The mess has begun!!!

Yesterday it all started with a bang! I thought they would just start measuring up but when we got home - only 5 hours after they started - we were shocked by how much they've done in such a short time!!! The entire yard is on it's head! Here are a couple of shots I took yesterday:
I will try to post a few of "work in progress" shots every couple of days. This way I hope to share the joy and pain that will inevitably accompany this process with all of you.

Above all the mess and with the chaos in my head trying to keep track of everything is still an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. Although we had to cut on some of the renovations because it all just became too expensive, I am busy building my dream home! I’ve always dreamt of living in an old house with high ceilings and wooden floors. A big house with lots of character and room for all of us to live and play in.

All of this is starting to become a reality right in front of my eyes. Although I know there lies a time filled with chaos and frustration (and probably a couple of tears and fights too) ahead for us, I am so excited and can’t wait for it all to be done!

I pray that God will bless this project for us and that it will all work out the way we planned. There are so many workers busy working there right now, I also pray that they will all work safe and won’t get injured in the process.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers – I will surely need it! :)

Insomnia

That's the one and only reason for this blog post - the first one in a week!

I feel totally overwhelmed by life at the moment! Too many things happening and so many things I want and need to do and it feels as if I don't get anything done at all - although I'm busy all the time. Anybody who knows this feeling? Between the kids and work and looking after the day to day things at our 2 houses there's just no time left to do any scrapping / gardening / decorating or even to properly organise my stuff at any of the 2 houses. It feels like we'll never get to a point were we can actually start building and renovating our Parys house either! We've changed the plans so many times now - I think we're back to were we started off (how many months ago did we start planning?)!

Amongst this "organised chaos" that is my life at the moment I know I'm busy loosing the most important thing - I'm loosing my spirituality. I'm so busy that I don't spend as much time with my Heavenly Daddy and this is making me a sad sad person! Yet - my God is still looking out for his lost little sheep! Our ever faithful God have not forgotten me - even though I make time for everything and everybody else. He still blesses me each and every day! I hardly even know where to start counting my blessings but here are a couple of things that I'm particularly grateful for at the moment:

• Both my boys went on a school camp this weekend. They're back safe and sound with lots of new memories and stories to tell.
• I feel so guilty for not spending more time with my mom! By the grace of God she is healthy and happy and keeping herself busy all the time. I love you mom! (mental note: I must tell her that I love her more often!)
• I've started my weight loss journey and I've lost 5 kilos so far. This is already making me feel better about myself. I have my cravings and appetite under control - without the help of any medication. I've really prayed about this and I know that God is helping me on this journey as well.

I just have to share this doodled inspiration (created by the talented Stephanie Ackerman) with you! Seriously - if you haven't done so already - go over to her blog and check out this lady!
This made me think of James 4:8 - "Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world."

And how wonderful this same scripture is described in The Message (James 4:7-10): "So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet. "

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You my dear Lord for your promise that you will never, ever forsake me! :) :) :)

Wow!!!!

What a weekend and what a day! I hardly know where to start telling you about it all!

I guess the beginning is always a good place to start.

The weekend was so much fun! We relaxed and chatted and ate and relaxed some more - and all of that surrounded by all the beauty that Mother Nature has to offer - right in the middle of the bushveld! The kids had a ball - swimming for the first time this summer. When the water in the swimming pool got too cold - they jumped into the jacuzzi! We really didn't want to leave on Sunday afternoon - only one thing made it worth our while to come back. Here's just a couple of the hundreds of photos I took.

Leon bought a new car last week - a Chevrolet Lumina - and we had to pick it up in Pretoria this morning. Although he's a little under the weather at the moment, Leon was as excited a boy about a brand new (and rather expensive!) toy! The kids didn't go to school and we took the day off from work today cause we all just had to go along to fetch our new car! Needless to say - I had to drive home from Pretoria to Sasolburg all by myself in my car cause they all wanted to get into the new car with Leon!

I have to admit that I am totally exhausted as I sit here typing this! All the excitement of the day really got to me and I can't wait to "hit the sack". I'm sure this insomniac is going to sleep like a baby tonight! :)

But before I sign off I want to say thank you to my Father in Heaven for blessing me with a life filled with blessings from all directions! Leon, my kids, my health, my home, and all the other little and not so little blessings! Thank you so much dear Lord! :)

Today I ...

* searched for missing keys for almost an hour!
* took a fun drive about with Leon and the kids in the beautiful beautiful area surrounding Parys! We had a picnic at a spot with an awesome view!
* took photos until my memory card was all filled up
* heard the breathtaking call of a fish eagle+
* gave a loaf of bread and all the left overs from our picnic to a homeless man
* hugged my kids at least a dozen times
* said goodbye to Leon who is away for 3 days (again!) - this time for work.

Here's a pic of the kids today - resting a while (they were always on the run!) and enjoying the view. I haven't done an entry in my gratuity journal for some time and today I want to say thank you for only one thing. This time it's a big thing - a really, really big thing. Thank you Lord for the wonderful privilege that I have to live in a country as beautiful as South Africa! Thank you for blessing me with not only one but FIVE senses to enjoy Your beautiful Creation! :) :) :) :)

Those little irritations in life!

We all have them - at least I hope I'm not the only one who have these little things that threaten to steal the joy out of my day. Well - in the early hours of this morning when I couldn't sleep anymore - I thought about some of those things and then all of a sudden, just as I was starting to feel depressed about it all, a light went on inside my head and I realised once again that behind each and every one of those irritations was a blessing!

1. My neighbours have an Alsatian dog. I'm sure if you have neighbours with an Alsatian dog I don't have to tell you that those dogs have the most irritating bark in the whole world. Don't get me wrong - I really, really, really love animals and I'm crazy about dogs - even Alsatians. I am however not so crazy about their non-stop barking, for no reason on earth, from 2 am to 6 am when I try to get my last bit of much needed sleep before I have to get up for work. As I lied in my bed getting more and more irritated by the minute I realised that the only reason why I have to listen to the barking is because I'm blessed with the wonderful gift of hearing! How dull life would be without it - no music, no sound of my kids laughter, no birds singing? I'd rather endure the dogs barking and enjoy all those other sounds than live in a silent world without barking dogs!

2. My house is a constant source of frustration. If it's not the geyser that doesn't want to heat up, it's the light fitting that falls out of the ceiling because the people who fixed the geyser stepped on it while they fixed the geyser. If it's not that it's the hinges on a closet door that breaks off and I don't have a clue how to fix it so the door stands on one side - always in the way and the closet is a gaping hole full of the kids' clothes sticking out of it. I have to get an electrician and a carpenter to come and fix these things - all in one week! Just 2 weeks ago it was a blocked drain ... and so it goes on and on! But you know what - I only have these "household" irritations because I'm blessed to have a beautiful home where I can live with my kids. A small price to pay for such a huge blessing!

3. My alarm clock - I just hate that thing! I seriously think that some day I'm going to throw it against the wall into a million pieces - I felt like doing so at least a million times. That's until I realise that hearing the alarm clock go off means that God has given me the gift of yet another day in which I can live, love, laugh. It also means that I'm blessed to have a job and kids to take care of and that's why I have to get up at 6 o'clock. It's a blessing to have a purpose in life!

4. My kids are at a stage where they are almost constantly fighting. They can get into each others hair about the silliest things! It's so frustrating and irritating for me to witness this constant fighting and yakking! The only thing that keeps me sane is the realisation that this is normal. They are normal! I would definitely not prefer them to be quiet, scared or sick kids who never fight. I know that they love each other dearly and that they're actually best friends. Thank you Lord for my healthy, normal forever bickering boys! :)

My Mom

I love my mom! She's 78 years old and despite all the hardship, disappointments and losses she had to endure in her lifetime - she is still one of the most positive people I know. She has taught me that if you hand over your problems too the Lord, you never have to worry - no matter what.

She lives in a retirement home and yesterday the home had a craft market where they could sell handmade stuff. Ever since they started organising this market day in March this year she was so excited about it and started knitting toys - dolls, teddys, etc. - to sell on the market. She also sewed real vintage aprons. I hoped and prayed that her stuff would actually sell on the day and she won't be disappointed. Me, my kids and my sister went to support her there yesterday and we had loads of fun. I tried to buy something from each one of the old ladies, so now I have a bunch of beaded jewelry, an embroidered tea net, second hand books, home made hand cream, gift bags and lots of other stuff I can't even think of right now. Great news is that my mom sold almost all her goodies! I praise the Good Lord for that cause there wasn't a whole lot of customers and most of them were from a very poor community.

Here's a photo of my mom with some of her goodies.

Marco adores his granny.

I'm so grateful to still have my mom and for the wonderful upbringing that I got from her. I know that a lot of blessings that I enjoy are because of her never ending prayers for her children.

I love you mom!

xo

Phew! What a week!

What a crazy, absolutely hectic week I had! I'm REALLY glad it's Friday!. I don't talk about it often but I do have a job - a full time job. I'm not crazy about my job - not anymore - which is sad cause I spend so much time there. I don't talk about my job a lot because I try to focus on the positives in my life and trust that the Lord will lead me on the right path at the right time.

Now, it's the start of the weekend for me and I'm happy and sad at the same time (if that's possible at all!) My sister is coming to visit me! Yay! I don't see her that often and I love her so much. Can't wait to see her this afternoon. :)

I'm sad cause I have to say goodbye to Leon for 12 full days! :( We'll have to test the whole "absence makes the heart grows fonder" concept - not that I think my heart can possibly grow any fonder!

I've been struggling with my eyes this week too. Probably too much computer work, too little sleep add winter dehydration and you get 2 eyes struggling to cope! I will therefore try not to work/play too much on the computer this weekend - just to give them a bit of rest.

Lastly I want to say my thank you's to the Dear Lord:
1. Even if I don't like going to work every day I am eternally grateful for my job! It's a good job with a good salary and there are positives that I don't always see but I know that this job has provided for me and my kids for the past years. Sorry for being such a spoilt brat most of the times Lord.
2. What a wonderful privilege it is to be able to see! The beauty of God's creation is just breathtaking and I am honoured to be able to experience it through the wonderful gift of vision. In preparation for Leon's course we've been spending a lot of time learning more about birds and wild animals and I realised once again that nature is a never ending treasure chest just waiting to be explored! Thank you Lord for my eyes - even if they're not perfect and I sometimes get frustrated - I can still see and for that I praise You!

I'll try to fit in Jessica's It's Real Life challenge this weekend - I see we're peeking into each others bedrooms this week - mmm! I just love my bedroom and would love to share it with you all! ... Uhm - I don't think that came out the right way! Well - I'd like to virtually share it with you! Does that sound better! :)

Today I'm thankful for ...

A good nights rest! I haven't been sleeping good at all this entire week. Last night I slept like a baby. I slept in until - uhm - I don't have a clue what time cause just now was the very first time that I had a look at the clock! I'm thankful for that too - I don't have to look at the clock today!

A beautiful, beautiful winters day! Clear sky, warm sun shining oh so brightly and the birds are having a ball in the garden - just as if they all want so praise the Lord for the beautiful day too! :)
Leon and I drew up the draft building plans for the extensions that we want to add to the house. How privileged we are to be able to plan and build our dream home!

That's all for now - I'm off to enjoy the wonderful gift of today!

May every person reading this thread be just as blessed as I am! :)

XO

Gratuity Journal

I decided to deliberately start blogging about things that I’m grateful for – sort of a gratuity journal as part of my blog. I have so many blessings and I can’t thank the Lord enough for them all. Sometimes I don’t appreciate all those blessings and by journaling them I hope to start really seeing all my blessings – big and small.

I’m so grateful that we’ve all adapted and everything turned out so good for all of us after the divorce.

I guess my life now is not that of a typical mommy – spending quality family time every weekend with the kids and doing things together. I had to adapt to not being with my kids every second weekend when they go to their dad. After 8 years I think we’re all used to this lifestyle and I actually enjoy my “alone” weekends just as much as my “kids weekends”. It gives me a little chance to do what I want and spending time with Leon without worrying about the kids. They enjoy spending time with their dad and we’re all happy to see each other on Sunday evenings.