Where have I been? What have we been up to? Why haven't I sent out more updates?
Well first, hello to all my lovely online friends! We have been beyond blessed and completely blown away with your support, encouragement, prayers and love! Thank you for blessing us in your messages and prayers.
I was planning to keep you all updated a bit more often, and while I apologize for not doing so... I am also not apologizing because taking a break from being online has been so restful and healing in so many ways I didn't realize I needed! Does that mean I do not plan to continue? NO!!!
We are planning to be continuing on Youtube again in a few weeks, Lord willing, and I'm so excited about some new things I'm currently working on that you won't want to miss! (pssttt... I get to chat with some very lovely and interesting ladies and bring you along for those conversations! I think you will love them!)
So basically in my down time I've been catching up on a lot of personal projects so that I will feel more caught up when I start Youtube again, and I'm enjoying a slower pace with no deadlines. It took me awhile to be able to settle into a slower pace, but it was really good for me and I'm praying that I've learned a few lessons during this time off that I won't forget when we start Youtube again, (but that's a story for another time).
There are a few things that have been heavily on my mind, and if I could sum it all up in one word, it would be 'Intention'. The last while I've been more keenly aware of how quickly time flies by. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut of simply existing or surviving. Each day brings it's responsibilities, it's challenges, and it's endless 'to do's', and it's easy to just set yourself on autopilot and before long the days turn into an unrecognizable blur and you wake up and a week, a month, a year has gone by. While part of that is just normal life and unavoidable, I realized how easy it is to live life in a rather passive way.
When we only live to get through the next day, or the next challenge, or the next project or whatever the thing may be... we fail to live with intention. I know for myself it's so easy to just look at life in the here and now, and forget to look into the future. The future can so easily seem like this mystical, far off thing... but the way time flies these days, the 'future' is just a hop and a skip away!
So I've been asking myself, what are the things that I want to see in myself, my family, my relationships in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? If I desire those values and/or goals to become a reality, then what am I doing right now to help pave the way there? Many of these values that I wish to see in the future won't just happen, it will take Intentional Effort right now, to lay the foundation. So that is a goal of mine, to kick out of 'AUTOPILOT' and intentionally make decisions and habits now that will impact me and my family in the years to come. I pray that God gives me the continued grace to live that out.
Thanks for coming to my TEDD Talk. 😂
On a lighter note.... if you know me at all, you know how much I value documenting life and one of those things is physical scrapbooks. I use FOREVER ARTISAN software and love it! I then save the pages and print photobooks on Shutterfly when they run an unlimited pages deal! WOO WOO!
So... for whoever is interested or might want some inspiration to get your pages finished, or get into scrapbooking if you aren't already... I'll share some pages I've been working on. I'm trying to make a baby book for my children as well. (this is super easy, as I just duplicate pages that apply to them and make them their own book). So here are some of the pages of our recent, Heavenly Gift that we are so, so grateful for!
BEWARE! INFLUX OF BABY PICTURES!
I still need to finish the 9 Month pages and her milestones, but I'm all cut up until February with all photos which is an incredible feeling!
In a few days my baby will be 10 months! I do not know where the time has gone, but God is so good, and we are so extremely thankful for this little miracle that has brought so much joy to our home!
God bless and hopefully we will see you on youtube in a few weeks!