Hearts in Service Blog

Ignore the condition of my very old shoes! I always think of myself as fairly adventerous.  I like to explore and  I believe that I'm up for many things, but I don't think I really have wanderlust. And a s I've gotten older, I really think I'm more of a homebody. I love getting out to hike and explore, but I would rather sleep in my own bed at night.  I enjoy making my space a beautiful and peaceful enviornment.  I prefer staying in at the end of the day and enjoy a quiet evening at home. My bedtime is the same time every single night. My sewing room/office is my haven.  I enjoy days when I can putter around my house and spend some time cleaning and straightening it.  I recently had the opportunity to travel to Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa to present at a workshop at our denomination's first world fellowship women's conference. The leadership team I'm part of was hosting the event. Part of me really wanted to go and I thought it was an honor to be asked....

March came roaring like a lion and the snow is here to stay for a while. Dan and I went to visit Emily on Monday night and the hour and a half ride home was wild. We had no idea it was supposed to snow like this and the plows had not been out yet. So we had a white-knuckled ride all the way home. It's been a good week to hunker down and get some things checked off my list. The biggest of these was gathering all our tax information and getting it off to the accountant. I don't know what possesses me to procrastinate each year with keeping track of housing expenses, etc., but I do it every time. And then I'm scrambling to catch up on a years worth of paperwork! So I had a different sort of white-knuckled experience on Wednesday doing that.  I tried my hand at homemade yogurt in my slow cooker and it turned out great! This is definitely a new staple here. When I mentioned this to someone on Sunday, she asked, "Why?" and I responded, "Because I can!" 😁  Ser...

Snickerdoodles A friend gave me these little jars and I've used them to store my spices in. Herb-infused kosher salt Lavender Sun tea with lemon and fresh peppermint from the garden Making curtains Whole wheat crackers (next time I'll roll them thinner) Love when a meal plan comes together in less than 20 minutes. This summer has been beautiful - bright sunshine, low humidity and warm temperatures in the 70s or low 80s Fahrenheit. The downside is we are also in a drought. So I am thankful that it rained yesterday and it is supposed to continue through today. The grass is brown so it needs a long drink of water.  I've been thinking about the whole homemaking subject and how things have shifted throughout the years. Years ago, we made the decision for me to stay home and take care of the children. And while I now have adult children, I'm still working at home.  B ecause we are in ministry, I enjoy the freedom that I have to come alongside my husband and work with him. I e...

About 5 years ago I made both lemon and orange extract. It required lemon peels and orange peels and vodka. I made a jar of each and then never used it, because I discovered I don't bake anything that requires those extracts. If I am making something with lemons or oranges, I prefer to use the zest and fresh juice. Fast forward to this week. I was cleaning out some things and came across these two jars. I didn't really want to waste them by tossing them. Then I had a thought.  I use a lot of natural cleaners because they are cheaper and also don't use a lot of harsh chemicals. However, when it comes to the bathroom I tend to stick with commercial cleaners because well.....bathrooms are gross! But the problem with store bought cleaners is they are harsh and bother the eczema on my hands even when I wear gloves. I know alcohol is a natural disinfectant so I decided to make a bathroom cleaner out of these. I strained out the peels and put the extract in a spray bottle. Then I ...

It's been such a busy week and one in which I spent many hours at the church. We are having our first "on-site" service tomorrow with restrictions and after three months of being closed down there was much to do to help get ready for the service. I had online and in person meetings all week and unfortunately, my house has been neglected for some time. Today is going to be an at-home day. Nathan and Emily are working, Dan and Steve (who is visiting for the weekend) are headed out to a golf tournament this afternoon. So I will have the house to myself. I'm making today a "roll-up-my-sleeves" and get to work cleaning day. I also have some sewing projects to work on and other around the house projects I want to do. I have windows to clean, floors that need to be mopped, some patio work I want to accompish, as well as a number of other items. Sometimes it's good to just focus on things at home. The weather is much cooler...

This week has been a blur - one massive emotionally and physically exhausting week. The beginning of the week found us saying goodbye to dearly loved friends, saying goodbye to our son, packing a truck with much needed help and cleaning a house. A friend supplied us with a meal for our last night there. Then we made the 5 hour trek to our new home where we were greeted with help unpacking the truck. We also received meals for the first two nights we were here. There is still so much to do, and so many boxes to unpack, but it's actually starting to feel like home. We fall into bed exhausted each night but we have been sleeping well and each day sees a bit more progress. I'm cooking for the first time in our new house tonight.  Dan had his first board meeting last night and came home encouraged and excited. I've been able to get some district work done which is helping me to feel like things are getting back to normal. The weather was perf...

This blog has always been a mixture of my faith, family, ministry and life in general. Lately it's been heavy on the moving and personal as we are in the middle of chaos. And today will be no different! It's been a great way for me to chronicle our lives and something that I hope our children will look back fondly on.  We had a wonderful and quiet Christmas at home with our favorite foods and traditions. We opened gifts, had a nice dinner and played a board game. I buy a board game each Christmas and some year's games are better than others.  I found one this year called, Stupid Deaths, and it seemed like it would be humorous. Half the family finds it hilarious and the other half finds it, well.....stupid! 🤣 It really takes no skill except guessing if the incredibly stupid way someone dies is true or false. About 1/2 way through it Emily said, "Could we play something else that requires some intelligence!" You can guess which camp she falls in.  Dan ...