Great Expectations

Riggins has some news!  

 We are thrilled to be expecting our second child in early April!  

We are so very grateful for God's gracious, undeserved blessings to our family, and we appreciate your prayers for a healthy, uneventful pregnancy as we await this sweet addition!   

Toddler Theology

I was in the kitchen, almost finished wiping down the counters so that I could spend some time playing with Riggins before heading out for the evening.  

At my feet, he clung for dear life to my legs, whining in desperation, his frustration only increasing with my "Wait, sweetie," "Patience, baby," "One minute, honey."  It has been one of those days when he has been especially needy and impatient even when I am seconds away from fulfilling his needs.  

With the last crumb swept away, I knelt down, placed my hands on his shoulders, drew him into a hug, and then looked into his eyes:  

"I hear you, darling.  I know you don't think I do, but I hear you.  And I'm right here.  I will give you what you need."  

And then I was hit with a sensation that has occurred a handful of times in my almost seventeen months of motherhood.  The clear sensation of God's voice, prompting my attention to yet another similarity between my earthly experience of parenting and his divine Fatherhood to his children.  

So often--today, even--I find myself needy.  Whining.  Impatient.  Desperately pulling at the leg of God and complaining, assuming that He couldn't possibly hear, accusing him of not meeting my needs as quickly or as accurately as I would wish.  

And tonight I felt my words repeated back to me:

I hear you darling.  I know you don't think I do, but I hear you.  And I'm right here.  I will give you what you need.

My son may not get his milk as soon as he would like.  He may get broccoli instead of sweet potatoes.  He may go to bed earlier than he is ready.  He may have to wait one minute before receiving the fullness of the attention and love I have to give him.  But he will have everything he needs, when he needs it, and with an abundance of love and care.  Because he is my son.  Because I love him more than life.  

I may not have as much money in my budget as I would like.  I may not know what life after May 2012 has in store.  I may not (scratch that...will not) get my dream house, dream neighborhood, dream life the second Jonathan graduates next Spring.  I may have to watch those I love endure hardships that I do not understand, and endure hardship myself.  I may have to wait years before being able to see the fullness of God's purpose and blessing in these areas of my life.  But I will have everything I need, when I need it, and with an abundance of love and care.  Because I am His child.  Because He loves me more than life.  

I hear you darling.  I know you don't think I do, but I hear you.  And I'm right here.  I will give you what you need.

Yes I CAN!

Y'all, I have learned a new skill, and I am here to proclaim to the world that YOU TOO CAN CAN!  That's right...call me Pioneer Woman, because this summer I tackled canning, something that I had always feared.  For some reason I just assumed that canning was extremely complicated and that if I messed it up I would be permanently deformed by exploding hot glass jars.  

But really, it is super simple!  A little time consuming, yes, but when you consider the output you get for the input, it is well worth an evening of your time.  

My first attempt was apple butter.  A big, beautiful apple tree resides in the back yard of my parents' home in Arkansas, and I had always scolded them for not using the abundance of apples.  Granted, the are small, tart cooking apples, not great for eating out of hand, but still totally useful.  So when my parents visited this summer, Dad toted along a HUGE box of apples.  After checking out a few books from the library, honing in on a recipe, and stocking up on jars and supplies, I went to work.  

It turned out beautifully!  The apple butter was delicious (I used a crock-pot recipe that called for leaving the skins on the apples, so it could not have been easier!), every jar sealed correctly, and I now have a stash of apple butter in the pantry ready for Christmas gifts.  (If we don't polish it off ourselves before then!  FYI: cinnamon raisin bagel, cream cheese, and apple butter are a stellar combo).  

With a little more confidence, I was ready for my second project.  Our neighborhood has a greenline walking trail, and on it are two huge fig trees.  I've kept my eye on those trees all summer, just waiting for those little jewels to ripen.  And I knew just what to do with them.  Mama Dot and her sister Francille always made this amazing fig preserves.  They canned them whole in a heavy syrup studded with lemon rind.  Francille was kind enough to supply me with two jars on my last visit, but I'm down to the last bit of my last jar, and Francille is scheduled to move to a retirement home this fall.  Soon, there would be no more fig preserves.  The tradition was mine to figure out.  

I had Mama Dot's recipe, but in typical Southern girl style, it read a little something like this: 

To large bowl of figs, add soda.  Boil in sugar syrup slow and long with one sliced lemon.  

Not quite enough to go on.  But after a bit of Googling, I found a few similar methods with more exact instructions.  Now it was just time to wait on those figs!  

I checked them one afternoon as we drove home, and they were ready!  As soon as Riggins woke from his nap, I grabbed my biggest mixing bowls, drove to the tree, plopped the boy in the shade beneath, and went to picking!  Then, when I had gotten all I could at my height level, I put Riggs in the car, pulled up underneath the tree, and then stood on the car to get more.  I'm sure the neighbors thought I was INSANE, but I left with a load of figs for free!  (Well, I paid in lots of sweat and a grumpy kid, but FREE!)  

It was game time....I soaked the figs... (the Riggins girls always left the stems on their figs, which I never minded, but these ended up being a little tougher even after cooking down.  Next time, I'll remove them).

Threw them in my biggest pot with the sugar syrup and sliced lemon (Appropriately, this vintage LeCruset Dutch oven belonged to Jonathan's great-grandmother.  Not a direct relation to Mama Dot and Francille, but still another fine Southern Arkansan lady who I would imagine would be very proud to see her great-grandson's woman mixin' up some fig preserves in her pot!  Isn't that turquoise color divine?)  

They simmered for about 30 minutes, nice and long and slow, just like Mama Dot said to do.  

Eventually that syrup gets nice and thick and jammy, and the figs get soft and plump.  Perfect for drizzling over plain yogurt (my modern enjoyment) or smearing onto a hot biscuit (the traditional enjoyment).   

Then, it's time to can.  I boiled my jars and lids, and then filled each hot jar with the hot preserves to 1/4 inch from the rim.  Wipe the rim of the jar, place a hot lid on top, and screw on a ring.  Then pop the jars into a big pot of boiling water and allow to process for 10 minutes.  

Remove from the pot onto a towel and allow to cool overnight.  Unless you have a big canning pot, this all has to be done in stages, so that it what gets time consuming.  I just did it one night after Riggs had gone to bed.  I didn't want a toddler tugging on my leg as I boiled glass jars, you know? :)  

The next morning, test the seals: push on the lid to see if it gives at all.  It shouldn't budge.  Another method is to remove the ring and pick up the jar by just the thin lid.  It should hold tight.  I used both methods just to be sure! :)  

I ended up with these 3 large jars of figs and about four smaller jars.  And I am pleased to report that they taste just like the real deal!  I was so relieved and proud to know that I can carry on this little treat that our family has long enjoyed (although Jonathan isn't crazy about them, so more for me!).  

I think I'll probably reserve canning for those times when I can get an abundance of some food for free or super cheap.  I don't think I'll be going out and buying bushels of strawberries to make jam when I can buy a good jar of Bon Maman for $4 and just eat my fresh strawberries.  But for keeping up a family tradition or taking advantage of a bushel of free apples, canning is a fun, simple little hobby that reaps major rewards!  You "can" do it!  (heehee)

Your Two Cents: Nap Transitions

Good Morning, friends!

I've got a mom question, and I thought I'd bring it to the blogosphere to get your two cents!

Here's the deal...

For the longest time, Riggins has taken a morning nap from 9-10(ish) and an afternoon nap from 1-3(ish).  Although we've had a few days in the last month where he has chatted through that morning nap, we've also had days where he sleeps two hours in the morning; and, of course, plenty of days where he sticks to his usual 9-10.  

But next week, all of our fall activities begin--Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), our church's bible study, and MOPS--which means that at least three mornings a week we have a morning activity that begins around 9:30.  So I'm not sure what to do about that morning nap.  

It seems like my options are:

(1) Keep putting him down at 9:00 when our morning allows (the four days a week without a morning activity) and hope for the best on the other days.  We have had a few days when we've skipped the morning nap for an outing.  He seemed to do fine, and picked right back up with the morning nap the next day.   I guess the only issue is that our activities are three days in a row.  

(2) Attempt to phase out the morning nap and transition to one post-lunch nap.  My only hesitation with that plan is that I would prefer to follow his lead when it comes to his schedule, and since he seems content with his current nap routine I hate to mess with it.  But, I wonder if it would be best to have the same nap routine every day.  And selfishly, on the days when he hasn't taken a morning nap, he has still napped from 1-3, not longer.  I would be really sad to lose a whole hour of nap time!  Does that afternoon nap get longer once it is more established?  

(3) Wait and see how he handles the first few weeks of our new routine and decide later.  

So any wisdom you have to share when it comes to transitioning to one nap is much appreciated!  Comment away, friends!