we're still kickin' and a GIVEAWAY!

well, guess what?

i've hemmed and hawed about how to start this post, so here ya go.

i miss you.  there.  i said it.  :)

i miss your comments of encouragement and the love that you show to me so graciously.

i miss sending reply emails and getting to know you better.

i miss sharing our life, and documenting it for my children(the whole point!).

the krauses are still very alive and well! 

 life has simply gotten the best of me these days 

and i've decided that it's moving waaayyyyy too fast for my liking.

i have a daughter who is 14 going on 30(see above).

my boys are becoming little men.

and my sweet maddie, well, she keeps me busy with sleepovers and such!

but of course, in the middle of all of that, you can find me hiding in a pile of laundry a mile high, or trying to figure out what to make for lunch(again), maybe grading papers, killing succulent plants, scouring the toilet, perhaps? 

maybe photographing my sweet husband repairing a leak.  

#iamthatgirl

if you are on instagram, you may see the goings on of our life over there(mary_krause).

it's so easy for me to share photos and activities on there, but part of me misses the interaction over here, too.

it's like sending a text when i should be calling.

or an email when handwritten is best.

i have really gotten impersonal and while it is convenient for this 90MPH life that i feel like i am barely hanging on for some days, 

i know that i crave slow and simple and being more reflective. 

being more present is important to me!  #helpmeLord

i don't just want to hang on for the ride, i want to enjoy the journey.

and i have to come clean, these past few months i haven't been doing that very well.

i'm sure some of you understand.

the Lord has been teaching us so many things, and He has been so gracious and tender with me along the way.

i am SO glad that HE is the captain of this ship, because i would for sure steer us right into trouble.

He is my TRUE NORTH.

unfailing.  constant.  

me....not.so.much.

SO!  with that said, my friends, we have been up to some pretty fun stuff that we are really excited about!

my daughters have this constant desire to create and make(no idea where that comes from!?), and so, with the Lord's help, we decided to DO IT AFRAID and start up our very own etsy shoppe.

believe me, i.was.scared!

our prayer is that HOPE homemade inspires you in your faith and that our pieces will be a constant reminder of His love and faithfulness to and for you.

i mean, we can NEVER be reminded of that too much, right?

so, to kick off our new venture, we would like to have a giveaway!

here's a peek at some of our creations.

and..........we are giving this necklace away to one of YOU!

something that i need to be reminded of DAILY.  or MINUTELY, more like it!

>>>we walk by faith, not by sight<<<

to enter:::

just leave me a comment on this post!

#easypeasy  :)

additional entries(leave separate comment for each one):::

1) visit our shoppe and tell me what your favorite item is!

2) share this giveaway on facebook/instagram/your blog

giveaway ends 5/10 and is open to readers worldwide
a random winner will be picked(out of a hat!) by 5/11  :)

please leave your email addy so that i can connect with you if you are the winner!

head on over to :::sew mama sew::: for TONS more giveaway fun!

thank so much for stopping by!

we HOPE you love our creations and that they inspire you in your faith.

it feels good to be back.  :)

SHOP:::FACEBOOK:::INSTAGRAM

xoxo,

mary

Exercise motivation tips for exercise slumps

Hi everyone! We're in Albany now and heading off to Syracuse this morning for a day of walking around downtown and shopping. It will be a nice change after spending the majority of the past two days driving! It's been such a fun trip so far though and I'll have tons to write about when I get back. But for now I have this pre-written post about finding motivation to exercise when you're in a rut.

When I first started this blog, I considered it to be a food and fitness blog. But lately, as I'm sure you've noticed, I've been leaning heavily towards the food side of things. So what's up?

Well as most of you know, I've been dealing with some knee and hip issues ever since last July, which means I haven't been able to run. So I've been doing other workouts in its place, like spinning, strength training and incline walking... but here's the truth: I'm not enjoying my workouts.

I'm bored and frustrated and just wish I could run. On top of that I've been feeling really fatigued lately (more on that in a future post), which makes it hard for me to find the energy to work out. But despite how much I would love to just park my butt on the couch, I try to get active for an hour 4-5 times a week because I know it's good for me. So here are my tips for finding motivation:

1. Make it enjoyable - I sometimes plan my workouts around times when there are good movies on TV so that I can keep myself entertained. I also treat myself to magazines more often than I should because having some good reading material makes 30 minutes on the elliptical almost enjoyable. Almost.

2. Scale back the intensity - some days when the thought of doing cardio makes me cringe, I just go for a walk instead. An hour of walking at a moderate pace is still a pretty good workout!

3. Switch it up - the thought of 45 minutes on the elliptical makes me want to run from the gym in the other direction. But 15 minutes? That's doable. Followed by 15 minutes on the bike? Also doable. Followed by 15 minutes of incline walking? Wow, I just did 45 minutes of cardio. Go me!

4. Browse Pinterest - when I don't want to go on the machines, I like to find circuit workouts on Pinterest to do. Since they are new and different, I get kind of excited about trying them out.

5. Do weights - when I'm feeling lazy, doing weights is always way more appealing to me than huffing and puffing through a cardio workout.

6. Customize your workouts - I don't like doing spin classes because honestly, 60 minutes of intense spinning is just too much for me. So instead I go when the spin room is empty and I do my own 30-45 minute spin workouts at my own preferred intensity. I like it way better!

 Source: Chelsea A via Pinterest

7. Skip your workout - if you are really not feeling up to it, skip it. Use the time to relax, stretch, and prepare your body for a better workout tomorrow. 

Have you ever gone through a long exercise slump?

What are your favourite low intensity workouts?