Canvas of the Heart

A big thank you to Barbara my sweet mother-in-law for helping me start and get back to my blogging! I so enjoyed getting to catch up over lunch today:) I forgot to take a picture so I am posting one I took at her house on Easter. After lunch today, she helped me get set up to blog from my new lap-top and also too edit pictures I'm posting. All the a-little-too-crunchy-lemon-bars in the world couldn't thank her enough for her tech-support. I say tech support, but for folks like me tech-support doesn't quite adequately convey the level of help I need. People talk about trouble-shooting. To me that means if there is one way to do something and 99 ways that don't work, I will find the 99 ways that don't work and around try 98 I will give up and ask for help. Then the person who is helping me will do what I couldn't accomplish in 2 hours in 3 seconds. At least I try. So thank you again for all your help today Barbara! It's good to be back! 

Thank you to friends and family for making my birthday such a special event this year. I'm feeling very loved and very thankful. God has graced us with Spring here and I'm so thankful to see the sun and all the gorgeous new blooms adorning the outdoors. I have laughed with family and friends and eaten the most delicious foods. Thank you for loving on me!

“It is written: Man must not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)      In January, I found myself needing to kick my recent efforts (to get healthier) up a notch. I visited my doctor and when I asked her “What’s up?” she said, “Your cholesterol!” Okay, not really, but I did learn that I need to bring my cholesterol down. I had already been focusing on my health some for my own reasons, but this moment was a catalyst for me to begin thinking more about being healthy… long-term. Long-term is the hard part. Long means…well long. I can go on an occasional 3 month health-sprint, but a health-marathon, that’s a whole other thing!      As I started learning about many changes I needed to make,  a little voice in my head said, “you can’t make this kind of lasting change.” But just after, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper into my heart, “you can’t, but I can.” Suddenly, I realized why I had only been a ...

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I remain in you, you will bear much fruit…” John 15:5 (NIV 2011)       I did something kinda funny the other day. Okay more than funny…more like air-headed! I was all jazzed up about this new watch/fitness device I bought. Couldn’t wait to try it out! I charged it up and got ready to run. I was really disappointed by the end of the run, because 2 of the 4 areas the watch was supposed to monitor couldn’t possibly be correct!!! I had been running at a pretty good pace for a pretty good while and my watch pronounced that I had only burned 19 calories and gone .13 of a mile. What?!? I decided that my new dream watch was not so cool and promptly going back to the store. That’s when a key factor occurred to my husband Mark. My watch tracked stats by following my movement on a GPS. The problem was…my first run with the watch on was on the treadmill :) Hellooooooo! Once I got past feeling like a total...

             You know the rest…, “do it to the glory of God.” I had the privilege of attending the Timothy Barnabas conference  (a pastors and wives conference ) in Scottsdale, AZ this week. I was encouraged in so many ways! The environment and food were both truly amazing. The arid heat, palm trees and Saguaro cacti were such an interesting contrast to Washington’s tall pine trees, rivers and mild climate. I love it all, because it reminds me that God is creative and boundless. I was encouraged to spend time with others in ministry and hear their stories.  I was encouraged through Christian entertainment and the environment itself gave me license to just have fun and enjoy God, and my husband. I heard inspiring testimonies from other leaders in ministry, both men and women. It meant so much to me that God was using others in His body and that people like Johnny Hunt and his wife Janet were so purposeful about encouraging the likes of me...

Since moving into our new home, Mark has found several herbs around the house among the landscaping as well as in the garden. Mark loves to garden and is glad he gets to continue cultivating them. I have especially enjoyed putting the chives in my potato dishes, and the rosemary along with garlic, lemon, and oil to marinate chicken. I’m feeling very organic these days :)

  Barbara and I have been having fun creating art in the afternoons. We have been trying our hand at watercolor, ink, and handwriting.