More Wins | Staying in the Lake Cottage

One busy week in August, Elsa and I made the spur-of-the-moment plan to spend a night at the lake. Not only is it a huge win to be able to plan and pull off something quickly again, but we hadn't stayed in that building for at least 10 years due to mold sensitivities. 

Our garden made for colorful meals to pack. And though we forgot to bring a bouquet from home (the tradition among the family was Grandpa's favorite tea-roses), the Mountain Ash berries from the side of the cottage worked well in an antique from the kitchen shelves.

After spending the afternoon and evening with us, including watching a family of four loons and taking our first pontoon ride in a couple years, Mom and Dad went home while we enjoyed a fitful (damp) fire and a few more loon calls.

What a novelty to wake up in the loft my uncles added onto Great-Grandpa's tiny cottage 25 years ago, when indoor plumbing was also added for the first time!

Elsa's early morning splash convinced me to try this refreshing (chilly) mode of starting the day as well.

A later swim was warmer after a bunch of sweaty cleaning. And then home again with more "wins" under our belt on this healing journey.

Where Has July Gone?!

Where has July gone?!

It began by celebrating 250 years of independence along with 90+ relatives at the family lake.

Next came a chance for a quiet afternoon and evening with just the 4 of us at the lake. A thunderstorm only made it more beautiful for us, though it caused severe damage on a nearby lake.

July also brought several times to help out my older sister's family as they are super busy remodeling a house in the country before moving.

Meanwhile, I have been busy painting at home too. I grew up with this Hoosier cabinet at the other lake cabin (no longer in the family) built when my dad was little. The cabinet was not new then, and it is high time to paint the insides and replace a few rotten areas to cut down on the old smell - especially on humid summer days.

It has been fun using this old piece as my new office space, but I look forward to fully moving in after a bunch more painting and rebuilding is complete. If you remember my years of crippling sensitivities, you will realize how huge of a win it is to be tackling a project like this, starting with scraping and sanding!

Also at home, harvest has begun!

Meantime, annual doctor's appointments made for a long, hot July day of travel. But we even took a little chance of sightseeing!

 As we look at our calendar and manage to run out to the lake for yet another quick break, we marvel at how far we have come from the decade spent in deep disability and isolation.

"Thank you, Lord..." is a frequent refrain.

Non-Toxic Choices

Hi Friends, I rarely post about this part of life, because I want this blog to be primarily a place of beauty and encouragement. But if you've followed along for some years, you know how years of chronic illness helped our family find ways to cut out unnecessary (and even harmful) toxins from life.

If that interests you, read on...

One big way we cut toxins was by switching to clean and non-toxic skincare, haircare, makeup, and lotion products from Lemongrass Spa. We soon used enough of them that it was beneficial for me to join for the discount. 

This means I can also offer perks to my friends, like you!

One of those perks is occasionally sharing the host rewards from a month of orders with one shopper! To be entered in my drawing, make sure to place orders through the event currently running here: Mystery Host Event

Besides all the current specials, catalog clearance, and new catalog launch featured in the menu at the link above, we are enjoying an extra 10% off sitewide until 9 PM central on July 31st. Make sure to enter coupon code JULY10 for this savings.

And if that's not enough, I am personally offering free shipping to any first-time customers! Just send me your wish list (or questions), and I will be in touch. My text-only business number is (218) 271-8677.

For more information and other natural living topics, text INFO to me at (218) 271-8677.

Note: Lemongrass Spa only ships within the USA. Sorry to my readers from other countries!

I also have a variety of videos - from gardening to cleaning, and from online groceries to Lemongrass Spa information - on my natural living YouTube channel: Purely.HannahMary

Next... back to regular programming!
~ Hannah

A Year of Rehab

My sister Elsa and I have realized that we are in a major "rehab regimen" in many areas of life after chronic illness. The most recognizable of those areas would be rebuilding strength and balance in our muscles and joints.

After years of chronic fatigue and debilitating pain, my body needs careful training out of harmful, weak postures into healthy and strong positions.

Just as the daily practice of brain rewiring to heal the nervous system is a slow but steady process of forming new, healthy pathways which we want to become automatic, so regular exercise with WholyFit trains the body out of unhealthy patterns and into those that benefit all of life!

Why I Choose WholyFit

I love how WholyFit is a Christ-centered stretching based system built on scientific principles that equips us with holistic practices for wholeness and healing. It even strengthens 5 times faster than other exercise modalities! 

Plus it is a safe way to get back into movement and fitness after years of inactivity and weakness, as proved by the fact that my sister got certified to teach WholyFit last year and has since been helping women through online classes.

NOTE: WholyFit has nothing to do with Yoga beliefs or practices. God created movement and the ways our bodies can strengthen and stretch. WholyFit methods and routines are carefully developed based on safety and effectiveness (unlike some traditional Yoga poses). They are also built to help us memorize and meditate on the word of God as we do our best to take care of this "temple" of our bodies He has given us.

For more info, hear from WholyFit founder Laura Monica: “Why I Quit Yoga and Started WholyFit” 

Does a moderately paced workout for all fitness levels - done on your own schedule from the comfort of your own home - sound interesting to you? If so, read on!

Current Class Details

• On-demand workout video access: September 1 - December 31, 2025

• Includes 16 workouts safe for pregnancy and diastasis recti (20-30 minutes each)

PLUS 6 workouts safe for the general population (1 hour each)

• $60 USD for 4 months total (Sept. - Dec.)

Have more questions? Want to sign up? Or can't make this class work, but want to know of future class offerings? 

Learn more and sign up for email updates on Elsa's webpage HERE.

Or email Elsa at elsa.wholyfit@gmail.com

Sawing and Shedding Old Shells

Photos 1&2: After a chainsaw workout.

3: Before. A painful place to mow.

Yes, muscles that have hardly been used in over a decade put up a fuss for a while. But I still count it a "win" to be able to do something like this! (And thanks to Dad for picking up most of the branches as I had to run to town after sawing and mowing.)

Meanwhile, I got to see a cicada crawl out of its old shell and change those little green ripples into wings! So amazing! A first for me.

A strange shape and slight movement caught my eye at the base of a tree. The legs moved so slowly and looked so weak for the immense job at hand. But I was watching when the old, worthless exoskeleton dropped away and the tender body began to expand and harden! Then I checked back in an hour or so and found delicate wings!

Sometimes healing the limbic system / nervous system and connected physical issues can feel like that painfully slow and weak crawl out of an old, dead shell of a life. And then you break free in one area only to be held back in another. 

But God is at work, bringing new life. Eventually the wings unfurl and harden, and it will be time to fly and sing for joy again! (Yes, I like to think of the shrill sound of a cicada as its God-given song which glorifies Him.)

So, keep persevering on your way out of whatever exuviae God wants to set you free from! It's time to molt and grow!

~ Hannah

Food Reintroduction Win: Black-Bottom Birthday Cake!

Huge Win! I enjoyed my first Black-Bottom Cake [my long-time standard] in about a dozen years!

While I am getting back to gluten by way of whole grain rye and einkorn sourdough and the occasional pasta away from home, we chose to use a gluten-free cake mix when adding back cream cheese for now.

But lake time comes before cake on my birthday... despite cold water!

Exercising Muscles & Spirit through WholyFit

 I just attended the last of 8 live WholyFit classes with the late winter group of ladies gathering for weekly encouragement and instruction. It is amazing how many of my muscles went "dormant" through a decade of chronic illness and the years of chronic pain before that. But I can feel them waking up bit by bit and helping me better move through all of life!

This would be a sad "last"... except that another class is scheduled to start next week! Do you want to be a part of it?! For those who cannot make it online at the time of the live calls, no fear. Video replays are promptly sent out to every class member and are available for use on-demand through the duration of the class. That way we can all exercise with them several times a week, if wanted!

The best part is that WholyFit is a Christ-centered stretching based system with scientific methods that equips us with holistic practices for wholeness and healing! It even strengthens 5 times faster than other exercise modalities!

Does this moderately paced, half-hour workout for all fitness levels sound interesting to you? Read on for class details. I'd love to see you next week!

NOTE: WholyFit has nothing to do with Yoga beliefs or practices. God created movement and the ways our bodies can strengthen and stretch. Even though some stretches may look like those of other programs, WholyFit routines are carefully developed based on safety (unlike some traditional poses) and effectiveness. They are also built to help us memorize and meditate on the word of God as we do our best to take care of this "temple" of our bodies He has given us.

Questions? Contact WholyFit certified instructor, Elsa at elsa.wholyfit@gmail.com

Upcoming Class Details

• March 11 - April 29, 2025 (8 weeks)

• 30 minute sessions

• Live on Zoom every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. CDT

• Replay videos available from date of workout through May 6, 2025

• Pregnancy and diastasis recti friendly

Want to sign up? Click HERE, and fill out the simple registration form.
Can't make this class work, but want to know of future class offerings?  Click HERE to get Instructor Elsa's occasional newsletters.

Reset for a New Year

Happy New Year, Friends!

How many places are you hearing about setting goals and focusing on self-improvement these days? Too many, right?!

Too often it seems that lists of goals and “to-do’s” make us feel like we can earn our own health, joy, peace, etc. And then when we fail to live up to them, they seem more impossible than ever.

But what if we instead chose to look more to the One True Source of all we desire? 

The more I learn about neurology, the more amazed I am at the ways God has built us to renew and rewire our minds around His way of truth for life. (See John 14:6) And yes, this deeply impacts us at the physical level as well.

Let me share a bit from a brain rewiring coach who has had a positive impact on my life and faith (and healing journey) the past few months.

I’d like you to meet Brea.

Picture a strong, athletic blonde about my age. Life and love for God and others shine from her eyes. Enthusiasm rings in her voice. But it wasn’t always that way…

About 7 years ago, Brea was homeless, living outdoors in the desert far from her little children, because her body had become sensitive and reactive to everything.

Then she learned of Brain Rewiring. And then she met Jesus in the desert.

To put it mildly… that changed everything.

Last fall I signed up for a group coaching class with Brea to take my rewiring deeper. I saw so many new wins during this time and got the fresh boost and perspective needed to continue in this journey.

That’s why I’m so excited to invite you to join me for her first, free workshop, starting next Monday: New Year New You, 5-Day Reset!

Let’s hear straight from Brea: “I don’t know what kind of 2024 you’ve had. If you’ve been doing your brain retraining practice consistently, then chances are you’re leaving 2024 better than when it started. Perhaps your life has been turned right side up again like many I have coached. Or maybe you can’t tell much of a difference. If so, I invite you to either revisit your journal or simply think back to where you started or ask a close friend or family member. You might just be surprised at how much better you are now! And guess what? If it’s not good, then He’s not done yet!  “If you haven’t started your healing journey with brain retraining, then friend, 2025 can be your year to heal! Wouldn’t that be great?! “You can dip your toe in the brain retraining waters with my free New Year New You 5-Day Reset that starts Jan 6th. This mini-workshop will be delivered via email over the course of the week and includes some special printable handouts and exercises to get your healing journey started.”

Want to join? Simply follow this link to Brea’s website and sign up through the pop-up form. Or email Amber and ask to join the 5-Day Reset: info@breakatrin.com Then let me know how the Reset goes for you! ~ Hannah: BrainRewiringforLife@gmail.com Learn more in my latest newsletter HERE. P.S. - I'm waiting for more snow to get out snowshoeing with my nephew again!

What is Brain Rewiring?

In my last post I mentioned how healing my limbic system (a part of the nervous system) is allowing me to slowly get back to parts of life I have been missing for a decade or more. But I realize many have not even heard of the limbic system... let alone the way it can be healed through the God-given gift of neuroplasticity.

The process of healing the limbic system is often called Brain Rewiring. So what is that?

Check out my latest newsletter at this link to learn more. 

Hannah's Brain Rewiring Newsletter

And if you find it interesting, feel free to sign up for future editions of my newsletter (only once every month or two) by clicking "Subscribe" at the top left corner of the newsletter screen or using the "Sign Up for this Newsletter" button near the end.

I keep seeing new wins as I continue to rewire and regulate my nervous system. For example: Last week I got to my 3rd restaurant in a decade!

~ Hannah

Exercise Wins!

Those who have lived with chronic illness know how nearly impossible it can become to exercise. When it takes all your strength just to sit up long enough to eat, there is nothing left for a walk.

But as I continue to heal my limbic system, I am getting back to exercise! Last Sunday afternoon I took an energetic walk down our gravel road and on Monday I attended my 4th weekly WholyFit session online. Throughout the weeks I am also reviewing WholyFit exercises whenever possible via the complementary video replays for those registered for class.

I mention this, because I want to invite you to join me (women only) for the next 6-week session of WholyFit classes available online beginning November 4th. These will be a great introduction to this Christ-centered stretching-based exercise system with 20-minute live sessions and a bonus of the video replays available for 11 weeks!

For more information or to sign up for emails about new class offerings, click HERE.

You can also email my certified WholyFit instructor, Elsa, at elsa.wholyfit@gmail.com

P.S. - Elsa happens to be my little sister who struggled with even deeper disabilities than I since an adrenal crisis and onset of complex chronic illness a decade ago. Now she is stronger than I and an amazing fitness teacher with special insights into women's physical needs through various seasons of life!

Summer Camping Trip Wins!

 Our annual doctoring trip turned into an actual vacation this year!

It was the first year we could really start to explore the state park where we camp.

From meadows to clifftop paths...

We climbed the bluffs on both sides of our valley on different days.

That meant more than 200 hundred steps each way, each day!

And it hasn't been that long since our 14 steps up to bed at home required several stops to rest.

We also biked 5 miles a couple of times - part of it on a narrow foot path through the hilly woods. I couldn't believe my returning balance, coordination and strength!

Back in camp we enjoyed plenty of rest in the high heat and humidity, plus some cosy campfires.

I also enjoyed my first Mac & Cheese in a decade! Still gluten-free so far, but dairy is returning.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!