7 QT 60: Fall, Book clubs, and Chick-Fil-A Sauce

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s been a week full of adventures for the Langrs, so here’s a quick peek at what we’ve been up to since last Friday’s quick takes:

1. Football Sunday

While I don’t understand all the sports rules about football, I love settling in to watch a game on a chilly fall day. And it doesn’t hurt that our local team, the KC Chiefs, are 5-0. Joseph and I turned the game on Sunday afternoon after Mass and lunch and we had a blast spending some quality time together watching our team bring home another win.

I may or may not have slept through the entire 2nd quarter. But I woke up in time to see the end of the game, so that’s what matters.

2. Homemade Chick-Fil-A

Over the weekend, Joseph and I decided to get some good use out of our grill. We had some leftover chicken breasts in the fridge, so we seasoned them up and threw them on the grill. When deciding on our dipping sauce, Joseph suggested something like Chick-Fil-A sauce.

After looking at a few copy-cat recipes, I decided on this one. Guys, it was delicious. A little too much BBQ sauce to make it an exact copy of the beloved sauce itself, but pretty dang close.

3. All the fall

Our local Aldi has been transformed into a fall Heaven. Fall smelling candles line the fun aisle, while caramel apples and Halloween candies beckon from the end caps.

We were pretty good about not busting the budget over all the souvenirs from my favorite season of the year, but ended up with caramel, apples, and apple cider in our cart.

I’m just proud of myself for not buying the $10 bag of all chocolate mini candy bars and eating them all before the week was through. I can’ t help it, this baby has a sweet tooth!

4. Bumping into week 11

Our little baby keeps growing! He or she’s little bones are beginning to harden, all the organs are in place, and now he or she can open and close their tiny little fists. The size of a fig, our baby update e-mail said that their sweet little movements look like a tiny little water ballet performance.

If only we could feel that water ballet show. But that time will come soon enough! Also, this week, hiccups are starting - so maybe we’ll feel those before the kicks!

In other pregnancy news, I’ve also heard it’s a good idea to avoid eggnog during the holiday season, so Christmas just won’t be the same this year.

5. Binge reading books

Jules from Mystery through Manners Podcast is doing incredible work with her new podcast. She's currently released 4 episodes about Catholic fiction and we were talking via e-mail about recording podcasts as Catholics.

In her series, she interviews women from Well-Read Mom, an organization I'd never heard of. So, after I finished listening to a few podcast episodes and heard the organization mentioned, I checked it out.

Out of curiosity (and as a mama trying to navigate this new season), I checked if there was a group near me. There was. They're actually meeting less than 5 minutes away from me, and their first meeting is next week.

So, I'll be spending the next week binge reading "An American Childhood" (thank you Amazon prime) and heading to the first meeting of a book club that I didn't know existed until this afternoon.

Social media gets a bad rap. We complain about how it disconnects us and robs us of real community and friendship. But I just wanted to share this story as a reminder that social media can also be used for some beautifully good things. It can be the springboard for new community with neighbors and give you an excuse to read (not that I needed one of those).

Now go listen to Mystery through Manners Podcast. I'm telling you, it's worth every second.

6. Last wedding of the season

Tomorrow, Joseph and I are attending the wedding of our friend Joe Heschmeyer (my co-host of The Catholic Podcast!). It’s our last wedding of the 2018 year, so expect some memorable Langr wedding selfies next week!

All of my little siblings are also attending the wedding, so I’m sure they’ll be co-staring in our selfie adventures.

7. Wilson’s new litter box

Joseph and I went on a late night run to Target last week to pick up a few things. While there, we perused the kitchen section to see if anything would work as a litter box for Wilson. We were looking for something a little more solid than the plastic box he’s chewed through in the past few weeks.

We settled on a shallow metal box, which Wilson has sort of adjusted to here at the house. He’s found that he can’t chew through it, which frustrated him. He spent the evening glaring at us. Since then, he’s pushed the new box over into the opposite corner of his cage and refuses to push it back. But he’s pooping in it, so that’s the important part, right?

Chloe LangrComment