Catching Up

Today is Sunday...a normally fast paced...church..home...spending time with Daniel and Laura day where we just go-go-go-go!!!  But I had to work this morning, which created an 8 hour hole that was filled with guests, cleaning, paperwork, and stolen bits of me time.  It was quite nice actually to be able to sit down and produce a well thought out plan for attacking the rest of the day and week.  I've managed to do a bible study, plan an approximate menu for next weeks dinners, and put together some photo collages which I will proudly display here. 

As you've noticed I've been on a little bit of a baking and cooking binge here lately.  Russ isn't complaining because he's missed my cooking here lately, and begrudgingly admitted... me too.  So with going back to days...YAY!!!!  I've been able to start cooking more and not just for me!!!  Of course...since I only snapped one photo of each meal that I'm highlighting, I threw in some more memorable moments of wine and whoppers, and Michigan Margarita...that margarita was soooo stout and not in an alcoholic way...I got acid reflux from the mix that night...but it sure did hit the spot!!!

These little and not so little girls are my heart and soul. Zoey and Punky are two completely different girls, but same in many ways.  Zoey and Punky both love to play.  But Punky loves to be outside and Zoey loves to be inside.  Punky sleeps with mommy and daddy but wishes she could sleep outside and Zoey sleeps outside, but wishes she could be with mommy and daddy.  They both love to pick on their older brother Brutus.  They both love to swim...Punky more than Zoey, but Zoey still loves to be in lakes and ponds.  Punky's loud, Zoey's soft.  Zoey's big and Punky's small. Punky loves her daddy more than me and Zoey loves me more than her daddy.  Brutus on the other hand, loves us both, but doesn't like anyone most of the time.  (Leave me alone growls or your playing too loudly is a staple in our home.) 

And next lastt...Roberta's Baby Shower.  I was asked to make the baby shower cake of a very old friend of mine that I hadn't seen in too many years.  In the process of this they invited me to the shower.  (I can hear my BF Tiffany telling me...Of course you'd be invited stupid..your her friend!)  But seriously folks...the last time I saw Roberta I was almost 14.  I'm super older than that now.  So it was great to be invited. 

So I grabbed my sister and a friend Kristen and we headed over the hill to NWA.  Ended up in Rogers at Roberta's sister's home and chit chatted a while before the shin dig started.  We played games, laughed really super hard, ate, had cake, won prizes, and visited some more.  You know the old saying that best friends are defined by not seeing each other for a million years but still being able to pick up right where you left off a million years ago??  That was exactly what it felt like to be with Gina, Melissa, Tiffany, and Roberta.  We all went to school together and hung out together.  My sister Amanda and Tiffany's sister Melissa are BFF's just like Tiff and I were.  Gina is one of our BFF's and Roberta is one of theirs.  After my sister and I moved away and Tiffany's sister moved out Roberta and Tiff got super super close.  There's always that petty jealousy when someone calls your BFF their BFF and you're like...nuh uh she was mine first...yea I always get that way and have to tell myself to quit being so vain.  I absolutely love my girls and am sooo glad to have them back in my life.

The last thing I wanted to share with you guys was a study we're doing in church.  Every Sunday for six weeks Pastor Barry from Mt. Olive Church (my church) will be discussing how to be a follower of Jesus...not just a fan.  A fan is defined as an enthusiastic admirer.  My eyes were opened last week when Pastor Barry basically described how I was going about my life in my faith as a fan.  HOLY COW!!!  I'm not a follower??  So they said join a small group...being back on days...YAY!!! allowed me to do just that.  I found an open small group that was doing the Not a Fan series.  And because these people are so nice they agreed to start all over.  Now mind you they would have been starting week 2, but they didn't have to start again, but they did.  Already in a week the changes in my daily life has been phenomenal.  I'm praying more, actively studying my followers journal (and keeping up with it!)  Russ and I have started praying together at night and last night he told me that he had been thinking about what I told him when I got back from Wednesday's meeting and it made sense to him.  So he prayed last night that we become followers of Jesus not just fans.  Now guys...whenever my husband prays period, I get choked up...but to hear him pray to God that we do something I have been earnestly praying about on my own, did me in...I didn't bawl hysterically...but I was close.  If I hadn't been so ding dang tired, I probably would have.  I definitely encourage you to check out Kyle Idleman's page here, (it's facebook)  and the Not A Fan website here.

Alright y'all...my hands are tired...this has taken just about all afternoon to do..so I'm checkin' out...I'm still gonna post the Pork Chop recipe and the Rice recipe...so keep checking back for that. 

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce used!

So today kiddies I wanted to stop all the reading and posting of literary reviews and tell you about this awesome meal I made fo my honey, who LOVED it, and the subsequent out pour of please give me that recipe!!!  

After scouring my pinterest for a great crock pot recipe I settled on this one.  Just because it seemed the simplest to put together with minimal watching, stirring, or any other preparation from me.  (One day off's suck!! And you tend to not want to do anything on those days)  So anyways...with recipe in hand I ran to the store at midnight when I got off work and got potatoes and BBQ sauce.  Use whatever you have on hand or your favorite and this recipe will become one of your go to favorites.

Ingredients: 
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast (I used 4; 2 to eat that night and then shredded 2; mixed with sauce in pot for Shredded BBQ Sandwiches the next several days.)
1 bottle BBQ Sauce du Jour! (Mine was Sweet Baby Rays.)
1/4 cup Vinegar
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2-1 tsp. Garlic Powder

(Potatoes)
1 Smallish Bag Red Potatoes (these are just what I used.  You can use nude, golden, bakers, sweet, pretty much the sky's the limit...just use what your family loves!!)
Butter This step is hard because I use spray I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.  I just sprayed the chunks.)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Minced Onion
Rosemary

Directions:
Mix the BBQ Sauce (in a separate bowl; yes I made this mistake) with all the ingredients for the chicken.  You can use frozen chicken...I just grabbed them from the freezer...tore open the Ziplocs and threw them into the crock pot.  Pour sauce mix over the chicken.  If you make the sauce and then throw in the chicken, the crock pot police are not going to come sirens blaring up to your house and take you away.  (Believe me I waited on the front porch for them.)  The purpose for crock pot cookin' is the simplicity of it.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Take your potatoes and chunk them however you want.  Line them on a baking sheet that's been oiled up somehow.  Pour some EVOO and spread, spray Pam, or what I did was Pam Olive Oil.  (VERY NICE!!!)  Spray with butter and season to taste.  (OH...inserting brilliant idea!!  Melt some butter and brush over the potatoes with a pastry brush or ladle with a spoon..that way if you don't have spray, you still get that buttery goodness!!!  Now back to the originally scheduled recipe.) I salted, peppered, garlic'd, minced onions and rosemary'd the entire pan.  I then stuck in the oven at 375 degrees for somewhere between 30-45 minutes.  The timing depends on how crispy, brown, golden, or done you like your potatoes. 


This recipe is like a week old now and already my husband has asked me to make it twice!  Stay tuned for our next recipe which is Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops and a side dish of Cinnamon Rice with Apples!! (Sorry no pic as people just gobbled without stopping long enough for a picture.)  And as always...let me know what you think of the dish after you've tried it in the comments!!!

"Lip Service" by M.J. Rose

Wow...where to start with this book...  The blurb for Amazon gives this blurb about the book: 

 "On the surface, Julia Sterling's life seems blessed. Married to a renowned psychiatrist, living on Manhattan's tony Upper East Side, Julia deeply loves her stepson, and is forging a career as a journalist.

When a writing job at The Butterfield Institute - a sex therapy clinic - exposes her to the world of phone sex, Julia glimpses a world that stirs her erotic fantasies but threatens her

carefully constructed reality. As she explores her emotional and sexual

connections to the men she knows and several she will never meet, she confronts evil, perversity, and her own passions.

Tracing the currents of desire, illusion, and psychological manipulation,Lip Service is an astonishingly vivid glimpse into one woman's inner life. At the same time, this electrifying

thriller grips the reader as it builds toward a battering climax."



Again I was so excited to read this book because it had been compared to Fifty Shades of Grey.  Granted I haven't read Fifty Shades of Grey personally, but if I didn't have a lot of people who said it was a great book and one they know I'd love...I wouldn't read it after reading this novel. 

Julia Sterling is the quintessential repressed housewife, mother, and fragile woman child with a horrible past.  In college, she went through a breakdown and as a result of that never went back.  She finally met her husband Paul (who you hate through the entire book) and quickly married. 

Skip forward too many years where you meet Jack the best friend who has been secretly in love with Julia for so many years.  I found myself through the entire novel rooting for Jack and Julia.  Max, whom you know already knows his parents divorce is inevitable and a whole host of other people who float in and out of the story line.

I don't know if it was just me, but the story seemed disjointed.  We start the novel on one of Julia's calls and she talks about how she has always been disturbed by this caller and then are plunged into the back story.  How she became a repressed adult/child who is constantly talked down to by her husband and whom doesn't have any passion towards, what their social life consists of, and how she was introduced to the owner of the Sexual Therapy Center where she starts her alternate life.  Then get into the awesome nitty gritty dirt where lets just say, you really don't need to be reading it at work, and then page turn your dealing with all the scary crap. 

I have to say the novel would have been better written if it would have just been one flowing story.  Build it to a crescendo and then let all hell break loose!  Other than that it was wonderfully written with semi-believable characters.  (I can't imagine that Julia would be so repressed, her husband such and ass, or Jack hang on so long for Julia to realize she loves him, much less as a man call her everyday without letting on his feelings.) 

If this is a mindless read like many of my books are for me..I would say go for it!  If your wanting a compelling and gripping erotic novel compared to Fifty Shades of Grey, skip it.

Thanks to Net Galley for the great read!

"Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2"

Oh.My.Goodness!!! What to say about this little gem...What do you get when you cross two of the best sci-fi stories together? A total and complete nerd melt down.  This is written in a comic book/manga style and incorporates all your favorite characters from both worlds.  

We begin with a joint invasion by the Borg and Cybermen.  The Doctor after saving a Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt; promises to take Pond and Rory somewhere special.  They arrive in San Fransisco in the late 40's. Unbeknownst to them it's actually a new simulation in the holodeck aboard the Enterprise.  Witty remarks and cut scenes occur until the Doctor and Jean Luc Piccard actually come face to face.  They find out what their up against and as an added bonus, ::SPOILER:: We find out the Doctor actually met James T. Kirk! Did you know that?  I sure didn't!!!  Anyways, this was a great hours distraction and I can't wait for the finish of this story line.  Of course, that's always the worst part with comics is they leave you hanging for more!!!  It'll be released on October 2, 2012 and I would suggest every Star Trek and Doctor Who-phile go pick up your copy...I know I will!!!

"The Reluctant Amazon" by Sandy James

I have been gifted with a monumental discovery.  I have become a part of a website called Net Galley which features book that haven't been published.  For my unbiased review I get to read these awesome novels and tell you my small amount of readers about them...It is my hope that you share these finds with your friends and go out and get these awesome novels!!!  Here's my first review about "The Reluctant Amazon" by Sandy James.

Rebecca's life is about to change. In one day she goes from ex-fiancee dumped at the alter to a zombie (almost) slaying Amazon. In this new life she meets a new family full of sisters and a hunky Scottish trainer who she can't stop thinking about and who won't stop yelling at her or beating her up. The only downside to this kick butt life? She can never marry or bear children.


When the zombie attacks become more frequent and her sisters go missing; Can she become the Amazon she was destined to be? Or will she be sent home in disgrace?

I was so excited to read this book! And I wasn't disappointed either. From the moment I picked it up I was sucked into Rebecca's world. Those to me are the best kind of novels. The love story I knew what was coming but the super hero theme and the ultimate villain kept me guessing until the end. All in all...I can't wait to read the second novel in this series! All that's left to say is...Bravo Sandy James, Bravo!!

"Key of Knowledge" by Nora Roberts



The second installment in Nora Roberts Key series is just as fantastic as the first.  This book centers on Dana's journey for the key.  Dana's journey isn't your routine fairy tale romance.  Dana has been in love with Jordan since they were kids and he walked out on her many, many years before.  Like Malory; Dana loses her place in life and has to start fresh.  Put Jordan walking back into her life and the search for the key and Dana is overloaded before we know it. 

I think Dana's story really stuck with me the most.  In another life I would probably be a librarian and to Dana that is the perfect job.  Since I read both the first and the second book before this I am actually pretty stoked I can finally start the third book entitled "Key of Valor."  This is Zoe's story!!!

Book One: Finding and Catching Love
Book Two: Overcoming past hurts and accepting love
Book Three: ?? But I believe it'll be believing True Love can exist.

Go Check It Out!!!

"Key of Light" by Nora Roberts

I wanted to share with you today a new series that I have recently purchased.  A couple of years ago I ran across two books by Nora Roberts that were the first and second book in a trilogy called the Key Series.

Books are out of order here.  Key of Valor is #3.

The first novel titled "Key of Light" by Nora Roberts is about three woman who are brought together by Rowena and Pitte.  The tell them each about a Celtic legend called the Daughters of Glass, whose parents were a God behind the curtain of power and a mortal woman whom he fell in love with.  The daughters were demi-gods and because of certain powers that didn't like this...their souls were stolen and put into a glass box.  Now it's up to the three woman to find three keys that will unlock the box.

First up is Malory and this is her story.  As an art gallery manager she can be around the one thing that she absolutely adores but cannot create...art.  Her life is just about perfect and add an invitation to cocktails with the new owners of Warrior's Peak, what could go wrong?  There she meets Dana and Zoe who are soon to become her new best friends.  She agrees to help out with this quest and soon finds herself in some hot water from an unknown foe.  Throw in a hottie named Flynn and irascible dog named Moe and you have the perfect start to a great trilogy.

I like that the main theme is once you find the courage to love you can accept whatever is thrown your way.  Throw in some Celtic folklore and of course it's my favorite new series!!!

So please...don't take my word for it; Run don't walk to your nearest book store or amazon for your kindle and find out how Malory gets her man and her key in "Key of Light" by Nora Roberts!