Cast Iron

Love me some cast iron!!! I got this heavy wee cast iron tea pot for Mother's Day! I'm in love.

I had to drop some serious hints though.... like find it and leave the tab open in my laptop kinda thing.

Cast Iron cookware brings me ALL the warm fuzzies. A nod to my grandmother and the yesteryear with a hint of homesteading in Alaska kinda jam. Oh my heart desires.

Though for now I'll pretend I'm having a warm cup of tea after a good days dog sledding.

Truth be told Lockdown has been insanely busy...busy like never before. And Im tired.

Loving Arms has helped more mums than ever. Done more delivering. Heard more stories and we've packed a large number of bundles from our homes. Throw schooling in there, zoom meetings and business stuff.... phew! This mama is tired.... but we are on the very brink of something super exciting and I can't wait to tell you all!

Brave and Beautiful

Every now and then I want to stop the bus and throw it all in....not that I will but sometimes I want to. In the face of discouragement, I start to wonder what it would have been like if I chose the other path. Don't worry I'm not talking about marriage and kids.... they will always stay.

Once I finished my nursing degree, I seriously contemplated the idea of doing a midwifery degree. But no, I thought I should be responsible and work. Then I got married and had a couple of kids. I thought about it again.... stalked through the local midwifery school course requirements and book/reading lists and spending money buying up large every single textbook and midwifery book around. I read and reread them over and over again. We are talking hundreds of dollars here.... second hand so give me some credit. I thought about it...yearned for it but the timing never seemed right, and I knew that I just didn't have the support network in place for childcare. I went on to have half a dozen more children in which time Loving Arms was birthed.

I remember the day I threw a tantrum and got rid of all but six midwifery books after I came to the realization that it was perhaps it was never meant to be. I guess a part of me still is sad I'm not a midwife. But here we are "with women " in an entirely different sense. Championing mothers on in a different way, meeting their needs, loving on them, supporting their families and imparting kindness and care as they walk through the beginning stages of their motherhood journey. Women are powerful, brave and beautiful. They can withstand a huge amount if stress and crap and still rise up to carry on. I'm no feminist but women do most certainly rock and it's such a privilege to walk beside so many. Here's to dreams not being realized in the way you thought!

It's a Ghost Town

Not a vehicle or person in sight. Kind of eerie seeing this road/intersection is normally very busy.

How are you all doing? Ok? Not ok? What do you need?

For a family of ten....I'm surprised to say we've actually been doing quite well. Chores, Deep-cleaning, Dog walks, boardgames, puzzles, online gaming, working online, school online, daily exercise, drawing, crafting, wrestling and gardening.

Even though it's such a weird time for all of us.... it's actually warmed my heart to have people wave or wave back if I see them from my window. To exchange a friendly hello from my front garden as people stroll on by getting some fresh air and a change of scenery. Or inspite local negativity seeing the teddy bears sitting looking out front windows and waiting to be spotted by passerbys.....both young and old. All brings such joy.

Our community, our world is experiencing a crisis....so.... Be kind, don't be a dork, give people space and grace. Smile. Respect. Wash your hands. Love.

Fasting

Right now, our world, our communities, our families need hope even more. And I'm not going to lie.... while my own family walks faithfully forward into what God has called us into...I can't help but shake my head at the perceived lack of timing and planning on His part. Really now God? You've asked this of us now?? But what I've learnt over the years God very rarely makes sense until you've got hindsight....and then it all falls into place and makes perfect sense.

So, because we are embarking on a crazy journey and our entire world is a little crazy then I am going to commit 14 days to drawing closer to God by fasting. When you are fasting anything whether it be certain food types, coffee, sugar, technology or spending.... yes, it can be painful as your flesh screams for what it can't have but, in that moment, it's a time to turn our face and thoughts to our Heavenly Father. Time to pray, to seek Him, to draw strength and source wisdom and clarity from Him. Him the perfector of our faith.

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place." 2 Chronicles 7:14‭-‬15 ESV

Now I'm not saying all will be made well in this land...but for me...last time I did a 21-day Daniel fast. The mental clarity and the tangible presence of God was so much more. And I need that in my life right now. So, need it. I want to be able to walk through this time being even stronger in my faith, not doubting or wavering...but standing in His truth, waiting and watching what He is about to do.

This is NOT a religious thing but a yearning to deepen one's relationship with God, seek clarity and/or breakthrough in one's life.

Now I can hear some of you saying..."but didn't Daniel fast for 3 weeks?" Well yes, he did. But honestly if I did 21 days it goes right over Easter and Easter is a VERY important celebration for my family and I. I want to celebrate with my family and not be a Debbie-downer because I'm not eating and celebrating with them.

So, want to know more about fasting? Let's chat. Want to join me in this? Awesome! We can so totally make this a thing!

Starts next Wednesday!

Our Daily Bread

I don't know about you but whenever I'm facing any kind of issue, speed bump or struggle I want to drink deeply from His Word, immersing myself in what He has to say about said subject.

So, no surprising here that I'm searching His Word for all the encouragement and scripture about trusting in Him for His provision and what it actually means to live a life of faith. I personally glean encouragement from the likes of Abraham, Esther and Gideon....the true heroes of a life of faith.

Yes, we are taking the road less travelled, and I get people are a little nervous and want to offer suggestions of how to fix this.... I get it. It's hard to explain to people that you don't actually have all the answers.... some people actually get a little angry with you. It makes people uncomfortable. But for the most part...people are excited and encouraging and are looking forward to being in the "front row seat" as to what God is going to do.

This morning I was particularly blessed to the verse above but also this one....

"The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. " - Duet 2:7

God is good. All the time. In all situations.

He will be with us every single step of the way. He always is.

Selfcare

This verse was given to me by a dear friend just after we had shared our news publicly on Wednesday night. It's one of my favs and one of the very first verses I committed to memory as a new Christian.

Truth be told though...ever since that night I haven't been doing very well. Don't get me wrong...I still 150% believe this is right for us, I'm still excited and still at peace about our decision.

But the enemy in true form likes "to kill, steal and destroy"....so I have been plagued with a very relentless headache, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, teary. And.....Thursday morning we woke to our accommodation supplement randomly $50 less per week because they rejigged the criteria. So typical.

But truth be told ain't nobody got time for all that.... It's easy to get caught up in all my feelings and essentially drown in what's going on in the natural. But girl it's in those times we need to be opening up the scriptures...reading verses and promises given to us by God. Good selfcare, of the Word, good food, water, fresh air and walking barefoot outside. (Ok that last bit might be just me...I find this so grounding). If I lived by some water, I'd be there too. I know these feelings will pass.... sometimes it takes intention and time...and a timely text from your BFF.

I do hope you find some kind of encouragement today in whatever you are doing. I'm determined to keep sharing our journey of our life by faith with you.... because it's in the sharing of one another stories and journey is what helps build faith and encouragement in others. And we all need that don't we.

What does good selfcare look like for you?

Courage Over Fear

This has been my home screen on my phone for a while now.... what got me was the words "courage over fear". Courage doesn't mean you aren't necessarily afraid, but it means you are doing big, brave things, taking risks or stepping out in obedience to whatever God is asking you to do. And that is right where we are right now.... I knew God was asking us to do something big and brave, but I didn't know what until a few weeks ago.

When it dawned on me, I felt that stirring in my spirit that said..."no that's just too crazy" and "no I don't want to do that but wanting to at the same time". I'm actually embarrassed to say that a big part of me not wanting to say yes is what other people might say in the face of all this craziness.... that and the fact I didn't want to live in lack anymore. Shallow-ness I know but it's my truth. The people pleaser in me rears its ugly head.

But we said yes anyway.... but not before many tears were shed, many bargaining and many "are we positives? Saying yes to God really is the only answer you can give. God is not your God if you can say no to him.

So as from the 29th of March Jamie is no longer working for Zion Church but will be working alongside me here at Loving Arms. Helping me run, grow and expand our brand...ensuring all the babies, mums and families across our region and beyond that need help have access to it.

I have been working 40+ hours in and around motherhood, being a wife and an active part of the church family....it takes that much of me....and it's been unpaid. At this stage we are unsure where our future income will come from.... We have big plans for Loving Arms in the next 5 years....and for that to happen, we have the support of our awesome board and supportive friends and family.... it's all hands-on deck. Pray for us.