Seriously why did I not know about this! 

It took a trip to the ER because I thought my uterus was falling out to find out what was happening to me!  Perimenopause no joke and so many deal with this without knowing it is coming in order to prepare themselves.  Seriously start stocking up on personal supplies now because you will use the whole supply in one day.

I don't want to freak anyone out but I have talked to so many women my age and have found out this is so common. 

You should have seen the poor male triage nurses' face when I ended up in the ER.  He looks at me and says, "You are here because you are having your period?"  I look at him like the young naïve man that he is and tell him that my uterus is falling out and I have been having my period for over three weeks and I have gone through a six month supply of pads and tampons.  He still doesn't understand and I end up waiting in the ER for five hours.  Finally, I was brought in and put in a room and my female doctor comes in and I tell her my tale and she starts an IV immediately, orders blood tests, and started a magnesium drip.  Thank God for Canadian health care.  My test results come back showing that I was incredibly anemic.  Which would be why I was sleeping all - the - time. 

One of the first questions my Doctor asked was how my Mother experienced menopause - not really a subject that ever came up.  This was all new territory for me, I had no idea what my body was going through.  But if you have experienced this than you know if you know - if you know what I mean.

Honestly I don't understand how it works - it just does. It ​contains pure frankincense, bergamot, and peppermint essential oils.  It's all natural - from plants!
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I don't sell Young Living, I just have an account to purchase products for myself.  If you know someone that sells Young Living contact them about this miracle oil and order it.  If you want a link to purchase it you can click below to my link.  I just signed up to get the diffuser and some beginner oils and then added the progessence oil.  I have been using it for two months now and I have only used a 1/3 of the bottle.  Honestly, how effective it has been for me, I would buy it monthly if I had to.  Best investment ever!

So there it is, probably more than you want to know about me.  But is a something that needs to be shared - I'm all about helping others.  Enjoy!​

In life there comes a time when you have to put the baggage down and move on.

I was tired.  So tired of carrying around baggage filled with the "old me".  It felt like when you go to the grocery store and glace at the carts and think to yourself - "I only have a few things on my list I will just use a basket."  Seriously!  Then we struggle to make it to the check out with a basket overflowing and groceries tucked in wherever we can find room and walk as fast as we can to the conveyor belt that will save our groceries before gravity wins.

I once carried the baggage of my past around - crushing myself under the strain of the weight.  I was on a journey - on a new path - I was a new creation.  My past was gone - only it didn't feel gone.  It was there staring at me when I woke up in the morning.  I dragged it around all day and it became a part of my work - relationships - future.  It filled my thoughts as I fell asleep each night.

I longed for the "new creation."  What did it look like?  How is it possible?

I have always found that asking myself questions is the only way that I can work toward finding the answers - and then I need to stop and listen.

You know what I heard?  

"Stop carrying it around."  Simple and yet so profound.

It was my own selfishness that was holding on to what was no longer a part of who I am.  

It was time to put the baggage down and move on.  I had a pretty firm grip, this was not going to be easy - but it was necessary.

I can remember the thoughts of weakness, a loss of power, a loss of identity.  But as I began to walk away, the ability to take a deep beautiful breathe of freedom filled me with such peace.  Oh, how I longed for peace.  Another deep long breath - the weigh began to slowly lift.  What a beautiful journey.

Life is made up with a variety of seasons.  Each season offers character building exercises, stretches you and hopefully guides you along the path to becoming all that we have been created to be.

Check out this video by Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper

I watched this video a year ago, and it's message of trust has never left me.

What I have been learning is that even though something is good, it may mean that you have to let it go.

For the past few years I have had a small, fun business called Living Skies Crochet.  I took my passion of creating with yarn and turned it into a business.  I started selling crochet items at markets but found I couldn't keep up to the demand, so I decided to sell the patterns so that anyone that could read a pattern and crochet could make my original designs.  Financially this wasn't a business that I could retire on, but it provided money for groceries and my yarn stash. :)

This past year has been hard on a lot of families in Western Canada due to the low price of oil and our Canadian economy.  My husband is self-employed and some months were harder than others.  Last fall I was in a vehicle accident where I was hit by a drunk driver and my vehicle was totaled.  Sometimes life presents situations where we have to learn to live a new reality.

I have been really working on listening, rather than asking.  When life seems difficult I tend to become rather needy and full of prayers of petition.  But what I have found, is that there is peace and answers if I just remain silent, listen and be still.

​So here I am, closing Living Skies Crochet.  This source of income will be gone at the end of March, and I have such peace about it.

When we get out of our comfort zone and trust God's hand to work in our lives, it creates such a beautiful picture.

I am excited to see the picture evolve in my own life, I know that He is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.. (Eph. 3:20)

I have been playing the part of Jonah really well over the past few years.  I didn't even know I auditioned or that I got the part but I could win an Oscar for my portrayal of the man who tried to run from what God was asking him to do.

Yes, that has been my life, I have been running in the wrong direction for the last few years. 

Filling my life with things 
- not necessarily bad things - 
but things that were taking time and space in a life.

Our family has been going through a time of change over the past few month, even my husband could feel it coming.  We knew we needed to slow down, the trap of busyness had us captured and we were going to break free.

It feels great, ours girls did not need to be in that many activities, they are doing just fine without them.  Now it gives us more family time - we have some competitive games of Dutch Blitz in our house. :)

Just before Christmas my husband and I made a radical decision.  I decided to resign from my office job and stay home.  Not only had we made our daughters busy but I was spinning out of control.  I do the books for my husbands construction company, Living Skies Crochet was increasing in popularity and I wanted to dedicate more time to that.  I was worried about the decrease in money for our family, and my wise husband said that God has always taken care of us and He will continue to do so.  With a heart full of peace and faith I handed in my resignation and I haven't had one thought of regret,

But what I have had is a nagging feeling in my spirit.  I could finally no longer ignore it, I really needed someone to pray with.  Last Sunday I texted my friend with "we need to pray".  As soon as I made my family lunch I headed over to her house and the afternoon was spent sharing and praying.

I left with the word "equipped" in my heart.  God knew that is what I needed to hear.  No matter how little I think of myself, I am in His hand and I have been created for such a time as now.

I can not wait to share more of what God is doing.  If you want to follow along on this journey please "like" my new Facebook page.  

There is so much to learn from the woman who encountered Jesus at the well. What a day she experienced when she went to draw water and found Jesus instead.

As she approaches Jesus sitting by the well - he asks her for a drink of water. She does one of the most outrageous things mentioned in the Bible. She asks Him why? She boldly wants to know, "Why are you talking to me?” Good for her!

Why don’t we ask more questions? There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking questions; the disciples were full of questions. Asking questions is how we can grow deeper in the understanding of our faith.

The Samaritan woman had made many interesting life choices. Now she finds herself being asked for something from yet another man. No wonder she is full of questions. We don’t know the particulars concerning the 5 husbands, deaths, divorces, we honestly do not know and it is not our place to judge. She is obviously confused with who she is. Like so many of us today, she is so desperate for love, a relationship, for acceptance that she welcomed anyone who would have her. Jesus knows and understands her need.

Jesus does not tell the woman to repent or change her ways, she already knows that she needs to make changes. He gives her truth and hope. AMEN!

Jesus tells her that He is the Messiah - she leaves her water bottle and runs to the village and tells all the people that had made her an outcast, about her experience at the well. The villagers then travel to the well to see Jesus and for two days he shares his message of truth and hope with anyone who would listen and believe.

Jesus accepted this woman who was an outcast in her community and the village whose race was despised by the Jews. They all found something that we all long for: acceptance.