New Lily

A Prayer For Veteran’s Day

Let us give thanks for those who serve, for those who have served, and for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice...

Let us give thanks for those who serve, for those who have served, and for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice…

Dear God, Please bless the veterans who wore the faded uniform. May they know the peace of a career well-served, and service completed. Give them our thanks for the doors opened, paths paved, and battles fought. Give them our thanks for the freedom preserved, future defended, and the ideals embodied. Bless the veterans who defended our country with strength and selfless devotion. Amen
(belief.net)

Pear Spice Oatmeal…A Fall Favorite!

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Here is wonderful recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Recipes Remembered....

Oatmeal is a year round breakfast for me, but I especially love it on the cooler days of fall and winter…a perfect comfort food!

Happy Fall, friends.  It’s time for spice, for apples & pears, crisp mornings, boots & comfy sweaters, marathons and so many other lovely – and delicious – things.  This oatmeal is one of the delicious things.  It’s a base of fall spices – cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves – topped with deliciously sweet pears, pecans for crunch and a little drizzle of milk.  I’m a little sad to see summer go but if I can look forward to breakfasts like this one then I think I’ll be ok. [Read more…]

Fall 5Ks are Great Family Fun!

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My husband snapped this picture of us after the 5K last Saturday…there are seven of us (#5 is cut off – but is also smiling)…

Last weekend my family did the Big South 5K in Charlotte.  Well, not the whole family.  #1, #2, and #3 are not home, and my husband and #9 (Sam – who is 4) didn’t run but came to cheer the rest of us on.  I ran with #7 (C.C.) who is 8.  She was trying to break 27:50 which was her last 5K time.  We came in a little over that at 28.30 but I was impressed with her mighty effort! She never stopped to walk except to get water.  By the last 1/2  mile she was tired and I asked her if she wanted to walk a little. But then as she recognized her surroundings and knew it wasn’t too far to finish…she got a second wind! [Read more…]

Music and Miles…a Sublime Run

A sublime run on the trail... Today I chose to "plug in", and it was worth it!

A sublime run on the trail… Today I chose to “plug in”, and it was worth it!

I have been suffering from a lack of motivation lately, so this morning I wasn’t expecting much.  #4 (Peter) was meeting a friend for a long run (11 miles) on the trail so I decided to come along and run on my own. It’s been a while since I have run long alone (I went 10), so I took my phone and some headphones to keep me company.  I ran the first three with #6 (Grace) who was only running six, and then said goodbye, turned on the iphone music, and kept going. [Read more…]

It’s Cross Country Season at my House..Just Watch the Laundry Pile Up!

Just a few of the running shoes around our house these days!

Just a few of the running shoes around our house these days!

It isn’t hard to figure out what season we are in.  It isn’t summer or fall…it’s XC season (at least at the Hetzel house it is)!  As the coach of the Grace Academy cross country team, I am running with the athletes about four days a week…and my kids are running too (#8 and #7 – C.C. and John-run with our group and even # 9 hops out of the baby jogger often).  #4 (Peter), #5 (Annie), and #6 (Grace) also run for my team as high school and middle school runners.  That’s a lot of shoes lying around…especially when you consider the additional spikes, too.

Death by laundry...

Death by laundry…

Many people think of football when they think of fall and the start of the school year…not me.  Cross country practices, meets, and invitationals fill our fall days. Tempo runs, stride outs, Indian runs, Kenyan outbacks, track workouts, ladders…this is our language. Unfortunately for me, it means a lot more laundry too. What are your fall days filled with?

Ruminating About Long Car Rides and Family Vacations….It’s All Good!

car photo 1  (27)Today is the day we start our 18 hour car trip to Maine via a stop to pick up #3 in Annapolis, Maryland.  Today is that day and it started with a bunch of last minute errands. The bank, the post office, the pharmacy. So I left #4 (Peter) mowing the yard, # 5 and #6 (Annie and Grace) with cleaning tasks. I returned a few hours later to what looked to me like a house that was only slightly cleaner than what I had left. “Grace!!!!” I unloaded. No matter how calm I try to stay when we are getting ready to leave, I inevitably lose it at some point. “Why can’t you kids do a small task while I’m gone?” ” Why does it always end up being me who has to get us ready and the house cleaned?”…”wa wa wa wa”…… While I’m yelling I am thinking that a better mom would keep her cool.  [Read more…]

Caprese Salad…A Summertime Favorite!

Fresh beefsteak tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil make this a great summer salad that my family loves (almost all of them).

My whole family was together for the Fourth of July!  That is a rare thing.  Needless to say, there was a lot of cooking going on.  Usually it’s November or December when my older children are all home together, and it’s pies, cookies and other comfort foods being prepared in the Hetzel kitchen. Summertime brings different kinds of comfort food!  Having been to Italy a few times, Caprese salad is a favorite of mine.  Since I don’t fancy myself as a very good cook (I feed people), Caprese salad is one dish I know I can’t really mess up.  It is healthy, quick, and really tasty.  There are a lot of different ways to make it, but my favorite is with big, thick, ripe tomatoes, thin slices of buffalo mozzarella cheese, and large pieces of fresh basil.  A drizzle of olive oil, and a dash of garlic salt to top off…viola, a perfect summer salad!

#1 and #2 in the kitchen on the 4th of July...Good times usually involve good food, too!

#1 and #2 in the kitchen on the 4th of July…Good times usually involve good food, too!

What is your favorite summer salad for hot, July days?

A Family Run…Priceless!

#5, #8, and #9 after our run at the trail.  My husband, #4 and #6 had already headed to Starbucks for post-run treat.

#5, #8, and #9 after our run at the trail. My husband, #4 and #6 had already headed to Starbucks for post-run treat.

I was supposed to run early last Sunday.  Although I have developed a policy of not running on most Sundays, we had decided to go to a late Mass and it was a gorgeous morning.  The alarm woke me up, but I was too tired from a recent trip to Italy  to actually get out of the bed.  I lamely texted my running friend and told her I was a no-show.  I kept on sleeping.  When I finally did awake, I noticed #8  (C.C.) and #9 (Sam) in the bed with us.  I heard a few of the older ones already downstairs making breakfast.  It’s always hard for me to head out on a morning run when everyone is home. Typically, I sneak out early before everyone is up.

Sunday, however, it was too late to sneak out. I was just about to hop on my Lifecycle when my husband announced he was going for a run and asked if I wanted to join him.  #4 (Peter) was going and so was #5 (Annie).  It was tempting…I could leave the younger three with their sister #6 (Grace).  Before I could respond, the kids who had invaded my bed started to yell that they wanted to come too.  So much for a nice, long, leisurely run. Oh well. [Read more…]

Take Some Advice From These Fitness and Nutrition Experts!

I just finished reading TIME’s recent health blog in which they asked 10 fitness/nutrition experts from various backgrounds to talk about their plans for healthy eating and living (to read more click here).   I found a lot of food for thought, but basically I related to their idea of simple living, functional fitness, and not-too-complicated eating.  I drew from some of the highlights of the article and commented on why I liked what they had to say…

Will Gadd

Who: Will Gadd, pro-outdoor sports guru [Read more…]

Vanity of Vanities…Do we Think Too Much about Our Bodies and How We Look?

This is a post I wrote a while ago, but I have been thinking about the subject matter again lately…What do you think, do we care too much about how we look?

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Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes,… and all things are vanity…”Ecclesiastes 1:2.

“We can’t take them with us when we die.” This is something we might think of in terms of our material possessions, yet it also pertains to something else as well…our bodies. If we are fitness enthusiasts we tend to care about our bodies…maybe too much at times. Yet, in terms of the spiritual world, they are fleeting too. I think it is good, every so often, to contemplate vanity. Its counterpart, pride, is said to be the root of all of our sins, and is one of the Seven Capital Sins. We can fall prey to this sin when we place too much importance on our appearance. Let’s face it, one of the main reasons most of us exercise is because of the way it makes us look. Sure, there are plenty of other good reasons; health, wellness, mental and emotional well-being, and so on. We all know that exercise keeps us strong and healthy throughout all the stages of our life. But the bottom line is that for many of us, the main motivator for working out is our physical appearance. The definition of vanity is, “excessive pride in one’s appearance. Also… clinging to things without solidity and permanence (such as physical beauty)”.

[Read more…]