the Schriers visit Cape Town

The entire nuclear Schrier family was reunited for Christmas this year. It was our first Christmas all together in at least 5 years, and boy howdy did Brendan and I show the visitors a great time in the Mother City! Below are some highlights, and a full album of pictures is available if you click here. If these photos make it look like all we did was spend our time in beautiful places, seeing exciting things, and eating/drinking well...good, because that's precisely what we did for 10 days.

our festive baobab Christmas tree

at Steenberg winery

on top of a windy Table Mountain on Christmas morning

at Olympia Cafe in Kalk Bay on Boxing Day

Boxing Day lunch at Harbour House at the window table we booked 5 months ago!

along Chapman's Peak Drive

quite possibly my favorite trip picture :)

enjoying the local flavors

at Boschendal vineyard

treetop table at Moyo for New Years Eve

table-side entertainment

It was wonderful to have the family here and introduce them to our new home and show them so many of the things we love about living here. I think we have sufficiently convinced everyone that we don't live in "The Lion King" and that they really want to come back!

look good, do good

I was at a bookstore here about a week ago and ended up buying something other than books for Brendan and myself.

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria receives $1 from the sale of each bracelet (each costs approximately $3.50), and that money is specifically used for malaria prevention efforts. Malaria is the number one cause of death of children under five in Africa, with 850,000 preventable deaths occurring each year. The money helps provide things like mosquito nets, and each net protects two children for up to three years. Ending malaria will improve maternal and child health, education and will significantly reduce poverty in Africa. Plus, the bracelets are handmade as an employment project for people without work, many of whom are HIV/AIDS survivors or caretakers of AIDS orphans. So proceeds from these bracelets are helping in more than one way.

So if you are in South Africa, you can find them at Exclusive Books. If you are not in SA, but would like one, let me know and we can make a plan!

african shirts

Before Bluebell came into my life and freed me to roam the streets of Cape Town, I spent some of my free time making shirts of a whole bunch of people I love. Spoiler alert for my aunt Cathi: don't show this to the kiddos because their shirts are still en route.

I made one for Brendan

One for Hannah

One for Wyatt and one for Cassidy (in their favorite color schemes)

And a matching set for each of my favorite little meerkittens, James and Matthew

I also made one ages ago for my cousin Nolan, but I forget to get a picture of it...doh!

They are made using this stuff called fusible webbing, which crafty people like my friend Krissy use for making appliques and the like. It irons on for a permanent transfer and is machine washable and dry-able. I am clearly embracing my new homeland, at least when it comes to attire!