Birthday Musings...

...And so a lovely day of celebrating came to an end...
Now I take delight of sharing a few of the photographs from Beth's party with you...

Firstly, let me thank each of you for your lovely birthday wishes for Beth...how kind you all are!

~

After ever so many vintage, pink and girly party themes over the last few years, we decided to do something completely different for a change and thought a Wild West party would be lots of fun!

We saw an adorable idea in a magazine for a cowboy boot cake, complete with spurs...so I set to work on Tuesday baking a deliciously rich chocolate cake and whipping up some lovely butter icing...hmmm... 

This cake was so much fun to make...❤

That evening whilst Nancy was busy wrapping Beth's gifts, I began by cutting the shape (drawn by my dear mom!), sandwiching the two layers together and giving it an initial layer of icing to ensure no bits of cake were visible in the final layer...  Then Nancy wove her magic with fondant icing to create the details...

 Pure excitement...smiles...

 

Wednesday dawned beautiful and crisp...  After Beth unwrapped her birthday gifts, we had some delicious hot chocolate made with dark chocolate, and what hot chocolate would be complete without marshmallows...?

Beth with her hot chocolate...perfect for a chilly winter's day!

Rebekah enjoying her cup of hot chocolate...❤

We then prepared the few things we needed to give Beth a little party...  We just had one sweet family join us, which was lovely...

Nancy and Mom made these cute party packs containing a bandana, a sheriff badge and a few chocolate coins...

The party bags...wouldn't you like to receive one, my friends...?

The goodies within...

~

 Tea and cake were the simple but delicous refreshments served at the party...along with smiles and laughter...

 

...And so the day ended with a wonderful family dinner...smiles...

What a special, relaxed day we had with the birthday girl...I honestly can't believe

she is 11 already...how the time flies!  ❤

~

I hope you enjoyed a peek at Beth's birthday party, dear friends!

Have a wonderful weekend further!

~ Blessings ~

To Dearest Little Beth...

To my dearest little sister, Beth...  Happy, happy 11th birthday, precious girl!

"...Do not lose sight of these things.

Use priceless wisdom and foresight.

Then they will mean life for you,

and they will grace your neck.

Then you will go safely on your way,

and you will not hurt your foot.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid.

As you lie there, your sleep will be sweet."

~ Proverbs 3:21-24

~

It is such a wonderful joy to have dear Beth in our lives and I am so glad the Lord spoke to the hearts' of my parents all those years ago, and brought not only sweet Beth, but three more precious girls into our family...  They make life richer, fuller and happier, and cause us to abandon all selfishness and draw our strength from Jesus...

I feel so incredibly blessed to have a close family with the friendship of so many

lovely little ladies...  While we do indeed have our troubles, we have a close bond and 

love each other tenderly...we share smiles, laughter, sorrow and tears...

I believe this is essential between sisters and draws us nearer to one another and also to the heart of God.

~

Beth is the sweet girl who absolutely loves animals, particularly horses and dogs...❤

Riding her bicycle...playing dress-up with her sisters...running around and climbing trees...

Just a few of the many things that make her happy and bring laughter to her lips!

But most importantly, she loves Jesus with all her heart and as she is growing

older, she is developing a softer heart more in tune to hear His voice...I pray that the struggles

she faces in her life will only lead her closer to the Father and that she may rely on His 

guidance and grace every single day...

"...Guard your heart more than anything else

because the source of your life flows from it."

~ Proverbs 4:23

 It is truly beautiful to see her enjoying things such as drawing, calligraphy, baking, reading and now sewing...

The two of us have very similar personalities, likes and dislikes and we share a very close bond...  Sharing a room has allowed us to talk when all is quiet at night and I am humbled to be able to share my walk with the Lord with Beth and encourage her to seek Him daily as He can indeed be found, even in the midst of pain...  

 We don't always see eye to eye, but by God's grace we have a special relationship which I pray will only deepen as the years go by...

"Listen to your father's discipline,

and do not neglect your mother's teachings,

because discipline and teachings

are a graceful garland on your head

and a golden chain around  your neck."

~ Provers 1:8

 

...It is with great expectation and joy that we watch her life unfold...the Lord has a very special,

unique plan and purpose for Beth...

What a privilege to celebrate another birthday and another year with her!  

God is so good and His love endures forever!

~

Thank you so much for your sweet birthday wishes for Beth...I look forward to sharing a few

photographs of her little party with you tomorrow...

Until then, may each of you have a very blessed and special weekend ahead!  ❤

~ Blessings ~

"Wisdom will come into your heart.

Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Foresight will protect you.

Understanding will guard you."

~ Proverbs 2:10-11

We Have Another Blogger...

  

Hello my dear friends!  I have some lovely news for you this morning...

My younger sister, Beth, has finally joined our wonderful little world of blogging and can now be found at A Bit ofBeth where she will be sharing daily bits from her life, her favourite recipes, books, etc. 

I know she would love to have you pay her a visit!

~ Blessings ~

A Decade of Memories ~ Beth

 Can it be true that our dear sister, Beth, is ten years old already...? 

My, my, how time does fly!  It still feels like yesterday I answered the phone as a seven year old to receive the wonderful news that Nancy and I were the proud big sisters of sweet Beth...

I remember holding this tiny bundle in my arms for the very first time...not being able to pronounce her name properly (I lost my front tooth and could only say a simple ‘Bef’ for quite some time)...giggling at the funny noises she made as a wee baby...delightedly feeding her the first few spoonfuls of ‘real food’...splashing in the pool with her as a toddler during the hot summer months...watching her grow and change...making a caterpillar for her first birthday cake...painting a huge cardboard box as a house as part of her second birthday present...

There is so much to look back on and I thought a post of photographs taken over the last decade would be ideal for remembering... 

~ To my not-so-little-anymore sister, Beth – a very happy birthday to you...  I pray our Lord and King will continue to lead and guide you as you strive to walk in His ways.  And know that you are loved and treasured by your family and by Jesus!  This post is especially for you...

* Unfortunately Beth’s baby pictures were taken before we upgraded to digital so they’re not on here :(

 

 ^ Beth and her Daddy

 

^ Oh my goodness – was she actually that small?

 

 ^ Beth and her Mommy

 

 ^ Classic

^ Pure joy

^ Those eyes

^ The girls in our family 2006 

^ Too adorable for words!

 ^ Big little girl

^ Almost two, Beth enjoying a treat with her sisters.

^ One of my favourite photographs...

^ She has always loved animals  

^ On my tenth birthday, 2007

 ^ In deep thought...

 ^ Big sister Beth and her baby sister, Gabrielle

^ Another favourite capture of mine

^ Mommy and her little girls, Beth and Gabrielle

^ Such sweet princesses, Gabrielle and Beth

 ^ Gabrielle and Beth

^ Big sister Beth and her little sister, Rebekah

^ On her fifth birthday, 2009

^ Little flower girl

^  Our little tomboy...

^ ...Who also loves to be a lady!

 ^ In action at six...

^ Beth loves her pets!

 ^ Daddy and Beth

^ In the apple orchards

^ Another photograph of Nancy and Beth with goslings...

^ Beautiful seven year old... 

^ Big sister Beth with baby sister, Sofia, 2011

^ Beth and I

 
^ Always willing to pose for her sister!

^ Beth and Sarafina

^ Eight years old...

^ Strawberry picking 

 ^ Sweet sisters and best friends

 ^ Tea time...

^ Nine years old

^ Giving piggy back rides

^ Beth still loves her daddy...

 ^ ...And her sisters!

I couldn’t have possibly fitted in any more photographs, although there are hundreds more I would have loved to share... 

Do stay posted for more on Beth’s 10^th birthday coming soon :)

~ Blessings lovely friends ~