Weekly Wrap-Up: Last Week of Holidays

The last week of holidays has been relaxing despite the fact that the older two have been rather sick. The weather has been really wintry and evenings have been spent around a cozy fire. Home cooked meals have been hearty and Keren has made us a few delicious puds. I am sure the kilos are piling on! I love the fact that she enjoys baking and cooking even when she is doing it for fun and not just for practicals that she has to do. 

Early in the week I enjoyed spending time at the church holiday club and observing all the fun going on there... I wished there was a holiday club for adults too! Keren had a slot where she had to teach the kids a bible verse. It was wonderful to see her enjoying teaching the little ones. 

She spent three days at a youth conference too so we saw very little of her this past week.

Zak and I had some fun with friends and enjoyed getting out to the botanical gardens to picnic and to see the dinosaur exhibition. 

Another day a friend treated us to lunch out at the seaside. Despite the cold, we enjoyed ice creams and a stroll along the beach front.

I sent all my recent knits to the Zoe project and have had fun knitting beanies for some of Keren's friends as well as this little beanie and booties for the newborn son of the the boy who was page boy at our wedding!

The holidays have been great and we are ready to face the third term...

Weekly Wrap-Up : Two Weeks into the Holidays

Holidays are in full swing and Keren and I have just returned from our mid week getaway. We had a wonderful time together and enjoyed and savored every moment. On Tuesday we headed out to Strand and had lunch at an old fashioned restaurant over looking the sea. They offered a three course meal at very reasonable prices and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Good old fashioned food!

The views out over the bay were magnificent. Just what we needed after all the pressure of exams and getting her file done for term 2.

We ambled along the beachfront before driving to my aunt and uncle just outside Stellenbosch.

 We were welcomed with tea and enjoyed catching up before taking a walk around the estate with my uncle and his dog.

The estate is beautiful and peaceful and their home like a home from home. Familiar objects, pieces of furniture from my grandparents, beautiful quilts made by my aunt and giant comfy beds and delicious home cooked food made our visit perfect. We enjoyed a log fire and long conversations reminiscing about days gone by. We slept in and didn't want to leave those comfy warm beds but eventually did to enjoy a hearty home cooked breakfast made by my uncle.

We stopped off in Stellenbosch to visit Oom Samie se Winkel , a place I have often passed by but never ventured in.

 Everything you can imagine is found in this shop from old fashioned sweets to spices, vintage clothing and dolls, memorabilia from days gone by, books, trinkets and curios. Well worth a visit even if you are not buying but just browsing. Apparently bus loads of tourists stop by on their way through the village.

We drove through the village and out the other side to climb the Helshoogte pass to our destination, Clouds Estate. With great excitement we entered the estate and made our way to reception. It deserves a post of its own so that is all for now!

Besides this wonderful getaway, holidays have been filled with friends, sleepovers, sleep ins and lots of fun. A few girlfriends joined me for a movie night. I had the wonderful privilege of joining 194 others at the prison for a prayer walk. An unforgettable experience and I cannot wait for next month's prayer walk.

 Zak has been to the movies a couple of times and to a magic show where he attempted learning to spin a plate!

 He volunteered time at church helping to prep for the holiday club for a few hours.

 We have enjoyed sunny afternoon walks.

Keren besides completing her exams, finished her oil painting and handed it in for marking.

 She cooked endless dishes for consumer studies and we all enjoyed eating them!

 Josh bought himself a car!

Tonight the youth are having a stay awake at church.

 Its been full and fun and I am thankful we have another week off!

Weekly Wrap-Up: The Holiday One

Holidays...a wonderful week of relaxing and enjoying no deadlines or commitments. 

Easter Sunday lunch was spent with hubby, my sister, her hubby and my brother enjoying the best fresh fish and chips at one of my sister's favorite spots.

A walk along the seaside and dipping our toes in the ocean completed the perfect afternoon.

Monday brought tired and happy campers safely home from their amazing weekend away.

Keren was thrilled to discover that hubby had completed making her art table and had it set up in her room.

Holidays meant I had time to do some of the things I love.

 Italian tomato sauce and beetroot chutney were made. 

My friend and I worked on this beautiful mosaic table top.

I knitted my first pair of bed-socks! 

Something I have wanted to do for a long time but could never find the right pattern to use. 

The kids made the most of the week off ....

sleeping in, sleeping out at friends and generally having a good time.

 Keren had fun doing some modelling for her cousin's photography project.

Zak and his friend spent days hanging out.

Yesterday they enjoyed a trip to one of the township areas where they helped to put up a sign at a community center and had fun interacting with the kiddies at the center.

It has been a good week!

West Coast Wandering...

Recently hubby took a day off work and the two of us headed up the west coast. It was just what we both needed. Open road and no agenda.

It was San Parks week and the West Coast National Park had free entry for SA citizens. For the longest time I have wanted to visit there in flower season.

The lagoon stretched as far as the eye could see.

We spotted buck, zebra, ostriches, wildebeest and slow tortoises making their way across the park roads.

The colorful carpets of flowers were spectacular and we could see Table Mountain in the distance.

My favorite were the simple white flowers with purple around the centers.

We enjoyed lunch in park and made our way to Redelinghuys,

 seemingly in the middle of nowhere!

Our room was very quaint, decorated with flowers and most comfortable with an en suite bathroom with the softest white fluffy towels.

The mosquito net was not only pretty but much needed!

On Saturday morning we were shown by our host to our breakfast table on the main road in this one horse village. The locals passed by and stopped to chat as we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and coffee. 

It was delightful!

Later we drove through farm lands alongside a large vlei, teeming with bird life. Our destination, Elands Bay, a surfers paradise but also the tiniest village. We strolled along pristine deserted beaches and enjoyed lunch overlooking the ocean.

Back in Redelinghuys we drove around to look for the church.

 There is always an NG Kerk, no matter how small the village! 

We happened upon this delightful cottage with these murals.

In the early evening, a fire was lit and we enjoyed a braai with lots of fireside laughter and fun.

  

As it turned out, a colleague from twenty years back was also there with her family. 

We had a wonderful time catching up! 

On Sunday, hubby and I took a slow drive home . 

It was good to be back home with the kids after a wonderful time of rest and relaxation.

Weekly Wrap-Up: Last of the Holidays

It was our last week of holidays before term 3 starts. I can scarcely believe the 3 weeks have flown by so fast and feel like we could do with another one off.

The days all had an early start with Zak and Keren leaving just after 6 in the morning with hubby. They spent their days working at holiday club at the Constantia campus.

They got home late every day and were tired but happy. I missed them terribly and the days were long without them. I am grateful that we don't usually get up so early and grateful that we made the choice to home school so we can spend our days together. 

My week was less productive than I had hoped it to be but I sorted the office and did the necessary daily chores and rested lots. The rest was good. I suppose that is what holidays are about as term time is usually so very busy.

My dear friend and I went to the monthly Girlfriends Getaway at the movies but were really disappointed with the movie. We didn't stay and watch it, but rather walked out and enjoyed coffee and a waffle together. It was great to catch up. That will teach me to review the movie in future and not just trust that it is a good choice!

On Thursday evening another friend and I enjoyed a market research group where we were paid to give our opinions on fabric softeners. It was a fun group with a bunch of lovely ladies! Afterwards she and her son joined us for hubby's delicious homemade pizza. 

Friday was Mandela Day and my neighbor and I went to do our 67 minutes for Operation Smile at the mall. 

We each colored a doll which is then given to the children who are operated on. It was wonderful to give back to the community and there was a happy festive atmosphere. 

Late on Friday evening Zak and Keren came home exhausted from their week at holiday club and their evening at youth. Poor Zak woke in the middle of the night feeling really ill. The day has been spent sleeping on and off as we had a really disturbed night. I am hoping he will be better in the morning!

Keren has been enjoying her first bit of real holiday and has made the most of enjoying time with friends today.

Holiday happenings

The holidays got off to a busy start with many weekend activities for all the family members...

All 3 kids went to different year end celebrations;

hubby and I went to the funeral of the father of a dear friend;

J had his usual session teaching karate on Saturday morning

and

then taught a private lesson to a student too;

the older two had their 2nd animation workshop;

J was employed as a waiter at a party on Saturday evening;

baby M slept over on Saturday night;

my neighbours provided an awesome meal of lamb and corned beef,

which we cooked

and

ate together here!

My favourite was the wonderful evening we enjoyed at Little Streams with family and friends last night...

A picnic dinner was enjoyed in beautiful tranquil surroundings..

Churches of the Constantia Valley united for Christmas carols...

Company,

food,

surroundings

and

atmosphere just perfect and peaceful!

Today we needed to just be at home.

Both boys were not feeling great.

Mountains of laundry needed to be done.

I found apricots at a really good price last week.

The kids helped me prepare some home-made apricot jam today.

It brought back fond memories of making jam and chutney on the farm with my sister two years back at Christmas time.

We used a microwave recipe I found on-line.

It turned out just the way I like it!

Sweet, fruity and tart!

We caught up on some garden chores...

clearing the tomato plants that have given us a bountiful harvest already,

relocating some strawberry plants that did not seem too happy where they were,

composting and planting some more seeds in seed trays.

I was in the mood for pasta and so we had a late lunch, come early dinner,

with all good intentions of getting to tae bo tonight...

alas that did not happen as K and I lay down for a long afternoon nap

(it that not what holidays are for?)

and when I woke, I had a bit of a headache.

Instead we spent the evening relaxing,

me reading aloud and the younger two making these...

delightful magazine Christmas trees!

I got the idea from another home school mama's blog

and you can see the tutorial here

at

Mel's Mouthful on Mothering.

We just need to add the stars to the top!

Thank you Mel for this fun craft!

Holiday time...

Holidays call for a less pressurised time without the concerns of getting work done and being here or there at set times. We are loving the break.

Time to enjoy the freedom of lying in a little longer under the covers on these cold mornings. Time to enjoy catching up with friends.

Time to enjoy the benefits of free movies.

Time for Z to enjoy the gyms kids holiday club.

Time for K and I to enjoy a few pilates classes.

Time to enjoy hours reading together, and reminiscing about the holidays I had in that part of the world when I was growing up.

Time for a walk on the beach.

Time for little boys to enjoy the freedom of wide open spaces under the big blue sky.

Time for changes to be made....

Before

Our dining room table is one of our pieces of furniture that I love. Hubby chose it after we came back from Dar es Salaam in 2004. We had nothing then, no job, no home and 30 boxes with lego , school books , barbie and the likes. Most of our worldly possessions were left behind in East Africa. Just us, our 3 little kiddies and the fact that we knew we had made the right decision coming home. Anyway, now I am going off on a tangent....

Our dining room table has been in our " dining room", come room that gets filled with anything else we cant find a place for.... under piles of school books and anything else that has accumulated there! This holiday, we have made a change and I love it! The old dining room has now become the study, and where the computer and files piled up before, is now our new dining room.

After

Now I get to enjoy a piece of furniture I love , and we can enjoy eating there as a family without being surrounded by the piles of stuff that need a home... yeah that is part of my holiday plan to sort through all those things bit by bit!

Time to enjoy the kitchen....

......more time for enjoying making delicious treats to fill the ever hungry tummies! We had run out of sweet chilli sauce and thankfully my chillies just keep coming so I now have a stash of chilli jam in the cupboard to last for the next while.

I tried out a new recipe for cheese muffins and added some fresh rosemary.... simply delicious. At the same time, a batch of crunchies, some low gi muffins and a tasty vegetarian lasagne went into the oven.

Time to be creative.....

My sweet daughter gave me a beautiful invitation earlier in the week. I was invited to join her in a card making session. We both enjoy having fun being creative and so we lit a fire and enjoyed an afternoon of creativity together with some background music in the "new" dining room.

Time to enjoy our little nephew/ cousin....

(any time is fine for me as babies are my thing.... just gotta love them! )

My sweet nephew is two months old already! We had him here for a few hours while his mum and dad enjoyed some time out with friends. He is such a joy and so content. He dozed comfotably in my arms as I read to my children and when I put him down, he woke. He woke with the biggest smile on his sweet little face.

Next week my mum arrives to spend some time with us and to meet him for the first time!