Behold, the power of pancakes...

Apparently someone picked up casa de phillips and relocated it to the Northwest. It has been raining for a week now, with no significant promise of sunshine looming in our upcoming forecast. However, I am not complaining because rain keeps temperatures almost fall-like and hopefully such weather will prevent me from having to wear tank tops in October.

Experiencing so much rain gives me a greater appreciation for moms who live in rainy or snowy regions of our fine country. Everytime I attempt to wrangle two children, various sippy cups and snacks, a large purse, and one tag-along toy while holding a flimsy (yet spunky because it is covered in polka dots) umbrella I am a tiny bit thankful for our near-drought conditions that we have in this area on a regular basis.

Yesterday afternoon I set the children free to play in the rain. This is often a request of Isaac's whenever precipitation does happen to fall from the sky in our area, however said precipitation is typically accompanied by thunder and lighting. Yesterday's rainfall was simply rain, with no other scary elements, so I set the children free with umbrellas and rain shoes on their little feet. Isaac had quite the time running wildly along our sidewalks, attempting to catch flight with his umbrella and a strong gust of wind. Evelyn spent the majority of the time laying on the garage floor, crying over the fact that I did not own an umbrella suitable to her standards and that I would not retrieve a package of Princess fruit snacks for her from the pantry.

It is hard being two years old some days.

Once we finally returned inside to the coziness of our home, I set about making breakfast for dinner. We love some "B.F.D." here at casa de phillips and rainy days are the perfect time to whip up such a delight. I scrambled some eggs, made some bacon, and whipped up my famous chocolate chip pancakes. Little mouths became quiet and hands became busy as everyone arrived at the table and began pouring syrup and spreading butter on their food. As we began to eat, I was reminded of all the times in college when my four roomies and I would sit down to that exact meal.

Despite the fact the five of us would eventually become pretty good cooks later in our adult lives, the roomates and I rarely cooked a meal other than microwaving a grilled chicken breast or paring some crackers with cheddar cheese during our college years. The times we actually ventured into our old plaid kitchen, we often worked as a team to have our famous "Pancake Night". Over the two years we lived in our college house on Washington Blvd, we hosted many a Pancake Night, inviting a variety of people to join us at our table (however, we never invited the President of the University...unlike my husband who had him and his wife over for dinner. Tobe and I still had their forgotten cake pan from that supper for a few years after we were married. Perhaps we should pair it with the WACU's punch bowl that a certain roommate had in her possession years after graduation ;)....).

Ten years later, I am still flipping some pancakes on dreary evenings, spreading a little warmth into my home.

I am pretty sure the first care package I ever send to my children in college will contain a box of Bisquick and some chocolate chips.(*)

**Let it be noted that Miss E. will not use said Bisquick mix to make pancakes due to the fact that last night she informed me she does not eat pancakes because "I a girl. Girls eat waffles. Boys eat pancakes." When asked why Mommy was eating a pancake if this rule is indeed true, she said, "Ewe not a girl. Ewe a mommy."