It is Sunday afternoon in the Bentley domicile. Just like clockwork, Greg came in and turned on "The Race." That's right ladies and gentlemen: NASCAR. It has somehow made its place in MY home of all places. Being a woman who was only brought up watching the Golf Channel on Sundays, the surround sound "vroom vrooms" have taken some getting used to. Might I also add that the race has now been on for over 2 hours and Greg is sleeping soundly on the couch. Paying it zero attention, but you can hear the vroom vrooms throughout the entire house. How that man falls asleep with the eardrum-burstingly loud television on will always astound me. While Greg sleeps, I've decided to take a little break to brag on us as a domestic couple. We've done a lot this weekend!
You may ask what I have been doing while waiting on the winner to be determined in "the race". Welp, I have successfully made my first ever batch of chicken salad (from scratch). Yes, you heard me correctly. I bought and boiled the entire chicken, boiled eggs, added celery, apples, seedless grapes, sweet pickles, a little mayo for binding, and salt and pepper to taste. How crafty am I? Thank you to my mother, Pearl, for setting the standard as far as chicken salad goes. My first batch doesn't come anywhere close to hers, but it will do for this week's lunch.
Continuing the bragging on my domestic skills:
I also successfully made my first crock-pot roast overnight. Going solely off of a wing and a prayer with no real recipe, I'd have to say it wasn't half bad! It was GOOD actually. Just ask Greg. He went back for seconds on all of it. Our roast recipe went like this: Worcestershire, salt, pepper, sliced onions, minced garlic, and water. What will I do differently next time? Add beef broth. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the roast, but I think the broth will help give it a meaty flavor.
It was so nice to come home from church today and have lunch ready when we walked in. I think the Crock Pot may be my go-to appliance on Sundays. At least while I'm just having to feed Greg and myself.
Greg is taking over the kitchen this evening for supper. He has a deer tenderloin marinading. I have been saying for weeks now that we need to "get on a plan." Who all out there has said that 1 million times also? So, in an effort to do better with our balanced diets, we've turned to deer meat. I hope Greg has a successful hunting season this Fall. Our freezer will be barren by then at the rate we're going. WE had deer cube steak last night. They were delicious. I highly recommend them.
Stepping away from the kitchen:
Tomorrow, Monday, marks the first day of classes at both EMCC and MSU. This is also the perfect time to prepare for a new routine. Yes, I have already made my lunch for the week. Yes, I have bought grab-n-go breakfast and lunch options for my husband. Yes, I have cleaned our house from top to bottom knowing we may be just a little bit more fatigued when we are off of work, but there are still things that I would like to finish before tomorrow comes. I have a mound of Thank You cards to write from our wedding. Yesterday I wrote 25. Today's goal is 40. We are blessed beyond measure to have such support, but I am finding it quite difficult to make the time to write those notes. Y'all pray for me and my right hand as we embark on this venture. I also need to finish laundry. This is something that I need to make more of a priority in our home, but such is life. I have friends who wash a load every night and dry that load every morning. I have friends who send theirs to the dry cleaners, but I have come to realize that Greg and I have not set a good routine. Every week we fill up over 4 hampers with an array of towels, socks, unmentionables, work shirts, pants, and PJs. It's a vicious and never-ending cycle of clothes. I think a yard sale is in order. Maybe selling half of our inventory will help make me want to wash clothes more often. Maybe.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! It is going to be a fun and busy Fall, and I hope I can make time to blog every now and then. Sorry for the bragging on our domestication, but we really are excited to try new things and get on a "plan". The race has 12 laps to go, and my husband is stirring. Time to go give him a hard time for being deaf.
-Brooke Bentley
