Crocking Monday

We had a very awesome Sunday funday!  We entertained the congregation at the small church near our home with our little cuties.  We frequently find that at least one of our kiddos makes our section of church laugh out loud at least once a week.  Today the little princess took a back dive off of the kneeler and promptly yelled, "I'm okay, Mom!"  It echoed throughout the church and was followed by some laughter.  We took it in stride and moved on.  After church, the nice people behind us made sure to tell her that they were glad she was okay.  I guess we didn't upset them too much with our busy, not-so-quiet crew.

This afternoon we celebrated my mother's retirement.  It was a wonderful party attended by family, many friends she has had for more years than I have been alive and some colleagues that she has worked with for many years.  We pulled off the surprise event and she enjoyed the day.  My kids had a blast as well and were all so tired that they fell asleep the minute their heads hit the pillow.  The princess was up for entertaining at the party as well.  You could find her picking up chips off of the tray, licking all of the salt off, and politely returning them to where she found them.  Once we shut that activity down, she moved on to the cake and began dragging her finger through the frosting, licking it off, and returning for more.  She told me that she just needed to have more.  Thank goodness we had already served the cake!  

Tomorrow is already the start of a fresh week.  Monday can be hit or miss when it comes to the mood of the kiddos, so I hope to avoid any problems during the witching hour by making a low-maintenance dinner in the crockpot.  I used to reserve one day a week for a crockpot meal and I plan to get back to it.  It's too hot to run the oven every night, so this will be a perfect solution. 

We will be enjoying Italian Chicken with Mushrooms.  If you're looking for a delicious recipe that tastes like you slaved for hours, this is it!

Italian Chicken with Mushrooms

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 cup water
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened (I use the 1/3 less fat)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use Healthy Request)
4 ounces of mushrooms (I will add more)

Place chicken in greased slow cooker.  Combine salad dressing mix and water; pour over chicken.  cover and cook on high heat 3 hours.  In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and soup until blended.  Stir in mushrooms.  Pour over chicken.  Cook 2 hours longer on high heat, or until chicken juices run clear.

Serve over hot noodles.