Oh, the sunsets the Lord has been painting the skies with lately! This was His Valentine to me this week! Isn't it special! Riley and I were walking one evening as the sky's colors began to shift into this grand display. Oh, the wonder in my heart, and the praise on my lips to the Lord for His sweet blessings that come to me just like this. 

Sharing The Things We've Learned...

In my last post, I mentioned that I wanted to share a post outlining all we have learned while attending Cardiac Rehab after Dan's heart attack, as well as our own research and what worked to allow him a full recovery and return to work with no restrictions! So here it is! Just warning you... this will be a rather long post! You might need a healthy snack and a favorite beverage! 

The last three months since Dan's heart attack have been filled with doctor's visits, travel to Cardiac Rehab, and doing all we can to get as healthy as possible, together.  All of this work was in anticipation of a required test (an echocardiogram) that would determine if Dan could go back to work. 

In my last post, I mentioned how excited I was that we were about to get some snow... now I know many of my readers don't care for snow at all, but you know how much I do LOVE the snow. Last week, the snow began to fall. It hasn't been a whole lot, we perhaps have about 8", but still, it has arrived! 

Happy New Year 2026! I know we say it every year, but it seems the year slides by faster and faster. I am not sad to see 2025 in the rearview mirror. It was a good year in many ways, but it has also been a difficult year. So we look forward to the New Year of 2026, and whatever it may hold, by faith we know that the Lord will be with us and all is well.  

Christmas - the WONDERFUL day of celebrating and remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, has come and gone for another year - but the memories linger and bring a smile to my heart!  

Our table set for Christmas dinner, complete with a nativity scene to keep close in our thoughts just what this season is all about!

Every year, I intentionally slow down during the Christmas season to soak up the joys of the season, and I am determined not to get caught up in the busyness that the season has become.  Yet, every year, it is hard to maintain. There are endless parties, gatherings, social events, expectations, gifts, and more. I'm sure you can relate. This Christmas, we are being intentional about giving handmade/thrifted gifts and spending more time just being together without any big endeavors. I usually bake mountains of food/cookies to have on hand and give away. This year, I've kept the recipes simple and easy.  

Our family tradition continues - we have been making Paintbrush Sugar Cookies together as long as I can remember. My mother started the tradition with us children, and I have continued it with my own.