• Advent as a family

    The catalyst for me looking into celebrating Advent last year was my desire to instil the real meaning of Christmas in my daughter’s heart and try to drown out some of the commercialism and focus on Santa. I have come to love it for my own heart preparation and focus on Jesus in a busy season too. Last year I tried to pack so many ideas into how we celebrated Advent that it did become overwhelming and another to do at times (you can read about these plans in this post). This year, I am streamlining my plans. I wrestled a little with wanting to create traditions in our family…

  • My One Word for 2015: Persist

    How did we suddenly get to the last couple of days of the year??!! My focus on Advent this year resulted in the coming New Year sneaking up on me. I’ve seen a few blog posts and mentions around social media that started my thought processes in that direction. This morning I had the mental space to pull those thoughts together and spend a bit of time in prayer. Seeking God’s direction for my focus for 2015 was paramount in my processing of the end of 2014 and the start of 2015. In the 31 Days writing challenge I participated in for October, I reviewed the goals that I had…

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  • My One Word for 2015: Persist

    How did we suddenly get to the last couple of days of the year??!! My focus on Advent this year resulted in the coming New Year sneaking up on me. I’ve seen a few blog posts and mentions around social media that started my thought processes in that direction. This morning I had the mental space to pull those thoughts together and spend a bit of time in prayer. Seeking God’s direction for my focus for 2015 was paramount in my processing of the end of 2014 and the start of 2015. In the 31 Days writing challenge I participated in for October, I reviewed the goals that I had…

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  • Christmas is coming! Free gifts for you to help get ready

    When you read the words “Christmas is coming!”, did you feel a bubble of excitement or stress or maybe a bit of both? If I think about the gifts that need to be bought and the tasks that need to be completed by then, I start to feel overwhelmed. When I think of Advent, though, I am re-energised. It will soon be time to start the December celebrations and focusing in on the meaning of Christmas for myself and for my daughter. If you have been around my writing for a year or more, you will know that Advent holds a special place in my heart. This year, I am…

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  • What I learned in July

    We have arrived at the end of July, which always signifies the start of the slide to the end of the year. We have tipped over the half way point. July was quite an epic month for us in many ways. I often discover more of what I’ve learned as I write and reflect, so join me on a journey of unpacking what I learned in July. It is possible to experience our wettest camping trip ever while staying in the Pilbara (semi-arid desert area) in the dry season. The area received 400% of its average July’s rainfall in two weeks! I was incredibly thankful for my last minute (as…

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  • Navigating through the fear

    The plan for writing today was an update on our Advent celebrations and some personal reflections on this time. I guess my heart has other ideas as this has been brewing within me all day, and has been bubbling under the surface all week. I wrote in this post about the new leadership opportunity that I was praying through and had accepted. I have taken on the role of North Metro Regional Coordinator for MOPS Western Australia. I was stunned at being asked, excited about the next step I felt God calling me into and nervous about the demands of the role. This week it all became official. It became…

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  • Thankful Thursday

    The countdown to Christmas is well and truly on. At this moment, I am not feeling stressed by this (my first thankful!). It is my last week at work for the year. It is the last session for MOPS this week. I am almost finished my Christmas shopping. It is a busy season but I am not feeling hurried. Noticing the good and choosing what I focus on is certainly a contributing factor to this overarching peace. Our bottlebrush bush is finally blooming after many years of surviving but not thriving. This has been a positive to our neighbour cutting down a tree that hung over our side of the…

  • Thankful Thursday

    Another week has passed us by. What impression lingers in your mind and heart? Has the good stuck with you or are hard things overshadowing this week? My heart is heavy about a few things that I have been involved in this week which makes this list essential.  Advent has started and we got our Christmas decorations out. I have been so looking forward to this season. My daughter has caught that excitement too which is a joy to watch. She has embraced the Advent candles and Truth in the Tinsel activities. Getting to spend time with my brother, sister-in-law and adorable 2 year old nephew. Watching him and my…

  • What I learned in November

    Can you believe that it is December already?! As Advent starts, I am taking the time to take stock of what I learned in November.  I really love Gilmore Girls One of the Australian TV channels has be airing reruns of Gilmore Girls and I caught it at the start this time. It is not at a time I can actually watch so I have a series record set. I indulge in an episode on several nights. It brings back memories of my teenage years where I would share this show with a special friend. It is still as hilarious and engaging as it was back then. I even catch…

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  • My Ongoing Journey

    It seems unbelievable that this is the last post in this year’s Write 31 Days challenge. I did it! I actually wrote a post for each day of October. Reflecting on My Journey of Increasing Capacity has been emotional, uplifting and even surprising at times. The words have flowed in a way that they haven’t in the past. A recurring phrase in many of my posts has been “a work in progress”. My journey is far from complete (is it ever really done as long as we are alive?!). It is ongoing. So what now? For the first time I have been consistent in writing and posting and am loving it.…