Extravagant II

On Friday, I wrote about waking up from a dream about how extravagant God is.  You can read it here if you missed it.

Later that day, my friend, Suzy texted me to see if I would go out to dinner with some of the ladies from our church.  This is tricky for me because the Hubs is working a different shift and doesn’t get off work until later than most.  Which means, I have to take my children with me or find a sitter and since we are still fostering our little one that means our sitter has to be approved by the state or another foster parent. Suzy and her husband are the ones who got us into fostering and they are a registered home themselves.  They are one of the few people who we can leave our children with (and vise versa).  We often trade off babysitting (it is SOOO our turn to babysit).  She offered for our children to stay with her husband and their broad until the Hubs got off work.  Thus eliminating all my excuses for not going.

It was very nice to get out for some girl time.  Word to my ladies…Evy, Rose, Morgan, Row, Angela and Suzy!

During dinner we talked briefly about how extravagant God is.

like most moms that escape the chaos for an evening…dinner wasn’t quiet enough time to hang out so after dinner Suzy and I headed over to Krispy Kreme.  Besides the fact that after living in Mobile, Alabama and my friends the Williams family introducing me to the “Hot Now” (what we call Krispy Kreme), I’m nostalgic (and chubby).

Is everyone familiar with “Hot Now” donuts?  Just in case you aren’t.  Krispy Kreme is a donut shop out of Atlanta, Georgia (I believe…and if I’m wrong, y’all can all comment and correct me) that has donut shops all over the south.   Yes, you could say it’s a “southern thing”.  When they are making their glazed donuts, they switch on their “Hot Now” sign…

Which means you can get a free hot donut (that looks like this)

When the sign comes on, this happens….

(people line up for a free donut and a $2 coffee or milk).

Also, if you are at a Krispy Kreme that serves lattes…try a latte with a shot of their original glaze…it’s delicious.

When we arrived, they were loading up the case with blueberry donuts, one of Suzy’s favorites.  She asked if they were “hot”  (“Hot now” donuts are the best).  They weren’t.  The employee said they had just finished up making the “hot now” donuts….the glazed.  They do not give away the “fancy” flavored donuts.

Suzy and I sat down as I had bought a maple glazed.  She was going to wait to eat one when she could heat hers up (8 seconds in the microwave and it’s almost as good as getting it hot off the line).   As we sat, we discussed some trials that have been going on.  You see, Suzy and he husband have stepped out on a limb.  They quit their jobs and moved to help plant a church.  It’s a limb and right now, it seems to be cracking under the weight of it all…the thing about going out on the limb when God leads you is even if the limb breaks, He will catch you.  Things are pretty tough right now.

We sat chatting long after I finished my donut.  It was nice to hang out with a friend.

The bustling donut shop had begun another batch of donuts…but not glazed.  A few minutes later, the employee who had spoken to us earlier walked over with two hot blueberry donuts.

(see glaze?  It’s still shiny which means the donut hasn’t cooled off yet.)

Seriously.  I almost cried.  How unnecessary.  How extravagant.

I was so full that Suzy ended up with more than one donut. It was the sweetest thing.

Suzy, God loves you.  He has such good things for you.

I would love to say God blesses in proportion of the sacrifice you make but it’s not true.  Our sacrifice is only a seed…His blessings are multiplied back to us.  The sacrifice is worth it.  How much is a soul worth?  Jesus thought a soul was worth a painful death.  Who can say how many souls you and your family will have a hand in bringing to salvation?  It’s worth it.  In a few years, you might remember the events but the pain and the fear will have faded away and you will say, “God got us through!”  And you will say, “God blessed us!!”

I wish (it is a wish, not a prayer…very big difference) that I could take out my pocketbook and give you the money to solve every problem (money can solve some problems but it can’t solve every problem) but then you would learn only to depend on me and not God.  Plus, I’m not financially rich yet.  He’s the answer. He is always the answer.

Bill Johnson said something recently on a podcast.  He said we all experience a “wilderness” season.  The wilderness is so we learn to rely solely on God…it’s about survival.  But the Promiseland is coming and in the Promiseland, God blesses to advance His kingdom.

Get ready for some Kingdom advancing blessings; Extravagant Blessing because your Promiseland is on the way.  And in the meantime, I tell you with confidence, “God’s got this!  He’s got you.  He’s got your babies.  And He will get you through!”

I love you, my friend.

Pop-over Donuts

 

The plan was to make donuts and let the kids decorate them…the kids weren’t so interested in helping out.  I took some good pictures though.

Once they were cooked, either roll them in cinnamon and sugar, powdered sugar or a glaze. 

Afer glazing, I sprinkled.

Here is the outcome…

And of course…

So here’s the recipe….I haven’t made these in forever because I don’t fry much.  Although, I did made chicken-fried steak so I guess I’ve been on a fried kick.  As far as I can remember, I got this recipe from my grandma.  I’ve had it forever so I couldn’t tell you forever.

Pop-over Donuts

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 T. shortening or butter (I used butter)

1 cup milk

3 1/2 cups flour

4 1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 quart oil

In a bowl mix the eggs,  add sugar, shortening, and vanilla.  Beet until well mixed.  Stir in milk and blend in the dry ingredients.  Heat the oil to 370 degrees.  (I actually heated my oil on #7 – between medium and high).  Drop dough into oil in heaping teaspoons (I used my Pampered Chef medium scoop, although I think I would used the small scoop next time…although it would mean making a lot of donuts).  Cook until golden.  They will naturally form into round balls.  If you don’t cook them long enough, the middles will be gooey.  After removing them from the oil, drain onto a paper towel (or 5).  Roll in powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar.  I made a glaze out of powdered sugar, sugar, butter and milk.  I liked the glaze.

Questions?

Friday Night Donuts

I’ve looked all over (my living room) for a picture to take us back to a different time and place but unfortunately, I think what I am looking for at 12:13 a.m. is either in the baby’s room in the closet or in the cedar chest which is also in the baby’s room.  And it is just not worth waking the boy up.  However, tomorrow I will look and if I find one I will scan and post it even though, scanning and posting is a pain.

Think early eighties, okay, maybe more like late seventies, early eighties.  My parents were in their late 20s barely hitting 30.  Hard to believe they had a mortgage and three kids by the time they were in their mid twenties. 

I was very young…very, very young.  Some things just stick with you.  I don’t know how it started and I am not sure who thought of it but a tradition began that I hope to pass on to my kids.   Every Friday (well, it seemed like every Friday to my two-year old, okay four-year old mind), we would get together with my aunt Judy and uncle Tommy and their three boys, Jeff, Damon and Trent. 

If we went to their house we would watch “The Dukes of Hazard” and/or “The Incredible Hulk”.  Or we would “play church” for hours in their built on back room.  They had a small two bedroom, one bath house that I can still remember the layout of…I was a brilliant two-year old.  They had built a back room on that was probably built onto a slab that was once their back porch (not for sure).  It was the playroom and we kids were banished there so the adults could drink coffee and play cards or dominos.  When we played church, we didn’t simply pretend we were at church we would expertly mimic and act out individuals from our church.  We sang, we “shouted”, we testified and we got filled with the Spirit.  I  am pretty sure today that I can still “do” a pretty good Sister Ruth or Sister Robby.  When we “shouted” (today it would be described as dancing), we “shouted” our hair down (think flying bobby pins).

When they came to our house, they would let us loose in the neighborhood.  Not sure why we weren’t allowed loose in my Aunt and Uncle’s neighborhood.  We would play hide-and-seek for hours.  I can remember chilly October nights so dark and hiding behind the shed in our back yard.  In hindsight, there could have been snakes and I know for sure we found some feral kittens back there once when a mamma cat decided to hide back there and give birth.  We ran and played so hard that our Mammas said “Stop hanging on me. You kids stink.  Go back outside.”

One thing that was a constant was whoever did the “comin’ over” brought the donuts.  If the McNicholas clan came to our house, they usually brought Duncan Donuts and if we went to their house we brought Mrs. Johnson’s Donuts.  I can still see those orange, pink and white boxes with a variety of donuts.

Mrs. Johnson’s Donuts on Airport in Austin was “old” back then.  It is still around today.  Mrs. Johnson sold out to the Rodriguez family (not sure if that is their actual name) but they kept the name since it is one of those landmark “Austin” places.  Only a few years ago, my cousin Jeff and I waited in line at Mrs. Johnson’s at 9 p.m. to get fresh donuts so we could go hang  out with his family.  When you buy a dozen, they give you a baker’s dozen and that one warm 13th donuts doesn’t make it to the I-35 entrance ramp.  They are that good.

To this day, when I eat donuts I think of those Friday nights. 

I also remember spending the night with my Mammaw and Pappaw and them taking  me and Trent to Duncan Donuts.  There used to be one on Ben White between what is now the hospital and the Laser tag (used to be a movie theatre).  They let us eat as many donuts as we wanted.  I ate two and one was filled with icing…I threw up and  didn’t touch icing filled donuts for YEARS….seriously.

Those Friday Nights were innocent and carefree.  We would try to “scare” each other while playing hide-and-seek.  Sometimes Trent would hide with me because he didn’t like how dark it was.  

When I was nine we moved to a “new” house.  It wasn’t very big but my parents put in a pool.  In their infinite 30-year-old wisdom (people used to be wise in their 30s), they figured if they put a pool in, we would hang out at home when we became teenagers.  They were right. 

One night, we were at my Aunt and Uncle’s house.  They lived out north off of Koenig Lane and we lived south off of William Cannon.  It was around 10p.m. (I think).  It was summer and I am not for sure, but there is a good chance they did NOT have central air (yes, in Texas a house without central air…crazy).  I seem to remember as a small child sitting on my aunts king size bed (which seemed so big in that tiny room) in front of the window unit.  All of us kids were kind of dozing.  Our parents said, “Let’s go swimming”.  That woke us up.  We all headed south, donned our swim suits and starting jumping in.  We were NOT a quiet a group and it was nearly 11 p.m. at that time.  The adults kept telling us we had to “keep it down” so the neighbors wouldn’t call the police.  That was so fun.  I still love swimming night when the water is nice and warm and the night air is just a little cool.

Tonight after dinner, we picked up some donuts.  No easy task for Kyle, Texas….all the donuts places were closed.  We ended up buying some, somewhat stale Krispy Kreme donuts from the Tiger Mart (Exxon).  We headed over to my parent’s house.  They weren’t home because they are partying with their “60 and over” crowd these days.  My sister and her family met us there.  The kids played and played and ate too much sugar (because kids don’t care if donuts are stale or not).  We drank coffee and laughed so hard over some ridiculous ideas we came up with for website (totally different post).  It was reminiscent of those days way back when (wow, I sound old); Family, laughter, and donuts.

I want to bring back the “Friday Night Donuts” tradition.  I want my kids to run and play so hard and so carefree that they stink.  I want them to know family; their cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents. 

Now if only we can find some decent donuts.  By the way, there is an opening at the Donut Palace on Leman and F.M. (Farm to Market) 150 in Kyle.  They open at 5 a.m.  so I don’t think that will work with my diva-like sleep schedule but maybe it will work for you.