Celebration, Celebration, Celebration! – 10 November – 04 December 2016

Just to get it out the way this post has not been sponsored by any of the establishments mentioned.

As the title says, our family has recently had 3 celebrations, all in the space of a couple of weeks!!!!

It was JP’s birthdays on 10 November. He turned 29 (he is feeling very old LOL so we are saying this in a whisper) It was our 8th wedding anniversary on 26 November and it was my 28th birthday on 4 December.

Now as you can imagine if we had to celebrate each of these separately it would be a budget’s worst nightmare! So what we do as a family is combine the 3 occasions and have one joyous family celebration.

My lovely mom, who I treasure more than she knows….. treated us to lunch at Burgerbox Roadhouse on our anniversary as an extra celebration that we didn’t expect. It was so good. Thanks mom ❤

Tiara; Mom; Taigen – Nana with her “special treasures” 

JP & Jarryd; Jarryd & Mom

Me and my world – Tiara, Taigen & JP

Pulling faces & Playing Peek-A-Boo

This year we went to Billy G’s at Silverstar Casino for dinner. It was quite fabulous! It’s a buffet restaurant so you can imagine, we left with VERY full tummies! We had sushi, some sort of beef stew, shrimps, salads and delicious pudding. It was definitely an enjoyable meal , and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a meal that can cater for the undecided LOL! And as a bonus, there is a pensioners price, children 6 years or younger eat for FREE and if you go on your birthday (remember to take your ID as proof) your meal is on the house! There is one little catch, you have to book!!!!! At least a week in advance because they fill up really quickly!

While we were there we took some photos. There is an open area in the middle of the food court with water features that are beautiful, especially at night because they light up in different colours. They also had a man-made “beach” there for the kids to play in as part of their holiday program.

From left to right: Me & Mom; Mom;  Jarryd and Mom

Tiara and Taigen by the fountains

JP & Jarryd brothers….. in law

Taigen – Always the joker; Tiara – Always the poser;

Two completely different little spirits, love them for their uniqueness 

Beautiful fountains of light and JP as can only be expected, running through them getting wet!

My whole world, wrapped up in 4 people ❤

When all is said and done I am so grateful! Grateful for my own life, grateful for my husband that I can share my life with and build one together, grateful for my children even when they drive me insane, grateful for my mom (and my late dad 😦 ) for all the joy and opportunities they have made possible for me and that they are STILL there, 28 years later, to support and help where they can. I love you guys eternally, through thick and thin! Thank you for loving me!

Eat, Drink (Juice), and be merry :)

What a strange follow on post from the one before right!!!!! But the honest truth is that men (and women) are that they might have joy! (2 Nephi 2:25). The past month has been a busy one, it has been a month filled with celebrations, old friendships were rekindled, new friendships were formed and recent friendships were strengthened! The celebrations were a bit different for some of us without dad there but still wonderful none the less and an unmistakable spirit of love, joy and peace could be felt in abundance. There were smiles all around and the laughter was contagious, just like dad would’ve wanted it!

Anyway, so what was all the celebrations about??????

Celebration 1 – A very, very merry unbirthday party

On Saturday, 27 August 2016 we had a joint birthday party celebration for my two pumpkins, Tiara and Taigen, Tiara turned 7 years old on August 20 and Taigen will be turning 3 years old on September 26. The theme was Alice in Wonderland (PS: It is a fantastic theme for a party on a budget)

Picture: Invitations for the guests (address and contact number hidden for security)

There were so many people and children! For refreshments we had hot dogs (always a hit), Queen of heart Jam tarts, Chocolate spoons, marshmallow Pop-Corn balls, Jelly cups, Cheshire Cat tails, Ice-Cream cone cupcakes and Fridge tart

         

From left to right: Hot dog station, Fridge Tart (compliments of my amazing mom) and Chocolate spoons (Photo credit: Mandy Erasmus)

         

From left to right: Cheshire cats tails, Ice-Cream cone cupcakes (didn’t exactly come out as planned #nailedit), marshmallow popcorn balls (Photo credit: Mandy Erasmus)

        

On left: The sweetie station spread, On right: Jelly cups (by far the favorite of the day) (Photo credit: Mandy Erasmus)

My house was still recovering for at least a week nad a half after all that sugar!!!!

My mom arranged a jumping castle for the kids (she is the best, I know), you can never, ever go wrong with a jumping castle! Oh what fun was had on that by all (old and young) on that jumping castle

From top, left to right: Lincoln Williamson, Cullin Milne, Hunter Mile, Simon Milne, Angel, Matheo, Jade Swarts, Tyler Milne, Zoe Milne 

Mommy (Erika) Milne couldn’t be at the party because she brought the newest member of the Milne family into the world the night before. He is super cute! Congrats Milne family, we know Bradley will bring you endless joy 🙂 A celebration within a celebration!

Photo credit: Carla Shannon of Carla Shannon Photography

So back to the party, the sweets were divine, the entertainment was a blast, the company was great but the cherry on the cake was, without a doubt, the photo booth and decorations all put together by Mandy Erasmus and her wonderful family, the day would not have been a success without you, thank you, thank you, thank you ❤

Some of the decoration and pictures of the photo booth set up (Photo Credit: Mandy Erasmus)

Just a few of the many incredibly cute moments that were captured at the photo booth thanks to Mandy Erasmus and family.

All in all the day was a great one! There were many tired but happy children and most importantly memories made and cherished. Thank you to all that came, for all the VERY generous gifts Tiara and Taigen received and for the love shared. Special thanks to my husband, Jean-Pierre Berger for your late night help with the food, to my mom Jeanne Andrews for the shopping companion, additional snacks and of course the jumping castle and to the Erasmus family for their effort and love into making it fun for everyone and capturing all these wonderful memories that we can preserve.

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Enjoy the slide show of all the other pictures that were taken that marvelous day 🙂        Photo credits: Mandy Erasmus

Celebration 2: Jesse turns two with a va-va-voom

Saturday, 3 September 2016 we celebrated the birthday of another precious beyond words little boy. Jesse is so full of life and energy, he is always happy and ready for play, just an overall joy to be around. Jesse and Taigen also happen to be the best of friends 🙂

Caitlyn and Joseph Van Scheltema, Jesse’s parents, but together such a cute little party for their little man, we were lucky enough to be invited 🙂 Again the smiles were in no short supply and company was relaxed and oh so enjoyable.

Best buds these two, Taigen (in the red) and Jesse (on his brand new bike from his Aunty Courtney)

Noah, the St. Bernard, what other two-year-old can say they had a pony at their party……. 😛 Just kidding…… nobody rode the dog 🙂

More jumping castle fun, and Miss Chloe Shannon catching a tan while striking a pose, she is such a cutie! But the coolest part of the party (apart from the company), for me at least, was the soda floats and the chocolate cake, it was super yummy!

Thank-you Van Scheltema’s for the invite and for the fun-filled day and a big HaPPy BiRthDay to Jesse!

Celebration 3: Ocean Basket turns 21!

Tuesday 13 September 2016 Ocean Basket celebrated its 21st year of operation in South Africa and to share their accomplishment with the country they had a special run for that day only, R21.00 for fish and chips, what a bargain, normal price is around R60.00!

When I saw the post on Facebook I was so excited and we planned to make a night of it at the Key West branch with some great friends, Allan & Carey Harvey, Joseph, Caitlyn & Jesse Van Scheltemna and then the four of us, JP, Shelly, Tiara & Taigen. We looked forward to it all week and at last the day arrived!

Although we had to wait a bit for a table (they were crazy busy) it was so well worth it, the kids played and chased each other in the corridor of the mall while the adults chatted away.

They served the most divine bread while we waited for the food, Allan asked for a second helping… high-five! We had water served in Jam Jars (because they ran out of glasses) and then gorgeous fish and chips with extra lemon butter sauce (thanks for the tip Guy Shannon) We were so impressed with the sizes of the fish portions.

From left to right: Joseph Van Scheltema, Caitlyn Van Scheltema, Jesse Van Scheltema, Carey Harvey, Allan Harvey, Tiara Berger, Taigen Berger, Shelly Berger (Me), Jean-Pierre (JP) Berger.

We all left with full tummies, happy hearts and happy wallets, R 168.00 for 9 people! Thanks Ocean Basket for the opportunity for a fun night out and thanks to the Harvey’s and Van Scheltema’s for the good company 🙂

Through all these occasions there have been so many wonderful things to be grateful for but overall I have learned that none of these celebrations would be possible without the gift of life. I am grateful for that glorious gift that I was given by a kind, loving and eternal Father in Heaven.

Life itself is a gift each and every day, let’s celebrate it!

 

 

 

 

The significance of a day

We all have specific days and dates have special meaning or significance to us and all for their own reason.

Today I want to focus on one date in particular 03 July! It is the 184th day of the year and there are 181 days remaining until the end of that year. 03 July will most likely fall on a Tuesday, Friday or Sunday.

Come with me as we take a look back on worldwide events that took place on this date over the years:

03 July 2015 – Our dearly beloved President Boyd K. Paker leaves this mortal world. He leaves behind him a legacy of lessons. He served as a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1961 until his death (54 years)

03 July 2013 – Egyptian coup d’etat; President Mohamed Morsi is overthrown by the military after four days of protest.

03 July 1944 – Minsk is liberated from Nazi control by Soviet troops during Operation Bagration during World War II.

03 July 1938 – World speed record for a steam locomotive is set in England by the Mallard which reaches a speed of 202.58km/h.

03 July 1890 – Idaho is admitted as the 43rd US State

03 July 1608 – The city of Quebec is founded by Samuel de Champlain

03 July 1035 – William the Conqueror becomes the Duke of Normandy and reigns until 1087.

Photo: The British blue Mallard steam locomotive

03 July also saw the births of many names we are familiar with; Louis XI of France (1423); Laura Branigan (1957); Tom Cruise (1962); Bobby Skinstad (1976) and South Africa olympic swimmer Roland Schoman (1980).

However significant all the above events there is one that holds special significance in my mind, 03 July 1962, this is the day little William (Billy) Andrews was born in Rhodesia to Ronald Alfred Andrews (27) and Maureen Stuart Pilcher Patterson (23). He is the middle of three boys, an older brother, Ronald Andrews Jnr, and a younger brother James (Jimmy) Andrews.

Later on in his life, 26 years later to be exact, William Andrews become a dad, he became my dad. He has been my rock, my shoulder to cry on, my biggest fan and best cheerleader.

I love my dad, always have, always will.

Happy birthday daddy!