Menu Monday .... is back {thank goodness}

I REALLY need to quit posting only once/week ~ with everything that has been going on in our home, it's just been crazy! I can't wait to lay it all out here on the blog ..... it's coming - promise.

Anyway - we have company coming this week, so Menu Monday will be brought to you by the fine folks over at Crock Pot. Yes, it's going to be a week full of crock pot menus b/c that's just easier when you have 4 add'l people in your home - right?

Monday

Subs (thanks to a VERY picky 5 yr old, who only eats cereal and subs, we'll be having sub sandwiches in his honor Monday night. Princess has cheerleading until 7:30, so it's just easier!)

Tuesday

Pork Tenderloin slow-cooked w/mojo seasoning
Black Beans ~ if you have a smaller crock pot, throw these in there w/some Goya seasoning (w/o Annatto) and let me tell you what ... YUM! Add some vinegar too ... that controls the toots!
Yellow Rice
Salad

Wednesday

Polynesian Chicken - ANOTHER FAVORITE of my family as well as my sister's family that is visiting

** Cook chicken breasts covered in cream of mushroom soup for 6-8 hrs on LOW **
Top w/sour cream, crushed pineapple and serve over rice

Salad

Thursday

Taco Soup

I got this recipe from my in-real-life friend, GRITS ... it seriously is TO DIE FOR!!
Taco Soup
1lb ground beef or turkey (I prefer turkey...you can't tell the difference once it's all mixed together and it's healthier)
1/2 diced yellow onion
1 can mild rotel
1 can of corn
1 or 2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 packet dry ranch mix (I use the dry DIP not the dressing)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can of black beans (you can use any beans, really)

Brown the meat and onion in a large pot and drain excess grease (turkey shouldn't have much if any). Add ranch and taco seasoning to meat. Pour remaining ingredients into pot- DO NOT DRAIN CANS (I DO drain the black beans, though). Add a few cans of water until it's soupy enough for your liking. Let it simmer or at LEAST 30 minutes before eating.

You can add more of anything that you like....but the longer it cooks, the better it'll get.

Top w/cheddar cheese and sour cream if you like

Friday

Turkey {we have a smoker & will put a small turkey on}
Squash casserole
green beans
salad

Saturday

PIZZA

Hope you all have a great week!

The 5 second kiss

If you follow me on twitter {which you really should, I am private, but if you are not a freak, I will approve you: nnb1975} moving on ~ I talked about a message our Pastor and his wife gave this past weekend. You can watch it here. TOTALLY worth it, by the way. Our Pastor and his wife are adorable, they are great friends of ours and we love them.

Anyway, Tamara and Greg spoke about Song of Songs and also the book "The Five Love Languages". I tried to tell Big Daddy there was such a thing, but he did not believe me. FINALLY, I think he does. I can tell you right now that Big Daddy's Love Language is physical touch - which is what 90% of men are. Mine is acts of service {ie: Big Daddy cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, stuff like that .... is good for him} - following my drift here??




Greg and Tamara also spoke about giving 5 second kisses. This is where it got kinda hysterical. Too often, married couples get into a rut, routine, whathaveyou. It is important to have physical contact and they recommended greeting your spouse with a 5 second kiss -- THAT DOESN'T LEAD TO THE BEDROOM! Now, 5 seconds is a LONG time {not that I counted, but I might have done the 1Mississippi, 2Mississippi in my head}. Big Daddy and I are affectionate, but it's normally just a peck or whatever before leaving the house. SO Sunday afternoon, when I was leaving to go for a bridesmaid fitting, I walked over and put my arm around Big Daddy and gave him a 5 second SMOOCH - which we ended up cracking up laughing. BUT I came home to a clean kitchen. As the week has gone on, I must say - it's been pretty light-hearted in our home. Everyone is in a good mood, things are getting done and it's just an overall JOY to be in my home. For real.

So ladies - when your honey comes home from work today, greet him with a 5 second kiss and ask him how his day went .... and don't forget to watch the message online! It's SO good!

Update on my accident: The gentleman that hit me had a blood alcohol level of .207. The legal limit in Florida is .o8 ~ this guy got out of jail at 5 AM Thursday morning. I went to the doctor this morning and have to get more xrays and an MRI. It's going to be a long road - but like I've told many, it's BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVE!

..... stuff ......

First of all, the winner of the lotion is fncycwgrl ~ email me your address to: natalienbrock{at}gmail{dot}com so I can get your lotion out to you!!

SO last night I was involved in a car accident - it wasn't my fault {thank goodness}.

The harsh reality of this accident is this - the guy that hit me was drunk ... at 7:30pm.

I'm not making accusations, he was arrested at the scene. I was taken to the hospital after fear of a fractured pelvis - luckily no fractures, but a butt (no pun intended) load of pain.

My friend Shawn met Big Daddy at the scene to take our kids. Luckily, I was by myself when the accident happened. My biggest fear was my kids seeing me being wheeled into the ambulance. I spent many hours in the ER, a lot of it by myself because I had NO phone and no way to contact anyone to come up there and sit with me. Big Daddy stayed at the scene to wrap everything up and get all the details from the guy that hit me. Luckily, he has great car insurance and so do I, so I'm not worried about that.

A friend of mine made a comment to me today, that kind of hit me hard. She said "I wonder what was going on in this guy's life that would cause him to drink and be DRUNK by 7:30 at night - get in car and risk not only his own life, but the lives of other people on the road".

When I went to pick up my rental car today, my car was sitting in the parking lot. I stopped and looked at it in the broad daylight. THAT freaked me out. Just looking at the damage, to the front and the rear (yes, I was pushed into a car in front of me) - made me realize that your whole life can change - in 10 seconds. 10 seconds before the guy hit me, I was sitting at a red light, looking at my nails, commenting in my head that I needed a manicure. 10 seconds later, I'm screaming, grabbing my face (because I saw a flash) thinking my air bags had deployed. Panic quickly went over me and I realized I had been hit.

When I was laying in the hospital bed, I was immobilized. I couldn't do anything but look up. I laid there and I started crying .... and then I started praying. I thanked God for sparing me. I thanked Him for protecting me and those around me. I thanked Him for being there for me when I was alone and by myself.

Let me tell you, those board things they strap you to - they SUCK. I had the BEST xray technician though and he gave me a clean sheet to lay on (the one that was under me was COVERED in dirt b/c they had to lay me down on the ground). THEN he gave me a WARM hospital blanket. I don't know about y'all, but those are the BEST things EVER!!!

I say all that to say this: Your life can change in 10 seconds. Live it to the best of your ability, with no regrets.

Do you REALLY know what you're eating?

I watched Food, Inc last night .... and let me tell you, it almost made me a vegetarian.

I believe this movie is a MUST SEE for everyone. Not really for the 'bashing'/exposure of the companies, but really, to see WHAT goes in our meats/poultry, etc and how the industry has changed over the last several decades.

It has made me want to shop at our corner vegetable stand and buy meat only from the local butcher. Now, is that realistic? Probably not.

The movie showcases several MAJOR manufacturing companies and every one of them declined to comment - which makes me wonder. They had hidden cameras in the processing facilities, so it 'appears' to be absolutely TRUE what was being reported.

....and don't even get me started on how fast food is prepared.

Big Daddy and I were talking last night about purchasing half of a grass fed cow ~ have any of you ever done that before?

If you haven't seen Food, Inc yet - I definitely recommend it! You can read about it here.