All posts tagged: Featured

The Heart & 5 Fitness Philosophies to Help You Stick With It

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“Shine like stars in the universe.” -Philippians 2 So, I’m sitting at my middle school son’s football game this week when I hear guttural, deep chested orders, like the cry of a drill sergeant from basic who gives himself rewards of extra time to iron his own uniform when he’s been gloriously harsh and made a recruit cry. Instead of the bark of, “You can’t handle the truth,” this commander’s voice growled across the field, “CRUSH them, Hawks,” and was actually a woman, an everyday mom who checked her femininity at the gate. You might chuckle and think, “Oh yes, there’s always one of those.” But, there wasn’t just one of them. Oh no! They were everywhere, a surrounding chorus of rough, raucous moms shouting, “KILL THEM” and worse, and laughing at each other the louder they got. In classic form, my mirth bubbled up inside of me and I had to smash it down, like a bubbles trying to pour out of a shaken soda bottle on to the floor. I mean, I cheer, …

Weight Room Tips for Newbies and Women & Facing Criticism Like a Boss

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Above picture: Me at the gym doing Rectus Abdominis work (abs) using a weight between my feet. “He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.” – Psalm 18 Today around 6:00 p.m.,  I was happily driving through our high school parking lot to pick up my football players, when my daughter spotted an old friend, “Look, Mom, there’s Rick Dean.” Being about as energetic as the “Eveready Bunny” with greeting people, I stretched my arm in a friendly arc and waved vigorously. Rick looked absolutely vacant, about as empty as a jug of sweet tea in the south at a church potluck on the hottest day of Jul-Eye (yes, it has to be spelled that way in Miz-ippi). He must not have spotted me yet, so I tried again, this time with a full arm extension and an overjoyed smile. “Hi, Rick!” Yeah, nothing. Either Rick’s brain was taking a serious mental vacation, drifting off to the land of milk, honey and unicorns after a long day …

Life Calling, Daily Eating Checklist & A Green Coffee Smoothy

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The pictures above are some before and after shots.  “Oh, Jo. Jo, you have so many extraordinary gifts; how can you expect to lead an ordinary life? You’re ready to go out and – and find a good use for your talent. Tho’ I don’t know what I shall do without my Jo. Go, and embrace your liberty. And see what wonderful things come of it.” -Marmee from Little Women, 1994  No joke, this week, I was driving along just minding my own business, humming away to You Don’t Think You’re Beautiful by One Direction. Yes, that’s a junior high girls’ dream boy band. Don’t judge. 😜 And, one of my lovely daughters, with gold strands of hair down her back, with a feminine way of pushing her hair gently behind her ear, and the one who always picks peach, turquoise, glitter and tulle, made the throaty noise of collection in the back of her mouth and spat out the car window, like she was a beast of a defensive end who just played a …

Storms, A Healthy Blended Cocktail and a Fall Eating Challenge 

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Photo credit: Cynthia Miller  The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way.” Psalm 37:23 When I was 6 or 7 years old, our family took a vacation at the beach. We gathered our rainbow colored towels, red plastic Coleman cooler, our “been there, done that” t-shirts and coconut Jamaican Island sun block and started marching across the road near the beach, which waved like a golden welcoming hand in the heat. In my exuberance, because I have always loved the outdoors and get positively giddy when I see waves, I tore ahead of my family, across the empty blacktop towards the glorious cobalt water with the sound of waves rushing in my ears. The next thing I knew, my Dad’s voice bellowed out, authoritative and strong, “Stoooooop!” Without understanding why or having time to even process it, I screeched to an immediate halt and a motorcycle slammed from 45 to a stop at the same moment, maybe a foot from the end of my toes. My Dad, with his quirky …

How to Bust Through A Diet and Exercise Resistant Weight Plateau & Heart Health

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Photo credit: Juliette Rolfe “Is not this the fast that I choose… Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him…Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily…Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’” -Isaiah 58 Important note: Thank you for being patient, as we worked out the kinks in this blog post. This is the second time I am posting it and it is greatly altered, hopefully for the better. 🙂 Before you do any cleanse or fast, whether you’re in perfect health or not, you absolutely need to consult a qualified and experienced doctor, as everyone is at different places with their health and what their bodies can handle. A doctor who has experience with nutrition and fasting would determine the suitability of this type of cleanse for you, measure your percent body fat as you progress, keep an eye on your health as …

20 Years and Hot Pineapple Salsa

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“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm.” – Song of Songs 8:6 Wasn’t I in my teens just yesterday? Didn’t I style my hair with arcing, 5 inch bangs, wear the original skinny jeans with leg warmers, cheer, ” R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,” for Broadrun Highschool and have a crush on the consumate Mullet Boy who sat behind me in Algebra 1 just yesterday? Except for those nights I drop into bed at night from parenting, I still feel 20! 🙂 Last week, Daniel and I celebrated 20 years of marriage! We are taking our big trip to celebrate in the spring; I am hoping for somewhere hot, beachy, with tropical hikes and killer Pina Coladas. In honor of 20 years together… This little girl with a white fro from northern Indiana Amish country was born and her father, contrary to his Mennonite upbringing, joined the U.S. Air Force and traveled across the seas, far and wide. She became a young woman. At the same time (Give or take five years …

Summer Vignette #3: Vacation!

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At 4:30 a.m. we headed out on vacation! ⚡️🎉🎊💥 We are militant travelers, limiting our hydration, so we don’t have to stop much. 😳 Can you see where we were headed (below)? That’s right, the palm tree laiden land of the Arizonians, where pool cleaning is more lucrative than hobby lobby is in a female dominated populace of middle aged “cropping” suburbanites. 😜 Before you scream, “generalization,” please note… I am one of those. Lol. On the way, we wondered if my husband was being called to the backwoods. After 12 long hours- paradise found! Ok, ok. Scottsdale is hardly paradise but it is hot, has palm trees, a pool and is out of our norm. Besides, nobody in their right mind goes there in the peak of summer, so it was cheap! LOL. Here’s what it looks like. Many hours were spent by the pool. Do you remember me telling you about my youngest three doing water aerobics with the older crowd? Well, they wouldn’t miss it for the world! The first day, we hit …

Summer Vignette #2: Yearly Cleanup and Happy 4th!

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Love getting my daily scriptures after I run; a little vitamin for my heart. 👍 Daniel had SO much to do this week, staining our deck and a friend’s deck. So, we formed “Team Bless You” to surprise him. We cleaned the garage, the upstairs of the barn and the car. This is us right before we set to work- grrr, determined! 💪                           Lots of evening dinners around the fire after a week of house repair and organization for the year. Found these gluten free flour tortillas for Joab at Trader Joes. They were chewy but not bad.                           Add a little meat, fresh veg, black beans,  cheese, homemade salsa and Kapow! This is Isaak scoring in his end of season rugby game. 🎉                           I’m loving that “stone washed” is back in, apparently. 80s graduates unite! 🙌 …

Summer Vignette Post #1, Camping, College and Blooming!

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“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD… He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green” – Jeremiah 17 For those of you who didn’t see last week’s blog post, I am taking a one month break from my usual format and just posting lots of pics of my family and what we are getting up to 🙂 It is finally hot in Colorado; can I get a rousing, “Amen!” The picture above is my big hearted Dad and I, in honor of Father’s Day. We took the family to Grand Junction this week to check out Mesa State College because my son is senior this year. I can’t tell you the exhilaration of driving 7.5 hours to find that our peaceful Palisade campsite was maybe 50 feet, on a hot, mirage-filled day, from Interstate 70! But, we decided to laugh it off with a little repetitive and quality family humor, “I am so happy to be up here …

God Loves His Creation and Gluten Free Baking

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Oh, how I need a few things in life… laughter, sunshine, flowers, my family and God. Did I mention my insatiable love for blueberries/raspberries, writing, Spanish Flamenco guitar music, Turkish, Mexican and American bbq food, well written fiction, the beach, palm trees, Maui (have I made my point yet :-)), adventure, living abundantly, old friends, blue jeans, the late afternoon sun, hot showers, white curtains, politics/law, the outdoors, architecture, beauty, directness, peonies, distance shooting, farm country, 100% cotton, barns, minimalist landscape paintings, joy, Lily of the Valley, smokey quartz, horses, european countryside and interior design to name a few. And, that is some about the person called Laurie Anne, with all her complexities, quirks, joys and flaws. 🙂 Honestly, what God has been reminding me about this week is a little difficult to write. Randomly, some old memories have come to the surface, like sediment at the bottom of a lake that gets stirred up with a summer rain. I actually think God allows that at times, so he can speak to and teach us. …