*by popular demand, I give you the crockpot beef stew recipe I made on Monday and spoke about on Facebook. This is the post I wrote my guest spot on Bug's blog.

Oh my gosh...how much do I love Dancing with the Stars? There are really not enough words nor adjectives to describe my love for Dancing with the Stars. Monday was Season Eight's electrifying premiere and it did not disappoint. There were Tom Bergeron's witty one liners, lovable Bruno's sexy accent, spray tanned bodies and the perfect blend of great and awful dances.

When I woke up Monday morning my first thought was that I needed to have dinner ready to go right on time so there would be no excuse for chilrens' late baths and postponed bed times. I settled on a crock pot meal that I could make early in the day and then have my afternoon free to get any necessary chores out of the way so that after the babes went to bed I would be a woman free to indulge in her dancing fantasies. My friend Rochelle recently posted on Facebook her recipe for Crockpot Beef Stew and I give you the recipe now. However, it will from here on out be known as "Dancing with the Stars Premiere Night Crockpot Beef Stew" (I would imagine this recipe will be a good one to repeat for the equally anticipated DWTS finale.)

Dancing with the Stars Premiere Night Crockpot Beef Stew

In your crockpot, mix a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes with one envelope of onion soup mix and 1T of "Minute" tapioca. Mix in 1t. of sugar, 1T of salt and 1/2t of pepper. Toss in 2-3 pounds of stew meat along with one chopped onion. Add 3-4 pounds of chopped potatoes and 6 chopped carrots. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. Serve with a tossed salad and buttermilk biscuits. Mmm.

Tuesdays With Traci

Meal Swap – One of the best things I did this year

First, this is not for everyone. If you are a picky eater or have family members with severe allergies you can stop reading here, this post is probably not for you. On the other hand, if you like to have home-cooked meals, eat a wide variety of foods, and like the ease of having dinner ready in the freezer, you may want to give this a shot.

What the meal swap entails:
*4-6 ladies
*Each lady makes 1 meal for the number of ladies in the swap
*On a set day of the month everyone gets together to swap meals. If there are 6 ladies each person will leave with 6 different meals.
*There is a money cap per meal; ours is $6.
*Most meals can be stored in Ziploc bags. This not only saves room in the freezer but money because you aren't buying aluminum containers every month. (To the right is a picture of 6 freezer meals stored vertically in my freezer.)
*Menus, dietary restrictions, meal sizes, and other issues are agreed upon by the ladies in the swap.

Here are some great websites to get freezer meals: http://freezerchicks.blogspot.com/ ,
http://www.30daygourmet.com,/ http://www.once-a-month-cookingworld.com/ , http://www.recipezaar.com/.

There are several books at the library about freezer meals/once-a-month cooking. Another book that I just found and fell in love with is Fix-It and Forget-It, 5-Ingredient Favorites.

We’ve been doing the meal swap for a year now and our group has ebbed and flowed. There are only two of the original ladies me being one of them. But our group actually birthed a new group last month so the idea is catching on.

Finally, I want to leave you with one of our meal swap favorites:

Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole
½ cup onion, chopped
1 box wild rice, prepared
1 c mayo
1 c cheddar cheese
1 can green beans
1 can cream of celery
3 shredded chicken breasts

1. Sauté onions in butter.
2. Add everything else in mixing bowl.
3. Put mixture in 11 x 13 dish.
4. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (or until bubbly).

For freezing: Prepare as directed in steps 1 and 2. Then put in a Ziploc bag and freeze flat. For eating: Thaw in bag. Continue with steps 3 and 4.

Conversations with a 3 Year Old
Tonight while Samuel and Emily were in the bath Hot Jeff took a shower because he's starting to feel achy like the rest of us. Samuel knew this was a little out of the ordinary and here is the transcript of the conversation that followed:
S: Why is Daddy takin' a shower?
M: Daddy is feeling achy and the warm water will help.
S: Why is Daddy feeling icky?
M: Not icky, achy.
S: Icky?
M: No, achy. Like 'aches and pains'. Not icky like 'eew'.
S: Is he going to the paint store when he gets out of the shower?
M: Huh?
S: Icks and paint. Is Daddy going to the paint store?
M: No, not paint. Pain. Like "owie" I have a pain and need some tylenol.
S: I want some tylenol. Tylenol is purple. Paint is purple.
M: Yes, paint and tylenol are purple.
S: Why is Daddy takin' a shower?

Waylon & Willie

It is with great pleasure I introduce you to Waylon & Willie Henderson. Waylon is on the left and Willie is on the right, more towards the top. Waylon has more translucent fins while Willie's are very red, hence he was clearly going to be Willie, after his namesake.

Thanks to all of you who voted on the name poll. Since it ended up being a tie I broke it and went with the country music legends. I miss my late Uncle Bob dearly every day and he would have loved that I named my goldfish Waylon & Willie. He would have also given me a lot of grief about it.

The kids are crazy about the fish and last night during dinner Samuel spontaneously bowed his head, closed his eyes and said, "Thank you God for our fishies". Good times!

Tuesdays with Traci

Last week our pastor (at Open Door Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC) preached a sermon on “Worship that Pleases God”. He spoke about how far churches have strayed from what God intended and offered these characteristics of a church that pleases God. (I added the stuff in parenthesis for clarification.)

It is God glorifying
It is Christ and cross centered - (the full gospel)
It is saturated with Scripture
It is Spirit empowered
It is orderly and has unity - (not chaotic)
It is congregational – (not people watching a performance but every member worshiping)
It is gospel driven

As he was talking I made the connection that our lives ought to have the same characteristics.

God glorifying – In everything, do I fear the Lord and have His glory as my sole ambition? “Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Prov 31:30

Christ and cross centered – Do I remember how much he gave for me? When I am tempted to wallow in my circumstances, do I remember that Christ died for just such a moment and that he knows my suffering? Phil. 2:3-8

Saturated with Scripture – This is where I fall miserably short. I know the basic principles of the Bible but I don’t have them hidden in my heart. I am striving toward memorizing Scripture so that I am always ready to apply it to each situation. I want His words to come from me not my own, which can be erroneous (selfish, worldly, or ignorant). “She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” Prov 31:26

Spirit empowered – Oh my, how often am I frustrated at the end of the day and look back and realize I went the whole day in my own power. The mornings that fall on my knees and plead for help and continually talk to God through the day are so much more rewarding. Why don’t we do this more?! Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Ps. 143:10

Orderly and have unity – Think about the godly women in your life. Would you say their lives are chaotic or orderly? Are they often breathless and frazzled or one step ahead of the game? They have a plan, prayed-through no doubt, and they execute it with grace and strength. “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.” Prov 31:25

Congregational – Are we fellow workers at our church or do we leave ministry to the pastors? (That’s what we pay them for, right?) If you are a Christian, God has given you special gifts and talents that He wants and expects you to use for His kingdom and His glory. Romans 12:3-13

Gospel-driven – What is our goal in life? Know God and make Him known. When we talk people we meet throughout the day do we have this mindset? Do we portray the love of Christ in all we do? Do we show mercy? Are we sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and speak Truth when we are prompted to do so? “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.” 1 Thess. 2:8


Remember you can always check out Jen on Tuesdays on my blog.

The 4:00 Beer

My dear friend Shannon has implemented the "4:00 beer" at her house. She has 3 kids under the age of 5 and I applaud her for not being drunk all day long. Shannon is pretty open about her 4:00 beer and has started to suggest it to all her mommy friends who stay home with their children all day. The idea is catching on and while in a conversation with another mom last week I heard her reference the 4:00 beer! Love it!

Today while reading the news online I saw a picture of President Obama sipping a cold one at a Wizards game! Shannon, look, your idea is catching on with the President. We know he spends the day with children: senators, congressman, lobbyists... Go for it President Obama; you deserve it!