Gambibgo baskets

I like natural colors for my home, but when I came across those baskets, I knew it was time to add some color.
The baskets are handwoven in Ghana and the right name is Gambibgo baskets/pots. The difference between the Gambibgo basket and the original Bolga basket is the swivel handle that folds down flat. They are woven from naturally dyed elephant grass and they are incredibly sturdy. Every basket is one of a kind. I love them!

(www.houseoftalents.com)

(www.basketsfromafrica.com)
















  

(www.africanfabric.co.uk)

I have added the links to the shops where I found them, not because they sponsor me (they don't), but because my heart beats for Africa (ànd because these baskets are really fantastic). The weavers (mostly women) get fair prices for their baskets and can feed their families because of them.

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Her 8th birthday

It's her 8th birthday today.
The girl with the darkest eyes and the longest eyelashes I have ever seen.



Has her birth mother been thinking about her today?



She hasn't been asking a lot of questions about her roots until now, but when she saw me surfing on the internet for charms, she asked me to give her an African continent charm for her birthday.

I have chosen a silver charm - with a "sapphire" synthetic stone, her birthstone, in the heart of South Africa - so that she can wear it to school everyday without me being afraid of her losing it. When she will be doing her First Holy Communion in two years, we want to give her a gold one, perhaps with a tiny diamond.

Of course we gave her a "real" present as well...inline skates...she has been practicing all day long around the house.

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Djembe

Last Friday, at the Africa theme (!) end of school year party, the kids did a little Djembe workshop. It was really fun. Although they are "coconut kids" (white on the inside/brown on the outside), I want them to be proud of their background, their African roots. Africa is the most amazing continent and it has given us so much to be grateful for.

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Listening right now - MoZuluArt

Our adopted children both have 50% Zulu blood running through their veins. The Zulu are the largest ethnic group in South Africa. They are well known for their brightly colored beads and lovely woven baskets.

MoZuluArt is a fusion between classical music and traditional Zulu music. I love the soft click sounds of the Zulu language.

Since the adoption we have become very interested in Zulu culture and it is my dream to understand the language. I bought this language course several years ago and it is my new year's resolution to finally make a start.

There is one more picture I have to show you. It was taken in Lesedi Cultural Village, a park where you can get to know the various tribes and their traditions. Please zoom in on the Zulu baby at the left. So funny! Have you ever seen a baby like that? He looks a lot like his father, doesn't he?!

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Hair!

This morning the kids and I spent 3 hours in Stéphanie's African hairdressing salon in Luxembourg-city. Stéphanie comes from Cameroon and does my daughter's hair every 6-8 weeks. She is a wonderful person and I admire her for her patience.



It took her twenty minutes for my son's and more than 2,5 hours for my daughter's hair!



Long hair extensions are added and braided.

And this is the result after 2,5 hours of hard work!

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Tidying up my cupboard 2

Do you know the feeling that you regret that you haven't bought more? I love the safari print so much and we really should have bought more of these, but travelling with 4 kids, among whom a 2-year-old and a 6-months-old baby, we had the 20 kg hold luggage weight thread hanging above our heads.

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African hair

Look at this piece of art! My daughter had her hair done this morning. Stéphanie, her hairdresser, is a beautiful black lady from Cameroon. She is the nicest person with a strong faith in God. We spent a lot of hours talking together, trying to calm down my daughter when she was a little girl and didn't want us to touch her hair. I love to hear her talk about Africa. Can you imagine, she lived next door to school and her mother prepared everyday lunch not only for her own children, but for the other children of the family as well, 18 in total! They were not rich, but there was always enough for all of them. These women were saints!

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Easter 2004 in Johannesburg

When you're rocking her to sleep
and humming lullabies to her soul,
remember to whisper something good
and lasting in her little ear.
Tell her how beautiful, how buttery brown,
how truly loved she is.
Tell her that one day
she may change the world,
but for now, she is the answer
to a sweet silent
prayer.

We found this little poem somewhere on the internet and used it for our daughter's birth announcement. It expressed exactly the way we felt about her.

Happy tears.

Proud daddy!



The hospital where she was born. Our two social workers in South Africa took us everywhere to help us reconstruct the first 6 months of her life.



The room where her biological mother spent some hours after she was born. What struck me was the cold atmosphere. There was no joy, no happiness, no flowers.....



Joan, one of the social workers, and her daughter Nina. They are the sweetest persons! There was nothing they didn't do for us. We are forever grateful.



We thought we would be spending Easter alone in our B&B, however Zoé, the other social worker, invited us to their family dinner. That was such a sweet thing to do! Both social workers are Jewish and we learned a lot about Jewish Easter. It was one of our most special Easter celebrations ever.

The other side of Johannesburg.

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20 years of freedom

I wish I could remember that special day, but somehow I can't. In February 1990 I just found out I was pregnant with my first son and I had so many other things on my mind, perhaps that's why.

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African jewelry

I normally wear my own handmade jewelry, but sometimes I can't refrain myself from buying a lovely necklace when it comes my way. I like African inspired jewelry (of course!).

This one called my name in my daughter's African hairdresser's shop. She said it had the colour of my eyes and she was right.



This is a very special one. I bought it in Johannesburg and wore it on the day we went to court to officially adopt our son.



All the African necklaces I brought home from South Africa.

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