Crock Pot, Revisited

I am kind of a crock pot snob.  Not that I don't love the whole easy, dinner is done, one pot thing.  It's just that I sometimes feel like foods cooked in a crock pot end up tasting kind of weird.  Or they are so cooked to smithereens that they fall apart, and not in that mouthwatering, tender way, but in that "What was this, exactly?" way.  Don't get me wrong, I use a crock pot.  Sometimes you just can't beat the efficiency of it.  But I guess I just usually prefer other cooking methods.  However, I have recently been turned on to a couple of new uses for my crock pot, and it has rekindled my respect for this handy device.  Allow me to spread the love.

First, my friend Leslie recently posted about making her own yogurt in a crock pot.  Since y'all know what a yogurt enthusiast I am, I just had to try it.  By golly, it works!  And it is good!  And easy!  And cheap!  I like to strain mine in a colander lined with paper towels (over a bowl, to catch the excess water), and after several hours of draining it is as thick as Greek yogurt.  You can learn how to do it here.

Coincidentally, my other discovery involves another favorite breakfast food.  I am a big fan of steel cut oats.  They make good ole' Quaker old-fashioned oats run and hide in shame.  But I can never get them cooked just right (and by just right, I mean like at Cafe Eclectic, where boring old oats make you swoon and groan and sound like an Herbal Essences commercial).  Mine are always too chewy or goopy or crunchy, all of which are disappointing after the 30 minute cook time, which is really far too long to wait on breakfast anyhow.

Enter the crock pot.  After googling "Cooking Steel Cut Oats in Crock Pot," I turned up this method for using your crock pot as a double boiler of sorts, putting your oats and cooking liquid in a smaller bowl and then filling the surrounding crock with water.  Left to hang out overnight, the next morning found all three of us devouring the best bowl of steel cut oats I had ever produced.  Creamy yet firm, without being crunchy in the least.  Just perfect, really.

On a simpler note, this hot summer weather has found me busting out the crock pot for some basic cooking tasks that keep me from turning on the oven or steaming up the house with the stove top.  I've been throwing frozen chicken breasts in there with some water in the morning and then shredding it for chicken salad and other meals that require cooked chicken.  And contrary to my "cooking it down to smithereens" disgust, I've actually liked how the slow-cooker gets the chicken to a point where it easily shreds into perfect chicken salad-sized pieces.

So whether you're one of those who just adores your crock-pot and uses it every night of the week, or you've got some baggage in your relationship with the ole' CP like I do, rekindle your romance with these new tricks!  If you've got any other favorite uses for your slow cooker, leave them in the comments!  

My Three Dads

 FUN

PATIENT

STRONG

 WARM

SUPPORTIVE

AFFECTIONATE

UPLIFTING

LEADER

TEAM-PLAYER

ROLE-MODEL

Just a few of the qualities that I admire about my husband as he fathers our son.  Watching him as a dad has only deepened my love for him.  

Becoming a parent has also deepened my appreciation, respect, and admiration for my own father.  His godly character and unconditional love set a high standard and paved the way for me to fall in love with a man like Jonathan.      

And Jonathan would not be the man he is without his own father.  He may be my father-in-law, but his genuine care for and generosity toward me have made me feel loved as his own from the very beginning.    

I pray that Riggins will learn from the examples of these three men and follow in their footsteps as a man devoted to Christ, with a humble confidence, a dedication to discipline and excellence, and a compassionate love for others. 

The Dairy is Closed.

Disclaimer: the following post is a statement of my personal feelings about my personal experience.  It is not a statement that is intended to make any one who did things differently feel bad.  This is not a formula vs. breastfeeding debate, or a debate over how long you should nurse.  It's just me, telling my story.  So don't get your panties in a wad, ok? :)

I have just completed one of my proudest accomplishments.  I have nursed my baby for 13 months. And we are finished.

I went into breastfeeding with an open mind, fully aware that for some babies and some mothers, it just doesn't work out.  That said, I had my game face on to do everything in my power to make it work (a large part of that motivation was health, but a big part for me was financial).  It's a good thing too, because I definitely had to put that game face to work!  Between the typical cracked nipples (Yep, I just said nipple.  On the Internets.), plugged ducts, and even a plugged milk pore (find that one in "What to Expect"...I dare ya!), the first six weeks were a matter of pure determination.  It hurt, and the 45-minute feedings every three hours sometimes made me feel like I was going to go insane.

But it got better.  Even when we hit the occasional bump in the road--a recurrent plugged duct, supply issues, the increased squirminess of a growing baby, a bout with the stomach flu that completely wiped out my supply for 48 hours, and even teething--I pushed on, determined to make it to the one year mark if my little guy would stick it out with me.

And he did.  When his first birthday rolled around, we went down to nursing only at bedtime and first thing in the morning.  And then little by little over the past month and a half, I noticed that he was losing interest, and that our nursing sessions were down to less than five minutes total.

The last few weeks have brought about a change in my heart as well.  While the weeks around his birthday found me completely sad over the pending end of this sweet time with my son, the last few weeks have brought a sense of peace and closure.  I was ready to be done, and I knew that he was at a point where he could care less whether we continued or not.  It was the perfect segway to the next stage.

Early on in this process, I had expected weaning to be this dramatic event, culminating with an emotional final nursing after which I would place my sleeping baby in his crib and shed a tear as I walked out the door.  In reality, weaning was a gradual, months-long process at the end of which my squirmy toddler would nurse for less than five minutes--sitting up, at that--before reaching for his toothbrush and squirming out of my arms to be put into his crib.  I never really knew when the last nursing session might come, and though I felt a few pangs of nostalgia, I didn't mind letting go of that idealistic vision of nursing mother and child.

But on Tuesday night, he was content to lay there, cradled in my arms, one hand twirling my "R" necklace as always, and the other clutching my finger.  He stayed for longer than usual, and I sniffed his freshly shampooed head as I sang all of our favorite lullabies.  I was keenly aware that everything was just as it should be, and that it was the perfect way to end this chapter.  I am sad that I will never experience that closeness with my son in the same way again.  At the same time, I am enjoying the added time and freedom that weaning brings.  He is no longer a baby but a toddler, and it's time for both of us to move on.

Yes, nursing was everything people say it is: painful and uncomfortable, tedious, gross, awkward, sometimes embarrassing, and exhausting.  (For the record, each of those things improved with time!) Yet it was also, hands-down, one of the most beautiful, amazing, fascinating, rewarding, intimate experiences of my life.  Well worth it, indeed.

If you have any questions about our nursing experience, feel free to leave them in the comments or shoot me an email.  I'm an open book and am really passionate about helping other new moms succeed with breastfeeding.  A solid community of fellow nursing moms is one of the best tools I can recommend when you're trying to stick it out!  

Southern Comfort

On Sunday night, I embarked on a little "first" my own.  Riggins has had a bit of a monopoly on "firsts" around here these days, and I thought it was high time I join in on the fun.  So this weekend marked my first-ever solo trip since having a baby.  No carseat in the back.  No gear.  No fellas.  Just me.  And it was just what the doctor ordered!

I hope that you are lucky enough to have a friend like Anna.  Strangely enough, Anna and I have only shared about three months of actually living in the same town.  We sat a row apart in a human development class during grad school at Baylor, and after being paired for a group project we became dear friends in a flash.  So dear that when she got engaged that semester, she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding.  She left Waco that summer, but we remained friends, and over the years we have shared one of those wonderful relationships where you just pick right up where you left off, wondering how on earth you could be so in tune with someone you only see once in a blue moon.  And it sure doesn't hurt that she sends the most thoughtful gifts a girl could ever dream of!

Anna now lives in the San Francisco area, but she is originally from Jackson, Mississippi.  Now, I like to say that I am a Southern girl, but truth be told, I am the daughter of a Maine potato queen and a Colorado mountain man.  Ever since moving to Arkansas in the fifth grade, I have found my true home in humidity, monogramming, magnolias, and a few "bless your hearts."  But Anna is the real deal, and her Southern charm is a big part of what endears my little wannabe heart to her.  

Anna visited last fall to meet Riggins!

When she emailed to say that she would be in Jackson for the week, I knew that it was the perfect opportunity to leave my boys for a night of girly fun with my favorite Southern belle.  I packed my bag (Did you read that?  Bag!  Just one little tote bag! Miraculous!) and hit I-55 South for three hours of blaring music and absolutely no reaching into the back seat with toys, snacks, or pacifiers.  The drive was half the fun of this solo flight.  

Once in Jackson, Anna and I once again picked right up where we left off, chatting about topics from marriage, to babies, to being at home full-time, to clothes, to families, to church...and back again a time or two.  We perused Target before joining her precious mom, Kathy, for what I can confidently say was one of the best restaurant meals I have had in a good long while.  If you're ever in Jackson, stop by Bravo and get the lemonfish and banana creme brulee!  We stuffed ourselves silly and just had a wonderful time catching up.

The next morning, I slept in until 8:45 (actually, I woke up at 7, but willed myself to continue sleeping in fifteen minute increments, just because I could!) and then lounged over coffee and breakfast (which included grits, of course!) in Kathy's beautiful kitchen.  We chatted over breakfast until I realized that it was noon!  I had told Jonathan that I would leave by lunchtime!  Oops.  I hit the road back to Memphis, refreshed, rested, and so thankful for God's gift of friendship.  

 Anna and I on her wedding day.  Wasn't she a beautiful bride?  

Modern Conveniences

I am sprawled out on the couch, ceiling fan on full throttle overhead, AC set at a cool 68 degrees.  Between loud sighs, I have mumbled a bit of "Thank you, Memphis Light, Gas and Water," some "I love you, Thomas Edison," and "God, if you need me to live in a third world country with no electricity, I will do it, but your grace must abound...times a million."  

We have been without power for 48 hours after a routine summer thunderstorm that wiped out electricity in a good chunk of midtown.  Unfortunately, I had just returned from my first-ever overnight trip away from my boys.  I was relaxed, rejuvenated, and rested.  This little glitch in the system totally killed my buzz, y'all.  

Before having a child, a power outage was a slightly annoying, slightly exciting time.  But with the nursery registering at 85 degrees, with no power to run a fan, we really did need to get out of here.  Of course we have wonderful friends with whom to store our frozen goods and lay our sweaty heads (thanks, Marcus and Tiffany!), but hauling your baby, your dog, your groceries, your stuff, and your sticky self back and forth between houses multiple times (since we mistakenly hoped for power yesterday!) gets a little cumbersome.  

Then there's also the fact that while my baby would fall asleep in a warm house, he wouldn't stay asleep because it turns out he has a slight addiction to the fan that usually runs in his room and drowns out the noises from the neighbors.  Enter the Homedics Sound Spa Portable Sound Machine.  Pregos out there, add it to your baby registry.  Mamas out there, buy it.  People who just love a good night sleep to the soothing sounds of the rainforest, you're invited too.  

Heat kinda makes you crazy.  And it really makes you crazy when accompanied by a whining, sweaty baby.  And when the going gets tough, the tough get Praise Baby.  Running the last bit of juice out of the Mac was well worth the thirty minutes that I laid on the floor in my underwear humming  "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee."    

Check out my rad blackout movie time set up...lap top in the armoire = entertainment system!  

All sarcastic joking (ok, you caught me...complaining) aside, it really wasn't so bad, but I am very thankful for the modern conveniences that electricity provides.  Air conditioning, a microwave, a dishwasher, a washer and dryer, ceiling fans, internet service, lighting, a hair dryer, an oven (thank goodness for a gas stove!), a DVD player to buy me the occasional break.  Those things sure do make my life easier, and I completely forget that the majority of mothers throughout the history of the world have raised children without them.  I'm sure I could too.  But I'm certainly glad I don't have to!  

What modern convenience would you go nutty without?  

Wanderlust, Part IV: Australia

After two years of living in Texas, we hit the trail back north to Oklahoma.  Toward the end of our time in Waco, Jonathan had decided on a career change from finance to optometry.  I had taken a job at our alma mater as a residence hall director, which conveniently paid his way through prerequisites.  Aside from his rigorous science courses and the round-the-clock demands of my live-in job, it was a sweet, simple time for us.  

We had just lost Mama Dot and Papa Todd that previous Spring, and as the holidays approached we all longed to be with our extended family.  Still, the thought of experiencing the holidays without those cherished loved ones was hard to bear.  My mother-in-law's older brother and his family live in Australia, and a visit Down Under became the perfect solution: we were surrounded by dear family members, and yet doing something completely fresh and new for Christmas.  Thanks to the generosity of my wonderful in-laws, Jonathan and I got to trade our Bison Hill winter for a Down Under summer!  

In LAX, ready for a LONG flight to Melbourne!

It's hard for me to sum up this trip in words.  While I had met everyone in the Ozzie branch of the family but cousin Lee, I hadn't had the opportunity to really spend quality time with any of them.  Though we did quite a bit of sightseeing, we also spent lots of time just hanging out and relaxing.  This gave me a chance to get to know this branch of our family in a deeper way, and to realize that I really, really like these people.  I mean, seriously, how many girls can travel internationally with their in-laws for almost two weeks--to visit another branch of in-laws at that--and come out liking all of them even more than she did before?  Not many, I tell you.  Not many.  I am a blessed girl.  

So in a nutshell, on this trip we did a lot of this...

Lee and I whipping up a bunch of mussels for dinner.

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Nightly bocci ball tournaments for the fellas

I have yet to meet the family membership requirement of playing tennis...

If you thought you were smart, try doing crossword puzzles with Larson and you'll be humbled forever.  

But we also had some fun around Melbourne!

Visiting a market near Lee's place...

 Touring Larson's alma mater, The University of Melbourne

Eating gelato, although Drew and Lee seem to be busy as secret agents, gang members, or seeing impaired...

Seeing the sights... 

 Boats at Mornington

Golfing for the fellas

Brothers.

Hiking to Point Napean 

 Sailing the Harbor

Visiting the botanical gardens (like my hubby's preppy look? :)  

And looking for kookaburras in the old gum tree.  

Our time in Australia was restful, rejuvenating, and unifying for our family.  If only Australia weren't a 16 hour (expensive) flight away, I'd go every Christmas!  Looking forward to another reunion with our favorite Aussies one day...we've got to get Riggins down under too!  

Thirteen Months Old!

Dear Riggins,

Welcome to toddlerhood!  While you aren't exactly toddling just yet, you are definitely more of a little boy these days.  Everyone who knows you well has commented on how grown up you are looking; you are losing that baby chub and starting to look like a little boy.  And what a sweet, funny little boy you are!

This month, you gained the ability to stand on your own (without pulling up first), and you can now stand for quite some time.  You are so close to walking and I have a feeling that you'll just take off one of these days, but you are content to crawl for now.  In my opinion, you can take your sweet time, because if you walk and run as fast as you crawl, I'm in big trouble!

Your communication skills have grown significantly this month, primarily in signing.  "Please" and "all done" are used frequently, and we can no longer eat or drink in front of you without you patting your little chest in urgent desperation to "please" share with you!  Waving bye-bye and hello is another favorite gesture.  You say "Uh oh," "Dada," "Weber," and "boat."

My favorite new skill is your ability to give kisses on command.  You had been doing this for several weeks when one morning as we snuggled in my bed, you sat up and smiled at me before leaning in and giving me a huge smooch on the lips, completely unprompted.  Oh, how my heart melted!  You are such a sweet boy.

Your little mouth has six teeth with a few more in the works.  You have quite the little gap between your two front teeth, which I think is the most adorable thing I have ever seen.  It is impossible not to smile at the sight of your cheesy grin!

Still a great sleeper, you nap for an hour in the morning and two hours each afternoon, and sleep from around 7 p.m. to around 6:30 a.m. each night.  (I don't want to jinx it, but I am really hoping that you've grown out of the whole "let's wake up at 5:30" thing!  Who would have thought that I'd ever consider 6:30 a.m. sleeping in!?!)

You nurse when you wake up in the morning and before bed at night.  I'm not sure how long we'll keep that up, but at this point you eat so fast that it isn't a nuisance to me, plus it is such a sweet time together...I know that once it ends, it's over for good, so I'm just playing it by ear.  You drink whole milk at meal times and are still a great eater.  New favorites include watermelon, blueberries, muffins, and Veggie Straws.

Firsts this month included meeting your cousin Grayson and attending your first baseball game.  Your daddy was pretty excited that your first game was between the Redbirds and the Omaha Storm Chasers, a farm team of his beloved KC Royals!  You loved the atmosphere and clapped every time the crowd cheered; your Daddy was one proud papa to have you there with him!  We also busted out your new pool in the backyard, and you have turned into a little fish; you love the water!  Other favorite activities include going on runs with Daddy and Weber, going to Jazzercise with me in your Jumperoo, crawling around the back yard, and riding in your wagon.  We have also been spending lots of time at the zoo, and you have really started to notice the animals.

We are definitely getting into the never-ending journey of discipline.  While you are a very laid back little guy, there are a few things that you are determined to go down fighting on, namely touching the DVD player and standing up in the grocery cart/high chair.  My two mottos are "The easy way is not always the best way" and "Begin as you mean to go on."  It is so hard to be consistent and to follow through, especially when you are repeatedly and intentionally pushing the limits, and when you're so stinkin' cute!  But I know it will all be worth it some day when you are a well-behaved, polite young man who obeys the authority of your elders and, most importantly, God.

Riggins, you are such a sweet little boy.  You have a wonderful sense of humor and are truly a people person.  I think you take after me in that way; if we've been home for a couple of days in a row and finally leave the house, you kick with glee all the way to the car and then smile and flirt with every single person at Target.  You get your energy from interaction with others.  You play well with other babies and are just an all-around happy guy.

And one last thing that has been on my mind...a little heavy, yes, but something that has defined this month for me.  Some really bad things have happened this month.  Tragedies have occurred in our nation and in the lives of the people we love.  I have spent many days of this month in a feeling of depression, overcome with worry and sadness over the "what ifs" and fearing for your future.  And the truth is that, try as I might, I cannot protect you from this fallen world in which we live.  Scary things might happen.  We might lose things or people that we love.  I want more than anything for you to follow Christ, and if you choose to do so, you will not be exempt from suffering; quite the opposite.  And yet the great paradox is that only in following Him will you have hope and peace in the midst of this broken world.  So my prayer for you, my little 13 month old boy, is that you will grow to know the peace and hope that come only from the Redeemer, the Restorer, the Rescuer.

I love you, my wonderful child.
Momma