The Boy's Adventure

Here are a few pictures of the boys while on our adventure yesterday! I love walking along this path with them!

One of the many things I love about living in Africa is just being able to drive a few minutes out of our big city into the bush. The first animal we laid eyes on was the old giraffe..

Being early Summer, there were many new babies to see. What a blessing to view the newness of life.

I love being out and seeing some of the beauty that is created by our dear Lord. He reminds me of how much He cares for and loves us. What a blessing! "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12

Our Baby and Our Friend's Babies At Christmas!

More sweet Christmas moments with our youngest.

This Christmas was spent with wonderful friends. We are so very thankful for all of our blessings. Many of you sent cards, emails, gifts, and prayers our way...thank you for your show of love. Here are a few pictures of our Christmas in Botswana! Merry Christmas!

Celebrating our Savior,

lisa

"The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told." Luke 2:20

Beach Boys

More special moments and people. One thing God continues to bring before me is to keep my heart and mind focused on Him. "You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You, for it is trusting in You." Isaiah 26:3 Blessings to all.

A Holiday of Friends

We have just returned from a wonderful holiday spent in Port Edward, South Africa. It was beautiful, but there is no question that the best part of this vacation was our friends. Here are some of my favorite moments! What a wonderful Christmas present!

The Zebras!!!!!

Today was a big soccer game here in Botswana. Botswana vs. Tunisia!

The Zebras pulled it out 1-0! Botswana now sits in 1st place in their qualifying group for the 2012 African Cup of Nations (think World Cup for African countries). This would be the first time ever that Botswana has qualified for this tournament so the country is ecstatic!

Todd took our two older boys to the game along with some friends of ours, but Caden stayed home with mom. Here is a picture of Caden supporting our team! Thanks Uncle Brandon for accidentally leaving your wig at our house!

Something Delightful!

I know it is Fall for most of you, but here in Botswana it is already Summertime! I had made a fruit pizza for my sweet Kendall's 10th birthday and had a lot of yummy fruit left over. I was not sure what to with the overflow...but then I came across this beautiful yet simple recipe! It is called a Pavlova and honestly I am not sure how to say it but there is no doubt it is delicious!

Enjoy! This recipe came from the Allrecipes site. I made only a couple of changes.

Pavlova

• 6 egg whites at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 pint heavy cream
• strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, or any fruit you love!

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9 inch circle on the parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Overbeaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients. Be absolutely sure not a particle of grease or egg yolk gets into the whites. Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice and cornstarch.
3. Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center.
4. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.
5. Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream, sweetened if desired(I added about 2 T of powdered sugar). Top whipped cream with all the yummy fruit.

A Tree Climbing Kinda Day!

My boys love climbing trees. I thought I would find out what they liked about it, so I asked them. Here are their responses below. Enjoy and if you can, go climb a tree today!

When you climb really high you see things differently.

If you can get really, really high you might find a bird's nest with an egg in it.

I like picking leaves.

If you like, swing on a branch and land it, that's cool!

It's fun!

You can pretend like the tree is anything.

Some trees have flowers that really smell good...you can climb up and pick them.

I love their responses!

Our days are always full of fun and laughter. Quiet moments are few, but in the midst of all the activity, He "restores my soul".

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." Psalm 23:1-3

If you are wondering, the kind of tree the boys are climbing in the pictures is called Plumeria or we call it a Frangipani tree.

4 Year Old = Fun

Whether it is dressing up in your undies, teddy bear house shoes, and best floaty to make pizza...

or wearing cool goggles for your daily experiment...
even better, doing the experiment with your dad...

or falling asleep at the dinner table... everything is an adventure

when you are 4 years old!

"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11

Little Friends

I wanted you to see some of the guests I had in my yard today. Above is a Masked Weaver. He always stands out to me.

And then, of course, is the king of the garden...the Blue Head Lizard. I don't think I will be lounging in the hammock for a while!
Here is a Sunbird. This picture does not show how beautiful this bird is. He is welcome in my yard anytime!
And the Blue Waxbill. These are tiny little guys and they like to hang out together. I usually always have a few of these around.

That is it for today, friends. Please enjoy the beauty of God's creation. Even if it is a big Blue Head Lizard! :)

"I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12

God's Provision

I wanted to share with you today the blooming that is happening in my garden. We have seen hardly any rain since April, but God has graced us with such beautiful flowers this Spring. We live in a desert and yet we see these vibrant colors all around. It brings to mind the peace we have in our Lord...that He is aware of every need and in turn provides. May God bless you today, dear ones!

"See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:28-33

Kids in the Kitchen :)

A day for cookies!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..."

Colossians 3:23

This is a great "starter" recipe for kids who would like to learn to cook. It is the simplest Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe ever and they are yummy!

1 cup of peanut butter

1 cup of sugar

1 egg

Let your little ones mix it up and place it by the teaspoonful on the cookie sheet. Let them use a fork to make the crisscross design on the top. Cook 350F or 180C for 7 minutes. Please always remind them that the most important ingredient of any recipe is love. My youngest is adding his love in the picture below! :) Enjoy!