Corné's Corner... of life, love and everything else!

Competition time!

2011-12-06T14:51:00.001+02:00

So the Bellas are having the most awesome competition: We are looking for a Charity Ambassador. Wow. I wish I was 18 again so I could enter... and fit into those clothes again, haha! For once it’s not all about looks and bodies... it’s about how you help your neighbour. This is one of this things that I love most about Bella Donna: Yes we teach etiquette and style and make-up and all that jazz... but we also teach social responsibility.

So many young girls out there have no idea what kind of an impact they could have on their environment if they just took 1 hour a week to do something worthwhile. There are so many shelters (animal and human) out there that could do with some help, so many people who need clothing, so many elderly who would love someone to just visit them. Yet we never seem to have the time. I for one am looking forward to doing some of the social stuff with the entrants from my area. I want to really be there for them and to encourage them every step of the way. And if one of mine wins... well, even better!

The prizes are beyond this world and include photography shoots, pamper sessions, a weekend getaway, a house party, money, a limousine ride, facial products... to many to mention! But mostly, she will be standing for a good cause and be our Bella Girl, our face. I get exited just thinking about it! The crowning evening promises to be a gala event, with celebrities, music, lights and evening gowns. Every girls dream!

So why not enter? Come on, you have nothing to loose! And so much to gain... For once this is a chance for the girl in the corner to strut her stuff, show her skills en be reckoned, without having to worry about beauty or the perfect body.

Go see what it’s all about on our website at www.belladonnaclasses.com – NOW!!

Bella Donna Classes Brackenfell Branch had our certificate evening!

2011-08-09T09:56:00.001+02:00

On the 22nd of July 2011 my Brackenfell branch had our certificate evening and fashion show for our first class. What an affair! It was a no-holding-back, glitz-and-glam evening... Held in a factory! Jip, you read right, a factory. It took some hard work from my team (hubby, dad, friends, myself and of course the girls' tables) to turn it from drab to fab in a day, but miracles do happen!

Of course we had some hiccups: Trying to find a caterer to fit our budget was impossible, so my husband Herman's rep at his business, Lucinda, offered to help with the food by making lasagne and salad. My dad made butternut soup for the first time in his life, while Lucinda's daughter Chanel made her famous Malva pudding for desert. None of our sound stuff wanted to work together, so we phoned Mandy from HQ who helped us out with sound AND lights. Two of the girls (sisters) had to pull out at the last minute, leaving me scrambling to find 2 models to replace them and having to cut on costs due to less ticket sales. Then, as I was soaking in the bath (my thinking space) the Thursday before the show, it hit me: the Bellas of the future! My own 2 little girls, Chené (7) and Mia-Mari (3) could stand in for them. Obviously the clothes wouldn't fit, but mommy made a plan, while my friends bought tickets to help me out!

On Friday night the girls arrived around 5 pm to set up their tables and be taken through their steps again by model master Kevin, before being beautified by our team. My friend Lana played hostess and saw to the guests, while I still got dressed upstairs. After the welcome to all, we were ready to begin! The girls entertained their own guests at their tables while the starter was served. After the starter, they went to get dressed in their fashion show best, while I chatted to the guests about our sponsors and the girls themselves. All during our evening the girls were judged by phantom judges on some of the things they were taught, as we had some wonderful sponsored prizes for them. And then the show began. We had a range from Chanel Sauerman from Revival Style as the girls’ first outfits, then cocktail dresses, then the most beautiful evening gowns – both sponsored by The Princess Project. The girls wore masks for the evening gowns, taking them off after making their first turn on the runway – symbolizing that they are not the same person they were before the classes. The masks were repeated in our décor on the tables as well.

Once the show was done, we had our main meal and then the prize giving. After thanking all my special helpers, we announced the winners in each category. The girls had WOWed the guests and quite a few sisters / cousins / friends were VERY jealous and made sure to take a pamphlet! Pudding was served and people chatted away for a while afterwards. It seemed as if people had fun, as it ended off an hour later than I had anticipated – despite everything running (roughly) on time! I was so proud of my girls and it took all I had not to cry. We were also very honored to have Mandy and Marilet from head office there to share in the evening.

The evening was a resounding success, thanks to everyone’s hard work. We were truly blessed by so many people and I would like to mention them now:

- Mike from Fox & Brink in Epping, for organizing us a donation of fresh veggies towards our food costs.

- Graham Ross for the use of his sound equipment after ours failed.

- My husband Herman, for his help, support and doing our sound at the show.

- My dad Henry, being everywhere I needed him.

- My friend and ex-marketer Lana Smit, for all her help.

- Trudie Kotze, for lending us her heating plate for the food and her gas heater for the cold factory.

- Lucinda Moses, for stepping in and making our fabulous food.

- Suzaan Saayman (my sister) and Amelia Kotze for doing our ladies' fabulous hair.

- Tanja Williams and Louisa Marais for the professional make-up they did on our girls.

- Chanel Sauerman from Revival Style for supplying us with part of her fashion range for our show.

- The Princess Project, who sponsored the ladies' cocktail and evening gowns. They are a non-profit organization who supply underprivileged ladies with gowns and accessories for their functions, at no cost.

- Janine and Wikkie van Rooyen from the mR 5 stores for sponsoring so much of our décor of the evening, as well as the table arrangements on my tables, made by Janine herself.

Our prize sponsors were:

Connie Prinsloo from Connique Jewellery, who sponsored this beautiful set for our best hostess winner, Ané. As Connie says herself, her work is ’A Personal Statement of Elegance and Charm’. Please visit her facebook page to see more of her work - It truly is a work of art!

http://www.facebook.com/ConniqueJewellery

Wikkie and Janine van Rooyen from the mR 5 Stores, who sponsored the prize for the best table winner Louise – a gift voucher to shop at their stores! From personal experience, I know that she will have too much to choose from… See their FB page here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/MR-5-store/117131251671049

From Natacha Wadsworth of Natacha Wadsworth Photograpy, who sponsored a free photography session for our model winner, Heather. Knowing Natacha since our school days, I’m sure she will make our girl look pure BELLA! Can’t wait to see those pics… See her website here:

http://www.natachawadsworth.co.za/

Please check out our photos of the evening on the Bella Donna Group Page on Facebook – there are some really nice pictures there. Once again, a warm thank you to everyone involved. To my girls – you were gorgeous, really Bella-esque… I will miss you!

Changing life’s lanes...

2011-03-08T13:36:00.001+02:00

I was driving along, on my way to work one morning a few weeks back, when I got the idea for this blog. You see, I have bad eyesight - and because of this I hate driving in peak hour traffic. My reaction time is too slow to be effective and I’m always too scared or too slow to take a gap if one pops up. My husband Herman on the other hand is a terrific driver, gap-taker and general manoeuvring-his-way-through-peak-traffic-fast-and-efficient-and-without-dents-to-the-car-person. So I prefer to be driven around, instead of driving myself around - not that he LETS me drive when he's with me!

Anyway, what was my point here? Oh yes... Being a person afraid of taking gaps, also seems to make me generally terrified of taking risks of any kind. But this morning, as I sat waiting for the line to move, I saw a guy take the gap and get ahead of the rest of us scardy-cats... And something inside me just said 'I want to do that! I want to take the gaps and not be so afraid of them anymore!' You see, I'm one of those 'safe bets' when it comes to people, always on the straight and narrow. So why now? Why want to change now?

It might have something to do with the fact that I resigned my job this past December to run my own business as of next week. Though the business has been in existence for almost a year, it's still a major prayer case - which I do, every day. For me though, this has been a major gap-taking, totally against my nature. Yet I find myself thinking outside my straight line more and more, as if this one wild act has released something in me, something that makes me want to be that gap-taker, that gal who gets ahead in life. I've been waiting for this chance my whole life, and golly, I'm taking it! Perhaps this is just another part of my ONE new year's resolution - this year I'm going to live my dream! What is my dream, you may ask. Well, ever since I became a mom I wanted a job where I could be with my kids when they needed me, but still be a leader in my field. And now I'll have my dream with this business - though I have another business along the side, to help with the cash flow! You know me, always busy... I guess the time for make or break is now, when my dream is within my grasp.

So, the next time you see a white ford tracer taking the gap in traffic, the one you were too hesitant to take yourself... That gap-taker is me - going for it! Wish me luck...

Be Blessed!

My Prayer Child

2010-12-21T17:12:00.002+02:00

My elder daughter Chené has a very special spiritual gift and even as young as 6, she’s realizing the power behind it. When she prays – THINGS HAPPEN! I (of little faith) am amazed every time it does and I don’t know if her prayers are heard purely because of her faith in the fact that she asked God, so now whatever we prayed for will happen, or because of the fact that she is in awe of her gift.

My little prayer child was not planned, she was sent by God at a time when her parents needed her. I always tell her that she was the best present I ever received from God. I remember that when she was born, I didn’t sleep for 36 hours because the adrenaline was pumping and I couldn’t stop looking at and touching her. Now she’s growing into a tall, lithely little girl with a colourful imagination (mmmm, a bit of Mommy there!) and a kind heart to all around her.

We constantly teach her about God and because we belong to a charismatic church, she also learns about the anointing of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, with prayer being one of them. She’s taken to her gift with an eagerness that is beyond her years. I can’t really pinpoint when we noticed her gift, though I do remember one specific case where we needed a breakthrough for our business. She prayed for us, in her childlike words and manner, and God heard her. The breakthrough came! Hubby Herman did that typical movie moment of – look at each other - ‘do you think…? No, it can’t be, she’s too young! But what if…’ and we started taking note. More and more often things would fall into place when Chené prayed, to the point that, when we told her that she has a really special gift, she has been praying for anyone in need without being asked to do so. She even prays for her little sister when she’s sick (all on her own) and lays hands on her father’s knee whenever his pain gets too bad.

Two weeks ago I lost my purse – I looked EVERYWHERE, it was just nowhere to be found. By last week I was almost crying, frustrated at not finding it and more frustrated with having to have my drivers licence and cards replaced at this time of year. Last week Wednesday I dropped my kids with my mom, who would watch them while we had to work. Mom knew about my purse, so she and Chené prayed. That same afternoon, after I picked them up from Grandma, Chené tapped me on the shoulder in the car and handed me my purse! She found it under a crate that was holding my seat in position (the nuts broke). When I exclaimed my joy, she just stated that she and Grandma prayed about the purse, that’s why she found it. Matter-of-factly… :-) Two nights ago we had another issue with our business which needed an answer and she sat next to me while listening to daddy and my conversation. “Mommy, must I pray for it?” she asked. I almost started crying, but just hugged her instead. Her faith was bigger than mine.

She recently asked me if she MUST have her eyes closed when she prays. I explained that I love to pray to God while driving and that it would be a bit difficult to close my eyes then! On her question of how I could pray WITHOUT my eyes closed, I explained that it’s a matter of focus – I focus on God during my driving and speak to Him loudly, as if He’s sitting next to me. It’s the only time I have that’s quiet enough and leaves me with at least 15 minutes of prayer time, so why not use it! I could see her little mind racing to digest all that I had explained – now to see what she does with it!

I hope that God will always bless my little prayer child’s prayers as it comes from her heart. She’s an inspiration to me and has given me a new lease on praying!

Be Blessed in this Christ-Season!!

The very special pearls…

2010-10-25T14:21:00.001+02:00

We had an interesting and uplifting message in church this past Sunday, both morning and evening, which made me think of this story that I had. The message is basically the same as what is told here, so here goes:

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please! , Mommy, please?" Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbour and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?" “Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you." “Then give me your pearls." "Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favourite." "That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?" “Daddy, you know I love you." “Then give me your pearls." "Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper." “That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. “What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, daddy; this is for you." With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.

Wow! The father had the real pearls all the time. He was just waiting for Jenny to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure. So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures. God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place. The preacher explained it so well on Sunday, using short to tall men as degrees of comparison... Every time God blesses us, the blessing will be bigger and better than the last blessing! Even though we feel most like crying when we get to the big blessings, it is so worth it to just break through… so we can receive God’s grace in our lives!

May you BE BLESSED this week!

Being a Christian…

2010-09-22T12:01:00.001+02:00

Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sate down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change…

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, ‘You’d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.’ Then he thought, ‘Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a ‘gift from God’ and keep quiet.’

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, ‘Here, you gave me too much change…’

The driver, with a smile, replied, ‘ Aren’t you the new preacher in town?’

'Yes' he replied.
'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.'

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself 'Christian.'

Watch your thoughts ; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits..
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder... :-)

Be Blessed!

My Prayer Tree

2010-08-27T11:10:00.001+02:00

I have a very special tree in my back yard that I call my “prayer tree”. According to my hubby Herman, it’s actually a weed and not a real tree, but I don’t care. (Don’t some of us start out as weeds and end up being seen as trees, anyway?) I love to get up earlier on summer mornings to hang up my

washing, so I can smell the sent of the wonderful, tiny little flowers that the tree has. The flowers has the effect of making me close my eyes and draw in their sent to the point where my head is rolled back and my face is turned toward the sky… which in turn makes me look at Heaven when I open my eyes again… so I begin to pray and thank God for everything in my life. This is a wonderful way to begin my mornings!

When I go to use the toilet, the open window lets the flowers’ wonderful smell waft in, calling me to come out and pray to say thank you for all the wonderful things in my life. I smile when I smell it; it makes me happy. I hate winter, mostly because it takes the joy of my prayer tree away from me and I have to struggle through the long, cold months to get to smell it again. But oh boy! The joy I feel when I get my first whiff of those little flowers! I know it sounds corny that something so stupid can mean so much to me, but the time I spend hanging up my washing, smelling those flowers and TALKING TO GOD means the world to me. It’s my personal little bit of alone time with my Father, spent surrounded by heavenly smells which I still insist He planted there years ago, knowing that it would someday become special to me.

So in the same mindset, my eldest daughter Chené brought me a flower from her day mother’s garden the other day. She explained to me that the flowers were them (Chené, little sister Mia and Herman), with me being the stem of the flower that keeps them all together… I FELT LIKE CRYING!!! What wisdom to come from my fluttering, couldn’t-care little 5 year old! It made me realise that in many households it is just like that – though the father is the head of the household, it’s the mother’s love and care and worry and prayers that keeps the family together! (I know my mother did all of that and we still consider her our rock.) But take away the stem and what happens to those flowers… sad… I felt so honoured (as I still do) that my daughter thought of me as the stem – I just hope that I will live up to her vision of me! I took a picture of the flower so I could tell you this story.

May you too find a prayer tree in life! And mommies – GO BE A STEM!!!

Be Blessed! C.

So, it’s my birthday…

2010-08-12T13:46:00.001+02:00

I always try to write a post for a dear friend on their birthdays, but today I am writing for me. Selfish, yes, but I’ve been a bit down this morning, well this whole past two weeks really, and writing cheers me up, so here goes:

It always rains on my birthday – either the day before, on the day or the day after. Yet not today… today it is 26 degrees Celsius outside and I’ve been wondering the whole morning what was going on. You see, I’ve always considered rain on my birthday as God’s way of blessing me (abundantly), just like the song “Holy spirit rain down”. So why not today? Did I do something wrong???

Then I was standing by the window just now, looking out at the beautiful day outside and it dawned on me – HE WAS BLESSING ME! As always, He knew what my spirit needed. I don’t need rain, cold and wet. I need SUNSHINE to brighten up my life, to shine on my face, to make me feel grateful that he cared enough about how I was doing to send me a beautiful day to bless and cheer me up on my birthday! Thank you Father, for looking out for your daughter!

And then to top it all off, I just got a call from hubby from the road, who played me the intro of our wedding song (Shania Twain’s From This Moment, but WITH the intro), which has the most beautiful words. I knew I felt like crying this morning, but at least I cried now for something sweet and beautiful and heartfelt! He’s such a sweetheart! He knew I was feeling a bit down too… sniff-sniff…

So, you see, it’s not my age that gets me down, though some things have started to SERIOUSLY go South! I don’t mind growing older as long as I enjoy every step of the way. It seems that since I hit my 30’s I stopped counting anyway. I have to go back to my birth year these days just to remember how old I am! I’m blessed in so many ways, I have a loving husband and two beautiful daughters who I adore. My frustrations are all life related and I’m hoping that this sunshiney day will be the beginning of new things, new beliefs, new traditions…

So as I am today – BE BLESSED!!! C.

YOU ARE A MOMMY WHEN......

2010-08-05T12:10:00.001+02:00

1. You trade in your little 3 door car for a mini-van.

2. Your assortment of CD's consist of Barney's greatest hits.

3. You can name all the Teletubby characters.

4. You believe that woman who had more than three babies deserve a Congressional Medal of Honour.

5. You put your good china in storage and bring out the Winnie the Pooh plate and cup set with matching place mats.

6. Instead of carpet your floor is covered in legos, toy cars, and play dough.

7. Yogurt and cookies are on your "necessities" list when going to the grocery store.

8. You have to pack a bag with diapers, toys, crayons, cookies, juice, and spare clothes just to go to the grocery store.

9. A full nights sleep is a distant memory, and a few minutes alone in the bathroom is something you fantasize about.

10. You can't make lunch without peanut butter, jam or chocolate spread…

AND FINALLY…

Have wonderful WOMEN’s day on Monday… have a good rest!

Be Blessed! C.

At My Worst You Found Me…

2010-07-09T12:18:00.001+02:00

Just a little something to inspire you:

I Am Learning Lord …

My life has taken many falls

And tumbles 'long the way.

The many trials have left me

In a sure state of dismay.

For with each trial, I tried alone

To tend, and soothe, and mend,

Instead of giving them to God -

And on Him just depend ....

But, I am learning, Lord…

It seems that I was determined

To carry all the load.

I longed for smoother pathways.

Yet, I walked a rocky road.

Little did I understand,

God waited patiently

To pave a new beginning

With a better life for me.

But, I am learning, Lord…

It took a real disaster

To bring me to my knees;

To finally call upon the Lord

And say, "God help me, please."

He can, with no delaying,

With strong arms that could hold -

The weight of all my burdens;

He gladly took the load.

And, I am learning, Lord…

What a needless cross I carried,

All because I could not see -

What a friend I have in Jesus,

And the love He has for me.

Peace I find when troubles hover,

Though' the outcome is unknown.

For if yet the road is rocky,

I won't walk it all alone.

For, I am learning, Lord
Author Unknown

Be Blessed! C.

A Father’s Day Poem

2010-06-18T13:03:00.001+02:00

Hi all… I found this little gem and wanted to share it with all the dads out there who mean so much to us… thank you for being our Dads, Granddads and Husbands – May you be richly blessed on Fathers Day! Enjoy…

WHAT MAKES A DAD: by anon

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle’s flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need.

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew his masterpiece was complete,

And so he called it .......... Dad.

Be Blessed… C.

Rules for driving in South Africa

2010-06-01T11:42:00.001+02:00

Since we are nearing the world cup... we should give tourists tips about travelling on our roads....

1. Never indicate - this will give away your next move. A real South African driver never uses them.

2. Under no circumstance should you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, this space will be filled by at least 2 taxis and a BMW, putting you in an even more dangerous situation.

3. The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance you have of getting hit.

4. Never, ever come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one expects it and it will only result in you being rear-ended.

5. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your
ABS kicks in, giving you a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to stretch your legs.

6. Never pass on the right when you can pass on the left. It's a good way to check if the people entering the highway are awake.

7. Speed limits are arbitrary figures, given only as a guideline. They are
especially not applicable in South Africa during rush hour. That's why it's called 'rush hour....'

8. Just because you're in the right lane and have no room to speed up or move over doesn't mean that a South African driver flashing his high beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot.

9. Always slow down and rubberneck when you see an accident or even someone changing a tyre. Never stop to help - you will be mugged.

10. Learn to swerve abruptly. South Africa is the home of the high-speed slalom driving thanks to the government, which puts holes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes and keeps them on their toes.

11. It is traditional to honk your horn at cars that don't move the instant the light turns green. This prevents storks from building nests on top of the traffic light and birds from making deposits on your car.

12. Remember that the goal of every South African driver is to get there first, by whatever means necessary.

13. On average, at least three cars can still go through an intersection after the light has turned red. It's people not adhering to this basic principle that causes the big traffic jams during rush hour.

Now guys go out there today and make South Africa proud!!!

Hahahaha! Be Blessed!

The Power Of Words Over Water

2010-05-13T11:17:00.001+02:00

Can water be affected by our words?

Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, believes so. And he has proof…

Dr. Emoto took water droplets, exposed them to various words, music, and environments, and froze them for three hours. He then examined the crystal formations under a dark field microscope. And he took photographs. The results were totally mind-blowing.
Here’s a photo of ordinary water without any prayer spoken over it. The molecular structure is in disarray.

The photo below is water after the prayer was said. It’s simply breathtaking. (I now have a great respect for praying before meals! More on this later.)

Dr. Emoto also exposed water to Heavy Metal music. Here’s how it looks like. Looks sad if you ask me.

Here’s water exposed to classical music and folk dance music. Looks much better, right?

Next, Dr. Emoto stuck a piece of paper with these words: “You make me sick. I will kill you.” Here’s how the frozen water droplets look like under the microscope…

Below is how water looked like with the words “Love” spoken over it. The difference is amazing.

This is Polluted water…

This is water from Lourdes, France. Utterly beautiful, right?

Wait A Minute—

Aren’t You Made Up Of Water?

Yes! 72% of your body is made up of water. Imagine how your words affect your own body. When you say, “I’m a failure,” or “I’m hopeless,” or “I won’t get well,” imagine how these words weaken your health. Make a choice to say the best words out there. Say often, “I’m wonderful,” and “I’m beautiful,” and “God has a great plan for my life!” It’s not only water…

Dr. Emoto also experimented with cooked rice. He placed one cup of cooked rice in two airtight jars. On one jar, he wrote, “I love you,” and on the other, “You fool.” Every day for 30 days, Dr. Emoto would say these words to each jar of rice. After 30 days, the “I love you” rice was still white. But the “You fool” rice was so rotten, it was black. How can you explain this?

Just as a side note: When I was a child, my mother taught me to pray before meals. Now I realize it wasn’t just a nice thing to do. When I pray over my meal, I know a material transformation takes place in the molecular level of the food that I pray for. I say, “Be blessed,” to the water and food on the table—and I expect it to be blessed.

I encourage you to speak words of Truth. Dethrone the lies in your mind. Say, “I’m beautiful.” Say, “I’m a wonderful person.” Say, “I have a great future.” Say, “I’m anointed. I’m strong. I’m blessed.” Use your words to create your desired reality. May your dreams come true!

Be Blessed!

Two Horses - Author Unknown

2010-05-05T14:46:00.001+02:00

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.

From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse.
But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing....
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him..

This alone is amazing.
If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell.
Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell.
It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends,
You'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse,
And that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk
To where the other horse is,
Trusting that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns
To the shelter of the barn each evening,
It stops occasionally and looks back,
Making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses,
God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect
Or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us and even brings others into our lives
To help us when we are in need..
Sometimes we are the blind horse
Being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way....
Good friends are like that...
You may not always see them, but you know they are always there.
And remember...

Everyone you meet is fighting
Some kind of battle.

Be Blessed…

My friend Val…

2010-04-26T13:27:00.001+02:00

I’m a little late with this one… as usual… but knowing Valerie, I’m sure she’ll forgive me!

You’ll remember in my friend Lee’s blog I told you that I had 3 very special ladies as friends, two of whom are godmothers to my daughters. This one is for my youngest Mia’s godmother Valerie on her (now passed) birthday…

To tell this story right, I have to tell you how we met. About 3 years ago I was still doing nails from home as a second income, when I got a call from a lady who made an appointment. She was very adamant that she was from Johannesburg and she KNEW how good acrylic nails should look and that I should not take any offence if she only comes once, because she won’t come back if she’s not happy. Now look, I’m a redhead… and very stubborn! So I told her I can guarantee her she’ll come back… Hahahaha! So she came, we chatted, we connected – and 3 years later we are still best of friends! Though she has moved on to someone else for her nails (due to Mia’s health I had to stop for a while) Val has been a welcome addition to my life, someone who really cares about me. She’s forever giving me things – like their old TV when mine passed away, a beautiful TV cabinet when she got a new one, a grand plate set (I’ve never owned something like that before!), beautiful jewellery for my birthday (and even once just because she felt like it!), etc etc. I’ve never been in the position to return the favour, so I gave her the one thing I had… godparent-ship to my daughter. During my pregnancy, she was there every step of the way. She only has one daughter and really wanted another child at that stage. Unfortunately it was her (wonderful) husband’s second marriage and he already had two other daughters, so he was “fixed”. My heart broke for her when she talked about longing for another child, and here I was pregnant. The more I got to know her and Alwyn (her hubby), I knew that I could never ask for better people to stand in as spiritual guiders for my baby girl. So Herman and I decided to ask them to become a part of our family, which they eagerly embraced.

They were there for her since her birth and every time we needed a babysitter for Mia – and she would come back thoroughly spoilt! She gave Mia her first haircut too (pictured here) as she used to be a hairdresser before Alwyn’s business took off and she became an allrounder – mom, wife, personal assistant, bookkeeper. Val is like me, we just cannot help ourselves when we see something really cute for Mia. Mia also took her first steps in their living-room (which made it really special!), to a loud applause from both sets of parents! When we go to church to meet them there, Mia always lands up on Alwyn’s lap, very content. She knows she’s loved with them, always.

Poor Val has had her ups and downs with family, I think perhaps in some cases more than most of us have. Yet I find that after she’s had a good cry about everything, she goes back to our Father, asking for guidance, before she lifts her head and looks the worlds squarely in the face again. She carries her troubles with grace, while making a success of her life. Valerie is a wonderful, warm, caring, creative, understanding, encouraging, faithful friend. She always dresses very smartly, looking so gorgeous that I feel like a washed up rag next to her – though that beauty definitely comes from within. We don’t get to see each other as much as we’d like to due to conflicting work schedules, but she always sends me an email or sms so see if I’m still around! I don’t even do that, bad Corné… As I’m writing this, I’m missing her terribly. She’s been someone I could talk to and spend quality time with since Elouize left and I hope that we’ll never loose our special bond.

So Val, I know I let you know your present would be late, but I didn’t plan on THIS LATE!! My darling friend, I love you. I hope that you will be in my life for a long, long time to come! Happy (belated) Birthday!!!

To all my pumpkin friends…

2010-04-26T12:12:00.001+02:00

A woman was asked by a co- worker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"

The co- worker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin." God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.

He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

This was passed on to me by another pumpkin. Now it's your turn to pass it to other pumpkins. I liked this enough to send it to all the pumpkins in my patch!!

Be Blessed!!!

My Fishies Had Their Birthdays!

2010-03-24T14:14:00.001+02:00

Weird title, I know – but since my husband Herman and daughter Mia-Mari both had their birthdays last week (17th and 19th), that makes them PISCES!!! Get it? Fishies…

Anyway… so it’s been a hectic time for me as usual, except now a little worse as Herman missed a step on a ladder at work and met the ground face to face. His right knee got the worst of it and he’s been off work since the 11th, which is really tough on me at the moment. Besides the fact that he’s not really able to do much but sit with the leg in the air (though he really does try to help me), I actually MISS the bugger at work! And I’m dead tired all the time from running around, double time. I swear, if I’m not 5kg’s lighter by the time he’s mobile again… ;-) He’s going back to the doctor on the 31st and we’re REALLY hoping no surgery will be necessary. He’s just VERY bored at home already…

So my baby girl turned 2 on the 19th… jeez where does the time go? She’s sooooo cute and soooooo talkative and soooooo in her “terrible two's with temper tantrums” stage, hahaha! Her poor sister Chené is constantly being yelled at in baby talk, if not hit on the head with a toy. Lucky for Mia, Chené so loves having a playmate, that she takes (most of) it in her stride. But every now and then I send sis off to her room to watch a DVD while keeping baby busy, just to try and keep Chené’s sanity! Mia’s godparents went away for the weekend, so we went around there on Thursday so they could give her her gift – a tricycle! She LOVED it! Now of course we just HAD to get Chené’s bike out of the garage (the break is broken) so that they could ride them! We had a little party for her at the day mother on the Friday where she got stuffed on sweets, talking all the time. She had a ball! A few prezzies there… but when we got home – oh boy! THERE was another big PRESENT on the cupboard – from Chené’s godparents! It was a doll that could cry and laugh (she loves that) and drink a bottle and sleep – all with the appropriate sounds and movement of the mouth. We got her a pram to go with it, so she was set.

Daddy’s birthday on the 17th was BAD to say the least. In between terrible pain, busy kids and a tired, overstressed (aka bitchy) wife, the poor thing was not happy! So I wowed via Facebook (haha) to make it up to him. Had a pizza delivered with a “I’m sorry!” note the next day, but we ended up going out for the evening as he was tired of being cooped up in the house. How is it possible that he could still be so sexy on crutches? Hahahaha! Had a nice ribs special, which left us with enough left over to take home, so we had ribs and leftover pizza on Friday! Not bad, in his books… Mommy also gave Daddy a stereo headset for his birthday, so he could now watch his movies and play games in style!

On Saturday we had some friends and family over for a braai for the fishies’ birthdays. That was really nice! Herman sat on a lounge chair outside and kept everyone entertained, while my dad did the braaing for us. LOVELY!! The weather played along great, so we were able to stay outside for quite a while while the kids played. We even had a very lively discussion on exactly how old he (and in a few months, I) actually was, since he had gotten it into his head that he was 34 and he was FEELING 34. Then we counted backwards to 1977 – hey no! He’s ONLY 33! Phew… Since there were 4 little girls (with Chené and Mia), they of course dressed up too – in the gorgeous Disney dresses Chené got from Elouize. Sorry, there WAS one little boy there – my sister’s beautiful baby Wian, who his auntie Corné grabbed every chance she got! He so tiny and still smells like baby, something I’m already missing now that my baby’s growing up. The little bugger just smiled as he was passed from arm to arm, from grandma to aunt to grandpa to uncle… I miss him already!

Oooooo, I’ll tell you about the goings on at Admin Aunties and LiBa Training (yes, new venture!) in the next blog. For now the most important – ELOUIZE IS COMING FOR A VISIT NEXT WEEK! As usual she’s seeing that I get some adventure in my life, so she’s flying me up to Johannesburg to meet her and the kids and fly back with them. It’s my first time on an aeroplane and the first time in Joburg! Whoopdido! Thought for a short while that hubby’s injury might mean that I couldn’t go anymore, but we made a plan! So now – WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR??!! :-)

Be Blessed my friends!

Something old, back to being something new!

2010-03-13T12:59:00.002+02:00

Sooooo, I finally decided it’s time to dust off my liquid and powders and start doing acrylic nails again! Jip, I’m putting an advert into our little community news thingy and hoping for the best.

Those of you who’ve know me for longer, will know that I was a nail tech at Dream Nails for about two years. It was a real change from being in admin, but I enjoyed it. The girls I worked with were really nice (except for the odd cat-fight, of course) and we had LOTS of fun while I learned about a whole new world. I was the oldest in the bunch, the (almost) motherly figure. I gave advice and they gave fashion tips. I gave the shoulder to cry on and they tried very hard to loosen me up! We did lots of fun promotions and nail art and had some real sweetheart clients. It was especially fun for me, as my sister is a hair stylist – imagine what we could do together! She liked using the girls I worked with as models for her competitions, while she got free nails out of the deal.

When the salon changed ownership (a sad day for me, though I’m still friends with the original owner Mandy), things just wasn’t the same. Mandy loved coming in on Saturdays (she had a day job!), cleaning up all around us, making coffee and chatting away with the clients. I guess with being the only female in a house full of men, this was her “girl time”. She was into fun and so were we. Then came Tracey – only about 3 or so years older than me and we just did not click. Partly because I had training in Human Resources (so I was clued up) and she couldn’t put her unjust new rules and regulations past me. I’m not one for pretentious people, so we were like oil and water. I don’t know who was more relieved when I had to resign when I fell pregnant with my first daughter – me or her! I still keep in touch with one of the girls Tanya, and of course Mandy.

ANYWAY, though I went back to admin, I’ve been doing nails as a second income off and on now for about 5 years. Since I don’t need a big client base, I get to do my clients when I want to… which helps if you’ve got 2 small children! My eldest Chené used to climb onto my clients’ laps to see what I did up close, not they ever complained. Now it’s little Mia doing it. I had to stop doing nails for a while after Mia was born, as it made her very sick. I realised the other day, after having done my first new set in two years, just how much I missed it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE doing nail art! I’m creative, so that’s a given, I guess.

Bottom line people – Corné’s Nail Corner is open for business! Tell your friends, shout it from the roof tops, hire a billboard, whatever – JUST GET ME CLIENTS! Hahaha!

Be Blessed!

A little bit of rambling...

2010-02-21T21:47:00.001+02:00

I'm late with this one... wrote it on Thursday already!!

So… what shall I chat about tonight? Let's see…

Hubby Herman and I started on a new diet this week. Well, not really that new… we did it or a week along with my sister Suzaan and her husband Willie last year. He lost quite a lot on the diet, so we tried it. After that week Herman swore NEVER again, but here we are! It's the famed soup diet. If not THE famed, then ONE OF the famed! It's soup and fruit, soup and veggies, soup and fruit and veggies, soup and bananas, soup and red meat and tomatoes…. Soup soup soup… which upsets poor Herman's stomach terribly! For a big, butch guy, he's got the stomach of a sissy… hahahahah! I swear he spends more time on the toilet than he does in front of the TV. BUT!! The pants I am wearing today feels a bit looser than it did last week… well flip! After 3 days of fruit and veggies only – I SHOULD BLOODY HOPE SO!!! The nights are the worst, because we're constantly opening the fridge to find something to eat, just to remind ourselves not to do it. Today was a bit better, because we decided to mix the days' eating patterns just a little bit and eat tomorrow's lunch meat for dinner, with a great big salad. We'll just do another salad for lunch tomorrow… Wow, it was GREAT! We don't eat a lot of red meat overall, just because we prefer white. Every now and then, though, there's nothing like a nice big piece of nicely braaied meat! Then even Herman doesn't mind the hunk of salad I make him eat! If we were rich, we'd do the "steak & salad" thing every night! I must say, after tonight I get the whole "S&S" thing… Elouize is also on it now – you go girl! We'll suffer through this together! I promised hubby we'll only do it for two weeks, then it's back to our old, but healthy lifestyle. I also realized that there is no need to do "boring" salads and vegetables. The better it looks on a plate, the nicer it is to eat! So watch me spice up those squashes! I'm not the world's best cook, but I can surely try!

Did I tell you I'm also involved in another new company called Distinctive Choice Training? They do training for heavy duty machinery like forklifts and overhead cranes, etc… ANYWAY… I handle their admin. February seems to have started with a bang for DCT as we've been getting more and more training! I am so excited about this. I desperately need to supplement my income and if they keep this up, I'll be visiting Dubai by the end of next year! Yeah!

My boss at Aluminium Build is a real sweet guy. His only daughter (he has 2 sons as well) got engaged end of last year and the wedding is on Saturday 20 Feb 2010. I told him in today that he was the calmest father of the bride I had EVER SEEN!! He just laughed and said that his wife and daughter had things so well in hand, that he just followed their (extensive) planning schedule. It seems my mother was not the ONLY mother who believed in bi-weekly wedding meetings!! Hahahaha! Poor thing… I hope he'll put the extra tissues in his pocket like I warned him to do. He asked me to check the weather on the internet on Monday – they had prayed that it would be a nice day. Guess what? It's going to be 36 degrees Celsius! Herman says they prayed a little too arduously! We are very happy for the soon-to-be newlyweds and hope that they will have a wonderful life together.

I had a call in this week from a guy (Jacques) who was interested in using Admin Aunties for his admin. Turns out he needed someone to be available during the day, which I currently am not. So with a heavy heart, because he sounded so nice and so disappointed when I couldn't help him, I referred him to some of the other VAs in Cape Town. I'm still checking in with him, as he's keeping me up to date with whether he has found someone yet. I found out his wife handled his admin, but she died a few months ago. OH BROTHER! Now I want to cry! The poor man… Since he and I both get our precooked meals from Sally Oosthuizen from www.slimmingmeals.com (he got my details from her newsletter), he feels like family! I've put another friend of mine on standby in case Jacques doesn't get the right person.

Every week I do the shopping for essentials for work and today was no different. As usual I also pop into one or two shops… shhhhhuuuuttttt!!!!!!!!!!!! The girls at PEP stores treat me like family already and I get shown all the best buys! Lay-buy – what a wonderful concept! So at one of the shops I popped into, there were the cutest little key rings which is made out of some kind of artificial hair/fur. With two little eyes glued into place and the way they were glued together, they look like little miniature Chihuahuas! So each of my girls got one… they were cheap. Now you have to hear Mia ask where she put her "wawa"… Chené already has hers in her handbag – Paris Hilton, watch out! Herman just smiles when I come home with little prezzies for the girls. He knows he can't take this bit of fun away from me and he's even worse than I am when he has money to burn!

So that's it for tonight. I HAVE to get some sleep. Not been doing a lot of that lately…

Be Blessed my friends!

Just a quick note... about a guy of note...

2010-02-06T21:28:00.010+02:00

Hi all

Just wanted to say a quick happy birthday to my friend Mike Heil. He's the other half of my dear friend Lee, who I wrote about earlier. Though I'm not spending so much time on birthday blogs for guys as I will for girls, I would like to say a few things about Mikey...

- He's a sweetie pie, though he tries to act tough.
- He's a funny guy, without trying too hard.
- He goes out of his way for his friends, which he has many of.
- He always makes time for a chat when I see him, no matter how much in a rush he is.
- He adores his wife and sons
- He's a good boss and great party host
- He makes REALLY good rotary chicken!
- He's part German, so that explains alot (wink-wink!)
- He LOVES his Audi!!! (German, figures...)
- He always writes a note in German on my Facebook wall on my birthday, which I then translate on the internet, and comment on. I think I'm a GENIOUS, while he just laughs at having made me go through the effort!! He's very sweet for taking the trouble to make it interesting...
- He'll make a great father-in-law to my 2 daughters some day (hahahaha! just HAD to throw that one in there!)

So Mikey, hubby and I adore you! We hope we always have you in our lives. May you have a blessed 2010, my friend! Enjoy your birthday!

To my darling BFF, on her birthday...

2010-02-04T00:02:00.011+02:00

I have a very difficult task ahead of me today. I have to put into words what a very special person in my life means to me. I'll try my best to tell you about Elouize (Botes) Stevens...

We met on the first day of Gr 1 (the old Sub A) - the tiny little black-haired girl and the loudmouth redhead. According to her (though I remember it the OTHER way around!), I came to her and asked "little girl, would you be my friend?". Obviously she agreed, because 25 years later we are still together, chatting every day!

Through Elouize and her wonderful family, who I consider to be my surrogate family, I experienced some of my most memorable times of my life. They took me along on trips where her brother Bernard rode in BMX competitions (we loved it!) and I remember we slept in their car one time because it was a two day event. Because of her father's connection to the air force, we went on a ride in a light aeroplane (and hit an air bubble and almost fell!). We went to visit her grandparents by the sea, where we picked up sea pumpkins and strung them together - I kept mine for years, until they became too brittle and I had to throw them away with a heavy heart. Once again because of her father Lukas (Loekie), we went for a two hour ride on the SAS Tafelberg, which had hunky sailors on board. Hey, we were 13/14 and noticing things like hunky sailors, ok? I was only sea sick (land sick?) when we came back, other than that it was an amazing experience.

Elouize invited me over for weekend stays regularly and we used to roller skate everywhere. She made chocolates in moulds and plaster of Paris in moulds, which we used to paint afterwards. She still does the chocolates in moulds - guess some things don't change! Her mother Belinda used to have her nails done every so often and I loved looking at them. They were long and beautiful and I specifically remember once that she had them painted with nail art in red and black, with gold stripes. This was definitely where my love affair with nails/nail art started! She also had Elouize's pitch black hair, sometimes with a blonde fringe! Elouize's parents have always been sweet and caring towards me, though uncle Loekie swore that I was the naughty one (What? No way!), while giving me a hug at a braai last year. I love them to bits! And as the story goes and you might have guessed, I wouldn't be her best friend if I didn't at SOME stage have a crush on her brother. which I did while he was riding the BMX's! So yes Bernard, if you're reading this, I smaaked u! Hahahaha! But these days I feel blessed to have another "big brother" in him and he treats me like he does her - with affection. Elouize and Bernard have an amazing relationship, though I'm sure they've had their share of tiffs!

I'll never forget the day our house in Brackenfell went onto auction. I still remember staring out the living room sliding door into the distance, with such a sadness and great loss in my heart. As I was staring, a funny little car came speeding along the road. As it came close, I saw that it was Elouize and Aunt Belinda in their beach buggy. She had worried about me and got her mother to bring her so she could see if I was ok. Wow! That meant the world to me that day! Soon after we moved to Parow and I was sure I would never see her again. I cried more for the loss of my friend than for the loss of my previous life. We promised to write and call, but as things go, we both got caught up in our new lives in high school. We did keep in touch, though not as much as we promised. But that all changed the day I got my motorbike and was able to go visit her! Soon after, she got her license, so she came to visit me! We'd lost some of our closeness along the way, but neither one was willing to admit it.

And then suddenly, we'd grown up and started working, she as a legal secretary and I as a general secretary. We both loved to "lang-arm" dance, so we found a way for us to see each other regularly by going dancing and meeting at a dance hall in Brackenfell. And so we started to pick up the treads of our thinning friendship. Along the way we found that one of the girls I went to high-school with and sat with in home economics, was the sister of the guy she was dating - so I guess we always had something connecting us. We started getting together more regularly, emailed each other and made time for each other. And our friendship grew roots that are stronger now than they've ever been! At a stage in my life when I had lost a lot of weight, I went through boyfriends quite quickly. By this time, she had met her now hubby Dick (my teddybear!). One New Year's Eve she invited me and my then beau Herman, to come for a fish braai with them. We had a wonderful time and when we left, Herman said: "see you again soon". I later found out that she and Dick had said "yeah right" to that comment! Haha to them! Herman DID see them again... and again... and again, as he's now my wonderful hubby! It's still his favourite joke to tease them with. We have since had many get togethers as a group and the guys get along very well, which of course suits us girls just fine!

Just over two years ago she dropped a bomb on me - she, Dick and baby Skyela were moving to Dubai for 5 years. Dick is a highly qualified air traffic controller and very much in demand, so this was a wonderful opportunity for them. BUT WHAT ABOUT ME???? We had a "good-bye" dance, for old time's sake... and on all the photo's I'm crying! I was sure I'd loose her... Stupid me! Never heard of something called "modern technology"?? We set up email, then msn messenger and then - what a wonder! SKYPE!! Yeah! Now we seem to chat more than we did when they were here! Strange how these "anonymous" systems also allow us to reveal more of ourselves than we would face to face. So thank you, msn and Skype, for letting me get to know my wonderful best friend so much more! We've shared each other's daily woes through our keypads for more than two years now and I'm blessed to have her inside my computer screen, just a key stroke away. Of course, we do have the odd days when both of us are too busy (or away on holiday) to chat... and then we seem to have withdrawal symptoms! Then the outdated method (haha!) of smses keep us going. They do come for visits about once a year and Elouize made a special trip with Skyela last year August, in time for my eldest Chené's 5th birthday party, so that was really special. The Stevens' are scheduled for a visit again in April... we're counting the sleeps!

If you go back to my first blog, you will read the story of how she and I recently became the "Admin Aunties", our Virtual Assistant business. I could not have asked for a more professional, understanding partner! We seem to compliment each other perfectly. Each has their own strong points, so together we're quite a team! She is my best friend, my confidant and now also my business partner. She is godmother to my eldest daughter, who she spoils rotten, while not forgetting my youngest (or me!) in the process. She is caring and loving and full of advice. She always makes time to hear if I'm doing ok (I'm the emotional one, while she's the cool and collected one!). She's a minimalist, while I'm a gatherer. She's happy with just a few good pieces of quality in her house, which she moves around EVERY MONTH! She's actually very funny like that! She gives with an open hand and never expects anything in return. She surrounds herself with friends and family and is a wonderful mother to her (now) two children, Skyela and Zach and caring wife to Dick. I recently realized that her mother, her husband and I are all August babies, Leos. how weird is that? Oh and I MUST tell u - she has the tiniest feet, a size 3! I always tease her that I'm her friend because she's the only friend I have that is shorter than I am - and I'm relatively short. And after all these years, she still laughs at that stupid joke, bless her soul!

I love her so much for always being there and for sticking with me when I really needed her in those tough years, for giving me some of the best memories of my life and for allowing me to be a part of hers. I hope to be her friend till the day we die... and after. My dearest BFF - Happy Birthday! May God bless you as you have blessed me and mine. We love you very much!

I had a dream, a long time ago.

2010-02-02T11:20:00.001+02:00

Tonight is a very sad night for me. I heard through an old school friend that another old school friend I was looking for was on facebook, so I looked her up. And got a bit of a shock…

My friend’s name is Tamara (Thelander) Carr and at high school in Parow we played in the band together (band geek, me!). We loved it and had lots of fun, especially since we were the only 2 of our grade class to be in the band and therefore RULED when we were in Gr 12. We also did the school paper, the girls drill platoon (the only 2 Gr 11’s amongst the Gr 12’s), a high school writing course and high school drama together, as well as sang together in an a-capella group for our Miss Parow High 1995 pageant. Though we both had our own circle of friends, we had a connection. It was also this connection that made Tamara take on the WHOLE Gr12 class when they accused me of choosing the (old fashioned, but well thought out) song that they hated and that we had to sing to the school as a good-bye, just because I took music! She blasted all over them one break-time, after having called them all to the gymnasium for a meeting. She was the deputy head-girl, so she was used to leading, I guess… It was a pity I missed it though… I had a music lesson! My group of friends were quick to come running after the break to tell me what happened and I was so humbled by her standing up for me.

Even though Tamara and I did a dramatic piece together (that we had done with great success before) as our Gr 12 entry to the Eisteddfod, I never in a million years would have thought that this was something that she would consider as a career! She was smart and got high marks and went to study public relations (I think) after school. But here I sit, reading her profile on Facebook… and all I can think is that she’s living my dream! She moved to America in 2004 and pursued acting (especially stage) seriously, after having been on stage in South Africa. And I never even knew! I still thought she was a river guide and married…

I’ve always wanted to go study drama, ever since I was small and did Eisteddfod after Eisteddfod, school stage production after school stage production (mostly the lead, mind you!). I loved it! Every minute of rehearsal and learning lines and more rehearsal – it was in my blood! I couldn’t wait to finish school so that I could go study my dream. I wanted to eventually become a director, not of movies but of STAGE PRODUCTIONS! Oh the lights! The costumes! The make-up! The butterflies in your stomach as you’re about to go on stage… and then you go on and all is forgotten as you become your character for that hour or two. But sadly for me, it wasn’t to be… Some time during my last two years of primary school, my parents went bankrupt and I had to leave my friends and life in Brackenfell (which I loved so much) and moved to Parow. My mother is a teacher and thanks to her securing a post there, we were able to start building our lives from scratch again. So I made new, wonderful friends (though never forgetting the old ones) and packed my dream in a deep, dark corner of my heart. Money for study there wouldn’t be and I had to make peace with that.

As a substitute for study, I became involved with a Passion Play production the year after I had finished high school. Once again I loved it… I acted and sang in it the first year, but was asked soon after to become the Musical Director for the production, which I did for 6 years. It was wonderful to be involved in a production of that scale – everything I dreamed it could be. During this time however, I met and married my wonderful husband. We wanted to start a family and realised that we couldn’t do the production and the family, so we quit. Rather sad really… Not that I would change my life now in any way… well maybe a few things could be better... like my weight… ANYWAY… I now concentrate on my writing, as I don’t need a degree to tell people what is in my heart! I even wrote a few Christian plays that I would love to get the chance to direct. I just don’t know when or where this will happen, but I’m hoping I will get the chance! I’m rather proud of these plays and would love to see them on stage some day. I even have an idea for a book, hahaha… Whether it will ever get written is a whole other story…

Please excuse me if I sound a bit down and not my usual, perky self… It’s still hard for me to be reminded of this buried dream, especially because I KNOW I have the talent and I could have been great. But then again, right now I would be happy just to direct something small, just to still be a part of that dream. So, um, anybody out there looking for a great Christian play that comes with a director attached? Let me know! But until then, here’s hoping that Tamara at least gets a chance to become the star she dreams of being. She’s a wonderful person and I have high hopes for her! And I’ll be her number one fan…

Have a good weekend, my friends. Be Blessed!

Twas The Month After Christmas...

2010-01-26T14:39:00.001+02:00

Twas the month after Christmas and all through the house

Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste.

All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!

When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;

The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese

And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt

And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---

I said to myself, as I only can

"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,

Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished

Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.

I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,

I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---

But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.

Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

Author Unknown

Hahahahaha! Be Blessed!

Isaiah 65:24 Before they call, I will answer.

2010-01-22T12:29:00.002+02:00

Time to get a bit more serious…

This beautiful story was written by a doctor who worked in Central Africa

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in
spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature
baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty
keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity
to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities..

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with
treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for
such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She
came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle,
it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates).

'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West,
it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might
be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not
grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can,
and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts.
Your job is to keep the baby warm..'

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with
any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the
youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them
about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby
warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could
so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old
sister, crying because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual
blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed,
'Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as
the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And
while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little
girl so she'll know You really love her?'

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I
honestly say 'Amen'? I just did not believe that God could do this.
Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But
there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this
particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I
had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had
never, ever, received a parcel from home.
Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water
bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses'
training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front
door.. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the
porch was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I
could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.
Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We
folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly... Excitement was
mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large
cardboard box.

From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes
sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for
the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then
came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of
buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the..... could it really be?

I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water
bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly
believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying
out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!

'Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small,
beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this
dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves
her?'

'Of course,' I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my
former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's
prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of
the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months
before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring
it 'that afternoon'.

'Before they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah 65:24)

When you see this blog, say the prayer. That's all you have to do. No
strings attached. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but
a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another. This awesome
prayer takes less than a minute.

Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this blog. I ask You
to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace
and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence
to work through them.. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask
You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is
fear, reveal Your love and release to them Your courage. Bless their
finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends
to support and encourage them. Give each of them discernment to
recognize the evil forces around them and reveal to them the power
they have in You to defeat it. I ask You to do these things in Jesus'
name. Amen.

Be Blessed, my friends…

No man!

2010-01-22T10:10:00.002+02:00

Argh!!!! I am feeling sooooo irritated today… everything just ticks me off!! Do you ever get those days?

I overslept a bit, but was luckily woken by an sms from my bff Elouize (thanx!) who is in a timezone 2 hours ahead of me. In her world people were at work already… Then daddy just WOULD NOT get up! So, because he’s running behind schedule, the girls and I get “the grumpy bear” treatment. Now, I’m not the type of person to take this treatment if I didn’t DESERVE it, so I bite back! Baby Mia (who will be 2 in March) decides to cry about EVERYTHING, inbetween throwing temper tantrums, so we constantly have to calm her down while packing in lunches. While I’m desperately trying to get back on track, my eldest Chené brings her overshirt that she wears to paint at school, with a broken strap (she was supposed to bring it last night). Quickly I try to fix it, while daddy gets more agitated because we’re late and “wasting time”. Finally in the car, I realise I forgot my USB thingy at home… My whole LIFE is on that thing! I’m hopelessly lost without it… It has a bright red long cord attached to it, especially so that I can see it where ever it might be hiding (because I misplace it constantly!). I was sure I put it in my handbag last night! So now I’m a bit peeved at myself because I wrote a blog last night that I wanted to place today. Now I’ll have to remember to do it again… and you know how I am at remembering things!

Then we go to drop of Chené at school. All is fine until we get to the class. I chat to the teacher quickly and then realise that she slipped past me into the class… no bye mom… no kiss… I feel so rejected! So I walk back to the car, feeling rather sorry for myself. On the way I find that my shoes hurt me – another argh! moment. So that ticks me off as well… Back in the car hubby puts on the radio loud and it just grinds me, but I leave it because I know it’s just me being silly. Drop of Mia at daycare, then off to work. When I get there, I kick off my shoes. Aaaa, relief… Luckily work is a jeans type of environment and the guys regularly see me barefoot.

So then I check the emails and I just get one after the other with stories that make me cry! I actually want to place one here… NO MAN!! Stop this now! I need to focus on work! So, with the relief of writing this blog, I am hoping that I will now relax and be able to do some filing (whoopdidooo) as today is Friday. I hope your day is better than mine so far and that you have a wonderful weekend! Be blessed.

SIRKULEER ASB AAN ALLE OUERS WAT JY KEN!

2010-01-20T08:53:00.004+02:00

To my english readers: If you are from SA, you will be able to read the Afrikaans. If not, please use the translate tool to read! This is a very important message to South African parents that I am adding "as is" to my blog!

Hoe nader aan die sokker-wedstryde hoe erger... Wees baie versigtig asseblief!!!!!
SIRKULEER ASB AAN ALLE OUERS WAT JY KEN!
Mammas en Pappas lees asb hierdie!

Hierdie is deel van eposse wat ek ontvang het en waarvan ek julle graag wil bewus maak.

Liewe Melaine
Ek het nie tyd om alles vir jou te verduidelik nie - ons is betrokke in Human Trafficking. Asb. 10 000 kinders word beplan en word reeds gesteel hiervoor. Stuur asb vir jou vriendinne om hulle kinders soos valke dop te hou - dogters EN seuns.
Liefde
Elzaan.
_______________________________
Hi julle,
Ek begin regtig bekommer raak hieroor. 2 Weke terug het het 'n man in Mr Price home my nie gesien staan nie en reguit na Emily geloop en aan haar gevat. Ek het hom gevra wat hy doen toe se hy sy is vir hom so mooi en vat weer aan haar, ek het amper 'n beroerte gekry. In die laaste 2 weke het dit 2 keer met haar gebeur, verlede week weer toe sy saam met my ma in Pick 'n Pay was. Ek het ook gehoor dat hulle so aan hulle vat en met die ander hand iets inspuit wat hulle dadelik uitsit!
Lees hier onder, hierdie het regtig gebeur, ons kan glad nie ons kinders alleen los of ons oe van hulle afhou in die winkels nie!
Stuur vir almal aan sodat ons meer oplettend kan wees!
M
_____
Hannes se broer, Stephan het so 2maande terug binne FNB in Kempton Park gestaan toe hulle 'n dogtertjie van omtrent 3jr oud uit die bank uit gesteel
het. Hulle is verby AL die 'sekuriteit' en kameras uit die sentrum uit sonder dat enige iemand iets gesien of vermoed het. 2ure later was daar nog geen teken van die kind of enige iemand wat iets gesien het nie...
Dis regtig iets om oor bekommerd te wees!!!!!! ( Lee s hier onder, en dis nog baie nader aan die huis.)
Groete,
Nadia

------------------------
Ek was Vrydag middag (21/11) so net na 14:00 by die Lifestyle Sentrum in Centurion - waar die groot HyperMarket is. Ek het na die speelgoedwinkel(Toy
Zone) daar gegaan vir 'n geskenk vir my dogtertjie se maatjie wat die Saterdag verjaar het.
My seuntjie(2 jaar) en dogterjie(6 jaar) het agter in die winkel op een van daai Magnetiese skryfborde gestaan en teken. Ek het vorentoe geloop in die
winkel en iets anders gesien, daarna gekyk en toe my dogterjie geroep om ook te kom kyk. Ek het haar toe gevra watter een van die 2 vir 'n geskenk en sy het een gekies. Ek het toe na die betaalpunt geloop voor in die winkel en die present vir die dame gegee om op te lui.
Ek het vir my dogterjie gevra om solank vir haar boetie te gaan roep - sy het gehardloop en seker 'n minuut later terug gekom en gese sy kry hom nie.
Ek het toe in die winkel begin soek na hom en geroep, maar daar was geen teken van hom nie en hy het ook nie geantwoord nie.
Net toe het my dogtertjie my geroep dat hy daar voor by haar is. Ek het soontoe geloop en daar was hy by 2 polisiemanne. Hulle het vir my gese dat hulle hom bo in die sentrum by die Pick n Pay in die geselskap van twee swart mans gekry het en toe hulle gevra wie se kind is dit.

Die 2 mans het toe gese hulle weet nie hy het sommer net saam geloop. Die polisieman het toe my seuntjie opgetel en begin om by elke winkel te vra
terug tot by die speelgoed winkel. Dit alles het in 'n kwessie van 5 minute gebeur!
My dogterjie het my seuntjie gevra of hy self geloop het en hy het toe geantwoord dat een van die Ooms sy hand gevat het.
'n Ander vroutjie het my Maandag vertel dat hulle die naweek in Boksburg by 'n sentrum was en hulle het by die Woolworths ingegaan. Haar ma was saam en was moeg en het besluit om buite die winkel op 'n bankjie te gaan sit en wag. Die volgende oomblik sien haar ma 'n blanke man met een van die
dogtertjies(5 jaar oud) by die winkel uit geloop gekom. Haar ma het toe op hom geroep en gevra wat doen hy, waarop hy weg gehardloop het. Intussen het sy agtergekom haar een dogterjie is weg en die sekuriteit gevra om die deure toe te maak - maar die man was alreeds buite.

As dit nie was dat haar ma buite gesit het en wag nie - was hy weg met haar kind!!
Wees asseblief bewus daarvan dat ons kinders teikens is en hou jou kinders die heeltyd onder oe.

Happy Birthday Lee!

2010-01-12T19:51:00.008+02:00

I've been sitting here, wondering what to get my friend Lee for her birthday, when it dawned on me… I'm going to start a new trend! I'm really bad with birthday gifts, as I never know what to get the person and have a terrible time making my mind up about anything these days. So I decided to give the one thing I feel confident in giving… a little blog about the birthday person! Today it's Lee-Anne Heil's turn, so here goes…

I met Lee for the first time when I went to her office to collect something for my boss. I work for an aluminium company and Lee's company (she and hubby Mike are the owners, but only after Lee worked her way up to the top!) are one of our suppliers. That first morning I mistakenly took her for the receptionist (ha-ha) since she was in the front office and was a bit peeved because our order wasn't ready for me to collect. To my surprise another lady walked in, who turned out to be the receptionist, and was shown on her mistake by dear Lee who had, with the swift efficiency I got to know from her, sorted me out. I felt rather stupid when I found out she was actually the BOSS… um… ja well… So I phoned her to apologize and we ended up chatting. The next time I went round there, we just connected. It was amazing… I spent 20 minutes in her office, talking as if we'd known each other forever. I have been working for Aluminium Build for 4 years now and that's about how long Lee and Mike have been in our lives. Her two boys are each just older than my two girls, so that works out well too… (this is me with a twinkle in my eye and plans in my head, wink-wink!).

So now let me tell you about the lady… She's one tough cookie, firmly standing her ground in a man's world and working very hard at a future for her and her family. And yet somehow, she still finds time to throw amazing birthday parties for her sons, invite friends over to dinner, care for everyone around her and always has time to give advice to mixed-up friends like me. I have found her to be a friend and confidant of exceptional nature. I only have 3 friends that I have had such an instant connection with – two of them are godparents to my daughters and if I had another one, you can be sure that Lee would get that one!

Though she tries not to show it, I know that she suffered a tremendous loss with the death of her brother a while back due to cancer (I had the privilege to meet him before he passed). She told me once that she was not a very spiritual person (I'm a firm believer), but I told her that she had more faith than she realized. I have seen how she has grown over the past two years and I have found her advice to be rooted in something bigger than herself. Lee is a person who loves to give to others, who frets over her two boys as any mother does, who believes in offering the customers of Alberg Aluminium (her company) the best at all times, who looks so "office like" one day and the next she transforms into a biker chick for the most amazing pics she has taken as a gift to her hubby.

I am taking a page out of her book this year and will be doing more daring and wonderful things, things that will make me enjoy life the way she does. I truly believe that this woman was sent over my path when I really needed her and I am blessed to have her in my life. So from me and my family – Happy birthday Lee! We love you…

I'm back!

2010-01-12T16:46:00.003+02:00

Hi all!

It's official... tomorrow is back to work and back to school and back to reality day! So, here's wishing you a wonderful 2010, full of blessings - both financially and spiritually. I'm back on my weekly (hopefully more!) blogging post as of today, so watch this space!

Be blessed! C

I knew it!

2009-12-09T14:19:00.006+02:00

Reindeer's Story at Christmas

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.

Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.

We should have known...

ONLY women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost!!!

Hahahaha! Be blessed! C.

You Gave Me A Mountain

2009-12-02T08:48:00.010+02:00

This is really a great story – enjoy!

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.

"Great", she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry." She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there. She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You." I think it would do all of us some good to say, "God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will."

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him... I can do all things through GOD who strengthens me.

Be blessed! C.

Why Women are So Special..

2009-11-24T10:40:00.002+02:00

This crossed my inbox recently and it was so spot-on that I just have to share it with you! Enjoy!

Why Women Are So Special.
Mum and Dad were watching TV when Mum said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed." She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.

She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry. She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the excursion and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair. She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her bag.

Mum then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night Solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails. Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed." "I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and radios, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed." And he did...without another thought.

Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer...? 'CAUSE THEY ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL......... (and they can't die sooner, they still have things to do!!!!)

BE BLESSED! C.

My princess is growing up...

2009-11-20T09:42:00.005+02:00

Have you ever had one of those dreams where, somewhere during the dream, you have to go to the toilet but nothing comes out no matter how hard you try? Then you wake up and you realise that your bladder is so full it wants to pop, but you didn’t WET THE BED!! And you go the toilet to do the necessary, smiling at the fact that our bodies are amazing in that it knew how to wake us up to get us to go to the loo… I get those a couple of times a year…

I’ve been struggeling to get my 5 year old daughter Chené off her night nappy. I know, I know… FIVE?? Somehow she won the powerstruggle and I just gave up, hoping that someday things would change. Recently she went to go sleep over at a friend’s house, where Auntie Debbie told her she was a big girl now and she mustn’t wear nappies anymore!! She came home, promptly informed us that Auntie Debbie said this and Auntie Debbie said that, so she’s going to stop wearing the nappies. My jaw dropped to the floor… How long had I been telling her this SAME thing? How long? So, I asked daddy to take the 10H30 pm toilet run, which he has been doing for more than a week. So far it’s going VERY well… I’m so proud of my little princess. I see Debbie at the daycare every day, so she gets a running commentary of how Chené’s doing. I laugh at this because Debbie knows my struggles with the nappy thing and she obviously saw a gap of how she could help. I cannot thank her enough! This is such a big thing in our household, you have no idea!

Last night I went to the information evening for Chené’s Gr R class next year. I sat there listening to all they did and the rules and regulations – and I felt like crying. Mostly because I know how much my child hates rules and structure. She’s like a butterfly, spreading love wherever she goes. Her imagination is amazing and she’s so good with her little sister. I really don’t like having to send her to school. To make things worse, they start at 7H45 – are they crazy? That’s the time we’re still running around like chickens without heads, trying to get the kids packed up, grab our things and get in the car! So daddy got a stern talking to last night about how he CANNOT sleep late anymore. Once he finally gets up, he’s ready in 5 mins, but the girls take a bit longer - which usually makes us late. In winter I fight with them EVERY day to get them to get up… I get up at 6h15.

So, I’ve decided to not think about it any more and to rather concentrate on our holiday coming up and on decorating the new school bags Chené got for use next year (they encourage this). I was thinking of something with a princess or a balarina theme… any ideas guys? I’m a VERY creative person, but a bad decision maker! HELP PLEASE!! Anyway, hope you all have a wonderful weekend. The sun is shining in Cape Town! Be blessed!

Conversations with God - Beware of this book!!

2009-11-18T10:19:00.003+02:00

I received this on email today and I would like to share it with you. I am a believer, so I feel I have to share this with as many people as possible. This is not the first message that I got about this book...

BEWARE!!

If you have children or grandchildren, work with children at church, or you have neighborhood children whose parents you know, please take note of the information below and pass it along to others. Schools are distributing this Book to children through the Scholastic Book Club.

The name of the book is Conversations with God. James Dobson talked about this book twice this week. It is devastating. Parents, churches and Christian schools need to be aware of it. Please pass this information on to Church/e-mail addresses, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, friends.

Please pay special attention not only to what your kids watch on TV, in movie theaters, on the Internet, and the music they listen to, but also be alert regarding the books they read.

Two particular books are Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens, written by Neale D. Walsch. They sound harmless enough by their titles alone. The books have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks and they make truth of the statement "Don't judge a book by its cover or title."

The author purports to answer various questions asked by kids using the "voice of God". However, the "answers" that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God. For instance (and I paraphrase), when a girl asks the question "Why am I a lesbian?", his answer is that she was 'born that way' because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed, with brown eyes, etc.). Then he tells her to go out and "celebrate" her differences.

Another girl poses the question "I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?" His reply is "Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong."

Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin. His reply "I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is "'judge not lest ye be judged."

Not only are these books the false doctrine of the devil, but in some instances quote (in error) the Word of God.

And the list goes on. These books (and others like it) are being sold to schoolchildren through (The Scholastic Book Club) and we need to be aware of what is being fed to our children.

The children of our nation (America) are under attack. So I pray that you be sober and vigilant about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to worldly mediums, because our adversary, the devil, roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We know that lions usually hunt for the slowest, weakest and YOUNGEST of its prey.

Pass this on to every Believer you know.. I just did! Be blessed! C.

Extra income... I hope!

2009-11-10T10:09:00.003+02:00

Have you ever done a monkey puzzle at school? You know, those ones with the multiple answers? I used to LOVE those… Half the time my answer was wrong, but I still liked the guessing game. Now I’m all grown and I’ve found a new type of monkey puzzle called SURVEYS!! Oh what joy! They arrive in my inbox, inviting me to take a few minutes to complete them. Then I click on the link… and the fun begins! People are actually asking for my opinions! And I’m getting paid for it! Wow! I like this!

Living in South Africa, there’s not a lot of paid surveys available to us, due to the fact that the South African Revenue Service won’t let us get paid via Pay Pal (they want their cut, you see). So you really have to do extensive research to get a survey that’s available to us. I’ve joined Survey Savvy, Surveyhead, American Consumer Opinion and the best one so far - Global Test Market. But yesterday I came across an advert for a, wait for it… SOUTH AFRICAN survey site!! YES!!! Jackpot!! So, I’ve joined and invited all my friends to sign up and join the money making fun. This could be a way to pay for a night or two out each month… at least they pay good money and in RANDS!!

So, if you feel like joining me, please click on this link and sign up today!

http://www.surveybasket.co.za/join.php?uid=611821

I’ll keep you posted on how I’m doing with this venture… And if you have any other (legitimate) contacts like this, please leave me a comment!! Be well!

Blue Tuesday!

2009-11-03T11:43:00.004+02:00

I know I’m supposed to update this blog regularly, but honestly! I JUST CAN’T FIND THE TIME! When did I become so busy? And at the end of the day, I look around me and ask – so what did you actually DO today? I’m busy with a little bit of everything it seems, with nothing coming to conclusion. I feel a bit frustrated with myself, because I fiddle and fiddle and nothing is in place! So why am I tired at the end of the day? It doesn’t help if your day started out like mine did…

First I was upset with hubby for wearing one of only TWO decent shorts he has left to work. He’s a foreman at an aluminium company, so obviously everything gets dirty and torn… I sit more nights with mending to be done, than I get to do my blog! So you’ll excuse me if I get a bit hot under the collar when he wears the NEW shorts… And what’s his reaction? He just shrugs… SHRUGS!!! I tell you… Then I drop the kids at the day mother where 18 month old Mia promptly decides to start crying so that I won’t leave her. She doesn’t really do this kind of thing, so now I’m a typical mother and I’m starting to worry. She had a runny tummy yesterday which cleared up after some meds and no fever to speak of since, but what if…? Oh stop it Corne!

Then I drive to work and I sneeze so much in the car that my eyes start to water and I can’t do my make-up. Sigh… So I get to work all ghost-faced, to walk into an office that is buzzing with activity as my boss tries to get everyone out to sites on time. Of COURSE there will be something that I missed yesterday (that I was supposed to inform him of), so I feel bad about that and try to sort it out. Then, as soon as he leaves for a site meeting, it starts… One after the other THEY come pest me! The guys who work in the warehouse, that is. It seems they wait until I’m settling in, getting a nice rhythm to my work – and then they strike! They need this, I must do that for them, they want to use the phone, and of course… the loans. It frustrates the heck out of me that my petty cash (i.e. the money we keep for office use / emergencies) is used for loans for the guys. By Wednesday each week, I’ve got nothing left. So I’m a bit miffed at this day so far… Hopefully it will get better. Picking up the girls for ballet at about 2 and helping at my mom’s school concert tonight and tomorrow night. Looking forward to it, actually. This will be her last concert as she is (finally!) retiring. Now we just have to find her something to keep her occupied in her retirement, because she’s got more go left in her than I do! Any ideas, anyone?

In-between all of this I’m desperately trying to get the virtual assistant business off the ground… but it’s a SLOW process and some days I just feel like dropping the whole thing. The trouble is… I really think this is perfect for me! Please hold thumbs for me… and tell all your friends! Have a lovely week and be blessed!

Blogs & grey hair...

2009-10-22T10:14:00.004+02:00

My mind has been racing with things to put on the blog, but everytime I sit down to write, I seem to forget what they were! And then I think of that farmer in the Barnyard movie, when he says that his wife’s mind is gooooooone! That’s how I feel! I keep on having to back track, just to go find my train of thought again! Have you ever done that? You know, retracing your steps, talking to yourself: “I was here, then I went to get that, then I packed that away, then I…. oh YES! THAT’s what I wanted to do!” Terrible, I tell you, terrible! And I’m still relatively young! My mother is only getting to that stage NOW. How did I get the bug so early? And when your’e busy with something, and someone interrupts you… try getting back on track after that! My hubby jokes that I’m getting old, but I think I work too hard! You should see how grey I am…

Speaking of grey… My sister is a hairdresser, actually she teaches other people how to be a hairdresser – excuse me, STYLIST. You would think that this would mean that I look fabulous all the time… but sadly no. The poor thing is pregnant with her second child, and it’s murder to try and find a spot to get in for a colour with her with her busy program. So, being the hands on person I am, I went and bought a cheap hair colour to tie me over untill she could fit me in again. I was REALLY grey and felt very selfconsious when I dealth with clients, so I just had to do something! Last Saturday I took the big leap and did my own “touchup” on the grey with this unknown colour. Although I have done a full hair colour a few times before, I’ve never tried to only do the grey part. And… it didn’t come out half bad! Must be in the jeans! It’s a bit RED, but otherwise I’m very pleased with myself! This way at least I can help myself until I can get an appointment with my Personal Stylist!

The sun is shining today – just makes me feel alive! Be blessed everyone!

Yes, I'm fat...

2009-10-12T12:22:00.002+02:00

I've been fat my whole life, well actually only since my parents lost everything when I was about 12 and I started eating to compensate for being uprooted to a new home, friends, etc. My mother and sister are both beautiful and thin, so people noticed them. I however have been blessed with a warm personality and wonderful thick red hear, so people REMEMBER me! And not for my weight! I recently found a whole lot of my old high school friends on facebook and was surprised about how many of the "skinny" ones got big after having children. So I'm not alone! And most don't remember my sister, only me because of my hair.

I have a wonderful husband who never says I am fat, as he eats right along side me! We LOVE food, the texture, the tastes - so my eating to feel better has gone over into an honest enjoyment of food, especially since hubby is a great cook. Now my mother and sister are still beautiful and I'm still the fat one, but I've learned to accept myself and try just to control it. Loosing weight is a major battle for me - just trying to not pick up more is easier.

My eldest daughter is slim and tall, and instead of telling her "you'll get fat if you eat so much" (like my mother told me, thereby speaking the condemnation into my life), I tell her that she should be active and try her best not to be fat like us. She loves fresh fruit and vegetables (as I do) so I give this instead of sweets. And I try to teach her moderation, a word I learned too late. My second daughter is a bit chubby, but then she's only 18 months old! We're trying to get her to be as active as her sister and to only speak positives into their lives. Hopefully this overweight thing stops here!

I was always very obsessed with my weight (not being able to get any off) when I was living at home. Since marrying my husband (who I met when I'd FINALLY dropped about 10kg's), I've been more focussed on the things he loves about me. He compliments me on tiny things and has a good eye for clothes to flatter my (big) body. Who wouldn't want someone like that in their lives?? Strangely enough, we were sitting last night, discussing the fact that we REALLY should do something about our respective weights, as we seem to just have GAINED again this winter. Come on summer, I need fruit and water!

So, my point is this: Surround yourself with people who love you and see the REAL you, and the rest will follow. And teach you children what you know now about weight gain! And the next time someone makes a weight comment to you or yours, please direct them to the nearest hairdresser so they can fix their shabby hair!

Where'd the sun go??

2009-10-10T23:32:00.000+02:00

So, we set up the swimming pool up today (it’s deflatable) in the hope that summer will catch the hint and decide to return to Cape Town! The weather has been SO weird lately! Last weekend – summer, during the week – winter, this weekend – summer, this coming week – winter again! How is a girl supposed to do her washing (and with 2 kids there’s LOTS!) if the sun won’t show? I have to check the weather in advance on the internet just to plan when to do the washing. And if it rains the whole week, you should see what our house looks like! If you have the sun where you are, please send a little sun our way!

Trying to understand this blog business...

2009-10-10T23:30:00.000+02:00

So, it’s been another day of work and life for me. I tried to write a blog about my hubby last night, but I seem to be doing something wrong. Every time, yes EVERY time, I finish the blog and click on post to blog, IT GOES POOF!! Gone… just gone…. ARGH NO!!!!! I saved every few lines, but it’s still gone! Ok, lesson well learned. Write it in Word first, then just copy and paste. And it was such a good blog! I’ll try to rewrite it again.

But for now I want to talk (type) about something else. I got a very disturbing email yesterday that called for action against child abuse. Now, as a mother of a 1 and 5 year old, this really UPSETS me! Especially because I had been molested as a child. I do however feel blessed to have a husband who would protect his daughters at any cost (more about him later!). We have a major problem in South Africa with child abuse and I wish we had more resources to tackle the problem. Every time I get an email with a tagline just MENTIONING child abuse, I have to delete it immediately, because if I read it first I end up sitting and crying for the better part of an hour. I pray for protection over my little ones every day and I will protect them with everything I have!! May God protect those poor children who don’t have caring parents to pray for their welfare. And here I sit bawling my eyes out again…

So I'm starting my own virtual business...

2009-10-07T11:42:00.001+02:00

I started my own virtual business... What was I thinking??? This is difficult!! Ok, let me take a few steps back and get you in the loop of the last few weeks in my life:

It all started when the company both my husband and I work for, was unable to give us our annual salary increases. Everything here has gone up, but now our income stayed the same. What now? I desperately needed to supplement our income, so I posted a message on a Yahoo group I belong to for any ideas people might have on a legitimate second income. The ideas came in - some requiring money (halloooo I don't HAVE any!), some marketing related, but one really caught my interest and so my journey began. Since I am an Office Manager by profession, I wanted something along this line to do in my spare (spare? with two kids? HA!) time. So I started researching about becoming a VA or Virtual Assistant. Now, if you're a newbie at cyberspace, like me, you'd be asking "what's a VA?" In short, it's an admin assistant (secretary) who works from a virtual office (home) assisting people with their admin needs (in between a day job, running a home, the kids and hubby!).

I took the advice I got and joined a Yahoo group called TAVASA (Transcriptionist and VAs of South Africa), a wonderful group of ladies who were eager to help with setting up my business, answered all my questions and gave me helpful tips. As you can see from the group's name, I live in South Africa, a beautiful country full of natural resources, sea, sun and friendly people, just like TAVASA. I feel blessed living here, despite the high crime rate, because I love the people here. Where else would you find people who are willing to help you without expecting anything in return? Though the rest of the world seems to be digitally more advanced in using VAs, I was surprised to see that SA was not far behind and was eager to join them!

My best friend Elouize currently lives in Dubai (her husband is very much in demand as an air traffic controller) and she's been listening to my worries about our finances for the past few months. When I told her about this new venture, her comment was "great! What can I do to help?" (she's a legal PA). S0, with friend in tow, I chose a name, got an email address, set up the web page, designed the letterhead, wrote the business plan, etc etc, all while working full day and running a home and the kids... and almost crashed! We were planning on going "live" by the 1st of October, 2009 and I was working around the clock. And then it happened...

Shortly before the 1st, I asked Elouize to check the website in order for us to iron out some last minute wrinkles. She accidentally typed the web address in wrong... and landed on a page where another lady was using the SAME name as us, doing the SAME work we wanted to do. OH! MY! WORD!

"So?" she asks me via MSN live chat. "What now?" What now? NOW I did crash! I wanted to cry, scream, throw things!! It took all my courage not to lock myself in a closet somewhere! Do you know how hard I worked?? How I struggled to get everything in place and done in time?? WHAT NOW?? NOW, I calmed back down (VERY upset with myself for NOT surfing the net to see if the name was in use for the same reason we wanted to use it, a lesson well learned) and asked her opinion. She suggested we start afresh: new name, new logo, new outlook on life. So we started brainstorming again. What name will we use? Luckily for us, her hubby Dick was home and eagerly gave suggestions via MSN. Effective VA (nope), Overflow Execs (maybe), Chaos Crusaders (hahahahaha!) and finally Admin Aunties (EUREKA!!!!). So, after BOTH of us having surfed the net to make SURE the name is not in use, we found a cute logo, changed all our documentation, redesigned the web site - all before finally going live on the 5th of October, 2009. Not bad, actually.

And then came e-marketing. I had no idea it would be so much work! I'm STILL not finished! I think we're only listed on about 10% of the known sites, and I still have to find the UNknown ones! My diary has too few lines to write in every day... and I seem to get my ideas right before I fall asleep. So, I now keep a pen next to my bed (the pad has been confiscated by my 1 year old) and wake up every morning with illegible scribblings on my hands of things I need to remember to do that day! In the meantime our website http://adminaunties.yolasite.com/ 's webcounter is very SLOWLY counting away, I'm checking our email every day, we're sending out e-mails to prospective clients, etc etc... Soon, I tell you, SOON we'll be getting more work than we can handle! Poor Elouize is saddled with a friend and partner that can think of nothing but the business, probably driving her (and my hubby) crazy with my nerves!

So, I've decided to start the blog as an exhaust for all my stresses and ups and downs! I hope to keep you updated on what's happening at Admin Aunties, as well as blog some titbits about my wonderful, funny hubby and our life together. My two little girls are busy enough for a whole SERIES of blogs! But mostly, I love to write and I'm eager to see if I can BLOG!!

Come visit me again soon! Be blessed!