Dead or Alive

Two weeks ago, Christo and I went away, just the two of us, for the first time in 18 years. I thought the day would never come! 

Since CJ was born in 1994, we only went away once. It was the year after we moved to Cape Town, CJ was only 18 months old. Our business needed serious changes, and my Parents in Law offered to look after CJ, while we went brain storming in a nearby town. Sadly it was the time during which CJ was still suffering from the terrible side-effects of his 15month vaccination, and he become seriously ill during that weekend. Needless to say we decided to not go away ever again while our child, or children (God willing) were small and depending on us.

In 2010, the day of Michael’s birth, Christo won the Sevenpointfive Franchisee of the Year award, winning 7 days in Mauritius.  Three month old baby Michael accompanied us to Mauritius, while CJ (then 15years old), Heidi-Mari and our stunning babysitter, Surine (months before her own wedding) looked after our smaller children, then 5yrs, 4yrs and 21 months old. 

You can read more here and here, how the Lord blessed us during that 7 days. How CJ and Heidi-Mari were a blessing to their siblings, looking after them with the greatest care, and even being ‘virtual babysitters’ for Baby Michael in Mauritius, so Christo and I could have peaceful dinners, while Michael could sleep undisturbed in our room.

The past few months were quite stressful, me becoming more involved in our family business. Life was challenging, trying to balance raising Godly children and being a true Helpmeet to my husband. Then suddenly, out of the blue, everything just came together for Christo and I to go away for just one night to the beautiful Franschoek, just 45min from home!  It happened so quickly, since it was the only weekend in a series of weekends, during which the older four children were NOT having an archery competition and thus available to look after our Health shop and their four younger siblings! 

The weekend was beyond what I could have imagined. Being in my husband’s company for 36 hours, having conversations without interruption, I appreciated more than anything!  The scenery was awesome, the 5star hotel beautiful, the food outstanding and being with my best Friend and the love of my life, amazing!  

Walking through the streets of Franschoek, with everything from handmade chocolate and homemade jams to scarves; wine in dim lighted, damp cellars, others beautifully displayed in sun light rows; a unique shop selling olive oil and balsamic vinegar in all kinds of flavours; walking in the rain in purple lavender gardens and raindrops on sun ripe lemons, was the perfect recipe for a memory making day in my marriage.  

As I reflected on this very special time alone with my husband, feeling alive and loved, I noticed how easily one can get caught up in an overwhelming life full of challenges and emergency situations. The danger of finding a comfort zone in surviving mode, dumbfound, refusing to get fully involved in the moments, in the fear of getting hurt or defeated. 

For some time I did.

There is only one way to get alive when living emotionless. Allow the Lord to open your eyes for His beauty and the love He gave you in your life.

The next weekend we went back to Franschoek for a one day outing, with all our children (except CJ, who went for his first compound bow competition!). It was a beautiful spring day. 

Just the night before it was one of the coldest nights this winter, leaving the mountains  surrounding Cape Town, covered with snow.  We were surrounded with beauty! We again walked the streets of Franschoek, with our beautiful children. Appreciating the comeliness of the scenery, visiting the charming Franschoek Pancake house, delighting in mouthwatering pancakes, peeping into little curios shops, and ended up on the green grass around the Franschoek Memorial, before driving up the Franschoek pass, with it magnificent mountains.
  

And all the way I was consciously aware of the presence of the Lord in all these beautiful blessings. From my children to the mountains.

Ironically, the beauty was highlighted by the white topped mountains, which was only possible due to the icy cold night before. Then it dawned on me, my life is beautiful particularly due to challenging, stretching, hard and difficult moments. 

The secret is in what I choose to do with it. 

Will I allow it to push me down and make me living like a dead? Overwhelmed and dumbfounded?

Or will I overcome? My God promised He has already overcame! Walking in faith and the hope of the Lord is part of the heritage of the Children of God. In Hebrews God promises His rest, if we mix faith into the Word, so it can profit us.

After experiencing the beauty of the Lord, I choose to walk in victory, because I'm under God's umbrella of hope, faith and love!

What do you choose in your difficult situation?

With much love

Linnie

Molding and Filling Chocolate and Children - All the Same!

On Wednesday the 30th of June, Heidi-Mari and I did the Molding and Fillings Lindt Chocolate Class.  By now we feel like part of the Lindt Chocolate family in Cape Town.  :-)

The beauty of it all is we are now really beginning to understand the process behind chocolate.   Not everything Scott and Dimo explains is all new anymore. After every class we come home and experiment a little more, become more confident, have more success.   

This class about Moldings and Fillings was the most enjoyable class for me we did over the past 8 months.  The previous classes were a stretch for me, though not at all for Heidi-Mari.  She has a natural feeling for chocolate and interesting her hands are just the right temperature.  

Not the case for me!  Every time after I handle the piping bag, the chocolate melts and the mixture becomes too runny -  hands too hot!  

I loved the creativity of this class and the end product is absolutely breathtaking!

  

I’m always drooling over these, almost too beautiful to eat chocolates, and could not imagine it is actually possible to make these in an every day home kitchen. 

Scott did an excellent job, explaining everything in detail from the buying and taking care of the molds, 

through the intensive process of tempering chocolate, 

making mouth watering garnaches, 

coating and filling the molds, to the storage and shelf-live of the chocolate. 

In September we did a class on tempering chocolate, but we struggled to master this delicate process of making professional chocolate.  Doing it all over again with this class, we could pay attention more closely, ask relevant questions and when it was our turn to temper our own, it came out perfect.  

I absolutely love messing around with the chocolate - must be why I enjoyed this class so much. This is a messy class!  

You cannot do it without having chocolate all over the place! We even created chocolate rain while coating the molds.

  

During our Truffle class we learned a few ganaches, and with this class some more.  We can now distinguish between the inside of a truffle and the inside of mold-filled chocolates and know how to make the difference consistencies. 

But the best of all was the painting of the moulds before we coated them. 

Oh, there are countless ways to paint/decorate these beautiful molds! 

We had such a fun day together, Heidi-Mari and I!  I never would have imagined what a blessing it is to have a growing-into-a-young-woman daughter and what memory making moments we would share.

We obviously went home with quite an amount of chocolates and the men and Danika, marveled at our chocolate creations!  

As I was watching them as they hovered over the chocolate boxes, undecided which one of these luscious chocolates they must choose, it struck me how Christo and I, day after day have the privilege to mold each of these precious children and fill them consciously and unconsciously with things we do together, feelings we create in them and thoughts we kindle in them.  What a responsibility!

Do we know what mold we are molding them into? 

Can we distinguish the molds of the world and society, from the molds Christ would like us to mold them into? 

Are we just using the same mold we were molded into, and since we turned out more or less okay, we think the mold is okay for our children too?

Or do we seek the Lord constantly about which mold we should use, even though it sometimes are uncomfortable and unknown molds to work with.  

Then there are the fillings…

We filled our chocolate moulds with a Vanilla ganache, a praline chocolate ganache, an Amarula chocolate ganache and a fruity mango ganache.  For each of these ganaches we had to follow a specific recipe. The fruity mango ganache was more runny, and though not quite the consistency it should be, gave a very interesting look and taste.  

Each child’s personality is like a filing: not one child is the same.  I can tell you, there isn’t just 4 personality types, there are at least 8! Each of my children need a different filling, mixed in faith, to make them the person God intend them to be. 

Do I seek the Lord on the recipe for each child’s filling, or am I just pushing through with one recipe and hope for the best.  On the other hand a filling can easily turn out totally different from what it should be. Like the fruity mango ganache, we might actually think something went wrong while ‘mixing the filling’, and want to figuratively speaking, throw away the filling!  And now I’m speaking for myself.  The Lord doesn’t want a balanced, one size fit all child. He loves Out-of-the-Box Individualists, who can go and change the world for Him.

The piping of the filling into the mould is another challenge. You have to take great care of piping in just the right amount.  

Do I take enough care in filling the little molds entrusted to me? Do I use compassion, sweet and kind words, encouragement, a soft heart, a positive learning atmosphere, praises, hope, forgiveness, unconditional love and you can add more, to fill their little molds?

I’m looking at my children and I see all kinds of different molds, decorated by God in a very special way, with mouth watering fillings inside each one of them. 

They truly are going to give a special taste every where they go, IF I am willing to surrender their upbringing to the Lord.

How are you doing in molding and filling your children?

With much love

Linnie