Tenderest Pork Chops

As a kid you would have had to wrestle me to force me to eat pork chops! But, in recent years I've come to love, love, love!pork chops!
Part of the reason I don't like pork chops is because I think that when you grill or bake them they always end just a little tough. For at least four years I've only prepared my pork chops in the slow cooker. The results are always super tender, moist and amazingly delicious pork chops!

Here it is ready to cook

Here's the recipe:
4 American Cut Pork Chops
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Cup Water
1 Chicken bullion Cube
Salt & Pepper to taste

Disposable Relationships

I've recently had a conversation with my dad that got me to thinking.
I've always enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship with my brother and sisters. The only side-effect of those great relationships is that most other people in our lives have tended to be disposable. (I don't mean to offend any of my friends by saying this.)
My siblings and I tend to lose touch with anyone with whom we no longer have daily contact.
In some ways this is a good thing. We never get so attached to our friends, and this means that we'd hardly ever get hurt when we lose friends. However, being only slightly invested in our relationships makes us pretty awful friends!
Lately, I fallen under conviction for this.
"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." -Proverbs 17:17
In the future I would like to be the friend in this verse! I'm committing to loving my friends at all times! I want to be available at times. Just for fun times or in the darkest of times!

Better Boxed Mac & Cheese

I absolutely despise boxed Mac & Cheese!
I've been trying just about everything to improve on the simple staple. I love having it around, because, let's face it, I have small children, it's cheap and easy too! However, I must admit that I feel as if I'm committing child abuse every time I prepare it for my kids, and not just because of the nutritional value information on the back of the box!
I've tried a lot of different methods for preparation, but the latest I've tried I found to be a really cool alternative!
I prepared the noodles as ordinary.
When I added the cheese flavoring to the pot, I didn't add any milk or butter. Instead, I used about 2 tablespoons of Mayonnaise. Then I added in one slice of velveeta. (I know the nutritional value just keeps getting better.)

It tasted really creamy. I liked the effect and my hubby gave it 2 thumbs up!

Homemade Hairspray! (Bonus Make-Up Sealer!)

I've read plenty about making homemade, citrus hairspray in my "curly hair research." I've put off trying this, because I've found a spray that's water-soluble and can hold up in a hurricane...Rave, believe it or not!
Now, I have a little secret to share. When I finish my hair each morning I spritz the hairspray all over my head including on my face. I've read online that this makes a great make-up sealant. I've been doing this for around a week or two and I'm very happy with the results!
When I decided yesterday to make homemade hairspray the poor recipe had to hold up to two expectations, poor thing!
I'll share the recipe with you now:
1 Orange
2 Cups of Water
Sugar (Optional it increases the hold)
1/4 Cup Alcohol (OPTIONAL!!!) This is a preservative!
5 drops Lavender Essential Oil (OPTIONAL)

Yummy Burger Seasoning

I adapted this from a recipe I found on AllRecipes.Com:
I needed to come up with a meal that was quick, delicious and could feed numerous people with a low cost. I decided to make gourmet sliders. I made the buns myself, but I wasn’t happy with the results. They tasted fine, but they were more like a biscuit than a bun, so, I won’t bore you with those details. 
However, the burger themselves tasted awesome, and smelled even better! I’m one of those nutty people who think that a food can only taste good if my whole house smells good while making it!
I mixed one pound of ground beef with about a quarter cup bread crumbs, one egg, one packet dry gravy mix, one packet French onion soup mix, and one packet dry Italian dressing mix. The result was scrumptiously yummy burgers. Instead of topping them with American cheese I topped them with a shredded Italian cheese blend. 
Hope you get a chance to try them, and you enjoy them as much as we did.
I don’t have a photo, because we ate them before I decided to blog about them, sorry!

Superbowl 2012

If you're from Central Indiana like me, then you're probably still licking your wounds over the 2-14 season we endured this year. I know that when most Colts fans discovered that the Superbowl would be held in Indianapolis in 2012 we held a secret wish that we would watch our beloved team win a home Championship!
However, that dream has died. Fortunately, the city is still so excited for all the Super activities that have been planned!
If you're in the area, here's a link for you to check out that will give you more information:
Super Bowl 2012
I'm pretty sure that my husband is going to have to zipline over the Superbowl Village! I mean, how often do you get the opportunity to fly across a crowded city street.

My God is So BIG!

Lately my 3 year old has been determined to teach the song, My God is So Big to my 1 year old. It's so cute to hear her sing it and her sister yell, "BIG!" at all the right spots in the song. But, I must admit that I am starting to realize what an awesome, doctrinal truth that song holds.
Today just think about the fact that you serve a God who is BIG! He's strong & mighty, and there isn't anything He can't accomplish! He created this complex universe! We never have anything to fear. We never have any reason to fret! Because, My God is So BIG!