And so the year
of 2015 draws to a close, and I find myself thinking back over the course of
the last twelve months, remembering certain events, special times and sorrows,
and praising my Father in Heaven for His incredible mercy and grace for each
day...
One has to look
back to see where we have come from before we can go forward…we need to
remember the workings of our Lord and hide His Word in our hearts in order that
we may move into the new year strong and fresh with our eyes fixed on Him…
I am left in awe
at God’s grace after going back and playing out the happenings of 2015 in my
mind…a year of pain, hope, sorrow, happiness and most of all, growth…both
in our hearts and in our lives...both spiritually and physically…
Jesus has seen
fit to grow our family this year, and as we welcome His blessings, so our
hearts become heavier under the weight of the love He has given us to share!
I would like to
share with you the most memorable moments in 2015 and I do hope you will enjoy
seeing a glimpse of 2015 through my eyes…
~
January…probably
my favourite month of every year, and perhaps you’ve guessed why… My birthday falls on the 3rd of
January, and this year I celebrated my eighteenth birthday with friends and
family, thanking Jesus for His many blessings throughout my life!
January also saw
me assist a very dear and special friend of mine with the photography at a
mutual friend’s wedding… Although
we
seldom see each other (even though we literally live 10 minutes apart),
we have formed a sweet friendship and enjoy chatting over tea every
so often… To see the wedding she
captured so beautifully through her lens, do visit her blog here…
~
In February I
participated in a delightful tea cup exchange for the very first time! Oh, what joy it was to wrap up a tea cup and
some other lovely goodies and ship them to Canada, where the dear lady I was
partnered with in the swap, lives… To
see my post on this lovely event, stop by here…
February also
saw our family experience the heartbreak of a miscarriage once again…it was a time of great sorrow, but also a time of drawing closer to Jesus and
submitting to His plans for us…
We also
celebrated my dear mother’s birthday and Valentine’s day with a special, memorable dinner…
I sewed a lot more of my own clothes this year, and I am hoping to sew even more in 2016!
I took part in a 'Literary Heroine Blog Party' for the first time which was so delightful!
~
March was a busy
month as we celebrated Easter, played in a small concert with our string
ensemble group and I prepared for a month away from home.
~
In April I was
led by the Lord to offer up my time and assist a friend’s mother with her
little ones and home whilst her husband and older children were away. I can honestly say I grew as a person through
these few weeks spent away from home, and learned many things…I was looking
after little boys, which was a completely new experience for me coming from a
family of only girls!
I also visited
my grandmother whilst in the Cape and you can see photographs from my trip
here… I missed my little sister,
Gabrielle’s birthday which I was of course heart sore about, but I was glad to
know she enjoyed her special day! What a special part of our lives she is!
~
In May I
returned home and settled back into doing what I love…I wrote a post called Finding Joy in a Season of Loneliness,
which I hoped would be an encouragement and a blessing to other young ladies
like myself, who have chosen to pursue the Lord’s will for their lives in
becoming a daughter at home…it isn’t always easy or enjoyable, but He is the Master
and Teacher, and His grace is sufficient for us…
In June Rebekah turned six years old, and we put together a sweet Princess party just for
her! I am so thankful for this sweet,
compassionate little sister who has a quiet way of capturing your heart and
loving you unconditionally…
We also went on
an incredible drive up the old Montague Pass which I shared about here…this year I learned how blessed I
am to be here, in South Africa, and to appreciate the unique beauty of this
country!
~
In July Beth turned eleven years old… My Bethy girl,
as I call her, and I are very close…not in age, but we share a special
relationship and a love for many of the same things including animals,
calligraphy and the outdoors!
I also began
corresponding through letters with a couple of lovely ladies overseas, and it has
been the most precious thing to write back and forth and bless one another with
words, pictures and little gifts! Our
Father knows just what we need!
I also took
another trip to Cape Town in July which you can read about here…
~
In August I
passed my Learner’s licence exam, and I am slowly but surely learning to
drive…did you note the s.l.o.w.l.y. part, my friends? {{smiles}}
We also found
out Mom was expecting again, and although we wanted to be excited, the fear of
another miscarriage kept us quiet and reserved in our joy…
~
In September I
again participated in a tea cup exchange hosted by lovely Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose… See the post from my
reveal here…
I also opened my
Etsy shoppe which you can visit here! I
am stocking up where I can, so do stop by to see what I have been creating
recently…
In September we opened our hearts and home up to this young lady… Our family is fostering her till the end of
February 2016 when she will be eighteen and it has been a learning experience
all round...it hasn’t been easy, but our God is great and continues to
give us His love and strength…
This year I grew
a bigger garden, thanks to some extra outside help each week, and so far we
have harvested plenty of potatoes, squash, salad greens, beetroot, etc…
How to Make Preserved Basil...see post here...
I am hoping to get a crop of brassica in
before long…here are a few of my How Does My Garden Grow posts if you’d like
to see how our garden has taken shape over the past few months…
We visited my grandmother in her mountain home again...this time, it was Nancy, Mom and I who enjoyed a little road trip! {{smiles}}
~
In October
little Sofia turned four…can you believe this precious little girl is growing
up so quickly? She keeps life
interesting and fun…
Nancy also
celebrated her sixteenth birthday with a beautiful high tea with a couple
friends…
In October I
also announced my mother’s seventh pregnancy…a little boy is on his way, and oh
my! We are so excited! My mom is now 26 weeks along, and before long
we will have a little one running around…what fun that will be!
~
In November I
signed up for an ornament exchange hosted by my dear blogging friend,
Vicky! I was so incredibly blessed
through this exchange, and met some sweet new friends! See my reveal post here…
We also had two
special young ladies spend a few days with us, and we celebrated our friendship
with a lovely, girly tea party which you can see over here!
~
Our homemade Christmas cake...
December was
busy…very busy, and although I enjoyed just about every moment, I think I am
ready for a quieter time… Christmas came and went, and I can definitely say it was a special one!
~
This year I participated
in a read-along for the book, Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott which was
hosted by this lovely lady…I truly enjoyed discussing each chapter of my
favourite story in depth! Through
joining this read-along, I was inspired to read more and have truly enjoyed it
thus far!
I have seen some wonderful time period films this year including Belle, Wives and Daughters, David Copperfield and
Far from the Maddening Crowd…my love for period drama has increased…I am
captured by these stories and the way of life in those days…
I also read
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss, and this beautiful, challenging book
is one I would highly recommend to every woman, both young and old…
What moments in
2015 stand out the most to you?
~
...2015 was a
wonderful year for...
Baking...
Raspberry and Oat Muffins..
Scones and Raspberry Jam...
Portuguese potato bread...
Preserving...
Marmalade...
Cooking..
Morrocan Spiced Meatballs...
Chicken with Tarragon and Peppers...
Sewing...
Patchwork embroidered cushion for a friend...
Embroidered clothes hanger...
Patchwork tea cosy...for my hope chest...
Family...
Four of my little sisters and I...Sofia, Rebekah, Gabrielle and Beth...
Gabrielle and I posing for a picture...
Crafting...
Gardening...
Cucumbers...
Potato flowers...aren't they lovely...?
~
Dear friends, I
am incredibly thankful and blessed by each of you, and praise the Lord for the
friendships I have formed in this year of 2015…thank you for your kindness,
your prayers, your encouragement and enthusiasm! Blogging is one of my greatest joys, and
every day I am overwhelmed at the kindness I receive from each of you!
I pray this next
year of 2016 will be a beautiful year of growth for each of you…growth in our
Lord Jesus Christ who loves us too much to leave us the way we are... May we continue to strive to live a life for
Him, extending grace and love to others in need and cultivating a deeper, more
precious relationship with our Saviour.
He never promised an easy road, but He did promise to be near us and
pick us up when we fall.
He is all we
need, my friends… Every day, thank Him
for His goodness – sing His praises whenever you can! May we not get caught up in the busyness of
this life and allow the most important thing to become the least important… I don’t know what this new year holds, nor do
any of us…but the Lord knows, and I want to encourage you to keep your eyes
fixed on Jesus and what He did on the cross…yes, there will be moments of
sorrow and days of pain, but never lose sight of His love for you which is
deeper than the deepest ocean!
Thank you for
the rich fellowship this year, sweet readers!
Blessings in Christ Jesus!
~ Then thou shalt walk walk in the thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble." Proverbs 3:23 ~
