Zorgvliet Vineyard Lodge and Spa

My husband and I just celebrated our anniversary.  We decided to spend a couple of days sans teenagers.  I found this place on booking.com. We booked the honeymoon suite,  I absolutely loved it.  The room was beautiful.  They have restaurants located on the property, a wedding chapel, spa and picnic areas.  You can also have a wine tasting tour (No we did not take the tour).  I didn't realize how many vineyards were located in South Africa, this is just one of many.  

I loved the color palette, I need the number of the designer asap.

I want this design for my bathroom.  The bedroom was vintage and as you can see the bathroom was very modern.  

Robes.

The view was amazing.  Surrounded by mountains and grapevines.  Winding roads led us to the chapel and restaurants, it was lovely.  It's fall for us here but I definitely plan to go again in the summer.  I would recommend this place to any and everyone.

From South Africa With Love,

A Living Work of Art

My husband recently celebrated a birthday and we decided to hit the town to celebrate.  We ate at an overpriced steakhouse (I'm not name dropping because they don't deserve the publicity) and enjoyed the Waterfront at night.  I had to force him to take this picture because I left my camera at home.  A living statue.  I thought that it was so cool the discipline that it takes to not move or talk, I have to do both or die.  My husband was  like "He just wants money!" and I was like, "Give him some!"  The statue broke protocol and shook my hand.  It was warm that night and as you can see he is dressed for colder climates, he deserved the money.  

This statue made me meditate on some things.  Like,  how I need to "Be still and know that he is God". Not the statue of course but our creator.  Sometimes we get so anxious for things, we want immediate satisfaction and it doesn't always happen.  More times than not we see it come along later.  Patience is a virtue that is beyond necessary in Christianity.  In this now, Now, NOW, generation that we live in.  Sometimes we just need to be still and listen for the still, small voice of God.  

From South Africa With Love,

High Tea

Tea is a main staple in every household here.  For one of the brides we had a Kitchen Tea, which is our version of a bridal shower.  I made shortbread, which is highly temperamental ( At one point I wanted to through it across the kitchen, I refrained).  It was my first High Tea, so I learned to make quite a few things that I have never ventured to make before.  Cucumber sandwiches was one, I found the recipe on Pinterest.  It was a Downtown Abbey recipe!  I personally think that cucumbers belong in salads or pickled, but never on bread.  As in Rome........  It was a lot of work but also a lot of fun.  One of the ladies from our church provided the space to host the tea.

I even made the doily decorations, glue guns are from hell.

Our dessert table.

I saw these on...... you guessed it Pinterest.  And thought what an awesome idea for cookies at a Hight Tea.  They are supposed to be tea bags, if you were wondering.

They came out excellent if I do say so myself (And I do!).

A chocolate bath.

Purdy!!!! (Translation: Pretty)

A decadent tower of delight.

Meringue, very sweet.  I purchased these.  Haven't mastered the art yet.

Yet.

From South Africa With Love,

Shades of Beauty

I saw this little girl during an outreach and had to take her picture.  She is beautiful and another example of what the South Africans label as coloured.  

She attended the outdoor concert that we had with Pastor Melrose with her siblings.  She was carrying the youngest around on her hip.  No parents in sight.  Most of these children raise themselves and their siblings.  Most will never go to college and have the opportunities afforded to them that we as American's have.  I learn more about the culture and political parties daily.  I love my country, we have our issues but America is truly the promised land.  God Bless America.

From South Africa With Love,

Sweet 16 (Sigh) & 17

My daughter who just happens to be the baby of our family turned 16 and her brother turned 17, 3 days later.  Yes, they are 11 months and 22 days apart.  No, we didn't plan it.  We threw them a party.  They went ice skating and then came home for pizza and wings.  He's a man so there were no decorations for him.  Purple is her favorite color but she humored me by letting me decorate in pink and white (Molly Ringwald, anyone?).  Here are a few of the pics.

Obsessed with bell shaped lids.

I love the pink pearl edible beads.

Pink Cookies!!!!  I just used a chocolate chip cookie recipe, used white chocolate chips and food coloring.

Can't have cookies without milk.  I saw a mini version of this glass milk container on Pinterest.  I found this one for a fraction of the cost.

Strawberry flavored Marshamallow's dipped in white chocolate.

It was nice.  Happy Belated Birthday Blog Israel & Michaela!!

From South Africa With Love,

Thank You Pasadena!!!!

The Mother Lode

I would like to thank the Pasadena Church and surrounding Houston churches for the "Care Suitcase".  I would also like to thank Pasadena for releasing their Pastor to come minister for us.  Pastor Lamont Melrose came and preached and awesome revival.  He also did an open air concert for us.  We had such a good time, we've known Lamont and his wife Jana for almost 19 years.  They are a wonderful couple and we really appreciate them.  My kids were so excited, thank you so much!

The man can sing, rap, and play any instrument that you give him.  And he does it all to glorify 

Christ.

Too Cold To Snorkel!!!

No one told me that I needed a wetsuit.  The temperature was in the high nineties outside of the water. Inside it was subzero.  It was a disaster.  We packed up all of the gear that we bought, except a wetsuit and went to the beach.  I was all set for this little expedition, not knowing that I needed to be a member of the Polar Bear Club to actually accomplish this feat. The water was freezing and if you know anything about me, I absolutely hate the cold.  My husband keeps telling me to "Just jump in, it'll get better". Uhm….. No.  So, there I am thigh deep in freezing water with my mask and tiny flippers.  Tiny because my husband bought them from the children's section accidentally, and I did not realize this until I lost feeling in my feet.  So I'm cold and have no feeling in my feet due to poor circulation.  So he decides to take matters into his own hands and chase me, so that he can dunk me in.  To an outsider it would look as if we were frolicking in the water having the time of our lives, I was running for my life (On feet that were pretty much dead).  He never got me and gave up.  I also gave up and sat on the beach for the rest of the afternoon and prayed for the resurrection of my feet .  I've been snorkeling in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, the water was warm there.  So unless the water warms up or I get a wetsuit there will be no snorkeling in the foreseeable future.  I still can't feel my big toe.

From South Africa With Love,