Hello friends.

 I cannot believe I even still have people who visit this page regularly! It's been a year since I could write and yet you faithful ones are still here, visiting and rereading old posts ... Thank you! I am truly moved. 

This time I do have a legitimate reason though...

I WAS SICK!

So here is the story for those of you that would like to know :-)

Last year (2014) from around July, I started finding my energy levels were not what they had always been and put it down to overwork. I was finding it more and more difficult to manage a full work day and my house full of children. I was also getting more and more stressed because I felt TLC had lost its momentum and really needed a recharged vision but I could not think of a way to get this done.

Finally in September 2014, I could no longer carry on. My physical state was in severe fatigue and my heart and mind were depressed. I announced to management my intention to step down out of the knowledge that I needed to take long leave and regain some perspective.

I spent from October 2014 to January 2015 (Yes, that's 4 MONTHS!) sleeping 12 to 18 hours a day, I developed headaches, dry mouth, sensitivity to light, sore throats, mouth ulcers, coughs, ear aches and nausea! These symptoms would appear and disappear randomly  but definitely the fatigue was the worst thing I have ever experienced and I honestly thought I might die!
I was only able to manage my children’s basic needs and bless them they were so good to me.  I was certainly not able to spare any emotional energy on the goings on outside my front door let alone further afield. 

The doctors diagnosed Infectious Mononucleosis  :-)

and I was none the wiser until a chance conversation with another doctor in April this year suggested a set of very expensive specialist blood tests. Desperate to know what was wrong with me I went ahead.

Unbeknownst to me, I was severely ill with 2 strains of Rickettsia (a debilitating but treatable, blood disorder of the Lyme disease family) a disease often misdiagnosed as Chronic Fatigue syndrome.

The Blood tests revealed besides these two infections, I also had 4 other blood infections, the most serious of which is called Q-fever and is the only one with a possibility to recur after treatment.

THE GOOD NEWS is, I am on treatment and getting better now. The doctor estimates a year to two years of recovery and I feel so much better already just knowing what it is!

 I am back in the TLC offices from 8am to 1pm and seeing to my 16 children’s needs from then onwards.

I hope to keep blogging from now on and share with you some exciting new developments that we are working on here at TLC.

Thank you all once again for your love and care and most of all for your faithfulness in friendship.

God Bless You All
Pippa

How are you?

Hello friends

I am trying something new today :-) I am blogging from my phone! I have been feeling so bad about promising to be a better blogger and then just not getting to it :-( one of the problems has been the slow connectivity of our network and the other the fact that I am now house mom to 17 little bodies which for some or other reason keeps me tied up ALL the time ;-)

So that worked for all of a few minutes until I realized I cannot get my photos to the right size for using here! So I will type first then load the pictures from my laptop and hopefully there will still be a blogpost to read at the end of the day!

Mom left for the family meetings in Germany and Denmark last Thursday, she was delayed by 3 days in getting away because the German embassy had some issues doing the visa for Paul. Anyhow they finally got away and I hear they are having a fabulous time.

Things are just awful for us financially at the moment. The department subsidy was late and the national lottery has not yet released the second half of what they promised us so we are once again behind on our payments and losing sleep and hair about things like school fees and petrol. Ugh! I know I am a goose most of the time :-) I just wish I could produce those famous golden eggs!! LOL

Our beloved Bernard, TLC's faithful groundsman has retired after 15 years of service to us. In a very moving Farewell message, Joshua (now 21) related some of his favorite and enduring moments with 'Malome' (which means 'Uncle' in Zulu). He told of the moulding Bernard did on his character and how in so many ways Bernard was the father he looked to. His message had us all fighting the tears.


The winter has officially arrived in Johannesburg and things are feeling pretty chilly, especially around the early mornings and evenings. Our winter corn has been harvested and we are husking the corn off the cobs and making feed for the chickens and cows.

We also planted the new winter grazing in two paddocks so we are eager to see how this works out for the cows and how it benefits the reduction of  our feed bill.

Rhys' chicken project has now got a dedicated buyer and things are working very well in this regard. TLC gets chicken and beef from its farm and the new mainhouse gets all its milk, eggs and butter needs from these efforts.

One new way we are trying to bring a little money in is by selling off all our extra items that have been donated in the idea of a 'charity stall' at the local flea market. We have only done this twice so far and have a few ideas of how to increase our profits so if anyone has done a seasonal clean out of cupboards or storerooms please send the things our way - we can definitely see a way to help us out of this money mess by doing this.

Our full nursery of babies are growing up and eating so much good now! We seem to be forever peeling, chopping, steaming and pureeing trays of vegetables. If anybody comes to visit perhaps pop a bag of gems, squash or apples in your boot for us ;-)

Here is a Sunny picture of the children on our amazing new Jungle Gym donated to us by the Noyen-Melendez family. The children spend hours on it everyday and it has helped spread the noise out a little further from the mainhouse which is nice for everybody too :-)

And then just for a laugh here is one reminder of how life goes with a house full of teenagers.

Every now and then I find an awesome picture on our Family Group on WhatsApp. The kids are so creative and so VAIN I can't help but laugh.

Here is one example:















I Love you all
Pippa

Some Hi's, Lows and Highs!

Hello Friends!

It has been so very long since I have felt able to write anything substantial on this Blog. As many of you know I have been slowly healing after an episode of burnout and depression that consumed me at the end of 2012. Thankfully between you and my family, I have a terrific support structure and I was so grateful to feel safe enough to use it all of last year.

Kieran's death in October set me back a bit as it did all of us, it truly threatened to sink many of us here at TLC but God is constantly reminding us of His love and His faithfulness through all our hurt. We all still grieve in waves that come and go with old memories and new ones that cannot include him.

At the Funeral



In his favourite jacket

The end of the year was dominated by the sense of loss and of how "wrong" everything felt without him. We did our best to continue with the usual Christmas festivities but it was really difficult and the Mainhouse children battled terribly with the idea of being festive at all. We did our usual distribution of toys and sweets to the children in the local informal settlements and then we had a Christmas lunch for the families and volunteers together in the Mainhouse, which turned out to be a lovely, low key event and just what everyone needed.

One of the highlights from Christmas was the donation of the Berg Go-Karts courtesy of the TLC Germany families. The kids just love these and they are so versatile and hardy that everyone gets to enjoy them.

The school year only began in mid January but I was quite glad because it takes a heap of work to get all the children the right sized uniforms, shoes, socks etc and then each school has its own stationery requirements so there are lists and piles of stationery lying everywhere for a week or so. Then this year one of the schools changed their curriculum at the last minute and to this day I am still waiting for some of the textbooks to be available for purchase! Anyway that is all part of the start of school fun :-)

Jerome and Sibu started 1st Grade this year

The undoubted highlight of our first quarter was the marriage of Faith to her Prince Charming, Lionel Abrahams. What a magical day we had! Words cannot do justice to the millions of magical moments during the day so here are some pictures Joanna took throughout the event. Enjoy :-)

 

The Blushing Groom

The Blushing Bride
 (to her delight, our dad made a special trip out from the UK to walk her down the aisle)

The Wedding Mass was held at Our Lady of Ceder's, Mulbarton Maronite Church.

The Jarvis and Abrahams families unite



Lionel has one sister, Renee and his parents are Carien and Dane.

They chose a Red Velvet Wedding Cake with Creamed Cheese
dressing and a Mixed Berry topping!
 It was Delicious!

 

My Little Beth also thought the cake was DELICIOUS and hijacked a piece of cake too :-)

 



 We had a beautiful reception at Misty River, the B&B near to TLC and the weather was so perfect everyone commented because it was preceded by two full weeks of unusually heavy rainfall!

We partied hard :-) These two crashed right under the sound system speaker they were so pooped!
Luckily we weren't far from home so getting everyone to bed did not take too long :-)

As we speak the happy couple are Honeymooning along the South African coastline. We all wish them every blessing and can't wait to have them back home.

I'm going to end this installment here but I have a lot more to say so I will continue with a fresh one soon. The farm has had many developments and there are, as always, lots of other things going on around here like a VERY full nursery, Zoe back at Varsity and Viv in a new office! I promise I will fill you in soon.

I love you all
Pippa



EXTRA SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! SPREAD TO THE WORLD!

HELLO FRIENDS!!!

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS BY CLICKING BELOW!

MOM WAS SELECTED AS A FINALIST!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOlkQ_i1oIU&feature=player_embedded

GOD BLESS YOU ALL
PIPPA

Honoured

Hello Friends

What a blessing you all are in my life! I had no idea how many people STILL regularly check for updates on my blog  ~ despite my long silence!
Thank you I am truly honoured!

So here is the week in review :-)

Zoe the "LUCKY BUM" has been sending us Pictures from FRANCE!

 

She was blessed to be able to go visit Anne's home in Bordeaux and it looks like they have had an amazing time! Of course we miss her DAILY! but we are very pleased that she and Anne have had such a well deserved rest.

 

We have been thrilled to have Reuel home from Europe for a short visit before he starts Uni in September. He has filled out and is looking so very well, all the TLC he is getting from our friends overseas obviously agree with him. Here he is with my Uncle Berend :-)

 

As you know it is winter here (I know I can hear everyone saying "Duh!" )

Here are just 2 pics I had to show you ...

 

This

 is
Felix.

One of my Mom's cats :-)

He was so enjoying his doze on her bed that he was making these long rumbley purrs and had his paws folded across his chest as if giving himself a hug :-)
It was such a lovely exhibition of complete contentment.

 

 

This is a view of our Memorial Garden where our babies and loved ones who have Passed are remembered.

 

On this particular Frosty morning there was an area where the sprinkler had been left and all the bits of the Garden that got wet froze over.

It meant the fence had icicles, the grass were like frozen Stalagmites and there was one tree that had half in the sun and the other half in the shade - that half was covered in icicles. It was quite beautiful. 

 

 

Over the weekend I took my kids to Kwazulu-Natal to visit Similo and Nadia's birthmother.

Many of you will remember the story of how we got her home. For those of you that don't :-) have a look through the past blogs to catch up :-)  

 

She is doing so well and was over the moon to have us visit her again.

 

The drive to this area takes us about 5 hours and so to do it in one day is a VERY BIG ASK. So this time around we decided to stay overnight at Oban Guest farm a wonderful, tranquil and comfortable place for a group like mine :-)

 

The kids enjoyed it so very much and we are keen to go more often now that we know we would be welcome there :-)

 

It is situated in a valley and has plenty of space to explore and adventure. It has familiar farm animals and a handful of friendly dogs. It feels a lot like home :-)

 

 

We had an altogether lovely time and we thrilled to be able to spend the weekend in such a special place. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are my treasures ... all on a log :-)

 

And finally some of the BEST NEWS!!!

 

We are once again FULL to capacity in our Nursery!

 

Our relationship with Wandisa has worked out so well and we are placing babies both locally and internationally smoothly and efficiently.

Our Nest is FULL!

 

And a special THANK YOU to all those who sponsor a cot for TLC!

It is making a marked difference to the way we run and we are BLESSED BLESSED BLESSED by the support of so many of our friends.

 

 

 

GOD BLESS YOU ALL

 

PIPPA

 

 

 



Don't be afraid of the dark ... remember your never alone ...

Hello Friends!

What can one say after so many months of silence?
"I am so sorry" doesn't quite cut it!

I can only say that I have been to the pit!
I got lost somewhere in all the problems and issues of the last few years and
I could no longer care.

After reaching such a desolate place, my sister Joanna convinced me to seek some medical attention and I am happy to say that I am on my way back up the hill!

 

The title of this blog is from a favourite Lullaby of mine... the words go

 

"Don't be afraid of the Dark,

Remember you're never alone.

The Lord will surround you with angels of light,

His love will be with you all day and all night."

Truly, in my life I AM surrounded by His angels! My life is full of blessing and love and I am just so very happy to be able to see this Truth again!

I'm sorry you have missed a lot but ...
Here are some of the going's on in our life at TLC.

 

 Some of you will remember "Little Bea". Look at how she has grown!

She now speaks 3 languages fluently, plays tennis like a pro and is well, well, well! What miracles love can do!

TLC has been hard hit by crime again. This year 2 armed and terrifying incidents have necessitated us changing security companies and becoming actively involved in our community policing and sector policing. We have installed more lights, more locks and are raising funds for an internal fence to surround the volunteers cottages.

 

Our community support has grown this year and we are so grateful to so many.

Here is an example of the lovely cupcakes EVERY child gets now on their birthday thanks to the efforts of Leonie Swanepoel and her team from Lewensentrum church.

 

 

Our Faith is getting married!

Lionel and Faith are now engaged and we will be having a

BIG FAT TLC WEDDING next March!

 

Our Girls are all growing into beautiful young women!

We are so proud of each of them! They are a lovely "gang of girls"!

 

The consuming theme of my life for this year has been

"What are those kids up to NOW?"

Reason being the OLD "New Farm" house is being renovated.

Mike Buchanan, our most amazing builder, has managed to transform the two disjointed houses we bought into one incredible, cathedral like, family home!

It is marvellous, miraculous and ...

complete mayhem!

 

My kids are constantly covered in dust, we have been eating on paper plates FOREVER it seems and THAT ONE THING I am looking for ALWAYS seems to be packed in a box at the far corner of ALL THE OTHER boxes and underneath a mountain of debris!

 

Despite the chaos - we are all SO EXCITED to finally be seeing a near finished product.

THANK YOU TO EIN HERZ FUR KINDER

who have sent all the money to reroof and renovate our home!

You are all invited to come and see!

We should be done in one more month!

Just kidding :-)

 

SO I PROMISE I  will be writing more often now!

 

In the meantime, if you don't already know about our

21st Birthday TREE initiative

 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

Check out our WEBSITE

 and if there is a special TLC someone you would like to plant a tree for

just let us know!

 

 

Good bye for now



Pippa

October!

 

Hello Friends

 

So my mother has this saying that she likes to say ... I can't remember who coined it but the profundity of it hits home every now and then.

It goes like this: "Life at its best ... is still terribly sad"

 

Look at those beauties above ... aren't they georgeous? I just love them so much. My heart quickens, my breath catches and my eyes well with tears from the depth of the emotion that looking at them brings. With every joy, every wonder and every miracle there is this little haze of tragedy that seems to hang around. It's the bit that makes you sigh.

 

By now the whole world has heard of our heartbreak. Mom wrote it so eloquently in the latest newsletter but the writing of it is one dimension of something that is so deep and permeating everyone is walking around with that "sigh" ing feeling.

 

 

Our Nest has not been completely empty for 20 years. 20 years! It is such a shock to our systems most of us can't find the words to even describe the feelings we have about this.

 

It's like grieving for someone but knowing you have to go on for the "sake of the kids". Because of course we still have the older babies and children to care for and we have tried to keep life normal for their sakes.

 

So here are some of the goings on around here in the last few weeks:

 

Mom turned 62!
We had no money for cake so we used the donated Donuts from Rich's and it turned out really well!
Thank you Joanna for all the hard work!

 

The pool is being used regularly

This little one just adores the water

Smiling now but you should hear the yells
when it's time to get out!

 

Our current group of volunteers are extraordinary in their positive attitudes and enthusiastic hearts! We are so grateful to them for keeping up morale!

 

Our Preschoolers had a Sportsday and boy did they have FUN!

All the Fledgies and Grubs were invited to come watch

And then they even had a race of their own!

What JOY!

A motorbike race!

Even our CP Princess got to compete!

 



Life on the Farm continues to show results and I am now proficient at milking cows and producing butter (which is delicious!). We have had two more calves this month, both boys unfortunately but their mommies are now going to be able to add to our milk supply which is great :-)

 

 

This is "October 1" and I don't have a picture of "October 2" but he is black and beautiful :-)



 Christmas is around the corner so we are preparing for the craziness and busy times ahead. We always receive so many visitors in the run up to Christmas we hope this year will be filled with blessings.

We love you all
Pippa