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For the Love of Chickens
I never wanted chickens. I grew up around them on my grandparents’ farm. They were nice enough, but nothing special. They have beady eyes. They peck. They make strange noises. But then, we moved to a farm (a HORSE farm, not a chicken farm) and COVID struck the world. Groceries in Michigan were hit and miss last spring, and sometimes it was hard to find eggs. It started to seem like getting some chickens was a good idea. I started looking at chicken coops, and that’s when it got out of hand. Have you seen the houses for these creatures? They’re adorable! It seems that chickens are a…
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How to Keep Your Child Safe from Sex Traffickers
With kids heading back to school or spending more time online with virtual learning, now is a great time to have a conversation with your teen about how NOT to become a victim. Every year, thousands of children are trafficked right here in the United States and each year, the number is increasing.* While some of them are kidnapped, sixty percent of them are groomed and lured in over time. It’s not just homeless or runaway kids who are at risk. Traffickers target kids from all walks of life, all social and economic status, and all types of neighborhoods. It may surprise you to know that a child in your…
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Phyllis’ Famous Chicken Pot Pie from Finding Hope
Ingredients: 2 cups of chicken breast, boiled and cubed 2 ½ cups of potatoes (about 4 large), peeled and diced ¼ cup of frozen peas, or peas/carrots mix 1 small onion, diced (about ¾ cups) 2 Tablespoons of butter White Sauce (see below) 8 biscuits (I make my own, but you can make them from a mix) Cooking time: prep time, about one hour, cooking time, about one hour. Serves 4. Directions: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender. Add potatoes and add water until the potatoes are just covered. Put a lid on the pot and boil…
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Equine-Assisted Therapy
I have been on both sides of equine-assisted therapy: as a client, and a volunteer. If you’re wondering how hanging out with a horse can heal people, my new book takes you into that world, where horses help heal the hearts, bodies, and minds of hurting people. A veteran with PTSD. An anorexic teen. An autistic child. A hurting woman. I’ve seen both the physical and mental healing that takes place with this type of therapy. It’s incredible. My new book also explores the topic of faith, something hard to hold onto right now in a world that seems to be going wrong. But God promises that He will never…
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St. Ives Gazette #1
St. Ives Town Icon in Danger! Local B&B Owner Leads “Save the Saint” Project St. Ives, MI — Local Horse-Whisperer and B&B owner Tori Reynolds is donating some of her time this weekend to the St. Ives “Save the Saint” project, a collaboration of local residents to rescue the St. Ives’ long-time statue and patron of prayer. “This town is built around this particular woman,” says Reynolds, “and the statue is a tribute to her. We need to save it.” Last month’s tornado ripped up the grounds on the hill where the town’s namesake has stood for many years. The St. Ives statue is now in danger of toppling down…
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The Importance of Routine
While we are all sequestered away with social distancing, I think it’s important to establish a routine and stick to it. This is something I’ve had to do for years as a work-at-home writer. Strictly speaking, I could work in my pajamas. And thanks to virtual meetings, teleconferencing, and online invoices and bank deposits, I never worry about someone coming to my workplace (home) and finding it messy. So thus, I’d never have to make my bed. But I do. I get up each work day, wash up, get dressed and put on my shoes. I eat a big, healthy breakfast, which I take the time to cook. I do…
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Peace
We are living in an unprecedented time in history. Everything is uncertain. It is difficult to plan. It is difficult to know what the future could possibly hold. It is in these times more than ever that we need peace. Click on the link below for the free PDF version of Chapter 3 from my book Is There a Lemon in My Fruit Salad: How to Stay Sweet When Life Turns Sour, which discusses peace. Why is There a Lemon in my Fruit Salad: How to Stay Sweet When Life Turns Sour – Chapter 3: Peace If you would like to read more of the book, you can find it…
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Celebrate Women!
Writing about strong female characters has always been important to me. I believe that we women need to embrace our unique God-given awesomeness! We should take a stand for what we believe and work hard to accomplish our goals and dreams. This is a very exciting time to be growing up female. When I was little, the princesses in the movies always had to wait for the prince to save them, and women stayed behind while the men went off to war or to work. Now, we have movies and television shows where women play a strong role, and often are the catalyst in saving the world, discovering cures, and…
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LOVE
“My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12 All you gotta do today is love. As a writer of romance, I focus on love a lot. It’s a fun topic, and there are so many stories that can be built around it. But in real life as well, love really is the answer. To everything. Think about it. The Bible talks about love as being the strongest force of all. Even the Beatles chipped in with “all you need is love.” Cranky coworker? Love her. Difficult spouse? Love him. Wayward child? Overbearing boss? Love them. Loving people doesn’t mean being a doormat. It means…
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A Matter of Trust
Google’s dictionary defines trust as the “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” Trust is something most of us struggle with daily. Whether it’s trusting our boss for job security, a relationship we’re in, a doctor who is caring for us, or the driver behind us, we have to put our trust in others every day. Whether we want to or not. In my new book, Trusting the Cat Burglar, the book begins with Abigail trusting Tony completely. She still struggles with the tragic death of her first love, Nick, but after six years of grieving, she has finally allowed herself to love again. Then, when Tony’s…