Want an icy treat to keep handy in your freezer for family and unexpected guests? I’ve got the perfect recipe for you! Go to Weekend Kindness and read about my “Slush Shop”…

And I apologize for not getting much blogging done here lately. In between finishing up the school year, nieces’ graduations, traveling to nephew’s wedding, painting my house, helping dh build a chicken house, and keeping up with all my CHICKEN CHORES (good grief the little ladies are a full-time job!)…well, and all the time I’m spending working out (I’ve lost 15 lbs!!)…

More than blogging, I miss reading your blogs! Hope and pray  everyone is having a wonderful May!

Today I’m posting over at Weekend Kindness, Give a Little Extra Love. Check out my list of easy ways to bless your spouse, and while you’re there, spend some time browsing–there’s some great posting going on over there!

MInTheGap, most influential to my blogging beginnings, also runs the Weekend Kindness site. I encourage you all to check it out regularly, subscribe to it, etc. He’s recruited many great contributors and during the month of February the topic line-up has included: date ideas, special ways to show love to your spouse, showing love to kids, and passion and purity.

Tomorrow I’ll be posting there, with a post titled, “Ten Easy Ways to Savor Life With Your Kids”.

Hope you stop by and get acquainted with the great folks over there!

I’m posting over at Weekend Kindness today, here’s what’s up:

What is the “good~better~best” lifestyle? Why, it’s the grading scale of who you are, and how you represent yourself (good), your family (better), and God (best). Practicing “good” manners becomes the bare minimum against such expectations.

This is a parenting post intending to help us rev it up a notch! What goals do you have for your children’s training in 2008?

This week at Weekend Kindness I wrote about the contents of a letter that warmed me from the heart out, from a dear childhood friend. Be sure to go over there and read, Across the Miles.

While you’re there, you might want to print off the most delicious recipe for pumpkin soup that I’ve ever come across!

Delicious!

MInTheGap over at Weekend Kindness has started a “What’s Your Story?” meme. Time to share our engagement stories…here’s mine!

I met my future dh when I was a junior in high school. We quickly became best friends, and his interest turned early on to one of a more serious nature! I wasn’t ready to think about marriage…so I broke things off with him.

Fast forward to the summer before my senior year. I’d been missing my best friend and committed to praying about getting in touch with him again. God showed me in a series of affirmations that we were, indeed, meant to reconnect. Meanwhile, dh had been letting me “sow my wild oats”–he’d graduated three years before–and was waiting in the sidelines with a pretty much broken heart.

God got us together, and the night of the Christmas dance–December 18, 1992–after asking my dad for my hand in marriage, the love of my life presented me with the most beautiful diamond engagement ring.
I had a blast showing it off to all my friends, and we got married a month after graduation! That was fourteen years ago…and we’re still best friends.

I’d like to hear the engagement stories of the following bloggers:

1. Amy at Knight’s Acre
2. Gina at Portrait of a Writer
3. Jessica at Farm Fresh

Here’s How it Works:

• Copy the link to this image (hot - linking is fine by me!)
• Write your story of how you got engaged.
• Select 3 bloggers that are married or have gotten engaged and let them know that you want to know their story.
• Make sure you link back to this How Did You Get Engaged post.

Today is my middle daughter’s seventh birthday! I intended on getting this post up this morning, but alas, we’ve been having birthday fun instead!

I’m excited to be blogging at Weekend Kindness again. MInTheGap has rounded up a great group of writers, with the focus of the site being on relationship-builders. This week he’s introducing all of us, and I titled my intro: An Invitation to Linger. In it, I explained why I named my blog Home-steeped Hope, and no, it’s not because our home is nestled into a steep hillside, though that in itself is certainly true.

I began with this quote:

“Tea was once reserved for the upper classes who had time on their hands. Nowadays, it’s the opposite. We’re so busy that we take tea to escape from the pressure and the fast pace, especially when someone invites, ‘Oh, do come for tea…’ Now, you have an excuse to linger.” ~Gail Greco

And you’ll have to visit Weekend Kindness for the rest…

This past weekend’s mission was:

Send a love letter listing the reasons “Why I love you so much.”

So I wrote a love letter to my husband…he’s the best, and I’m so glad God put us together! In deference to his private nature, I decided I shouldn’t post it here…so I removed my original list.

Have a Weekend Kindness to Share? Leave a Comment and we’ll paste your link here: 

What I Love About My Wife at MInTheGap

What is this? | Get the code!
View More Weekend Kindness Participants

Have to admit, this Weekend Kindness assignment was another case of perfect timing.

Our family went to Hobby Lobby last week to buy some stamping supplies…as my oldest daughter wanted to make cards for her “birthday craft”. Imagine our excitement as we came down the stamping aisle to see that EVERYTHING was 50% off! Everything! So we were able to get twice the amount for the money…stamps to make a variety of cards…and alphabet stamps in upper and lower cases…white cards/envelopes, cream colored cards/envelopes, postcards, etc. And today, we stamped to our hearts content!

It was so much fun. Reminded me of a few years ago when my dear friend Jana came for a few days visit and brought me the coolest hostess gift…supplies to make “coffee themed” cards. Don’t you just love it when someone takes your interests to heart and blesses you like that? Love you a ‘latte’ Jana!

So, I scanned my “Just Because” card for dh…assignment fulfilled. Now we girls are going to hurry to the mailbox so he’ll find it (and the ones they made for him) when he gathers the mail on his way up our lane…

Thanks for another fun WK!

Have a Weekend Kindness to Share?
Leave a Comment and we’ll paste your link here:
What is this? | Get the code!
View More Weekend Kindness Participants

From MInTheGap:

“I’m pleased to announce the return of Weekend Kindness!

What is Weekend Kindness? It’s a site devoted to helping you reach out to those around you with a kind spirit in the effort to make a difference.

Each week (on Wednesday) a new “mission” is presented to you to accomplish by the following Monday.  Participants have done crazy things like give treats to people in line at the grocery store, attempt to babysit children for parents, and  give secret surprises.

With this new installation, we’ve streamlined the “code” a little and we’ve added a new wrinkle in that we’ll be providing you with ways to help build your relationships with others around you– particularly your spouse!

How does it work?  We give you a mission, you sign up, you perform the mission (or write about a time when someone was kind to you) and write a post about it on your blog.  We’ll link to you and then others will go around, read your kindness and link to theirs!”

This first week’s mission is posted, so go on over to Weekend Kindness and sign up today!