June's Gifts

Thankful for good and perfect gifts from above...

2118) thankful for the plans He has for each of our precious three

2119) my oldest and his girlfriend cooking dinner for the family when hubby and I were not well

2120) girl cousins cleaning up the kitchen

2121) wonderful walk in the winter sunshine with my youngest and our dog

2122) hubby sharing his chocolates with me

2123) a touching message of heartfelt thanks

2124) our girl's wonderful marks for her mid year art exam

2125) thankful she was unharmed in the car accident she was in, and thankful for a kind passer by

2126) restorative rest

2127) perfect sunny winter weekend weather

2128) finger-licking ice cream pancakes shared with loved ones

2129) sounds of guinea fowl, geese and birdsong on a winter's day walk

2130) family chat group that keeps us connected and praying for one another

2131) thankful for Ann Voskamp's beautiful words

2132) time for another brisk walk on a perfect evening

2133) midweek girls evening out with my girl : good laughs, goody bags, foot massage and manicures, 

just what we both needed

2134) cozy pj day

2135) thankful that my two youngest were safe and unharmed in yet another car accident

2136) gift of my favorite chocolates as a peace offering

2137) His Word comforting my soul

2138) bumping into old friends

2139) thankful to be given something I would have had to buy

2140) time out with my girl again

2141) school holidays

Weekly Wrap-Up: The Exam Week

I don't think I have ever been this happy to see the end of a week. 

It's been a crazy week with Keren pushing through to complete her exams. Hours of study, me quizzing her and her writing  paper after paper. She has done well and has two more to write which she plans to get done over the weekend. 

I have also spent hours going through her assignments and portfolio of work for term 1 and 2. This will be couriered to the curriculum provider next week and needs to be completely ready with all work marked, recorded and signed off. Note to self...attend to this on a more regular basis next term and not all at once!

 I am really pleased with myself as I also managed to schedule all her term 3 work so she is good to go on the first day of term and I don't have to worry about it over the holidays.

 Holidays...yes....three weeks of school holidays! 

Zak had a great school week too and we continued our study of the Ancient Greeks. He enjoyed basketball practices and a basketball social evening at the coach's home. Hubby took him and one of the other team members along and they had a nachos dinner and watched basketball movies. 

I was thankful that Keren was willing to join me midweek for the girlfriends getaway evening at the movies.

I think she deserved the break and we had a wonderful time laughing together. We were spoiled with welcome drinks, foot massages, manicures and wonderful goody bags. The movie, "Blended" was a great laugh!

On Friday evening the kids enjoyed a great end of term social at youth, a Candy Crush party!

 Popcorn, candy floss, chilling and cool music.

 A great way to end a term of hard work!

Weekly Wrap-Up: The one with an art exhibition

The week seems to have flown by in a flash. A short week as Monday was a public holiday.
I had a lovely start to the week, breakfast out with my brother and my Dad. The kids took advantage of the public holiday too and treated hubby to a movie and milkshakes for Father's Day. 

The short school week went well with Zak making great progress and meeting all his daily goals. 

For history we have moved on to the Ancient Greeks which makes for interesting reading. We are reading The Story of the Greeks , some Greek Myths as well as Glaucia the Greek Slave, a tale of Athens in the first century, by Emma Leslie. Alongside the reading, we are doing a unit study by Brandenburg. It is an interactive web unit with almost limitless possibilities - multimedia, online books, documents, images and virtual tours. Right up Zak's alley!

Read aloud time is often spent under layers of blankets in my room, with mild winter sunshine streaming through the sliding door. Zak often draws while listening, below is one from this week.

On Thursday evening we visited the extra mural student's art exhibition at Frank Joubert. 

We don't always get to see what Zak is working on so it was great to see his work on display.

I can just imagine this frog hiding in my garden somewhere...

I love the colours in his sea painting...

His pen drawing of table Mountain is his favorite...

I know his duck took weeks to work on...

Keren has been studying for her mid year exams and she wrote the first this week. She also received the results of last weeks art theory exam and did exceptionally well. It's wonderful when all the hours put into an exam pay off with such fantastic results. Her term mark for her art practical was also brilliant.

She has been working on this sketch of her cousin over the last week and today she is at her Grandpa's studio painting this same picture. 

We were thrilled to receive our things back from the Clay Cafe this week.

I absolutely love Keren's hand-painted giant cup and plate. 

It took hours of patient work. 

We have decided we need to visit there soon for more fun.

My sushi platter turned out ok though it seems I rubbed a little of the paint off on one side.

Besides all the work and art, there was also time for a stroll in the sunshine with our boisterous dog...



The sun is shining beautifully today and I think it's time to get out for another walk...
How was your week?

June's Joyful Thanks

2083) log fires and pjs on cold days
2084) treated to lunch by my kind friend
2085) safe travels for my son
2086) delicious doughnuts made by my girl
2087) dinner and conversations with old friends we haven't seen in a while
2088) my sweet nephew spending the night with me
2089) kids all getting home safely on a rainy night
2090) Sunday chats with my sister
2091) restorative rest
2092) thankful that He sustains us
2093) blessed that we can pray together as a family
2094) fire side school while it storms outside
2095) long distance call from my Mum
2096) an exam that seemingly went well for my girl
2097) a relaxing facial and foot massage, wonderful treat at the end of a long week
2098) gift of a doggy bed and treats for our dog from my kind neighbor
2099) rain letting up so the mounds of washing can get dry
2100) wonderful evening with new friends, good food, great company and lots of laughs
2101) hubby making dinner
2102) beautiful message of His love and breaking of bread at this morning's service
2103) friends we can be real with
2104) teen cousins laughing, making memories and enjoying one another's company
2105) His saving grace over the last year
2106) thankful for my pressure cooker, a wedding gift from my aunt and uncle, served us well for 22 years
2107) wise counsel
2108) my comfy, warm bed on cold winter's nights
2109) dinner with my loved ones despite the power failure
2110) using my Mother's Day voucher, getting my hair done in time before my hairdresser is off for 6 weeks
2111) tasty curry cooked by and shared with friends
2112) winning a Woolies voucher
2113) good food bought with that voucher
2114) thankful for the great Dad my hubby is to our three
2115) thankful for my Dad and his gentle and wise ways
2116) time out with my Dad and brother sharing delicious breakfast together
2117) delightful sound of my 3 year old nephew's laughter

Weekly Wrap-Up: The One With Eyeballs and Brain Surgery

The week has flown by...

It's been jam packed with activities and the house has been a little like a railway station. 

Monday afternoon we had our little nephew here, Zak had a friend over on two different days as well as  Josh's girlfriend being here to study on days she is not writing exams. Hubby and Josh were both off sick and home on different days. The youth filled the kitchen on Wednesday evening and had fun making paper mache rocks as decor for the upcoming holiday club. 

Despite the railway station, we still managed a good school week.

 Zak and I have been reading The Tempest, scene by scene. I always like to read or listen to a simpler version of Shakespeare so the kids get a good idea of the story before diving into the real thing. We found a great audio version on Open Education Source which has more than 11 000 free audio books.

He had to do virtual deep brain stimulation surgery for science. It was great for him to see what his Grandpa does at work but we know for sure he will not be the next neurosurgeon in the family! 

He was feeling rather green when he had to "cut" the patient's head!

Go on, give it a bash and help the Dr cut, probe and drill her way to helping the 

patient with Parkinsons over at Edheads.

We moved on to study the eye and watched the dissection of a cow's eyeball. 

That's where I draw the line and much rather prefer watching it online than actually doing it ourselves at home. 

And today he brought some art home.

Keren's week was filled with goals that needed to be met and she finished off two subjects for the term. She did her first oral for Afrikaans which will count toward her term mark. She was excited that her exams arrived and we both look forward to getting them over and done with. 

For consumers, she made the most delicious choux pastry puffs....

filled with cream and topped with chocolate sauce.

 A tasty treat that was enjoyed by all!

Of course we watched the opening ceremony of the World Cup and tonight hubby (dressed in his Dutch supporter sweater and scarf) and I enjoyed the game between Holland and Spain while the kids were at youth. 

We look forward to a relaxing long weekend. 

Weekly Wrap-Up: A Wintery One!

This week has been really cold and wet. 

What a pleasure to be huddled up under blankets with a crackling fire, sipping warm drinks, reading good books, studying or learning new concepts. 

Zak had his technology class on Monday and learned to make a dove tail joint. 

Next month he will use this new skill for a project.

We continued learning about the central nervous system and found this cool brain hemisphere hat to review the lobes of the brain and their functions. 

We started and finished our history unit on the Maya. 

It was also time to grade his terms work and he was very chuffed with his A for math, B for English,

 and C for science. 

Much of Keren's week was taken up with studying for her mid year art history exam. I spent time questioning her and was really glad I didn't have to remember all that information! 

She knew her work well and believed that the exam went well yesterday.

 Her term practical was due in today as well as her visual diary, so it was art ,

art and more art...

I love this painting and can sit looking at it for ages hunting for all the birds hidden everywhere. 

The painting was inspired by the Russian fairy tale of The Snow Maiden.

I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend with no deadlines, 

perhaps keeping warm with a good book!

Slow Living Essentials Monthly 9 Link -Up: May 2014

May was a time of knuckling down and getting back into the rhythm of regular school weeks. Weekends were always looked forward to.

 As autumn faded, the weather was beautiful on some days, and others let us know that winter is certainly on its way. First fires were enjoyed and winter woollies kept us warm.

NOURISH:

 Nourishing, warm comfort food graced the table this month. Seafood paella made by hubby was enjoyed, goulash soup with lashings of sour cream, curried butternut soup, and a creamy cheesy broccoli and cauliflower soup....a definite winner!

The weather was warm enough for one or two braais and I made a delicious curried sweet potato side dish. A great low GI alternative to the usual potato salad.

My daughter made yeast bread and doughnuts for her consumer study practicals. Both were delicious and we look forward to more of her practicals.

PREPARE: 

With 6 varieties of chili growing my garden, I made a fiery hot sweet chili sauce using 500g of chilies. Tomatoes from the freezer were used for a chili and tomato jam and basil pesto with a hint of chili was made too. 

I made a batch of beetroot and apple chutney and the usual apple and oats bake was made for hubby's breakfast whenever the oven was on.

REDUCE:

Some poles that were lying about were used to make a simple trellis for my new granadilla vine.  

My daughter, youngest son and I cleared out clothing from our cupboards to donate to shack fire victims. 

I reduced the number of contacts on my email contact list and cleared out the inbox. So good to de-clutter even the seemingly small things.

GREEN: 

Just the usual home made compost and worm tea.

GROW: 

 I enjoyed visiting a local nursery as they had a sale. I bought some lavender for my front beds, bright yellow daisies, violas, gaura , marigolds, lettuce and some basil mint. 

The harvest has consisted mainly of baby tomatoes, chilies, granadillas, lemons, herbs and a few green peppers. My poor peas got eaten but I am hoping to sow more. Freesia bulbs went into the ground and dahlias were lifted. 

CREATE:

I finished off my mosaic projects.

 Knitting projects kept me busy...a slouch beanie for my niece, a red snood for my daughter and a scarf for my brother in law (modeled by my youngest).

A friend was delighted to receive this pretty blue snood as a birthday gift.

DISCOVER:

I have been reading a book by Dr Caroline Leaf. The book deals with one's thought life and how to detox the brain from toxic thought processes by changing your thinking. Scripture backs up neuroscience and it is an informative read with real tactics to detox the brain and thought life. 

ENHANCE: 

My little nephew has been spending Monday afternoons with us while his mum is at work. We treasure our time with this cute fellow. 

I have not been too diligent with my walking group as the weather is sometimes not in my favor but I managed a few sessions.

We enjoyed an International Food Fair in support of missionaries that our church helps to fund as they work with other nations.

ENJOY:

I enjoyed a wonderful over night getaway with my niece and my daughter. They spoiled me with a delicious dinner and girly time was great fun!

A girl friend and I enjoyed a night out at the movies and my daughter and I spent a great morning out at our church's woman's event. There was a guest speaker, tasty treats and a morning of creativity at the Clay Cafe. We look forward to receiving our items once they have been fired.

We have a new neighbor and there was a neighborhood meet and greet pizza evening.

Hubby and I have had a good time catching up with old friends over dinner. 

Wonderful to reflect on the month, thanks Christine.