Other

For those of you who have been asking, Sophie and I recorded a podcast yesterday and I will be posting it at some point soon. But she is the technical whiz behind the scenes and she had a very important sixth grade football game to attend last night and, thus, did not have time to edit, find links, add music, and create magic from nothing like she usually does to get the podcast up and running.

However, in the meantime, there are a few great things that I’ve been wanting to share.

1. The Unstoppable Gospel by Gregg Matte

I first read this book several months ago when Gregg asked if I’d be willing to think about endorsing it. And here’s what you need to know, I don’t take endorsing books lightly. I really want this to be a place where you know if I recommend a book, then I mean it.

And this is one of those books. God used Gregg Matte to impact not only my life, but also P’s way back when we were in our early twenties. He has a way of making the Bible come alive in a real, applicable way. This book will inspire you, challenge you and feel like God can absolutely use you wherever you are. I highly recommend it and it would also be great to use as a small group study.

2. Audacious by Beth Moore

I started reading this book about a week ago and ended up in tears on my back porch. It may be my favorite of all of Beth’s books. This quote…”If only you knew what He has for you. Not only after you kiss this life goodbye but, here on this earth and in this season. If only you knew, your heart would be so swept up in audacious love that nothing could keep you from the life you were born to live.”

I think it hit me so hard because I am coming off such a busy, crazy season of speaking and juggling family and writing and all those things that it just brought me back to the heart which is that it’s all about the way Jesus loves me and that I love him. I can’t recommend this book enough.

3. Psalms, Vol.2 by Shane and Shane

Remember how a couple of weeks ago I talked about the music I listen to while I write? This album is now at the top of my list as I write my next book.

I kept seeing people mention it all over the place and was a little skeptical, but I finally downloaded it yesterday and it might be better than taking a nerve pill. This will definitely be part of my writing soundtrack going forward. Forever and amen.

4. Chicken and quinoa soup

Oh yes ma’am. I put some of my air-chilled chickens to work yesterday and made this in my Crockpot. My people love any type of chicken noodle-ish soup and they really liked this. Plus it gave me a chance to actually make something with the quinoa I bought a year ago in a flurry of hypothetical self-improvement.

I ended up using 32 oz. of chicken broth which I felt was perfect. And I think you could add carrots or some other vegetables if you are so inclined. But it was easy and delicious and the perfect meal for fall/winter. My air-chilled chickens felt really good about it.

Hope you all have a lovely Wednesday.

I spent most of yesterday just catching up on things. The last few weeks have been busy and one look in our refrigerator revealed that I was correct when I thought I couldn’t remember the last time I made a real trip to the grocery store and bought actual ingredients to cook a meal as opposed to Kind bars, wine, and Halloween candy.

So I made a lengthy list of things we needed, got some laundry started, composed several emails, paid our bills and then headed out to the pet store to buy Piper and Mabel’s fancy dog food and then to HEB to buy people food.

I always start in the produce section so I picked out all our berries, fruits and various vegetables and then headed over to the meat section because I need chicken for two of the recipes I wrote down as part of our “meal plan” this week. And I put “meal plan” in quotes because it’s more like a “best of meal intentions” than actual plan and the whole thing can go off the rails at any moment depending on our soccer practice schedule or the mention of “Do you just want to pick something up tonight?”

I believe I’ve mentioned in the past that I am a finicky chicken consumer. Frankly, chickens in their raw form gross me out. This could be largely due to the fact that chickens even in their living form are questionable at best. It’s just that sometimes it can be disconcerting to eat a chicken because the various parts you eat so closely resemble the parts when they’re still covered with feathers. A chicken leg absolutely looks like a chicken leg whereas you don’t ever eat a cow leg. I mean, maybe you do eat cow legs at your house but I don’t know your life.

All that to say, I will flat eat a fried chicken tender because it doesn’t look like anything other than a strip of crispy, fried goodness meant to be dipped in mashed potatoes and gravy. What I’m saying is that I prefer my food not to look like anything natural. Maybe someone could write that cookbook.

Anyway, I found my way to the raw chicken section of the meat market. Normally, I like to just buy a rotisserie chicken for most chicken dishes and I realize this contradicts what I just said about my food not looking natural because a rotisserie chicken truly looks like it could stand up and run off if it wanted to…maybe while wearing a hat. This is an indication that I’ve had nightmares about this exact scenario. But at least it’s already cooked which eliminates a lot of the slime factor. And just typing that sentence made me throw up in my mouth a little. Why did I opt for chicken recipes this week?

I stood there in the raw chicken section and looked over all my various choices. My absolute criteria are that it must be both boneless and skinless. And then a new addition to the raw chicken aisle caught my eye.

What on earth? Air Chilled Chicken?

What does that even mean? Are these chickens who formerly lived in an air-conditioned coop while eating their all natural vegetarian grain? Are they the same chickens who once hatched their eggs on farms with sunlit barns and porches and laid jumbo organic brown eggs?

Did they once look down on all their neighboring chickens with disdain because they knew those were just regular non-chilled chickens who ate grain that wasn’t all natural? Isn’t grain by the very definition all-natural? Would a rotisserie chicken wear a hat?

I have no idea.

But what I do know is that I am a sucker for something that sounds extra special. Especially when it comes to raw chicken. I automatically assumed that air-chilled chicken can only mean something good. And then I posted a picture of it on Instagram and someone said it means it sat out at room temperature harvesting all kinds of bacteria and that I had merely paid extra for diarrhea.

(I couldn’t be sorrier about the reference to diarrhea but I’m just repeating information. I have spent a lot of years trying to make this blog a diarrhea-free zone. Please don’t shoot the messenger.)

Other people said that air-chilled chicken is delicious and that it means you aren’t paying for the extra weight of chicken that’s been chilled in cold water. Basically, maybe it’s better to have chicken who’s sunbathed at the top of a chilly mountain rather than swam in an ice-cold creek.

All I know is I’ve spent approximately WAY TOO MANY of the last twenty-four hours thinking about chicken and how they live. And also decided that maybe I’ll just put crispy beef tacos back on my “meal plan” and leave chicken to people that are stronger emotionally than I am.

Well, first of all, hello extra hour. You are welcome here. In fact, you might be the only reason I was able to be productive at all on a Sunday following Halloween festivities that involved a sleepover.

The truth is our weekend ended up being more low-key than what we’d originally planned because of all the rain. It started on Thursday night, rained on and off all day Friday and into the early hours of Saturday morning. We didn’t have flooding issues here in San Antonio, but several surrounding cities got hit really hard with flood and wind damage and there were warnings all day long about not venturing out if possible. Which worked out because I ended up not feeling great and laid low until I had to go pick Caroline up later that evening from the local elementary school where she played the role of Zombie Girl in a Nightgown for the Haunted House. She might have a real future in scaring small children based on her enthusiasm for her role, but you have to figure playing a Zombie is fairly seasonal work unless you end up as a cast member for The Walking Dead.

(I have never actually watched The Walking Dead because I do not care to see Zombies doing anything. Michael Jackson’s Thriller video caused me to have nightmares throughout junior high so, sufficed to say, I have a low horror tolerance.)

Saturday morning we thought we had a soccer game but it ended up being a rain out. So we watched the Aggies beat South Carolina which felt like a good sign for the rest of the day. Then Caroline had friends over for a big night of trick-or-treating. There had been much discussion over costume options and they finally decided on a Three Musketeers Bar because OF COURSE.

Thankfully, one of the other moms made the silver boxes and so my contribution was to get the Three Musketeers logo blown up and laminated at Kinkos. This should have been a foolproof assignment, yet I managed to bring in the wrong measurements initially and ended up with a sign about a third of what was required. So I had to make the walk of Halloween shame back to Kinkos to get a much larger sign made and then managed to cut it in the right places and adhere it to the boxes.

I will say that while it looks cute in pictures, it proved to be a little cumbersome for trick-or-treating purposes. There may have been a few houses where they went to the door as the “TEERS THREEM USKE” which might have caused some people to think they were dressed as some sort of bizarre Polish folk band.

Other than that, the trick-or-treating went well until I felt what turned out to be a raindrop. And then I felt another one. Then P confirmed that we were actually feeling raindrops right about the time the sky opened up and it POURED down rain. You’ve never seen a Three Musketeers bar move so fast. In fact, our whole block looked like a scene from a horror movie because there were monsters and werewolves and witches everywhere running for cover. And also the occasional Anna and Elsa because even a year later some little girls can’t let it go.

We made it back to the house and were totally soaked. (Thanks, weathermen, for the astute forecast that made no mention of rain on Saturday evening) So we pulled out all manner of towels to dry off with and the girls began to happily sort their candy and had no desire to go back out trick-or-treating after the rain finally stopped.

Of course it helped that I bought way too much candy given that the festivities were cut short and I basically told them they could have all the leftovers to split three ways.

And so that was our Halloween. And, basically, our weekend.

Hope yours was good and that you have managed to steal some candy for yourself.

I feel like I’ve spent this whole week getting ready for Halloween in some form or fashion and we don’t even have any big, fancy plans. But my child has discovered Pinterest and came to me with a list of foods we should prepare to celebrate…things like pumpkin dirt pudding and vampire gingerbread men and a watermelon that looks like it’s throwing up fruit. Which, no. Just no.

It’s Halloween. You know what makes it special? You get to go beg all the neighbors for candy. The end.

There is no need for me to add to your experience by making Shirley Temples that have a syringe full of cherry juice in them.

But we do have plans to trick or treat and hang out with friends and neighbors and it should be a good time.

On another Halloween note, a real headline on Yahoo yesterday was the David and Victoria Beckham hit the pumpkin patch looking hotter than ever.

Of course this totally makes me want to get out my fedora and P’s white tank top so we can go stroll around our local pumpkin patch and look hotter than ever. Or like two middle-aged people in a weird hat and a shirt that really shouldn’t see the light of day.

Here are a few cute things I found this week.

1. paloma embroidered dress

I love this for many reasons. It would look great with leggings and boots. And it’s maroon. And I love embroidered tops. I realize they’re calling it a dress. On me? It’s a top.

2. lona embroidered tunic

Anthropologie still has and extra 30% off sale items with the code XTRA XTRA at checkout. I really like this tunic and think it would look so pretty with black skinny jeans.

3. old navy kimono open front cardigan

Old Navy has 30% off with code COOLSTYLE at checkout. This kimono is one of my favorite types of things because it’s so easy to throw on over a tank, short-sleeve t-shirt or a long sleeve t-shirt depending on the weather.

David Beckham could for sure throw it on over his tank top. And still be hot both figuratively and literally.

4. gap linen stripe tee

This past summer I fell in love with Gap’s linen tees because they were the perfect length and weight. So I’m definitely going to check out this long-sleeved striped version. I love a striped shirt but I don’t like when they fit too tight. This comes in several color options.

And Gap has 30% off with code STYLE at checkout.

5. striped boyfriend cardigan

I never could find the striped cardigan that Kyle Allen’s mom had on during the Aggie game, but I did find this one at Loft and I think it’s super cute.

6. topshop faux fur vest

I have been debating about the fur vest. On the one hand, I really like the way they look. On the other hand, I’m afraid I’ll look like a stuffed animal.

But this is one of the best ones I’ve seen. I love the neutral color and it would look so cool with jeans and boots.

7. checkered crepe wrap top

I love the way this top drapes in front but is long in the back. Plus I love the checkered print in burgundy and navy.

8. archer and cove shirts

A few weeks ago my friend Robin O’Bryant sent me some t-shirts and sweatshirts from her Archer and Cove store. I knew they were cute but I wasn’t prepared for how soft they are. We are a huge fan of t-shirts and sweatshirts around here and these fulfill all our needs.

I love this bow and arrow sweatshirt because it’s terry and not heavy.

And this dove v-neck is super soft and looks great with my workout leggings that I tend to wear all day long.

And I also love this warrior v-neck t-shirt.

There are tons of great options for men, women and children so I highly recommend looking around their site to see what all they offer.

9. ikat elephant poncho

Heidi sent me a picture of this poncho and asked if I wanted one. Um. Yes. And then I got it yesterday and immediately put it on and took possibly the worst picture in the history of internet fashion.

But this is awesome. It’s super funky with all the fringe and the pattern, but looked so great when I threw it on over leggings and a long-sleeve shirt. This will be one of my go-to items all winter long.

10. barrington st. anne tote

I have used my leather St. Anne tote so much over the last year that I decided it might be time to add one in a new pattern. I just got it in this blackwatch plaid because I felt like it’s what Princess Kate would do. (WWPKD) And I already know this sucker is going to log some serious miles with me. Barrington has so many cute patterns and options that the biggest problem will be choosing which one you like best.

And I’m also a big fan of my new buchanan laptop case because it makes me happy to have a computer case that matches my tote bag.

That’s it for today.

Have a good Friday and have a Happy Halloween.

I had a long list of errands I needed to run yesterday involving exciting and exotic destinations like the mail store, Kinkos and Gap. Also, Target.

I ran in Target because there were a couple of items that they didn’t have on Amazon Prime when I Jane Jetson’d my groceries to my house on Saturday night. And while I was there I decided to peruse the Halloween aisle to see if their might be any spooky half-price decor that would make our Halloween more fulfilling and meaningful than ever.

Sadly, it was all pretty picked over except for a couple of styrofoam tombstones. However, in what feels like divine providence, I found myself smack dab in an aisle filled with pet costumes. And if you think I resisted the siren song of a pet costume, then you must be new here. I did show great restraint though and only purchased one spider costume for Piper and Mabel to share since I felt certain they would wear it for a combined 5.6 seconds. But I have to confess I’m still thinking about the bumblebee costume and may have lasting regrets that I didn’t add it to my cart along with the spider.

So I came home and immediately tried the spider costume on the girls.

Here’s Mabel.

And here’s Piper.

Neither of them seemed to share my enthusiasm. And Piper feels certain the costume is at least two sizes too small for her.

Shorty after the costume fashion show, Mabel curled up in her bed to be alone with her thoughts and composed a haiku. Or two.

I’m not a spider
May not have eight jointed legs
But I have a brain

Little Miss Muffet
She was scared for a reason
Spiders are evil

A little while later I took the girls to the dog park so they could run off all the energy they hadn’t been able to expend due to the rainy weekend. And that’s where Piper channeled her inner spider from Little Miss Muffet and sat down beside a lady and helped herself to her curds and whey. Or maybe just her ham sandwich. Either way, she stole food from someone at the dog park.

I’ll be honest. It created a little bit of an awkward situation.

But, in her defense, who thinks it’s a good idea to bring a ham sandwich to a place where dogs roam free? Especially dogs who might also think they’re now part spider due to their mother’s inability to pass up a funny photo opportunity.

And Piper’s proclivity for stealing food might explain why she found the spider costume to be more than a little snug.

Sadly, there is a point in every college football season when all my hopes and dreams come crashing down. You would think that after spending more than half my life being an Aggie, I wouldn’t be caught by surprise. Yet every fresh football season finds me thinking about how I’ll make sure I can attend the conference championship game and, lo, maybe even the national championship game. And then reality comes crashing in and I am once again free to make all manner of plans without factoring in football championships.

That point for me this year was Saturday night.

It was so bad that I couldn’t even watch any other football games for the rest of the evening because just the sound of football on the T.V. caused me to feel angst. I had PTFS (post-traumatic football syndrome) Normally, I go the message boards for solace and to commiserate with other Aggies who feel the same way, but I couldn’t even do that because everyone was all BURN IT ALL DOWN, LIFE IS A MEANINGLESS TOILING IN THE WIND and I was beyond being able to care that deeply.

Although I will say I noticed a shift in my football misery of yore because as frustrated as I was by our offense’s complete inability to move the ball, I felt even worse for poor Kyle Allen’s mama when they showed her in the stands because I knew as miserable as everyone else felt, her pain had to be all that times a thousand. However, she did have on a super cute striped cardigan/top of some kind that I would go back and look at more closely if I didn’t immediately erase the game from both my DVR and my memory.

As for the rest of the weekend – it was a slow one around here. On Thursday night we had Mimi and Bops over for dinner because Bops was celebrating his 70th birthday. P fried fish and I made a pecan pie for dessert. Then on Friday the rain started causing Caroline’s soccer practice to be cancelled so just the three of us ran to Sushi Zushi for dinner. I personally am no longer a fan of sushi, but they love it and I didn’t feel that hungry anyway so it seemed like a good time to deviate from our normal Friday night Mexican food.

By Saturday morning the rain was really coming down and so P made us breakfast tacos and we just watched Gameday (Oh, that was such an innocent time filled with so much optimism. I actually got furious with Herbstreit for picking Ole Miss because I thought he was totally wrong.) and then spent the rest of the day doing laundry and picking up around the house before it was time to watch the Aggies. Then I started not feeling great late Saturday afternoon, made the executive decision to shower and get back in my pajamas, and we all ate various leftovers for dinner. We keep a fast social pace over here.

Oh! But here’s something exciting.

On Friday Amazon announced that they would now offer Prime Now one hour delivery in San Antonio. And so about 3:00 Saturday afternoon I realized I had a grocery list that was getting progressively longer and it was pouring down rain and so I got on my Prime Now app, ordered almost everything on my list and it was delivered to my doorstep an hour later just like I was a member of the Jetson family. The future is now and it involves getting a six-pack of Viva paper towels delivered right to your doorstep. Someday we will tell our grandkids about how we used to have to go an actual grocery store and push a cart down the aisle…uphill…through the snow…both ways.

I cannot overstate the magnitude of this development and what it means for my quality of life.

It’s almost enough to ease my sorrow over the state of the Aggie’s offense.

Almost.

Although I have vowed I’m emotionally distancing myself for the rest of the season. Or until next week. Whatever.