Monday, May 16, 2011

Time for a Little Break and Some News...

Hello everyone, firstly I’d like to tell you some lovely news...in April my father was asked to teach at Knysna High School!! The job started first May so my father has been working away from home and staying in the hostel while us girls have been holding the fort and packing up our house to move again!

It has been very interesting and difficult work coping without the man of the house! Because we live a very different life to most people, without electricity or a conventional geyser, relying on our ‘donkey’ (we make a fire underneath an old gas bottle that has been made into a cylinder holding water. After a little while of putting wood on the fire, we have hot water in our taps for baths and washing dishes!), I never realised how much work there is that Dad does, but I am proud to say we are nearly there!

Another wonderful, wonderful thing happened. The person who was staying on the farm we used to rent just outside of Knysna, moved out, so we were asked if we needed to come back and we said yes...I am so excited because I shall have my little veggie patch and my little pony, Hazelnut again!

My dad comes today to fetch a load of boxes and furniture but will be back on Wednesday to pick us up to take us to Knysna, which leads me to another thing...I have to take a little break: ( It is very sad and I know I’m going to miss blogging but it is just for a small amount of time, while we set up our house and move in)! I shall be back on the web again in about two or three weeks, so don’t go away!

To my Christian blog friends, please would you pray for a safe, rain-free journey and a stress-less move! My mom has been amazing even though she has been feeling so ill and tired with her pregnancy, so please pray that God would give her strength and help her to rest (something all special moms need to learn to do more often!)

Many blessings,
Kelly-Anne

Sunday, May 15, 2011

A Belated Mother's Day Card

Hello everyone, I hope you are enjoying your lovely Sunday afternoon!  We celebrated Mother’s Day two days later because we had to go away quite unexpectedly!  The little ones gave her pictures and Nancy and I made her breakfast in bed!  I also made a bouquet of flowers for her with the help of Hannah, a lovely young lady who is a florist and stays in the other house on the farm! I decided to make a special card for my mom using my own layout I made on PowerPoint.  I changed it around a little bit!


So here is my card:


I have been saving the rose and stripe glitter paper for such a long time because I never felt confident enough to use it!  However I feel my mom deserves to have the special paper on her Mother’s Day card! 


I used a very sweet stamp from Whiff of Joy.  I think it suits my dearest mother very well!


I put the big pearls in the bottom left-hand corner to finish it off nicely!


Hannah and I made a lovely autumn coloured bouquet!


This is my beautiful mother with me on my thirteenth birthday (Jan 2010).

I would also like to enter the following challenges:


Catch The Bug - Polka Dots and Stripes
Stamp, Scrap and Doodle - Use Old Supplies
Sweet Stampin - Sketch* OR Spots, Stripes & Sparkle
Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
Divas by Design - Anything goes
Penny's Paper-Crafty - Anything Goes
Stampavie and More - Ribbons
Stampin' Royalty - Projects Mom related
Your Next Stamp Challenge - Pop it Up
Fabulous Friday - Use ribbon or twine.
Fairy Fun Fridays - For the girls.
Inspire Me Fridays - Always anything goes
Mami Doodles - Spots and/or stripes.
Sew Many Cards - Anything goes.
Stamp Something - Anything goes. P.S. They have a cool birthday blog hop!
Thank you very much for all these lovely challenges!
I hope you like my card!

Blessings,
Kelly-Anne

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Time for Tots - Activity #8

Hello everyone, I hope you are well? Sorry I haven’t done any activities lately, we have been quite busy lately!! With Mother’s Day coming up I thought I should do a tot activity with the little ones where the finished product could be given to Mommy.

We did hand printing and afterwards they got to paint fun pictures of their own.
This is a very messy activity but it is so much fun not only for the tots! All you need is a table covered in newspaper, craft paint (I used orange left over from my mom’s birthday tin vases), a paint brush or two, an apron for each tot and most importantly a bowl of warm, soapy water!

Approximate time to set up: 5 min
Approximate playing time: 10-15 minutes
Moderately clean, messy, or very messy: Very messy!

(As I have said before, don’t be put off by the ‘Very Messy’ factor, it isn’t that bad!!!)

Also, two weeks ago, my dear friend, Heidi-Mari did the very first ‘time for tots’ post on her blog, Heidi’s Crafts.  Her little brothers and sister painted eggs for the Easter lunch table.  Please hop over and have a look at her cute activity!


Aunty Karyn from ‘Graceful Girls and Brave Boys’ also very kindly did the second ‘Time for Tots’ post on her blog! Thank you very much for sharing your lovely ideas!!
But now for Rebekah and Gabrielle’s hand printing activity!



First paint your little tot sister/brother’s hand...


Carefully press your hand down onto the paper without smudging...


Lift it up and wow, you have a chubby hand print!


Do it again with the other hand, now...


I’d advise you to help!!


Washing hands is part of the fun!  (I had to pour the water out halfway because madam wanted to only play in the water)!


Gabrielle age 4 hands.


Rebekah age 1.10 months hands.


Now let them paint their own pictures!


Gabrielle painting flowers...


Rebekah’s picture...not quite sure what it was!!




If they want to do their own hand prints, let them!


Gabrielle’s hands...


Rebekah’s hands!

Please, if you have a fun tot idea then create a post on your blog like Heidi and Aunty Karyn did, tried and tested with lots of photos please! Please also give a link to THIS posting and then leave a comment with your actual link on THIS posting. I hope you can participate; there is plenty of time as this series will carry on for another few months!

‘To the tots’,
Kelly-Anne

Monday, May 9, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to special mothers everywhere! I know I am a day late, but we were away yesterday and I couldn’t get to the computer. Today, however, I’d like to tell you why my mom is just so amazing and why she is so special to us!

She is worth far more than rubies...

As I am sure you know already, my mom is expecting baby number six! I know she battles through pregnancies with nausea, low blood pressure and tiredness, but she does it joyfully! Some girls don’t like having lots of siblings but I have come to cherish and enjoy the many wonders of sisterhood. Sometimes it requires patience and what a better way to learn it! Prayers are put into practice and although little sisters do cause irritations now and then, they also defuse an angry person with a cuddle or a love! At the moment Gabrielle, age four, is just overflowing with love for me. I am ‘Her Kelly’ and even little Rebekah, nearly two, has started calling me ‘Her Telly’ (she cannot pronounce my name yet!). They are too adorable for words and I shall miss them when they grow older! My mom didn’t have sisters, only a brother. All her life she longed for a sister and here I have four. She encourages us to be patient and be thankful. Many times when I feel I am all alone with no friends to be with, they are there! I have them all the time, all day!!

She provides food for her family...


Nancy and I have freedom to voice our opinions and very often my mom asks for our input on what to cook for dinner. I started helping cook when I was twelve years old while my mom was pregnant with Rebekah. In two short years I have become able enough to help my mom so much that I very often cook the meal by myself! It is then that I am thankful that I have her on stand-by just in case I need help! She is giving me an opportunity to make all my mistakes now so that when I am married I don’t ruin my husband’s appetite! I have to add that she is an outstanding cook, always finding new ways to spruce up a humble supper and making it a memorable one!

She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard...

My mother loves nature and especially loves birds. She likes to collect bird feeders, but unfortunately many of them have been lost or damaged on our many moves. She makes homemade ones, too, some out of pine cones that she smears with peanut butter and bird seed. I really love my mother being so creative and always thinking ‘out of the box’, wanting to try something new! She has taught us to respect nature and about the littlest, most inadequate insects and animals! Last year we leant about earthworms and in the beginning I was totally put off by these slimy creatures, but by the end, I had no issue with touching them and learning about them! P.S. She loves gardening, too!

She makes linen garments and sells them...

I am constantly amazed at the items my mom sews and creates – she loves to make beautiful things and I can see Nancy is following in her footsteps! I personally don’t enjoy needlework and material, but I do enjoy paper craft! My mom usually always makes homemade/ handmade gifts and presents and has taught us girls to do the same! Last year she started making felt brooches and she had expanded her stock that now she is supplying local shops and farm stalls! She makes cupcake brooches, teddy bear brooches, bunny rabbits, flowers and hearts and is in the process of designing more – she is so creative! One day I see my mother owning a little shop and selling all her homemade baby and girl things!

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue...

She makes learning fun which I think every mother should do. We are homeschooled and, again, I am always amazed with the things she comes up with! When we do lapbooking I can see my mother is just as interested as us and you could say she is learning ‘with us’! I am thankful that my mom has encouraged me to also think out of the box and try new things. I prefer working in books with lots of lines, but to stretch myself, I allow her to introduce me to a new way of doing it and you know; in the end it’s more fun!  I have recently learnt to play Scrabble. It started off with my mom helping me and then I played a game or two with my dad and she also helped me make up words, but now I play on my own against my mother and usually score a little less than her! My dad rarely beats her so I have my work cut out for me trying to even come close to her score! She is the one who spends many hours correcting pages of my blogging, helping me as I go along. Like her, I also love English and so I am constantly trying to improve myself, hence us always playing Scrabble!

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her...


I am thankful all the time that I have a mother who cares for me and loves me! Sometimes I go wrong and disrespect her, but her loving ways always correct me. She has become so precious to me that I don’t want to be angry with her or become rebellious towards her. I want to please her all the time because she is just so wonderful. I have never heard her grumble or complain and no matter what she is always beautifully, My Mother!

I see my mom as the Proverbs 31 woman. If you are not familiar with this scripture, then read the full piece below:

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

A Wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected in the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: many woman do noble things, but you can surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise in the city gate.

Proverbs 31:10-31 NIV

My Dearest Mother, you are blessed and you are wonderful, always know that...never forget....

Your loving daughter,
Kelly-Anne

“My friend, Heidi-Mari from Heidi’s Crafts has also asked anyone with a blog to write seven or more things we love about our mothers, but since my mom is expecting baby number six, I thought I should just write six...I actually wrote this before Mother’s Day and before her post, but I’d like to join in the fun too! Please visit her blog and feel free to also write seven things you love about your mom!”

Learning through Living - Fish Hoek Part One

My sisters and I have had a very full life and we have learnt so much over the past few years. We have lived almost all over South Africa and if we haven’t lived in a certain place, we might well have visited it on our travels!

We have seen beautiful countryside, long stretches of ocean, busy towns and hectic cities! We have seen so much and sometimes we forget to take moving around the country as a blessing – we have learnt things most of our friends haven’t!

I decided to take you through our travels, showing places in beautiful South Africa that you might not have visited before. I want to show you crazy things we have done but enjoyed so much! So now sit back and enjoy looking at the heap of photographs I have to show you! I know it might or might not inspire you to step out of your front door and tour the beautiful countryside that you live in! But we learnt and we are learning about life and the world around us through living!

Each week I will show you a different place we’ve lived in.

This week I am writing about Fish Hoek, Cape Town. My dad got a job as an Instructional Designer at a company in Cape Town. He worked long hours, compared to teaching. There were fewer holidays, but in the evenings we looked forward to his homecoming. Before he came home though, we cleaned the house and made sure we were bathed and had supper ready. That way we had more time to spend with him! This is part one of Fish Hoek, in part two I shall tell you about life when my dad got retrenched and how he got a teaching post at a high school.



Gabrielle playing in her sand pit.


Nancy and Beth built many tents out of doll blankets and towels!


Gabrielle insisted upon going to sleep with her new ball!


“I can’t see anything!” Beth trying to see the bird...


Beth on her 4th birthday with the hobby horse my mom made for her which she called Rosy. Rosy is also often also called Chester, her thoroughbred gelding!


I started selling fudge around town.  My dad would walk with me and I would try sell in order to pay for my riding lessons.  After a month or so we got into the local market and I started selling a few other products! 


Me at my first proper riding lesson on Chariot.


On a hike in Betty’s Bay


The view of Betty’s Bay from the top of the mountain.


Nancy and Beth pretending to be monkeys...need they pretend...?



Gabrielle and Beth doing some sort of acrobatics on the grass!


Gabrielle and I playing with my pet rat, Rupert.


My mom and dad with me on my 12th birthday.



Gabrielle eating watermelon.


Beach babe.


Gabrielle and Beth planting seeds.


Nancy planting her seeds.


Learning to jump on Nando.


Gabrielle on her 3rd birthday.


Gabrielle doing art.


Nancy on her 9th birthday.


Gabrielle on the tractor at Peregrine Farm stall, Overberg.


Four sisters on the tractor...a little while later and we took another photograph of five sisters on the tractor!


Beautiful Nancy on the swing


Beth on a picnic.


Gabrielle bundled up for the chilly weather!


Beth doing a craft...


And Nancy doing her craft...


...the finished products!  The tourist and the blue elephant!


My Granny’s stall at the Teddy Bear Fair.


Beth with her teddies on their way to the Teddy Bear’s Picnic.


Gabrielle getting stuck into the picnic lunch...who cares about the teddy bears!!



Nancy and I on Elsie’s Peak (Elsie’s Peak was the second blog post I ever wrote!)


Beth and I posing for a photo!!


The beautiful sunset

We had many adventures in Fish Hoek and I shall tell you about the rest in part two! A lot of these pictures I am sure you have already seen because I had started my blog already. I love going through old photos and reading my old posts so under each already used photo I will give a link to the post I did and you can go through the old ones too!!

Thanks for stopping by,
Kelly-Anne