Animal Love - What's wrong with 'right now'?

While paying bills this morning, I suddenly remembered that I'd put something on my New Years resolutions list to start doing this year.
I wanted to start making a small donation to an animal organization each month. I've been putting this off for months and months now, and though my intentions are good, when it comes to the end of the month, there always seems to be another excuse for not having the money. Either there's something urgent that must be bought, or something needs to get fixed, or it's just being spent on going out. This morning I decided this just isn't good enough anymore, enough is enough.

If I can afford to go out for coffee with a friend in the middle of the month, or get take aways for supper on the odd occasion when I don't feel like cooking - I can surely afford to spend the same amount on a worthy cause at the beginning of the month, right? Right. It's not so hard once you stop making excuses, every little bit helps - even if it's only R50 a month, it's something and it's for a good cause.

Here are the two animal organizations I've chosen this month to support.
I wish I could support them all. Maybe one day if I win the lottery. For now, it's going to have to be two a month.

Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre
http://www.wetnose.org.za

PETS - Pet Empowerment in the Townships
http://www.pets.org.za/home


P.S Couldn't resist putting these on...enjoy! :)

Somerset West : Settling into the 'Burbs'

 

Almost 2 months in our new home in the 'burb's - Somerset West, and I can safely say that it's finally starting to feel like home.


Somerset West is a great little town, surrounded by mountains and referred to some as the preferred retirement choice.  It's definently not a sleepy town though, with night markets, a shopping mall and countless restaurants and coffee shops to choose from.

The move from Tygervalley to Somerset West was the biggest and most stressful move we've ever made. Not only because we had 4 years worth of stuff to sort through, but because at the time Somerset West just felt like it was on the other side of the world. We've come to realise that it's only on the other side of the mountain, and 30 minutes drive if you take the R300 and N2.  We had an excellent furniture removal company which did an amazing job and I'd quickly recommend Cape Express Movers to anyone moving house.

 Here are a few pics of the move and of our new place :)

Moving is an extremely messy job!

The cats trying to figure out what's going on with all the boxes

The new lounge/dining room

 The lounge area (a bit smaller but nice and cosy)

 The kitchen

 Geoff's room! No more dragons in the lounge :-)

Our house is so cute, and the complex we stay in is really beautiful, surrounded by gardens, streams, ponds and ducks. Very tranquil and calm. A few minutes walk to the shop and a nice area to go jogging in. The mall is quite different to that of Tygervalley though. I can't say that it's my favourite place to go, and probably why my Edgars and Foschini accounts have come down (yay!). There isn't nightlife here to speak of in terms of something like Edward Street, but it has it's other perks. Strand beach is closer to us than Bloubergstrand was, and Stellenbosch has ample clubs and pubs to choose from if you feel like a night on the town but don't feel like driving all the way to Cape Town.


So far, I'm impressed with this place, and especially the short time it takes to get to work! I'm looking forward to seeing what else this "quiet" little town has to offer in the following weeks and months to come :)

2011: NYR - Blank canvas

I always find that the best part about starting a new year, is writing down a list of New Year's Resolutions. Looking back at last year, I can't believe how much happened and how much changed. 
2011 is like a blank canvas that's just waiting to have some paint thrown all over it...




          Looking back at 2010....

• Jan -Fresh start and positive outlook on home business
• Feb - Geoff's company was retrenching, starting looking for a 1/2 day job
• March - Took a position as Au Pair in the afternoons
• April - Weighed the most in my whole life and decided it was time for drastic measures!
• May - Helped out at a Catering company in the mornings
• June - Had lost 2.5kg
• July - Started debating as to whether to continue with my home business
• Aug - Decided to let go of my home business
• Sept - Closed Chisani Creations
•           Lost another 2.5kg
• Oct - Offered a position in Stellenbosch and resigned as Au Pair
• Nov - Started full day work again
• Dec - Moved to Somerset West
•          1kg Away from goal weight

        Looking forward to 2011....

• Reach my goal weight and be physically fit
• Take up jogging
• Stop (really try) taking (most of) life so seriously
• Start putting savings into a new account each month
• Support one animal organization each month
• Make more of an effort to stay in touch / see friends
• Go on holiday for longer than a weekend
• Learn basic Italian
• Do a short course
• Be more patient
• Start and finish writing a book (very ambitious, but then again so was starting a business)
• Set up home office & outside braai area
• Start painting my toenails blue again :P

Christmas Times

After all the madness of the 'silly season', it's hard to believe that today's already the 28th of December and that Christmas day, a day that retailers have been promoting non-stop since mid September already, has all but come and gone too quickly.

This year, Christmas didn't turn out quite how I imagined it would. When I was younger, Christmas was something magical. It was exciting going for an outing to the mall, eating far too much food and opening way too many presents. The days of waking up at 4am and sleeping next to the Christmas tree, of our family getting up early (their 'early' was 8am) to open presents, and of swimming and watching the cricket after lunch, are some of the fondest memories I have of Christmas day.

Someone posted a status on Facebook recently that read, "What does Christmas mean to you?", and it got me thinking. My answer to that question is simple. It's family. Family is what Christmas means to me, family and not much else. Not the presents, not the huge Christmas lunch and certainly not the over-commercialized items  in the shopping malls (online shopping next year!). I realise now that I could very well have spent Christmas next to a hospital bed this year.

Though a simple procedure, it definently was a wake up call.

Because of the operation, we weren't able to spend the day with our family as we do every year, and it really made me realise how many small things I'd been taking for granted. Sure, I thank God every day for my family, but I don't say thank you for the small things like having a healthy husband who can look after me, or for having a brother who drives an hour and a half in sweltering heat and holiday traffic just to say 'hi', or for parents who have my back no matter what choices (impulsive or otherwise) I make, or for a Grandmother who I can still talk to about what happened in 7de Laan the other night!

I am truly blessed. Christmas was different this year, but I am very grateful that it was. At the risk of sounding like a cliche, I fully agree with the phrase, "treat each day as a gift". It really and truly is.