What do you love?

Hi friends!

I hope everyone has had a great and restful weekend! Andrew and I had a great weekend full of rest, relaxation and all the wonderful things that go with weekends! I weighed in today and here is the verdict...

I lost .2lbs...sigh. Honestly, this is to be expected with my Monday cheese fry eating as well as getting sick and not exercising at all except for yesterday and today. A loss is a loss, so I will take it and just keep on keeping on! It’s about that time when people who make new years resolutions tend to give up on them and I am NOT going to be that person. I have a few things I am excited to share with you guys-One is a realization and the other is a new recipe!

Realization first...

What do you love? I don't mean real love. Because we could all say our families, spouses, God, friends, children, etc.

I mean what things are in your lives that bring you life? Of course all those things I listed about are indeed life giving...But what makes you smile? What are things you love? Here are a few things I love right now...

1. Baths-I LOVE a nice warm bath. In fact I take one everyday of my life. Now this bath is not for cleaning purposes...although it achieves that goal also, but I love a bath because its warm, relaxing, I smell good and just gives me a moment at the end of the day to calm down and relax. It truly is part of my everyday that I love. It is life giving to me.

2. Having a clean house. Now some of you are laughing because you know I am not the tidiest person. I didn't say I like "cleaning"- I love having a clean house. I have found with my anxiety battle that if I'm living in peace and without clutter that my life feels less cluttered. I married well for this purpose. Andrew is like one of those suckerfish in an aquarium. He just goes around cleaning up my messes. I know this is not his favorite thing, but it helps me out so much. And, since the New Year I have worked really hard at keeping our house clean.

3. Having fresh flowers in my house. I have found that January and February tend to be gloomy months, so I keep fresh flowers around. They are life giving. I love them.

4. Coffee. I love coffee. I love the smell. I love coffee culture. Have you been to a coffee shop at 2pm on a Thursday and seen adults sitting there, sipping their americano's and reading a book? Who are these people? Do they not have jobs? I typically am in and out grabbing some cafe' for my day...but rarely do I have hours to sit and read...I love coffee.

5. I love music. I know this one may seem so obvious...but I am not that cool Austin person who is at shows every weekend discovering new cool bands. But, when I come across a new album or band and can't stop listening to them- I love that. Right now I am so so loving Mumford and Sons. Not that they are new-but I am just falling in love with them all over again. Check them out if you get a chance.

Now none of the things I listed are vital to my life like my friends or family. But they are small things I really love. Most of them are cheap or free and I just realized that they are still luxuries to me.

I encourage you to look at your life and see what small things you love and be mindful to really do them this week...

Ok, here is my new recipe. My mom sent it to me a few weeks and I just tried it yesterday. I have started to love to cook all our food on Saturday or Sunday so we just warm it up and eat it all week. It's a time saver for sure!

Mexican pot roast

1 lean pot roast

2 cans rotel

1 cup of dry pinto beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can fat free cream of mushroom

lots of garlic salt

cayenne pepper to taste

cumin to taste

mix all together and put in crock pot on low for 9 hours. Totally falls apart and is so good in a corn tortilla with some onions and cilantro and a dab of fat free sour cream. About 6 points plus per serving!

So easy, so yummy!

Have a great Sunday afternoon!