New Years Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions. This happens every year. Usually by mid February those wonderful intentions are starting to fizzle out. By April, you can barely remember what you planned to accomplish. And, sadly, by around June, you are completely back to your old "hard to break" habits.

I think one way to prevent this disappointing scenario is to make yourself accountable to someone or someones. Be part of a group effort. You buoy each other up, encourage each other, cheer each other on, congratulate each other for successes and commiserate over the occassional oops.

This is just how God made us. He didn't intend for any of us to be alone. In fact, He said "it is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18) as He was operating on Adam to remove a rib. Another time He said "forsake not the assembling together" (Hebrews 10:25).

With this thought in mind, one of the gals on my etsy street team - CAST - shared about her effort to make better food choices and a link to a Face Book group she belongs to where support of those goals is generously provided. Lots of my CAST teammates have joined this Face Book group and are encouraging each other to choose wisely at mealtime. We're sharing recipes, healthy food related websites, personal accomplishments, etc.  in a group setting, with a family of like-minded individuals. God's ways are always so much better than anything we could ever dream up.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/580547998646887/

We are wanting to be better stewards of these "earth suits", which the Lord provided for us to use for a time, by providing excellent fuel for them, giving them proper amounts of rest, not letting them get rusty because of lack of movement, keeping them well oiled, fueled, rested, exercised.........................

           The following recipe, which excellently supports this plan, was shared by our team mate, Nelly of        NellyWithWings.  

I know you'll love Nelly's etsy shop. When she travels to Mexico, she brings back colorful cambaya cotton prints which she uses in many applications. Coffee sleeves, tortillero (tortilla warmers), purses, just to name a few.
  https://www.etsy.com/shop/NellywithWings?ref=teams_post

                                                 NELLY'S LENTIL SALAD

1 can of lentils, drained or 2 cups of freshly cooked, cooled lentils
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 red, orange or green pepper, chopped
1 tbs. of chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
juice of 2 limes
2-3 tbs. of olive oil
3 tbs. of fresh, chopped cilantro or basil
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and let it rest for 5 minutes for the flavors to "marry".

A bit of good news about lentils:  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?
tname=foodspice&dbid=52#healthbenefits

I had this delicious salad for lunch today. I'm putting it on my "keeper" list with four ****

My Black Sweater

I have a couple sweaters that I wear "to death". I wear them as "jackets" in the Spring and Fall. I'll wear one of them under a light weight coat in the winter so that when I remove my coat, I'll still have a sweater on.

I'm not usually cold but, so far, this has been a "polar" winter. I have one on now, inside the house. I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but I hear the wind howling outside and know that the temperature is in the single digits and I just have to have a sweater on.

One of the sweaters is red and the other black. Both are wool. This is the IMPORTANT factor. I have lots of other sweaters and shrugs but they're not wool. Wool keeps me warm and toasty.

The red sweater has pockets. The black one does not. I r-e-a-l-l-y need pockets. Where do you put your chapstick without pockets, or a kleenex?

Here is how I "fixed" my black sweater. I hand sewed a vintage doily at pocket height onto one side of the black sweater. I sewed a little more than halfway around the circle of the doily.

Problem solved