SQT | Three Week Round Up

Linking over with Kelly and all her Lovely People for Seven Quick Takes.
I can only get around to it every now and then so here goes!


1. Who knew time would fly by and your baby would be receiving First Holy Communion! On the Feast of Christ the King, Joshua Levi, my oldest baby received the Blessed Sacrament! I was so excited I didn't know whether I was going or coming! So very proud of my Little young Man! I'm so excited about him receiving with Jacques and I, that it's got me going to three weekly mass services!!! *dancing*

The Prayers of the Faithful

Receiving the Precious blood from Our Deacon who is also Josh's GODFATHER

2. Circle Skirts have my heart and they will never know how much I love them because, I  h a v e  to stop myself. No one should have this type of relationship with an inanimate object! They're so pretty and feminine and twirly and modest and TOO kind to my sweet loving thighs. And since I realised that a 2cm waistband suits a shorty like me I want to  m a k e  them all the time! I think I'm going to have to do a tutorial! It's one of the easiest things to make if your have a sewing machine!

Oh!!! I made (the day before) and wore this one for Josh's First Holy Communion.

Peachy Midi Circle Skirt

3. Advent is second most loved liturgical time of the year for me! I really love the anticipation of Christmas and Chritmastide. Living liturgically is all very new to me, in fact we only started THIS Advent Season! So to break us in, I decided to mash up our Advent with Jesse Tree Activities (perhaps thats how it IS done?!?). Its been really good for us and we have been doing it in the mornings, so we are kind of fresh and it actually helps the daily chores get done sooner than usual!

Hold thumbs for us as we try to do this the South African way! We have done bits and bobs here and there, but usually a day late because I take my cue from the American Mommies.

Busy Little Darling Dining Room Table

4. I have been asked to talk at our Parishes four masses for the third week of Advent,  (s l i g h t l y PANICKED), on following The Star of Mercy as Mother, Wife and Nurturer. This is in follow up with the Popes announcement of The Year of Jubilee! So as I have been pondering the subject I slowly realised how unfamiliar I am with the virtue of Mercy. Patience, YES. Love, YES. Mercy, I thought I did but then I read this article, so I sat up and thought that I am going to have to try and PRACTISE Mercy this week, to get familiar with the topic.


5. My house looks like its in a constant mess, are you having the same problem? Its looks this way, but it feels like the best place to rest my tired and merciless soul. I remember when I went to bed with a clean kitchen and now its like whatever! The days are for playing and writing and sewing and eating and reading and swimming and all that jazz. I  really like a clean house, but most importantly I LOVE a happy home! But if Alf on the Shelf wants to pay me a visit and clean, so be it!!!

Thank the Light you cannot see the floor!

6. This is how I hung up my Laundry today, very unlike the Polish Madonna.

Its so hot that all the clumps dried in minutes

7. Have you guys ready Kelly's Blog yet!!!! You know you want too!

Love and Light

SQT | JAM Worship Fest, First Holy Communion and DIY BB Cream

Linking up with Kelly again for Seven Quick Takes...on a Monday!

1. JAM (Jesus and Me) 2015 Worship Fest

Jacques and I thought we would join this Worship Fest because
a) a few of our Parish Young Adults are going to World Youth Day 2016, and we thought that we would support them and Worship with them.
and
b) We come from a protestant background and thought that it would be nice to lift our voices, hearts and hands high to worship the King!

We really did enjoy it and it was really nice to see young passionate people out there.
We also got to see a few nuns dancing their hearts outs!!! Which is so BEAUTIFUL!
There was an awesome line up of speakers and bands and there was confession.
We also bought a very watered down cup of coffee, Jacques made a joke and said "they obviously made these for kids!"

While it was beautiful and everything more than we expected, we both realised that as Catholics we have not really missed the type of the Worship we experienced as Protestants.
Worship has just become different for us, I guess.
There is such unrelenting joy in the Liturgy.
Every word spoken, every sin confessed, every Alleluia proclaimed, every Psalm prayed, every knee bowed and every word uttered by the Priest on our behalf is  b e a u t i f u l. How great and powerful  is every "The Body Of Christ" spoken by the Ministers?

I will definitely go back to a worship festival, but I will never doubt how full and beautiful the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is!

Beautiful Carmen singing at JAM

2. First Holy Communion

89 Communicants from our Parish this year and ONE of them is our Josh!!!
So lovely to know that he will be joining us in only 2 weeks to receive The Sacrament of Sacraments. Last night they were presented to the Community and will be prayed for by everyone.

Josh, Bryce, Kayden, Kiran and TK

3. DIY BB Cream

On Saturday I chatted to a lovely Lady who makes and sells her own body creams and cleansers.
They are all paraben, sulphite and chemically free and are made with natural oils. She told me to add a pinch of cocoa powder to my day moisturiser and voila : BB Cream!

Ohh and the benefits of cocoa or cacao are so good! High in antioxidants which helps repair damaged skin cells. It also smells so good when its all mixed in with your regular face cream, which has its benefits too. They say smelling cocoa when you have sugar cravings helps release the same happy hormones as eating it!!!! Happy hormones and well behaved skin...FOR THE  W I N!

Smells yum and hides a few blemishes

4. Advent time!

Living a Liturgical year with a family always looks so incredibly beautiful and so many of you pull it off. I just never have gotten around to it, uhm, laziness maybe or simply hard work! Not sure. This year I am set on it, and I'm kicking it off with Advent! I may forget and mess it all up, but it really looks impressive. I also think that it may be a very nice way to learn more about our newish faith and live it! So Hip Hip Hooray to more family rosaries!!!

5. National Hormonal Hell Week

Just kidding.
Well at least around here it was!
September and October are birthday months in our home, baking and eating happen! And once you pop that clean eating membrane that so gently wraps your body in balanced hormone heaven... YOU CAN'T TURN BACK easily! Why???
I'd love to tell that I have learned my lesson and will never  e v e r  eat that way again but I just cannot. I was a ghast last week and emotional, bloated, pimply, angry GHAST! I am positively sure that I don't want to be that person in the near future.

6. Boys and their Kindness

While I acted very Ghast-like, my family tip toed around me and offered help, an opportunity to lie down, more SWEETS, walks, talks and loads of everything nice! They do this, it's so nice of them, they try to make me super happy! I hope they do this for their wives one day, and are not too tired out by a painful mother. Oh my husband rocks too!

How do they jump for so long?

7. Marriage Preparation

Our parish has asked us to help with the marriage prep course, while this may sound "not so badish", we need your prayers. It really is hard thing to speak truth and know that you will be challenged by the "world is moving" and the "Church is being left behind" debate. We will be talking on the Churches teachings on sexual ethics, sexuality, abortion, IVF, NFP and all that goes in there. Please offer up some prayers for us, so that we may have the wisdom and courage to speak truth.

Thanks for reading! Go read more Takes.
Hope everybody's week is beautiful with manageable chaos!!!

Love and Light

SQT | Blogging and La Vida Loca

I've been rethinking blogging and all the reasons why I haven't written in like a year.
I have often thought about deleting it because, honestly, there are so many better blogs out there.
Also, so many more fun bloggers.
Oh and those really sweet down to earth ones.
What about the ones that know what they're talking about.
SO  M A N Y

I want to start all over again.
This time I want to share me and the way I am.
Why?
Catholic Mommy Bloggers have such a wonderful community that I hope to encourage other moms in South Africa the same way and with eyes facing the heavens, hope to find encouragement close to home and that is coffee date worthy.

1. Happy Indie People?!?!?

Well its the name for my very small clothing label that I work on in between a few other things.
I really don't have time to manage one social media platform, so I thought I would try and do all in one cute little place. (Cute is for the future. watch this space.)

2. A Lady
I like to laugh and do things right. I also like wine and talking. I am an introvert who is sometimes painful. I frown when I listen, it's not because I'm mad. I like to be healthy (and stay clear of doctors rooms)  so I  t r y to eat healthy (plus I'm an adult with Acne prone skin). I like camping. Scratch that, I LOVE camping!!!

3. A Wife
I really love my husband; we studied Theology together, married young, contracepted, traveled, had 2 kids, stopped contracepting, converted to catholicism and are now living our ever after. (And waiting for more babies.)

Me and him

4. A Mom
I used to be a working mom, then we made some adjustments and some sacrifices and now I stay at home and drink tea...
Hahahahaaaa
I wish.
Basically I wash dishes and clean the toilet and Unschool the Boys.
We also chat all day long and sometimes we don't say a word for...5mins. Sometimes.
I haven't really showered or brushed my teeth without interruptions for the past 10 years.
Also
I simply cannot live  a n y  other way.

My Boys Joshua and Elijah

5. Christian and Catholic
I love Jesus and I love to worship Him. AND my life would be so UNBEARABLE if I didn't have God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Why did I specifically say 'and Catholic'?
Well because I believe in Transubstantiation, The Communion of Saints. I believe we are meant to be Prolife and The Catholic Church is one of the few Churches that teaches the Ban on Contraception as Doctrine.  As a mother, I ask for the Prayers of Mary almost  e v e r y  millisecond, I wasn't allowed to do that as a Baptist, in fact I don't remember much of Mary as a Baptist, only during Christmas.
I teach my Boys an "old earth" creation. In fact I tell them that it's a  m y s t e r y  and that word is so Catholic! Ok this list could go on!

6. Simple and Frugal

As a family we try to be simple and approachable so that we can have more time and space for corporal and spiritual works of mercy kinda stuff. Its not easy because I think people who choose this way of life are sometimes lonely and I think its hard for people to imagine life without a TV.

7. Makers
I  l o v e  handmaking stuff!
EEEEEEK!!!
I love handmade stuff!
Even if its not the best looking thing, I just do.
Sometimes its hardwork but it is worth it.
Sometimes I just chuck my stuff ups in the bin and sometimes I pull them out and unpick the stitches and TRY again.
As unschoolers we try to encourage our kids to make things all the time.
So lucky you if you get a gift from us!
Sometimes they roll their eyes and sometimes they end up with
the coolest stuff on the block.

So this is me in Seven Quick Takes, I may be more, hey, I may be less.

I may even add on to my MEness.

But before I do, head on over to Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum for more quick takes!!!!!

Love and Light!

SQT | Spring, Sew, Kitchene and Seven

Joining up with Conversion Diary for a very random (I guess it is always random) Seven Quick Takes!

One

Over the past two years, I've been o b s e s s e d with learning how to sew.

And I DID it!

So excited about it.

So in October, I m i g h t, launch a new concept instagram store.

Only to keep up my bad habit of sewing and funding my material stash.

The concept is to design ONE item and put it up for sale. 

The item will be available to order in various sizes, but only ONE of each size...

to maintain the idea of bespoke, indie clothing.

I also have a thing for mass production...bleh!

The item that is up for sale will be available for immediate shipping, however the various sizes will have a 2 week waiting period before shipping, as they are made to order.

In order to get your bespoke item you will have to comment with your size, and if you are the first with your size, then the item will be up for sale, to you.

follow @happyindiepeople for pretty things.

my personal account is @nicolarothmann.

Two

Spring is here and its beautiful.

But because South Africa is where it is on the globe, beautiful weather hails all year round.

Be sure to have the next next next next Edel here.

Three

Staples clearly was not writing a blog when he came up with this...

Just kidding. 

T H E  M O S T  I  M P O R T A N T.

Four

I love that my boys LOVE building lego and all kinds of other stuff.

Last week we spoke about structure, and how a wise man built his upon a rock!

We also spoke about triangles and rigidity and then they built this cutie with skewers.

Five

Joshy had to set some goals for himself.

And I'm pretty proud that he managed ALL but the one where he helps in the "Kitchene"

Any idea on how I can help him get MORE ready for his first confession?

Six

JOBURG DAY!

I was there with Melissa, my cousin.

And it rocked.

We were allllll the way in the front!

Like there were 20 000 people behind us!

So let me emphasise that we are not your average 33 year olds!

Seven

The Bump aka Elijah Daniel, turned 7.

Yay!

BEEN WAITING FOR THAT CAKE ALLLL DAY!

Go on over back to Jen for way more fun and exciting Seven Quick Takes
I think I saw someone write about Budgeting...hmmm.


Love and Light
Nicky

PS... a little quote text from my husband this morning -
"O consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, overshadow me, that the Word may become, as it were, incarnate within my soul; that I may be to Him and extension of His humanity so that in me He may work all His mystery anew." - Elizabeth of the Trinity