All That I Knead Recipe

Just for you Sherry :)

Honey 'N' Oats Bread
Bread Machine Magic by Rehberg and Conway

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk (plus 2 tablespoons for Welbilt/Dak machines)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons honey (I will probably double this next time)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Light crust setting

You're All That I Knead

I finally busted out the bread maker. You dump all the ingredients in and FOUR HOURS LATER you have bread. Good night, it's not hard but takes a long time; it mixes, and sits, and kneads, and sits, and kneads, and rises, bakes, and then cools. If you want bread for dinner, you have to get it in the machine before noon! But it smells so good and nothing beats fresh, warm bread with butter. Except maybe warm cake.

The first loaf was a flop. I didn't take a picture and threw it out after dinner. I made too small of a loaf for the pan and didn't add enough yeast. The second loaf was an onion bread that needed more onion. The third, and pictured below, was a honey oat bread made with buttermilk. It was so good. I didn't even wait for the machine to finish cooling it before I pulled it out and sliced off the top and smeared it with cold butter. Mmmm.

Now I'll admit this is still semi-homemade; I didn't do any kneading. And probably never will. It would simply be too much work for my liking. But I didn't use a mix and the bread was oh so good. I'm excited to try a carrot poppyseed loaf and a couple of other recipes.

I'm off to make toast!

Urgent Care

We had our first visit to urgent care last night. At 5:00 pm I was feeding Lily right before I needed to leave for bible study. After finished she started getting blotchy and really red. Her eyes started swelling and getting watery. I, like any grown 30 year old woman would do, called my mother. After getting the third degree to determine if I had switched soaps, detergent, perfume, or lotion, I decided to call the nurse at 5:30. I waited on hold for about 40 minutes and finally hung up. I knew they would call me back but for whatever reason, it made me feel better to sit on hold. After her normal color started to return, I put her to bed. The nurse called back around 7:15 and made me wake her up to check on her. She then suggested we go to urgent care. I knew she would be fine but had that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that if I didn't go, something terrible would happen. So Kevin played along in my insanity and let me take her to Kaiser.

We walked in and the place was a zoo; crying, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, moaning children were everywhere. When we heard one of the receptionists tell a patient that it was at least an hour wait to see a doctor, Kevin and I just looked at each other. We knew we didn't want to wait around that long. However, our receptionist told us that because Lily was so young, we could go right in. We saw a doctor almost immediately. Of course she said she didn't know why it happened and she was fine now and to give her a tiny dose of Benedryl if it happened again. One strong possibility was it was something I ate and then passed along. Unfortunately, the only thing new I had yesterday was the red cinnamon candies I kept eating every time I walked by the candy dish. Which was a lot. So we came home and Kevin gave her a bottle that night. The next morning she woke up as if nothing had every happened. I, on the other hand, was tired from being up every couple of hours to check on her. By morning the swelling was completely gone and her color was back to normal.

Here are a few pictures of her blotchy face right after it happened. She looks exhausted and as if she had been crying for a long time; neither of which were true.

Her eyes were still a little swollen and watery when we got to urgent care at 8:00.

Daddy kept her entertained while we waited for the doctor.

The Best Advice

I was reading Argyle and Apricots yesterday and was truly laughing out loud all by myself. Lori is an excellent writer and hysterical on top of it. She recently wrote a piece entitled "The Best Advice That I Ever Received: Wear A Bra." It got me thinking about the advice new mom's receive. Everyone has an opinion and us women love to share them them. But the two pieces that I have been very thankful for were given to me long before I was pregnant.

The first one came nonchalant. We were at dinner with our friends. They had brought their youngest who was around 5 months old. We had finished eating and Katie asked if we would be uncomfortable if she nursed him. We, of course, said we were fine. She went on to tell us that without meaning too, she didn't introduce Baby #2 to a bottle until too late in which he then refused. Her first son was bottle fed and Katie and Tim both got to take part in feeding their son. But she breastfed #2 and was stuck. She told me that she felt as though she had prevented her husband from being able to bond with #2 like he had been able to do with #1. And, it was harder to leave him knowing he would eat from a bottle. So when Lily was born, we introduced a bottle at around 5 or 6 weeks. Kevin would come home and give her an evening bottle allow her to get used to him, and he to her. We tried a couple of bottles and found one she liked only to switch again right before Christmas. Knowing that I could leave on Thursday evenings for my women's small group and see that Kevin and Lily were both comfortable with each other gave me such peace of mind. After the second week, I didn't even think about them until I was leaving to head back home. This of course was after Kevin realized she cries when she wants to go to sleep; "Why is she only happy for an hour and then starts yelling at me?"

The second piece was given before I was even dating Kevin but goes hand in hand with the first. Debbie and I were heading to a conference at the Master's College in Santa Clarita. We were talking about babies and raising children and she said to me "Let your husband hold the baby." At first I thought this was a little odd. Why wouldn't I let my husband hold the baby? But she went on to say that she, at times, was so wrapped up in caring for the child she never passed her son along so that her husband could bond and love on her son. Part of this came naturally. Kevin is a great dad and many times I have to tell him he cannot wake her up. But there are times when she is happy or we are out where I would prefer to hold her but I make sure to pass her along to Kevin.

I know that because I am breastfeeding, Kevin sometimes feels at a loss for how he can help. I often give him the diaper or change of clothes just so he has that much more interaction with her. He is often gone for work before she gets up and then home for about an hour before she goes back down. Which is why he is so excited to feed her the cereal in the evening. It's their time together. This also makes our weekends so much more precious. We may still be busy doing things, but we do them together.

I'm sure I have gleaned much more advice, but those are the first two I thought of in this new stage of motherhood. I am blessed to have a husband to partner with.

Mmmmm

Lily started cereal this week. She loved it! She gets so excited and says "Mmmmm" after every bite. One of the best things about moving to solid foods is that Kevin gets to participate more. He has given her bottles and she does really well but the spoon is a lot more fun. She is ready to eat as soon as Daddy walks in the door from work and won't take her eyes off of the bowl until she is full. We are learning that cereal is not a finger food and we don't do zerberts when we are finished!

Quitter

Every year before Parent's Night at Hapgood Elementary School, Mrs. Heron asks her second grade class to pick the coloring picture of the job they want to have when they grow up. Coloring pages of Precious Moments are strewn upon the work table. The are boys in over sized firefighter and policemen hats, girls in nursing hats, and boys with stethoscopes around their necks. Little Rebekah picks the picture of the girl with her puppy and a mop; her hair is in a bandanna. Ultimately, it is the picture of a maid. But to Rebekah, it is the only picture that she could find to represent what she wants to be; an at home mommy.

I have always wanted to make a home and raise my babies . . . full-time . . . and nothing else. When Lily was first born we weren't sure this was going to be a reality for our new little family. It is not something that works for every family; both financially or for the sanity of a mommy. But it is something I've always wanted. In fact, on my very first date with Kevin I told him that all I've ever wanted to do was to be at home raising my children to love the Lord.

Through some planning, much prayer, and a wonderfully supportive husband, starting tomorrow I will be home with our Lily Bug.


I'm not going to lie, it was ultimately an easy decision. It was however, not easy to leave CBU. I came to Riverside in 1999 to attend California Baptist University and through a friend and my sister, I got a job as a student worker in the financial aid office. In January 2003, I started full-time as the receptionist, got stuck and somehow became the associate director. It is really the only place I have ever worked; except for the 6 weeks at the Cold Stone in Kihei, Maui. I like financial aid. I liked the technical side. I loved writing reports and sorting and filtering spreadsheets! But I love my husband and my daughter more and I am excited for what is to come.



I gave my notice on January 3rd, and this past Friday the ladies in the office gave me a beautiful send off. There was a small cake reception with a giant cake. Lots of people came by to give their well wishes. I felt so loved and appreciated.


I was given many cards and gifts; daisies with notes attached, calendars with notes on how to raise a God centered family, books, magazines for all my free time (in jest of course), and a basket full of homemaking and baking goodies.

Here is Kevin modeling my new apron and matching spatulas.

CBU is full of wonderful people, many of who I will miss, but the ladies of Financial Aid have been my world. In the past eight years I have finished school, gotten married, travelled the world, bought my first home, and started my family; and these women have celebrated each milestone with me. I love them dearly and will miss them terribly.

But new and exciting things are on their way. I am so excited to see what happens next!

Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley

When I was little my grandfather would sing random songs in a deep (unnatural) baritone voice. He would draw out the words making the song much longer than it needed to be. One he used to sing all the time was a chorus that went as follows;

Oats, peas, beans and barley grow

Oats, peas, beans and barley grow

Can you or I or anyone know

How oats, peas, beans and barley grow?

From inspiration from my sister and her 2011 resolutions, I decided it was time to eat up what was in my cupboards. I bought barley a while ago to put in beef soup and decided I needed to find a way to eat it up. I began looking at recipe websites and determined it was ultimately like cooking rice. Newbies beware, rice doubles, but barley quadruples. So I sauteed some onion and the barley in some butter (you must say butter in your best Paula Dean accent), and it in chicken broth and chopped mushrooms. It was so good! It didn't get gummy like rice does, and has such a nutty flavor.

This is not the most appetizing photo, but as I was eating my leftover barley for lunch today I had to take a picture to share with you. It was just as good, if not better, leftover the next day!

Next step is to try barley as a breakfast cereal. I saw something on it in my last Martha Stewart magazine. I just have to find the magazine now . . .

Granola

As to my 2011 resolutions I made granola. I know it isn't difficult but these baby steps make me feel better about making things from scratch. I'm still working up to the cake and lasagna. With the amazing bulk bins at Winco my new favorite cereal is super cheap. The great thing about granola is it is different every time you make it. And because it isn't straight baking, I don't really have to follow a recipe or precisely measure anything. This one has oats, wheat germ, bran, almonds, walnuts, pecans, cranberries, and dried apples. It's more chewy than crunchy (I think due to the wheat germ and bran) and was wonderful on my vanilla yogurt this morning. I would even eat this with just milk! Mmmm.

Four Months

I am nearly two weeks late with taking Lily's fourth month pictures but after a daily nagging from my sister, I finally took them. I want to post all of them but as I took about 40, I picked my favorite to show you.

Lily is now 13 lbs 7 ounces and 25 inches long. Tall and skinny with a tiny head and huge cheeks. She is finally starting to get rolls on her thighs. We have transitioned to some 6 month clothing mostly for her torso length. Her arms are still pretty short though and we have to roll up most of her sleeves. She does really well on her tummy but has rolled over only a few times; either she doesn't want to anymore, or has forgotten how. We might be getting closer as has found her feet and it sometimes causes her to tip sideways when on her back. Tummy time has greatly improved. She lays on her belly and raises her arms and legs up to look almost like she is swimming. Kevin calls it The Superman, but I think she looks more like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible where he is balancing over the desk stealing the files from the CIA. Either way she is hysterical. She smiles and talks a ton. She has actually become quite vocal including singing herself to sleep both in the car and in her crib. She still is a wonderful traveler and now we can go somewhere 15 minutes away without her immediately falling asleep.

Christmas was busy for us but she was a trooper re-energizing through 45 minute power naps both in her cousins bunk bed and the car seat.After Christmas I was able to get her on a really good schedule that works wonderfully with daycare. I wake her to eat at 7 am then she takes two bottles at day care. After work we come straight home for a 5:30 feeding then we get to play for an hour and hour and a half before bedtime at 7:00. She is going almost 4 hours between feedings but isn't ready to drop to four feedings for the day so we have reinstated the dream feed. She goes down for the night at 7 pm and I was semi-wake her at 9:45, after I am ready for bed, for her final feeding. She does really well and I am actually surprised at how well she actually eats for being half asleep. Then we are both out for the night. I love having a block of time with her after work.

We are enjoying every stage. We love to see her recognize us and smile across the room. We love the jabbers and singing. We like watching her splash in the bath, blow bubbles, and focus intently on her fist.

Oh, and remember my post on Pacifier and Thumbs? Yeah, I have no control. She is a thumb sucker. It's the only thing that soothes her into sleep. For right now her hand falls out after she falls asleep and she only does it when she is tired. Oh, well.

Resolutions

I think when people say they don't like making resolutions they are either scared of looking foolish when they don't follow through, or they are afraid of change. I'm the first category. I don't want to tell people what I want to change or do differently because there is some form of accountability. What if someone asks me about a resolution in March and I have already given it up? Alas, below are a few of my resolutions for 2011.

Pray with my husband every night

Kevin and I used to pray together every evening when we were first married and somehow we just stopped. But about a month ago, we started it up again. As we lay in bed winding down and talking about our day we close in prayer. We pray for each other and for what is going on around us. We pray for our daughter and our future children. We pray for our families. This time has become so precious to me; I really do look forward to it each evening. I hope to keep up this routine through 2011. I'm excited to soon begin praying with Lily before she goes to bed.

Make more things from scratch

A friend and I used to joke about grinding our own wheat to bake our own bread, and although I don't plan to grind my own wheat, I am going to make bread! Well, sort of. Remember the bread machine crazy in the mid-nineties? No? Just my mom? My mom brought me down her bread machine to use for a while. I could probably do just as well with my Kitchen Aid mixer and oven, but with most of her kids gone, she doesn't use it all that often. I'll let you know how that adventure goes. Additionally, I have simply been wanting to make fewer boxed meals. I am determined to make a lasagna from scratch this year; something I have never done. I will not, however, be making my own noodles. Martha Stewart may be really cool and make tasty food, but she also has a full staff of employees to take care of everything else around her homes (plural.) I might even make my own sauce. . . I also want to make a cake from scratch. I think I was in high school before I realized that you could actually make a cake without a cake mix. Frosting still seems daunting to me, but I am up for the challenge. Baking was never my strong point; you have to actually measure the ingredients!

Get a library card

I have lived in Riverside for over ten years and have never applied for a library card. I love to read, I just don't make the time. Now that we don't have television I have a lot more time. I also want to make sure I get books to read to Lily. Already, she will sit in my or Kevin's lap and look at the pages of her books as we read to her. Some of my favorite family time growing up was when Mom or Dad would read a chapter a night from some of our favorite books; Ramona and Beezus, Number The Stars, Superfudge, and some book written from the view of a toddler named Sam. I can't wait to read them all to Lily.

2010 was a good year for us. God has blessed us in ways we didn't know possible; so much more that we ever expected. But I am excited to see how God uses us for His glory in 2011. I pray that we listen and are ready and willing when He calls.