Spending $ on Cotton Candy

Hello!  Thank you for stopping by my blog!  Today I am writing about something that I have been pondering lately.  This began with some things that I had read last week, a movie that I watched over the weekend, a few songs that I have heard and the things that you think about when it is quiet - like when walking the dog or in the shower or whatever!

I have been reading in Isaiah 55 and will include some highlights below.  This is one of those sections where God is reaching out to us and I pause to take stock of where I am right now and where I want to be.

This is from The Message paraphrase: 

“Hey there! All who are thirsty,
    come to the water!
Are you penniless?
    Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
    Buy without money—everything’s free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
    your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
    fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
    listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.

Seek God while he’s here to be found,
    pray to him while he’s close at hand."

And this is from the New Living Translation:

“Is anyone thirsty?
    Come and drink—
    even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
    it’s all free!Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
    Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
    You will enjoy the finest food.

Come to me with your ears wide open.
    Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
    I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

Seek the Lord while you can find him.
    Call on him now while he is near." 

There are so many things that go into our days.  It can be hard to know where to place the greater investments of our time and energy.  Today's blog entry is NOT all about clean eating, but I had to chuckle when I read the reference to "cotton candy" in The Message.  We all know that cotton candy is void of nutritional value.  So if we are spending $ on it and expecting to be well-fueled, we are mistaken with that choice.  Yet in life we oftentimes spend ourselves on "cotton candy".  Sometimes this happens by accident!  It is easy enough to just lose track of the present and then we wander into the future without much purpose or intention.

We were watching a really sweet movie over the weekend - "Where Hope Grows" and the following quote was part of that movie and it really got me thinking...

I have some pretty incredible memories when I look back on my life. I do cherish them.  I admit that I am not much of a "dreamer".  Oftentimes it is the self-preservation and fear of being disappointed and wanting to avoid all of that.  I am for sure a go-getter and will work very hard towards a goal.  But it is not so much driven by a big dream as it is by just reaching the next rung and putting my hands to work with what is right in front of me.  

Sometimes I think that I do need to dream a bit more... yet I balance this with some advice from Proverbs which has been a mainstay in my life!!!  I continually bring my heart before the Lord and ask Him to direct my path and my desires and to correct my course where I am not following Him.  There is an area where I have had to be on high-alert lately.  My husband and I are just not on the same page with some steps toward the future and sometimes I just have to HALT and drop to my knees and pray for the Lord to help me to move forward in a way that honors Him. 

Isaiah 26:3-4 has been on my mind so much lately and it was a neat bonus to open my Bible Gateway app early this morning and to see that today's verse of the day is also from this chapter.  Here are the words that I hold on to in my everyday life...

"You will keep in perfect peace
    all who trust in you,
    all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Trust in the Lord always,
    for the Lord God is the eternal Rock"

So where does all of this lead me??

I am asking myself what I am "spending myself" on today.  I do not want it to be cotton candy!  Time to look forward and step fully into a next chapter.  It is good to dream a bit and keep on asking the Lord to guard my heart that I will dream the dreams that He has for my life.  I find peace when I keep my thoughts and heart fixed on Him.

There is a song that I keep coming back to over and over again during this time in life - when I look back on autumn 2015, this will be part of the soundtrack of this chapter!  Check out these words and melody.  And here is another one that I have been turning up lately!  We have so much to celebrate!  

Cars, Contentment and Change

Hello!  Thanks for stopping by my blog!  My name is Jeanette Paradis.  I am a mom and wife who works from home as a health coach.  I have found myself chuckling over something these past 24 hours and wanted to share the story here...

 

So, the photo above?  Those who know me are probably surprised to see me with a 2016 BMW SUV here in my own driveway??  Hmm - what is up with that?  Our car of the past year is a 2014 Honda Insight... a little hybrid that gets 50 mpg!  We are a single car family and we are planning to pay off this car and save before purchasing another car.  With my husband working close to home and me working from home, it is doable to share one vehicle.  Is it always convenient?  Nope!  Is it that hard?  Not really.  We have found a way to make it work.

 

Last month, we had driven down to see my family!  Through a miscommunication and a lot of confusion in my sister's driveway - aunts, cousins, grandparents, a family birthday and getting ready to go to the Elk County fair, something happened.  My dad backed into my car!  No one was hurt.  In retrospect, I was in a bad spot when it happened.  I have wished soooooooo many times that I could go back and change it!  My dad kept it together and SO GENEROUSLY offered to take care of all of the damages by filing an at-fault claim through his insurance.  I don't know if he has ever even had one of those??  Oh dear.  It took a while to get the car on the schedule at our nearby body shop but it is finally there this week!  We will have a new driver's door and repair work will take place on other parts of the vehicle as well.  

 

 

Yesterday I dropped off our car and through some turn of events, our "loaner vehicle" is this BMW!?!  It is an SUV.  The kids had asked me OVER and OVER what sort of car I would have when I picked them up from school yesterday?  I told them it would probably be something similar to what we own... they kept laughing and remembered the LAST time we had a loner car.  More on that in bit!  When I picked them up yesterday, my 6 year old nonchalantly stated, "We should just keep this car.  I like it better".  Hmm... discussion on value and how this car is worth like THREE of our car.  Driving the BMW X3 actually reminds me quite a bit of our Honda Pilot.  We had the Pilot before the Insight Hybrid.  

 

Side note - why on earth did we go from our special edition loaded Pilot down to our little base package Insight?  My husband is 6'2", after all!  To be honest, the mpg of the Pilot (we averaged 16-17 mpg) was KILLING me!  But I did love driving that thing.  The 3rd row seating and built in entertainment system were great for when we had friends riding with us.  When I was working with a 50 mile round trip commute to the barn where I taught riding lessons, there was MANY a drive on 90 where I encountered some awful weather and the Lord used that vehicle to keep me securely on the road.  Unfortunately, just going to work and back cost $12 in gas at that time.  Going down to see my family for the weekend cost $60 round trip!  I wanted to be able to go and see my family more often this past year - and we certainly have!!!!  We bought our Insight in September of 2014 and I LOVE being able to visit my family for about $12 in gas, rather than $60!  Are we "cozy" in those quarters?  For sure!  Is it worth it?  Yes.  I like being able to go and see my family often and not have to feel badly about it!

 

 

Before the Pilot, we had an older CR-V and that was a great vehicle for us as well.  So, back to the last time we had a loaner??  The Pilot was in to get the timing belt replaced and Bianchi Honda was going to keep it for a full day.  They gave us the most teeny-tiny vehicle EVER to drive around town that day!!!!  The kids and I looked at the thing and the tires looked less substantial than what was on their bicycles!  We got into it and felt like we were inches from the pavement!  We started it up and vibrated so much that we were dying laughing!  We began to drive and felt like we were in a go-kart or something!  It was SUCH a contrast from the Pilot and that was what we were accustomed to at that point in time.

So, what is the point of all of this?  Contentment has been on my mind lately.  Going from driving our banged-up little Insight hybrid into the unexpected BMW SUV loaner was quite a switch yesterday!  18 months ago, switching from our bells-and-whistles Pilot to the munchkin loaner was another contrast.  Part of it depends upon what we are accustomed to and our perspective on that.  Part of it depends on what we think we "should have" and where we are with attaining it.

When I was a kid, there was a day that I made my parents laugh and cringe at the same time!  I had been all over the place and was making everyone weary.  I quoted Philippians 4:12 and said that I "have learned" to be content in all circumstances.  Umm.... that has been a work in progress ever since!  We still laugh about that day and my announcement (in the midst of restless angst and pestering them for something!) that lo and behold, I had learned to be content gave us all reason to pause.  Thank God my parents have prayed for me my entire life!  Who can say where I would be without God's grace to me and their example over the years??

I can say NOW (at age 37) that I am really content with whatever I am driving, as long as it reliably gets me from Point A to Point B.  We are sooooo not mechanical here in my immediate household so we need a vehicle that runs well and doesn't require much beyond routine maintenance!  BMW or Honda hybrid or something in between... It is just not very important to me!

In the bigger picture?  In life itself?  I am learning more and more contentment.  For me, a LOT of it comes down to TRUST.  I trust God's plan for my life.  I trust that He is faithful to lead us.  I trust that he will provide for our family. I trust that He will draw my children to know Him more and more each day as we build our lives upon HIM as our foundation.

I posted these words on FB earlier this morning, along with the image below...

I woke up and thought of this favorite song.

The melody is just so perfect to me!

And the words are very much from scripture which just makes any song more significant to me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RRZgr7wNDs

Once a horse girl...

 

 Good evening!  Welcome to my blog!  This is going to be one of those "story" entries.  Sometimes I share clean eating recipes, fitness tips and reviews of Team Beachbody programs.  Not tonight!  Tonight is sharing life.  

Those who know me know that I am a horse girl.  I grew up with horses.  When I arrived and my mom married my dad, she sold her horse.  She always knew that she wanted to have horses again one day.  When I was 8 years old, we began taking riding lessons. When I was 9, we bought a horse and boarded him.  When I was age 10, my parents bought a farm and a few more horses that year and the years to come.  I grew up showing 4-H and over the years and with five project ponies/horses, I competed in just about every class with the exception of reining and the 3 foot hunters.  I will be forever thankful for my parents and two younger sisters and the way that we were raised with the horses as such a family thing.  

 

 

I began teaching beginner riding lessons at my parents' farm the summer that I was age 15.  I went on to grow along with my students and we advanced to the Hunter B Circuit and Arabian A Circuit Hunters as well as state-level 4-H competitions.  This continued on through my college years as I would return home each summer.  Best childhood ever on their 40 acre farm which is now for sale as they downsize and prepare for the next chapter. 
 

When I was 8 years old, I attended a 4-H meeting at a place that was unlike any that I had ever seen.  Windfall Farm.  This was in St. Marys, PA.  As a teen, I began working at Windfall as a show groom and also taught some lessons and worked with a summer camp.  See this blog entry on The Windfall Era and the people who significantly shaped my life during that time and beyond...  Windfall was such a part of my life and went a long way to shape me into the horsewoman that I would become.

Over the years, I went on to work professionally as a show groom, rider and instructor.  I had some incredible jobs and was honored to work with some amazing horses.  I was a show groom at Imperial Egyptian Stud near Baltimore, MD and learned some things from my involvement with the world-class breeding program there.  Orashan was a horse of fantasy and it was a thrill to groom him, do turn out and prep him for presentation to royalty from around the world.  This video filmed at Imperial shows what Orashan was like in his prime.  I worked with the babies as part of my job and "Imperial Bareez" was one of our weanlings/yearlings during my time there and I look at him now and am amazed to think that I was his primary handler during his early days.  Imperial has since closed as the owner aged and things changed.  However, doing a search this evening, it was neat to see some of "my" horses from '96-'97 represented at other farms.  I kept pulling my husband over to the computer to show him the horses that I handled daily back then which are still part of breeding programs today - nearly 20 years later!  I did horse care at a nice little barn in Geneseo, NY where I boarded my own mare "Kitty" during the time right after graduating from Bible college and working at the college for a couple of years.  

I left my office job at the college to return to horse world as the head instructor at a large and crazy-busy lesson/show facility in the DC area.  Then I moved to the Eastern Shore of MD for a riding/teaching role which was my favorite job ever.  That position had me between MD, NY and CT.  I was working for that family farm when I met my husband who had always been a CT guy.  Tudor Farms was the Maryland Property and in this video, you will see video of the barn around the 3:20 mark.

Then motherhood began and everything changed in 2006.  We moved from CT to Erie, PA that summer when I was expecting our firstborn.  I was happy to be back in my home state and was excited to be starting a family.  My parents still had a couple of older horses who had been two of my own 4-H projects during my youth.  We moved to Erie which is about 2.5 hours from the part of PA where I was raised.  After my daughter's birth, I went to 4-H judging school for the state of PA and held my judges card here for a few years.  I had judged prior to that and continued beyond that accreditation.  After my son arrived, it was difficult to leave my husband with two little ones in order to be gone judging with me needing to leave early for travel and then return late.  So I shifted gears and just covered open shows which were closer to home.  In September 2013 I began teaching at Faith Haven Stables - a nice barn that was an unfortunate 50 mile round trip from my home.  As much as I loved my lesson students and was continually impressed with the lesson horses, that drive and the ensuing 30 or so hours per week spent away from my family began to take a toll on everyone and I did wind up resigning later that winter.  I was really enjoying riding a few of the green horses there and knew that I would miss my rediscovered joy of working horses as opposed to playing around with the dear older horses at my parents' place.  

 

For the past year plus, I have deeply missed riding myself.  In September 2014, my old pony Holly passed away of natural causes.  Holly had come to us not-yet-weaned when we purchased her alongside of her mother just after moving to the farm in October of 1988.  

 

It had been just Holly and the palomino gelding Andy at my parents' place.  For the past five or so years, it really was just the kids riding the two older horses as we did not want to over-tax either one of them.  Just under two months ago, Andy, who was the last horse remaining at my parents' farm was welcomed by a family who was looking for a companion for their own horse who had lost his friend.  It was so wonderful to see photos of Andy settled at his new home, as hard as it was to say good-bye after his 21 years with our family.    

 

A month ago, a dream came true.  My youngest sister Rachel and her husband were able to FINALLY get things moving with their long-hoped/worked-for purchase of Windfall Farms in St. Marys!  Remember that place where I first visited at the age of 8 and went on to work during my teen years?  After the original owners of 45 years sold the property during their retirement and move down south, it was occupied for a couple of years by a QH operation and then sat vacant for 8 years until my sister and her husband moved in just three weeks ago!  Exciting times!  We have been down there each week since and it has been a whirlwind!  My sister and brother-in-law are tackling so many projects there right now - large and small!  It is remarkable to see the place coming back to life once again!

 

I posted this on my FB page last night...
How life has changed in the past 4 weeks is what I pondered while driving back to Erie.
It was a very, very good 29 hours down in Elk County.
Looking at the photos now while putting away things and starting some crazy-looking laundry makes me so thankful and I want to go back again soon!

The time with my family was so good and I truly love both of the horses that I found for my sister.
They moved to Windfall just 3 weeks ago and Millie arrived the next day. We met Phaedra just 5 days ago and she arrived the next day.
Life is just plain better with horses. And family! And fresh air and room to roam.

 

This past Friday, I was working in the barn with both of the horses and my 8 year old daughter said to me, "Mom, you are really good with horses."  So simple, but it meant the world to hear that from her.  She is getting to know this part of me in a new way - beyond jut spending time with the elderly horses who had been fixtures at my parents' farm.

Earlier this morning, I was messaging in "the family thread" where my mom and two sisters and I stay connected throughout each day (and night!) and I was sharing this with them...

Do you know what I realized last night and it was significant to me? God didn't let me sell my saddle, for all of the times that I tried. That is such a quality saddle and there is nothing like riding in it. I bought it when I was 16. It doesn't fit every horse but it is very nice on Millie. And Kitty's girth even fits her. Plus Kitty's bridle. So many times in the past year I have missed riding so much. I would think about it 3-4 times a week but didn't know when I would get to ride again. God knows the desires of our heart. I so enjoy riding Millie. She is such a joy. If I didn't have that saddle, it would not be the same. Sure, I could ride her in one of the western saddles but again, it just would be different. It was a reminder to me of God' plan and his timing and how He sees the big picture and we just see a part. He is faithful. 

I do not know what the future holds.  But of course I would love to spend more time at Windfall with my family - as in being there each day!  That is in God's hands and I will trust his timing.  My kids LOVE being there.  Getting my husband to embrace Elk County takes a bit more time and effort.  So we will see.  In the meantime, I am thankful for our super-gas-saver hybrid and the flexibility of my own health coaching business which allows me to travel and work from the road whenever I like.  It is not a stretch to picture a point in time a year from now where we would not depend on my husband's income as primary.  This could free us up to live wherever while pursuing a dream.  I hold that prayerfully before the Lord as I work hard and do my best each day.  He knows the desires of my heart and is certainly faithful.  Stay tuned for the rest of this story as it all unfolds!

Flexibility!

I am beginning my fourth week of PiYo here.  This program is unique and I am liking the benefits that I have already found through approaching my fitness through PiYo.  When I think of PiYo, one of the first words that comes to mind is flexibility!  You may have heard the life saying, “Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be bent out of shape.”  This of course applies to many areas of life and it has always made me smile!  This could be because flexibility has not always been my best thing.  We are talking physically and figuratively on this one!  I was never the Twister champ. :)  As much as I am a fun-loving person, stubbornness is right up there and I know that I can be overly idealistic at times. 

My life flexibility is frequently stretched daily.  I think that many of us can relate to that!  Being a mom is like boot-camp for flexibility training.  When I think back over the past eight years, I would certainly be much more uptight if not for these two kids who have rearranged my life. 

 

Many of have heard that it is important to "warm up" in order to not injure ourselves while working out.  I am thinking of life right now and how if I am not "warmed up" for my day, it is not going to be good.  How do I warm up for life?  I spend some time reading my Bible each morning and take a few moments to reflect on what I have found there.  I ask the Lord to please shape me and allow my life to align with HIS plans for my day.  If I do not do these things, I am going into my day COLD.  Flexibility is increased when we are warmed up and are pushing ourselves to reach beyond our current range.  I am feeling that in life these days. 

Here is a song that has always reset my focus.  This is what enables me to reach beyond where I am right now.  Without this, I am so rigid.  I have found music to be key in shaping where I place my thoughts throughout the day. 

 

I have definitely felt a significant improvement in my physical flexibility since starting with PiYo.  If you are intrigued by the idea that you could become more flexible yourself, contact me for details!

Here are some of the benefits of increased flexibility:

    * as listed on livestrong.com:

Less Back Pain

Tight muscles in the back and lower body can cause back pain, and improving your flexibility can help prevent and treat that pain. “Yoga Journal” explains that when the hamstrings are tight, they pull the pelvis down and create more pressure for the lower back. Plus, there is less stress on the spine when the hip flexors and pelvic muscles are flexible. Flexibility can also ease tension and soreness in muscles to relieve pain in the back and other areas of the body.

Increased Range of Motion

If your muscles are tight, they can cause a reduced range of motion throughout your body. This can give you trouble with everyday activities such as reaching overhead to take a dish out of the cupboard. Becoming more flexible can make these types of activities, as well as exercising, easier. It improves the range of motion throughout the body to help the body move more easily.

Injury Prevention

You are more prone to injury of the muscles, as well as tendons and ligaments, if you are not flexible, explains “Yoga Journal.” The tendons around the muscles stiffen when you do not stretch and keep them flexible. Having tight muscles gives you a reduced range of motion, so it is easier to go past that range of motion and injure yourself. Likewise, if you improve your flexibility, you increase your range of motion and lower your risk of an injury to the muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Improved Circulation

Tension in the muscles affects circulation, which can prevent nutrients and oxygen from properly moving through the body. When the muscles are more flexible, they relax and create improved circulation. The act of stretching also encourages circulation by helping blood move to the muscles and joints.

Less Stress and Better Posture

Flexibility can improve your posture because tight muscles affect your spine’s alignment. Flexible muscles also have less tension, so you can feel less stress than you would with a tight and tense body, according to the American Council on Exercise .

Watch Your Form

I was recently in the midst of a situation where I was feeling overwhelmed and very out-of-sorts.  I really hate that feeling and it seems as though it can quickly snowball.  You know what I mean?  I woke up this past Thursday morning and read the fifth chapter of Galatians before starting into my day.  I oftentimes read the "New Living Translation" and then also supplement with "The Message" as I soak in God's Word and pray that my life will be one that has been marinating in this perspective!  Here are some highlights (via The Message) from Galatians 5:

^4-6 "I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.
^16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?
^22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
^25-26 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original." 

  

These words are so powerful!  Reading back through them just now has me convinced that perhaps I should focus on this chapter and really break it down in my own mind and heart over the next several weeks!  Staying close to God through His Word SHAPES us.  Like nothing else.

So back to this past Thursday morning.  I had read these words from Galatians and then went down to the basement to begin my workout.  I was doing "Lower Fix" that morning and during the split squat move depicted in the image at the top of this entry, something hit me so hard that I had to pause the DVD and just take it all in.  "WATCH YOUR FORM" was the thing.  Now many of us know that while working out it is imperative that we use correct form or we will be more prone to injury not to mention that we will be ineffective with that particular move and are in effect wasting our time with it!  I am thankful to have my husband checking me out every now and then during my workouts!  With his athletic trainer background he is able to instantly spot where I may be going wrong with my form.  As much as this can irritate me at first, it is helpful.  He has my best interests at heart and I need to hear it.  But back to 5:45 on Thursday!  As I paused the DVD and sat down on my basement floor that morning, here is what I felt the Lord speaking to my heart... "Watch your form.  Right now.  In your life.  Otherwise you are going to be ineffective and will get hurt."  This has been settling in my heart over the past five days and I know that it is a life lesson that I will implement and remind myself of during the days ahead.  There is so much more to life than what we can see happening right in front of us.  What are we going to do with all that we have been given?