I love fashion. I love dressing up, dressing differently, dressing well. However, for the past couple of years I've been increasingly aware of the effect my consuming habits have on the world. I just can't bring myself to buy so many new and cheaply produced pieces of clothing any more.

This is where Poshmark comes in. Have you ever used that website or app? It's a place where people can list items from their wardrobe for sale, and you can literally shop their closets. There are often discounts if you buy more than one item from a person, and expedited (1-3 day) shipping is always $6.49.

There is so much on the site. Every brand I love is on there. Shoes, bags, jewelry, everything. Even menswear and kid's clothes!

I know the prices aren't as low on the site as they would be in a thrift store. It’s probably better to think of it as a consignment store: you are paying that extra price for search-ability and better brands. Also, don’t forget you can always make offers on things you are interested in. Always make an offer. People expect that! And they can always provide you with a counter offer if the price is too low.

So far I’ve only bought a couple of things, but my experience of buying off the site has been very good. Of the items above, one of the purchases was mine. Can you guess which one?

Here is another test post we'll see how it goes

It wasn't all that long ago I was writing about how to cope with a family of four in an apartment that was under 600 square feet. Now I find myself sitting at a desk in a house more than twice that size, with enough room for two toilets and a guest room! What happened to us?

Two years ago now I was offered a spot preaching one Sunday at a church that had no pastor. They paid, we needed the money, how could I say no?

The church, I found out, was just my thing. Laid back. Great music. Down to earth people. The elderly and the young. A whole bunch of art nerds who were dying to talk about film. A hot debate over the most recent episode of The Great British Bake-off. Morning tea - with pie. I left saying over my shoulder "whoever gets this job will be lucky indeed!"

A month later I was interviewing for the position. A few months after that I was offered the job.

With being a pastor here came a house. It's hard to explain what a God-send that was: Jono and I had no idea what we were going to do after my graduate student housing ran out. Properties around our area don't exactly fall in our affordable price range. But here was a house! For us!

But it wasn't just any ol' house either. So many of the things we'd hoped for in a family home were in this house. Wood flooring? Check. Space to entertain? Check. For the past 5 years I had been taking lukewarm showers in our crummy apartment. The shower had great pressure, and the water was hot. Check! The kids had wanted a backyard. Check! And a garage? Check!  And Jono's most audacious request -  that our future home would have a water view - well, that photo above is of the pond across the road from our house!

There are things I need to do around here to make it more our home. Bits and bobs to organize, doors to paint, cupboards to sort out. But those things can come with time, right? That's why you guys are here, to travel with us along the way. Welcome to our parsonage! Now, let's see what we can make of it.