Rules for Cookie Exchange

1.  All cookies should be homemade and baked.

2.  Please bring 8 dozen total cookies.

3.  Set aside one dozen cookies for platter that is provided to share at party.

4.  Arrange 6 cookies per container for everyone to take home.  (This number is subject to change and will get exact number to you soon.)

5.  Be creative in how you package your cookies.  You may use such things as tins, cookie boxes, cookie bags, any homemade craft, etc.

6.  No plain chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies, cookie mixes, no bakes, or meringues.

7.  The theme is “Christmas Cookies.”  Cookies may be from other origins.

8.  RSVP as soon as you can and let me know what type of cookies you are planning on baking so we won’t have duplicates and have an accurate number before it’s time to make cookies.

9.    You can make your cookies up to 3 days before the party.

10.  If you don’t have time to bake, or have burnt your cookies, but still want to attend, you must go to a real bakery and buy 6 dozen yummy cookies.

Benefits of weight lifting

Bottom line...weight lifting for women is a must for overall great health! 


Muscles require less room than fat does, when women strength train, they tend to actually lose inches rather than gaining them. So not only are there a number of physical benefits such as an increase in the metabolism, a decrease in the risk of osteoporosis, an increase in strength and so on, weight lifting for women will actually help a woman to slim down as well.

Women are much more likely to actually tone up from the process of strength training than to bulk up. Research has shown for a long time now that women can add 30% lean muscle or more to their bodies and still end up looking much thinner, feeling much stronger and appearing much firmer than ever before.

Women and Weightlifting: Myths and Benefits

How many times have I heard women say, "I don't want to get big and bulky." There is such a misconception when it comes to women and weightlifting.  Don't get me wrong, cardio and aerobics have their place in the exercise world, but weight training is extremely important.  Let's look at some myths:

Myth #1  Weightlifting makes you bulky and masculine.

Women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do.  You are probably envisioning female bodybuilders who are competing on television.  Most of these women, unfortunately, use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity.   Speaking from experience,  I have been lifting heavy for 4 years and have a fitness/figure body, no huge muscles, just definition.  I have never felt better in my life and only weight train 3 days a week and 5 days of 30 minute cardio.

Myth #2  Exercise increases your chest size.

Women’s breasts are composed mostly of fatty tissue. It is impossible to increase breast size through weight training. Actually, if you lose a certain percentage of body fat, your breast size will decrease.

Myth #3 If you stop weight training, your muscles turn into fat.

Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue.  When you stop weight training, you start to lose muscle whereas, fat will start to accumulate.  Your metabolism slows down with inactivity.  Therefore, The way a body transformation occurs is by gaining muscle through weight training and losing fat through aerobics and diet simultaneously.

We will look at the benefits tomorrow…..

Choose to be Happy Make the Choice

You can choose to be happy and confident.

Humans are decision making animals. From the moment you wake up until the moment you fall asleep you make choices. What to wear, what to eat, to floss or not you are making decisions, consciously and unconsciously, all the time.

However, people suffering with low self esteem often believe they have no choice in how they ultimately feel about themselves.

This is just not so!

You have the power to change your thoughts which will transform how you feel and behave - how you experience life.

The sooner you realize that you are responsible for your own happiness - no other person, material possession or external condition can make you happy or unhappy - the sooner you can consciously choose thoughts that support your positive self esteem and self confidence.

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Choosing thoughts that support your well-being requires awareness of the thoughts you are thinking that detract from your feeling good about yourself.

The first step is to notice when you are being critical and judgmental of yourself. Then make the choice to strengthen your brain pathways that supports positive self esteem by choosing new thoughts and focusing your attention on them.

The Secret of Contentment

Contentment comes from the heart; it is not dependent on material things. Contentment is the opposite of self-pity. If our hearts are content because we trust in God as our loving provider, then we'll tend to keep our eyes off our troubles. But if we dwell on our wants or our difficulties (great or small), we will lose sight of the provisions God is granting us. Contentment is not based on what you have; it is based on how you choose to view life. It is an issue of the heart. 

" Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart....(Job 1:21)

He is richest who is content with the least.

Moms and Daughters-Modesty and inner beauty

Are girls growing up too fast?  Are moms teaching and coaching their daughters about being modest and pure?  Are girls more worried about their outward appearance than their inner beauty?

"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious."  1Peter3:3,4


Check out www.secretkeepergirl.com and www.purefreedom.org for great resources on bringing up your tweens and teens.


Recommended books:


Secret Keeper Girl: 8 Great Dates for You and Your Daughter
Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl