Well after one month in the beautiful South Africa, surrounded by the ones that I most love on this earth, we packed our bags and had to once again say goodbye.

You know you think that you did this 10 years before and it was hard, this time it will be easy....it's NOT, not by a long shot, if anything it was harder for all of us because now there were children involved. Little hands holding tightly and crying into our necks, begging us not to leave...cries of "I love you I'm going to miss you" and watching my grandmother fall apart and sob before me. It broke my heart and it made me more determined than ever to return next year, because time with your family is precious and it flies by, before you know it, another 10 years have past.

It was a hard day for us all, we tried to be strong, we sat around eating (that's what portuguese people do best lol), we tried to get caught up as quickly as we could and then we were at the airport, boarding an airplane headed to Amsterdam.

It was a weird bitter/sweet moment. On the one hand you see the faces of your loved ones and your heart breaks and you want nothing more than to turn around and run into their arms again, then on the other hand, you have your home, your dogs and your own life waiting for you at the end of the trip.

One thing is for sure, today we're all agreeing that in the end we still left so much unsaid, so much undone. A true reminder that time DOES fly when you're having fun.

Chicken Tetrazzini
And of course I couldn't leave out a Slow Cooker Recipe....

Crockpot Pizza Rigatoni

All my slow cooking recipes are now online and starting today, I will add all the recipes shared weekly to my online del.icio.us site too. So if you're wanting to find ALL the slow cooked recipes that have been shared since the first SLOW COOKING THURSDAY, here is the link for you.

Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.

A couple of you asked what her name would be if she was a dinosaur.....the t-shirt I made for her says "If I was a dinosaur my name would be........Jasminesaurus (Jas-min-sau-rus) LOL

I had her draw a picture of a dinosaur and I uploaded that graphic to Cafepress and made the t-shirt, it's really cute and Nicholas has one that says "If I was a dinosaur my name would be......Nenesaurus (Nee-Nee-sau-rus) LOL

No time for chatting, we're enjoying the fresh air, the warm weather and the energy exuding from little bodies as they scramble to get in all the fun before school starts in two weeks.

I'm glad you've all been enjoying the South Africa trip posts, it's coming to an end though, I only have a few photos to share with you. Like these, from our trip to Hartbeesport Dam the day before we left.

We drove around for a bit, ate lunch at a great Portuguese Restaurant and then stopped at a local flea market for some african souvenirs.

Great day!

We were so sad to leave the Kruger National Park, I mean, this place is like a little peace of paradise on earth. There is nothing but nature and animals around you, there's birds singing in the morning and crickets chirping at night, the huge expanse of the night sky filled with stars and nebula's and the sound of far away animals......and there's quiet, this encompassing non TV and cellphone and craziness, quiet. It's what everyone needs right?? We have far too much noise during our daily lives, so when you find yourself away from it all it's not only relaxing but recharging to the soul.

We made our way back to Johannesburg, back to family, to old neighborhoods and to one of the best parts for me....the FOOD. Oh the glorious food, I don't think I could begin to tell you just how good Portuguese food is, if you've never had it you have no idea what you're missing, but if you're one of the lucky ones to live near a Portuguese community, say for instance in Massachusetts, Newark, New Jersey, San Francisco or even up in Canada....do yourself a favor, go to a Portuguese restaurant or to a bakery and just try it....then come back and tell me what you think.

We arrived back in Johannesburg on Friday afternoon and did nothing for the rest of the day, just hung out at dad's house, chatted with family and ate good food.


From the left: Pasteis de Nata (cream cakes), Bolas de Berlin (filled donuts), Pasteis de Arroz (Bean cakes)....I know the last ones sound weird, but believe me, they are to die for.





This morning we were heading out to take some photographs of my old houses, schools etc. It was a part of me that my children and husband had never seen and I was eager to show them around. Little did I know that some of those old houses would bring tears to my eyes and not in a good way.





Middle of Rosettenville, so much has changed, there's buildings that are gone, there's businesses that have since closed down etc.




In 1988 we moved to Portugal and within 4 months we had moved back to South Africa, we didn't like living in Portugal, it's a long story and a whole other post LOL


The famous 167 Church Street, this was the haunted house, the horribly haunted place that forced me to stay away all night long with the light on, the house where I woke up in the middle of the night with hands around my throat, or the time I lay in bed and looked to the window and saw what appeared to be my greatgrandmother standing there while she actually lay asleep on the bed next to me. Horrible house, but it was a pretty house and I was saddened to see the state it's in now. That metal gate was not there, nor were the HUGE walls.


The other haunted house where my Uncle Carlos got choked in the bathroom. It also looks completely different, it had a beautiful driveway and big open doorway, that wall was NOT there before. Again a shock and a sadness to see it this way.

Continuing with the shock factor we go to 197 Prairie Street...I mean what can I say? It's not even a house anymore, it's a business LOL

My Elementary School, I have the best memories from this place and it pretty much looks the same, except for the big tall green fence. Welcome to Africa people!

Fred Street, there weren't that many bars on the windows when we lived there, but times have changed.

And that was it, we drove back to my parents house with a feeling of sadness. I have to tell you that as much as I loved being back home in South Africa and walking down memory lane, it struck me that 10 years really had gone by....it may not seem like a long time, but it is. So much changes and I'm greatful for the memories that I have of all these houses during my childhood, because the memories I have etched in my heart do not mirror the dilapidated, run down and scary looking buildings that I saw this day.