Catch up time is needed!!!!

OK, I know I haven't posted in FOREVER, but I really don't feel like it today, I will put new stuff on soon though. I will just tell you what I did today. I woke up this morning feeling still very tired after I spent a long time last night trying not to shiver and not puke after Josh's awesome party (will post about that soon). Then I went with Mom to a craft market at Little Stream in Constantia to sell some beaded jewelry. After selling a whole load of just about nothing all morning, my Mom asked my Dad to come pick me up. After that have just been chilling and putting off everything I will eventually have to do :)

Have an awesome school-filled week ;)

~Keren

P.S. I have pins and needles in my feet, don't you hate that????

Saturday :D

Last Saturday was very busy!!In the morning Mom, Alexis, Leigh, and I went to Tae-bo at Bergvliet dojo. It was Leigh and Alexis's first time and now they both want to start coming regularly :) Then after that we came he and I had to get ready to go to our monthly meeting at the Chaeli Campaign. When we got home baby Max was here! I love him sooo much, he's so adorable! :)

Max with Dad

Maxie boy with Mom :)

I just LOVE this one! Mom took it when Uncle Chris came to pick up Max ad Aunty Tammy :)

The Grants came for a braai in the evening. Josh's friend Kyle was also her, we all had an AWESOME time :D

There was some awesome guitar playing, guitar hero that is :)

Durren

Daniel, Zak, and Josh

Leigh sang almost every song, even without the microphone!

Dad and Durren singing along

Mom and Dad :)

Me singing and Alexis playing guitar :)

It was so fun! There was legend guitar playing! Everyone had a turn and everyone had a ball!!! :D

~Keren

Shock

You know those newspaper headlines on the lamp posts that are meant to catch your eye? I always read them when we drive, it gives me something to think about. What I read on the way to Karate earlier, shocked me. It said 'Schoolboy stabbed to death on station'. But that's not what shocked me, what shocked me was that when I read it, it didn't shock me! How can we live in a world that is so twisted that when a schoolboy gets stabbed to death, I don't even care! How can we (OK, me) be so desensitised that when we see something like that, I just pass it by? How come I never stopped to think how that child's family might feel, and send a prayer their way? I will tell you why, it's because these things happen so often, that after a while we just stop caring. But that is not right! Think, what would Jesus do? It might sound cheesy, I know, but really what would He do? He would help the family in any way He could, the least I could do is pray for them. Anyway, I thought I should just share this. It really opened my eyes :)

~Keren

Matthew 5:13-16

'You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing any more, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the peck measure, but on a lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' Matthew 5:13-16

This was a passage I had for English today, one of my assignments was to find out some info about salt and light. We found something online, not really what the assignment called for, but for me it gave the scripture a whole new meaning! I wanted to share it all with you. Here it is.

"It is reality, not arrogance, to say that we, who are eternally joined to the King of the universe, are special and radically different from all others. For God has called us His ambassadors. We represent His kingdom here on earth. As salt and light profoundly alter the taste and appearance of everything they contact, so God's life in and through us makes a difference in every life we touch.

God has always sought intimate friendship with His people. He wants us to seek, know and love Him; for only then can He fill our lives with the abundance of riches He longs to share with us. This is the message He wants us to communicate to others.

This message may be spoken, but primarily it must be lived. Words that tell others about Jesus become stale and empty if His life is not seen in us. We may teach the significance and function of salt and light, but there is no credibility unless we indeed are salt and light. This happens, not primarily by doing, but by believing we are who He says we are: His children, friends and fellow workers sent into the world to be salt and light by the power of His Spirit.

This is our choice: Will we live according to the old pattern as if no transformation occurred? Or will we believe what He says about us and trust that He who lives In us will make us effective as salt and light in this world - so that He (not we) be known and glorified."

Dear Father,

I want Your light to shine through me, I want to show rather than tell people what You have done for me, and what You can do for them too. Please show me how to be a light for You.

~Keren

Beach with the Grants :)

On Sunday we went to have lunch at the Grants. It was such a nice time! We had a lovely lunch then went down to Muizenberg beach, the weather was amazing and the water was so warm!!!!! It's almost as if we aren't getting winter, only a prolonged summer, but hey, I'm not complaining! You know how people always say which their favourite season is, I have to say I LOVE them all! God made each one so unique and every season there is so special, they are all so different, but so amazingly beautiful! People always say, "oh it's just cape Town weather" but they always say it in a bad way, with a sigh. I have no idea what's wrong with Cape Town's weather, I love it here! Our city is so stunning and I don't think I ever want to live anywhere else! :D

The boys all got along very well, all playing together nicely.

The parents talked and talked and talked all afternoon!

We had a whole load of chocolates for dessert, YUM!

Josh, Alexis, and me :)

The guys took along a rugby ball.

There is a large man-made (I think) sand dune on the beach at the moment, Alexis and I sat on it for a while and raced up and down it a couple of times.

Alexis carried her dog, Le-Lou, when we raced.

The boys smartly wore their costumes so they could swim, lucky :)

It was such a lovely day! God has made such a beautiful world! I absolutely love the beach! Today at Looking Glass we were talking about whether we would rather live on the beach, in the country, or the city. I would love to live near the beach! I'm so glad we live near the coast!

~Keren

A while ago Mom entered me into a competition on Jenni C's blog, without telling me, and I won! The prize was a lino printing set. Take a look at her blog to see what lino printing is all about! Anyway, on Friday she came to drop off my prize and show me how to do it. It was so lovely to meet her and her little girl!

Here is my prize...

I can't wait to do it and I will definitely post when I do!!!

~Keren

Ice Skating

Last Friday I went ice skating with my friends, we had such an awesome time, we all fell a lot! (Except Ashley and Mark and I think everyone besides me and Nicole!) :D

Me and Mark

Josh and Tori

Josh and Tori

(from left) Mark, me, Jenna, Nicole, and Ashley :)

Me, Jenna, Nicky, Jene, and Ashley.

We had a lot of fun, definitely one of my holiday highlights!!!!

Max's dedication

This is baby Max's first time on my blog! So exciting! Last Sunday was my baby cousin Max's dedication! It was a very special day, and I'm so glad that my Granny could be here to share it with us!

Uncle Chris and Aunty Tammy both had something to say about little Maximus.

He is just so adorable!

It was so nice to hear what everyone had to say, Max is a very special and blessed little baby. I love my new cousin!

~Keren

Granny arrives (arrived)

This is VERY delayed since my Granny is already gone back home! She left on Tuesday, it was lovely having her here and i miss her already :(

Zak sweetly made her a welcome sign, it's sort of a tradition :)

I spent the afternoon baking biscuits for when my Granny arrived and my Aunty and Uncle came for dinner.

I made two differnt types of biscuits, Munchies and Coconut lemon Crispies.

Here are the recipes from Lynn Bedford Hall's Biscuits and Breads:

Munchies

Ingredients:

125ml self-raising flour

5ml ground cinnamin (I also put in all spice)

250ml wholewheat flour

200ml sugar

150ml oil

2 eggs

200ml rolled oats

250ml fruit cake mix (if you don't have fruit cake mix, dont worry, substitute raisin and sunflower seeds!)

125ml desiccated coconut

Method:

Sift the self raising flour and cinnamon, then mix in wholewheat flour. Whisk together sugar, oil and eggs. Add to dry ingredients together with oats, fruit and coconut. Mix very well into a soft dough. Push large teaspoonfuls off onto oiled baking trays and bake at 180 degrees celcius for 18 minutes. Using a spatula transfer to wire racks to cool and crisp.

Coconut Lemon Crispies

Ingredients:

100ml oil

200ml sugar

7ml finely grated lemon rind

1 egg

500ml white bread flour

2ml baking powder

pinch salt

250ml desiccated coconut

Method:

Place oil, sugar and lemon rind in a mixing bowl and beat very well. Add the egg and beat until the mixture is creamy and yellow. Silt together the flour, baking powder and salt, add to creamed mixture and mix well, then beat in cocnut. Roll into balls and press flat between palms. Place on oiled baking trays, leaving room for spreading. bake at 180 dgrees celcius for 15 minutes until just browning around the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

~Keren