How to get out of a rut and other stuff

I allow myself to 'get in a rut' quite often.  When most of us fall into a rut, it is usually our own fault.  For me, it's pretty easy to get out of the rut, if I just do a few things differently in my day to day life.

I rejoined Curves  this week.  It had been almost a year since I had been, and boy! could I tell I hadn't been in awhile.  I had gained way too much weight, however, I knew exactly where each and every pound had come from:  I  have enjoyed lots of ice cream and peanut m & m's this past year.  I mean a "crazy" lot of them. (did anyone else enjoy the chocolate dipped vanilla cones at McDonald's this summer??? oh my!!)   At least I wasn't surprised at the weight gain, right?  (I guess I was glad it wasn't more weight!)

On my way home from Curves today, I decided to stop by the library.  I realized that I had not been inside the library since I started using my Kindle to read e books.  Really??? As much as I like my Kindle, I still prefer paper and ink reading.  I checked out these Gooseberry books to browse through this afternoon while lounging around the house.  (it's raining here!)

On my way home from the library, I decided to take a different route.  I normally take the shortest route, but there are several ways to my home that only take an extra 2-3 minutes.  I enjoyed seeing things I don't normally see and just before I turned onto my road, I heard something on the radio that got my attention.  (I would have missed this if I had taken the regular 'in a rut' route)

Did you know there is a whole song for this chorus?  I'm not sure that I did.  Here are the words:

Some thank the Lord for friends and home 
For mercies sure and sweet 
But I would praise Him for his grace 
In prayer I would repeat 

Refrain: 
Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul 
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole 
Thank you, Lord, for giving to me 
Thy great salvation so rich and free 

Some thank Him for the flow’rs that grow 
Some for the stars that shine 
My heart is filled with joy and praise 
Because I know He’s mine 

I trust in Him from day to day 
I prove His saving grace 
I’ll sing this song of praise to Him 
Until I see His face 

This is one of my favorite songs to hum.

Last night I tried a new recipe from Pinterest: a keeper!!! 

 It was this taco salad recipe and it makes a huge bowl full and we had leftovers for today.  Very inexpensive and the kids loved it, too.  

taco casserole 

I would love to find a pretty pot like that to serve mine in sometime.  I served ours in a large wooden salad bowl which was pretty too.  But this pan is way more 'country'.  The only thing I will do differently next time is add another small can of olives to this, as we all love olives in my family.  We also added a dollop of sour cream on the top of ours.  A must try if you are looking for something different.  (It served four adults, two children, and  we had enough leftovers for another meal for hubby and I)

So, what simple things do you do to get out of a rut?? Some people rearrange their furniture, cut their hair, change jobs, etc.  I would love to hear your ideas.