5 Things That Make Me Happy! | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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As I’m sure many of you do, I sit in front of a computer much of my workday – especially this summer, as I’m slated to teach an online class (Anyone want to learn about column writing? Hit me up!).

Since I am in front of a computer a lot, I have found a few online favorites that I wanted to share – some of these are fitness related, but all are just to add a little “happy” (as my aunt would say) to your life.

5 Things That Make Me Happy

Happy No. 1: Coffee

This is a no-brainer, right? I know a lot of you are doing the Whole30 challenge, which means no dairy – and that’s okay! I’m a big believer that a good coffee makes all the difference in taste – you may find out that you don’t even want sugar or cream in your coffee! My local favorite is Railway Coffee , but being a good Louisiana girl, I never say no to some PJ’s Coffee, either.

Also, if you’re a coffee connoisseur, consider purchasing a Chemex. For us, it’s generally not an everyday usage, but when we make coffee with our Chemex, birds sing and a rainbow sits over our house. Or something like that.

Happy No. 2: Foodie finds

Every week, I do a menu plan for our family. We stick to a monetary budget every week, and we also try to eat fairly healthy. I love browsing Pinterest (Who doesn’t?) for recipe ideas, but I also have some favorite blogs: Parsley and Pepper always has delicious ideas, but, to be honest, I get a lot of good, healthy recipes from my friends. And, because we all share, here’s a recipe for a heart-healthy CHOCOLATE DRESSING salad (You read that right!) that my lovely friend Misti shared with me. I don’t know the exact name of it; I simply call it Misti’s Awesome Fruit Salad. Just mix the salad ingredients and then the dressing ingredients together and enjoy!

Salad ingredients

  • 3 strawberries, sliced
  • 4 blackberries
  • 10 blueberries
  • 5 mandarin orange segments
  • 1 tsp sliced almonds
  • 5 leaves fresh basil
  • 1 cup spring mix greens

Chocolate Balsamic Dressing ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp chocolate syrup
  • 4 oz canola oil
  • 1 tsp minced shallots

Happy No. 3: Mental renewal

I recently discovered Thrive Moms, a ministry website written to encourage moms. I actually don’t read their blog or visit their website often; I love their Instagram posts, though. I love seeing inspirational pictures with short quotes on them. It’s kind of a mini-refreshment throughout my day.

Happy No. 4: Races and fitness

Okay, to be honest, between March 2013 and December 2014, I ran one race. In this year, however, I plan on running four – the Dirty South Half, which I mentioned in a previous post, the Peach Fest 5k this month, the Hope Center for Autism 5k earlier this year, and the Autumn Breeze 10k.

The Autumn Breeze is one of my favorite races – not because of its location in a neighboring city or because of its scenic route. I love the Autumn Breeze because of its swag. Every participant receives a racing hoodie. I love those hoodies. During the winter, I wrap up in them like blankets.

My other favorite race has been the Warrior Dash. I never realized how much fun it is to get so dirty – or how, when overcoming obstacles, I don’t notice the temperature. I ran this with my husband and his coworkers (in costume, mind you), and while my race time for a 5k was just terrible, it was one of the most fun races I’ve ever run. Even better – they have Warrior Dashes across the country, so if you’re looking for something new and fun, try it out!

Another happy find is from PopSugar. It’s a fitness workout generator. You put in your current fitness level, what you’re looking for, what equipment you have, and how much time you have, and voila! A video fitting your specifications pops up for you to follow.

Happy No. 5: Stitch Fix

I know Lissa has blogged about her love for StitchFix, and I fully agree with her: StitchFix is amazing! Her blog goes into more detail about what StitchFix is, but I love having someone pick out clothes and send them to me. I cannot remember the last time I shopped for myself (having a toddler try to open the dressing room door kind of ruins trying on clothes), and having this box show up at my house with gorgeous clothes that I love and that are in my size make my day every day. I’ve only received four boxes so far, and in three of those boxes, I’ve kept everything.

There you have it, folks! Five little happies for the end of this month. And if you have any happies you’re willing to share, let me know! I always like hearing about new finds!

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