What did we do for dinner before Pinterest?  I’ll tell you ~ we scoured through a dozen cookbooks to find a recipe for Pork Chops for which we had all the ingredients.  A half hour later, we found something we could use.

Now, within a matter of minutes we have a recipe at our fingertips (and about ten more we want to try) just by doing a search on Pinterest!

Such was the case for me last week.  I had purchased a couple of lovely Pork Chops on sale at Ingles for $3!  I love cooking chops on the grill and I wanted to do more than just add barbecue sauce.  I found a delightfully delicious and easy recipe for Grilled Maple Dijon Pork Chops.  The marinade was perfect and caused a luscious charring on the meat.  I let the chops marinate for a couple of hours, then I also brushed it over the meat while it was grilling.

Source of recipe

1/4 cup grainy Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 chopped shallot
1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and thyme
drizzle of light oil (this just helps them to not stick on the grill)

Toss the pork chops in the marinade to coat and put them in the fridge for about 45 minutes-hour.

Place on a med. high grill.  Turn half way through cooking.  I cooked mine until the temperature was about 135 degrees.  Then I put them on a platter and covered it with foil.  They will continue to cook, while remaining juicy.  Let rest ten minutes.

A few years back when I made my first mission’s trip, I doubted there would be accessibility to daily showering, so I looked into purchasing my first ever can of Dry Shampoo. It was a handy item on that trip, because my inclination was correct!

Since then, I’ve learned that mission trips aren’t the only time one should substitute a spray for a the real deal of washing your hair. The whole process of washing and drying hair is really hard on your hair, and it seems that dry shampoos can even add a boost of volume to your hair, and who doesn’t need that?! Since my hair is short, I need to wash it every other day. Otherwise, I’d have to sleep standing up!

I found a can of this shampoo on clearance at TJMaxx for $5 – a great deal!

I love it because this dry shampoo absorbs excess oil and product build-up without stripping the hair. The formula sprays clear, making it undetectable in any color hair, cleanses without water, and instantly boosts volume.

I brush my hair out, then spray the shampoo on, targeting the roots. Let it dry a minute or two. Brush hair. Proceed with normal styling.

It’s great stuff, ladies! Freshen up your hair and give this great product a try! You’ll also be out the door in half the time on the day you use the dry shampoo!

I have heard that there are other reasonably priced dry shampoos, but haven’t tried any others yet. If you use a different kind that you love, please leave a comment and tell us about it!

I’d love to see you at Boones Creek Bible Church Sunday!

Stay refreshed,

Yesterday marked the first day of Autumn.  Tennessee welcomed it in with a low of 45 degrees!  My husband and I sat out on the front porch Monday night with steaming cups of coffee and the chilly night air about us.  As much as I love summer, I have to admit that it was lovely.  To sit out there and listen to the stillness, the geese flying into the corn field across the way and hear the corn stalks on the porch crunching in the breeze was a reminder that this season is one of slowing down a little.  That is a blessing from the God who created the seasons.  I’m thankful!

Last week I drug out the bins of my fall decor to give the inside of my house a touch of fall here and there.  I decided not to do my mantles yet, but just add some subtle touches in a few spots.  If you peeked in from the porch this is what you’d see:

This is my favorite Yankee Candle scent ~ Autumn Pumpkin. It smells so wonderful in the house when this is burning!

The twinkly lights in the basket in front of the fire place are a pre-cursor to the fireplace being lit!

Foyer table

The place where I did go all out was my front porch.  If you’re friends with me on Facebook you’ve seen pics, but for those that haven’t seen it, here it is:

Liza sweetly posed for this shot! =^..^=

Have you put out any fall decor yet?  I hope this will inspire you a little to add a few touches somewhere.  Then sit down with a cup of coffee and slow your pace.

With love from my country porch,