For the Love of Coffee!

Um, YUM. I think coffee is keeping me sane these last couple of days!

I have been totally overwhelmed with the response to our Africa trip planned for 2015.
Not sure if you noticed, but my "Keep Missie Caffeinated" button (over there ->) has been changed to: "Living life on Purpose Africa 2015" All donations will be going to directly to that! Please keep that in mind when you find a print you love.  $1, $2, $3 or $4 and maybe even more- any amount counts so please donate  :) (if you haven't read about this incredible journey- you can read all about it here: It's Time for Africa.)

And in the midst of this whirlwind and all of the craziness that is happening- I couldn't forget about free printables-  and when better than today- being tomorrow is Friday, so TGIF!

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M.

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It's time for Africa.

Africa. I write it, I cry. I say it, I cry. I tell people my heart is for Africa and they look at me like I'm crazy as tears roll down my face. This year coming; 2015, we will be going to Africa to fulfill a dream. To meet the people who have my heart...

As you know, we do not have any children of our own... it hasn't happened yet (not for lack of trying, medically, naturally,  everything you can think of, we've done), and so we wait and pray, and believe for our miracle.

In this time of waiting...  instead of focusing on my own personal heart's desires,  I want, I want, I want...  Seriously how many times can I ask?  -we bought a house with a back yard, close to schools and parks, a BIG car - (then sold said car), we have an entire nursery set-  all for this baby- we are ready- they already have life insurance-  Yes, like I said, we are ready.

But what if... what if, we took the energy that we are putting into hoping and praying for a baby of our own and we gave it... what if we gave to others who are already here... what if we gave our hearts, our finances and our love to others. To children who are struggling to survive, who need to be loved, whose hearts are here... what if?

I began to cry, I knew, I knew this was what God had for us at this moment...  to just let go ... to trust and to give...

And so the journey begins...

Here is the ( very! ) rough plan:

• Duy and I will be going to work in an orphanage some time next year. We have not decided on when, or how long, but we know that we will be going. 

• We are in conversation with a Children's village that has opened its hearts to us...

• This is a huge step for me, because I have always felt if I ever get to Africa, I will never return.  Although this trip will be short term- 4 weeks most likely, we do not know what the future will hold.   ( I am a married to a practical, dependable, honourable man, so he will honour the tickets on the return date, and because I love him so much and would follow him to the ends of the earth, I to will return! rest assured mom- I promise!)

• So far the plans are in the infant stages, we have zeroed in on Uganda (but this is not set in stone). Did you know there are over 60,000 orphans in Uganda and the average age is 15. One-Five. (whoa!)

So I want to invite you on this journey of ours... this journey to follow God's heart,  to love his people...

All donations that come in through the Blog are now allocated to this journey. Please consider giving. All proceeds from my art work, everything sold on Etsy, and pretty much everything my hands touch will be allocated to this journey.  I thank you in advance for partnering with us, you will hear lots about this journey along the way- Please Pray for us as we begin preparing our hearts and our minds for this incredible opportunity! Who knows where this may lead us in the future... who knows...

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M.

40 in 40. Freeing Up Space in our Homes and in our Hearts!

I was asked to participate in a "40 Bags in 40 Days" project by creating some printables to encourage simplicity, downsizing and well, just plain good sense! I was in! Mostly because I love to design, but in reality more because I have 40 places in my house that need a serious clean up, can you say storage room, art supply closet, front hall, book shelf, junk drawer x 12 ( I think I have one in every room of the house!), winter clothes... etc. I can come up with 40 places in probably 40 seconds.

How about you? are you overwhelmed with a little too much clutter? Do you need a little encouragement to get down and dirty while cleaning up and freeing up breathing room in both your house and your heart? Come along on this journey with us...

Here is a note from Katie about 40 in 40:

I first stumbled up the 40 Bags Challenge a few years ago on Pinterest. The idea is simple - choose 40 spaces in your home and try to get rid of (at least) 40 bags of unwanted stuff. It seemed to me like a good way to clean up my house and organize a few drawers so I decided to give it a try. I quickly realized 40 Bags is much more than a quick, surface fix. As I worked through my spaces, I was forced to take a deeper look at the things we hold on to and ask myself why we surround ourselves with so much stuff. I was motivated to purge, edit, and give away the things we don't really need. In the process, I learned we really can live with less and, more importantly, rediscovered the freedom found in simplicity. The last time I worked through this challenge, it was during the season of Lent, so the 40 spaces corresponded with 40 days. This time around, some friends and I are taking the entire summer (about 12 weeks) to work through our lists at a slower, but still intentional, pace. If you're inspired to find out more, you can follow along on my blog. 

I can't wait to start! There is so much to do in my house... I need to just do it, and with an encouraging group of people who are working through their junk too- I'm encouraged to get it done!


Don't forget to head on over to Katie's blog and participate in this very exciting project... The Terpblog :)

Let's get rid of the clutter in our homes and hearts!
Share the love,
M.

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More Coffee.

It's Tuesday, yesterday was a big day and last night was a late night, a 2am kinda late night. Oy!  So this rings true this morning; Nothing goes better with coffee than more coffee. period.

Happy Tuesday,
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M.

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In This Home... By Sarah Magill

This quote is on a beautiful peg board that my mom gave me- it sits in a place of honour in our home. I read it a lot. I try to live by it... the loud part, I have no problem with, the grace part is another story.

I wanted to share it with you. It was originally written by Sarah Magill for Hallmark- you can follow her on pinterest here. She is a talented and inspired woman- be inspired.

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M.

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