BAM! Flavorful Ranch Pork Chops

Last Monday I showed you a simple 3 ingredient crock-pot recipe.

This week I am showing you another simple, budget friendly, 3 ingredient recipe.

Here is What You'll Need:

-1 package of Ranch Seasoning

-1 can of fat free cream of chicken soup + 1 can of water

-1 package of pork chops (chose what kind you prefer, I used boneless)

Add your water to your soup and incorporate the ranch seasoning, mix well.

Spray your crock-pot with non-stick spray for easy clean-up later.

Lay your pork chops in the bottom of the crock-pot and cover with soup/ranch sauce.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over a bed of rice with steamed green beans.

These 3 ingredients yield a flavor packed pork chop that will have you coming back for seconds!

Enjoy!

psssst...I'm linked up with Farmgirl Paints!

I hope you had a Blessed Monday!

Bible Verse Friday #37

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ:  Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don't follow the tradition they received from us.  For you know that you ought to imitate us.  We were not idle when we were with you.  We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it.  We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.  We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.  Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: "Those unwilling to work will no get to eat." ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10

My NLT Life Application Study Bible says the following:

3:6-10 Paul was writing here about the person who is lazy.  Paul explained that when he and his companions were in Thessalonica, they worked hard, buying what they needed rather than becoming a burden to any of the believers.  The rule they followed was, "Those unwilling to work will not get to eat."  There's a difference between leisure and laziness.  Relaxation and recreation provide a necessary and much needed balance to our lives; when it is time to work, however, Christians should jump right in.  We should make the most of our talent and time, doing all we can to provide for ourselves and our dependents.  Rest when you should be resting, and work when you should be working.

As a new Mom you are constantly told to sleep when the baby sleeps.

It can be a hard rule to follow.

In the early days I often caught myself trying to clean up when Bitsy napped.

I regretted it later when I was dragging and had a baby to care for.

I have since learned a better balance and now when she naps I can make the educated decision to nap or clean.

Often I clean when she is awake...I vacuum in the moments before she is ready to lay down.

I fold laundry as she is laying in her crib fighting off the sleep she so craves.

Then when she is asleep I try to tackle a few other tasks.

There are days though when I nap while she naps, or at the very least I sit down and relax while she naps.

Leisure vs laziness.

We are often critiqued by how we spend our down time.

We are considered lazy if we watch television or nap instead of tackling to do lists.

It's an important balance though that we must strike between working and relaxing.

You must allow yourself down time so that you can perform at your peak when it is time.

Obviously I don't have a 'normal' office job anymore.

So it's hard for me to say that I work really hard from this time to that time.

But many of you do have jobs.

You get up in the morning, go to the office, work a full day, and then come home.

It can be easy to fall into the habit that once you get home leisure time begins.

There is still work to be done.

Houses need tidying, our bodies need to be exercised, and so on and so forth.

However, at a certain point in the day it is okay to say....the work is done.

Find time to enjoy life.

Watch television.

Read a book.

Sit on the porch and watch the kids play.

How do you balance your work vs home life?

How do you ensure you spend your leisure time leisurely?

Do you think you are lazy?

If so how can you remedy this?

Start taking small steps today to get yourself organized.

Work when you need to work and do so with all your heart and soul.

Rest and relax when you need to and do it also with all your heart and soul.

I hope you had a Blessed Friday! 

Baby Diaries #44

BITSY IS 7 MONTHS OLD!!!

(Technically tomorrow...but a day early here won't hurt anyone)

And even she can't believe it!

 I'm always amazed when I look at her last milestone post and see how much has changed in such a short period of time.

I told Bud the other night that I knew she had grown taller and well after measuring her you'll see what I mean.

 Today she weighed in at 23 lbs and 6 oz (That's up 1 lb and 9 oz from last month) = 100+ Percentile 

 In the past month she has been working HARD at finding her voice.

One of Bud's favorite things that she does now is she purrs.

She sounds like she is trying to roll her tongue and it makes the cutest purring sound!

She also likes to let out random squeals at random times more and more each and every day.

 Bitsy has also mastered the art of rolling over...both ways!

Left and right.

Back to belly, belly to back!

Here is the crazy part....she's starting to push off on her toes, only one at a time though so she just kinda goes in circles.

She pushes herself backwards (but not really with a purpose, it just kinda happens).

It won't be long until she can figure out how to get her knees under her.

Once that happens she'll be crawling before we know it.
She loves to give kisses too.
Granted they are open mouth sloppy kisses, but they are sweet just the same!

 Look at how much personality she has!

I mean seriously, she has Bud & I in stitches sometimes because of how silly she is.

She loves to chew on anything she can get her hands on, but we still don't see any teeth.

I can't imagine how cute a toothy grin is going to be on this little one!

She is starting to enjoy being read too which is fun because it allows me to read to her right before naps and bedtime.

Her ability to pick things up with her forefinger and thumb is improving vastly.

We have continued to try to get her to eat solids, but she still doesn't seem to have any interest.

We did have 1 successful day when she eagerly opened her mouth to try avocados.

She ate one full serving and the next day....she was tight lipped again.

I'm prepping to start giving her soft finger foods in hopes that if given the opportunity to feed herself, she'll take it.

I'm starting to think she is following in her Mama's footsteps.

My mother told me I was fiercely independent pretty early on and if this eating thing is any indication of her independence it'll be an interesting ride!

Although, I think it would be awesome to have a child who wanted to do things on their own!

She still doesn't sleep through the night.

She wakes for 2-3 feedings and I'm not sure if it is just out of habit or if she is really hungry.

(Breast milk is processed much quicker in the body)

I picked up a copy of 'the no-cry sleep solution' and I'm hoping to see if there are any pointers in there to maybe help her sleep through the night.

If not oh well, I know this is a temporary stage in life and quite frankly I'm still getting sleep at night and the occasional nap with her during the day.  

As long as she is healthy then I am happy!

I think that about covers it for now.

I'll leave you with a few more pictures that we took of her around Easter.

I hope you have a Blessed Thursday!

Bob Your Head #24

Please excuse me while I go old school for a moment....

When I was younger this was my favorite Paula Abdul song.

Let me just say that hasn't changed.

I still LOVE this song.

What is an 'old' song that you love?

Just for kicks, here is another Paula song that always makes me want to dance

Enjoy!

I hope you had a Blessed Wednesday!

Brownies & Peanut Butter..

Do you like peanut butter?

Do you like brownies?

If you answered yes to both of these questions this is for you!

Here is What You'll Need:

-1 box brownies*

*2 eggs

*1/4 cup water

*2/3 cup vegatable oil

-3/4 cup peanut butter 

-1/2 cup of peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350º 

Spray your mini muffin tin.

This recipe is so easy I was able to watch an episode of 'The Finder' while I baked!

Make your brownies according to the package directions.

I used a cookie scoop to measure the perfect amount into each mini muffin opening.

Bake for 15 minutes.

They will look like this  when they are done.

A toothpick will come out clean.

Allow them to cool and then place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Wash your hands and then use your knuckle....

to push an indention into each brownie.

It should look like this.

Now put your peanut butter in the microwave for 45 seconds to soften it.

Fill each divot with melted peanut butter... 

....then place approx. 3 chips on in the melted peanut butter.

At this point I like to put them in the fridge so that the peanut butter can harden a bit.

As soon as they are set though, you can bet I'm taking a bite!

Enjoy!

I hope you have a Blessed Tuesday!

BBQ Chicken of another flavor...

I realize I recently posted about a BBQ Chicken Crockpot recipe, but I guess there can't be too much of a good thing!

Here is What You'll Need:

- 1 bottle of Hawaiian-Style Barbecue Sauce (found only at Target)

- 1 can crushed pineapple

-4 chicken breasts (frozen or fresh)

Place your chicken breast into your non-stick sprayed crock-pot.

Top with crushed pineapple (no need to drain) and BBQ sauce.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

When done serve over a bed of rice with steamed broccoli on the side.

3 ingredients

+3 minutes of prep work

= a very easy non-stress dinner!

I hope you had a Blessed Monday!

Bible Verse Friday #36

"There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.  "If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt," they moaned.  "There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the breat we wanted.  But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death." ~Exodus 16:2-3

My NLT Life Application Study Bible says the following:

16:2,3  It happened again.  As the Israelites encountered danger, shortages, and inconvenience, they complained bitterly and longed to be back in Egypt.  But as always, God provided for their needs.  Difficult circumstances often lead to stress, and complaining is a natural response.  The Israelites didn't really want to be back in Egypt; they just wanted life to get a little easier.  In the pressure of the moment, they could not focus on the cause of their stress (in this case, lack of trust in God); they could only think about the quickest way to escape.  When pressure comes your way, resist the temptation to make a quick escape.  Instead, focus on God's power and wisdom to help you deal with the cause of your stress.

This past Monday taxes were due.

Did you file early?

Did you wait until the last minute?

Did you ask for an extension?

Are you hopeful when tax time comes around or do you fear it like the plague.

Despite getting a refund every year...I still walk into the process with a feeling of nervousness.

I always wonder, will this be the year that we have to pay?

I have already divulged the fact that Bud and I are working hard to pay off our student loans, rather aggressively.

Yet since right before we moved from Texas we have been putting more than enough money into repairs for our vehicle.

It's discouraging to watch bills accumulate when all you want to do is seem them diminish.

We finally had 'The Talk'.

You know the one....you have either had it with yourself, your spouse, or maybe your bank.

"It's time to get the finances under control".

Fortunately, this year we were blessed.

The refund paid for all the repairs on our vehicles which had been charged to our credit card *shudder*.

(I hate that credit card and for the record it is being frozen...seriously)

The benefit to paying it off was it meant we now have 2 free airline tickets for a trip to Texas that we thought we'd have to cancel....due to money.

But that didn't mean we were done with stress.

What it does mean is that we are going to be able to REALLY aggressively take on our student loans one at a time.

This next year our goal is to pay off all of my student loans.

It'll be hard work.

It'll be stressful, but the goal is to NOT MAKE A QUICK ESCAPE.

There is no quick escape here.

The pressure has moved in and it is time to tackle it head on.

We will be trusting God to help us make wise decisions.

We will be fervent in making our life debt free!

What things are you stressing over?

Money?

Love?

Illness?

Whatever it is focus on God's power and wisdom to help you deal with it.

It won't always be easy.

Heck...it hardly ever is easy.

But I think the hardness of it makes us stronger.

Makes us fully realize God's power.

If you need prayer for a stressor in your life, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or shoot me a private email.

We all need prayer.

We all have stress.

We all have God on our side!

I hope you have a Blessed Friday!

Bedtime....

I'm linking up with Alicia today from La Famille.

Last week she challenged us to find some alone time.

Being a new Mom, that is a concept that struggle with more often than not.

This week I made it a point though to ask the hubby for a little extra help.
It started off with this....

....our guest bed.

Friday I asked Bud the following question, "Can you take over baby duty tonight"?

I explained that after 6 months of being on baby duty (which I DON'T mind...I don't have to get up early to leave the house for work each day)..I wanted a full nights sleep.

He graciously accepted the offer and that night Bitsy was in her crib in our room, Bud had our entire bed to himself, and well I crashed on our guest room bed.

Miraculously, I only woke up once that night...out of habit, because no one else was awake.

That next day I had more energy than I knew was possible!

Bud said he wished he would have offered this before, but he knows that he'll need to do it again.

Let me just say that the only reason this was possible was because I am an exclusive pumper.

Bud had all the bottles he needed and I didn't have to worry about waking to feed her in the middle of the night.

If you are a new Mom and you haven't taken time for yourself yet....ask your partner for a little help!

Sometimes they just need us to ask.

I also found a little time Sunday to plant my tomato plants!

By June we should be rolling in Goliath and Celebrity tomatoes!!!

This is my first crop...I'm hoping my black thumb doesn't kill them!

I also started work on a new wreath for our front door while Bitsy napped and Bud worked on our table.

So far I'm really happy...here is a sneak peak!

Now let me just say that having an almost 7 month old is a lot of work.

Before you get on Bud for not taking a night of baby duty sooner, please know that I've never wanted him to before.

He granted me the blessing of being a stay at home Mom and in return I grant him the peace of knowing he can get a good nights sleep!

When Bitsy naps during the day I normally try to get a few chores done, but on the days when I can get some crafting, or reading, or maybe even a nap of my own in I'm grateful.

Yet there are other days when Bitsy's naps occur as follows....

...and well, I wouldn't have it any other way!

She can nap on me if she wants.

I may not get some alone time, but it's definitely some much needed quiet time for both of us.

How can I not enjoy those rosy cheeks?!

That soft downy hair!?

That BELLY!!!!

When Bitsy & I get our rest we tend to be happier people.

Here is proof!

The point of this story is that it took my reading Alicia's challenge to take some alone time, for me to actually take some alone time.
If you aren't taking her Happy Day Challenge...you should!
Maybe even go back and do some of the early challenges.

Thank you Alicia for reminding me that a little me time....goes a LOOOOONG way! 

My brother-in-law is in town and tonight is his birthday so I'm off to prep that meal!

His dessert is in the freezer and I'll be sharing that recipe soon...it's yummy, I promise!

I hope you all have a Blessed Thursday!

Bob Your Head #23

A few weeks ago one of you mentioned that anything Dave Matthews makes you think of summer or at least warmer weather.

I get that!

American Baby is one of my favorite Dave Matthews Band songs.

If there are hidden meanings in any of these songs I don't want to know.

I am just taking them for face value...I like the rhythm and overall sound!

Are you a Dave Matthews Band fan?

What is your favorite DMB song?

I hope you had a Blessed Wednesday!

Baking Up S'Mores Candy

I love S'Mores.

In all fairness I love most sweets, but as the weather gets warmer S'Mores move into 1st place rather quickly.

When I don't have a campfire to make them I'm quick to make them in the microwave, not quite the same, but sufficient for my cravings.

Here is a recipe that might hold you over should you get bite by the S'Mores monster!

Here is What You'll Need:

- 12 graham crackers
-3/4 cup butter (excuse the 2 sticks pictured...I made a double recipe)
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-3 cups mini marshmallows
-4 Hershey Bars broken into pieces
-1 cup milk chocolate chips

Let's begin by preheating our ovens to 350º

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Spray with non-stick spray.

lay out your 12 graham crackers.

Place your butter and brown sugar in a pot and melt over medium heat...

....mix until smooth and right as it begins to boil.
Approximately 5 minutes.

Pour over your graham crackers and spread evenly.

Place in oven for 5-6 minutes or until it's bubbling like pictured above.

Immediately remove from oven and quickly sprinkle marshmallows, chocolate chips...

....and Hershey pieces.

Return to oven for 2-3 minutes until your marshmallows start to puff up.

Remove from oven and allow this to cool completely.
Then remove your foil from cookie sheet and cut into pieces.
I layered mine on wax paper and placed them in the fridge for a quick treat.
They are sweet.
They are chocolatey.
They are just what the Dr. orders to cure a S'Mores craving!

I hope you had a Blessed Tuesday!