Arwen comes home

Our sweet little pup, thought that it might be a good idea to see what was in Jedidiah's food bowl. The only problem was that our Jed was eating at the time. So he have her a nip, to let her know that he didn't want to share. The thing is that  Jed is an enormous dog, he's close to 67 kilograms, and little Arwen is a little bigger than his head. So the little nip, wasn't so little.

Off to the vet we went, and she had to spend the night in hospital...gosh, we all missed her so much.

She came home yesterday

Shame, she is feeling very sorry for herself, the other two little dogs, run for the hills when they see her coming! Maybe it's 'coz she looks a little like an alien :)

Jed on the other hand is keeping her company, he is so sweet with her.

Well we're hoping that she will make a speedy recovery, so that we can take her 'hat' (as Kenzie calls it) off.

Chat soon,

Niqui xx



Shopping for a new cossie

Oh my word!! Summer is upon us, we're in the midst of a heat wave...wilt...

Little Miss Kenzie has grown so much, that it is time for a new cossie.

Thankfully, Kenzie loves to shop!! She asks me almost everyday "we going shopping Mommy?" I am glad to see that she has inherited at least one gene fro me!! It has been said, that if shopping were an Olympic sport I would win the gold! tee hee

So here's what we found...

How sweet is this little lady (^^,)

And yay for me, I got a little something too...

I needed to get my face product, and I was so excited to see that I qualified for a free gift!!

(don't you just love my shopping bag? Gotta do my bit for the environment, you know)

Gosh after all of that, it was time for Kenzie to test out her new cossie...

Aaahhhhh (^^,)

Chat soon, sweet friends

Niqui xx

 

A Celebration for Zac

This past week end was our little Zac's celebration service.

Ian the girls and I hopped in the car, early on Friday morning to make our way down to Port Elizabeth. 12 and a half hours later we reached our destination...

Mom was blessed with a ticket to come home, and spend some quality time with Janni and the family. It was so special for all of us to be together again.

Sunday was the service. Jan and Brett wanted it to be a celebration, a birthday party for Zac. We all got togged up in our bight happy clothes and set off for the service.

The service was so very special. Afterwards we all gathered outside of the church, with balloons, and chocolate :)

Then it was off to lunch, where we carried on celebrating (^^,)

In Zac's 21 and a half hours of life, he impacted so many people. Mine included.

This is what I have learned from Zac,

Faith is what pleases our Father, there is no fear in death.
Life is short, and how do I want to spend my precious time? This I know for sure, life is too short to hold onto offences, and the past. Now is the time to run to the Father's arms, and get that divine exchange that Jesus paid such a costly price for. No more will I mope around, what happened in the past, is in the past. I have the power to walk in freedom today. My Jesus is more than enough. I will not negate what He did on the cross by holding onto all the baggage of the past. Today I choose life.
Walking this road with my sis, has shown me another facet of my Jesus. A deeper level of love.

Jan and Brett are such an inspiration to me. Through this walk, they have shown me what Grace and faith is.
I honour you both!

You are both so special (^^,)

Gosh I am such a blessed woman. I have the most awesome family, and friends!

Thank you Jesus!!

Choose life today!!

Chat soon,

Niqui xx



He Loves Us

God is sheer mercy and grace;

not easily angered, He is rich in love.

He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,

nor hold grudges forever.

He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,

 nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

 As high as heaven is over the earth,

 so strong is His love to those who fear Him.

As far as sunrise is from sunset,

He has separated us from our sins.

 As parents feel for their children,

 God feels for those who fear Him.

He knows us inside and out,

keeps in mind that we're made of mud.

Psalm 103 (from The Message)

Whatever you face today, keep these words in the fore front of your mind! You have an awesome Heavenly Father who adores you!

His love for us in not dependant on what we do, because the truth of the matter is that we are always going to miss it, and mess up. The truth to hold onto is, that we can never lose His love for us.

Chat soon, sweet friends

Niqui xx

Getting Stoned

This morning, Kenz and I went shopping. I'm on the hunt for fabric. I just got an order in to make 20 speaker 'socks'....

I love fabric shops! As soon as I walk in, my mind goes into overdrive (^^,). So before I went to get the fabric, I had to stop off at the embellishment department... of course...
I so love the sparkles, they make my heart so very happy.

As I was walking up and down the isles, I remembered that earlier this week I bought myself a plain white t. Oh happy days, as I remembered my plain, naked, white t shirt, I happened to come across some iron on rhinestones!

So after purchasing my black stretchy fabric ( which is going to be my grace grower today! This stuff has a mind of it's own...) we raced back home.

I whipped out the t shirt, and got stuck in!

So quick and simple! In under 5 minutes I have got something that is personalised, and makes my heart happy (^^,)

Okay, now I have to get stuck into sewing those socks!

1 down, 19 more to go...



Chat soon, sweet friends

Niqui xx

Never Alone

In my quiet time, I have been working through Joseph Prince's Devotional, 100 Days of Favour.

This is what I read this morning. I know that it will bless you as much as it did me!

Enjoy (^^,)

You Have God's Presence And Favor Regardless Of Your Circumstances

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. - Psalm 139:7-10

Hebrews 13.5 says that God's presence in your life is a guaranteed constant. But I want you to know that you cannot evaluate God's presence and His unmerited favor in your life based on your circumstances. To help you understand what this means, let's look at the life of Joseph.

Joseph considered not his circumstances, but kept his focus on the presence of the Lord.



Joseph refused the advances made by Potiphar's wife, and as the common saying goes. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!" She maliciously accused Joseph of attempting to rape her, brandishing as "evidence" the garments that Joseph had left in her hands when he fled from her. When Potiphar heard his wife telling her version of the story, his anger was aroused and he seized Joseph, stripped him from the place of authority he had given him and thew him into prison.

Just put yourself in Joseph's shoes. What is happening here? It sounds all too familiar, doesn't it? With the painful memory of his brothers casting him into the pit still fresh in his mind, here he is once again, cast into a dungeon, even though he was innocent. Any average person would be bitter and angry with God! Most people would ask, "Where is God? Why had God brought him this far, only to abandon and forsake him? How could this happen? Where is the justice against this false accusation?"

But Joseph was literally no "average joe"! He knew that the Lord would never leave him nor forsake him. Joseph considered not his circumstances, but kept his focus on the presence of the Lord. Regardless of whether he was a common slave, an overseer in Potiphar's house or now a prisoner facing the prospect of life imprisonment for a crime he did not even commit, Joseph did not evaluate God's unmerited favor in his life based on his circumstances. Instead of getting bitter, he kept his hope in the Lord. Instead of throwing in the towel and giving up on God and on life, he kept his confidence, knowing that all his success was wrapped up in the presence of the Lord.

And boy, did the Lord deliver him! I want you to read this for yourself to see what the Lord did for Joseph:

Genesis 39:21-23 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him, whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

What does that tell you? If you refuse to bow to your circumstances and continue to be conscious of the Lord's presence, wherever you are placed, whatever your environment, you will rise to prominence. You will have favor with your bosses and they will promote you to man-in-charge. And whatever you do will prosper!

Awesome hey?!

Have a super Sunday

Chat soon, sweet friends

Niqui xx

I've been a busy girl (^^,)

In January this year, I learnt to crochet. First I got the basics from the Internet, then Mom helped me fine tune my technique {wink}

Here's what I've done so far...

This one was my first. I made it for Kenzie.

Janique wanted something special. She fell in love with these flowers :)

This one I made for Amanda, for her birthday. Her most favourite colour is purple.

This is the last one I made. For our sweet little Zac. I started this one in the States.

I have really come to enjoy this craft. It is so addictive. I crochet while I wait for the girls. Sitting in the car. And also while I listen to the T.V in the evening. LOL

I am working on a blanket for Ashlynn, she has chosen the coolest yarn.. Funky neon colours!

Watch this space...

Chat soon, sweet friends

Niqui xx



Gosh this morning I had woken up with such a heavy and sad heart. Added to that, Kenzie is still not sleeping through.Last night she woke 4 times and the night before 7 times! Oh my word! Clearly my little poppet did not get the memo.... by 2 years old, you should be sleeping through!!

I have been working through Steven Covey's 7 Habits book and audio series. In it, he highlights the fact that we are our own architects. Masters of our own ships so to speak. We are responsible for our lives, and where we go in life.

Never has that been more clear to me, than right now.

I have in the past battled with depression, and have also come to know that I am a deep thinker. I have only come to that realisation quite recently in my life.( I always thought that I was a pretty simple person, not much deeper than  a teaspoon. hehe) But the funny thing is, that the enemy has known that for quite some time.

As I grow in my spiritual walk, the Holy Spirit has been highlighting areas in my life that need to be looked at. Hot spots! Where at times satan has a field day with me... I'll give you an example,

On Saturday morning, I woke with such an eagerness, I couldn't wait to get to the hospital to see Janni, Brett and Zac.
Before I left, I had my quiet time with Jesus. He led my to this scripture in Jude ...writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus. Relax, everything is going to be all right; rest, everything is coming together, open your hearts, love is one the way! (from The Message)

You can imagine my exuberance!! I texted Jan immediately! (I think that I might be a tad impulsive...need to work on that!)

At the hospital, I honestly thought, with every fibre of my being, that our Zac was going to make it. After all I got that scripture, didn't I?

But as we know, things didn't turn our as we had hoped! The devastation that I felt was overwhelming. Not only because of the loss of my sweet nephew, but also that my faith had taken a huge knock!

Please don't get me wrong, I love my Jesus, dearly! I just couldn't understand WHY?

So here's where I'm at. I woke up this morning, very sad, and with such a heaviness. My first thought was...'so clearly I can't hear Jesus' voice!' 'that scripture was a fluke' 'it would just be better to keep the kids home from school, and just say in bed' Honestly those were my thoughts this morning!

Mom gave me such good advice a little while ago, she said, that when you wake up in the morning, in a foul or depressed mood, see it for what it is. An attach from the enemy!

So this morning, I decided to make a choice! I chose to tell the devil to take a Hike!! The Word tells me, that those who follow Jesus know His voice!
I clearly jumped the gun with the scripture I got. I should have asked Jesus for more details, instead of assuming... I see now that this scripture is for right now!

As I stand in the stormy sea of emotions, I know that everything will be alright! Jesus said so. The key for me is to remain soft, and keep my heart open to my Saviour. He knows the bigger picture. And this is where trust comes into play.

Choose today, to lay down your own agenda, our Precious Jesus knows the way ahead. Our life is like a giant tapestry. Concentrating on a single stitch won't show you the bigger picture. Only when you step back and take it all in, will you see what the picture is.

Rest in Him

Niqui xx

A time to go

Always let the Main Thing remain the main thing!

Today I leave Cape Town and head on home. Leaving my Janni at the hospital was one of those terribly hard things that I have had to do.

Being a big sister, there is an unspoken rule, that says..."always look out for your little sister" Living through this time with Jan has been so very difficult on so many levels! As I sit here, I have no idea how to articulate how I am feeling. I said to Dawn this morning that I have so much anger on the inside of me, I feel like I am spoiling for a fight. But the big sister in me, tells me to calm down, take a few breathes and focus on Jesus.
I find myself constantly having to remind myself to find my Jesus in this moment. I know that He is with me always, just as He is with my Jan. I also know that I am not my Janni's saviour, that is Jesus' job. But it is difficult to let go!

Losing our little Zac has really rocked my world. It has caused me to focus, and really look at what is important in my life.

What are my values?

Is the Main Thing, the main thing?

What is the main thing?

I have come to realise that the main thing for me is my family. Not just my immediate family, but my entire family.

In my thoughtful moments, I have asked myself the hard questions, that I think that we all need to ask ourselves. What's important.

For me, I have come to realise that it is not the things that I have around me, and the goodies that I want to get. It is my precious family that means the world to me. These are the treasures that Daddy had placed around me.

The Holy Spirit is gently showing me, how I need to give control of the unknown over to Him, and to trust Him wholly. I must say that at this point I am finding that so hard to do. But I am also mindful that it is also a process that can't be rushed, and that I am not walking on this road alone, my Precious Jesus is with me.

I also wanted to let you know that our Janni is doing well. She is so at peace, her faith in Jesus has been such a testimony. It has been unwaivering. She has a peace about her that is tangible. When I was in the room, I could honestly feel Jesus standing there. At one point, just after we heard the news, Janni, Tianna and I were in the room, praying, As I closed my eyes, I saw Jesus standing at the foot of the bed with our sweet boy safely in His arms!

Friends we serve such an awesome God. We may not always understand why things happen, but this I know, nothing takes Him by surprise! He knows everything, and He loves us with such in intensity!!

Praise our Almighty God today, for your precious friends and family! They are around you for a specific God ordained reason. Celebrate them!

I am so grateful that I have not been alone here in Cape Town, My Dawn has been with me every step of the way (and let me tell you, Daw and I have allot of history, that is most defiantly a blog for another time, BUT God! He has performed such a miracle in our own lives. This woman, has my back, I trust her with my life). She has been such a rock!

Dawn I honor you, my friend! I love you!

Have the most wonderful day today (^^,)

Chat soon, sweet friends

Niqui xx



Saying Good Bye

Gosh what an emotional day, yesterday was.

It is with a very sore heart that I sit and write this post.
I got a call from my sweet sis on Friday to say that our little baby was on the way. The Caesar was scheduled to take place at 16h00.

So packed my bags and caught the late flight into Cape Town. I am so grateful, that Dawn was able to join me in Cape Town.

Yesterday I woke up so excited. I was going to meet our precious little Zac.

The favour of the Lord went before me, and I was allowed to visit Janni outside of visiting hours.

Seeing Janni and Zac for the fist time was such a special moment! My heart just swells thinking about it! (^^,)

Holding my precious nephew was such a sweet experience.

A few moments after I got there, the cardio specialist came and scanned our baby's heart one more time.

The news was devastating. Our sweet boy was born without the left side to his heart, and along with that the aorta. How could he still be alive? There is a valve that leads into the right side of the heart, that when a baby is born, it is open to let blood pump into the heart, and then when the aorta is strong enough, the valve starts to close.
The doctor had told Janni and Brett, that this valve had started to close and that in a matter of a few hours, our little precious boy would pass.

As a family we absorbed this news, and did what we knew to so, and that was stand in Faith.

Dawn and I took my sweet nieces out for lunch. And as we were out, we got the news that our little love had gone to be with Jesus.

We took the girlies back to the hospital.

The news was absolutely devastating! As I sit here I have tears running down my face, my heart is so very sore!

I honestly don't understand! I am finding myself in such a difficult place. I am choosing not to question God, because I know that nothing takes Him by surprise. I don't understand why, but He does.

While I was in the hospital room, sitting with Jan and Tianna, we were praying, and as I closed my eyes, I saw my Jesus standing right there with us, holding sweet Zac!

Although my heart aches for Janni, Brett and the girls. I also have a peace in my heart.

This I know, that in his very short little life, our little Zac, the lion heart, impacted so many lives! Through Jan & Brett's walk, many have turned to Jesus, and are walking with Him now, with a renewed heart  toward Him.

Folks we serve such a kind and compassionate God, whose heart is toward us.

Things happen, that we don't and will never understand. But God! This is the time for each and everyone of us, to draw near to Him, and seek the comfort from Him.

My friends,

Please continue to pray for Brett, Jan and the family.

Daddy God, I lift Brett, Janni and the girls up to you. I pray Father, for an increased measure of grace over them, that it will come upon then and envelope them.

Thank you for the precious gift that Zac was, and for the pleasure of getting to meet him and hold him. I thank you that he is safe in Your arms now. I am so looking forward to meeting him when we're all together again, Thank you Father for family, and thank you Father for Your faithfulness towards us. And for your unfailing love. Without you, I am nothing. I love you Daddy.

Chat soon, sweet friends

Niqui xx