slow cooking without the cooker

My Nanny (my mom's mother) used to call hot summer days "a cooker." I can still hear her Long Island accent saying, "it's a cook-uh." It reminds me of days taking the ten minute drive from her brown-shingled house on Wildflower Lane to Jones Beach, where we would toss old bread to the sea gulls, hurry over the hot sand, and play in the surf.

Anyway, it's the sort of day in which one does NOT want to use the oven, even with the luxury of central air. I'm also having a sort of "day off" from housework, as I'm dealing with mastitis, yet again. It seems I'm more prone to that when I'm stressed and busy, which I was this weekend.

All that to say, I'm officially Not Allowed to do housework and I simply must rest every time the baby does. I think blogging probably falls under the resting category, yes?

Tonight's menu is slow-cooked, pulled BBQ chicken...without getting the whole big slow cooker dirty. (Besides, it's in the attic, and I'm not going up there. Not in the heat.)

Be amazed.

I took out one chicken breast for the hubby and myself, and I sliced it into rounds about a half inch thick. I then heated about 2T canola oil in a skillet, and added the chicken. I cooked it until it was no longer pink, and then squirted my favorite barbecue sauce on top of each round. I added a bit of water, turned the heat to low, covered the skillet, and left it.

Three hours later, the chicken is sooo tender, deliciously seasoned, and ready for dinner! Hooray!

Trying to rest

Last Sunday's sermon was about observing real Sabbaths, real days of rest. I'm really bad at the whole taking a break and resting thing. My to-do list, though often made only in my mind, still haunts me to the point of exhaustion.

Do the laundry. Wash dishes. Scoop the litter. Sweep floors. Make the bed. Install the carseat. Return the multiples of registry items. Eat something. (Yes, that feels like a chore sometimes.) nap. Make something for dinner. Figure out what insurance plan to choose.

Today and yesterday both, I was able to nap. I just surrendered to the comfy couch and slept: a very good thing. Even today, I still feel exhausted, though I did nap.

Baby is making his cramped quarters well known to me. I can often feel his feet pushing on my ribs, which in turn makes his little bottom press on my belly and his head & fists push on my pelvis. I love feeling his movements and knowing he'll be out soon! His crib is assembled, clothes are washed, and his carseat is in the car. I've packed a hospital bag (and repacked), written a last-minute list of things to get before we leave, and made some arrangements with our family. I've chosen a pediatrician. I still need to fill out the preregistration paperwork for the hospital, and I'm still considering a birthing plan.

Exhausting, indeed. Pray that I'm able to find rest as we count down the days to our son's birth!

still, here.

Last week was a whirlwind of rehearsals (3) and concerts (5) and long travel (3 destinations). It was a big deal that I actually made dinner and had something for my husband to take to work this week. It was a big deal that I ate at all!

This week has been one of catching up, of resting, of procrastinating, of re-starting exercise, of planning next semester (the last one of my Master's program), and of just being still. Toward the end of the semester, I find that it's increasingly difficult to be still, even over breakfast - before anything has even happened. The stress builds, exams and projects pile up, and I begin to feel less in control. My leg shakes, my hands aren't steady, acid reflux becomes a daily thing, and I lose weight without trying.

So I'm holding onto this: "Be still, and know that I am God.; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth." (Psalm 46:10)

Nothing that happens in the next few minutes, hours, or days will change the security I have in God or his power at work in my life. Everything will be alright. Many things will be blessed. But I must be diligent and strive for the best I can be in each thing - making time for rest, health, and people.

the pleasures of home

DH and I went home for my grandfather's 80th birthday, and incidentally, my sister's 19th. It was a fabulous weekend - temps in the 70's, sunshine, lots of family, lots of pie.
We are a pie-eating family. Birthday pie is a tradition. Grandpa's brother, Unc, used to tell us of the days when his mother would make a pie each day for dessert after supper. All kinds of pie - from classic apple to elderberry to mincemeat. Unc insisted that, since pie slices are wedge-shaped, there's always room for dessert. He never passed up a slice of pie! And always had stories to tell as he lingered over the accompanying cup of strong coffee (with a bit of cream, no sugar).


This birthday party for Grandpa reminded me of Unc (who passed away in 2008) because of the many pie choices there were! Peach, key lime, cherry, pecan, concord grape...and then there was cake and ice cream besides. My mom decorated both cakes - a white, Swedish themed cake for Grandpa, and a chocolate one with vibrant orange and yellow flowers for my sister. These were completed with the exact number of candles for both my sister and my grandfather. Yes, there were eighty candles on that cake...

Earlier that afternoon, my siblings, husband, and I enjoyed the outdoors. Frisbee, feeding the cows and horses, petting the cats, taking pictures of flowers, hitting some golf balls, shooting a few hoops...


It was a beautiful weekend, completed by horseback riding, hiking, painting toenails with my mom, picking wildflowers, and taking pictures.
yellow violets (a study in opposites, no?)

a rare red trillium