Thursday Pearls

 

"Do small things with

great love."

 

~ Mother Teresa

 

"For who hath despised the day of small things?"  ~ Zechariah: , KJV

 

A very blessed and wonderful Thursday to you, dear readers...

~

 

 ...And here is something truly delightful to brighten your day...{{smiles}}

 

 

With joy,

Kelly-Anne

On The Beach...

I sit here this evening feeling incredibly humbled and blessed.

In just one week our house looks and feels like a home...our home.

It is a grey evening and there is a light rain falling...  We are warm and cosy, surrounded by our loved ones and very thankful indeed for the kindness and generosity of so many wonderful people who have blessed us with gifts of furniture, appliances, bedding and more.  The Lord has been so good to us...we are completely overwhelmed how He took a situation that in our eyes appeared to be a terrible disaster, and worked everything out for our good. 

This is an exciting new chapter in our lives...so much in our lives has changed, but the steadfast love of the Lord has remained unchanging. 

 

I am so thankful to finally be connected to the internet - I could thankfully access my email from my phone and I was beyond blessed and encouraged to read your beautiful, uplifting comments, dear friends.  Your kind words of love, comfort and hope have brought such joy to my heart in a very trying time...  May the Lord bless you all for sharing His love with our hurting family!

 

And now I would love to share these photographs of a few of the little ones with you...

I took them a few weeks ago whilst we were staying in Glentana.  The house we were blessed to be able to use was very close to the beach, but sadly we were all so sick during our month in Glentana that we didn't make much use of the beach.  We did, however, have the privilege of seeing dolphins and whales close to shore from the balcony - this was very special...

 

I took these pictures one day when Mom and Dad took the little ones to play on the beach for an hour or so...  I decided to go along and simply sit on the beach and enjoy watching them play as I was feeling so ill that day.  I was delighted to be able to capture some special moments on my camera - good thing I took it along!  These were the only photographs I took in the month that we were in Glentana...

Just look at how this precious little boy has grown!  Caleb is going on 16 months now and an absolute delight!  He is a very busy little boy and extremely advanced for his tender age, so he keeps us on our toes...

He is so handsome...  I simply adore my little brother and look forward to being able spend more time playing and doing toddler activities with him.  We live about an hour away from the farm now which means I sadly had to quit the lovely little job I had as a shopkeeper...  But, the Lord knows and has given me the wonderful opportunity of investing in the lives of my younger siblings in this new season of life and I must say, I am quite excited!  Besides, who could resist spending time with such a charming little gentleman...  {{smiles}}

 

 These are special photographs I want to have framed!  It took some doing to get Gabrielle and Rebekah to cooperate...  I love photographs that aren't posed...so I had the girls walk away from me and then called them back when they least expected it...  It ended up being quite amusing and I got the results I was hoping for!  

Ah...I just love sharing photographs of this little guy... 

 Rebekah took great delight in thrilling her younger sister, Sofia, with a dead fish she found washed up on the beach.  I thought the whole process of dissection disgusting, but the girls had a wonderful time examing the dead fish and other interesting things they found on the beach...  

The Sofia smile... 

I just couldn't resist sharing this gorgeous capture...look at that little face!  {{Smiles}} 

Gabrielle...love those precious freckles and her sweet smile...

 

~

Dear friends, thank you so much for stopping by...  It has so delightful to once again be sharing on my little corner of the web...how I have missed it!  I will be popping in again very soon...I have more photographs to share of our outing to Mossel Bay...  I will also be responding to your sweet comments within the next few days - how I have missed writing to you all!

 

With love and joy in Christ,

Kelly-Anne



We're Home ~ Update and Pictures

Hello dear friends...

Just want to let you know the happy news that we have moved into our new home!

Praise the Lord, all went relatively smoothly and we brought over our last few things from Glentana this morning...

 

We are still a long way from settled... so much is disorderly and of course, everything is strange and different...  We are completely overwhelmed by how much the Lord has seen fit to provide for us...  From beautiful new bedding to pre-loved furniture to fill our home...  And so many other things to make this house a home...we are amazed at His goodness and grace!

 

I don't yet have a proper internet connection...I am currently using my phone's hotspot to post this, but hopefully within the next few days I will be able to write and share more!

~ 

I would love to share a few special pictures with you which were taken last
week...I have more, but seeing as my internet is limited, I can only post a couple today.  Last week our family went on a wonderful outing to Mossel Bay - we decided we needed to make some new memories together before our move...

 

We went on a boat trip to Seal Island and then had fish and chips on the wharf...  We then visited the Dias museum, but were actually so tired by then that we made it brief and rather walked around the gardens taking photographs...

 

~ Nancy and I ~

 



~ Beth and Nancy ~

 

 ~ The Family, From Left to Right:  Caleb (16 months), Mom, Gabrielle (10), Beth (13), Dad, Sofia (5), Nancy (17) and Rebekah (8).  Not pictured is me.

 

 

~ Dad and His Seven Children ~ 

 

Then Mom, Nancy and I went for tea at a lovely tea garden while Dad took the younger children for ice cream on the beach...

 ~ Mom and Nancy ~

 ~ Mom and I ~



~ Yours Truly ~

 

I will pop by for a more detailed update soon, dear readers...  I do hope you are all well!

 

With love and joy,

Kelly-Anne



A Praise Report...

Hello lovely readers...

 

I hope your week has been a perfectly lovely one...

 

Just stopping in this afternoon to share a wonderful answer to prayer with you...

 

The Lord has opened doors for a new long-term rental house for us in town!

We will hopefully move in on the 3rd or 4th of August...

We are so grateful to have found a place we can call home!  {{Smiles}}

 

I had hoped to share this wonderful news with you sooner, but our family have been very sick with sore throats and coughs! 

We seem to just be passing the bug backwards and forwards...  At the moment, it is myself, Nancy and Mom who are under the weather... 

 

Thank you for your prayers for a more permanent home for us, dear friends!

I am so thankful to be sharing this with you today...  I will be popping in for a more detailed update as soon as I can!

 

With love, joy and blessings in Christ,

Kelly-Anne

 

P.S.

Thank you for all your sweet emails and comments, dear friends...to hear from you blesses me more than I can say!

Something to Encourage Your Heart...

A blessed Sunday to you, dear friends...

 

I thought I would share this beautiful and truly encouraging song with you this afternoon...

I discovered it a couple weeks before the fire and thought it just lovely...I love it even more now...

 

 

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family...this past week has been a very difficult, tiring one in many ways...we are still praying for the Lord to open up the right doors for a home for us...

In the meantime, we are enjoying being near the ocean...

 

The other day we were blessed with bicycles, so us girls have had a wonderful time riding together...the Lord is good!

 

I hope to write a more detailed update later this week...

 

With love and joy in Christ Jesus,

Kelly-Anne

Sunday Afternoon Musings...An Update♥

Two beautiful sisters...  Sofia and Rebekah... ♥

I am sitting snuggled beneath a fluffy blanket, listening to the rain falling steadily on the rood and gazing at the wild ocean which I have a magnificent view of from my window.

I am so thankful to finally have some time to rest...time to simply sit and sip a cup of coffee...time to sit on the swing on the porch and idly sway back and forth, enjoying peace for the first time in over a month.  I can feel myself unwinding...as the tension lifts, so the tiredness sets in and the tears flow.  But this is all part of the process, and I am thankful to have somewhere beautiful and quiet to stay for the time being...the Lord is so good.

On Friday our family moved an hour away from Sedgefield to a quiet town beside the sea...we are staying in a holiday house, kindly offered to us by a very generous lady whom we have never even met.  Such a beautiful testimony of God' goodness and grace!

We can stay here till September if  need be, but we are earnestly praying for a long-term rental house to come available by August as it will be truly wonderful to settle down again...

 

The Lord has already provided so much for our new home... He has moved on the hearts of so many people and provided so much of what we will need!  And the blessings continue to flow in...we are astounded and humbled.  The Lord truly cares...He is a loving God who holds us in the palm of His mighty hand.

 

He has shown us yet again that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ...and that HE works everything out for our good.

 

While on Pinterest earlier to respond to a message there, I came across this beautiful quote...

 

 

I have honestly not had one moment of anger towards the Lord in this trial...my heart may be heavy and filled with pain, but the Lord is my source of comfort and hope and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is close and that He is walking through this with me... 

He is the only One who can give us the strength and power to walk through the valley, so how can I possibly be down, discouraged and defeated? 

 

We are still smiling...of course we have shed many tears, but the Father has given us unspeakable joy and I rejoice at this incredible opportunity to tell the world of God's wonderful love, grace and power!  To Him be all the glory...

 



Thank you for your continued love and support, dear friends...  ♥ I am slowly but surely responding to the beautiful emails I have received since the event of the fire.  I am so blessed by the love shown to our family from those we do not even know us!  You all are so precious...  Thank you for your words of comfort and love!

 

With joy in my heart,

Kelly-Anne♥

Just to Say Hello...

 ~ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:  not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  John 14:27, KJV ~

Hello dear friends...

I am beyond delighted to be popping in to say hello...

We are thankfully reconnected to the internet and I hope to write a proper update within the next couple days.

Ah...it is so good to be writing in the comfort of our ''home'' for the time being rather than an internet cafe...{{smiles}}

This Saturday we move to another holiday house about an hour away from where we are currently staying...  We are hoping and praying that we will be able to move into a permanent home by the beginning of August.

The Lord has been so faithful and gracious and continues to show us the extent of His love...  And He also continues to provide in the most beautiful, extraordinary ways.

The month of June was certainly the most difficult, painful, heart breaking month of our lives...yet so many incredible stories have emerged through the pain and suffering...  I can only praise His glorious Name!

I continue to be amazed by the love pouring in from all corners of the world...our family are truly humbled.  

I want to thank each of you from the bottom of my heart for your precious prayers...they have carried us through and continue to do so...

Thank you for allowing me to share this with you...   And thank you for the love you have extended toward our family... 

We are well and smiling...the Lord is so good to His children.  He is ever near...

I am sorry it has taken me so long to write...unfortunately not only were we without internet, but so was the internet cafe close by!  I hope to start replying to your precious emails very soon as well...

I want to leave you with this beautiful quote which is even more meaningful than it was when I posted it for Thursday Pearls a mere few days before the fire...

"Learn, O saints!  From what has been said, to sit loose to all your worldly comforts; and stand ready prepared to part with everything, when God shall require it at your hand."

~ George Whitfield

It brings me comfort to know the Lord knew what would unfold and had begun preparing our hearts before hand...oh, the stories I have to tell...  I greatly anticipate being able to share the stories of His rich mercies and His everlasting love!  

Blessings and joy in Christ the Lord!

Kelly-Anne

P.S.  I do apologise for the spelling and grammatical errors in my last few posts...I had such limited time to write and a brain that was too full with other things that I couldn't concentrate very well!  {{smiles}}   Hopefully I made sense!

An Update...Prayer Request...And Photographs

Dear friends...

I had hoped to write an update a few days ago but alas!  Life has been absolutely exhausting these past two weeks that I have simply not had a chance to stop in for an update...

 

Thank you for your continued prayers and concern for our family...  We are so grateful for the love that is pouring in from all over the world and praise the Lord for brothers and sisters in the Lord who are rallying around our family through this very difficult time...

 

I have written a brief about below, but I would also like to show you some photographs of our house which burnt down on Wednesday the 7th of June...photographs make everything seem more real...  It is so very sad to see the destruction and I take no pleasure in sharing them...but I wanted to show you a glimpse of the home we loved so well! 

 

And now we trust the Lord to show us the next step in our journey and anticipate being able to share the many incredibly stories of the Lord's goodness and mercy!  What a wonderful King we serve... 

 

~

These were taken by my uncle last week.  I have not been back to the farm since that Wednesday morning we evacuated, as I think it would truly break my heart to see the ruin in person...  Sometime I hope to go back, but for the time being I am focusing on the present and surrendering every tear to the Lord who loves to comfort His children...

 

This is all that remains of our beautiful piano...this piano had such a special story...it belonged to a lady who came over to South Africa from England as a baby.  Her father whom she never met, died in the First World War and her mother, a concert pianist, decided to start a new life here.  The piano was a German make and over a 100 years old!  We were blessed to meet this dear lady a month or so before she passed away (also a concert pianist)...  Whenever Nancy played, we thought of the stories it could tell and the beauty that those keys created! 

My father reckons that the build up of heat in the house probably caused it to explode.  Thus, nothing much remains and one cannot even recognize anything!  The doorway on the left hand side was where our dining/living room was.

 

 This was the back of the house, looking out onto the fields.  I wrote ever so many blog posts from the window with the bush in front of it... 

 

 Part of the vegetable garden...this was where we grew our sweet potatoes...

Looking into what was once the school room.  I can't believe how unrecognizable everything is!

 

And now I have a very specific prayer request, dear friends...

We are urgently needing a new long-term rental home...one that is suitable for our large family and that accepts pets.  We need a decent sized garden as our little ones are used to living on a farm and having plenty of open space...  May I ask you to bring this request before the Father?  Houses to rent in this area are scarce, especially now when so many people misplaced by the fire are seeking new homes.

We are currently in a holiday home which belongs to a lady in our church.  She has graciously given it to us to use till the 10th of July...  After that, we are trusting the Lord for provision and learning to wait on Him even though it is quite frightening. 

 

It is so strange to think we have no home to go to and that we have to literally begin again...but the Lord is faithful, and He has moved on the hearts of many and we are being showered with the blessings of furniture...second-hand clothing...bedding, etc.  He is so good to us...

 

Can I also ask you to pray for my dear mother who is taking a lot of strain and is so very tired...

She also strained her neck and is having to see a physiotherapist and take time to rest which is not so easy at the moment...  

 

Thank you for your love and support, dear friends! 

I am overwhelmed by the many beautiful comments and emails I have received! 

You are all so dear to me...

 

I will stop in again soon...

 

With love in Christ!

Kelly-Anen

Another Update...With Joy in My Heart!

Hello dear friends...

I write to you today with joy in my heart.

The Lord allowed us to return to Sedgefield yesterday (Sunday) afternoon after spending the night at a friend's home in George. 

This lady was out of town and couldn't get home due to the fires, so she graciously offered up her home to our family for the night.

This was the most wonderful blessing for us... 

We could rest for a few hours in peace and those who needed to could do so...

How merciful the Lord was to us, I am so deeply grateful.

 

Some in our community thought us very extreme (and perhaps panicked) in leaving Sedgefield with all our belongings and animals early Saturday morning, but we have subsequently heard from many other knowledgeable people that in actual fact, the situation could have gone either way...

 

Praise be the Lord, Sedgefield was spared and operations to help those who are misplaced continue in full force!  There are thousands of people who are homeless right now, but the community have come together and indeed, the whole country, to house those in need and see to providing for their immediate needs. 

 

I am in awe at the kindness, generosity and concern of people and how they have come to the rescue of our hurting, needy area.

 

And we are safe, dear friends...

I cannot begin to thank you enough for your prayers.  I feel so terrible that I could not update you yesterday, but I could only get an internet connection this evening.  Mom and I are sitting at an internet café having a cup of coffee and feeling very humbled at the Lord's mercy and grace towards us.

 

As we receive new information each day, we are more humbled at how merciful the Lord was towards us in keeping us free from harm that Wednesday morning.  More and more we realise how incredibly fortunate we were to evacuate and that the fire did not flare up during the night whilst we were sleeping. 

So much could have happened, and yet, God in His mercy spared us and has truly opened the flood gates of Heaven and showered us with so many blessings. 

 

I greatly anticipate being able to share these precious stories of His grace and goodness with you in time.  What a wonderful Father we have...so rich in love towards His children!

 

Dear friends, we are so well provided for...  We have lacked nothing and gifts continue to flow in in abundance.  We are humbled.  So many are having to sleep in new places each night or being housed along with hundreds of other people in tents...  And yet we have a house and a bed for each member of our family.  This is such a blessing for our family with so many little ones...

 

The Lord has used many people...our church...our close friends...even those we have not spoken to in years to help our family!  How great is our God?

 

Thus, even in the midst of such tragedy, the Lord receives the glory.  Despite the horror of the past couple days, the Lord has given us joy and peace.  And He has given us prayer warriors...each of you are so very precious and I thank you for the way you come to our aid and pleaded with the Lord for mercy.

 

The fires are under control...sense is being made of the absolute mayhem of the past few days. 

But hearts are still hurting and to be honest, we have not even had a chance to deal with the grief of loss.  Our little ones do not know the terrible news that their little friend is now resting with the Father...  Would you pray the Lord would prepare their hearts and give my parents the right words to speak to them? 

 

I hope to stop in tomorrow to write a more detailed update, but for now I just want to say how amazed I am at the love that has come pouring in from this wonderful community of bloggers! 

I am anticipating the day I can write to each of you personally...it will be such a joy to do that! 

I know you have been so concerned...

 

To God be the glory forever and ever...  He is rich in mercy and His love never fails.  My heart is overflowing with thankfulness....  He is building a beautiful testimony through our family...and how many others will have a similar story to share of God's grace?  I pray many will come to know the love of our Father through our testimony! 

 

We are in our current house till July 10th.  After that, we have no idea what the Lord will do!  We are trusting Him to open a door for a house to lease in town.  Houses are more than scarce, so we are asking the Lord for a miracle!  He has provided thus far, so I know we can trust that He holds tomorrow and has our lives in the palm of His mighty hand!

 

With ever so much love and joy and gratitude,

Kelly-Anne

Update

Dearest friends...

Oh my...where do I begin...I am so overwhelmed by the kindness, love, prayers and concern our family have received during this tragic time in our lives.

 

I never thought I would be a part of such a horrific national disaster...

I am not sure if any of you have been able to follow the news reports, but our house was the one of the first to burn, along with hundreds and hundreds of others in the Eden district.

 

We lived on a farm about 11km outside Sedgefield and the fire started in the valley just beyond us, but within hours, it spread and consumed ever so many homes, travelling so far so fast.

 

And it did not stop there...early Wednesday morning (the same morning we evacuated our home), our neighbours and friends could not make it out of their farm in time and lost their lives.  Oh, how my heart is breaking, dear friends...  We babysat that little boy...knew him from the time he was two weeks old and he would have been three years old today.  The grief is too much to bear on our own...the Lord is our comfort.

 

It has been so horrendous I cannot begin to describe it...

There is heartbreak and loss everywhere...the seaside town of Knysna is a mess...other areas are disaster zones too.  And yet, the tiny town of Sedgefield has been spared...everyone is on standby. People in need are being assisted from Sedgefield (so many have come to the aid of fire victims, sending food parcels, clothing, blankets, etc.)  So far, it has not been touched but there are fires nearby.

 

But...the fires still burn and I ask you to pray for RAIN and for the terrible wind to die down.

We left our house of safety early this morning...after our last experience, we don't want to take any chances and would rather be overly cautious... 

 

We have had another exhausting day...we have not been able to sleep properly and we have had people in and out dropping supplies and clothing off since Wednesday afternoon.  People are so kind and generous.   Messages and phone calls have been coming in all the time and my mom has not been in a place to answer any of them so I have undertaken to keep family and friends updated...

 

We are not safe...not at this stage.  Although fires are under control, the wind prevents helicopters from water bombing the fires.  Firefighters from all over the country have come to fight...they are heroes.

 

I am completely overwhelmed by this tragedy...and absolutely exhausted.

We have been living out of our cars today and are now in the town of George so we can get further away from the fires and also connect to the internet to update others overseas.

 

We are packed into two cars...our dogs, guinea pigs, bird and cat as well as all the children.

We were packed and ready last night to cut down on stress...  The little ones have been tremendous, although little Caleb has been very difficult to manage due to the stress, change of scenery and people stopping by...

 

Please pray for our country and for the safety of the people...please pray that the Lord would send rain and calm the wind.  I am reminded of the storm that Jesus calmed in Matthew chapter 8. 

 

"Then he got up, gave an order to the wind and the sea, and the sea became very calm..."

 

We cling to Him and put our trust in Him.

He is our source of hope and comfort, our God in whom we trust.

 

Through it all, the Lord continues to provide for all our needs and fill us with His joy and strength. 

It has been incredible to see.  People who have come by have asked why we are still smiling and truly, all we can say is the Lord is good and faithful.  He protected us and made a way for us.  He has supplied our every need.  We are not going without, even though we are under such strain.

 

There is so much more I would like to write...but right now I can do no more.

I know you are all praying and truly, we can sense the hand of the Lord upon us.

He gives us just enough for each moment.

His grace is sufficient.

 

I hope to stop in again soon, dear friends...I know you have all been worried and concerned. 

 

Love and joy to you in the Lord!

Kelly-Anne



Grave News...

Dearest friends...

I have very gave news to share with you this morning...

I come to you asking for prayer for our family and for other families in our area...

This morning we evacuated our house and now are blessed to be sitting safely at a dear friend's house in town - our home burnt down a couple hours ago and we lost everything in the fire.

I woke up at 6am to the smell of smoke and a little sister crawling into bed with me as she was frightened by the terrible wind raging around our house.  You see, there was a storm last night...a terrible wind and a farm over the way caught alight.
 

Very soon, it was spreading from farm to farm, coming right our way.  At first we honestly didn't think we would actually have to leave...thus, we slowly gathered some of our most treasured possessions such as photographs and our computers and the sewing machines and put them into the car.  But literally 20 minutes later, we were frantically rushing about putting everything in the cars, loading everyone up and driving out.  The fire spread so rapidly, I cannot begin to actually describe how bizarre it was!  And the wind...it was horrendous and the smoke was so thick.

Our neighbour's driveway caught alight...and suddenly we knew had to get out and fast!  Praise the Lord, we could leave with our animals and a couple bags of items.  We did not think we would come back to no house.  We just assumed it would be there...  My dad dropped us off at our dear friend in town and went back home...but when he opened the door, a tremendous wave of heat hit him and he saw the inside of the house was black.

When he arrived here and told us the news...it was devastating.  Our home is gone.  Everything lost...everything.

Praise the Lord, our family is safe and our animals are with us.

In His graciousness, He moved on the heart of a kind lady at church who offered for us to stay in her holiday house for the time being free of charge.  We are blown away by her generosity...

Dear friends, this is a very painful time for our family...we are in absolute shock and disbelief, but there are many others suffering too...many other homes have been lost and the fire continues to spread.  And our country is in major drought...without water, fighting fire is virtually impossible!

Please, please pray for the Lord to send rain we so desperately need...to protect those fighting the fires...to provide for those without and to give us strength for what lies ahead.

I hope to give you an update soon, dear friends...  I am unable to write to each of you individually at this stage, but I hope to soon...  For now we can do nothing but cry unto the Lord and lean on Him. 

With love in Christ,

Kelly-Anne

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

~ Deuteronomy 31:6 

Keeping our...Eternal Perspectives

I will confess that many days I allow my emotions to dictate my attitude towards how I view life...

I don't always feel like smiling or seeing the bright side to a situation which is beyond my control, and many times I simply don't want to give a cheerful answer or sing praises to my Lord.

My struggle is against allowing allowing the roots of bitterness (Heb 12:15), anger, sorrow or disillusionment in my heart to well up and spill over, becoming manifested in my countenance and words.

In our lives, we need to realise that we will face challenges of many kinds (James 1:2-3)....  We are not promised a life of ease or comfort, but rather of trading our selfish motives and desires to physically pick up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus (Luke 9:23).

But in the midst of difficulty, pain or trial, we need to maintain an Eternal perspective and embrace what the Lord is teaching us and lean more on Him... Our fight is not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12)...  And this is just our temporary home...

We need not go about our lives with an air of martyrdom either, but with a joyful, thankful spirit (1 Peter 1:8-9).  God loves a cheerful giver...

Perhaps like me you are more inclined to give in to self-pity and look for someone to commiserate with or pull down...  Misery loves company, as the saying goes.  The One we should turn to is ever near and gives the wisest counsel and strengthens our soul...

I am realising that in difficult times...lean times...times of sorrow and pain, there is nothing we can do but rely on the Lord for our strength and provision, both physically and spiritually.  

What else can we do but rest in the arms of our loving Saviour...? (Jer 6:16)

Too often I fight the wrong way...my heart rebels and I refuse to do my fighting in prayer...

I can wrestle and shed enough tears to fill an ocean, but this will not uplift nor move me to the final destination any faster...it will only discourage, demotivate and tire me out and not to mention, bring others around me down in the process.

I write to encourage you today, dear friend, as I write to encourage and challenge myself.
Go to Jesus and give all your troubles to the One who cares.  It is painful at first to hand over your concerns and worries, but once those tiresome burdens have left your shoulders, you will be light and free! (Mat 11:29-30)

I am learning...I am a work in progress and thankful that Jesus loves me even when I pull away from His loving embrace.

He sees the trouble in the deepest part of our hearts and longs to give us peace and hope (Jer 29:11).

We will still have to walk through whatever it is we are facing, but we won't have to walk alone.  

We can take His hand, let Him whisper words of truth and comfort to us...
May we be ever mindful that He is refining us like silver (Zec 13:9) and that His work in us has yet to be completed (Phil 1:6)...

Let us daily turn our eyes upon Jesus and take everything to the Lord in prayer...

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

~ 2 Timothy 4:7-8, KJV

~

  This post may be shared with...

~ The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up, and Modest Monday,

Thursday Pearls

"Learn, O saints!  From what has been said, to sit loose to all your worldy comforts; and stand ready prepared to part with everything, when God shall require it at your hand."

 

~ George Whitfield

 

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

 

~ Matthew 6:19-21, KJV

 

Richest Thursday blessings to you in the name of our precious Lord and Saviour, dear readers! 

You all are continually in my thoughts and prayers...I pray your hearts have been blessed and encouraged - may the Lord strengthen you as you seek to serve Him in every aspect of your life...keep leaning on the everlasting arms!

 

~ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:  not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  John 14:27, KJV ~

 

With love and joy in Christ Jesus,

Kelly-Anne

Caleb at One...

 Our precious little brother is one...

We celebrated Caleb's first year on April 29th and what a special celebration it was indeed...

 

At one years old, Caleb is absolutely the sweetest little boy in our lives with a wonderful personality which thrives on the love and attention of those he loves most in the world...his family.

 

He fills our lives with laughter and joy and it is so special watching him make discoveries or experience something for the very first time.

Whoever thought we would have a precious baby brother to share life with...to laugh with...to play with...to love forever.

 

~

Dear friends, thank you for visiting today...how I have missed writing to each of you and sharing on my little corner of the web.  I have simply not had a moment to spare...when I am not at the shop, I am sewing pyjamas and tracksuits for my sweet little sisters and brother...or enjoying time with my mom, either sitting outside with coffee in hand talking over ideas, or walking together with all the little ones.

My computer has also only just come back from being repaired...a couple weeks ago it refused to start up and so I was deprived of it for awhile...  Nevertheless, I hope to resume regular blogging and emailing soon.

 

With much dear love,

Kelly-Anne

Oh, These Sweet April Days...

 

 

^ The three little ones playing in the sandpit...  Rebekah, Caleb and Sofia 

 ^ Our Oscar...better known as ''Sir Oscar''...

 ^ Eclairs arranged on the pretty party table...

 ^ Chrysanthemums from the garden...

It is early afternoon in South Africa and although the April sun is shining brightly, there is a cool breeze blowing...  I am sipping a good cup of coffee and enjoying some down time after a busy morning at the sewing machine and pondering all that has happened over the last while.
I wonder, how it is that I have had so little to share on my little corner of the web lately...?

Recently, the Lord graciously blessed me with a little part time job at a sweet gift shop nearby.  I work as a shopkeeper two or three days a week and love conversing with customers and doing my hand sewing when the shop is quiet.  It is simply the perfect fit for me in so many ways and I am thankful for the experience as we have dreams of opening our own little shop someday... {{smiles}}

On the days I am home, I like to catch up with the housework I am behind on...ironing, cleaning, hand washing and such.  I also prepare hand sewing for the days I am at the shop so as to use my time productively which in turn means when I am home, I can simply enjoy being a daughter and sister and embrace and cherish each moment...

I do find with working I am more tired and thus, am not always able to write to dear friends or share anything on my blog...  I do miss stopping by though and do hope to resume regular posting fairly soon...

In the evening I find reading to be very relaxing and helps me unwind after a busy day...
The other day whilst at the mall I came across the Rose Trilogy by Beverly Lewis on sale.
I seldom buy books as they are so expensive, but I found all three books for what would work out to only $10 if I did a conversion from rands to dollars.  What a delight!  {{smiles}} 

Our little Caleb continues to keep us on our toes and will be celebrating his first birthday at the end of this month.  Where has the time gone?  If you recall, last year this time we were anxiously anticipating the day Caleb would make his arrival...

We have bittersweet memories of Caleb's birth and praise the Lord for the way in which He intervened and sent loving prayer warriors to hold our family in prayer through such a dark, difficult time.  Caleb has truly made life richer and sweeter!

People who ask us his age cannot believe he is not even a year old...  He literally runs where he wants to go and negotiates slopes and hills like a pro.  We went for a walk in the forest a few days ago, and our little chap insisted on walking for the most part.  Caleb also recognises members of his family and can point to each of us by name which is no small feat considering he has a mom and dad and six adoring sisters!  {{smiles}}  I sewed a pair of pyjamas for him last week and hope to complete a track suit for him as well...cooler days are creeping in...more pictures to hopefully come soon!

Our sweet princess, Gabrielle, celebrated her tenth birthday yesterday.  I sewed her a beautiful (and really very simple) yoked and pleated tunic for her.  It was my first time attempting this particular pattern and I am very pleased indeed with the outcome...  Of course, I cannot wait to see her in it...  Nancy bought her a pair of leggings to wear with it as it is long enough to be worn as a dress shirt.

Gabrielle is one sister I have not made very much for - something she reminds me of regularly!  {{smiles}}  I hope to share a picture of the completed garment next week sometime, as well as a photoshoot which I have hopes of doing with our special birthday girl...

We are currently busy organising our home and doing some major de-cluttering...  Something the Lord has been showing me lately is how little we really need in life.  I have come to realise how unimportant the ''important'' things are in reality...our relationship with the Lord and the ones closest to us is what truly matters in the heavenly realm.  I am learning to embrace the simple pleasures in this beautiful life and cherish each moment for what is...  I am striving to spend more time with Jesus and draw nearer to His heart.

I pray that this week may be a truly blessed and joyful one for you, dear readers...
Thank you for being faithful to visit...your friendship means so much to me and I am thankful to have the privilege of sharing my journey to beautiful womanhood with you!
Which reminds me...I celebrated eight years of blogging on April 9th!  What a blessed experience it has been thus far!  {{smiles}} 

With love in Christ,
Kelly-Anne