Brooke Noble

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My Favorite Books

I’ve never considered myself to be an all-out bookworm, but I do love to read. There’s something absolutely wonderful about nestling down to read in a comfy chair with a blankie and a cuppa or finding a quiet spot outside to read. As summer break rapidly approaches for many of us, there will be more time to read books for pleasure, so I thought I’d make a list of a few of my favorites.

It can be hard to find well-written, quality books. There sure is a lot to sift through! Several times I’ve started a new “Christian” novel, only to be frustrated by the flakiness and lack of depth.

These books are ones that I’ve read and re-read over the years – ones that will always be numbered among my favorites. I am always on the lookout for good books, so I’d love to hear about books that you enjoy! And, as an idea for my fellow blogging friends, it would be fun to see a list of your favorite books on your lovely blogs. Hint, hint. ;)

So without further commentary, here is my book list:

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A Cup of Cold Water, by Christine Farenhorst

Mercy at Midnight, by Lois Hoadley Dick

Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor

Pheobe, by Diane Noble

Mama’s Bank Account, by Kathryn Forbes

Alone, Yet Not Alone, by Tracy Michele Leininger

Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss

The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom

Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink

The Endurance, by Alfred Lansing

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, by Roger Lancelyn Green

Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens

*These last books are some of my favorites among classic literature. I love many of the classics, but since you are probably familiar with them, I won’t list them here. :)

I also love the Daughters of the Faith Series, written by Wendy Lawton. I haven’t read them all, but you can find out more about them here.

Almost Home (our favorite!), Courage to Run, Ransom’s Mark, The Tinker’s Daughter, Freedom’s Pen, Shadow of His Hand, Indian Paintbrush and The Captive Princess.

Thoughts

It’s the time….

It’s the time…

to make summer plans

to see the flowers bud and bloom:

to go on long walks

to bask in the sunshine

to work, to play

to officially graduate from high school

to have my senor pictures taken:

to study hard

to sweep up old leaves from last fall

to weed the landscaping

to play frisbee with the boys outside

to eat lunch out on the deck

to run 5ks

to play memory match on quiet kid evenings at home while snacking on fruit loops :)

to read my Bible and other good books in the stillness of the morning

to keep the windows open and invite the sunshine and fresh breeze inside

to play volleyball in the front yard

to anticipate have only 3 more weeks of school to go

to celebrate the 11th birthday of this handsome young man:

to mow the lawn

to see the trees begin to bud

to meet a friend for coffee

to eat delicious biscuits made by Austin:

to watch Dr. Who with Wesley

to study some more ;)

to attend wedding showers and be privileged to witness the joy of friends getting married

to lace up my running shoes and hit the road/treadmill

to find this in my room (I wonder who that could be…)

to enjoy being a daughter at home

to love each other

to be thankful for each blessed day

to live in the moment

life is sweet. God is so good to give us the different seasons of life, each with different joys, trials and challenges. I want to appreciate more the season God has placed me in right now, making the most of each and every day….because the seasons will continue to change over time.

Homemaking

Part 3: The Solution

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So if being overweight is a serious problem in America and most short-term diets don’t work, what can be done to solve it? What is the healthy and long term solution to weight loss? It can be summarized in 3 simple words: change your lifestyle. This is the only answer for long term, lifelong weight loss success. “Change your lifestyle” means changing how much you eat, what you eat, and exercising more. The mantra “eat less, eat smart, move more” is a simple yet accurate summary of a lifestyle to promote weight reduction for good.

Do you remember the cheese fries I mentioned earlier? One serving contains 2,862 calories. Now let’s compare that to the same number of calories in fresh raw foods. You could eat a gigantic meal of 5 cups of beans, 5 cups of rice, 20 cups of spinach and 6 whole carrots. EVEN THEN, if you ate all that food, you would not be eating as many calories as are in those cheese fries. Let’s think about this. What would fill you up more: 10 cups of beans and rice with over 23 cups of vegetables or a single serving of an appetizer? Enough said. You will find again and again that fueling your body by eating foods in their natural state in three balanced meals daily, you can eat more and feel more full and mantain a healthy weight.

Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand for weight loss success. According to the KC Craichy, if a person takes 30-45 minutes each day to walk, run, bike, swim, or do any form of exercise where the heart rate is elevated, the benefits are lifelong. In addition to lowering the risk of many diseases, including those associated with aging, exercise boosts your metabolism for hours afterward. (Craichy 369)

Strength training, also known as weight lifting, is crucial to losing and maintaining weight. When a person is 20-30 years old, he starts to slowly lose muscle, and he will continue to lose muscle as he gets older. Fat accumulates and muscle deteriorates as a person ages. By losing muscle, your metabolism slows down, burning fewer calories. Did you know that muscle tissue burns a lot of calories? An article published by Super Health Diet clearly shows just how helpful muscle is for weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. This study concluded that by replacing only five pounds of fat with 5 pounds of muscle tissue, a person will burn an extra 175 calories every day, which is almost 64,000 calories or 18 pounds every year! (Craichy 362 11/14)

As I close, I would like to say that the benefits of making these changes in your daily lifestyle will not only impact you significantly but also can affect generations that come after you. You can be fit and healthy and have more strength and energy to enjoy your life more fully. So the next time you see an advertisement for losing 30 pounds in 30 days, smile to yourself and ignore the temptation to consider this weight loss plan which promises those kinds of unhealthy and short term results. Now you know better. :)

Source: Craichy, KC. Super Health Diet. Florida: Living Fuel Publishing, 2011.