Recently enjoyed things

We have a big, beautiful balcony off of our bedroom where I have started a large potted garden and it's doing wonderfully! I'm growing mostly vegetables... peppers, beans, tomatoes, herbs, strawberries and a few flowers. I tried to grow coffee as well but it never came up. I love gardening and hope to one day have a large one where we can have organic food all year long! We are moving to Pittsburgh in about one month and will be bringing these 30+ pots with us :) 

We still have things left behind in the last 2 countries we lived in... India and Sweden(I know I have a guitar and ukulele in Delhi but cant even remember much else. Moving is always a whirlwind). We arrived in the states one year ago with nothing... after a few trips to Ikea, thrifting and my super generous family... we made a home. I had a few pretty textiles with me from India and it felt so good to blend them in with the rest of our pieces. Our style is an eclectic blend of bohemian with a mix of navajo, asian and african fabrics, lanterns and an animal head on the wall... clean white scandinavian... and vintage. 

It has finally hit me that Leona is a real toddler. She gets into everything, has learned how to climb onto the couch and scoot off the bed, she loves unrolling and ripping up toilet paper(into a million tiny pieces), throws food on the floor at every meal... she's like a little tornado swirling through the house! But the toddler age is also super fun! She LOVES kissing(kisses everything all day long) and is super social(blows kisses to strangers everywhere we go). Leona loves people... she is our little missionary. We are soaking up the minutes of peace we get during her naps! She is not sleeping good at night and we hope it just a teething phase.

Hanging out at Free People in Pittsburgh <3 p="">

Treasures from the Strip in Pittsburgh

Mom and Dad were just up visiting and celebrating my great grandma's 90th birthday! This picture is my mom with Leona and my niece Izzy. They are best friends and into everything GIRLY!

Camping on the 4th. In love with nature.

Little road trip to Gettysburgh for an outreach a few weeks ago. So beautiful.

Touching Tribes

For those of you who have been around here a while, you know this blog is passionate about the unreached. It's also a mixed up blend of design, family and lots of travel. This year I was finally able to run with something that's been very close to my heart for a very long time... an accessory line called TOUCHING TRIBES. With lots of inspiration from the colors, prints, fabrics and cultures of the nations I travel to, I started collecting materials and making bags and jewelry... each item has a story from the field, a connection to the unreached. These items allow the West to touch tribes by supporting us in GOING to the lost! 

The styles of these items can be described as bohemian, eclectic, tribal... most of the pieces have lots of fringe, florals, navajo print and leather! Fabrics that have been used so far have come from Ethiopia, Pakistan and India.

TOUCHING TRIBES also offers lots of necklace options... the most popular being the Atlas Necklace which can be custom made to display a country or city and colors of your choice! The necklaces are perfect for layering and make lovely gifts!

Make sure to check out my shop on etsy here! And follow TOUCHINGTRIBES on instagram and facebook for the latest news! And remember, each purchase helps us reach the unreached with the Good News of Jesus... We will be traveling to Asia later this summer for a festival among the lost!  Thanks everyone!

The day my baby girl turned one

It's wild to understand that one year has passed already. When I close my eyes I can still feel the kicks and rolls and hiccups in my tummy and remember the butterflies that joined in on that rainy morning we walked into the delivery room. The journey that brought us to that day was an adventure for sure... and now 13 months later, we continue on that wild ride. 

Here is my Leona Aina Adorae.. just one day old in the hospital in Sweden. We planned to give birth in India where we lived but had lots of complications and went home to my husband's hometown for my final trimester and delivery. Even though I was as sick as a dog for 9 months and had a really hard delivery, I loved the whole experience!

Leona is the sweetest and funniest girl! She is a true missionary... always content and enjoying life no matter where we are in the world! She loves baby dolls, eating, reading books, talking to everyone and taking walks. She finally started crawling one week before her birthday and flies through the house getting into everything now! Her first word was "mama" and then "dada" and is now learning mostly Swedish... she points and says "DÄR!" whenever we ask where something is... even if she doesn't know the answer.

This year was a special birthday. On April 15th Leona turned 1, her daddy turned 30 and her great grandma turned 70!

Home Sweet Home

Our little family is setting up our first home in America. For the last few years we've been living in Ethiopia, Sweden and India.... now we are based in USA and run an international nonprofit missions organization which means we travel a lot... but for the first time we get to have a home to come back to! I'm so enjoying making it our own!