first pancake.

Our go-to almond/coconut flour pancakes. I've tried a bunch of gluten-free pancake recipes, but I felt like they were always missing something, so I added and substituted different ingredients until they met our standard. 

Here's the recipe:

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Yield: 16 (4 inch pancakes)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of almond flour 

2 tbs. of coconut flour

3/4 tsp. of baking soda

1/4 cup of sour cream

2 tbs. of coconut sugar

6 eggs

1 tbs. of vanilla extract

butter

Instructions: 

1// Mix the dry ingredients together

2// In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients together

3// Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients + mix until smooth

4// Grease your skillet/griddle with butter (stove on medium heat) + pour batter into skillet/griddle making 4 inch cakes (They are very hard to flip if any bigger!) 

5// When you see a few bubbles, flip em' over

Patiently waiting for her first pancake.

There's not much Elleanora doesn't love, but she really went to town with these. It's so nice feeding your child a pancake that you feel good about them eating. 

Enjoy!

morning glories.

    On our way to the church! ...I'm always lagging behind.

When your child's foot is poking out of their snowsuit... it's time for an upgrade. Clearly.

The little lady bug.

I work at a daycare two (sometimes three) days a week, and Elleanora joins me. So blessed. 

That's my dear Mother (she runs the joint).

The big boys are gentle with her (most of the time). 

Where's my breakfast? (panic mode)

   My foster sister Antoinette works on the maintenance team at the church/school/daycare. She randomly pops in to spend a few moments with "Little Miss Nora."

Big girl stance. 

"Hey, you!"

The best.

Those are just some snippets of our early mornings a few days a week. As mundane as the days may seem, they feel quite glorious since my 1st trimester sickness went away. I hold moments much closer to my heart, and I find myself constantly pausing.

The past few months were pretty miserable, and I feel like I failed over and over with staying gracious and keeping a pleasant attitude (mostly towards Christopher). I really wouldn't want to be married to me during the sick days of pregnancy. Lord, bless him. Alas, those days are over... And I was reminded how to NOT live my days.

I'm continually learning that life is easier when:

// I am not wrapped up in what others think of me OR what I think of myself (self absorption). I need only be concerned with what God thinks. It's unbelievably freeing.

// I respond instead of reacting to stressful situations. Whether my husband says something to me that I  simply do not like or my daughter is having a bad teething/nasty cold day or we get a totally unexpected bill in the mail...Attitude is everything. I find that when I freak out over these situations, I end up tense, stressed and then mad at myself for letting it all get to me. This, of course, is so much easier said than done, but like anything else... It takes practice. Soon, it becomes a habit.

// I remain content with less. If I focus more on eternal glory rather than temporal wants and things, I simply have more joy. Whenever I compare or covet, my heart feels so empty and bleak. It's not how we were meant to live.

// I go out of my way to make a small difference in someone's life each day. Treating every person like they're a 10. Giving more compliments to people. Doing the dishes even if I didn't eat from one plate. Etc.

// I am fully aware of God's presence throughout my day.

// I do not steal any food off of Christopher's plate. (heh, really)

This does NOT happen for me everyday. I'm preaching to myself here mostly. Although, these are all a little easier to practice now that I'm free from 24-hour nausea and zombie-like fatigue. I'm so grateful for new mercy each morning.

here we go.

We're the Flynns, and not really that fancy. My husband enjoys fancy coffee and cheeses, and I enjoy fancy foods, handwriting and old trinkets, but overall... I wouldn't describe us as fancy people. We enjoy the simple pleasantries of life with sprinkles of fancy along the way.
Currently, we live in Staten Island, New York. Christopher is the student ministry director at the church I was raised in, and I'm working a few hours here and there, but mainly at home with Elleanora while roasting another wee one coming this July.

Elleanora is our daughter. She's almost one and almost walking, feisty yet darling, a wonderful sleeper, a ravenous eater... has a few teeth, a better wardrobe than me, and completely encompassed by love. The moments are fleeting so fast!

I'm excited to write about our little adventures, our passion, some grandeur moments, the mundane things, and the very non-fancy days that the good Lord blesses us with. Let's hope I can keep this up (unlike my 12 unfinished journals lying around the house).

Cheers!

Jenna