So Many Of My Smiles Begin With You Layout

Yesterday afternoon while rearranging my craft space I came across two photos of Frans and Gerhard that were taken during a family photo-shoot a few years ago.

Looking at the photos made me smile and made me think… These two-so much JOY-so many memories-so many stories to tell-and it also made me think just how much they have grown.

We still cannot believe that they will be going to high school next year and as our friends so eagerly reminded us over the weekend, before we know it they will be going to university!

Today I wanted to share a layout I put together yesterday, where I used a bunch of things that have been sitting on my table.

Here’s a look at what I came up with:

My intention with this layout was to keep it simple.

Supplies

• KaiserCraft Scrap Yard Collection P1831 – Loft
• KaiserCraft Mix & Match Collection P1601 – Tiny Hearts
• Black & White Card Stock
• Multi Surface Chalk Ink – Midnight Black
• 3 x Black Brads for the win!

 

Weekend Adventures

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. – Audrey Hepburn

There have been many weekends were we had a specific agenda in place, things we had to do,or plans we had with friends or family but this weekend we decided to set everything else aside and do just about nothing.

Originally we were going to look after Frans’ parents on Sunday as his mom had a knee replacement a few weeks ago and his dad had an eye operation last week but somehow the plans changed which was totally ok as we just wanted to spend some time at home.

We simply took a break, talked a lot about questions we both have been having about who and what and how and where, you know future plans.  We watched movies, caught up on series, went for a swim, watered the garden and I had coffee with friends of mine on Sunday afternoon.

So yeah, we didn’t really do much and it was great.  Here are some of the photos I did take:

The boys on their way to the pool

Looking up!

Love this guy – Thankful for his kind heart

Fun in the pool

I took some time to photograph around our yard over the weekend, love the flowers that are growing and blooming right now

Geeps finally got a Venus Flytrap that he has been asking for, for months! His dad and I gave it to him on Friday after school as a surprise.  Wish I took a photo of his face, he was so happy.

Happy Monday!

Project Life 2016 | Title Page

I am very excited to start doing Project Life again in 2016.

This year though I am doing Project Life with a new perspective.  Keep it simple!  It really shouldn’t be time-consuming or take you hours to complete a weeks photos and stories.  Last year I spent a lot of time procrastinating when it came to Project Life, thinking maybe this paper would go better with that photo or maybe I journaled too much etc.  but I mean really, can any one ever journal too much?

This year I am not only going to improve my handwriting but love it.  I truly believe that handwriting holds vast sentimental value.  I treasure the ordinary scraps of handwriting I have from love ones to the point where I even have a framed recipe in my grandmothers handwriting in our kitchen.  It really is time to be open to loving my handwriting and to journaling more.  After all your handwriting is a little piece of you.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the weekend selecting photos that I will be using to complete Week 1, 2 and 3 of the year.  I’ll be sharing those with you here as I complete them.  Some weeks don’t have as much photos as others and that’s ok.  I have a reminder stuck to the wall in our study that says Focus on taking photos of stories that matter.

For my title page I’m following more or less the same format I have just about every year which includes family photos of us + photos of the boys and a selection of pattern paper :

I love the photo of us on the farm, such an awesome memory.

So happy to be continuing to tell the stories of our life.

5 Things Right Now

The boys went back to school this week after an amazing summer holiday.  To be honest it has been the smoothest new start to a school year that we have ever experienced.  It hasn’t always been this way.  There used to be tears (more me than them at times when they were younger) and frustrations but so far this year has been calm and happy.

The twins were relieved to be in the same class again this year.  As their holiday was coming to an end we mentioned that there might be a chance that they wouldn’t be in the same class and that it might be a good thing for them, but hey it worked out exactly as they wanted it to be.  So it’s all good.

The first thing Wian said after his first day was that it was an awesome day and that he thinks his teacher is amazing – which made me smile.

Here’s to an awesome school year for all our kids.

Within the space of two weeks our family expanded with two new furry members.  Leia a cocker spaniel and Chewy (which is short for Chewbacca) a playful and cuddly ginger cat.  Let me just say our lives will never be the same…

They are both very busy and when they woke us up for the fifth time just before four in the morning we realized its like having babies in the house all over again.   Leia and Chewy have been the most awesome addition to our family and I am happy and relieved to report that all of us have been getting more and more sleep, as the two of them are adjusting to their new home.

We have been spending a lot of time in the pool over the last few weeks.  There have been intense heat waves in South Africa and large parts of the country are experiencing devastating drought conditions.  We actually danced in the rain over the weekend.  So grateful that it has finally started to rain again.

I have been doing some serious day dreaming about mixed media art lately.  I can’t get enough of researching for new ideas, reading up on different techniques and different types of textures whenever I have time.  For the first time in a very long time I have actually started to paint and it has been so amazing.

My dream is to create art that tells stories.  Stories of truth, kindness and inspiration with the hope that others who have been wanting to start on this creative journey but haven’t for whatever reason would have the courage to try, start, finish, start again and really lean in to this creative journey.

My art mantra is “Create from the heart”

Over the last couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot about unfinished memory keeping projects.  There are so many and I feel so far behind but this year I am going to make it a priority to complete them and I am going to share the journey here on my blog.  Most of my unfinished projects are travel albums and between my Project Life, One Little Word and mix media art projects I am very excited to complete our Thailand, France and Netherlands adventures this year.

So looking forward to telling our stories!

Happy Friday

Hello 2016

Happy New Year

Happy New Dreams; Happy New Days; Happy New Desires; Happy New Ways; Happy New You!

Here’s to a year of HAPPINESS.  Not the kind we buy, the kind we hope for or the kind others enjoy but the kind of happiness that really makes us smile.

Embrace who you are.  Enjoy being silly.  Make time for adventures.  Be real.  Make memories.  Choose healthy.  Enjoy simple.  Make.  Create.  Read.  Explore and enjoy being YOU.

Happy 2016! from our family to yours.

It seems like only yesterday that we were counting the sleeps to our December family holiday; our friends wedding; my birthday; Christmas and New Year celebrations and here we are back into the swing of things 🙂

I hope you had an amazing December, filled with loads of new memories and stories to share.  We spent Christmas on the farm this year with family.  It’s one of our favorite places, with a few of our favorite people.

Here’s a look at some of the pictures we did take:

Ah, sunsets!

The boys enjoying the summer sun

Luke loves the water too

Meet Leia, our new member of the family

Wian + Lego = Happiness

Frans playing ball with Luke and Leia on Christmas morning

Lovely Christmas table decor

A summer vacation is not a vacation without watermelon 😉

Frans and Gerhard learned how to drive while we were on the farm.  Loved that both of them were so excited to try and that they got the hang of it so quickly.  They really had the best “driving instructor” #dad

We had such a great time.

I’m excited to see what this year brings and looking forward to sharing the journey with you here.

Cape Town October 2015

To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world – Dr. Seuss

We realised it again this week through the importance of family and friendships that we know will last a life time!

The boys went to the South Coast with Frans’ mom and dad for the October school holidays.

At first we thought 10 days wouldn’t be that long, boy-were-we-wrong!

By day number 6, Frans and I were on our way to the movies and he looked at me and said “you are missing them aren’t you” and that he was missing them too.  It’s crazy, but when the boys are not at home for so long it just doesn’t feel right.  It helped to know that they were having such a great time and we chatted everyday.

At the same time I must admit, we were so excited to fly to Cape Town and meet up with our friends.  Some of them we haven’t seen in a while as they are currently living in the UK.

So at 4:00 am on Friday morning we were on our way to the airport.  There was a lot of excitement, a couple of hugs and lots of joy as we saw some of our Jozi friends at the boarding gates.

My first thought as we stepped onto the plane was – Let the adventure begin!

First things first when we arrived in Cape Town was breakfast.  Hennie told the staff members at Spur that it was Frans’ birthday.  It wasn’t, but he couldn’t wait for them to sing happy birthday to Frans and to eat his free “birthday” ice cream.

It was great to catch up!

Hennie, Abrie, Frans and Albert

A little shopping with Michelle.  We found the most beautiful store in Canal Walk.

Sight seeing started with a quick stop at the Afrikaanse Taal Monument in Paarl.

Next stop was lunch at the Spice Route.

It really is a simply breathtaking view.  It was a beautiful clear day.

The Sexy Snails on the menu made us laugh!

It was so amazing to catch up with our friends and all of us missed our Jozi, Cape Town, UK and Aus friends that couldn’t spend the weekend with us.  We chatted for hours and enjoyed lots of wine!

Looking UP!

Love this guy

The next morning was our friends Corne and Ina’ wedding day – a very special day.  They have been together for more than ten years so we were all really excited for them.

Seeing that there was a hairdresser right around the corner from where we stayed, we decided that we were not going to curl our own hair for the wedding.  Which meant girl-time-coffee-chats-pamper-time

and before we knew it, it was time for the wedding celebrations to begin

At the wedding reception we were all asked to use our cameras or cell phones and look around to hunt for those pictures that needed to be found.  So they gave us a list and asked us to find the moments the photographer may have missed…

Here are some of the pictures on the list we did take

Favorite decorations

Bride and groom holding hands

Smiles

A group photo of everyone at our table

People clinking their glasses

Best dancer (in action)

What an awesome wedding.  We finally said good night to everyone at 4:00 am on Sunday morning and left two hours later to be at the airport at 6:30 am.

Coffee check! Saying goodbye to Cape Town, on the plane ready to go back home to our boys.

It was a crazy, unexpected fun few days and I’m so full of gratitude for all the magic.

Week In The Life 2015 – Day 4 {Thursday}

We say… Good Morning// Do you guys want Milo or Tea?// What do you mean where are YOUR socks?// Let’s go boys// Have a great day// I love you// Eat your lunch please// Hey// Be kind// Don’t be a meany// Smile// Have you finished your homework?// Another assignment?! Really? – Ok let’s do it// Luke!// Beeno// Wash your hands// Eat your vegetables// Chicken is not a vegetable// Did you wash your hands?// Shoes please// We are so proud of you//  Movie?// Ice Cream?// You can do this//

The story of this photo/ Good Morning, signs of Spring, love our garden

The story of these photos/  Breakfast at a venue we will be using for a work function this month.  Love it here and it’s pretty amazing how much work I get done while I’m here.  It’s quiet and their coffee is pretty amazing

The story of this photo/  I think this is the biggest blueberry I have ever eaten

The story of this photo/  Meeting him for lunch and a little shopping.  Love getting to spend some time with him and catching up in the middle of our day

The story of this photo/  Finding shoes for him is a mission.  Happy to report that our quick little shopping spree was a success

The story of this photo/  The two of us waiting for Wian outside his class.  I prefer my converse over heals any day

The story of these photos/  So much love for you Wian.  A quick selfie in front of the tuck shop at school.  Things he always buys… A “Crazy” fizzy drink, toasted cheese, ice lollies, hot chocolate on days when it’s cold and of course his ultimate favorite french fries

The story of these photos/  A quick stop at the pet shop.  Gerhard loves animals and whenever we go to the pet shop he always wants me to take a photo of him with the bearded dragons, they were so small this time around #noyoucanttakehimhomedontlookatmelikethatloveyou

The story of this photo/  Frans listening to his German phrase book CD.  Such a smart boy! Love that once he set his mind on something nothing can stop him from achieving his goal, love that he loves a challenge, love him! He made me think of doing something new for the very first time

The story of this photo/ Flowers from him.  I love his kind heart

Want to know more about Week In The Life? Click here

Week In The Life 2015 – Day 3 {Wednesday}

The capturing of Week In The Life 2015 {17 August to 23 August} was probably the most hectic week that we had in a while.

I didn’t really think about the type of pictures I wanted to take throughout the week, there was just no time.  So I thought I would just take a picture whenever I could and it kind of worked out ok.

All the photos were either taken with his iPhone or mine.  There wasn’t any time for setting up a camera or getting that perfect angle, I will just have to be more prepared next time.

Here’s a look at some of my favorites from Wednesday:

Breakfast

Good Morning

Wian’s party decor finally arrived – I {heart} In Good Company

Good to be home after a busy day

An early dinner at Piatto with my favorite guys

A quick walk and bike ride to the park

Looking up

Bath time

After 20:00 and he wants to play…

The tooth mouse came to visit Wian

Good night

It was a good day 🙂

Week In The Life 2015 – Day 2 {Tuesday}

Today began with Luke waiting for us by the kitchen door to let him out.  This has become part of our morning routine and once his ready to come back into the house he wants to play

On this particular morning he wanted me to play fetch but he didn’t want to let go of the ball…  we are working on the letting go part

I think I probably sat like this most of the day trying to finish a report, before going to the twins Eisteddfod

Wian doing his homework at grandma’s house

Part of his homework was to make a sentence with the word ‘smeek’.. beg and being the Lego fanatic that he is the sentence he wrote made us laugh

“I beg my mom for Lego because I am crazy about it”

A quick selfie as he finished his maths and spelling, now he can start reading

When Wian was about three I used to say to him that one day he will be reading me stories.  He always just used to smile like mom what are you talking about?  Love the fact that he reads stories to us

As we walked into the school hall for the twins Eisteddfod there was a sign saying no pictures or videos which the boys pointed out to me but I just had to take a picture.  So I quickly took one of Frans, Armand (the twins friend) and Gerhard just before everyone had to be seated

That look on their faces are called stress… but they did so well.  Both of them got a gold certificate, we are so proud!

The perfect sunset after a very busy day.  Love our garden, looking forward to summer and oak trees filled with green leaves

The photos I didn’t take:

• Chatting to my brother Rudolf and catching up.  He always makes me laugh and I love his stories of people, places and all of his silly jokes.  He is currently working about two and a half hours away from home and we don’t get to see him that often.  Really missing him and I love that Frans is also missing both of my brothers and that they have such great relationships.
• Chatting to my brother Ernst who is currently studying medicine away from home and we only get to see him every 4 months… not cool! I really miss them but I am thankful for phones and Skype let me tell ya!  He is currently a 4th year and he started helping out at the local hospital.  So some of his stories are happy, some sad but most of them so inspirational. He is ten years younger than me but he is so wise and absolutely love what he does, helping people – He is going to be an amazing doctor one day

Currently:

• Reading – The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  Love the saying mentioned in the book “To lead yourself, use your head; to lead others, use your heart
• Planning – Wian’ 8th Birthday Party
• Listening – Rachel Platten Fight Song.  My friend has this song set as her ringtone and I have never really listened to the whole song
• Making Project Life pages like a crazy person… Not sure how I got so far behind but the plan is to be up to date before the end of the weekend… fingers crossed!

 

 

 

Week In The Life 2015 – Day 1 {Monday}

The 17th of August marked the first day of this years Week In The Life memory keeping project.  This has been my 1st year participating in this project and I must admit I enjoyed every minute of it.

I felt inspired to capture and document parts of our everyday life because our boys are growing up so quickly and my hope is that one day when they read my blog they will remember these everyday moments.

Ali is right, life moves really fast.  Here’s what I want to remember from our Monday:

My very first thought as I woke up this morning was that today is a very special day as it is our grandparents 60th wedding anniversary.  How amazing is that?

Here they are, two amazing human beings.  They have taught all of us such a great deal about what life is all about.  I took this picture at my uncle’s house while we celebrated his 50th birthday last month.

Their life story is as amazing as they are and they are so blessed! 12 Children, 21 Grandchildren; 6 Great Grandchildren and 2 on their way.  We are blessed to have them in our lives.  My grandfather sends the boys a Whats App message every morning.  Mostly just to say good morning, have a great day at school and then he has moments where he teases them – Reminding them to focus on their schoolwork and not to take notice of the girls in their classes.  Of course they roll their eyes at the thought of that which makes us laugh.

Our Monday morning routine started off early

He makes coffee for us every morning as he is normally up and about way before me

Hello Monday!

Breakfast lately has been yogurt + muesli + strawberries + honey

Wian dressed and ready for school.  To be honest Mondays are normally not easy-to-get-up-and-go mornings for him as he is a strong believer that the weekend should be at least 3 days long.  Happy to say that we are making progress as Monday mornings have become less of a negotiation on giving him reasons why he should get up so early.

 

That said, it’s been winter here in SA and I think waking up with no sunshine in the mornings had its toll on all of us…

The boys have been loving toasted cheese for lunch.  Frans and Gerhard prefers brown bread and Wian always asks for white bread instead.

I stopped using sugar a while ago but I always choose one of the sugar packets to read the quote on the back and this one was one to remember

The kids in the car on our way home.  Love the fact that they enjoy being silly together

A visit to the vet with Luke as it was time for his yearly injection and check up.  We laughed at the kids as they kept on saying to Luke “Hey, we are going to the PARK… VET spells park”

Dinner = Lasagna and fruit salad for me and the kids …  I just realized I never took a picture of the lasagna but then again you wouldn’t have known that if I didn’t tell ya! 🙂

A quick selfie with Frans as he leaves for dinner with the boys

Wian showing his dad how quick he can ride up and down our street before he leaves, his exact words were “Dad you’ve gotta see this!”

A walk with the kids after dinner.  Love that we can already see that summer is on its way

So much love for these two right here…

20:00 is bed time for Wian and 20:30 for the twins.   After a story or two he hooks his arms in with mine while he tells me more about his day and as he fell asleep I had an hour or two to catch up on the girly series I haven’t watched before Frans got home

Tuesday is going to be a big day for Frans and Gerhard as they will be taking part in the Eisteddfod at school .  Looking forward to it!