Crockpots FTW

I love busy weeks, the hustle and bustle of life. But I also love the calm weeks... and the way they soothe my tired eyes after all the hustle and bustle. 

Last week was a week for the record books. And this week, I am soaking in all the unmarked days on our calendar. Glory.

Our forecast shows lots of rain, which I'm hoping will trick my mind into thinking its a blistery cold out... instead of the humid, muggy, and warm it really is.

To celebrate my week of rest, I will be taking full advantage of my crock-pot. What better way could there be to rejoice in the freedom of a scant calendar than with a 1-pot-clean-up dinner time?

First in line, is Skinnytaste's Kid Friendly Chili! Not gonna lie. I'm a wee bit nervous. I've always, ALWAYS used a tried and true Chili Kit to make chili. But, my kids have NEVER liked it. I'm curious to see if they'll appreciate this version more.

Next, I had planned on making a Not-So-Skinny Ranch style pork-chops. But, just discovered that we left the entire package of pork in the hubster's truck over night. So. There goes that.

And last, is Skinnytaste's Picante Chicken and Black Bean soup. I'm pretty excited about this one! It's pretty similar to a chicken taco recipe I make that our entire family gobbles up. So, I'm pretty sure everyone will enjoy this one too!

Come at me with full force, Lazy Week!!! I am ready for you!

Austin Stone Worship

(*Disclaimer, I called in the big guns for this post! My ever-talented, gracious husband weighed in with an experienced voice on this subject matter.)

We love worship music in this home. My husband, being a worship leader, immerses himself in it daily. I immerse myself in it to keep me focused and to sometimes lighten my load throughout the day. I find that when I have music playing, it encourages me to pray more often and leads me into more of a worship-full attitude.

However, we try to be mindful of the types of worship music we play. All worship songs are not created equal. I have sung along with some songs, only to wonder 5 minutes later "What was I just singing?!"  We try to be mindful of the music that fills our minds. So, when we do sing along, our mouths aren't proclaiming un-truths. We want to be sure that the worship music we listen to is theologically sound.

Several years ago, we discovered Austin Stone Worship. The purchases we have made have not been made in vain. Our minds are filled with great music, our hearts are stirred with great affection, and our voices sing along to great Truth!

So, when Austin Stone Worship announced their new live worship record, King of Love, we were STOKED!

I was honored to receive the album and to test-drive it before it hits the world's ears with full-force!

Here I am, being pretty excited, texting a picture to the Hubs!

This past week has been a joy to dive into the music from Austin Stone Worship on the new King of Love record. From the very first track on the record, the music is full of intense guitar riffs backed with heart-pounding drums. Throughout the rest of the album, there is a blessed melding of the melodic voices to the wonderfully mixed instruments. From original tracks to classic hymns, this record is filled with a great mix of high-energy songs accompanied by a mix of slower-paced songs. No matter the pace of the song, they are all Gospel saturated and Christ exalting.  They have spurred my heart into an attitude of worship.

The songs stuck in my head, even when they weren't playing over the speakers. I found myself humming the lyrics and melodies of King of Love all throughout the week. Even better, my husband has full access to SO MANY resources from Austin Stone Worship to encourage him in leading our body of believers through some of the songs. So, now I can listen to the CD in the car, and I can sing along in our own live-worship experience on Sundays.

Bless yourself, or a friend, when this album comes out on October 22! (Available on iTunes or Amazon.) And if you're musically talented, like my husband, check out their website for their AMAZING resources!

Favorites

I love finding things that make life a little easier and a little simpler.

I remember learning the whole "smashing a clove of garlic" to peel it easier trick. But I think I may have just fallen a little in love with Martha Stewart over this trick!

The kitchen has kind of been my place. I like to wind down from our hectic day and have some "me-time" while cooking. Here lately, I've wanted to start incorporating our kids in the dinner-time process. I think this will be a perfect starting point for that! Thanks, Martha!

What do you let your kids in the kitchen? I'm always looking for ways to make "chores" fun for my kids!

Things you might not have known about me.

1. I'm painfully socially awkward. I sometimes have an almost panic attack on the way to church each Sunday morning. I definitely love my church and consider most to be as dear to me as my own flesh and blood. However, I cringe at what I may say to the poor new soul at church who has to hear me flounder through a horrific attempt at conversation. Those who have known me for a good length of time find vast amounts of humor in the quirky way I communicate. But bless those new people's hearts.. they just don't get me yet. And I'm a total mess of nerves just trying to make small talk.

2. I could probably eat Mexican food every day of my life for the rest of my life and never tire of it. Quesadillas, enchiladas, chips, salsa, tortillas, guacamole, nachos, rice, beans, chimichangas, burritos... let me count the ways I love you. I do. I really do love you. It goes without saying that I could probably also eat my bodyweight in tortilla chips in one sitting. Oh, the crispity goodness!

3. One of my prized possessions is my library card. I've loved to read as long as I can remember. Growing up in a family full of hunters, I spent most weekends (November thru January) of my childhood on the deerlease. I can remember packing a good 2-3 books for each weekend trip and almost always finishing all of them. As an adult, I visit the county library close to 3 times a month. And I feel like the hold system is 50times more awesome than any express check-out lane at any grocery store... ever...anywhere. It's like I'm a total VIP going in and getting the contents out of the brown envelope, scanning them through, and exiting the building in a total of 5 minutes.

3. If I could grow a garden, at least 90 percent of it would have to be cilantro. While cilantro can be found in many a great Mexican dishes, it still needs a category of its own. It's cilantro. Each Sunday, our church dismisses with a boisterous and jubilant version of the Doxology. With just as much joy as I sing that out each Sunday, I sing it out each time I pull that beautifully fragrant, leafy herb outta my produce drawer in my fridge. Hallelujah. Cilantro truly is a blessing from God.

4. My music playlist will never be as cool as my husband's. That handsome tall blonde man is to credit for any music of worth on my playlist. If not for him, you might have thought my iTunes belonged to some 14 year old girl. I'm thankful that he shares his great taste with me!

5. Johnson and Johnson baby products will be used on my children until they leave for college. Well, they would be if I have any say over it. Our oldest is 6.. the youngest is 2. Each child is bathed with the baby stuff each night and slathered in lotion after bath-time. I love the stuff. The silkiness. The way it smells whilst being used. And the way it smells hours later. Oh, and the way my kids covers and pajamas always have the faintest Johnson smell to them.

6. I will always be that weird lady you see at a stop light dancing unabashedly in the driver's seat. There's just something about a good song on the radio that makes me dance goofy. That, and my kids almost always find it entertaining. Well, that, and that, and that I will always be that goofy person sometimes dancing to the beat of my own drum. So glad there are forgiving words like "quirky" to describe people like me. Those words always sound so much more optimistic than "weirdo."

7. I catch onto every trend 10 years later. Pointy toe-d heels/stilettos were around a good 6-7 years before I had my first pair. Skinny jeans repulsed me the first few years I saw them. And I swear, everytime I say I will never own " (fill in the blank here) " that thing becomes the hottest, newest trend. A decade later, I join said trend and eat my ancient, dusty words.