Wow! 2014 was an amazing year for us! It was a year of expansion and blessing. At the beginning of the year, we had more than outgrown our space. We knew we couldnʼt possibly grow any more unless we made a change and moved. With some trepidation, we took some small steps towards finding a bigger place for our family and for Heartwood Gifts. We spoke with our financial advisor (Rob Gawthrop at Gawthrop Financial), found a realtor, and went out and looked at a few places. On just our third outing, we found a place that was even more perfect for us than we knew. It was not smooth sailing, though. There were several large obstacles, but after 6 (very long) roller coaster weeks, we purchased our new place. We had to wait a few months for possession but, finally, in June we moved in. It was lovely to be able to spend the summer months settling in to our new home and neighborhood, before the homeschool year started up again. We suddenly had a lot more space for inventory and shipping, and we had fun setting up our “Heartwood Gifts” room. We thought that this was our new normal, but God had more in mind for us than we realized. In August, we were faced with a big decision to do with our wood signs. We had to either abandon that line of gifts or jump in with both feet. We both love wood signs, though. Because they can be personalized, they have a unique potential to encourage and uplift those who read them. They can celebrate the arrival of a new baby, or the beginning of a new marriage. They can help build family identity. They can be touching, inspirational or humorous. There are endless possibilities. So, we decided to jump in with both feet. We took over the production of the signs, from designing to engraving to hand painting. What a blast! We just had our busiest Christmas season to date. Thank you to all of our customers for being a part of this journey! We feel really blessed