The best gift ever

The best gift my mum had ever given me: doing everything she possibly could to make sure that I was raised in the ways of the Lord. No matter what she went through or how she did everything she could to make sure we put God first in everything we did. Everything I am today, everything I've become is all thanks to you mum. If I could be half that person to Jaydon. If I could raise Jaydon to know God the same way you raised me I would be passing on your legacy.
This songs been ministering to me today. Your grace find me. In the darkest night in the cry of a new born in the wedding day. Your great grace find me, Lord. No matter where what or why you're always there Lord and I can lean on that knowing that you will always take care of me no matter what. I'm breathing in your grace waiting on your grace today. Its like that Joyce Meyer video I saw on Sunday where she declared that even if God never blesses her in her entire life for the rest of her life she will faithfully tithe. It was the wilderness experience she described it as like the Israelites in the desert where God provided their food, water and clothing to the point their clothes and their shoes did not wear out but there was only enough. Right now it is only enough we are not short, we are not overflowing but we have more than enough food and money to get us through and even if we stay like this for the rest of our lives with no abundance its fine. Even if we don't get a cent extra its fine. We will tithe because we are commanded to and we will tithe because of what God has done for us. He is faithful and just and will take care of us no matter what.
Like Richard said on sunday its time to start declaring God's word around you everywhere, its in your head its in your heart but it needs to come out of your mouth so that your spirit and everything around you hears it:
- my daddy will not die without receiving Jesus
- My God will take care of me & Jitoko in our workplaces
- Our debts are paid off in Jesus Name
- My sister is healed in the name of Jesus
- Your grace is sufficient for me
Psalms 138:8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.

The Sparrow at Starbucks

I can't take credit for this but it was too awe inspiring not to share.

This is a very good example of a "God-incidence." (similar to what many people call a "co-incidence". I'm sending this to those who truly appreciate the  difference between the two terms. 

The SPARROW at STARBUCKS - The song that silenced the cappuccino machines.*

It was chilly in Manhattan but warm inside the Starbucks shop  on 51st Street and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square . Early November weather in New York City holds only the slightest hint of the bitter chill  of late December and January, but it's enough to send the masses crowding  indoors to vie for available space and warmth. For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I'm told, and consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right.

Apparently, we were striking all the right chords that night, because our basket was almost overflowing. It was a fun, low-pressure gig. I was playing keyboard and singing backup for my friend who also added rhythm with an arsenal of percussion instruments. We mostly did pop songs from the '40s to the '90s with a few original tunes thrown in.

During our emotional rendition of the classic, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," I  noticed a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from me. She was swaying to the beat and singing along.

After the tune was over, she approached me. "I apologize for singing along on that song. Did it bother you?" she asked.

"No," I replied. "We love it when the audience joins in. Would you like to sing up front on the next selection?" To my delight,  she accepted my invitation. "You choose," I said. "What are you in the mood to sing?"

"Well.... do you know any hymns?" Hymns? This woman didn't  know who she was dealing with. I cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even  born, I was going to church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look. "Name one."

"Oh, I don't know. There are so many good ones. You pick  one."

I replied. "How about 'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"

My new friend was silent, her eyes averted. Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said, "Yeah. Let's do that one." She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop.

With my two-bar setup, she began to sing, "Why should I be discouraged? Why should the shadows come?"

The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the gurgling noises of the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what they were doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion.

"I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me."

When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed to a deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie  Hall.

Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, "Oh, y'all go back to your coffee! I didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in  here to get somethin' to drink, just like you!" 

But the ovation continued.. I embraced my new friend. "You, my dear, have made my whole day! That was beautiful!"

 "Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said.

"Why is that?" I  asked.

"Well,"  she hesitated again, "that was my daughter's favorite song.”

 "Really!"  I exclaimed.

"Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time,  the applause had subsided and it was business as usual... "She was 16. She died of a brain tumor last week."

I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence. "Are you going to be okay?"

She  smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands. "I'mgonna be okay.  I've just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his songs, and everything's gonna be just fine."

She picked up her bag, gave me her card, and then she was gone.

Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in that particular coffee shop on that particular November night? Coincidence that this wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular shop?

Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from, I just happened to pick the very hymn  that was the favorite of her daughter, who had died just the week before? I refuse to believe it. 

God has been arranging encounters in human history since the beginning of time, and it's no stretch for me to imagine that he could reach into a coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and turn an ordinary gig into a revival. It was a great reminder that if we keep trusting him and singing his songs, everything's gonna be okay.

The next time you feel like GOD can't use YOU, remember, Noah was a drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, Leah  was ugly, Joseph was abused, Moses had a stuttering problem, Gideon was afraid, Samson had long hair and was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David had an affair and was a murderer. Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, Peter denied Christ, The Disciples fell asleep while praying, And Lazarus was dead!

No more excuses! God can use you to your full potential. Besides you aren't the message, you're just the messenger.

Dreams, Visions, movements

While putting Jaydon to sleep last night prayed with Jaydon then prayed that God would cover us and speak to us through visions and dreams. Woke up at midnight from dreaming tht mum had died. I was sitting in the office, Vika in the kitchen, we're talking. Bill and va walk in from their meeting at Treasure and she looks up at them and goes "Oh Thank God you're hear I've been waiting for you guys. Cherie's mum just passed away. "

Am at home now, Jitoko is trying to explain to Jaydon that they had to take nena, she died and have to take her body to the hospital. I look at see them carrying her body white cloth and all over it on a stretcher. 

Couldn't sleep for a wholehour after that. Jitoko had to pray for me and rebuke me that I was being rude to mum. I told him he doesn't know what he was talking about since he's hardly at home but that he was right about the part where mum was important to me. Was the dream about dad? Was I just dreaming that just because I heard it was Janine and Bianca's mum's funeral today? Whatever it is its not a coincidence that I pray God speak to us through dreams and visions and I see this. 

On the way to work this morning I realised it might have something to do with Anit's uncle. Maybe he died at midnight or something. Asked him and he said his uncle slipped out of coma at midnight. Responded to a few tings then went back into coma. Still quite shaken about the dream. What if it is about mum. What if it is about dad? What if it is about the uncle? I asked mum if she was moving around the house lastnight she said no only at 4am but I felt it, so what was that? 

Python Push

This is more a reminder to myself once we have done the Django CMS upgrade for the push notification we have to implement with it. I found this on my favourite all time forum Stackoverflow, the best place to get the right answers.

I don't want to apply too much load on our main server seeing as it already has 6 or 7 services running from it. So I have recommended we try to push availability and rates for the TA connection from the ibp server. Lets hope this works.

So Django CMS has push capabilities via its Tasty Pie API. Its just a matter of figuring out how to configure it for the purpose we want. Otherwise I will have to make another windows service just to be able to push to TA which is what I don't want to do.

It was suggested on stackoverflow that I look at the signals section of the documentation: https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/topics/signals/
at the following method:

@receiver(post_save, sender=MyModel) 
def my_handler(sender, **kwargs): 
    ...

Chowder Stew

I made chowder last night but because I used beef stock it went brown like stew. It was yummy nonetheless. So here's there recipe to my
Corn Crab Chowder Stew:
Heat butter in pot, add broccoli and cook.
Add corn
Add two cups water
1 cube stock, I chose beef for a little spicy flavour.
Add 1/4 cup four and cook till flour is fully cooked. Reminder to myself to make sure to stir the flour in water before adding so it doesn't get lumpy, I keep forgetting to do this.
Add 2 cups milk, when cooked add cheese then stir in the crab
Yummy yummy chowder stew for this cold weather. Absolutely creamy.
I added a bit of my pepper chilli sauce to my bowl for that extra spice.
Serve with dalo
lets just say it was so good that Mr had a few extra bowls and he is usually the fussy one.
He even made me fry him some eggs just to be on the safe side. Later on I see the eggs and dalo being dipped into the Chowder before going into his mouth

Thought Provoking Communication on Marriage

Found this on yahoo, thought it was worth sharing:

Whether you recently said "I do" or just celebrated a double-digit anniversary, you can probably spout off a lot of info about your husband-his middle name, where he was born, his favorite food. But knowing these 10 other things can bring you closer than ever. Find out why, and try these relationship strategies to ensure your husband is anything but a mystery. Photo by Getty Images 

1. When He Needs Space 
 Sharing office news, the kids' schedules and the latest neighborhood drama as soon as your husband walks in the door each night can backfire. "Most women want to immediately connect at the end of the day. For a lot of guys, they need their space more than ever then," says Les Parrott III, PhD, a psychology professor and co-author (with wife and marriage therapist Leslie Parrott, EdD) of The Good Fight: How Conflict Can Bring You Closer. Give your hubby a few minutes to unwind when he comes home. You're more likely to get his undivided attention if you wait.
2. When He's Really Listening 
 If it seems like your husband constantly tunes you out, consider this: Men may look at other areas of the room while still paying attention, according to Deborah Tannen, author of You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, who reviewed videotapes of same-sex best friends talking. Rather than focus on where your husband's gaze lands during conversations, note how he responds to you. If your words are truly falling on deaf ears, Rachel A. Sussman, a relationship specialist and author of The Breakup Bible, suggests gently telling him you feel he isn't listening; then, let him respond. "Don't accuse or blame him," she advises.

3. The Most Productive Way to Fight… 
Arguments happen in any good marriage. But there's a wrong and right way to fight. Through a study conducted to predict how long couples would stay married, researchers discovered, not surprisingly, that yelling during fights often led to divorce-but so did approaching arguments differently from one's spouse (say, one spoke calmly and the other avoided the conversation). "Ask yourself, 'When would I want to have this conversation?'" suggests Sussman. "Then, think about what might work best for your husband." Assessing both your moods can help you pinpoint the best time for a constructive argument. 

4. …And When an Argument is Going Nowhere 
For some disagreements, there's just no productive way to fight it out. To find out if you're gearing up for a purposeful fight, rate the importance of the topic. If it's a core value-like how to raise your children or which city to live in-rank it highly. If it's not-like the color of a new bedspread or what to have for dinner-it may not be worth an argument. Next, determine if you and your husband are ready for the discussion. If either of you are "tired, hungry or distracted, don't get into a conversation about something important," Dr. Leslie Parrott advises. 

5. Which Topics Set Him Off 
 Maybe it's talking about his mom's flavorless cooking-or his late nights at work. Dr. Les Parrott says it's important to "know where the emotional landmines are. If you step on one, you can expect an explosion," he says. But you can't avoid all "hot topics." "Find the right space and time to talk about these issues," he suggests. Plus, try to understand your husband's side, and then approach him in a non-threatening way. You might say, "I'm not looking to upset you; I'm just looking for a solution to an issue that's causing me a lot of pain," Sussman offers.

6. How (and When) to Be His Support System 
Couples who say they have strong spousal support and face daily stress have 50% higher rates of marriage satisfaction, according to a 2012 study. While wives equate affection and warmth with support, husbands feel supported when they're appreciated, needed and receiving offers to help with errands. Not sure if your hubby needs you? Ask him. "Mindreading is outlawed," says Jackie Black, PhD, a board-certified couples' coach and author of Meeting Your Match: Cracking the Code to Successful Relationships. Volunteer to tackle some tasks on his list so he can recharge. And tell him how much you appreciate him as a partner to give him a boost. 

7. When He's Not Loving Your Love Life 
If your man isn't showing signs he wants to have sex-perhaps he usually kisses your neck or gives you a telltale look-then it's time to rekindle the fire. Dr. Leslie Parrott says couples reconnect when they try out-of-the-box activities together. "Women experience intimacy through communication, so we often underplay sharing something novel," she says. Plan a date that'll get you both in the mood. Some ideas: Sign up for a race, head to the museum or take a cooking class to, ahem, turn up the heat.

8. How He Views His Role as Husband and Father 
 Whether it's just you two or you plus kids, you and your husband have equally important family roles. And it's vital that you recognize how he views his part and respect it. "Of course that's a two-way street, but it's even more important for men," says Dr. Les Parrott, who adds that respecting his role helps him feel close to you. Fight the urge to cast your husband into specific parts without his input. And keep in mind that you don't always have to be in sync with parenting. "Differences in temperament and style are key to parents' success and the enjoyment of parenting," Dr. Black says.

9. What His Dream Job (or Vacation or Car) Is 
It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, but happy couples discuss "each other's hopes and dreams to build and sustain intimacy," says Dr. Black. Make it a point to regularly talk to your husband about, well, him. Find out his career goals for the next few years-or just hear about his favorite book, TV show or food of the moment. Then, reciprocate by telling him more about you. Communication helps you grow with each other instead of apart. 

10. That You Don't Know Everything About Him 
No matter how much you communicate with your husband, you can never completely know him, and that's OK. "It's never good to believe you know anything about your partner for sure and therefore not ask," says Dr. Black. "It's vital that you and your husband continually get to know each other," adds Sussman. "If you're growing, you have to continue to catch up with each other." That means there's at least one enjoyable thing you can do each week: get to know-and fall in love with-your husband all over again. 

Tiramisu Trifle 30

Hubby's birthday yesterday. I had the day off.
Had my driving class at midday so was thrown behind schedule with a bit of running around here and there, then aunty and Shibu showed up and lucky mum had brought chicken. Gosh so chaotic but my little boy had the time of his life baking his daddy's cake as he called it. Mixing the frosting and filling for the tiramisu cake
Gosh if only I had known all this time how easy it was to make tiramisu cake I would have tried making it a long time ago. The roast chicken and gravy with the potato salad disappeared from the table the moment someone sat down to eat. So much for thinking I could pack leftovers for lunch today then I went and forgot to pack the tiramisu and the trifle. I used Baileys in the syrup so it had a creamy coffee like flavour.
Note to self: Next time more cream and mascaporne and thicker layer of cake maybe a 3 layer should do the trick. I probably should have used the two cakes one on top of the other instead of halfing the first one.

                                         

My little boy had his hand in everything, the baking to the point he wanted to wash the dishes. Oilei. Well he claimed it was his birthday so he picked the candle he wanted, made me light it blew it, cut it then ate it and mind you this is the first time I've seen him dig into a cake, maybe because he made it. Every other time he will walk away but this time he made the father cut him a piece which he very nicely ate then finished off with his cereal. Now who eats cake then cereal?

Birthday Roast Gravy

Found a new way to make delicious gravy yesterday when looking for something juicy to go with our roast yesterday.
Cut up the onions, lengthwise
Cut up fresh tomatoes
Fried Both in olive oil then threw in a chicken stock cube and added water.
Absolutely thick creamy and delicious.
Half way through the meal and aunty asked whether I added flour. Oops...