Family – Animals Included

Last week, I spent Heritage Day with my family. I said goodbye to our 12 year old Rottweiler, Tyson. He had arthritis in his back legs and eventually was unable to walk. He spent his last days lying under an umbrella with his head on a comfy pillow with water and food nearby. His entire body moved with the wagging of his tail when he saw me, but he couldn’t get up to greet me. My heart broke.

He was euthanized the next day.

This sweet doggy went for walks with my dad every morning and wagged his tail profusely whenever he saw me. When I handed him a treat, he gently took it in his mouth so as not to hurt me.
I wish I had digital photos to put up here, but in those days I still had a film camera.

RIP Tyson – you were a lovely doggy.

Onto happier topics…

Noah

My nephew Noah .

He is now 3.5 years old, He is a proper handful. He is a sweet child, but full of boundless energy.

I played Hide & Go Seek, Catch and all sorts of other games with this happy little boy.

I even managed to get him to pose for a photo or 2, before he ran off to find something else to do.

With Grandad
I am happy that my parents have a grandchild – they are wonderful grandparents – they deserve to have a little boy to spoil and make feel loved. There is nothing like a grandparent’s love to make one feel special.
With Nanna

With Mom & Dad

In between photos, we walked around the lovely garden & fed the 2 new additions – 2 big Tortoises (Don’t you just love Spring?)
My dad discovered that a rose he had transplanted had not survived, Noah pushed the dead shoot back into the ground and proclaimed: “There! I fixed it!”

Noah & his Aunty

Now I know why everybody tells you not to wait too long to have kids – because boy do you need endless reserves of energy to keep up!

Having Children

A topic I have given a lot of thought to recently. Especially after my nephew was born 2 years ago.

I have been waiting for my broodiness to settle in and I am surprised to discover that it hasn’t.

Growing up, society has conditioned us to believe that our purpose in life is to become successful in a chosen career and to get married and have children.

There is not much said about having a job that you love regardless of the lack of status and about getting married and having children.

My friend’s mother is constantly on at her about the 2 of us finding a husband and settling down. We tell her that we are going on holiday and her response is: “That sounds lovely, but you should be out there looking for a man”

I would love to get married to the person who I feel is right for me, I will never settle in order to avoid being a spinster.

Since my nephew was born, I have realised 2 things:

1. I don’t have to feel guilty for depriving my parents of being grandparents. They are amazing with Noah and I love watching how my mom especially has changed in her strictness between being a parent and a grandparent.
2. I have a child in my life. I enjoy being the awesome aunt who gets to blow bubbles with him and tickle him to death and kick the ball outside with him. I will always be in his life as he grows up.

I am also not totally ruling out the possibility of perhaps changing my mind about having children. I have however decided that should I want children, they must come naturally.

I have watched 1 too many times the stress that fertility treatment adds to a relationship – regardless of how strong that relationship is – and I will not subject myself to that.

IVF and AI do not deliver 100% results and the added stress is detrimental to all the treatments. I believe that everything happens for a reason and this is 1 of those situations where I believe that it will work out the way it should.

And heaven forbid I become 1 of those people who bitch and moan about being pregnant, tired and fat, but post a photo online smiling widely every second day and then after the baby is born complain that I miss my “pregnancy glow”

You have my permission to show me this blog post and then bitch slap me.

And I promise never to whip it out in your presence and breastfeed the baby. EVER.

Cutest nephew in the world

Noah is growing up so fast and has become the cutest little boy ever.

He loves bubbles and he loves hugging the animals when his parents are not looking (he apparently has an allergy, but I’ll get him over that in no time!)

He loves to play ball and he loves it when I take photos of him – as long as I let him see them afterwards. When he asks for something he says “Pleeeeeeease!” (Perhaps you had to be there?)

Here were some of me letting him throw grass all over himself and giggling along with him – I know, I am the best Aunty in the world!

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Noah in Parys

He is becoming such a big boy and I am loving being an aunt more than I ever imagined.
I still don’t have those motherly urges, but at least I am not a cold hearted aunty.

I went to my parents side of the world for a birthday celebration the weekend after my birthday. As has become a yearly tradition, we go to Parys.

For some reason I took no photos except of my adorable nephew. He was 2 in February and he knows how to use a Samsung Galaxy S3 almost better than I do. He can count to ten and can recite most of the alphabet.
His nature is sunny and sweet and he laughs alot. He also loves it when I tickle him to death (yes he does) and blow “farts” into his tummy and bubbles into his face!

When you ask him for love he launches himself at you to give you a hug. What a darling!

He loves the camera

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Happiness is….

Blog everyday in May – Day 14: Ten things that make you really happy

  1. Hugs
  2. Coffee
  3. Bacon
  4. A purring kitty on my lap
  5. Listening/watching One Direction songs/videos
  6. Going on holiday
  7. Taking photographs
  8. Laughing with my family & friends (these are in no particular order!)
  9. My nephew
  10. Being tickled (the gentle kind, not the “funny” kind)

Challenges Remaining:
Day 15, Wednesday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day – this could be “a photo an hour” if you’d like)
Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your “lot in life” and how you’re working to overcome it
Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why
Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.
Day 19, Sunday: Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about them
Day 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you’re struggling with right now.
Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives
Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)
Day 23, Thursday: Things you’ve learned that school won’t teach you
Day 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traits
Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you’ll never forget (good or bad)
Day 26, Sunday: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you’d like.
Day 27, Monday: A letter to your readers
Day 28, Tuesday: Only pictures
Day 29, Wednesday: Five songs or pieces of music that speak to you or bring back memories. UseGrooveshark or YouTube to include them in the post
Day 30, Thursday: React to this term: Letting Go
Day 31, Friday: A vivid memory


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Christmas 2012 recap

I realise that you are all most probably in the full swing of 2013, so please forgive me for my veeeeerrrryyyy late Christmas holiday recap post!

My December holidays weren’t exactly as I had planned them, but I had the 2 weeks off from work, which was the most important for me.

I worked until 21 December and had the weekend to put up my Christmas tree & inject some Christmas spirit into my house.

I did some shopping for Christmas presents and ended up spoiling myself – thank goodness for Edgars accounts – and bought myself a new Gemini nomination link (more to follow on my Nomination bracelet soon) and a lovely across-shoulder bag to go out with when I don’t need my 10kg artillary regular handbag.

Christmas was really enjoyable for us because my nephew is almost 2 years old and now able to enjoy the Christmas presents so much more.
He is a very well-behaved child and has a very sweet nature – I am so proud of my brother and sister in law, they are doing a great job with him.
Mom says that when he visits them, Noah sees my photo in a frame and carries it around with him – BLESS!
I surprised myself when I actively sought him out to play with him and I enjoy the time with him because he appeals to my inner-child. I still do not feel the need to become a mother just yet – at 34, I have been told I will feel my biological clock ticking… perhaps the batteries are dead.

After Christmas I was stung by a bee & turned into Princess Fiona/Shrek. It was not pretty and I was princess-down for almost a week. The swelling went past my wrist and I was literally stung in passing, the stinger had not even gone past the top layer of skin in my little finger. Talk about bad luck…..

After I recovered from the sting, I contracted a stomach virus which had me unable to even hold a glass of water down.
To live up to it’s reputation of happening in threes, a close friendship of mine came to an end.
Despite all this, I am feeling quite positive for the new year. 
I have my Twenty Wishes list and my new home to look forward to this year. It cannot possibly be a dull year!

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Long Easter Weekend

It was glorious to have some time off in the form of a long weekend, I really needed this time to re-charge the batteries.

I spent the weekend shopping for some clothes & it was a very successful shopping expedition.

I managed to find almost everything I needed and without having the usually depression that follows the trying on of various outfits (The secret behind this is not trying on jeans or pants)

I bought some cute shift dresses that hide the Gloria rolls and I am able to wear cute tights and different tops to change the appearance of the outfit.

I also opted away from my usual long legged boots & bought a cute pair of high ankle boots with Stud detail.

I have said for a while that I would like to dress slightly edgier, so the boots with the colourful tights and funky scarf will help update my image a bit away from the pants and pullover jersey style I usually adopt in winter.

I also bought a really nice jersey that can be layered over long sleeved tops and I am looking forward to wearing that as well.

Easter Sunday was spent with my family and my little nephew. He is just over 1 years old now and I must say I love being able to run after him and tickle him mercilessly as he tries to crawl away. Oh yes, I am THAT aunty!

He has the cutest little giggle and it comes out when I bite his fingers or I hide around corners and go Boo!

When I catch him and tickle him he goes flat and straight and I was laughing so hard because it looks just like he is trying to plank! ha ha ha

I missed my grandparents alot this Easter. Easter weekend used to be a much bigger affair because my Gran would save her pension up and buy us so many goodies; biscuits, sweets and eggs. If I think of how little her pension money was, it shames me because she loved us so much that she saved as much as she could to buy goodies for all 6 of her grandkids and the parents.

I wish I had appreciated them alot more when they were alive and taken the time to hug them thank you instead of diving in to the box of yummy goodies and running off.

I think it is only once we are older and having to pay our own way do we realise how expensive the cost of living really is.

I have been doing really well these past few months by saving money, it is only this past month that I have fallen off the money wagon and spent alot of money on DIY and clothes for winter.

I promised myself last winter that I would buy myself new clothes and I put it off. I went through the whole of winter looking like an orphaned child wearing old clothes, so I really can say that this year was a necessity (besides, since I stopped the regular gym workouts, I have put on weight, so even those old winter clothes wouldn’t fit me anyway)

Friends

I love my friends – all of them – because they are hand-picked by me to be in my life.


I am especially loving my girls who have recently been there for me without even knowing it.


This past long weekend we have seen alot of each other & it really has been fun.


My weekend went something like this:

    My obsession: Johan
  • Went to the last ever performance of Eden – was bittersweet. Was awesome when Jay saw me in the crowd & excitedly waved at me and the entire audience turned as one to see Who on earth ? he was waving at. Tee & I have had many fun evenings watching Our Boys & we have tons of self-portraits to show for it
  • Watched Limitless – what an awesome movie.  Bradley Cooper is a hottie, but I enjoyed the way he portrayed his character. Lunch at Fego Cafe and shopping at Woolies afterwards.I have a long list of things I need for the house: Blind for bathroom, storage for bath towels, new duvet cover, new lampshade
  • Watched The Back up Plan & 17 Again because Tee twisted my rubber arm & I do so like me a bit of Zac.
  • Went through to a school friend’s wedding (this was the dilemma on an outfit to wear) I ended up wearing a Ginger Mary dress I had just bought for work as the weather was cold. It was perfect & I got some nice compliments. (After trying the Big Blue skirt on, my fat hips made it look frumpy – however as per my original promise, I did say the person to help me most would receive a photo and see who the real Flirty30 is – winner: keep an eye out!)
  • Caught up after the wedding with dinner with some friends & slept at my parents house
  • Noah came to visit & spent the entire day playing with him. Afterwards, mom cut my hair into the new style which I am loving
  • Shopping at Melrose Arch with some delicious milkshakes at the Protea Fire & Ice
  • Had sushi dinner at YuMe – their Dim Sum and Salmon Roses are to die for
  • Got together at Design Quarter & did some serious shopping. I found a lampshade, duvet cover, bathroom blind & basket for bath towels.


  • To reward ourselves we went to 1 of my favourite places: Buddha Ta. They have a specialty Mojito called a Candy Mojito. I can’t even tell you how divine it is. You get a martini glass of Candy Floss and the mojito gets poured on top of it and the candyfloss melts. It is such a treat & just Too Divine
  • Ended it off with more sushi at CTFM with my friend T – her & her husband are going through the process of adoption as they are unable to have children of their own. They have asked me to help them create a profile for when they are picked as a possible match. The natural mother reads all their profiles and picks them that way. So I want to design a storybook written as kiddies story: Once upon a time there was a girl named T…. she met G and they fell in love….. I think that will be fun.
  • Throughout the weekend I laughed so hard with my girls. I am so blessed to have them in my life & to be able to share everything with them – the good & the bad.
  • I have booked a table at my favourite restaurant in Parys: Ruby’s.(Another one of my birthday traditions) We’ll be donning our feather boas and having a girls day out – Mom, Tee, AC, Li & myself.

Little Baby Noah

This is my little nephew Noah – the bigger he gets, the cuter he becomes
This past weekend I spent Easter at my folks and my brother, his fiancee and little Noah came to visit.
And we had a field day by putting bunny ears on him and taking photos – I love that his parents think it’s as funny as we do. This is a tradition we plan to repeat every year!
The last photo – he looks so much like my brother, it is uncanny.
I just love holding him and bouncing him – I always thought that babies are scary – and they are – it is different when it is your own flesh and blood because I find that I am not intimidated by them.
If he cries, then he cries, his parents don’t panic or think I have done something wrong.
Luckily Noah likes being in my arms – as long as I bounce him – he loves being bounced.
I am determined not to be one of those aunties that incessantly talks about her nephew, but I just had to show you guys how beautiful he is.
One of the cutest babies around…. Just saying…..