A Flood of Satisfaction & Yummy "Hot-Hots"

On Wednesday, January 13th, I left our house at 9 am for a Women's leadership meeting at church. After the meeting, errands, and getting a new battery installed in our SUV, I returned home at 3 pm to find several inches of standing water throughout the entire downstairs of our home. I had started the dishwasher before I left in the morning, and a hose had busted under the sink shortly thereafter. For 6 hours, water had been gushing and filling our home. With the help of wonderful neighbors and friends we began the process of sweeping water from the home and emptying the downstairs of all soiled and damaged items. We lost so much-floors, baseboards, drywall, toys, clothes, and many precious mementos. The past few days have been a blur of chaos, dust, and disarray as insurance adjusters and cleaning crews do their jobs. We have temporarily moved upstairs as the downstairs is unlivable.

My emotions have been all over the place since Wednesday....

Heartache-as I found the Bible that I journaled in during Savannah's pregnancy completely ruined by the waters.

Sorrow-as I have to throw away soiled cards and mementos that Jaythan had given to me.

Anxiety-as I look at a mess that cannot be cleaned and will not be put back in order for many weeks.

Frustration-that I cannot do my job as a wife/mother/homemaker-the routine cleaning, laundry, cooking, baking, etc...

Aggravation-that our life has been "thrown out of sorts" requiring meals out, noisy fans to dry the home, and debris everywhere.

Shame/Guilt-that this flood overwhelms me while so many have lost lives and loved ones in the Haiti earthquake.

Second Guessing/Guilt-over turning on the dishwasher and leaving the house.

Gratitude-that my husband, my son, and myself are healthy, well, and together as a family.

Awareness-that nothing (not even this "annoyance") suprises God.

Hope-because I know that God can and will use this "inconvenient" time in our lives for Good.

Anticipation-because I know that God can bring Beauty out of the Ashes and I can't wait to see what He will do!

In the midst of these varied emotions, my hope during the next few months is that I can keep my heart focused on the good things-the things that satisfy my soul. Things like the flood giving me more time and opportunities to build friendships both new and old. Or the opportunity to spend more quality time with Darin and Jaythan without the distraction of chores, preparing meals, watching tv, etc... One thing I keep thinking about is that maybe God wants to use this "inconvenient" time in our lives to draw me deeper into relationship with Him, revealing to me the things that truly matter and showing me new opportunities to serve Him.

I have been reading through Psalms and Proverbs this year, and today Psalm 17:15 really spoke to my heart. It says, "But because I have done what is right, I will see you. When I awake, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face to face." While we may have lost part of our home and many of our possessions, if I can wake up everyday and see God's face and be bathed in His new mercies-then my soul will be satisfied (complete, lacking nothing!). In fact, just this week my soul has been "flooded" with satisfaction-the satisfaction of knowing that regardless of whatever personal chaos I may be experiencing, I can have security and peace in God's promises and presence. My heart has been flooded with satisfaction found in laughter, love, and learning more about my friends and family as we spend more time together. I can truly say that this week in my life, "a cheerful heart" has been "good medicine"! (Proverbs 17:22)

I encourage you this week to set aside the worries and "to-dos" that overwhelm you. Rather, wake up seeking God's face and anticipating Him satisfying your soul. I love the song, "Satisfy", by Tenth Avenue North. You can listen to it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0z1o55gGWU

One of my favorite, most comforting foods is pancakes. My hubby and I love to go to IHOP for pancakes at all times of the day or night. Jaythan loves a little "Hot, Hot" with his syrup too :-)! He has always called pancakes "Hot-Hots" because when he was a baby, we would tell him that he had to let his pancakes cool before eating them, because they were "hot, hot". I want to share a few of my favorite "Hot-Hot" recipes with you. The first is a basic pancake recipe that you can add any filling to (ex: blueberries, raspberries, raisins, etc...). The second is a chocolate chip pancake (both my boys favorite :-)), and the third is a fancy oatmeal cookie pancake that I found on one of my favorite cooking blogs, "Joy the Baker." I adjusted her recipe just a little substituting pumpkin pie spice for the spices that she used. I hope you enjoy! I would love to hear from you if you try one of these recipes or have a favorite pancake recipe of your own.



Pancakes + Creativity =

A Happy Tummy

(A Basic Pancake Batter that can be "doctored" any way you like)

Ingredients:
3 1/3 cups milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
3 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup your creative filling (ex: blueberries, chopped nuts, raisins, raspberries, peaches, etc…)
melted butter

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, except butter, in a large mixing bowl, whisking until smooth. There may be a few lumps, but that is fine. NOTE: If using berries, I have found that they are the juciest when you sprinkle a few over the batter after you pour the circles onto your hot griddle. Heat large skillet or griddle until droplets of water sizzle when sprinkled onto cooking surface. Brush griddle with melted butter. Pour batter, about 1/3 cup at a time onto griddle. This should spread itself into a medium circle. Cook until bubbles form in batter and start to pop. Flip with a pancake turner. Brush the cooked tops of cakes with more melted butter. Cook a minute or two more. Stack on a plate until all are cooked. This should make about 24 pancakes. (Cool, wrap, and freeze any extras.)

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Chocolatey Chip Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/4 C flour
1 T sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 C milk
4 T melted butter
3/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 C chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat griddle or skillet. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix together liquid ingredients and beat into dry mixture until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto hot griddle. Cook until the bubbles that form on top begin to pop, before flipping, then cook a minute or so more. Serve immediately topped with your favorite syrup or sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped with a dollop of whipped cream (yummy!). Makes 14-16 pancakes

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Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

(recipe from www.joythebaker.com with slight alterations)
makes lots of pancakes, enough for four people

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
heaping 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup golden raisins
oil or cooking spray (for cooking)

Directions:
Step 1: In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter , maple syrup and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in raisins and let batter set for a few minutes.
Step 2: Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, when the drops start to dance its hot enough.
Step 3: Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Personal Note: You could even serve these oatmeal cookie pancakes warm for dessert with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and several drizzles of caramel syrup-DECADENT!