia to the annual teddy bear fair.

Everybody must take their favourite teddy bear with for a teddy bears' picnic.

It was five years ago that we last went there.
Nancy and I were the only children at that stage.














Now it is Beth and Gabrielle that are going to this picnic for the first time!

We made some mini tuna tarts to take with and a few other little goodies to eat.
My mom wanted to make this a special outing for them.

Beth was soooooooo excited that she could hardly wait for it!
She had already chosen the teddy she was taking, on Sunday!

We packed them a little tea-set, so they could make their own tea!

My Granny had a stand at this market, so we went to visit her while we were there.

There were many exhibitors there. We entered a colouring-in competition, but we did not win.

It started to rain about the time we were going to leave, but we still had to take the things to the car!

It is a very long walk to the parking lot, so we were absolutely soaked by the time we were in the car!

In the end we had a lovely time!