A Busy Week in our Vegetable Garden!

Last week we were very busy in our vegetable garden. We built an extra two raised beds, we replanted some seedlings from our seedling trays into the raised beds and we sowed some more seedlings in seedling trays.

Early Tuesday morning, after a whole day of much welcomed light rain on Monday, I replanted our watermelon, squash and butternut seedlings.

This is our 4th raised bed, it is at a separate area, away from the first 3 raised beds. The first three raised beds are under irrigation and since watermelons, squash and butternuts flourish more on surface watering in the early morning to prevent powdery mildew from forming, we separated this bed from the rest. Heidi-Mari had taken responsibility to water the pumpkin and watermelon bed every morning. During this time she also waters our lemon- and fig tree. If you look closely you will see the tiny fruit, full of promise!

CJ worked the whole Monday, in the rain – much cooler and had quite a ball, to prepare the 4th and 5th vegetable beds. There is no way I would ever have been able to start this vegetable garden without CJ’s constant hard work – filling bags and bags of horse manure at the horse farm, looking after my compost heaps, building the raised beds, digging out soil to put in the raised beds and filling new raised beds with the right proportion soil, peanut shells and compost.

Since my compost wasn’t quite matured enough for the watermelons, squash and butternut and they are very ‘nutrient hungry’ plants, I immediately gave them a dose liquid fertilizer (from my Bokashi bin) and gave them another dose over the weekend. We also sprinkle our used, ground, organic coffee beans (rich in nitrogen) around the watermelons, squash and butternuts.

We planted the watermelons, squash and butternuts with the specific hope that they will be able to supplement my diet, with organic vegetables, when baby is born at the end of January. From experience we know newborn babies prefers mommy to follow a very simple diet. My supper usually consists of meat or chicken, rice, pumpkin and carrot salad. Breakfast is eggs and spelt bread with butter only. Lunch will be left-over-protein from supper on spelt bread. These foods don’t cause cramps and a content new born baby is a well deserved reward on the sacrifice of other favorite foods like beans, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, broccoli, wheat, sugar, jam and honey. It also has the beneficial side-effect of me getting back in shape within weeks.

The watermelon was a request from Danika, but I know I’m also going to enjoy watermelons in the heat of February while breastfeeding our newborn baby.

Later the week we also replanted our pea- and bean-seedlings in the 5th raised bed.

The rest of the bed will be planted with our lettuce seedlings, which is almost ready to be replanted.

CJ also needs to build a 6th raised bed in the New Year for our tomato seedlings which is coming along strongly and will be ready to plant in a few weeks time.

On Friday we sowed more lettuce, beans, chives (to plant as companions for our squash and butternut) and carrot seeds.

We found the amount of lettuce and beans we’ve planted, don’t produce nearly enough for this family of nine! We definitely need to think big!

Over the weekend we could pick a few cherry tomatoes, two hands full of beans and lettuce. We are also able to pick thyme, rosemary, parsley and basil on a daily basis to put in our food and salad! Between our six strawberry plants we are able to pick one or two strawberries a day; we definitely need to expand them too!

In the near future there is hope for more tomatoes and our own carrots!

Since the weekend I am experiencing some serious contractions. I’m nearly 34 weeks pregnant, but need to go at least another 3 weeks to have a safe home birth. Christo literally put me under “house arrest”. I’m not the kind that handles bed rest very well - too much of a busy-bee, but I am taking things easier. Thus CJ and Heidi-Mari will have to take care of our vegetable garden and make sure everything receive enough water and liquid fertilizer. No problem for them, they enjoy the garden just as much as I do!

How Do You Expose Homeschooling Children to the Competitive World?

Years ago when we just started homeschooling, one of the questions asked to this ‘unqualified teacher/mother’ who every one thought was insane in the challenge she was taking up, was: “How will your children learn about the competitive world, while they are in an isolated, home environment, with no peers to compete with, especially your boy (only CJ at that stage)?”

It was a very challenging question and at that stage a question I had no idea how to answer. The only thing I was certain of, was that God appointed me to homeschool my children (a posting for another day) and I was certain that God knew the big picture and never makes mistakes. He would sort out the details; He would give me answers to my questions as we proceeded on the road He was leading, if He thought it to be necessary. I knew there would be questions He didn’t need to answer and I only had to trust him in this, daunting journey. Thus, when I was asked about competing, I usually just gave a short, but certain, answer: “They will still be able to compete with peers in extramural activities.” I had no idea, how God would do it, though.

And that was exactly what we did over the past ten years. We let them participate in extramural activities, as much as was possible for us, not nearly as much as their peers in the public school system, but we did expose them to competitive activities.

CJ took tennis lessons, for about three years, which he enjoyed a lot. But he was still very young and didn’t have the opportunity to take part in championships.

He also took trumpet lessons for almost three years.

He had a brilliant trumpet teacher, a man who had a passion for the trumpet and the gifting to instill a love for the trumpet in his students. During CJ’s third year, the trumpet teacher moved to the other side of the peninsula, I was pregnant with baby #6 and I was just not up to driving him once a week to his lessons any more. During his final year he took part in the Eistedford, received an hounourable mention and passed his Grade 1 UNISA exam with cum laude.

When CJ was eleven years old we did a unit study on horses

he was hooked on horses and started riding lessons.

Heidi-Mari started off with modelling classes when she was only 4years old, but when she was five years old, she changed to ballet classes. From the first day she did ballet classes, we could see dancing is her passion, her dream.

She also tried gymnastic classes for a year, but when the year was over asked us if she could take an extra ballet class a week instead of gymnastics.

We also strive to expose Josua to the competitive world. From the age of five he received ball skill lessons (Playball) for two years, but then decided it is boring and stopped.

At this stage CJ received horse riding lessons for a year and Josua wanted to start too.

This past year CJ excelled exceptionality in his horse riding, taking part in various jumping- and cross country shows, bringing home several red rosettes. Josua also took part in his first show jumping event and received two rosettes.

At the beginning of this year CJ also started answering the Apologia Science Question of the week competition. He won two (international) rounds!

Heidi-Mari has just started her own card making blog. From this week she started participating in a Friday Sketch challenge on one of her favorite card making blogs. She doesn’t have any fear about participating in a challenge with hundreds of other expert card making ladies from around the world. She has the confidence to do her best and see what happens. We always encourage our children to do their best, and leave the rest up to God.

It is very comforting to look back over the past year and to see how the Lord had ‘crafted’ my children’s talents, gifts and character through home schooling and that there is no lack of opportunities to excel in the competitive world, although they are in “an isolated, home situation, with no peers to compete with”. God is faithful, like always. He knows the future of my children, He knows what challenges to expose them to, to become the person He wants them to be, to accomplish the calling He has put on their lives. Home schooling has by no means inhibited my children’s opportunity to become used to the competitive world. On the contrary, since they are home schooled they have more opportunity to focus on their passions, to give their best and excel above their peers. In most of the competitions that my children took part they competed against older children, even against adults!

On Saturday CJ and Josua both received trophies at Camelot’s Prize Giving Event.

Josua received the trophy for Most Enthusiastic Rider in the age group above 8 years up to adults (he is only 9 years old) and CJ received the trophy for Most Competitive Rider in the age group above 8 years up to adults.

This has nothing to do with ‘bright’ children, it has all to do with walking the road God shows, trusting Him with your child’s best interest, sitting back and enjoy the ride, with God in the driver’s seat!

Ps 37 is one of my favorite Psalms. In those first years of home schooling, the Lord has comforted me many times through the solid truths found in Ps 37.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
Ps 37:2.

Ultrasounds and the Secret Place

On Wednesday morning our midwife (Sr. Jenny) paid us a visit at home. It was actually the first time we had met during this pregnancy. This baby will be our 4th baby she delivers. She was our back-up midwife with Andrew, and that’s where we met her for the first time. She also delivered David and Daniel. Since we are like-minded about natural birth and God’s hand of protection on our unborn babies, she understands exactly what we expect of our pregnancies and deliveries and doesn't insist on seeing me more than once during this pregnancy.

The children couldn’t wait for Jenny to arrive. I prepared them for her visit and told them they would be able to hear Baby’s heartbeat. They were all over me when Jenny took out the heart monitor. Daniel was the one most surprised by these strange pulsating sounds. He thought it was some sound from outside, or worse, the ceiling fan!

When Jenny examined my tummy to feel Baby’s head, she asked Heidi-Mari if she would like to feel too. Heidi-Mari was more than willing and the amazement on her face, as she ‘touched’ her new Brother/Sister’s head was a special moment I will always treasure in my heart. Jenny also let her feel where baby’s back and legs were.

When I was pregnant with Josua, CJ and Heidi-Mari were only 5 and 2 years old. The midwife used to draw a picture with a pen on my tummy, showing them exactly how he was positioned inside my tummy. They just marveled at the reality of a baby in my tummy.

Obviously Danika also wanted to ‘feel’ baby and Jenny showed her too.

Then Daniel showed by his body language he wanted to touch the baby too. From the time my tummy began to show, we explained to him that there is a baby in my tummy. Whenever he gets onto my lap, he will tap on my tummy and say: ‘baba’. He also got a chance to touch the baby!

By now we are all in suspense over the sex of this baby! We’ve never had ultra-sounds to find out the sex of our babies. The bible is clear - the womb is a secret place. And we feel it’s sacred to honour that.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
Ps 139:12

But even before we’d known or understood the truth of these verses, we hadn’t wanted to know the sex of our babies, because we didn’t want to miss out on the great surprise when our babies were born. With the birth of every baby it was the surprise of a boy or a girl that made me ‘push’ through the last few minutes of labour. I can still feel the emotions rushing through my soul, with each of my seven babies, right after the birth and seconds before knowing, is it a boy or a girl? It is just awesome! I will hold my newborn baby, madly in love at first sight. For a moment I won’t even care to look, and then the great surprise, when dad announces it’s a ....!

Then there is the guessing and predictions of family and friends that makes it such an adventure through the last few weeks. Sometimes it seems like they are looking forward more to receiving the news of boy or girl, than us giving the news.

Then there is the health issue. Over the years Christo has learned a lot about the safety of multiple sonars on the health of unborn babies. With our first two babies, it was exciting to see baby on the sonar with every six weeks’ follow up with the gynecologist. After Heidi-Mari’s birth we had made huge changes in our health and took responsibility for our own bodies. Since then, we do only one sonar during the whole pregnancy, to determine the position of the placenta. Though it was great to have the opportunity to see our unborn baby on the sonar, we know it is best for baby’s health not to have multiple sonar’s.

It isn’t an easy road to take responsibility for your own health. The medical fraternity doesn’t like the idea of you making decisions independent of their advice - it’s called thinking for yourself. With our 5th pregnancy it felt like a battle while visiting the radiologists for our scan. They wanted to run all the “necessary” tests and gave us a rather cold shoulder when we resisted them. I believe you can choose your battles and therefore we refused to go for a scan at a radiologist or gynecologist with our 6th pregnancy. A family member is a Clinical Technologist and she was more than willing to do a sonar to check the position of the placenta and gave us a few sonar pictures for the family album! Since we are not her regular clients, we didn’t need to fight any battles about what we wanted to see or not. We just enjoyed looking at our unborn baby and the fearful and wonderful way God was knitting him/her together.

As you have probably been able to read between the lines, we also don’t allow any tests on our unborn baby, even though I’m already 40years old and supposed to be in a ‘high risk’ age group. I believe God never makes a mistake. Why would God, the Designer of my body, allow me to conceive if my body isn’t fit for it anymore? And even if God in His Wisdom decided to give me a special needs child, who am I to think I have a choice in receiving it or not. I say again, God never makes a mistake. He knows my family and me the best and He knows what He can entrust to us. I will receive each gift from the God of the Universe in the exact package He decides to give it to me, with praise and thanksgiving. Therefore we have never and will never do any tests on our unborn babies.

I know some say you are more prepared if you know. I believe only God can prepare me for whatever He wants to send my way. You will never be prepared for bad news about the health of your unborn baby when sitting in a cold consulting chair opposite the Gynecologist discussing a baby you’ve never held in your arms. I believe it will be much easier to receive the same bad news, head-over-heels in love with your newborn baby in your arms. Then I have not even touched on things like false positive tests. With this we mean tests that show you have an abnormal baby, but when the baby is born, its 100% normal. These so called scientific tests have been the cause of so much misery for so many mothers. Many hours spent worrying during pregnancies or worse looking at the perfectly normal (aborted) little baby, because ‘science’ said it may be abnormal.

I once read a story told by Corrie Ten Boom as written by John and Elizabeth Sherril in The Hiding Place. This story illustrated to me that sometimes we don’t need to have certain knowledge; we just need to trust God.

Corrie was a girl about ten or eleven years old, when she took a trip with her dad to Haarlem. She often uses the trip home to bring up things that would trouble her. During one of these trips she asked her dad about a line in a poem they read at school. It was a poem about sexuality. After asking her dad, he turned to look at her, as he always did when answering a question, but to her surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case from the rack over their heads, and set in on the floor.
“Will you carry it off the train, Corrie? He said.
Corrie stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning.
‘It’s too heavy,” she said.
“Yes,” he said. “And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.”
Corrie was satisfied. More than satisfied – wonderfully at peace.

I feel the same, about trusting God with the health of my unborn baby. By doing tests on my unborn baby I ask for answers and actions on difficult questions, I will never be old and strong enough to take.

While pregnant, I’m content to leave certain knowledge in my Father’s keeping.

Our Family's Secrets to a Successful Vacation

It is already a month since we left for our annual vacation, but I thought I will share with you our family's secrets to a successful vacation. Obviously this is very specific for our family, but maybe you can benefit from one or two ideas.

The Place:

1. Since we are a family of nine, with 4 children six years and younger, our main concern in planning a vacation is what will work for the little ones. When they are happy and in a save environment, we have a relaxed and restful vacation.
   
   
2. For Christo and I, a vacation means getting out of the rat race, not rushing around from one activity to the next to entertain children and keep them busy. We want to take a break from the normal activities of home keeping. We don't want to drive a lot, clean the house, and do dishes and laundry all the time.
   
   
3. For the children a vacation means to be on the beach as much as possible - a wide open beach for kite flying, golden sand to build sand castles and have imagination trips and lots of waves for boogie boarding.
   
   
4. Brenton-on-Sea Cottages at Knysna's only beach, is an answer all the above expectations.
   
   
5. Green grass in front of the cottage, provide a safe environment for little ones to play; I know the three bedroom cottage is big enough; the kitchen is equipped to our needs; the bathrooms are in good condition; the cottage is fully serviced once a day and clean towels and linen are supplied every day (my expectations are met and my little ones are happy and safe);
   
   
6. By now, we know the best Laundromat in Knysna and we drop our washing their every second day (another expectation of mine is met);
   
   
7. We don’t need to brainstorm every day to entertain our children; we don’t even need to drive the children to the beach every day. We just walk down to the beach (Christo’s expectations are met);
   
   
8. The nearly 7km beach with only a few scattered rocks meets the children’s expectations.

Food:

1. As a family we believe in healthy, good food - no junk food, which results in low energy and cranky MSG and sugar-high children. Therefore we draw up a menu for every day. This way we have the least effort in food preparing at the vacation;
   We took along our bread machine (and 10kg spelt flour!), the espresso machine (and organic coffee beans) and our water filter.
   
   
2. On our menu we plan everything. The food we eat with every meal, when we need to put ingredients in the bread machine for bread or buns or when we need to take meat out of the fridge to thaw for our daily braai. With small children we cannot afford to return back to our cottage, after 2-3 hours on the beach to find we don't have bread for lunch or the meat for the braai is still in the fridge (we don't use any microwave ovens).
   
   
3. With a detailed menu it is so much easier to plan what we need for our vacation (I cannot function without lists). From the menu I made lists for buying groceries and what to pack. It also helps me not to pack unnecessary stuff. To pack a bus and trailer for nine people is no easy task and my husband trust me for only taking along the most needed stuff.
   
   
4. We pack all our groceries in 25 l plastic containers. Christo finds it much easier to fit and handle the plastic containers into the bus and trailer, than cardboard boxes.
   
   
5. I prefer to take everything we need for the first 3 days meals’ from home. We know from experience that the children don't want to make a trip to the supermarket on the first day of our vacation; they want to get to the beach!
   
   
6. When we arrive at our destination, the menu is the first thing we stick up against a cupboard where everyone can see it. This way every family member (who can read) can check the menu and have equal responsibility to keep us to the menu.
   
   
7. We enjoy spoiling the children with eat out once or twice, during the vacation. Since we don't eat junk food (MacDonald's, Kentucky or even the Spur - remember we don't need hyperactive children on our vacation, we want to enjoy our children and relax!) we are very fussy when choosing a restaurant.
   
   
8. We've learned a few important things when choosing a restaurant. Firstly we prefer an Italian restaurant. The Italians just know how to prepare good food (without MSG and other junk) and we never have indigestion after real Italian food. You always receive good service at an Italian restaurant (very important to keep my husband happy and enjoying his food - he hates bad service!). The Italians know how to prepare real espresso (another preference from Christo) and a nice cappuccino (my preference). And last, but not the least, never go to an empty restaurant. So we've discovered a real Italian restaurant at the Knysna Waterfront six years ago. At Mario's you always have to book - for lunch, dinner as well as coffee, otherwise you will be disappointed with no seats available. They serve excellent coffee and the best pizzas. (Not to mention the owner, Mario’s always friendly face)

Preparation before leaving:

1. I try to plan and sort out vacation clothes at least two weeks before we leave. If we do need any clothes for the vacation, I make the trip at least the week before we leave. I don’t need the extra stress of discovering one or two of the children don’t have swim suits or proper sandals the day before we leave.
   
   
2. Four days before we leave, I start to focus on our vacation. No extra outings for that week, no visits, only the bare minimum in extra murals for the children and I plan to take only one trip to the grocery store.
   
   
3. During the first day of this “four day focus time”, I make sure we have enough bags, suitcases and plastic containers to pack everything we need. I also plan who will share suitcases – Heidi-Mari and Danika; CJ and Josua; Christo and me; Andrew, David and Daniel.
   
   
4. On the second day of my ‘focus time’, I finish all food that needs preparation. We have the tradition of taken along lamb kebabs (leg of lamb cut into cubes 2.5cm x 2.5 cm – 1 inch x 1 inch – marinated for 4days in a curry and onion marinade and then put on a wooden kebab stick) to braai for dinner on an open fire. We also take along a chicken pie and mince pie (convenient meals to just put in the oven for a quick supper or lunch).
   
   
5. The third day we make sure all our vacation clothes are washed and ready for the next day to be packed in suitcases. From this day the children need to wear their oldest clothes – I don’t wash again before we leave; I also start to pack non-perishable products in our 25l containers.
   
   
6. The day before we leave we pack our clothes and prepare the food we eat on our trip.
   
   
7. The morning of departure we pack all the perishable food and frozen foods (meat, pies and kebabs).

Planning for our return:

1. The day before we leave we clean the house. I certainly don't want to return from a relaxed holiday, only to walk into an untidy and dirty house. We vacuum the floors, wash the tiles and clean bathrooms.
   
   
2. The night before we leave, I wash all dirty clothes in the laundry bin and towels and put it in the tumble dryer to dry. This way I only have the dirty clothes from our vacation when returning home, giving me a head start.
   
   
3. The morning of our departure, I make sure we put all dishes in the dishwashing machine and switch it on.

Supplements:

1. At home we take daily supplements and the same on our vacation. This is Christo’s department and he would take extra care to take make sure he packs enough of everything we take daily and also some supplements that we may need, including his specialised first aid kit.
   
   
2. Supplements is essential to keep our bodies healthy and at the correct pH, this way vitamins, minerals and amino acids can be absorbed and especially help our brains function at an optimum level. On vacation we need to organize 7 very active, inquisitive children, in a foreign environment. We cannot afford losing it, because our brains cannot handle the pressure.
   
   
3. We will also take extra supplements to help digestion of dairy and wheat products when we spoil the children with ice-cream, milkshakes and pizzas. We don’t want sinus due to the wheat and diary products.

The Trip:

1. The moment we are all strapped into our seats, every one gets a turn to ask God’s Hand of protection over our vehicle and trailer, over Christo for safe driving to our destination and for the children to be patient and helpful with each other during the long drive.
   
   
2. Seating the children is very important. Older ones, next to little ones, to keep them busy and help them with eating and drinking, to limit making a mess in the car and me playing musical chairs with a pregnant tummy, trying to keep every one happy.
   
   
3. Regulating the children’s blood sugar levels are essential to happy, content children. The food is chosen, keeping in mind not to make a mess. That will be raisins, nuts, apples, buns, dried sausages – traditional to South Africa.
   
   
4. I need to be prepared to help a little one ‘potty’ when there isn’t a stop in sight. Thus I will have a strong zip lock bag at hand, which is easy for boys to use in the car.
   
   
5. Stops, either to fill up the bus with gas or go potty, is a real challenge since we have to balance the children’s need to get rid of build-up energy, with little ones’ needs to sleep as long as possible, when they do fall asleep.

Daily routine on our vacation:

1. Although little ones enjoy a vacation due to the more relaxed atmosphere, it is not the safety of their home and unexpected surprises can upset them. We as parents cannot enjoy our vacation with stressed-out children.
   
   
2. We do not plan a lot of activities per day, we keep the routine simple.
   
   
3. We try as far as possible to keep the daily routine the same every day. This way the little ones know what to expect.
   
   
4. We stick to our regular meal times, with healthy food they are used to.
   
   
5. We keep the little ones to their nap times in the afternoon and to their normal sleeping time at night.
   
   
6. While the little ones have their nap time, we plan special activities for the older children.
   
   
7. As far as possible we do things together as a family.
   
   
8. We will have breakfast, go to the beach, have a bath to wash off the sand, have lunch, nap time for little ones, go for a coffee and/or laundry/grocery trip, light up the fire for supper, braai, put little ones in bed, play a game with older children.

Returning home.

1. This is never an exciting day.
   
   
2. To keep the vacation atmosphere as long as possible, we only pack the day of our return.
   
   
3. We will make sure the children don’t have sugar treats the day before our return home, leaving us with seven hyperactive children in an eight passenger vehicle for six hours;
   
   
4. On the day of our return we will get up early and have a light breakfast.
   Then Christo and I and each of the older children will have a ‘department’ they are responsible for. Christo and Heidi-Mari will pack the kitchen, I will pack and sort out clothes, Josua and CJ will pick up everything in and around the cottage and clean the bus, Danika will look after the little ones and tend to their needs while every one else are busy.
   
   
5. On vacations I have the habit of using pillow cases for dirty laundry. The boys, girls, baby, Christo and I each have a pillow case in our cupboard for dirty laundry. The day before we leave for home, I will already have sorted out the dirty laundry in the three piles that I’m used to for my washing at home – light colours, mixed colours and dark colours – and will put it in different pillow cases. Thus we only put clean clothes in our suitcases.
   
   
6. While Christo and CJ pack the vehicle and trailer, Heidi and I will prepare sandwiches for our trip.
   
   
7. After everything is packed into the bus and trailer, we will have a last walk on the beach – only half an hour, but long enough to say goodbye to the waves.
   
   
8. We try to leave still in the morning; it is a 6 hour drive home, less we have to drive into the dark evening, with tired, hungry children.
   
   
9. I will plan again for food on our trip and unexpected potty needs.
   
   
10. When we are all strapped into our vehicle, ready to leave, we will thank the Lord for a blessed vacation and ask for His protection on our journey home.

Making the ‘returning home’ as pleasant as possible:

1. Arriving at home after a nice vacation is not pleasant for any one, let alone for Mom. I therefore plan to make it as easy as possible, with the least stress possible.
   
   
2. When we arrive at home, I immediately start to put washing, from the pillow cases, in my washing machine. This way I don’t dread the next morning of sorting out clean clothes from dirty clothes and take days to unpack suitcases.
   
   
3. I make sure there is a dish in the freezer, to pop into the oven (NOT the microwave oven!) for a quick supper.
   
   
4. Christo and CJ will unpack the bus and trailer and Heidi-Mari and I will start to unpack the plastic containers with kitchen stuff. Josua and Danika will put the little ones in the bath.
   
   
5. After supper and with the little ones in bed, I only need to put the clean clothes from our suitcases, back into each one’s cupboard.
   
   
6. The next morning almost everything is unpacked, and we just need to put away the plastic containers and suit cases and life can go on as normal.
   
   
7. The worst part, for all of us, is to see dad drive off to work again….!

A New Hobby for Heidi-Mari and Me

For Heidi-Mari’s ninth birthday I enrolled us for four basic scrapbook lessons. I could never have imagined how many memory making and creative evenings we would have from that day onwards with our scrapbooking. Here I’ve shared how our Once-a-Week-Scrap-book-Evenings changed our relationship into a deep Mother-Daughter-Friendship.

Over the past three and a half years we’ve made the most beautiful scrapbook pages during hours of relaxed conversations.

One of our first pages!















Heidi-Mari invested a lot in her scrapbooking. A year after we started, during her tenth year, she had saved enough money to buy herself a Scrapbook cutting machine – the Silhouette.

With the Silhouette we entered a new level of scrapbooking. We could cut words, shapes, borders and many more! We once bought these paper dolls on-line and made the most beautiful cards with the paper dolls we cut with her silhouette machine.








A few months ago I followed the link to a card making blog on a friend’s blog. I showed Heidi-Mari and we started looking into some more card making blogs. We where hooked! There were the most beautiful, creative ideas for card making. There and then we decided to make a little shift in our scrap booking and try our hand at card making.

One of our first cards – a Welcome-Baby card for a friend

At this blog Heidi-Mari spotted the Sugar Nellie stamps for card making. After careful investigation we bought 10 Sugar Nellie stamps from Scotland. No supplier for these beautiful stamps in South Africa. We searched the internet to see how to colour these beautiful stamps and got hold of watercolor pencils at a local shop in Durbanville.

Now Heidi-Mari is painting to her hearts desire and supplies us with the most beautiful stamps for our hand made cards.








Here are the first two cards we made on Monday night, using the Sugar Nellie stamps.

The oval scalloped shape we designed ourselves on our silhouette. I am foreseeing hours of fun and creativity with this new hobby of us!!