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carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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July 2, 2026

Your Plate Called About Hydration

It’s hot. You know it. Your wilting basil plant knows it. Here’s a little trick to remember: drinking enough water isn’t the only wa

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Food, Fun, Health
June 25, 2026

The Art of Doing Less Better

The Art of Doing Less Better Somewhere along the way, we decided that a good summer meant a packed one. Camps, cookouts, travel, projects, events, wor

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Health, Personal Development
June 18, 2026

Savor the Solstice and Embrace Summer

On Sunday, June 21 at 4:24 A.M. ET, the sun will reach its highest point in the sky, ushering in the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphe

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Family, Fun
June 11, 2026

Smart Swaps that Feel Like a Treat

Do you ever find yourself standing in the kitchen around 3 p.m., staring into the pantry or fridge, wondering why nothing looks good…and yet you kee

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Food, Fun, Health
June 4, 2026

Why I’m Loving LolliPeppers™

If you’ve never heard of LolliPeppers™, let me introduce you to your new summer best friend. These are Sunset’s seedless mini sweet pepp

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Food, Fun, Health
May 28, 2026

Eating for Your Body Type

Last week we talked about the three main body types, ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph, and how to figure out which one sounds most like you. If you

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Food, Health
May 21, 2026

Do You Know Your Body Type

Have you ever noticed that your neighbor can eat pasta every night and never gain a pound, while you look at a breadstick and your jeans get tighter?

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Health, Hope
May 14, 2026

Your Body Isn’t Broken, Just Confused

You’ve done everything right. You cleaned up your eating, cut back on sugar, maybe even started walking every morning. And yet… the scale

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Food, Health, Hope
May 7, 2026

Eat the Pizza. Here’s How.

Here’s something that might surprise you: pizza is not automatically the enemy of good health. I know. Take a breath. Sit with that idea for a s

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Food, Fun, Health
April 29, 2026

Tiny Seeds, Big Story

There’s something about pomegranates that feels a little special. Maybe it’s the color. Maybe it’s the way you have to work just a bit to get to

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Food, Fun, Health

Smiles on Pansies

April 25, 2012
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In the Garden

This is perfect pansy weather.  Cool.  Recently, I planted some of these unique annuals.  Now is their time.  As soon as mid-June hits, July for certain, these delicacies are finished.  Their color availability makes them perfect companions to the early tulips and daffodils.  And, many of them have faces…smiling faces!

Take a look next time you see a patch of them.  They look back at you, unlike any other flower that I can recall right now.  My older son used to think they had a sinister look about them, but I prefer to think they are happy and welcoming to those visiting the garden. 

My mom taught me to appreciate the pansy.  She always spoke about them in endearing terms when I was young.  We had them in early spring and I was sad when they became miserable and died.  No amount of pruning will bring them back in the heat of July and August.  At least not by my hand.

So until the threat of frost is over, these are the annuals I enjoy.  As the tulips are fading and the peonies are preparing for their glory, my pansies smile at me daily.

Even if you have not been gifted with a green thumb, plant a few so they can smile back at you, at least for today.

“My garden is a slow work, pursued with love, and I don’t deny that I am proud of it.”     Claude Monet

 

One of Life’s Difficult Questions…

March 15, 2012
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Family, Spiritual

 

My son, the one who is eighteen, approached me with this question.  “Do you ever feel like you won’t have enough time in your life to do everything you want to do?”  My answer.  “Yes.”

He began to tell me how he has thought of so many things he would enjoy doing in life, then wonders how it will all work out.  I know exactly how he feels.  It is almost as if by the time we think we start to have things figured out, we are in the “second half of life” and hoping for at least a few more years to get it right.  God willing.

The twist is that we need all those “first half of life” experiences, every single one of them, to show us the way.  Some folks may not get to the “second half” stuff, for whatever reason.  Others may arrive a bit sooner.  Our age does not define this.  When we manage to work through the pain of falling, which is the doorway to the “second half of life” we cannot help but be changed.  We then begin to focus on what is most important in life, with no time to waste.  What a blessing! 

How do we live out the second half?  Some ideas:  we are more compassionate, more accepting; our core beliefs are woven into our being and are unshakable; the adventures of each day are just that-an adventure; we live out of our comfort zone more often than not; we are guided more by Spirit than by rules; loss and pain are part of the journey, yet our joy cannot be tampered with.  Just to name a few.   

My young son has a lot of living to do.  I look upon him with compassionate understanding, grateful to be where I am.

“There is a deeper voice of God, which you must learn to hear and obey in the second half of life.”             Richard Rohr

May We Never Be Indifferent

February 9, 2012
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Hope, Love, Spiritual

 

Today is my birthday.  I am blessed beyond measure and am Living Large.  Friends have been posting birthday wishes on my facebook wall throughout the day.  Many have called or texted me.  I received a few cards in my mailbox and a dear friend treated me to lunch and her company.  Yes, my family remembered as well.  Life is sweet.

So what is there to be indifferent about?  Lots of happenings in our world today are not in line with what would fulfill a great birthday wish, that is, as long as all the candles were blown out.  Harmony on the planet.  Wow!  That is tough to even wrap my head around.  Not meant to be, or it would be.

I recently read a book entitled The Other Face of God by Mary Jo Leddy.  The book club I belong to chose this book.  We finished discussion on the book last night and we all thought it was a great read.  The reason we enjoyed The Other Face of God so much, is because it made us think and question and discuss and be honest with ourselves about the imperfectness in our world.  And what do we do with that?  How do we make a difference?

We first have to realize that we all make judgments on all sorts of events and people and circumstances.  Not good.  We base our judgments on what we know to be true in our foundation.  What we think may not be right or wrong; it is simply how we think.  Trouble comes about when we have to be right at the expense of being a good disciple.  Serving in love, even when it is difficult, is a tall order.  The other side of that is the thinking that nothing I do will make a difference anyway, so why bother?  We can all take small steps to make a difference in someone’s day, to make it a little brighter.  Pay it forward as the saying goes, and expect nothing in return except that warm fuzzy feeling inside that makes us smile.

Do we love each other enough?  How do we even measure such a thing?  Something to ponder, on my birthday.  I have people in my life who love me.  That is awesome!  Guess I had better get busy and make a difference, after I enjoy a piece of birthday cake. 

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.”  Edmund  Burke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girls…Running…And Me

January 20, 2012
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Friendship, Fun, Girls on the Run, Health, Love

 

I have just returned from the 2012 Girls on the Run Summit, which took place this past week in Tampa, Florida.  The Summit is similar to what other organizations refer to as a convention.  We attended general and specific break-out sessions, had opportunities to go on group runs/walks and practice yoga together.  We shared meals, snacks and a sunset cruise.  We heard very good speakers, made new friends and snatched some sunshine.  As a board member on our Northwest Indiana Council, I was grateful for the opportunity to attend.  

What is Girls on the Run?  GOTR is an after school program for girls in grades 3 thru 5, that incorporates running to help prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.  This interactive program focuses on building self-esteem and improving emotional and physical health.  Each 12-week session (one in fall and one in spring) is led by trained female coaches that guide and mentor girls through a fun, uplifting and specific curriculum.

Life lessons include dealing with body image and the media, resisting peer-pressure, making healthy choices and contributing to the community.  Along the way, the girls train to walk or run a 5K event together.

I am not a runner and I have only raised boys, but I know what a challenge it can be to be a girl.  What a positive effect this program could have on a little girl who wonders if she is worthy of love…self-love and love from others.  GOTR has served over 400,000 girls since the first season in 1996.  If you are looking for a cause to help fill your life with purpose, GOTR is a great place to begin your search.

“The greatest act of bravery is simply being ourselves.”  Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run

For more information, go to www.girlsontherun.org and www.gotrofnwi.org    

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