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Marriage and Melodies: Our feature in JStar Blomag
The nice lady (Mvokazi Mjayezi-Ncede) from JStar Blomag emailed me a few weeks ago asking if they could please feature Chris and I in the August edition. We obviaaasly had to say yes! What an honor!We got to share about how we met, what brought us together and what keeps us together!Chris and I met a couple of years ago and sorry Hollywood, it wasnt exactly “love and first sight”.We became really good friends first and I think that is so important! We got to know each others ins and outs before deciding if this was “the one”.I am no relationship expert, but since I’ve been in a few (the longest one – prior to Chris – being 7 years!) I am an advocate for “let’s first be friends”. I see sooo many people jumping from one relationship to another – how tiring!One of our church pastors said something profound once.He said that making up and breaking up all the time is kinda like desensitizing you to divorce.It becomes a learned behavior. It just made sense to me and looking around at all the beautiful marriages I see, I find that the people who have been less exposed to unstable relationships believe in LOVE and the “Happy Ever After” even more than those who have experienced constant break ups.I’m not slamming “dating”, but I do feel that going into a “serious” relationship is such a big decision. Why waste your time with someone who you do not want to spend the rest of your life with? Why waste THEIR time?Anyways, so in this edition of JStar, you’ll read more about us and how we met and what we believe to be the glue that keeps us together đI love this magazine, besides for the obvious reasons haha :), because it features amazing stories, testimonies and advice for regular people, from regular people, on behalf of regular people.Regular.(Had to say it again).There’s no sugar coating, no flashy misconceptions and total truths that are sure to inspire you and help make you feel a little less crazy and a little more motivated to be a better you!Check out the Jstar site, to get the online magazine and to get the August edition with us in it.Heehee!I feel so faaaamous now and stuff! đxxxL
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Music Monday: Laurene Bonsink – Father
Photo: Laurene Bonsink This Monday I am revisiting an album I reviewed a while ago because it’s been THAT kind of month and I really needed something (If you know what I mean). I needed a refreshing and for God to just wipe the slate clean (as He does) and for me to start this new month with new thoughts and a fresh inspiration. Maybe you felt the same? Maybe you’re also going through the mid year slump? Join the team đ Laurene Bonsink released her debut album in January 2015 and let me tell you, this CD is really something else! This is the review I wrote for Gateway News:Bonsink recorded the album in the Netherlands, where she currently resides, leading worship in one of its biggest churches, Doorbrekers. She shares that her longing for more âfree worshipâ and the prophetic in the local church is what led the worship leader on a journey to singing spontaneous God-instructed songs during services and eventually recording an album that has the depth to âtake you to the heart of God the Father,â as described on her website. This sound is evident in her album and I thoroughly enjoyed the unobtrusive, delicate way in which she ministers in the prophetic. It was easy for me to rest in Godâs presence, whilst listening to Bonsinkâs serene vocals and honest, unfussy songwriting.Bonsinkâs heart is evident in her song recordings. Each song leaves room for you to encounter your own Holy Spirit movement whilst listening to it because of the uncomplicated arrangements and her moving so easily into spontaneous worship that it gives the listener unconscious permission to do the same.
Photo: Laurene Bonsink An example is Track 2, Beautiful Saviour. With simple lyrics that say: âYouâre beautiful God/Youâre beautiful Saviour/Youâre beautiful King,â I immediately got caught up in the attributes of God while listening to her minister so effortlessly.Other songs that include a time for free worship are I want to beand Safe with you. Both tracks have easy, likeable melodies and straightforward, heartfelt lyrics that make it easy for you to enter into a personal time of worship. In my opinion, it wouldâve been nice to hear even more spontaneous worship from the singer.The electro intro of Safe in your arms immediately grabbed my attention. The song has a more contemporary sound and is so different from the first four tracks. It was quite unexpected.You will never leave us is a wordy song that speaks about the power of Christâs work on the cross. Itâs a typical Easter song but with a unique sound â almost ethereal instrumentation and beautiful vocals by Bonsink and David van den Heuvel. Another Easter song, It is done, has almost the same sound but with lyrics that paint a picture of the Crucifixion of Christ.I found Father God to be a beautiful, easy-to-listen-to heart song. In fact, if my guitar skills were up to par, I would probably download the chord charts and lyrics to this one from herwebsite. Another guitar-based track that grabbed me was bonus track, Your love. Unlike the original (which is actually Track 3 on the album), the bonus track only features an acoustic guitar accompanying Bonsinkâs vocals. In the songâs bridge, she croons âHow deep you touch me Lord/how deep you do/Iâm falling more and more in love with you.â Stunning!Album closer, He is King, is a declarative song with a chorus that simply says: âHe is King/we raise our voices/we sing/He is Kingâ. It has the potential to be a congregational anthem and has really powerful moments, which I quite enjoyed.If you enjoy worship that is easy to listen to, but has depth, then I would recommend this album to you. If I could describe it in one word, Iâd say âairyâ â It gave me the feeling of having room to relax, breathe and let go. There isnât a lot to focus on except the beauty of the presence of God and who He is, and as much as I love big productions and big vocals with 5-part harmonies, there is a beauty in worshipping with music that is simplistic and focused on having the Holy Spirit move.If you would like to purchase a copy of this album, you can visit Laurene Bonsinks website or contact Harry Chesling at 082 320 2853 for more information.This review was originally written for and published in Gateway News -
And then I bought a string of Baltic Amber Beads…
So, today, I went out and purchased a string of baltic amber beads for my Curlysue.
She’s going through her teething season and I feel SO sorry for her đ
Besides for the fact that the pearlys are right beneath the surface of the gum and they refuse to budge an inch further, she has also been drooling a lot, which causes an eina looking rash on her neck.
She is so uncomfortable. And needless to say, sleep has eluded us for many a night now.
Not a good look on me.
And then I heard about the amazing amber beads. They are apparently made out of (duh) amber and it is said that this amber stone can help to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation and accelerate the healing of wounds. Many swear that they are perfect soothers for babies who are teething as well.
I’m not sure about the healing properties of this here necklace and my hubby says that it’s “voodoo” but after reading up on it, I am willing to spend R195 and give it a go!
Being all spreadsheet brain’ed (and stuff) I Googled as much as I could and found this article, found over at Belly Belly , especially interesting. It says:Â “In addition to assisting with reducing pain, drooling (for which amber is said to work by stimulating the thyroid glands) and irritability that is often associated with teething, Baltic amber is believed to help relieve eczema, speed up wound healing and stave off ear and throat inflammation, amongst other ailments.”
Sounds worth a try, right?
The nice lady at the shop I bought it from said to give it 4 – 5 days before it will take effect.
So let’s see what happens.I will be checking if the beads assist as a relief from:
– Constant drooling
– Rash on face
– Pain and uncomfortable behaviourI will report back in a weeks time to let you know whether this thing is worth the price of a pack of diapers!
xxxL -
Guilt free baby lovin’
In a perfect world I’d be a stay at home mom. I would also be a size 6, freckle free and have a rich husband. But this is not a perfect world. So here I am, in all my size 10 glory, a 9 to 5 working mom with a 9 to 5 working husband. Life’s pretty decent and I get that I am at my place of employment for a season and a reason, but I must admit that it sucks a lot when I have to leave my baby with a babysitter every morning, and only get to see her again when it’s dark outside. I guess I have a severe case of what I’ve dubbed ‘guilt free baby lovin’.
I felt this even more so yesterday, when I had a particularly hectic Saturday and only picked baby up at 4pm. We then went to visit friends, where an aunty took baby for a bit to say hi and for some play time. A couple of minutes later, I spot aunty and baby, and I see my baby’s head is down on auntys shoulder, as if she is tired. But she cant be tired. She’s just had a nap. I then realized that my poor baby probably thought that I had left again and had resigned to just laying there, on auntys shoulder, until I came back.
Oh my heart broke at the sight! I immediately went to get her from the kind aunty and when baby saw me, she was instantly full of joy and energy, so excited that mommy isn’t gone after all!I know that millions of moms all around the world have 9 to 5 jobs as well and their babys have grown up to be mentally sane and emotionally balanced and all of that. But this doesn’t make it easier for me to be away from mine. With my first born I was ever thankful when someone took him off my hands, allowing me some free time to do whatever I needed to. But with this little one it’s so hard for me to be away from her. I prefer staying at home with her, rather than going out. I’ve said no to many an invitation and have even declined hubstophers request for a weekend (or even a night) away from the kids. I’m not ready yet. Fortunately my husband is understanding and he is okay with this. And I’ve decided to be okay with it too.
I have had people tell me not to “spoil” her by holding, kissing her playing with her too much. Uhm. No thank you lady, I’d prefer holding and kissing and playing with my kid. Her dad is crazy about her and she semi freaks out (good freak out) when she sees him. She gives him the best shrieks and belly laughs when he does silly antics for her. I will never ever deny her that. I don’t think it is “spoiling” her. I think that it is giving her a sense of belonging and security. Her parents love her and we want to always make her feel that she is loved.
And you know what, she will only be a baby for so long and I plan to enjoy every single second that I have to spare, with her. I am okay with lavishing my love and attention on our little girl and I am okay with being selfish with my time. Our older kids have each other and yes, they also get the attention that they need, but obviously, since she is 9 and 12 years their junior, she requires a bit more. We all understand this. It makes sense in our world.
And hey, maybe one day Ill attend that party or go away for a weekend. Maybe one day I won’t rush home from work, just so that I can see her. One day. But not right now. No guilt here. No shame here. No unresolved issues here. Just pure guilt free baby lovin and I’m going to savor it for as long as I can.
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DIY storage space ideas
If you live in a matchbox, like I do, I’m sure you’re always looking for ways to maximise your space. I’m learning the hard way that life with boys can definitely leave your home feeling cluttered. Can you imagine the state of my (spreadsheet) brain when I come home to shoes and Xbox games and the likes, scattered around the house? Order must be kept!
And then its choruses of “Babe, where are the car keys?” and “Mommy wheres my [insert random object of importance here]? I reeeaaally need it for school tomorrow!”Such a fun time.I will accept a little bit of the blame.I am the eternal collector and have a large collection of CD’s and DVD’s. (Aint nothing like the reeal thing baby).With that said, I am always looking for nifty ways to store or display things and found Google to be really helpful with this.Check out what I’ve found:
“Your car keys are behind the frame, dollface!” 
My pots n pans cuboard is the worst! 
This is cool! 
This is so easy to make! 2Litre cooldrink bottle! 
Some magnetic action going on here 
No need to lift up a bunch of pots to take out the tray 
Hmm… but then to store the storage boxes. Not sure how I feel… 
Love this! It’s a frame! No, its a book case! 
CD case 
Magnets again! 
A hanger. Love. 
Again, where to store the boxes? 
Great idea! -
Music Monday: Worship Central – Set Apart
Photo: Worship Central I loved reviewing London based Christian movement, Worship Centralsâ third live album, Set Apart. The album, which was recorded in 2014 at Hillsongâs Warehouse Project in London features worship leaders Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon, Luke and Anna Hellebronth and Karen Gillespie.With the sole mandate and desire to see the worship of Jesus Christ made central throughout the world, the Worship Central movement has certainly been making an impact in worship circles worldwide, most recently with its 100 Gatherings initiative which saw 100 worship gatherings taking place across the globe over the period of a week, as reported by Gateway News.Co-founder and director, Tim Hughes, has shared that he believes that worship is more than just the songs we sing. âIf we let the song become the king, then worship becomes more about what we can create and less about our response to Godâs initiating love and glory,â he explained. And this is evident in his passion to see and facilitate the growth of worship services across England and the world.With all of this in mind, I listened to the new album full of expectancy, knowing that these guys are the real thing! I was not disappointed and found the album to be exactly what one would expect from a current Christian band/worship collective â electric guitars, easy melodies, lots of anthems and a few really groovy congregational songs that can be added to many a set list.Album opener, âThe Wayâ is led by frontman Tim Hughes and is an array of synth and electronics with an easy to sing chorus speaking about Jesus being the way. Listening to this song took me back to my youth days, strobe lights and wearing neon coloured clothing. I love that itâs a party â because, hey, we have a lot to celebrate!Anthem, âStand upâ also peaked my attention with its catchy hook âWhen we donât know what to do/what to do/our eyes will be fixed on you/fixed on you!â Lead by Luke Hellebronth, this song urges the congregation to set their eyes on the Lord.Judging by their response on social media platforms, Worship Central music fans seem to really love âCanât stop Your loveââ an anthemy song lead by Ben Cantelon. The track has a strong chorus, which is a really catchy chant taken from Psalm 139: âWhere can I go/Where can I go/From Your presence/In Your light I am known/Iâm surrounded/I will not walk alone.â This is one of those songs that you canât get out of your head after a few listens!I found a favourite in âAwsome is Heâ which features the amazing Anna Hellebronth. It is a mid-tempo congregational song which encourages the listener to rise up and worship our great God. When you get your hands on this album and youâre wondering where to start, I would say start here. After having a listen to the entire CD the very first time this is the song that made me go back again.In my most humble opinion, the worship ballad titled âWorth it allâ, led by Cantelon, is one of the best worship songs on this album. I love the wordy bridge that builds into a crescendo with Cantelon declaring that Jesus is âworth it all!âI also enjoyed the likable melodies of âEnough lightâ and âLet goâ â both modern sounding tracks with easy to learn choruses. I think they would make for excellent introductions to Youth service worship sets. But I must share that the ultimate winner on this album, for me, was Karen Gillespies âSinging over us.âThe chorus very simply sings: âFor You care for us/For You care for us/You are singing over us/With Your love.â I think that the combo of uncomplicated, honest lyric coupled with an awsome synth, won me over! The song ends by transitioning into a spontaneous worship session with Tim Hughes who begins to sing the song of the Lord. Wow! It is so aptly namedâWide open spaceâ and Hughes sings about the love of the Father and how God is calling us to be His Good News.In a nutshell, this is a âtypicalâ modern worship album, which would be an asset to anyoneâs collection. After a few listens, it totally grew on me and since it has an up-to-date sound that is similar to some of the stuff that we enjoy (as a family), it was easy to introduce this album to our play list in the car. Two thumbs up!This review was originally written for and published in Gateway News -
Feature Friday: Alethea Ross
On Feature Friday I feature people, products or just random things that I think are pretty cool. My aim is to leave you a little bit more enlightened and inspired! And hey, I’m open to new things, so please hollar at me, if you have any pretty cool FF suggestions.
Alethea Ross of Alove Creations
This week I was inspired by women who are doing it for themselves. Those who decided to follow their hearts and do the things that they are gifted to do! This takes guts and a lot of prayer, I’m sure đOne such person is Alethea Ross, who has recently started her own business called, Alove Creations. Alove Creations specializes in beautiful handmade infinity scarves with funky and elegant designs and lots of colours to choose from! (Check out her Facebook page) I heard that she will be launching a mens and kiddies range very soon too!If you know me, you’d know that my love of scarves almost supercedes that of Hilda in 7de Laan. So I totally inlike with Althea’s product and think that ordering your very own custom made scarf (that suites your own personal style and flair…and matches what’s in your cupboard!) totally tops buying something (and spending top dollar) at your generic clothing store to buy something that everyone else has. I will be reviewing one of her scarves really soon and will show you the amazing range she has developed over a short period of time.
Besides for following her heart đ she also spends her time listening to music (she mentioned Whitney Houston, the diva!) and she says she loves spending time with her kiddies, dancing like crazy to Praise&Worship. Herself and hubby, Shilton, have been married for almost 2 years and they have an adorable little girl, Madison Taylor (3) and the warrior (as his mom calls him), Keane Thor who is 8 years old. When speaking about Shilton, Alethea gushes: “He is so supportive with all I choose to pursue or do. I still get butterflies when I think about us, and how far we have come. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful support system in him.” Awwww!
Let’s see what else she has to say:
1. So… who are you?I am Alethea, many call me Ally, a daughter of the most High, blessed beyond compare. I am a mother to two amazing children, a wife to the best husband, I work hard, am an ambitious, fun loving and daring person.
2. You’re a feature today, because I think you’re pretty cool đ Why do you think you’re cool?I am an honest, straight forward; I laugh loud, love deeply, cry hard and celebrate life like a rock star.
3. What is your favourite thing at the moment?Scarves!!! Lol, I love them, and think they just add that extra pizzazz to any outfit for any occasion â am I cray cray?
4. If you could change one thing today, what would it be?The weather⊠I donât like cold and grey weather; I want spring, the sweet smell of fresh flowers and the sun on my skin đ
5. Learnt how to make anything recently?A skirt đ I love maxi skirts and so I decided that I would start making my own đ whoop whoop
6. Share your favourite tip/trick:Itâs okay to talk to yourself đ I do it all the time
7. Imagine we’re your kids đ now imagine you had to share a life lesson with us. What would it be?I know this might sound clichĂ© but I wish that I had listened to the many that shared this with me⊠life is a gift, you only get one, make it count. Take risks, breathe deeply and be brave. I have also learned and come to accept that being a Christian does not make you immune to the evil around us, if anything, we will probably encounter many hardships, faith is what gets you through them, and Grace is what comes in and changes it all around. Grace is not something you can ever earn; it is a second chance, a third chance and fourth. I am obsessed with grace đ
xxxL -
Technological me
I think I understand the difference between potatoe and potato when I go from using Hubstophers MacBook Pro to my 1990s Acer laptop. I feel like I’m playing ‘whose fingers are they anyways?’ It’s like: you scroll up to scroll down (huh?) and right click with 5 fingers versus “oh look there’s a button for it”.Â
You know, I used to be the kinda girl that I would call ‘old fashioned’. And that’s because I liked things that are old fashioned. I believed If it aint broke don’t fix it! With that said, I have had the same Blackberry for the past four years. This thing still works like the bomb dot com! Because of my cleverness and cunning ability to figure things out, I’ve found that the less apps I have on it, the better it works. So I don’t have waiting issues (remember the ghastly wait icon that everyone cursed to the pit of hell?) I don’t have “take my battery out of my phone quickly” problems. But I’m starting to wonder: is it enough?Â
I feel a new era dawning.
An era where I want to take photos with my cellphone and not have to find a photo app online that would make my pics look remotely okay. An era where I’d know what people are speaking about when they want to ‘load a filter’ before they ‘post to Insta’. An era where I swipe on my screen when I want to do something on my phone, as opposed to pressing a button. (It looks so cool to swipe. I waaannaaaa swiiipe tooooo) An era where I can also dubsmash and play angry birds and finally download Twitter without it making my cellphone run slower than a Bold and the Beautiful story line.
I’ve decided to give this big screen phone thing a try. I mean, it has some lady who can speak back to you and everything, so that’s a plus. And also, it looks really cool and according to my super smart husband it can do lots of things too. (List of things it can do is yet to be revealed, but I’ll take his word for it based on the fact that I am married to him).
Needless to say, since I am controlled by a spreadsheet brain and all, I will need to do some deeeeep soul searching before I make a purchase. Deeeeep. Like deeeep deeep. Like “Rolling in the deeep” by Adele, deeeep.
I’ll send an update once I find a phone worthy of my lots of moola. Until then, I’ll appreciate my BIS a little bit longer.
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Babyshower: Oh Boy! It’s a cowboy babyshower!
This past weekend we hosted a cowboy babyshower that had me saying heeehaaaa! (I just had to do that).
It was also fun to have everyone dress up in their best cowboy chaps. I mean, who doesn’t love a cowboy hat?! Decor was fairly easy… lots of cowboy hats and cowboy boots. Â I loved the theme and found lots of ideas on the net, but you could get away with anything as long as you have denim, burlap and hay! A cheap decor idea was to get bandannas in different colors which we used as overlays for the tables and even as chair back covers.
2 bales of hay were used to display the gifts on and I placed clever quips on the table, to add to the atmosphere. I tried my hand at bunting. (No, not BANTING. No banting at this party. Hahaha) For my bunting, I literally just cut out triangles with pretty cowboy print on them and pritt together. I also made little flags for the burger sliders, just to give it that some’hin, some’hin.I loved this take of a diaper cake. My friend, Melissa, created this baby (no pun intended) all on her own. What do you think? And then, lastly, I saw a really cute idea on how to make cowboy-looking brown paper bags on I Gotta Create. We filled them up with popcorn as a nifty thank you gift.
Cowboy babyshower fringed popcorn bags
 Thank you to I Gotta Create for this brilliant idea! For my cowboy fringed popcorn bags, I needed the following supplies:
Brown paper bags
I took a normal brown paper bag, measured off about 5 centimeters of it, and made a fold.
I then cut strips that are about 3-4 centimeters in length. Fringe look = Check.
I cut off the sides until I just had the front and back fringes, like so:
Took a koki and drew “stitches” on the top. And ta-daaahhhh!
A fun time was had by all, especially my beautiful baby and her bigger pals.
I know her facial expression says “Mom, why are you over there and I’m over here?!”, but trust me, she had fun.
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Music Monday: Christy Nockels – Let it be Jesus
