My Prayer Child

  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…

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!

C.

Being a Christian…

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

 

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…

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......

 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…

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

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

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

 

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

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…

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…

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!

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!

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...

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...

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...

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!