A Few Random Thoughts, Links, and Books I Am Enjoying

Because it is Monday and I am playing catch up from the weekend and because I have not had time to work on any new slow cooker recipes for Slow Cooker Monday, I decided to share a few random thoughts and things today. I hope you don’t mind.

This is a little bit of everything in no particular order.

1. If you are gluten free and love coconut you need to try the impossible gluten free coconut pie I shared over at Gluten Free Mixes. It is so good and it is gluten free.
2. This Blooming Blueberry Bread from Eat At Home Cooks looks delicious. If I was not gluten free I would so be trying this. And I am thinking an apple version would be delicious as well.
3. I recently shared a few of my favorite freezer meals over at The Happy Housewife.
4. I totally agree with Amy on buying beef in bulk. And she lists many of the same reasons we buy 1/2 a beef each year from a local rancher.
5. If you need some encouragement I think you will find this post from Southern Plate encouraging. I know I did. Over the last few years I have been dealing with some health issues, really my whole life I have. Nothing major, just lots of minors, that can make for some discouraging times if I let them. Christy gave me just the kick in the pants I needed the other day. Much of life is about how we see it and our attitude towards it. Having an attitude of gratitude is the much better way to live life. Thanks Christy for the reminder. And if you don’t follow Southern Plate you should. She has some great recipes, but it has been her attitude towards her current situation that has made me love her site even more.
6. This post by Jon Acuff was also what I needed the other day. Short, but thought provoking.
7. And Connie makes me want to be a better yes mom. I tend to stay in my comfort zone and just live life. Stepping outside of it into something challenging is a huge struggle for me, but Connie inspired me to try. I need to be a better yes mom. I need to enjoy life and laugh with my kids more.
8. I recently started reading The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing by Jeff Goins and am really enjoying it. I am only a few chapters into it, but love it. So far it has been a pretty easy, but thought provoking read and I am looking forward to reading the rest of it. 
9. Another book I am reading is Flipping the Switch: Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability. So far this has been another book that I have enjoyed and has been very thought provoking. We often don’t want to take accountability for our actions. It is easy to give excuses, reasons why we didn’t or shouldn’t, and to blame someone else. It is much harder to take responsibility for our own actions and how we spend our time. We are all have the same 24 hours in a day, but how do we spend that 24 hours, that is what makes the difference? Yes, it is that kind of a book and one I needed to read. And one that is really making me think. It is written mainly as a business book, but the principles apply to everyone. And again I can’t wait to finish this one.
10. And one more book I read recently. I read this book in about 24 hours. I started it on a Saturday evening and finished it on Sunday night. It was that good. We don’t know how good we have it in America. Really, we have no clue and this book was a reminder of that. The book was Running for My Life: One Lost Boy’s Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games and it helped me appreciate all the little things I often take for granted. I am adding it to the list of books I want my kids to read as teens. One of my daughters already read it. I told her I would like her to read it and she gave me the teenage I guess I will if I have to look. She ended up finishing it in about two days she liked it so much. It is one of the best books I have read this year, simply because it puts life in perspective. 

What good things have you read or come across lately? Have you found any good recipes, books, or articles?