Category: 366 days of novice motherhood

Place: home

Poison: champagne

Fav things: finishing touches

Today at the gym I was thinking about strength.

Strength in women is often discouraged.

Strength in women is often out of balance.

But strength essentially is the capacity to rely upon and pull through when it counts.

As I lifted (very small) weights, I reflected on my core being strengthened and what this will do for my family, my health and my future.

As I reflected, I was listening to a podcast and it became apparent that as for the physical, so indeed in the spiritual.

We need to be strengthened for days of trial, we need to strengthen our spiritual core for times of challenge and stress.

Strength in a realm that is beyond our own capacity, a strength that is eternal.

Do you feel strong?

Do you know you have the capacity to endure?

What is your internal strength-o-meter today?

Our lives are increased and developed as we decrease and Christ increases.

Do you allow him to increase and bring you strength?

What’s your training program on the inside like?

Living a life of strength and lean conditioning is a life of brilliance and finesse.

We were designed to run, not grow weary.

We were designed for a marathon not a sprint.

We were designed to thrive not shrink.

You, dear friend were created to flourish!

To flourish from strength to strength.

Strengthen your heart my friend. Decrease so he may increase. Train hard, play hard and live beyond.

Strengthen your weary hands and hearts, knowing that he is near.

A

Place: home

Poison: Flat white

Favourite things: this very day

I woke with a very simple thought.

A simple thought but also a revolutionary one.

My day today is very simple. Wake (way too early for this creative), feed my son, eat breakfast, a little more sleep, the gym, bake something for a friends house tonight, a friend is coming to visit, then dinner with some besties!

My revolutionary thought was this.

What a great day to be alive!

What a privilege.

How simple yet how radical.

Your simple everyday is more than some people could wish for in a million years.

Food in the fridge, friends on my doorstep, the health of my family, a story to be told.

We live in brilliant and privileged times.

There are people in our world today who shrink in fear from oppressors, shiver in waiting on the doorstep of war, pain in the shadow of poverty, cry in the mourning of loss.

Our world is so very broken, yet most people reading this blog have more than we could ever hope for.

More life
More friends
More food
More resource
More…

What a day to be alive!

What a priceless day.

Incomparable.
Unique.
Delightful.

In
The stillness and simplicity of your day

Give thanks

A

Place: home

Poison: Pepsi max

Favourite things: my husband talking to his Ouma in South Africa

Max came so close to crawling today, I was sure it was.

It fascinates me to watch his development and how he learns. First to crawl, then to pull up, then to stand, then to walk.

He observes everything, watches everything and soaks it all up. He wants to be like us in every way already and often is frustrated when he can’t do what we do.

It got me thinking today about who we copy, who we emulate, who we want to be like?

Who do you walk with?

Who inspires you?

Who makes you want to live beyond today?

If you are always surrounding yourself with people that are smaller, less goal orientated, with less capacity than yourself, it may be a sign that you struggle to humble yourself.

I find people who are afraid of hanging out with bigger people than themselves, often have a pride problem.

I love surrounding myself with bigger people.

Bigger thinkers, bigger dreamers, broader dwellers.

People who stretch my thoughts and my capacity.

People who live beyond today.

People who challenge and stretch my thinking.

People who are very different to me.

How about you?

Do you put yourself in uncomfortable places often to stimulate and promote growth?

Or do you pursue comfort?

Who do you walk with?

Do you purpose your days with people that stretch you?

Do you seek mentoring moments?

I believe who you walk with today, will form the type of life you will live tomorrow. Your friends are not just suppose to make your today fun, I think they are meant to walk towards your destiny and in someways help you to shift from crawling to walking.

Walk tall, with people that live bigger than you.

A

Place: home

Poison: flat white

Favourite things: windy wintery mornings at the seaside

Our minds are more powerful than we could ever imagine.

I drew a proverb this week that said this

‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he!’

Pr 23:7

Who are you?

I believe whole heartedly that you are a product of your thoughts.

Our thoughts determine who we are and who we are not.

Your belief about what you can and can’t be, is deeply determined by how you think about yourself.

Scripture says that you are purposed.

Our thoughts tell us we will never get anywhere, we are not going to get through this, we are forever locked in this season of loss.

Scripture says that we are loved.

Our thoughts tell us that no one cares, that we are forgotten, that we are stupid, that we are clumsy, that we are unlovable.

Scripture says that we are gifted.

Our thoughts tell us we are hopeless, we are unskilled, we always get it wrong, we are boring, we are common,

Scripture says that we are unique.

Our thoughts tell us we have nothing to offer, we are bland, we are old, we are useless, we are friendless.

I could go on and on.

What do your thoughts truly reveal about your self perception?

Is it wrong?

Is is right?

Thoughts can be changed, through disciplined accountability, but a life unlived cannot change until we do.

a

Place: home

Poison: flat white

Favourite things: rainy windy mornings

Today I joined the revolution of online grocery shopping.

It was delivered before 9am, my groceries were put away before ten past and we never even left the house.

Grocery shopping with a baby is painful, in fact I find grocery shopping a little painful at most times, unless it involves a little chocolate or coffee.

Seriously, to be able to save time and money to focus on other more precious pursuits of my time is brilliant.

I love the line from Mumford and sons;

Where you invest your love is where you invest your life.

Invest your love in the little things for your family. Make a boring Tuesday night dinner brilliant. Light a candle, sing some tunes. Love life.

Let someone else do your grocery shopping for you so you can focus on things that matter.

Sometimes we just need to try something new and not just be a martyr all the time.

I am so often a martyr and want to do things the hard way. We have so many opportunities to make our life easier, why not embrace them!

Also I found this recipe for Banana bread which is such a comfort food for me.

Sometimes a little home cooking and a lot of coffee and a little music and a lot of candles, make a rainy day into an inspiring one.

Happy Tuesday everyone, lamb roast and banana bread will be a baking for this little abode.

Talk soon

A

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
For the bread:

3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups flour
For the swirl:

1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200. Butter and flour a loaf pan.

Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix!

In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon.

Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, but remember, if you’re using a different-sized loaf pan to watch the loaf!