Lasts of 2011

The year  has flown right by me, in flashes of rain and rays of sunlight, I sit here now, taking a cup of green tea, clutching at the straws of time I did not want to let go. There's moments I can't recall but some that will forever be etched in my memory.

I remember the 1st of January 2011, all my new year resolutions clearly written down, excited to be carrying the most precious gift, Ken doing the final touches to the house, finishing up on my MBA thesis, I was ready to take on the year.
Its been a great one! Huge challenges, but when I reminisce, I came out stronger and better.

Ethan is 8 months now, his all grown up with a big toothless grin , indeed time flies and the harder you try and grab a hold on it, the faster it melts away.
Ken has an album of Ethan since birth to date! every detail captured!
Globally, we have had our gains and losses too. We have lost many esteemed actors, artists, performers and sporting icons- hopefully, their legacies will leave on. I personally mourn , Steve Jobs, an inventor, entrepreneur and chief executive, he changed the world as we know it.
Amy Winehouse a singer who  had a short but incredibly successful career. Her album ‘Back to Black’,is my all time favourite! She won critical praise as well as a plethora of awards.
Elizabeth Taylor,  a true heavyweight on the silver screen for the  last 60 years, she  was also known for her glamorous lifestyle.

Great Economies have suffered, with prices of crude oil at an ever high, Inflation at the highest! Economists predict that 2012 will not be an ease one-Some things we absolutely no control over.
Kenya is currently in an "operation Linda nchi" Mode, flushing out the outlawed Alshabab Militia- we wish them all the best.
Big thumbs up to Martin Odour Owino and Bob Collymore and other Chief Executives who answered to the Kenya for Kenyan's call. Thousands of hungry Kenyans were fed- Asanteni Sana! we outdid ourselves.

I race my mind and I could write 100 pages, to sum it up, It's been a good year. I look forward to a better one. I am ready to embrace whatever is next, believing this is the best so far. For tomorrow is not guaranteed,  Telling myself that  I can deal with whatever 2012 may bring, I know i can fight this battle as its always a war, On tomorrow. On love. On learning the lesson. On peace of mind and living in and enjoying this moment.
So here is to accepting tomorrow, rainstorms and sleet, bright skies and golden leaves, whatever it will be, I will make the best of it!

Love,

Emma K!

New Joys

1.25 am awake, and am thinking of new vegetable garden. My heart and soul burning up with passion for this new  thing I have found......farming!

Who knew there was such joy to be found in planting a seed and watching it grow into a green healthy plant. I have become a bit of a garden freak. I want to plant everything and watch it germinate.... I spend time looking for the next seed and the next available space to plant a seed.

I plan to grow the vegetables and sell them at the local market. I do not hope to fetch huge profits, but  I will be able to buy me some nice make-up, get myself a nice outfit or buy the chinaware   I have always admired! In the meantime i am doing something which makes me Happy!

As with anything I have come to love, I go at it on full throttle so my life is now filled with  ideas of what to plant, and my little garden, many nights are spent planning ......what simple joy.

Now, I have planted, Chinese cabbage, leeks, spinach, kales, and the egg plant is coming up well. I hope to have a bountiful harvest. I plan to try carrots and sweetpotatoe. The Green peas died off but i am still hopeful to try again next season......

Well, I've said it before and will say it again...find your joy and when you do, indulge it until it fills every crack and crevice in your life with reason to wake up every morning looking forward to another glorious day.

As for me, from here on out...only happy days abound as I watch my seedlings grow!

Next time you see me, call me "mama mboga"

Love,

Emma K!

Christmas and New tidings...

I love Christmas. Growing up it was always a special time of the year! Mum made her very special Pumpkin pie.... We loved it ! Dad always made sure that we put up a  tree,  sang the Christmas carols and wore the best clothes.

Watching on TV, I thought our Christmas' were not as nice ..... We saw the lovely snow covering everything in sight and families enjoying the huge turkey over dinner. I guess that's how Americans celebrated Christmas!

This will be the first Christmas for Lil Ethan, we intend to make it very special in every way. Ken thinks I put too much thought in the little details but I guess, that's just me!

 

With 23 days to Christmas, I have been writing down what needs to be done, to  be bought, ordered, prepared and according to my list, am running short of time. With my two boys, it is interesting to do this.  I hope that I will not fall into  the commercialised trap of buying many many gifts! Am still shopping around for a Christmas tree and I want it to be a beautiful one....just like the year has been!

 

2011 has brought me joys, new faces, contentment.... We moved into a beautiful home full of love, then Ethan came into our lives.......indeed I can count my blessings!

 

I am still shopping around for Christmas stockings, which will be bulging with the promise of good tidings.

Christmas Eve Dinner will be a lavishly yummy affair and having been  home all week, I hope to have "Emma's recipes on the table.

Anyway, gifts  and food aside,  I hope that this Christmas will bring us all  the gladdening of heart.

I hope to spend a lovely time with close family, Indulge, make merry and enjoy- sitting up till late in the night around the fire place chatting and laughing....

Kidum and Atemi will definitely be on replay and I hope to watch  my childhood favourite movie 'Annie' again.- I hope Ethan will enjoy this too.

The new year will  bring with it exciting things - (to be shared in due course)- so here's to  wishing you a love filled Christmas  with blessings and good fortune!

 

Have a Merry Merry Christmas!!

 

 

 

With Love,

 

Emma K!

30 and Loving it!

I turned 30 on saturday 27th November 2011....yes the Big 30......Indeeed days, weeks, months, seasons have come and gone.....a year goes by very fast!
 A year older. Wiser? I hope so..... I don't feel much different even though every day has  brought new experiences, faces, joys, pains. I am now a mother and a wife to 2 amazing men. They have taught me how to love.
I sit back and take stock of my life..... Indeed am blessed!.  I Reminisce. Bring out my mind's dream board and see what path life has taken me . I add and erase, happy that in this life, you get to change your mind.
What age has brought is a subtle pause, slowing down of pace and a realisation that the best things in life are indeed free.... the lovely sunset, the sea breeze, the conversation with a loved one. I love my life!

It has also brought a  realisation that there is no rush to get to tommorrow. You enjoy today because it truly  all you have. An awakening to what is really important having nothing to do with titles-deeds, logbooks and the monies but everything to do with that intangible bond that kinship brings. The invisible chord that binds us all. Love, of one  self, of each other, of nature, of life and the true gift of life .
My 30th was indeed well celebrated! The calorie intake was too much:-)

Ken and Ethan, I loved the chicken, indeed it was finger licking good!! Am rockin' my burberry bag( you 2 got taste!) Naomi, thank you, the roses came early this time around and  that was the best chocolate cake I have had in a long while!
Everlyn, I love the gold studs! Joyce, the flowers are very beautiful- I love them!
To mum and Dad, thank you for the love, wise cousel and the prayers over the years.
 Njoki and Steve, you guys rock!- Ilove you ..
Jane, thank you for being a good nanny, Ethan loves you, Thank you for changing his diaper and singing him those lullabies....indeed you have become part of our family...

Thank you Lord for another year of a life abundantly blessed.

I'm in love!

Emma K

A life full of Milk

I was excited when the doctor confirmed that I was indeed pregnant! Immediately, I started to think of the
responsibilities to come,  I knew that my life was going to change.

Indeed the change was there,  I walked out of Hospital, carrying my new born baby. As we drove home, I kept asking Ken, If  Iwould make a good mother. Would I be able to be the best I can be, and to give Ethan the very best?

Ethan was born at a time I was getting used to the rigours  career, my typical day would start at 6.30a.m, and end at 9.00p.m, tearing myself away from my desk was the hardest bit. I thank God Ken was very patient. He encouraged me and believed in me.

Imagine my apprehension when the mid-wife told me that I must breast feed exclusively for 6 months!

 It was a tall order. Three days after I left the hospital, determined to be the world's greatest mother, I had engorged breast! they hurt so so much I could not sleep! The milk was licking, I did not know how to use the breast pump, I was a naive mother, waiting for Ethan to wake up to feed.

Thank God for my mummy, she came to help me settle into my new role. She taught me to express milk by using a warm towel and massaging gently. I needed to be patient, this did not seem to work, the more she massaged, the more milk was produced! My nipples were sore. Ethan did not feed much, he loved his sleep!

I was determined to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of Ethan's life,  no one was going to dissuade me.
One month into my maternity leave, I settled well into the routine, Ethan fed at intervals of 2 hours, and while he slept, I practised on how to use the hand pump.  Every 3 hours, I would express milk, pack it in little freezer bags and tag them: date expressed and time. This was interesting........ I enjoyed it.

Back at work, 3 months later, the pressure did not relent. However, I needed to make time to ensure my baby had enough to feed. I kept sneaking out to express milk and dashing home for lunch to breastfeed. I claimed the ladies changing room and made it my "dairy".
One day, my boss asked me, " Emma, are you well? you seem to have very long breaks"  I did not realise it but I blurted out," I was expressing milk"! The poor man did not ask me again about my breaks.
Night time would catch me snoozing, breastfeeding or expressing milk.

When one of my girl friends came to visit, she was deeply intrigued by the contents in my freezer...neatly labelled packets of breast milk!
Ethan turned six months, in September, I introduced him to solid foods at seven months, at six and a half, he had his first taste of water, so far, he has not tasted any juices. He takes 350ml of breast milk during the day and breastfeeds at night.

So far, he is in robust health- not a single issue; I thank God! I'm so glad I breastfed him exclusively for 6 months, some thought I was over doing it! As for me, I did what I thought was best for Ethan.
Would I do it again? Oh, yes, it was the most rewarding thing I have done in my life so far!. I pushed myself to the limit without realising it!

A life full of Milk!

Much Love,

Emma K!

 

A walk for Life

Just came back from  the evening walk with Everlyn... that was a wonderful evening, we walked for good health,  I get to unwind after a long day at work and we also get to talk about work, life, our fears, worries and express our views. 

Everlyn and I have been doing this for the last 2 years now, the routine has not changed!The Venue has...from the park to the golf course to the beach.. but after each walk, I feel amazing! This works my mood, my esteem and I also get to loose a few calories!

The best things in life are indeed free! so we sometimes decide to get adventurous, we walk in the park then reward ourselves with a full body  massage! Everlyn and Myself can be  described as two fun-loving girls, we let our hairs down and enjoy the simple pleasures of life! She loves ice-cream, and I love home made milk-shake!- Thanks to Yuls Restaurant, we get to enjoy all this!

As we walk every evening, its amazing that we always get something  to talk about....from  Michelle Obama and how we love her sense of fashion, her style her lean body! we end up making all the promises to ourselves:

• Thou shall not take in the extra calories
• Thou shall enroll for a gym membership
• We shall keep time, and ensure our walks are brisk!
• Thou shall go to the massage parlour at least once a month( Everlyn believes it helps distribute the fat tissues)

A walk with the girls does the magic! I get to hear what they think, I get to speak out, some of the things in file 13!

The girly chats, have a way of making me feel ......better! For now, I am with the program, and it has become a part of me!

Time keeping is a virtue! especially because we are trying to squeeze in this habit into our  very busy life schedules.Five kilometers later, I feel renewed, indeed the best things in life are free!

Am not sure if my dress size has dropped, but at least I have not moved up! I get to enjoy the evening breeze, watch the sun go down, chat with a girlfriend and loose the extra pound!

This daily congress has truly become a highlight in my life. I look forward to each walk  with unabashed enthusiasm. It’s a fun  as we have the space to vent our frustrations, voice ideas and give vision to our dreams.

 Friends,  get to hold up the mirror through which you can see yourself. Your true self, flawed, but beautiful still. They make you take a good look, admire, accept, and reflected back, what the world really sees, but even more, what the world could see. They hold this mirror when you forget what beauty, strength and potential lies within you, so that you can look up again, remember, focus, and follow those dreams.

I’m forever indebted.

So here’s a toast to Everlyn , who daily  commune with me, holds me up and holds up my mirror. I love you for it!

Love,

Emma K!

Is it so Ugly?

I look at the mess around me!! I close my eyes and desperately try to wish somethings would go away.
Our beautiful lives have been messed up! Last night,I was watching the nine o'clock news bulletin and I was one very sad woman!
 There was a story of a seven months old baby girl who was raped by her step father and left for dead. Her mother had gone to the near-by shops and she left her daughter with her  husband. The man raped the baby, bite off her checks, broke her pelvic bone and her neck, and left!What a world! I hate the ugly  side of life... Babies are angels, their innocence ...their unconditional love.. their dependence.....
 

See all that's happening around us, Drug abuse among the youth,young girls are abused by men they can call daddy, the boy child is taken into child labour, mothers are too busy for their children, our fathers are walking away from their primary responsibilities of being protectors, they are now predators,its impossible to know the genuine people/things!

Last weekend,I received a phone call that made me realise we are living a lie. We hire house helps who come into our houses, our lives and share the very space we deem private. They take a placein our homes  and  some abuse their  positions, their impact may be so negative that families and homes may be broken and hurt- for a long, long  time!
Yes!they clean our houses, make our dinner, and keep the house at its best, but, what else do they do? These people are strangers, they come into our lives and we accommodate  them. When I start to think about them, I pray, I need energy!


I remember a conversation I had with a friend of mine last week about how much our world had changed. Not only has it changed, but  also at a  very fast pace. Its a crazy world! Old women hunting down the "small" boys, the young girls want men double the fathers' age! Its a shame!all this for the love of money? Fame? Prestige? What??Someone please help me understand!


I  crave for the day that love shall prevail, no voilence, no wars, just love and happiness...... I wonder if this day will ever come ...... When the endless clutter,  noise and the all wrong in the  world fades and darkness falls......  finally the little sparks of light that fire my imagination,  my passion and creativity will be a reality! Love shall be forever!


Here in the depths of my soul, my mind, I am at peace. Anchored, knowing that love shall indeed prevail!


Now you know how I feel!


Love,


Emma K!

Love and Rose Tree..

Growing up, I loved me a rose tree and offcourse the roses..... Around our farm house, mum had planted plenty of them, red ones, yellow and pink.... It was the prettiest sight ever! I imagine how i would sleep in a bed, and cover my body with the petals....My mind would run through all sorts of imaginations..


I even imagined  how, on my wedding day, I would walk on nothing but red rose petals.. My imaginations were nothing but beautiful...

Two decades later, I still imagine, I think of a beautiful life, with lots of love, laughter and fun... It breaks my heart when I  see the ugly side of life. Children are dying of abuse, malnutrition, disease, famine, poverty. Women have lost their identity, they have been abused, raped, used and left for dead! Our men have lost their moral standing, our fathers do not play their roles: their families are dying, they will not fight for us!

Isn't life meant to be beautiful? Aren't we supposed to be the flowers in the garden of life?  The Rose tree  branches are  thick and gnarled up but  it gives strength and root to  the delicate petals that  fall and cover the surrounding grass in specks of wonder and fragrance.

Fall in love with your life... make it beautiful....Take time to try a new menu, tell your loved ones how you feel....go to the new resturant, enjoy the sunset, try a new sport, give to  the poor, help someone in need and make this life beautiful.......

When I think about life, I see the petals all over..... They' (whoever they are) say that life  is not a bed of roses...I disagree...it absolutely is. It is beautiful ...is it the little things that make it  so beautiful... Have you seen a newborn baby breastfeed? seen a six month old baby smile?  climbed mount Kenya?  walked on the beach? made sandwiches and invited a friend for a picnic?  told someone you love them? Indeed life is beautiful... you will fall in love with life everyday if  you just stop long enough to smell the beautiful fragrance of its flowers.

You have to take care of your garden...prune the flowers, remove the weeds, water the rose tree, and yeah! work at it a hell of a lot......it pays off!  But, if you are not careful, you get prickled by all the thorns entwined in its bloom .

The simple pleasures of life make it so much more.....fun!


Here is to that beautiful rose tree that opened my eyes and my heart to the nature of love.

Love,

Emma K!

Giving Love

For the last month, Ethan wakes up at 7.00a.m, with a big grin on his face! He smiles and  laughs as i sing his favourite songs- Love songs.... Yes i know you are reading this thinking, Emma his just seven months... but yes, he knows loves songs when he hears them.... In the songs, i tell him how much I love him and how much mummy misses him when she's at work..
I change his diaper and am off to work..

My life has indeed taken a 360degree turn, for the better: Its fuller, richer, happier and the days seem even shorter.. I have learnt to give love, and to share my all. With my family, Ken and lil Ethan- Life is so much more! These two amazing men have taught me to give love, to understand the power of love and to live lovingly- I love them!

I watch my boys bath and I  smile. Ken enjoy's  this very noble duty - to wash Ethan.
As I watch him making foam moustaches on Ethan's face (thank God he does not eat the soap! Atleast not yet! )This two are clearly in love..Indeed we have gone full circle.

Then i think, isn't life so much easier, so much fun, if we can only realise that its the little things that make it just that- Beautiful....
If we could all give love, we would receive  so much more- Love.

Have a lovely day

Emma K