The one in which I use the word "armpit"

Hi friends. Remember me?

I could begin by giving you a myriad of excuses to read, explaining why I'm not writing as much. I won't. This is faster:

photo credit to the lovely and talented, Jill Heupel 

There you go.

Lately I've been feeling really restless. I don't know why. I have plenty to keep me busy. I mean, we have chickens and ducks now. That's livestock. I own livestock. And we have a really big garden. And I can lots of things. So...maybe I'm a farmer???

I love our life, and our yard. It's very...alive.

Have you ever created your very own mission statement? I took this class in college that had us create one. I'm much different from who I was when I was in college, but when I recite the mission statement I created way back then, my heart still says, "YES! That."

My mission is to love, nurture and encourage hurting people in a broken world.

We don't do storms in this house, so at the first loud clap of thunder, I become a mama-sandwich. One night, as Brynne's foot repeatedly kicked my shin from the right and Hadley inadvertently whacked me in the face with her hand on the left. They slept, but Mama? Not so much.

While I lay, smushed in my bed, I realized that some mamas would love to be a mama-sandwich. But...because of geography and circumstance mamas can't provide for their children, which sometimes means they put their beloved babies in orphanages, praying for them a better life. This breaks my heart wide open.

I wondered what would happen if I ran towards that heartbreak, rather than distracting myself with Facebook.

And...Noonday happened.

I am SO not a salesperson. My voice shakes and I get really sweaty when I have to speak in front of people. But God is bigger than my shaky voice and sweaty armpits. Thank goodness! I believe God will use me and this business, in spite of my sweaty pits, to spread the word about how purchasing through Noonday is providing families with an income to provide for themselves and for their babies. And maybe there will be just one less orphan in the world.

Noonday has really, really pretty things. Everything is handmade, and is a little piece of hope. Take a look:

You can find the full collection of earrings, necklaces, scarves, bracelets and bags here. I'd love to answer any questions you might have, and if you're local...I'd love for you to try on all the pretty things---it really is so much fun!