Hearts in Service Blog

About a week ago I felt myself feeling down. Things are so different nowadays and the parts of Christmas I've always looked forward to weren't going to be happening. It's definitely been an adjustment as the kids have become adults. Yesterday was seeming a bit of "Christmas feels just like another day." However, I didn't want to sit around and wallow in sadness nor waste time wishing things were the same. So I decided to start seeing ways I could just enjoy the day. It irritates me a bit when people can't change or be flexible and make room for new things, so I certainly don't want to start to become that way myself.  So I decided to enjoy some of the things I've always done that make Christmas special and then embrace the new. I also stayed off social media as much as possible yesterday because that never helps me feel satisfied with my own reality. I made up cookie boxes and delivered them to the neighbors a few days before Christmas. I made 24 m...

  In the space of a week and a half I went from not feeling very festive nor prepared for Christmas, to having gotten just about everything on my list completed. We live in the northern hemisphere so snow just is part of December and this year has been unusually warm and snow-free. So it was hard to feel like it really was Christmas without it. However, the snow started on Monday and while we only got about 6" it certainly helped it seem like the holidays. Of course, by Sunday it's supposed to be rainy and in the 50s again.  My list is shrinking: 🎄 I ended up with 10 different types of Christmas cookies. 🎄 Christmas cards written and mailed. 🎄 Presents finished and wrapped. 🎄 Bought little gifts for the children at church. 🎄 Made some holiday-favorite foods for my family. 🎄 Christmas eve service put together. 🎄 Church Christmas banquet over and was a success.   🎄 Cookie boxes delivered to our church board members last night over a Christmas dinner. 🎄 A cookie con...

This year Dan and I decided to attempt to get out and do some fun things instead of just letting busyness overtake the season. We need to push ourselves at times because at night we kind of just want to stay at home. Here in the northern hemisphere it is so cold and dark this time of the year and easier to not go out. But we are trying to intentionally pick something to do at least once a week.  Last night we did our first Christmasy thing by attending a big band concert with some friends. It was hosted by a local church. I never know what to expect at some of these events, but this was excellent. It was the Christmas story told in song through a swing band. The quality of this photo is terrible because of the lighting. The weather was beautiful yesterday with bright sunshine and temperatures hovering around 50 degrees which was really unusual. We were able to get out and hike a bit in the afternoon.  Today's plan is to go and do some Christmas shopping. I'm going by myself to...

  I was busy yesterday, cooking and baking and preparing for today. I was on my feet for most of the day and was up early this morning. However, in the middle of the busyness I want to  stop give thanks for many things in my life. 💓 Thank you to my blog readers, many of you have been with me since I began back in 2008. A lot of the photos I used back then no longer show up since Photobucket hijacked them, but you can always go back and read. Thank you. Many have become dear friends. 💓 I'm thankful for my husband who very sweetly bought me flowers as he knows this is a hard time of year. The 3-year anniversary of my mom's passing is tomorrow. He is so supportive. Of course, things have been so busy that it took me a day before I even noticed that they were sitting on our buffet! lol 💓 I'm thankful for my children who all work hard. I love that they call me a few times a week just to chat about their day. 💓 God continues to shape and mold me into a woman who He wants to u...

'Tis the season for cookies... Remembering... Decorating... Shenanigans...  Ornaments... Reflecting... 'Tis the season for all the things I love about the holidays. But also thrown in the mix is adjusting to a new schedule with work, helping my family walk through different stressful situations, juggling multiple schedules and a myriad of other things that added to the activity of this time of the year can make life overwhelming. But I'm doing first things first and this is how I'm dealing with the holiday stress:  💓 Time in God's word and prayer each morning which starts my day out on the right foot. 💓 Not allowing my to-do list to overwhelm me so that I shut down and don't do anything. I make myself keep working at it. 💓 As I'm plugging away at my list, I remember the saying, "How do you eat an elephant?" "One bite at a time." 💓 Taking time to get some exercise. The weather hasn't been the greatest and I'm not a fan of walki...

This year the holidays are different and it's a bit of an adjustment time for me. We spent Thanksgiving over the course of two days - the day before with just the boys and Dan's parents and then traveled on Thanksgiving Day to spend it with Emily, her boyfriend and his parents.  Today my daughter let me know that she wouldn't be coming here for Christmas Day. I honestly knew it was coming and handled it well. But this afternoon I have felt a bit out of sorts and I'm thankful that I'm in tune with my emotions enough to know why. It's inevitable. Children grow up, get jobs, develop their own traditions and as they move into relationships have to make room for another family. But there is part of me that wants everything to stay the same.  But I've learned some things through the years and that is mostly because of mistakes. 1. Don't make them feel guilty. Growing up and moving on is natural. If you use guilt to try and manipulate them all that's going...

I set up prayer stations for our congregation to go to at various times today to remember Christ's sacrifice for us. I arrived at the church this morning in time to see the sunrise. I am thankful for the opportunity to remember what Jesus did for me through prayer. Romans 8:31-39 ~ What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more th...

It has been an eventful weekend. Stephen's 29th birthday, church, the Super Bowl and today is Valentine's Day. It was a weekend of celebration. It was a weekend of love. Love for my family as I spent most of it in the kitchen, baking and cooking. Love for my inlaws as I sent some Valentine's goodies to them on Saturday. Love for my church family as I put together a platter of goodies for them yesterday. Love for my husband as sports were on the television for most of the weekend. Love for my daughter as I commiserated with her after a slip and fall on the ice ended up with a hairline fracture in her shoulder. Love for myself as I did things that I enjoyed. I'm thankful for these February events as they help to make the long winter go by a bit more quickly. They are a bright spot in an otherwise dreary month. It's been fun making centerpieces, putting together Valentine's and heart-themed children's lessons, baking different kinds of cookies and candies and c...