Well, I never got my YALLFest post written yesterday (sorry). Look for that soon; but, in the meantime, here are a few more answers to the questions you asked last week…
1. What are some things you HAVE to do by Sunday evening to feel like you are (mildly) ready for the upcoming week?
Hmm… This is a good question. We usually do our grocery shopping over the weekend so that we are all stocked and ready for Monday morning. I almost always pack lunches the night before, make coffee for the next morning, and have a general idea of what our dinners will be for the week by Sunday. I also try to catch up a good bit on laundry and just have the house generally straight before another week starts – once things get busy again everything pretty much goes to chaos! I also like to sit down with my planner on Sunday nights and look at what the upcoming week holds, communicate with Jeff about scheduling/obligations, make sure all our childcare is worked out, etc. etc.
2. What devotionals do you do?
The truth is, I’m not very consistent with my quiet time/devotions these days. I really want to be better about setting aside intentional time to be with God, be still, and study the Word, but I’m not really there right now… That said, I LOVE the She Reads Truth App on my iPhone. I find their Bible search tool really convenient for basic scripture reference, and I love that their studies are so closely tied to heart of women – they just finished a study on hospitality and the current one is on hymns. Love it. The app is also really visually appealing – which maybe shouldn’t matter, but it kind-of does. 🙂
Right now, I’m also part of a group study on the book Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of David by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur. This isn’t my favorite format for a devotional – mainly just because it is a lot of homework and it’s hard to catch up if I miss a week – but there are some really powerful points in it, and I enjoy the community of women in my group on Wednesday nights.
3. What are your favorite crock pot meals?
My very favorite crock pot meal is something my parents used to make when I was growing up, and it has become the ultimate “comfort food” for me in adulthood. It’s SUPER simple and not the least bit healthy… Basically, I just throw chicken breasts and two big cans of cream of mushroom soup in the crockpot in the morning. About an hour before I’m ready to eat, I add a container of sour cream and stir well. I serve the creamy deliciousness over rice with a side of peas or some other green thing. There are always lots of leftovers, and it is just as good on day two (or three or four). Lately, I’ve tried to substitute Healthy Choice soup and/or greek yogurt instead sour cream… It’s still yummy, but not quite as rich and delicious as the full-fat method!
I’m actually working on a post about this for Liberating Working Moms next week (with many ideas from you all via Facebook) – so stay tuned for several more recipes!
4. What movies are you excited about?
Is it bad that I had to Google “upcoming movies” in order to answer this question?!
My book club is reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed right now, and we are planning to see the movie and have coffee/discuss afterwards at the beginning of December. So, I guess I’d say I’m most excited about that movie since I know I will see it – seeing movies in the theater is a rare experience lately – and I have a tiny obsession with Reese Witherspoon. 🙂
I’m also looking forward to MockingJay, Part 1, and I think both Unbroken and Selma sound really good… The last two are being released on Christmas Day. Before Sam my family almost always saw a movie over the holidays together – a fun little tradition I hope to re-instate once he is old enough!
5. What’s the latest with your sister – her move back home, upcoming wedding, etc.? (This one hardly counts since my sister asked it… But, I thought it might still be fun to answer!)
After a couple of years in Fredericksburg, my sister and her fiance moved back to our hometown (actually less than two miles from me) this past summer. Although I still felt super close to her even when she lived out of town, I have definitely enjoyed having her back at home to do more of the every day stuff of life together… We go to the gym together several times a week, pop in each other’s houses to borrow clothes, and she occasionally kidnaps me for a quick trip to Target (which I don’t mind a bit). Even more than that, I’m SO glad that Sam gets to have a relationship with his “KK,” I love seeing them bond with each other. 🙂
This is a BIG year for my family as Kathryn and Dewayne will tie the knot in June! They are planning a beautiful beach-side wedding in the Outer Banks, and I couldn’t be more excited for them. I’m the maid of honor (we don’t like the term “matron” – it sounds old and awful) and am busy planning her bachelorette party for later this spring (when I will have a newborn, naturally) now. It’s been so great getting to help make decisions about fun things like bridesmaids dresses, invitations, flowers, etc.; but, I have to admit, I haven’t been as involved in the process as I thought I would be – Kathryn and my mom are ON TOP OF IT. 😉
Well, I think that rounds out the questions you asked… If you have another random life question, feel free to leave it in the comments, and I’ll try to answer there!
E