He’s been wanting to go on a picnic for weeks. He’s always loved a picnic. I’ve been putting it off because it was too hot, too rainy, then too wet. I was too tired, too busy,  and too “Type-A”. By too Type-A,  I mean that I needed to plan a picnic. The perfect picnic. The picnic they will always remember. Then I snapped out of it and realized the picnic they will always remember is the one we actually go on. Not the perfectly planned one in my head.

Maddie had choir practice this morning and as soon as we got home I quickly rounded up a few things: canned soft drinks for everyone,  the cookies from the cookie jar, and a roll of paper towels. On the way out the door, I grabbed my camera. We headed for the park and bought a couple of pizzas as we drove through town.

It was a perfect day for a picnic.

In other news, this week was finals week for the college freshman and he turned 19 on Tuesday. We celebrated his birthday last weekend. You can read about it here. In lieu of a cake I made the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar.

You can find this recipe and many others at Kevin and Amanda’s great blog.

On Tuesday we didn’t have another party but he did request Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars. I’m sure it helped him study:-) These things are delicious. You can find the recipe here.

We’ve had a delicious week. Any recipes you’d like to share?

It was a long week.

Last Monday, Eric’s grandmother was buried. He and 4 of our kids made the trip to the service. I wish I could have been there. I cheered thinking of her in heaven.

Granny with Maddie, Anna, and Elizabeth

Caleb was very, very sick. (The next day we found out he had the flu.) He and I stayed home. He spent most of the week in the bed and on the couch. I cheered for a good doctor and medicine that helped him get better.

Monday night we watched the BCS National Championship Game. I cheered, happy to see our team win. Roll Tide!

Friday night was date night. Pizza, salad, and cheesecake at Effina’s then on to Java Jolt.

Cafe au lait for me. Cafe americano for him. I cheered for good food and good coffee.

I made 12 pans of The Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls last week. It helped get me through. It also helped me gain 5lbs even though I wore my yoga pants and running shoes while I ate them. I cheered anyway.

It’s been a long week.

But today we went here.

We read this:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Ephesians 1:3

It was a long week. But we are blessed. In Christ. With every spiritual blessing.

Today is the beginning of a new blessed week in Christ. I am cheering again.

Yay for new. Yay for blessed. Yay for Christ.

Last week I posted about being disobedient. You can read about it here. I also said that I would share the reason for my disobedience.

Here it is: Discontentment. It’s really that simple. Sadly, it manifested itself in many ugly ways, but the cause of my disobedience was discontentment. (The root of my discontentment was pride but that’s another post.)

Discontentment comes when I focus on what I don’t have and what I wish I had rather than on what I do have.  I have a very, very blessed life and I am re-learning the habit of counting my blessings and being thankful with and content for what I have.

Recently, one of my children told me about a friend who has a newly remodeled kitchen. I heard all the details about new cabinetry, tile, hardwood floors, and counter tops. This child of mine was genuinely thrilled for this person and lovingly admired the beauty of the space. There was not a trace of jealousy or envy.

I was convicted by my discontent (once again) and vowed to begin (again) counting my blessings—beginning with my kitchen.

We live in a 1970’s brick ranch. When we bought this house it had wall to wall brown carpet, cheap linoleum, popcorn ceilings, and flocked (shiny) wall paper on Every. Single. Wall. The downstairs “mother-in-law suite” had orange shag carpet and brown paneling. But I loved this house the minute I walked in. I could see a home.

Today, we still have the same dirty brown carpet, cheap linoleum, popcorn ceilings and orange shag carpet on the stairs. We’ve painted every single wall, replaced a couple of toilets, hung some new light fixtures, and made this shell of a house a home.

 Back to the kitchen.

I spend A LOT of time in the kitchen. This kitchen:

Cooking for these people and at times a few more:

Since we bought this house 10 years ago we’ve replaced the refrigerator, the cook top, the oven, and the dishwasher(twice). I still have the harvest gold sink and vent hood. As you can see I have very little counter space. Preparing a large meal for a large family can be challenging. You know how people tend to gather in the kitchen? Well, they do here,too. All seven of us.

Then we gather here to eat:

But that’s the blessing of it.  I have some very special people to cook for and I love it. They love to eat and I love to cook. Can it get any better than that?

Would a new kitchen make it easier? Maybe. (Oh how I would love a double oven!)

Would a new kitchen make it sweeter? No way.

Earlier this year I posted this:

Sometimes I need to be reminded.

While I was here…

with him…

and them…

Crock-pot Buffalo Chicken was waiting for us at home.

I know you’ve seen this recipe on Pinterest many times. (It’s where I found it.)

It. Is. Delicious!

You must make it soon.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 (3lb) bag of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning

1 bottle of your favorite wing sauce

1 stick of butter, cut into pieces

1. Place frozen breasts in the crock pot. (Yes, yes, yes. Frozen. How easy is that?)

2. Sprinkle seasoning mix on the frozen breasts.

3. Pour bottle of wing sauce over the frozen breasts.

4. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

5. Remove the breasts from the crock pot, toss them into your kitchen aid mixer, turn it on low for a minute until meat is perfectly shredded. While the mixer’s running add the stick of butter to the crock pot juices and let it melt completely; then add the shredded chicken back to the juices and stir to combine. (If you don’t want to use the mixer just leave the chicken in the crock pot, use two forks to shred the chicken, add the stick of butter, and stir.)

Just before we walked out the door to go to the game Eric threw everything in the crock pot. Tonight we used the meat for sandwiches: Sesame seed buns, mayo, dill pickles, and chicken piled high. Yummy! Open a bag of dill pickle potato chips and you’re set! (This chicken also makes a great barbecue salad or buffalo chicken pizza.)

Eric said it is the best barbecue sandwich he’s ever had.

We all see a recipe on Pinterest, repin it, and think, “I’ll try that sometime”. This is one of the easiest and most delicious recipes I’ve tried. Add these ingredients to your grocery list and make it this week. You’ll be glad you did.

Yesterday

I made Iced Mocha Frappes. Around here they are affectionately know as Mocha Frappe Dingos—Eric’s descriptive name of a froufrou coffee drink. However, he really likes this one, especially on a hot afternoon.

Today

I read this post, Irrevocable, by Sibi at Pearls and Grace. I think you should read it, too. I love these words she wrote:

We measure sin and decide what is the worst and whether or not God will bless.
Whether He should bless or not.
Who are we to tell sons and daughters of the living God anything other than He loves you and let me tell you how I know…
Better yet, let me show you by demonstrating it.

Tomorrow

I am going to make Baked Parmesan Tomatoes because I have lots of homegrown tomatoes in my pantry. I’ll be adding seasoned bread crumbs to the mixture. Yummy.

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