A summer day

Yesterday the movers came to pack away Dan and Tracey's house. While they packed we sat in their neighbours garden and the kids played in their pool. Having the kids completely away from all the moving, was a great blessing. Especially the pool. The kids played in the pool from the 10:30  until 16:00. Non stop. The youngest Katie and Elijah would take a break from all the canon balls, diving, and whirlpool, the older boys did , and lie on their towel and chill out. They even had their own picnic with water and apples.Healthy kids!

What a great way to spend the summer! 

Except saying good bye to Team Davis.

At the table

What began  as a simple coffee and cake evening for friends to celebrate Bobby's birthday , turned into a take away Chinese dinner at the table.

Our first gathering in the new house was special in itself. We just got a new massive table on Saturday. Bobby got the time to assemble the legs only after Sunday lunch. So we had our final lunch on our old table .The first meal ever to be had on the new table was with close friends. a full table with 8 adults and 1 toddler. And lots of food. Our old table outside in the garden stretched to its maximum with 9 kids. And a teenager eating on the couch with his i Pod. 

That was a precious moment ! They gave their blessings and poured out love and friendship at the table.

I pray we will have many more precious moments at the table.


I love the familiarity of the same faces around the table- the inside jokes and the shared histories that have been built, brick by brick, story by story, for years. - Shauna Niequist, Bread and Wine

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, Lemon curd ice cream with blueberry compote, brownies(far at the back)

Boys playing in the balcony... Don't know how safe that was.. but all are fine

Kids posing

Us.. the group minus two families who were away on holiday

Kids saying grace initiated on their own... precious

Busy at the table

The guys.. Daniel and Mark we missed you guys.

The best part

Caleb with his ice cream. Enjoying every moment

Kai trying out the Lemon Curd Ice cream with blueberries

Pamela saving the bee and boosting it's energy with sugar water, while I wanted to smash it

A house

It's been 3 weeks since we moved to our new home. Very much still drowning in boxes, I cant seem to reduce the number. I havent entered the attic since the first day and the sight of the all the boxes make me nervous. Normal routines must go on too, I realize. My goal is to completely unpack before we leave for New Wine Summer conference. That's 2.5 weeks away. I still need to get a few more shelves , so I can unpack some boxes. I must remember to put the J in joy in all this unpacking and making the house a home.


The past few days , I had friends come over to visit and joined in for lunch. In a messy house with boxes and things in the wrong place, I could still serve a decent lunch, make coffee and tea and bake .

Reading Shauna Niequists "Bread and Wine", I see where I am beyond the boxes. My friends have the freedom to come anytime unannounced. I love that. I love it that they aren't bothered by the boxes that are still there , when they last visited. I love it how we have moved from meeting at restaurants to meeting at each others homes. Food is our common language.



My mums and tots group know where I keep the spoons and cups, the ziploc and tea bags. Some mornings when I am still upstairs in pyjamas ,tooth brush in one hand and a toddler in the other, my group walks in and sets the table with fresh coffee and  pot of tea in the middle first and then as I finish up and come down the table is complete with baked goodies and fruits, cucumbers and baby carrots.

They were there for me while I packed a home of 7 years into a 100 or more boxes.Not knowing how to go about it or plan friends to strategically help at certain points, they just arrived and packed at the perfect right times. I couldn't have planned it any better. One came for a short time and cleared my fridge just before it was being moved. Another, came and unpacked 10 boxes at super time record. Another came and literally packed my entire kitchen as I went cold turkey at the amount of stuff I had.People just dropped in and did what they could, which all summed up to a wonderfully God orchestrated move. I didn't cook for 2 weeks before the move. Friends showered me with food. They took my kids to play with theirs, so I could pack and clean.

I recognize what Shauna writes as I have it too!

I see my home filled with friends communing at the table.
I see my home and the spare rooms as an opportunity for God to fulfill His plans for us.
I see my home as a desire granted by Him who sees my heart. And I am ever so grateful.