Counting my blessings on my birthday

Journal with Instax memories

It's my birthday. I still do not feel comfortable with the over 50's, but I think, like most people, that we can't believe that we are the age we are. Most probably I will be kicking and screaming that I am not ready yet to go into the fire pit. (With my cremation. Relax, it's not going to be soon!)

"I still have much more living to do!" 

I think I know a bit more about life and living, but I have so much more to learn. The more I know, the more I know how much I do not know. There's 50 years left, at least, to learn and experience more!

This is 51

What I wanted!

At the age of 51 we can poke fun at ourselves. I am constantly amazed at the number, because I don't feel it at all! I am supposed to be wise and have all the answers... Most of the times I think I do have all the answers! But I know for a fact that the more I think I do know all the answers, is that I don't! Life shows it to me in so many ways! Ha! Life! You are so funny!

Most of the times I ignore my own wisdom in any case. For example: Who wants to drink water, when you can drink wine? Or: Who wants to hike at Kloofendal, when you can stay in pajamas until 10 on a Saturday? Me, of course! Life is short! Ha!

I wanted to be in Mauritius last year on my 50th birthday, and this year we are doing the wedding! The engagement has come and now it is the preparations. It is also exciting, and we are looking forward to it.

Breather away at Dikhololo

Arrival on Friday at Dikholo Nature Reserve, near Brits

We had a good rest at Dikhololo, a second year in a row. We are very blessed to be able to celebrate my Dad's birthday away in the Bush!

We complain about the eleven kilometers of bad dirt road we have to get there, and we even said this year was the last! But thinking back about the weekend, I have a rubber arm! I would be there in a flash if I get the chance. A weekend away is a great way to breath. I have been spamming my Instagram feeds. Sorry! Not sorry!

It was great to get away from the year that has started with a bang!

#RELAX #unwind #weekendvibes #bushveldlife #dikhololo #swimmingpool #hminstachallenge

A post shared by Karen Du Toit (@karentoittoit) on Feb 10, 2018 at 5:07am PST

Miss is 9 years old

Birthday Girl

We have a girl in our house that turned 9 yesterday! Miss is big. Very big! It's sad that's she's not the Little Miss any more, but we love the interesting dialogues we have with her now! She questions the world, and she's got some of her own answers! She has been living the 9 years old life for a year! (What happens when you only turn your age at the end of a year!) By all accounts this year went very well! We are very happy with her report card!

Questions to the nearly 9 year old

Miss faces

It's been a year, and it's always good to sneak in a few questions to our daughter. There's some "Ah-hah" and some "Really?".

She's been with me at work for the first day of school holidays, and she's managed to use up 4G of my 5G dongle before lunch. Now she is tasked in making me a picture for my office, and I try not to look at the mess... (This is going to be a long 6 weeks!)

Wordless Wednesday #342 - Second Cup

Happy birthday to the best Dad!

To the best Dad in the whole wide world! Happy birthday!

You are the best Dad!
We appreciate you so much!

Birthday at Hard Rock Cafe in Johannesburg - Such a treat!

We celebrated The Eldest's birthday two years back at Hard Rock Café in San Antonio. We have never been to Hard Rock Cafe in South Africa, and this year we decided it was time! It's a thing to buy a t-shirt in a Hard Rock Cafes whenever you visit a city worlwide. The Eldest has a nice collection already, and she is planning to get some more... (*Thumbs!*)

We love the vibe and the food! It's an experience. They have a kiddies menu as well.

The poses!

Happy birthday with a cocktail!

Hard Rock Cafe interior! Such a treat with all the musical legends and paraphernalia

We had the Paul McCartney booth

Paul McCartney signature

And of course, the obligatory selfie with the great man, Madiba, on Sandton Square!

Nelson Mandela statue on Sandton Square

Related post: A birthday at Hard Rock Cafe in San Antonio

To the Eldest

Happy birthday, K! I am so glad that you are enjoying your life, and having the best time!

May your day today be one of celebration! We are stretching it out until the weekend this year!

Thanks so much for all you are teaching us. You are the kindest and most compassionate person I know! You are always helping others! Thanks for the lovely example you are for our youngest!

Your smile and warm greeting to each and every body you meet makes it a pleasure to be around you! Stay as you are!

May this year be the best yet, and may you still go on those travels you were planning!
Boomerang back as much you want! ;-)

Half a century she is!

 

I still don't know when it will not be a shock to say the dreaded 50? Will it ever be?

But I've turned the half a century corner! Now I've got the next half a century in front of me!

It's too soon, too quickly! But this post is the final written moan I will give about 50.

There is actually quite a few things I LOVE about being fifty:

- I know who I am!
- I am not that shy self-conscious person I used to be in my teens and twenties! (Who was she even?)
- I can complain about being overweight and the extra lines, but then who cares? Not me any more! And nobody else does! (And nowadays we've got filters in any case!)
- I like the person I am now!
- I like where I am now in life! (Mauritius would have been nice as well, but it's coming!... )
- I like the people I have in my life! 
- I love my family! 
- If there is something that is bothering me, I know I can change it! Yes! 
- And I can plan a Star Wars party, even though people are looking with a bit of bewilderment at me... I don't care! 

The next fifty years! Slay it!, says she!

Barbie is 58!

Congratulations, Barbie! 

You are older than me or my daughters. We all grew up with you!
Little Miss has a collection of Barbies now.

Barbie has expanded her looks, her careers, her ethnicity. 

She truly is the best version of who she can be:  

"You can be anything!"

I love the #DadsWhoPlayBarbie video campaign. It has over 1.7 million views on YouTube already.

"Time spent in her imaginary world is an investment in her real world!"

It's a 8!

Little Miss is 8 years old! Our girl is big with a big personality!

(She celebrated her birthday yesterday, and I would have liked to to put this up yesterday already. But we have been offline for a week! Thanks Telkom!  I have been struggling to get anything out!)

Such a short time to get here! And such a very long time! It has been an epic adventure for all involved! We have trekked the "mountains" of baby and toddler and school-going girl. Next year she will be going to standard three in a new school!

Even Little Miss had the following to say: "This year has gone by very quickly. Hands on face! I can't believe it!"


I asked her a few questions about this past year.


Best of 2016

Roller skates (She got roller skates this year, although she has been asking for them for years now. We took her roller skating yesterday, and she loved it!)


Worst of 2016

To give a speech to the whole class for the first time


Favourite food

Pasta


Favourite drink

Ice tea


Best friend

Alyssa


Best teacher

Teacher Salome (Teacher in Grade 1)


Best music

Flute


Favourite pet

Petite Peu


Best game

Gymnastics


Mom or Dad

Dad, because Dad does more of my stuff! (Take that, Mom!)


Best book

Die geheime bestanddeel in Petra Pienk se piesangbrood


Best day

My birthday! Because she is going to roller skate!


Best holiday

With the Voortrekkers


Best doll

Ken

Why don't you play more with him? Because I don't have somebody to play with


Best swim

The swimming pool at the beach


Best sport

Netball


Happy birthday, Little Miss!
Thanks for all the adventures!
We love you to the moon and back!

Daughter, wishing you only the best on your birthday

Birthday girl

Dearest Daughter

It is such a great journey to have lived with you for 23 years now! I wish you the best on this day and into your future!

I am so proud of you for finally getting that last subject (and getting those marks!), and that you are enjoying your new life as a working adult! (I can't call you The Student anymore, although you have already signed up for an online course...) Although still under "probation" at work, but I am sure it won't be a draw-back! Most probably helping you along the way!

You are the reason I don't get despondent about parenting that much! ;-) I raised you as the perfect example of what we want our kids to become! Self-sufficient, able, happy, life-affirming go-getters in life!
If I did it right once, surely we can do it right this time?
But I do realize it's more about you and the person you are, and not about our parenting successes or failures!

Littler Miss was very excited about your birthday! She could not wait to give you the earrings she made for you from the Kids Emporium breakfast stash. (See photo above) She also insisted to buy you toothpaste, because she does not want to share her toothpaste with us.
That's why you got your present with the toothpaste! (We cannot dream up these things, even if we tried... ;-0)

You are very special to us and Little Miss! She was a bit sad that we can't go with you tonight when you see your friends, but the restaurant outing last night made up for it!

Enjoy your day!
Love you!

Questions to the 7 year old

Today is her birthday! 

We had a low-key celebration with the family over the weekend. This year we skipped the big party! Little Miss was totally okay with it, as long as her family was there and she could have a birthday cake!

We love the girl that she is! With all her opinionated and strong-willed ideas!
She makes our lives very interesting! And we love it!

We got her report card over the weekend, and she did great!
We are very proud of her, as well!

I asked her a few questions last night:

What was the best of being 6?

That I have a mother and father and a sister. And that I have a grandmother and a grandfather.

What was the best about school?

Sport: Gymnastics, tennis and ballet

What are you going to become when you grow up?

A veterinarian

Who was your best friend this year?

I don’t know, Mom! I haven’t made a choice yet!

What do you want to do next year that is going to be enjoyable?

Roller-skates

What was the best this weekend with your birthday?

My presents, and my birthday cake!

What are your best presents?

LEGO, jewellery making set and money

Why do you want to give money to your uncle? (Her grandmother received coins in a plastic bag which she got instructions to give to Little Miss' uncle.)

Because he always gives me money

What sports are you going to do?

Roller-skates

What are your plans for Gr 2?

I don’t know, Mother. Enough with the questions!

We love you, Little Miss!!

It's his birthday!

This time of the year always hits us with a bang!

And before we realize it is Hubby's birthday again!

I hope it will be your best year and day today!

You are much loved and appreciated in our lives!

It was difficult to find something special for him. But I found Bain's Cape Mountain Whiskey (as suggested on Rattle and Mum) with an extra power bank included at Makro yesterday. (Totally worth it!) 

Coldplay released today, but I could send the iTunes gift today. And Mark Haze's latest could also only be found on iTunes. 

What do you buy for your special man?

We really do some stuff on a weekend - for future reference!

Little Miss has to do a weekend report picture after each weekend of the stuff we did. We have only seen her books from school on two occasions when it got sent home. Both times her pictures of the weekend reports came back very dull.

Week after week it is only a picture of herself with sometimes a tree, and sometimes with a small dog.
Her answer is that she forgets when I try to recount of all the things we did!

Why do we even bother to go out of the house?
And most of the things we do for her!

This past weekend had a birthday focus (mine), but she could have reported the following:

Weekend report:

- Her Big Sister was home for the weekend. She loves having her around, and spending time with her!

- Big Sister made her a t-shirt headband and bracelet, and she also could help her with it.

-  We had a breakfast outing at Urban Angel Cafe (love the place!) on Saturday with friends of mine and she could choose anything from the stand. (She loves that more than ordering from the menu.) She had a pie and a cake!

- Dad took her to the gymnastics which she loves!

- She played "tennis in our garage" with Mom and Dad in the afternoon while waiting for Mom's friends to arrive.

- She also got to ride her scooter, which she loves more than her bicycle. Dad had to tag along, of course!

- She could watch a children's movie while we were having a braai.

- Her grandmother and grandfather visited on Sunday, with aunt Deb and uncle Leon. She always loves seeing them.

- Her uncle Leon played some ball with her.

- The neighbour's kids came to jump with her on her trampoline.(Big Plus for the Sunday!)

- She scored a R10 from the family, and she immediately had to spend it at the petrol garage when we dropped the Student off on Sunday afternoon!


She could not remember to include any of this in her report?
Next Monday we will be reminding her of all  the highlights of the weekend, especially since we are going camping with her.

(For future reference, Little Miss!!)


Photo: I tried to get the rainbow on the photo in the background. Not that successful!

48 is not so bad!

Birthday flowers

It's a scary number, and of course I don't feel I am this age!

I love where I am in life now, and I am contented with who I am!
(Maybe that's why the extra weight is not shifting?)

This is a great age to be!
No more hang-ups, and wannabe's! 

I love where I am, and if I don't like it, I know that I can make a change!
It's all up to me!

I love my family. I have a great husband, and great daughters. They make living so much fun!

We are still dreaming about adventures together!

And in the meantime we are juggling the rat race (mostly the traffic) here in suburbia, and looking forward to each weekend with braais and family and friends! (And wine!)

--------------------

And as soon as I am beginning to feel a bit of blue, I remind myself that a 50-year old is playing the next Bond girl... (Is that not super fantastic??)


Thanks to all for my birthday wishes, and all the lovely presents.
(I would have definitely missed out if I skipped my birthday this year!)

Card from Little Miss (she spent a huge amount of time curling the ribbons
last night)

Cotton Road handbag.

And I got two vintage Cotton Road handbags which I had been eyeing for quite a while! They are super lovely! Thanks Hubby!

What I want for my birthday...

Wine quote from 12 Signs Wine

Preferably RED!


Happy Wine O'Clock time!

(For more Wine quotes, I have been pinning some on a Red Wine Pinterest Board.)

Happy birthday to the Little Miss - finally a 6!

6 years old!

Finally! A full 6!

This has been a long wait, but it finally happened!

Little Miss has been celebrating since the end of November with a Spur party and she took party packs to school as well just before the end of the school term.

The teacher took these photos of her in class.

Look at the cute party hat that the teacher has made!

She also got her birthday present from us a little earlier. The trampoline has been a constant source of activity and joy!


I asked her last night about her future plans for Grade 1. She promptly answered with another question. Can she wear her hair loose in Grade 1? No!
Well , then she wants braids one day, two ponies the next day, and then again a French braid in her hair the next day...


Happy birthday to my not so little girl any more!

You are a constant source of joy in our midst!
We love you!

Twenty one years of joy

#kiaragatsby
Photo: Patrick Pretorius

To my darling daughter

21 years!

Yes, it's flown by in a blink of an eye, but it has also feel like it's been forever! You have always been with us, and also not!

You are already making a life for yourself, and we love the fact that you still enjoy coming back home to us!

That you are in our lives, and that you are always a delight!

People are always telling me how beautifully mannered you are, and that you are such a light and a pleasure to be around. It's got more to do with the person you are, than our own inputs.

Thank you for being a great daughter!
Thank you for being a great sister!

We all love you very much!

I know you are feeling a bit unsure at the moment about where life is going to take you, and that your expectations vs. reality are stressing you. But I know you are going to grab all the opportunities coming your way, and that you will make the best of your life!

We are cheering from the sides.
Feeling very proud!

No, I am not sad that you are 21!
I am glad that we got here, and that we can look forward to sharing your joys and your milestones!

Love
Mom

Photos from the Gatsby Party we had on Saturday at Chicago's Piano Bar!
It was a blast!

Rick, the Creative behind the cake!

Dance!
Photo: Patrick Pretorius

With family
Photo: Patrick Pretorius

Cheers!
Photo: Patrick Pretorius

Family: Gatsby style!
Photo: Patrick Pretorius

Friends at Chicago's
Photo: Patrick Pretorius

Little Missy

Helping Sis to blow out her candle!

Chicago's Piano Bar