The New Must Have For Everyone In Your Household

Ever wonder what you can grab in a pinch to help with wounds, skin issues, natural healing, overall topical wellness? I have the solution for you! I have this in my purse, in my toddler's room, and also in my vanity...This little tin contains some powerful healing ingredients such as organic butters and oils, herbs, and essential oils to help with ALL KINDS of issues: 

-Cuts-Burns-Acne-Bruises-Scrapes-Eczema -Skin Irritations-Diaper Rash-Welts-Insect Bites-Post Surgery Wounds-Sunburns-Wrinkles -Blisters


-Protects, Disinfects, and Moisturizes
-Stimulates Skin Repair
-Eases Joint Pain From Arthritis
-Antimicrobial
-Anti-fungal
-Natural Emollient
-Anti-Inflammatory
-Soothes Body Aches
-Prevents Wound Infections
-Repairs Skin Tissues

"Happy Healing" is the name of my all-purpose salve and I know that you and your loved ones will benefit from it while falling in love with the scent, feel, and results of using it!

Shipping is available on my online store:  www.faithnesshealth.com
Cost for this is $11 per tin.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you think of!

Ingredients: Local Raw Beeswax, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Shea Butter, An Intentional Blend Of Essential Oils.

*Variations available with and without loose, organic Echinacea. 

Natural healing is better. When something works in sync with how our bodies were created to heal, you can bet it is effective! I can't wait for you to start incorporating this!

-Andrea Newkirk

Grieving The Loss Of A Sibling...

 “As long as I am working on my grief, the grief work is working”.

It may take months or even years to get to the place where we feel back to "ourselves"........

I am finding this is how grieving works.....and I am allowing God to fill the gaps, fill the voids, as He hears my thoughts while knowing my every emotion along this journey of two years today......

Losing a sibling is not the most common of topics or discussions....
If you have lost a sibling I can relate to how you are feeling......When a parent dies, you lose the past. When a child dies, you lose the future. When a sibling dies, you lose the past and the future.... That is the grief of a sibling—grief for what was past, and grief for what should have been the future. It is a different type of grief that not everyone experiences....

ALL types of grief are difficult. ALL chapters of readjusting and re-learning how to live from that moment of loss, forward are for sure a journey and a process of finding that new version of ourselves...it demands a different version of us we NEVER thought we'd need to discover....

There are so many emotions and phases tied with losing a sibling and I'll share some of mine since there is no such thing as "normal" :

-Shock
-Pain
-Anger
-Regret
-Guilt
-Working Through Processing
-Acceptance 
-Reconstruction
-Hope
-Living Intentionally
-Focusing Only On Good Memories 
-Joy (YES. This is possible. I used to have guilt about feeling this way as I heal, but that is a LIE from the enemy. There is NOTHING wrong with having JOY again after a tragedy...God still wants us to live JOY-FILLED lives as our time on earth is only temporary! Our loss does not define us, but rather becomes part of our story and character)

I've heard it said that healing takes time.
That is 100% true.
I've heard it said that it gets easier with time.
That is also true......Time does not make the pain go away, however the sting of those raw emotions lessen....

I honestly do not know how people deal with the loss of a loved one without God. The comfort, the love, the peace, the support, and now the joy I am walking through is ONLY from God. There is NOTHING that could even come close to how God has helped me and is still currently helping me, and will continue to help me with my healing from this difficult experience in my life.

I want to encourage you to press into God.....
I want to remind you to allow healing to take time. Take the time you need.....
I want to let you know I'm here to talk if you need a listening ear, someone to cry with, someone to remind you that it is OKAY to feel these things.....

God created us for relationships and to feel deep emotions....both good and bad ones. 
God also created us with a longing for a savior...to have a relationship with Him, who is sooooooo much larger than this world and anything we will face. And we WILL have trials, tough chapters, and moments of confusion......

You can't rush your healing.

It is a journey.

Just as a flower loses its petals and blooms again the next spring, so will we shed tears, mourn the loss of our loved one, but we will ALSO be renewed, we will grow and bloom again to our fullest potential through this season as that is how God wants us to live!

I'm currently reading the book, "In a pit with a lion on a snowy day." 
It is helping me with my mindset in this season and journey of healing and growth. It is helping me process how I face anxieties and fears that I never experienced until losing my brother. If you're looking for a good read that isn't necessarily for grief, but rather for living a victorious and courageous life, check it out!

I want you to heal.
I want you to grow.
I know you will come out stronger on the other end.

Keep going.
One day at a time.
God's got this.
God's got you. 

And Just Like That.....Three Years Have Gone By

It is both crazy and amazing to think that three years have gone by. Since the moment I became a mom, time has passed by much more quickly than I ever could have imagined. Some days I'm hesitant to blink because I know that another day will be over and my little girl will be another day older. I find myself cherishing every significant "first" with Nova.

Being a parent is such a beautiful experience. While as much as we want them to stay little, we also get so excited for the "firsts" and the milestones. I get excited watching Nova mature and grow into her little self. (Each "first" is exciting and parents reading this, you get it so I'll share!) Today's milestone? She went potty on the big potty all alone. (I'm talking all by herself!) Lights on, up onto the potty without a step stool, did it all alone and back to me with a ginormous smile on her face when she saw me grinning back at her. "You're ready for pre-school" I told her.....She beamed and replied, "I am older and bigger Mom." 

It is crazy to think she will start pre school next week. She is ready. She is more than excited and I know that I'll be the sentimentally tearful one when that morning arrives.......gosh can time slow jussssst a teeeeenie bit? She seems much older than three some days... My heart is full as I get to watch her bloom into the Nova that she is meant to be! She is a bundle of energy and loves making up songs for me...Nova has so many different expressions and I am happy to have captured a few...

 

She has a BIG personality......she makes me laugh with her thoughts, her VERY honest comments, and her wild imagination. Seeing life through her eyes makes living SO exciting! Kids are awesome. They remind us what life is supposed to be about. Less worrying, more time appreciating the day at hand. More dreaming and imagining. Simply living as ourselves and keeping it transparent, without a care in the world. Her silly spirit and carefree attitude is teaching me to go with the flow more. Every day is an adventure......and it is supposed to be that way. It is easy to get caught up in routine that we forget about spontaneity (thank goodness Nova reminds me how often we need to do spur of the moment things! haha) See her two pictures above with that smirk? She's reaching into her pocket for some little marshmallows I bribed her with for these pics we took! (Yep. bribery works wonders sometimes) She was so excited to have those little goodies in her pocket during out little photoshoot outside! Actually, even taking these pics were spur of the moment - outfit and all! If you have a toddler,  then you understand the beauty of capturing a good mood, a bit of patience on their part, and decent weather to make it all come together! This chair? It happened to be on the front porch as we went outside so I grabbed it....her Corduroy bear? A prize from her summer reading program. Her green corduroy dress? It had been hanging in her closet waiting for the perfect opportunity.....Nova was SO excited they matched! Like I was saying.....Spontaneity. It happened to work out perfectly and it was FUN! I'll never forget her excitement and expression when I held her green dress next to her bear and she saw they coordinated! Nova couldn't wait to take pictures with her bear! (I LOVE how excited she gets over small things.....so sweet)

She's fun. Being a mom is fun. (Yes it is also a whole bunch of other things that can sometimes wear me out physically and emotionally......but in this specific entry I'm focusing on those fun moments when all is well with the world, YOU KNOW what I'm talking about - that moment your toddler is smiling with marshmallows and cooperating for a few pictures! LOL) Our outdoor cat, "Sawyer" also made an appearance off and on while we snapped photos....he's a very curious cat who loves going on hikes in the woods with us and even follows us down the road on our walks......he's a sweetie who showed up one day (about two or three months ago now) and he has belonged in our little family ever since. Nova loves animals and loves helping take care of him.

I love seeing life through her eyes. Those precious little blue eyes. (It is crazy to me just how much she has matured in the last few months.....almost like someone pressed fast forward and I think it is from her getting excited about being "older" for school! Last week she kept saying, "I am brave and strong." Oh Nova......you sure are!)

Enough photos for now - there are more I can share at another time......I just smile as I look through all of the candid ones we captured together. Her little personality continues to shine more and more the older she gets. I still have my moments when I realize how quickly time is going, and I can also say I am excited for each new milestone with Nova! Just like that, three years have gone by and I am so very excited for what the future hold with this little blue-eyed, curly headed, spunky-dimpled girl! 

I love being her Mama.......and I'm excited for our next milestone of preschool next week!

-Andrea Newkirk

#happy3

We Are Living Our Dream

I remember talking about our life together in 2007 when we started dating in college. I remember dreaming about what married life could be....and at such a young age. I remember getting engaged in 2008 and married in 2009, knowing we started our life together so young, and knowing we had our entire lives to work towards our goals and dreams as a couple! I remember our first little house together, getting our first couch and no longer sitting on the floor, doing things other than watching tv, because we didn't even have that yet. I remember how simple life was - and how perfectly content we were. I remember dreaming about buying our "forever home" together and starting a family. I remember finding that home and moving into what seemed like an enormous house! (I could no longer vacuum the entire house from one plug-in spot! haha) I remember planning which room could be a nursery in the future, dreaming about what our yard and property would look like one day. I remember our excitement of finding out we were pregnant, becoming parents together, bringing Nova home, creating this new chapter together with our happy little family. I keep thinking about memories and the sweet, simple moments I cherish.....

I stop and realize in this very moment that we are living our dream right now.

It is so easy to get caught up in adulting, in working, in setting goals and working towards them, in making plans for the next step in life, in parenting and being busy.

As I stop and take a moment to look at where we have been and where we are today, I smile and can honestly say that we are living our dream. What started as hopes in 2007 have turned into a journey together of being married, of parenting together, of doing this thing called "life" as a team.......and learning to love one another more and more along the way.





I love my days home with Nova. I love the look on her face when she hears you pulling in the drive way after your day at work. I love how we enjoy being outdoors together and we can have so much fun doing simple things together. Our family feels complete. "A chord of three strands is not easily broken" - Ecclesiastes 4:12. There is something so powerful in numbers of three and I find the simplicity and strength in our happy little family.

 While yes, we still set goals together and dream of our future with an "older Nova" - I want to slow down and simply live today, because the life we have RIGHT NOW is the life that I have always dreamed about. Life as a wife and life as a mom and living the way we are today is such a ginormous gift to me. I can see God's hand in it all. Living our lives differently and following His direction with a set-apart way of living has truly paid off....and will continue to!



I looked back at one of my journals from high school and saw one of my focuses of prayer was for my future husband.....I can honestly say that God blessed me in that area as well by giving me you! You're literally the description I wrote when praying for the man God would have for me. (even down to looks.....pretty amazing if you ask me!)


We are living our dream.

I am perfectly content with all God has given us and want you to know that living life with you is the best way to live. Living life as parents now with Nova is the icing on top.

  

  

 When I pause to thank God for all that He has blessed me with, I realize that the life I dreamed of as a little girl is the life that I'm living today! My heart is full and my soul is content!

 We have been made some bold decisions together when it comes to the age we were married, in our decisions with our career paths, and with how we live today. We have experienced deep heartache with losing my brother and learned to lean into God even more while sticking together for positivity. We have definitely experienced some ups and downs...and that is part of life, isn't it? Without the difficult seasons, we would not be as grateful for the sunshine filled chapters.....I know there will be many more ups and downs along our journey and I know that God will remain our foundation and our source of joy, peace, wisdom, etc through it all. 

Today I am simply filled with joy and am feeling 100% content with where we are in life...and I give all of the credit to God for paving the way, for providing for us, and for blessing our relationship and our family. Nothing we have is by our own works...it is a gift from God and when we look at it that way and realize we are to be good stewards with what God entrusts us with, (our body, our spouse, our kid, our home, our finances, etc) everything falls into place and we learn to appreciate the small things, to strive to be better not only for ourselves, but for our loved ones, and see God's hand in everything along the journey! 

Life is sweeter when shared with those you love......and I love what we have. 

#happy3

"I Don't Like You Mom"

Well. It happened. 

A few days ago I heard my very first "Mom I Don't Like You" as a very frowny "threenager" walked away from me with arms crossed. I'm not gonna lie. My heart sunk. I felt crushed.

What was it over? Me following through with miss Nova. 

Parenting. 

Boundaries.

Consistency. 

I am realizing that good parenting will involve those moments...even though they are NOT fun. 

Loving someone SO much means we must set rules and boundaries and follow through with them while that little person is testing the waters. Some moments are absolute bliss! Some moments I just want to squeeze her sweet cheeks from how loving she is to me. Some moments I also realize I must allow her to "not like me" because I am mean for not feeding her popsicles for breakfast or granola bars for dinner (Isn't it kind of comical when we take a step back at what little kids get so bent out of shape over? haha....they can be perfectly fine and then BOOM something sets them off!)

Anyways - Encouragement for parents who are reading this:

EVERY MOMENT OF PARENTING IS NOT PERFECT.

NOT EVERY MOMENT IS FUN. 

THOSE LITTLE HUMANS PUSH EVERY BUTTON WE HAVE WHEN IT COMES TO EMOTIONS...and that is OKAY!

Think about how we can become BETTER for our kids from what we learn.

Speaking for myself, I see areas where I am learning patience, sacrifice, and joy! 

Now think about what you are teaching your kid(s) in those not-so-popular moments...

When that "I Don't Like You" happens, when you get eye rolls, when an attitude pops up out of nowhere, it most likely means you are doing something right because you CARE enough to offer guidance and help mold their behavior. 

Another truth? NO BODY has this parenting thing 100% figured out...and no body ever will. Kids change from year to year. We change from year to year. And all the while we try something, make improvements, adjust as needed, go along with plan B, learn how to be better for not only ourselves, but also for them, and KEEP GOING. Go with the flow and attempt to maintain balance! 

Enjoy the Journey. 

Embrace this Season.

It goes by SO QUICKLY and one day we will look back and realize that even those unpopular moments were not "bad" moments, but rather part of them growing up and becoming who they are meant to be. You've got this. Hang in there! 

Oh yea, and don't be too hard on yourself on those "not so perfect days"

-Andrea Newkirk