we took a road trip//time with family & attending the knifemaker's guild show

 Hi dear readers.  By now you have probably noticed a blog title change.  Welcome to Her Handmade Life.  I am over on Instagram under the same handle @herhandmadelife if you would like to follow me there for daily natterings and such.  

I figured that it was high time for a change.  Time is marching on and I am approaching 27, and I just don't feel so much like the little country girl I was when I started this blog back in 2016.   My baby is a year and a half already and I've been married to my handsome man for almost two and a half years, and life looks a lot different than it did when I was just 19.  My, but I have changed so much and see things so differently, and I want to embrace this new version of me.

So if chats about homemaking, motherhood and simple, creative living sound like your jam, do stick around and let's be friends.  I would love to have you along for the ride.  And if you have been around since the early days...thank you!  

Anyway...

For those of you who know, please tell me...what happened to Blogger's advanced theme editing?  I would love to change fonts and backgrounds and all that sort of thing, but their current options seem somewhat limited compared to what used to be available.  And if you know of someone who does simple, pretty blog designs...please do share their details in the comments below or email me.  I am thinking that my blog needs a bit of a refresh.  

And now that we have chatted about all things bloggy, let's move on to the exciting bit...

Last month our little family of three took a long road trip all the way up to Pretoria, which is about ten to twelve hours away from where we live in the Eastern Cape.  My husband is a member of the knifemaker's guild of South Africa, and around halfway through the year they have a show in Johannesburg, which he exhibits at.  

This year it was my dearest wish that Nicholas and I go with him so I could attend for the first time and support my husband, and also so that we could spend some time with Rucus' side of the family who all live in Pretoria and Mpumalanga.

We were blessed to be able to buy a new (to us) car two-ish months prior to the trip, which allowed us all to go because of it being way more comfortable and spacious and suited to longer trips.

I spent weeks planning activities for Nicholas to do in the car.  I also borrowed a couple new (to us) books from my mom to read to him in between, and we also had some Thomas & Friends episodes on hand for if when the wheels really started to come off.  

On the way up, Nicholas managed the trip so well.  We did seven hours the first day, stopping every few hours to stretch our legs, grab a cup coffee and snack on something I had already prepared at home to save money, and because homemade is always healthier, before continuing our journey.  We stopped over for the night in Bloemfontein and were sadly pretty disappointed with the accommodation we had booked.  One really needs basic comforts on a long, tiring trip!

^We stopped for a lunch break in Graaf-Reinet.  Nicholas enjoyed getting to run around a bit before getting back in the car and taking a good nap.

^Here we are in Colesburg.  

^We needed a bathroom break and a quick snack.

^He's getting so big!

The next day it was a much shorter distance to my brother and sister-in-law's house in Centurion, Pretoria.  We purposely got as much of the driving done on day one when we were all fresh.   I plan to share tips and advice for anyone travelling with a busy 18 month old sometime soon.  The key is to be as prepared as possible with snacks and activities, and to stop for a refresh every two-ish hours.

The Friday (the day after we arrived), Rucus left early for the show, and Nicholas and I hung out and watched Netflix and ate rusks and drank coffee (don't worry, he had good old raw milk which I had brought from home).  

^Breakfast time for Nicholas...

Later in the morning, my sister-in-law took us out for breakfast before we all went to the show.  Natasha was so gracious - by this time, our little country bumpkin toddler had seriously started acting up and was a real handful at brunch and screamed pretty much the entire 30 minutes it took to get to the show.

^So proud of this man of mine!  He worked so hard in the months leading up to the show!  And of course, how cute is my blue eyed, blonde haired boy on my back?!

I put him in my Ergobaby carrier before going in to the event and he was a perfect angel the whole time.  It was so special to be able to be there with Rucus for an hour or so, and I was able to witness him winning the best sword category with the rapier he had made and entered.

That evening my precious mother-in-law arrived and Nicholas spent some time with her and my brother and sister-in-law.  Rucus' sister and her husband and baby girl (we got to meet our sweet little niece and Nicholas's cousin for the first time!) arrived the following afternoon, so it was a very festive evening we had together, catching up and enjoying his mom's good cooking.

^It took awhile for Nicholas to warm up to Ouma (Afrikaans for Granny) again, but once he did, they played so nicely together.

The next morning, the Saturday, Nicholas and I again went to the show, this time with my mother and brother-in-law.  Rucus didn't know I'd be able to come again, especially with Nicholas acting up as he did, so I surprised him by showing up when he was just expecting me to call and check in with him.  Nicholas hung out on my back again and actually eventually drifted off to sleep while I stayed with Rucus, met a few other guild members and enjoyed looking at the beautiful pieces on show.

You can see more pictures from the show and pieces Rucus had on display over on his Instagram over here.

PART 2 coming soon!  I think this post is getting a bit long...

Blessings on your day, sweet friends!