Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

Every Sunday, our family gathers at Mom & Dad's for lunch. Mom always has lunch prepared no matter how many are showing up. She gets frustrated sometimes because we don't always stay and help clean the kitchen. I'd like to say that we get better with that as we get older, but unfortunately that is not the case. She also get frustrated because she feels like she always makes the same thing over and over. Well, every Mother's Day & Father's Day, us girls try to take over and cover those to meals. Probably the only 2 Sunday's in a year that we take care of. Sad, I know!

Well, Sunday was Father's Day, so while brainstorming what we could cook, I told Michelle I would do chicken crescent rolls. Not remembering I have no crescent rolls. It's like 8:00 PM on Saturday and I have NO desire to go to the grocery store. So I start searching my cabinets and remember this AMAZING recipe for Crock Pot BBQ Chicken. This is also good because it will be ready as soon as we get in from church!

Ingredients:

• Boneless Chicken Breast
• Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
• Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper
• Brown Sugar
• Water

First you need to salt/pepper and season the chicken with garlic powder. I put a squirt of Sweet Baby Ray's on my chicken and then just rub it in with a spoon, then sprinkle all of the chicken with brown sugar. (yum!) I pour some water into the crock pot, just enough to have the chicken simmer in. I've cooked this 2 ways. In a hurry and really slow. If you are in a hurry, cook in your crock pot on high for 2 hours. Or, slow, in your crock pot on low for 4 hours. Either way it's great! I have also cooked this without thawing out my chicken but it's much easier to cook it thawed out. 

It was SUPER yummy and VERY easy!! 

I did not find this recipe on Pinterest! 

VBS & My Porch Swing

I promise I have not been neglecting my blog... I just haven't had very much time to update. We had VBS at the beginning of June. I got by with working in the kitchen this year, which was fine by me! I was able to go around and take a few pictures of all of my sweet babies....so here ya go! 

Ally and I have LOVED VBS for a very long time...we also love eating watermelon TOGETHER! I took Ally to VBS when she was 2 years old and someone captured a picture of us eating watermelon. We have sort of made it a tradition to catch a picture every year. :) 

Ty loves VBS too! Very rarely do I get a picture with his because he is always on the go! But I got one of him on kick off night, right after he painted his face. And I also got one WITH him the last night after a very serious conversation about how he is an adult now...(That's a whole other blog post!) 

This was Harlie's first year getting to participate with a "big girl" class! She had so much fun singing, playing, and making crafts! 

Josh started building us a new deck back in the early spring, I have been BEGGING for a swing to go on it..well, I got it! He secretly built me one on a Saturday afternoon when I was busy with bridal & baby showers. I LOVE IT!! 

Sleepless in Susa

I've been browsing through my Esther book. One day I end up on page 12, the next it could bee 131. I like that I can go through it and read the things I've highlighted before. I also like, that I can read the things I didn't highlight, but now wonder why I didn't. Maybe it didn't stand out before, but it sure does now! I'm sure I have a new perspective on different things than I did a year ago. Today I landed on Week 6, Day 1: Sleepless in Susa. (If you are interested, turn to the book of Esther and read chapter 6!) Better yet, read the entire book of Esther!!

"The king could not sleep, so he ordered the book of chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him." Esther 6:1


‎I'm still profoundly moved at the thought that God desires my company! Just as surely He desires yours, Beloved. Sometimes when we're awakened for no other apparent reason and we sense God is near, what could be more precious to Him than our saying, "Speak, for Your servant is listening"?-Beth Moore

Fascinatingly, Scriptures proves over and over that a person doesn't have to be a child of God to inadvertently be a servant of God.

Esther: It's Tough Being A Woman

About a year ago, I was apart of a Beth Moore Bible study, called Esther: It's Tough Being A Woman. It was my first Beth Moore study and I have never studied a book of the Bible so thoroughly and in so much depth. Over the last few weeks I have found myself thinking of Queen Esther. I can recall at least 2-3 times in the last few weeks that I have thumbed my Bible over to Esther's story. I've felt like I needed to dig out my old Esther work book. So over the next few weeks, I'm re-reading, reviewing Esther's life. Maybe God has something in Esther that I need to be reminded of, or maybe there is something that I missed the first time I did this study. It even says on the first few pages:

Don't forget to look for something of yourself within these pages. 


Maybe that's what I didn't do the first time around, maybe I didn't look for something of myself.

"Because God is faithful to remind us that He alone is Lord, one day the power suit begins to unravel even if we're the only one aware of the dangling thread."-Beth Moore 


Week 1: It's tough being a woman in another woman's shadow.

Mexican Dorito Casserole

I wish I could say that this was a big hit with Josh, unfortunately, it wasn't. My parents & sisters, however loved it! Michelle would have eaten more but that dang heart burn is so bad right now. (That just means my sweet niece Bekah's hair is growing!) Josh isn't much on casseroles, and even when he is, it doesn't need to be the only thing for dinner. He needs like some meat on his plate, a vegetable and a little bit of casserole. He came in EXHAUSTED from work Thursday after working until midnight 2 nights in a row! So he went and "rested" on the bed while the last of the babies were leaving, then comes out starving! I recommend Mexican Dorito Casserole. He knows I have been dying to try it! So, I run to the store in the rain for the few ingredients that I didn't have to make it.

Ingredients:
2 Cups of Shredded Cooked Chicken
1 Cup of Shredded Cheese (I used a little more!)
1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 Cup of Milk
1/2 Cup of Sour Cream
1 Can of Ro-tel Tomatoes
1/2 Packet of Taco Seasoning
1 Bag of Doritos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients except Doritos.

This picture looks totally disgusting, and it is also blurry so that doesn't help, but it was good! 

In a greased 2 quart baking dish, put a layer of crushed Doritos (about 2 cups).

Then a layer of the chicken mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of the chicken mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, bake for 30-35 minutes til bubbling hot. 

It was really yummy, and I will definitely make it again, maybe during football season! 

 Here is the link to where I got this recipe off of Pinterest. 

Memorial Day Weekend + some...

This past weekend was Memorial Day, and it was busy but I still got to relax and sleep in! (Woop!) Friday night, we had Messy Madness for our children at church. Because I don't get off until 5:20 most days I missed the messy part! I came in time to help clean up, get supper going and to watch Dauphin Tales with the kids! It was a great time! On Saturday, I got to sleep until, get this...10:00 AM!! It was absolutely amazing!!! I got up and went for a run (Jenn and I are doing Couch to 5K, pray for us!) 

Okay, so here's a story...yep, it's hilarious. Or at least it was at the time! Saturday night, one of my childhood best friends got married! Her wedding was in Daphne, AL. So, I hop in the car with Mom and Heather for the 90 minute drive. No big deal, right? Hahahaha...Okay, so we go in Mom's car. She tells us that her a/c has been acting up and that it just takes a minute to get to kicking. We reach Frisco City, (10 minutes into our drive) and I'm pretty positive that I'm hotter than I was when I ran that morning. My hair is damp from sweat and my legs are sticky, yes I know, gross! I start looking at Momma, who starts looking back at me, and then I glance at Heather in the back seat who is giving me a look of "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!" Momma says "Well, do you want me to go back home!?!!" At this point, I'm still hopeful that the air will get better. Hahahahaha...Jokes on me! About Bay Minette, Heather says "Momma Donna, you're gonna have to stop at Taco Bell so I can get a cherry limeade, it's just HOT!" So she stops and it seems to be quicker for Heather to run in, so she goes in for her cool down drink and a soft shell taco with NO cheese. They give her a soft shell taco with ONLY cheese, I get the taco. Mom calls Dad. Dad says, "First thing Tuesday morning we will get it looked at." HAHAHAHA (I'm laughing out of heat stroke by now) Mom rolls her eyes and pull into the first auto parts store we can find, hoping that someone will put some freon in the blasted car! I'm not one to walk into an auto parts store but it's so hot we're sure that they probably have some COOL air, so out Heather & I go right behind Mom, with taco in hand! Heather and I missed this part too busy enjoying the air. Mom says all these guys, way younger than my married self, are all huddled around the counter. We walk in and apparently they part like the Red Sea! I did, see this part. Mom turns around and gives me a look and I just shrug. I look at Heather and say "Girl, we might have to flirt to get air! And when I say WE I mean YOU!" She just laughs and I know she's ready to work it if need be. Mom asks if someone can PLEASE put some freon in her car, Heather says "PLEASEEE!!" I offer my taco. I'm to the point where I'll walk back to Taco Bell and by them a grande challupa with a large cherry limeade. Luckily, I didn't have to do that. One of the nice gentleman came on out to handle it for us, without the taco. It was pure bliss the rest of the 30 minute drive. 

Meagan's wedding was BEAUTIFUL! We all shed a few tears and laughs, it was so good to see old friends and catch up! 

On Sunday, Josh and I drove to Orange Beach, Alabama to visit with his Uncle Jerry, Aunt Karen, Cousins: Ryan & Amanda, Madeline & Hunter and Cameron & Elizabeth. We spend most of the day at the beach or pool! Josh & I both got fried! 

Madelyn is so cute and reminds us so much of Abby Fleming, and if you know her, you know what a hoot Madelyn is! We threw her all over the pool, flipped her, and I even painted her toenails before we left! 

We went to dinner with Leighton & Alley Griggers, which we should do more than we actually do! Love hanging out with them! We got home around midnight, and I got to sleep until 9:30 on Monday, again..pure bliss! We went over to Mom & Dad's for a cookout with the McCrory's & The Bayles'. Yummy and good fellowship!

One of Michelle's baby showers was last weekend, and I don't have any pictures on my phone, I was too busy hostessing and chatting. Here are a few pics I snagged off of Facebook. 

I'm not sure if I posted these Easter pictures, but if I did, you get to see them again! 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

This is not the first time I have made laundry detergent. Scratch that, yes it is. Josh made the first batch and I just claimed it, when I in fact did nothing but shop for the ingredients. It's not my fault though, I can't help it he is just as thrifty as I am and wanted to try his hand at saving us some cash. I found this on Pinterest, but it actually sent me to another blog Why Not Sew but I will post the recipe so you don't have to start clicking away, unless you just want to! :-)

Here's what you need:

• 1 Bar of Soap 
• 1 Cup of Borax
• 1 Cup of Washing Soda (or baking soda, read below!) 
• A pot that holds up to 2 gallons
• A grater
• A funnel
• A long spoon
• 2 empty gallon jugs

You want me to be completely honest? When I read washing soda and I was like "What the heck is that...?" I searched all over Walmart and could not find it. It's supposed to be in the laundry detergent aisle but after checking with an employee turns out they were fresh out. (My luck!..Monroeville's Walmart, duh!) But I happened to run into a friend that has tried this several time and she says that baking soda worked find when she did it. I even checked online to see the difference, and several site said how different they were but I took the risk and tried it. It worked just fine the first time, so I'm assuming it will this time as well! So, if you can't find washing soda, you can substitute it with baking soda.

So, here we go! 

Grate your bar of soap: Since Josh did this the first time, I was expecting mine to turn out like his, turns out mine was better! His left clumps of soap floating around the bottle when it was done. (More on that below!) I just used a bar of Irish Springs soap, you can literally use whatever kind you want. Just be aware that what you use, that's what your clothes will most likely smell like. It does not have a strong smell but you still smell the scent. 

Fill one gallon jug with water and pour into pot with grated soap. Cook until the grated soap dissolves. I don't have a pot that I keep in the house that holds 2 gallons. I had to sneak out to the shed and see if I could find one. I think when Josh made it, he actually did it on a propane gas thing-a-ma-bob. (You know what I'm saying, right?) So I found the big pot that he uses for that (thing-a-ma-bob) I figured it would work on my stove just fine, which it did! Above I made the comment that Josh's batch had soap pieces floating around in it. I figured out why, because he's a man and has no patience whatsoever! Apparently he just didn't let it sit long enough. I just turned it on and let it go, occasionally stirring it. When all I saw was bluish water, I moved onto the next step. 

Add 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of Washing Soda, bring to a boil and let it coagulate. 

Stir occasionally...I let it boil for about 5-10 minutes....

Turn off the heat, and add another gallon of room temperature water. 

I had a lot of suds with mine, I let it sit for a while and let them die down a little and let the detergent cool off before pouring them in jugs.

When you think it's cooled off enough use your funnel to pour in your detergent...

Viola! You use about half a cup per load, I use a little more for my larger loads. This is enough to last well over 2 months, maybe longer. I can't remember how long it lasted the last time, exactly. This saves on money BIG TIME because when you buy the Borax and Washing Soda it helps makes several batches of detergent!