Photos by Stephen Payne at stephenpaynephoto.com
Title
Spring is Coming
So I know I haven't been very consistent or kept up (at all) with my blog. Recently God has laid it on my heart to share my story, especially what's been going on over the past 9ish months since returning home from Australia. It has definitely been one of my harder, if not the hardest season of my life yet.
As most of you know...Kyle and I lived in Sydney, Australia for one year where Kyle attended Hillsong College studying worship, and I worked part-time at Hairhouse Warehouse selling hair products. It was an amazing experience, and I wouldn't change a bit of it! We moved back to Georgia in July of last year, and moved into my parents basement until we could find jobs, and get back on our feet.
Shortly after moving back home we found out that we were expecting our first child in April 2015. We were so very excited, and told our families two weeks later! Only a few days after that we lost the baby, and were pretty devastated. Miscarriage is something you really don't understand unless you've been there, and we didn't have a clue how painful it would be. Our family was there and helped us in every way they could, but it was a much longer and harder process than we thought. Through it all, we knew that God had a plan, and knew what was best for us at that moment.
Two months later we found out we were expecting our second baby. We weren't sure at this point whether we should feel excited or nervous. It was definitely a little of both! Once again we wanted to wait a few weeks before telling our families about the baby. We had an ultrasound to make sure everything looked good, and saw the baby's heartbeat which was such a relief! After that we began to let ourselves get more excited, and told our families the good news on Thanksgiving! We had our first appointment with the Doctor, and everything looked great. We were right on track to have baby #2 in July 2015! We began share our excitement with our close friends, but didn't make it "public" yet.
Two days before I hit the 3 month mark, I knew something was wrong. Since I had miscarried just a few months before I was afraid that was happening again. I remember praying and telling God that I couldn't do this again, I couldn't handle losing another baby. After that Kyle and I prayed together for the baby to be healed if there was anything wrong, and for our minds to be at ease instead of constantly worrying about what was going on. The following day we found out that we had lost the baby. I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest. We just knew this time was it, everything was so different, and we were going to have this baby in July....but God had other plans. We were extremely heartbroken, and struggled with it a lot more this time. During this tough time our friends and family were awesome! They made sure we had food, kept us company, and made us laugh to keep our minds distracted. It has been a very long process that we are still going through, but God has given us so much strength and comfort.
The positives
Looking back at all that we went through it is amazing to see the Love of Jesus that was shown toward us!
We have grown in our marriage as we are walking through this season together.
My relationship and walk with the Lord has grown so much since January.
He has given me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and do things I never thought I would.
I started a new job nannying two adorable kids!
I think the biggest/most important thing that I see is looking back to that night when I said I couldn't handle losing another baby, and the fact that I DID make it through. That was an ah-ha moment for me. Alot of people say "God won't give you more than you can handle." Well I hate to break it to you, but that is not true at all, and I have experienced it first hand. I knew that I couldn't handle losing another baby. I had to TOTALLY trust God to get me through it, and guess what? He did! I am alive and well, and have actually had the opportunity to speak with a few other ladies going through the loss of babies as well. He gave us so much strength and comfort during this season, and we are actually healing alot faster than I thought we would! God is so faithful! When you surrender fully to Him, there is no telling what He will do!
A little encouragement
Last month at The Grove, Jill McCloghry(who has an awesome story by the way) shared this quote:
"No matter what your winter, there is a new season coming! Spring is coming!"
"I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world"
John 16:33
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
Psalm 139: 1-6, or read all of Psalm 139
My favorite verse for the past few months has been Isaiah 43:18-19.
Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
My thoughts now
It is so encouraging to me to know that I am not stuck in this season forever. I do not want to dwell on the past, and what has happened. I would not change what I have learned through this season, but I am so excited to move forward and see what new things God has in store for us in the next one!
If the only reason we lost this second baby is to re-focus and learn to trust God totally, and understand that when we go through the tough times, He will carry us through, IT'S WORTH IT. If we only lost this baby, so that we can sympathize with and encourage others who are going through the same thing or something similar, IT'S WORTH IT. If we only lost this baby, so that God could use me to tell this story, and hopefully encourage someone in the process, IT'S WORTH IT.
Is it still hard?
Yes.
Do I still have days where I just want to cry?
Yes.
Am I going through this alone?
No, I have a super awesome husband who is going through it with me, and God has carried us every step of the way.
As most of you know...Kyle and I lived in Sydney, Australia for one year where Kyle attended Hillsong College studying worship, and I worked part-time at Hairhouse Warehouse selling hair products. It was an amazing experience, and I wouldn't change a bit of it! We moved back to Georgia in July of last year, and moved into my parents basement until we could find jobs, and get back on our feet.
Shortly after moving back home we found out that we were expecting our first child in April 2015. We were so very excited, and told our families two weeks later! Only a few days after that we lost the baby, and were pretty devastated. Miscarriage is something you really don't understand unless you've been there, and we didn't have a clue how painful it would be. Our family was there and helped us in every way they could, but it was a much longer and harder process than we thought. Through it all, we knew that God had a plan, and knew what was best for us at that moment.
Two months later we found out we were expecting our second baby. We weren't sure at this point whether we should feel excited or nervous. It was definitely a little of both! Once again we wanted to wait a few weeks before telling our families about the baby. We had an ultrasound to make sure everything looked good, and saw the baby's heartbeat which was such a relief! After that we began to let ourselves get more excited, and told our families the good news on Thanksgiving! We had our first appointment with the Doctor, and everything looked great. We were right on track to have baby #2 in July 2015! We began share our excitement with our close friends, but didn't make it "public" yet.
Two days before I hit the 3 month mark, I knew something was wrong. Since I had miscarried just a few months before I was afraid that was happening again. I remember praying and telling God that I couldn't do this again, I couldn't handle losing another baby. After that Kyle and I prayed together for the baby to be healed if there was anything wrong, and for our minds to be at ease instead of constantly worrying about what was going on. The following day we found out that we had lost the baby. I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest. We just knew this time was it, everything was so different, and we were going to have this baby in July....but God had other plans. We were extremely heartbroken, and struggled with it a lot more this time. During this tough time our friends and family were awesome! They made sure we had food, kept us company, and made us laugh to keep our minds distracted. It has been a very long process that we are still going through, but God has given us so much strength and comfort.
The positives
Looking back at all that we went through it is amazing to see the Love of Jesus that was shown toward us!
We have grown in our marriage as we are walking through this season together.
My relationship and walk with the Lord has grown so much since January.
He has given me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and do things I never thought I would.
I started a new job nannying two adorable kids!
I think the biggest/most important thing that I see is looking back to that night when I said I couldn't handle losing another baby, and the fact that I DID make it through. That was an ah-ha moment for me. Alot of people say "God won't give you more than you can handle." Well I hate to break it to you, but that is not true at all, and I have experienced it first hand. I knew that I couldn't handle losing another baby. I had to TOTALLY trust God to get me through it, and guess what? He did! I am alive and well, and have actually had the opportunity to speak with a few other ladies going through the loss of babies as well. He gave us so much strength and comfort during this season, and we are actually healing alot faster than I thought we would! God is so faithful! When you surrender fully to Him, there is no telling what He will do!
A little encouragement
Last month at The Grove, Jill McCloghry(who has an awesome story by the way) shared this quote:
"No matter what your winter, there is a new season coming! Spring is coming!"
"I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world"
John 16:33
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
Psalm 139: 1-6, or read all of Psalm 139
My favorite verse for the past few months has been Isaiah 43:18-19.
Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
My thoughts now
It is so encouraging to me to know that I am not stuck in this season forever. I do not want to dwell on the past, and what has happened. I would not change what I have learned through this season, but I am so excited to move forward and see what new things God has in store for us in the next one!
If the only reason we lost this second baby is to re-focus and learn to trust God totally, and understand that when we go through the tough times, He will carry us through, IT'S WORTH IT. If we only lost this baby, so that we can sympathize with and encourage others who are going through the same thing or something similar, IT'S WORTH IT. If we only lost this baby, so that God could use me to tell this story, and hopefully encourage someone in the process, IT'S WORTH IT.
Is it still hard?
Yes.
Do I still have days where I just want to cry?
Yes.
Am I going through this alone?
No, I have a super awesome husband who is going through it with me, and God has carried us every step of the way.
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| I am so grateful for the opportunity to lead worship alongside my amazing husband! (this is one of those opportunities I was talking about that takes me out of my comfort zone) |
Monthly Catch-Up
In mid October I let you know that Kyle and I were planning on moving to Cartersville into a rental house. Well we did and we absolutely love it! We are still settling in, so I don't have any photos yet. A few weeks after we moved in I got a part-time job at a physical therapy office as an office assistant. So with both of our new jobs, unpacking, church activities, sewing, etc...we have stayed extremely busy!
Last weekend was one of the busier weekends! My brother Paul and sister-in-law Brianne, owner of Brianne Nicole Photography came down from South Dakota to visit. We spent the majority of the weekend in Douglasville spending time with them, and of course we took family photos (shown below). We had alot of fun as always just talking, playing games, and goofing off.
To make the weekend even crazier, I had the Christmas in Lithia craft fair Saturday and Sunday as well. Kyle's cousin Sharley and I shared a booth so we had fun and thankfully very successful!
This weekend we have had 2 Christmas parties with groups from church. Yes, I said Christmas and yes, it is only November 16th. The reason they were so early is at CrossPoint the month of December is so crazy busy they decided to have Christmas parties early so that more people could attend.
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| This is by far my favorite family photo! |
By the way, Kyle and I put our Christmas Tree up this weekend!
"Fall"ing Into Place
I know it has been forever since I have updated everyone on what is going on in our lives after arriving back in America. I am going to try to do better, I promise! First of all I want to thank you for all your prayers and support as we have been in this transition time after moving back home to Georgia! I would like to fill everyone in on what has happened in the past two months, then I will let you know what is coming up.
Well to start off, in September Kyle and I celebrated 4 years of marriage, I turned 25, and Kyle was hired on at CrossPoint City Church in Cartersville as the Creative Director! He started his new job on October 1st and we could not be more excited! Many of you may be asking what a creative director does....well pretty much anything and everything creative in the church. Kyle is in charge of graphics, videos, website, stage design, lights, sound, pretty much everything you see on a Sunday morning, and makes sure that everything runs smoothly, plus a whole lot more. He is great at what he does and knows this is where he is called, so of course he is loving it! We feel extremely blessed that this is where God has called us to be planted in this season of our lives!
I am still searching for a job, but in the meantime I am loving the opportunities I am getting to create and promote Hannah Made products. I was able to participate in a Vendor Fair at Boundary Waters in Douglasville. Unfortunately, only a few people showed up (I guess because of a lack of marketing) but it was fun anyway. Mom, Rachel (my sister), and I were prepping all week to make sure we had enough stock and were ready for Saturday. We got everything set up and decided that since it wasn't a successful day to sell anything, it was a great practice run for next time! We now know how we want everything to look and about how long it will take to set it up (there are a few photos below so you can see how it looked). I am exciting to be participating in a Fall Festival at Winston Elementary on Friday, October 24th and Christmas in Lithia at Lithia Springs High School on November 8th & 9th. If you live in the Douglasville area try to stop by and see us!
Now that you know what has happened over the past two months, I will tell you where we are headed. We have been living in my parents basement since we got back from Australia as well as several months before we left and are so very grateful for the opportunity to get back on our feet and re-established. When you add it all up, we have not lived on our own in two years, that's half our marriage. Don't get me wrong, we have grown so much even in the past two years living with other people and wouldn't trade our experiences for anything. This fact just makes it even more exciting to announce that we are moving to Cartersville tomorrow! We will live BY OURSELVES about 8 minutes from CrossPoint. I will be sure to post some photos once we get moved in and settled.
On another note, I'm loving this Fall weather!
Change is Good
Alot of changes are happening in my life right now, especially on the business side of things! As many of you saw in my last post, I am starting to make baby accessories and loving it! The only thing I was worried about was actually selling the items that I make. This week I had my first three orders and will be shipping them out tomorrow! I am so excited that this week my little business is picking up a bit!
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I also had another change this week, but it has to do with the actual name of my business. I am changing from hannahMADE or Hannahmade Homegoods to Hannah Made Modern Goods! I am excited for everything else that may come out of it! My amazing husband also created an amazing logo for Hannah Made, and I am so happy with it!
I am having an Instagram giveaway from now until Sunday, August 10th. Follow @hannahmademg on Instagram for details on how to enter!
These are a few of my new baby gift sets, some are also available on my Etsy shop. You can click on the Shop tab in the top right corner to have a look.
I'm Back!!
Although we are enjoying all the free time we currently have before we get jobs, we would really appreciate your prayers for us as we seek direction from God to lead us. We are currently in a season of waiting, waiting on the Lord to open the right doors and close all the others. It's not always easy, but we have been given a peace about where we are, and believe that the Lord will provide and lead us to a wonderful place!
In the meantime, I am getting things in order to get the hannahMADE Etsy shop back up and running again. I have been working on new products to sell and I'm very excited about them! Alot of my friends are pregnant, so I have lots of baby stuff and plan to sell them at reasonable prices. You can also place custom orders via email at hannahmadeblog@hotmail.com. Be sure to check out my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/HannahmadeHomegoods . I have added a few photos of some of my new baby items.
Custom Boppy Covers
Custom Bibs
Dream Big: Featuring Poppy Nail Polish
So here goes...first post in my new Dream Big series! The purpose of this series is to encourage you to make BIG plans for yourself and actually pursue them. You never know what you can do until you try. This is for anyone interested in starting or currently running a home business. I know the initial startup and all the planning is alot and can be discouraging sometimes, but don't give up! I wanted to do this series for me personally as well as for everyone else in the same boat as me. I have asked a few home business owners to answer a few questions and give some advice to fellow small business owners or those about to start the journey. They shared some great information as well as their stories and how they got started. I hope you learn alot and are as encouraged by this series as I have been!
The first company that I have chosen to feature is Poppy Nail Polish. Poppy is actually based in Atlanta, Georgia which is one of the reasons I chose it first! Poppy was started a little over a month ago and already has wholesale accounts and has been featured on large websites. Poppy was featured on Zulily this week which is a pretty big deal!
All Poppy Nail Polishes are hand-blended without the use of toxins and are 5-free, vegan, and cruelty free. Poppy has a wide variety of colors and continues to add more. I also love that you can have nail polish parties! Find out more about having a party here.
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| Poppy Nail Polish in Coral |
I asked Tiffany, the owner/mastermind behind Poppy Nail Polish to answer a few questions that could possibly help out new and upcoming home business owners.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
A romance novel, ha! I was so confused as a young adult because I didn't know what I wanted to be. I knew I liked to lead and was a hard worker when I wanted to be, but I have always had a hard time sticking to routines. I read a book by Nora Roberts about a business woman, and the love/obsession began.
How did you decide what you wanted your business to be?
I'm a serial entrepreneur, and I got my business degree AFTER starting my first online business, so everything I learned was by sticking my finger in the light socket so to speak. The first few businesses I had didn't do well, but each was better than the last. When I stumbled into creating nail polish, it was completely by accident, but the timing was perfect, and so it all began rather quickly.
What was your startup process?
I did a lot of planning to get Poppy off the ground. I researched business licensing, FDA guidelines, safety guidelines, etc. until my brain hurt. I kept notes in a little notebook until I was ready to start creating my prototypes. I spent weeks developing those first colors, getting the formula just right. After I had my product, I set up shop online and started marketing.
Is there anything you wish you had known beforehand that you would like to tell upcoming entrepreneurs? What?
My advice would be to put yourself in a position to wholesale, outsource things that just aren't your strength (such as accounting for me), and never underestimate the power of marketing and networking!
My first wholesale order was 3 weeks after opening Poppy, and it was through someone I'd connected with on Instagram. They ordered 450 bottles, which gave me enough capital to instantly begin working on bigger projects.
What are some benefits and difficulties in running a business out of your home and being a mom?
I love being able to step outside and take a play break with my kids! I have a 6 year old and a 2 year old, and the days just go by so fast. I love that I haven't had to sacrifice my time with them in order to provide for them.
The flip side, though, is that I am always just a yell away, so unless it's nap time or bed time, I have to make sure that anything I'm doing can be stopped and finished later because interruptions are inevitable. I try to find a balance between the pros and cons of working from home by doing tasks like marketing, networking, and social media from my phone while I'm supervising the kids' independent play time. More involved tasks wait until nap or bedtime. I also make sure that technology stays out of meal times and that when I'm playing with my kids, I am completely present in that moment.
Be sure to check out the Poppy's Nail Polish website and order some nail polish! You can also follow Poppy on Instagram.
Be sure to leave a comment to thank Tiffany for all of the information that she gave us and let us know what helped you the most!
New Zealand Roadtrip - Part 4
Well it's finally time for photos of our last 2 days in New Zealand.
Woke up next to mountains, what a beautiful sight.
Drove down a side road before the sun was bright.
Lake Tekapo to my left, snowy mountains to my right.
Last day on the road, in the airport tonight.
Woke up next to mountains, what a beautiful sight.
Drove down a side road before the sun was bright.
Lake Tekapo to my left, snowy mountains to my right.
Last day on the road, in the airport tonight.
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