Five on Friday – Loving Now
Happy Friday! Hard to believe January is halfway over but here we are. I don’t know about you but January always feels like a time to recharge for me. We are done with the hustle and bustle of Christmas, the cooler days make it easier to feel less guilty about laying around and it just feels like a fresh start.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been consistent with posting Friday favorites but I am hoping to change that in 2021. Remembering the things that were good about our week just seems to be a healthy practice! So here are my five on Friday I’m loving now!
One of my very favorite things about January is celebrating this kid. Today is Dillon’s 19th birthday. I so remember the excitement the day he was born. He was 5 days late and I was induced early that morning but he took his sweet time, finally arriving at 3:17pm weighing a whopping 9lb 5oz. It’s so funny to me that Keith’s nickname for him became “slim” when he was little as a joke because he was anything but slim at the time yet here he is now this long, tall, kid….ummm…man.
He headed back to college on Wednesday but since he’s just a short drive away we are planning to head to Houston to take him to dinner tonight to celebrate.
After beginning our week with a snow day, it was definitely time for all the comfort food. On Sunday evening I made beef stew using this recipe and it was delicious even with me forgetting the last little thickening step at the end. On Monday I made gumbo with shrimp, sausage and chicken and was so sad when those leftovers ran out! I used this recipe in the instant pot but altered just a few things to make it a little more compliant with eating a cleaner diet. I subbed ghee for butter and arrowroot powder for the flour and we actually have a freezer full of venison sausage so I used that. I ate over cauliflower rice while the family had regular rice and it was so good!
The Next Right Thing podcast is one of my favorites for many reasons. First of all, it’s a quick listen that works for a short drive to the gym or on my way to work but is always full of some inspiration. Second, Emily has the most peaceful voice and I truly feel myself relax when she is speaking. And lastly, she shares the full transcript online for each episode so I feel like I can really stay present listening without trying to take notes at the same time.
This year she introduced this guided journal which I just received this week. After participating in the 100 Days to Brave daily devotional in the fall, I realized how much I had missed putting my thoughts and feelings onto paper. Sometimes it just takes a little prompting to get my thoughts rounded up, however, and so having a journal that gave me that was definitely, as Emily would say, life giving. Her guided journal is similar and I can’t wait to use it this year.
If listening to a podcast or journaling isn’t your thing but you are still looking for a daily dose of Jesus, I’ve been loving the daily story in the You Version Bibile App. It leads with a question, provides a verse and then a short video (or story if you will) from someone walks you through.
Dillon and I met up with our besties for lunch this week to catch up before these boys head back off to school. It’s still so wild to me that we met 19 years ago in a prenatal water aerobics class and went on to become best friends with boys that are both 6’4″+ a little. It’s been so fun to watch them grow up together and become more like family than friends.
I took the day off from work today just to get a few things done and to enjoy an extra long weekend as we have a holiday on Monday. You know a holiday weekend always means lots of sales too! Hope whatever you do this weekend you find something to bring you joy and focus on the good in your days!