Caleb at One Month...

Good morning dear friends...oh, I have missed writing and visiting with each of you, but as you can well imagine, I have been far too occupied with this little boy at present ~ I am cherishing each moment and treasuring them in my heart...  {{smiles}}  

I know you are all very eager to see how sweet Master Caleb has grown since my last post...on Sunday he celebrated his one month milestone...how time does fly!

Unlike most novelties, this one has yet to wear off...Caleb is even more adorable and cuddly than before and what a joy it is to have him start interacting with us...

His first smiles have been met with joy and delight from us all and he has been praised for holding up his head and ''talking'' to us in his precious baby way...

~

Yesterday little Caleb was the centre of attention yet again and my camera shutter went clickety-click for a good twenty minutes or so while I attempted to capture him and his gorgeous blue eyes before he wanted something more to fill his tummy...

 

It is so wonderfully special seeing Caleb's little personality unfold...he is so gentle and calm and quite unlike the other girls when they were babies.  He seldom cries and fusses only occasionally when he is in genuine discomfort.  Being such a big baby, Caleb spends more than half his day filling his not-so-little tummy and the rest of the time he is content to lie sleeping in our arms.  He is not too partial to his cot, beautifully decorated as it may be - he prefers the arms of his mom and sisters and daddy in the evenings - we have discovered he relaxes and often falls alseep when we sway gently to soft music, preferably instrumental.  This suits us very well for we love music dearly and it would appear sweet Caleb has a love for it as well...

^ "I call this my roar!"

 ^ My, what big eyes you have...

 It is incredible to see such a small baby boy lift himself up and look about as if he were already two months old...  He had not one ounce of fat on him at birth and has only now developed a double-chin and some gorgeous fat rolls around his thighs.  Oh, but he is growing and getting heavier every day - our arms are a testament to that!  {{smiles}}

 

Caleb is quite advanced and strong and moved past the newborn stage by the end of those first ten days!  Now the fun really starts...there is not a moment that he is not wanted by any one of us and I would be lying if I said we weren't fighting over whose turn it is for a cuddle...

He is the sweetest gift and a beautiful miracle...not a day goes by that I don't look upon his precious, perfectly formed face and praise Jesus for the gift of life...my little brother whom I love so dearly  I feel as if my heart might burst.

I would also like to extend sincerest thanks on behalf of our family for the wonderful blessings of prayers, cards, gifts, words of encouragement and concern that showered us before, during and after baby Caleb's entrance to the world...even now you all continue to be a precious blessing to us!

My dear mother made very slow progress after her difficult C-section, but praise the Lord, she is beginning to heal properly at last!  It has been an extremely frightening, painful road for us as a family and it is such a relief to see her making steady progress now and starting to feel a little bit more back to normal...  

She carried Caleb just over 40 weeks and only when he was weighed a few hours after birth did we realise what a big boy our small mother was carrying...where she put him all that time no one can tell!  Oh, I admire her so much and pray that someday should the Lord see fit, I might display as much strength and courage as she has through the births of each of her children...

I am hoping that in the next few weeks we will have some family photographs taken...{{smiles}}

Enjoy this last beautiful day of the month of May, dear readers...I hope to resume regular writing and visiting very soon, but in the meanwhile, please know that I think of each of you every day - how special to have so many dear friends to share with and be inspired by!

With much love and blessings,

Kelly-Anne

Thursday Pearls

  
"God is the only one who can make
the valley of trouble a door of hope."

~ Catherine Marshall

~ Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:5 ~

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May the Lord bless each of you, sweet readers, with a wonderful Thursday!


 

Painting by:  Edmund leighton Blair

Thursday Pearls {& a Sale on Selected Heart❤made Products!}

 

 "Neither go back in fear and misgiving to the past, nor in anxiety and forecast to the future:  but lie quiet under His hand, having no will but His."  

~ H.E. Manning 

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A precious friend of mine sent me this quote in a lovely letter the other day...I found it beautiful and truly encouraging to my heart...may it bless you too, dear reader...

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."

~ Psalm 42:1

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In other news, I am busy clearing old stock in the shoppe at the moment...  How about visiting Heart❤made this morning and doing a little shopping for a sweet friend, new baby or even for yourself...?  I am having a sale on my sweet hessian jointed bunnies.  They make such lovely little gifts and would cheer any bookshelf or bedroom!  I would love to send a package of happiness your way...{{smiles}}

They have been marked down from $8.00 to only $6.00, so do pop over and have a look!

 May the Lord bless each of you with a wonderful day and may He fill you with His blessed joy!

With love in Christ,

Caleb is Two Weeks Old....

 "What an amazing miracle – the birth of a child!

We stand in awe – and God has a smile!

He’s created a life that’s never lived before.

A life that is special, unique, with gifts galore.”

~ Verse from the poem, Whence Came This Child? By Nancy Campbell

~

 Little Caleb Courage, who was born into our family on the 29^th of April 2016, is now two weeks old and the delight and joy of our lives!

This baby boy is loved and kissed and cuddled so much by his sisters and oh!  We are cherishing each precious moment with him…

Ah!  Already his dear little face has changed and he has begun to interact with us…

 “We fancy that God can only manage His world by big battalions abroad,

When all the while He is doing it by beautiful babies at home.

When a wrong wants a righting, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent

Wants opening, God sends a baby into the world to do it.

That is why long, long ago, a Babe was born in Bethlehem.”

~ Frank Boreham

Yesterday the light was shining so perfectly into the room and Caleb was so content after a comforting bath, that I had to capture some sweet moments with my camera…I am sure you will agree that he looks too adorable for words in these baby outfits…how about this one below?  {{Smiles}}

“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord:  and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”

~ Psalm 127:3  

Aww…there is something so beautiful and special about a baby, wouldn’t you agree…?  

Blessings,
Kelly-Anne

~ Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them... ~

A Walk through my Garden in May

What a glorious day!  Ah, the sun was shining and there was an autumnal crispness in the air which made for perfect gardening weather...after perusing a Country Living magazine with a cup of coffee in hand, I was inspired to step into my garden and see about doing some weeding, sowing some seeds and basking in the glory of our Lord's incredible creation...

I discovered my cherry tomatoes had developed what I believe to be black rot, so I sadly pulled them out and cleared the bed, sowing carrot seeds as well as California poppies in their place.  I did think it was a bit late in the season for tomatoes...but they popped up one day and grew so swiftly I simply couldn't bear to disturb them!

I spent the morning enjoying the sunshine whilst thinning red onions and pulling carrots for supper.  I  harvested the last of my bush beans and had a nibble of fresh peas - could anything be more delightful for a light snack?

After a some wonderful outdoor work, I came inside to be greeted by the appetising aroma of freshly baked bread, lovingly made by my sister...did I mention she baked cookies as well?  I think it would be quite fitting to say it was a Little House kind of day...{{smiles}}

In my opinion, fresh farm bread, spread thickly with butter, topped with sliced avocado and chopped fresh greens (lettuce and arugula), from the garden of course, made for a deliciously light lunch...  Surely there is nothing so deeply satisfying as working steadily in the garden and being able to eat the fruits of your labour?

I love what Thomas Jefferson wrote about the garden...

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden." 

Now for a walk around my garden...  Late last year we moved our vegetable garden up from the below our house to the side where the ground is a bit more level and is easier to fence off the garden from the chickens.  Interestingly enough, the success rate of the crops have increased as the garden is further from the plantation of trees near our house.  I have also found it easier to keep my hand on the garden and the weeds under control.  I had to add plenty of compost to the soil as this was new ground, and since then I have rotated my crops and harvested plenty of healthy vegetables...

Feverfew sweetly blooming... 

The first peas of the season...

My garden has somewhat of a ''jungle'' aspect to it, but I do try to keep it fairly structured otherwise I find I lose plants in amongst the stronger greenery and struggle to keep up with succesive sowing...but I do love the slight rustic appeal of a jungle style garden and love to grow flowers in between vegetables and salad greens.

Fresh homegrown carrots...surely nothing can compare...?

Calendula blooming beautifully among the peas...

A garden in progress; ever changing...

Arugula growing happily next to healthy kale and sorrel...

In case you are wondering about the tyres...I will just say that they are not my first choice.  When I think of my dream garden of someday, I imagine rows and rows of healthy vegetables; the ground thickly covered with straw and compost.  But...we have moles here...lots of them, and I cannot begin to tell you how many days I have shed tears on discovering my plants uprooted and the ground all soft beneath my feet.  Thus, the tyres keep out the moles as there is a second one buried below the surface with shade net at the bottom. 

Coriander...I am the only one in our family to actually enjoy the flavour of this strong herb...and I always like to keep a fresh supply on hand as I think it compliments a spicy dish so well!

Lovely leeks...oh, I can taste a leek and potato soup...

Red butter lettuce...

...Truly, my heart is happiest when tending the little patch of earth I call my garden...

~

How does your garden grow, dear reader...?

Thursday Pearls

 

"How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none."

~ A.W. Tozer

~ Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.  Psalm 103:1-5, NIV ~

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Thursday blessings, sweet friends! 

Painting by:  Unknown

Thursday Pearls...

~ Baby Caleb Courage, born April 29, 2016 ~

~ 

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."  

~ Author Unknown

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Happy Thursday, sweet readers...

~ Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them...  Psalm 127:5 ~

Caleb Courage

 

^ Cuddles with Rebekah

^This is one proud big sister...Sofia has fallen in love with her baby brother...

~

We are completely smitten with the newest member of our family...this precious boy has been cuddled by his sisters from the moment he arrived home last night...  

I had the wonderful privilege of having him sleep on my chest from bedtime till about 1 o' clock this morning, and I will forever treasure those sweet hours in my heart...  

My little brother...little Caleb...oh, I give the Lord all the praise and glory for this incredible gift!

My mother is convalecsing in the comfort of her own home and we are very grateful for this...she is doing much better now and we continue to pray for a swift recovery and complete healing over her body.  I am incredibly blessed to have such a mother as I have...she is someone whom I look up to and I pray that someday I may display as much courage as she has during this time...

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I want to thank each and every one of my dear readers for the prayers and love shown to our family over the past few months, and especially during the last few days...  Your words of encouragement have been very precious to me and oh!  How I wish you could all meet Caleb Courage in person...do enjoy the many photographs I have to share...  I am hoping to do a proper newborn photoshoot this coming week...look out for that!

With blessings and joy,

Kelly~Anne