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12 JAN

Ha-Ha, He-He, Health

The healing power of humor and maintaining a merry heart have been around since ancient times. “A cheerful heart is good medicine,” proclaims Solomon in Proverbs 17:22. Even modern science agrees.

Stanford University psychiatrist Dr. William Fry, Jr., has done extensive research on the physiological benefits of laughter and has found that humor plays an active role in maintaining a healthy heart. “Humor acts to relieve fear,” Fry exclaims. “Excessive fearful thoughts, built-up anger, and tension put tremendous pressure on the heart. Yet, laughter readily relieves stress and promotes a positive perspective. This uplifted spirit breeds hope and leads to healing and well-being.”
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08 JAN

Is It The Battle of the Bulge?

Well, I have officially started my New Year’s Resolutions. In my quest to lose fifteen pounds this year and lower my cholesterol, I’ve renewed my gym membership and have started working out again. In fact, I actually joined a new gym, and for Christmas my husband got me three months with a personal trainer. Pretty nice gift!

So far it’s been tough, but well worth it. My trainer pushes me much harder than I’d ever push myself. Plus, he’s teaching me a totally different way to work out that I’ve never tried before.

02 JAN

A New Year of Resolutions

Well, Christmas was a big hit at our house. Within 5 minutes all the gifts had been opened and my daughter proudly exclaimed “Christmas Day is over. I’d like to go watch Barney.” My husband and I tried desperately to get her to play with her new toys, but all she wanted to do is […]

01 JAN

Tropical Salad with Mango Dressing

Ingredients:

1 c. pineapple (fresh, diced)

1 c. mango (fresh, diced)

1 c. kiwi (fresh, sliced)

1 c. strawberries (fresh, sliced)

1/2 c. blueberries (fresh)

2 c. baby spinach (fresh)

1 recipe Mango Dressing (below)

1/4 c. grated coconut (fresh)

1/2 c. almonds (sliced)

Mango Dressing:

2 T. cornstarch

2 T. cold water

1 c. mango juice

sprinkle cinnamon

01 JAN

Red Bush Tea

The mild taste of Africa-grown rooibos—pronounced Roy-boss—(Aspalathus linearis) has made it a very popular ingredient in various herbal-tea blends. The name means “red bush;” a flowering shrub that grows in the Cedarberg mountain region in South Africa’s western cape, north of Cape Town.

Rooibos is an erect shrub that grows about five feet high. It sports reddish-brown stems and bright-green needlelike leaves. Since it’s a legume, the root contains nodules inhabited by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This characteristic enables the plant to survive the nutrient-poor, acidic soils of the Cedarberg region.
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24 DEC

The Perfect Gift

It’s Christmas! The anticipation has been building, and we’ve finally made it to the Big Day! My daughter’s thrilled, to say the least. Every day she’s been asking me, “Is it Christmas Day yet? I wanna open Abby’s presents.” And every day I’ve had to tell her “No, not yet. You just have to wait […]

18 DEC

Laugh A Little

Laughter is the best medicine, or so the saying goes. What is it about laughing that makes us all feel so good? I mean think about it; don’t you just love a good belly laugh every now and again? You know one of those laughing fits where you’re rolling around holding your belly crying and begging for mercy. Those are the best kinds of laughs!

Even at Christmastime we refer to Santa Clause as “Jolly” Old Saint Nicholas. And for most of us the holiday season is filled with joy, laughter, and happy feelings. There’s so much that makes us happy at this moment in the year; Christmas parties, church functions, and gatherings with family and friends that brings a smile to even the grouchiest of scrooges.

A Passion for Planet Earth

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground,” (Genesis 1:26-28, New Living Translation).
Hard to imagine that over thousands of years ago God gave this world to us to protect, to love and nurture, and call our home. So, what exactly happened? Did we forget our vow to nature? Did sin taint us so badly that we have forgotten how to be kind, considerate, and how to shield and shelter our earth? I think that somehow over time we’ve become lazy and taken for granted this wonderful earth that God entrusted to our care.
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04 DEC

Through A Child's Eyes

Well, it’s that time of year again. Christmas. Everyone’s in a cheery mood. There’s hustle and bustle everywhere you turn. No parking spaces at the mall; the grocery stores and restaurants are crowded. Christmas music fills the air, and the sight of holiday lights warms the heart.

Everyone’s preparing for the big day. That means a big meal, big gifts, and lots of time spent with family and friends. It really is very special. I, like everyone else, have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get gifts together. I’ve already bought for my kids and husband, but it’s the rest of the family that has me in a whirl. I like to give personal gifts, so the past four days I’ve spent most of my waking hours on shutterfly.com making photo Christmas gifts for all the grandparents. It’s been so time consuming that my house looks like a tornado hit it (ha-ha), my poor family. As you can imagine, it’s become the big joke this week, “So, you’re still on the computer?” that’s the playful banter I usually hear. I promised this week would be better, but I have a feeling it won’t be.

28 NOV

A Season of Depression

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I spent a total of fifty hours in the backseat of our car between my screaming 3-month-old baby and a very restless 2-year-old. However, I will say that the time we spent with our family was absolutely priceless. It was such a blast . . . I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! The memories that we made will be imprinted in my mind and heart forever.

So, what does everyone think about the time change? I will tell you that I don’t like it. The days get so short. It feels like 10 p.m. when it’s only 5 p.m., and the hours of sunlight just seem to dwindle away into the darkness. It’s no wonder some people suffer with seasonal depression during the winter months. Winter can be kind of depressing especially when one is cooped-up with children who are bundles of energy. I’ve probably already been suffering from cabin fever since August; the winter months will just be an extension of the already long “maternity leave.”