What I’m Into {April 2015}

I’m interrupting our regularly scheduled program of Weekend Links with a post to tell you what I’m into right now.

What has my family been up to in April?

Read on …

These have been fun to share these last few months, and I love reading about what is going on behind the scenes of other blogger friends, especially the ones I’ve been following for years.

You can catch up with previous months here:

• January
• February
• March

In Our Home:

The big news from this month is that not only did we sell our house in Colorado, but we found a house in Virginia!

Our house in Colorado will close at the end of May, and we’ll be able to move into our Virginia home toward the end of June. We’re just waiting on paperwork and time to pass in both places!

The Virginia home is a dream home for us, and I cannot wait to get in it!! I’m in awe that this home even exists.

Think: edible landscaping, raised vegetable garden beds right out the kitchen door, two acres of beauty and nature, and for now we drive past grazing cows in an open field to get home. 

It.is.glorious.

For now though, Spring has sprung, and we are really enjoying a climate free of snow!

We may not have a home of our own just yet, but I’m scratching my garden itch with container gardening. At least I can have my herbs right now.

Superheroes are taking over our home. I now have two little superhero fans, and this is what they looked like on Easter Sunday. Well, after church of course.

The joy of these two is truly contagious! They fight and bicker like any set of siblings, but at the core, they are best friends. Truly.

It doesn’t seem possible that he’s racing his way toward two years old. Wasn’t he just born? He loves his blanket (lovey) and giraffe animal (lo-lo, not pictured). I worked hard to get this picture of him on Easter Sunday because I have this one of his brother at the same age …

Oh these two. So sweet. So little. Growing so fast.

Did I mention that they were best friends? This is what I saw one day when I looked out the window. Little brother throwing perfect strikes for big brother to hit. Thankfully, Sam has good aim and hit 3rd base hits the whole time. Oh my heart.

Sam learned to ride a pedal bike this month. The first picture in this post is Sam telling Timothy that he could have his strider bike. They’re discussing the fact that Sam can now ride a pedal bike and his brother can learn to be big like him someday, but he has to start with the strider.

Sam never looked back, and Timmy rides the strider every single day with his brother.

Did I mention best friends? Okay. Just checking.

Family. There is just nothing like it, and these moments make moving 2,000 miles back across the country totally worth it.

It’s not been an easy transition, but it’s been worth it.

Very, very worth it.

In My Heart:

Do you ever have seasons of your Christian walk where you just feel like you’re not growing or changing, but then you realize that you’ve come leaps and bounds?

I called out an SOS this month with some friends. Here’s my cry for help:

I’m calling out an SOS for prayers. Things are just rough right now. We’re just barely holding on by a thread at the end of each day.

We’re broke.

We’re tired.

We’re stressed.

We’re learning just how ugly we really are underneath as the sin sponge keeps getting squeezed.

I know this is all part of God’s grand purpose. I know that it will be used for His glory, and I know that I will GROWWWWWW through this time. But the chiseling is exhausting, defeating, and in my flesh, completely unwanted.

We could use some bolstering prayers right now for strength and endurance.

This is part of faith. This is part of risk taking. This is part of trusting a big God who will never lead us where He will not keep us.

We’ve been here before after every leap of faith. It’s like God tests us to be sure we’re REALLY relying on Him before He brings the rainbow.

I’ll be honest.

This is the hardest it’s ever been circumstantially.

There’s a lot more at stake with two children to feed. But I”m thankful that I have nowhere else to turn but TO Him.

I don’t know if I’ve come leaps and bounds, but as I look back over the trials of this month, I’m very aware of God’s grace.

As a family, we’ve had to dig into the hard moments of life and find grace for the moment. At times this seems completely impossible, but faith drives us forward and grace keeps us each and every time without fail.

The Instagram pictures and the bolstering encouragement on my Facebook statuses are usually me fighting for joy, speaking truth to myself, and believing that I’m not alone in my battles of life.

Remember this, too, when you see the next picture of what looks like a well, put together mom. She struggles too. Just like you. You’re not alone either.

What I’m Reading:

Anne of Green Gables Stories – I snagged this set for my Kindle for just $1.99. I finished the first book earlier this year, and now I’m working on Anne of Avonlea. It’s slow go for me, but I’m thoroughly enjoying these books. I learn so much from Anne!

The Daily Entrepreneur: 33 Success Habits for Small Business Owners, Freelancers and Aspiring 9-to-5 Escape Artists – I love learning new tips and tricks to make my work time more efficient. I haven’t picked up anything ground breaking from this book, but it has inspired me to build better habits and routines into my work day.

What I’m Watching

I have gone through 4 modules so far in A Parent’s Guide to Natural Remedies eCourse, and I am thoroughly enjoying this eCourse! Thoroughly!

The modules I’ve watched have been informative and easy to understand. I do come to the class with some basic knowledge of natural remedies, which I have found helpful to getting even more out of this course.

The course moves quickly because they pack in a TON of information. I have to make myself slow down and not learn more than I can implement. I’m giving myself plenty of time to process each module and create a plan of action for my children.

The first thing I’m working on is better sleep and seasonal allergies for my children, and the tips I’ve picked up so far have already helped.

I highly recommend this eCourse! It’s invaluable for parents who want to learn to deal with common ailments naturally.

Gilmore Girls – This TV series is on Netflix right now, and we (yes, my husband and I both!) continue to love it. We really don’t watch a lot of TV. However, sometimes we get in the mood to watch a TV series, and we most always turn to Netflix. Love the humor in this show!

On the Blog:

This has been a fun month at Intentional By Grace!

Yesterday I released my brand new eBook, Planning 101: How to Be More Intentional with Your Time!

Speaking of free printables! With the help of my amazing team, we put together 150+ COMPLETELY FREE printables to help you with all things homemaking related.

You can find that round-up of resources here.

Popular Posts in April:

9 Ways to Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy and Boost Your Fertility

How to Make a Prayer Notebook

New Rules for Announcing Pregnancy

Whole 30 Challenge with Kids

Implementing a Morning Routine with My Children

And that’s what I’ve been into lately! What have you been into? Do you like these type of posts?

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