No-More-Box Brownies - with video!

Over the weekend, we celebrated my youngest son's 18th birthday. He loves fishing, camping, and anything outdoors, so this dizzy broad had the bright idea of renting a pontoon boat at a nearby lake and taking the family out there for a few hours.

Our son brought a friend with him, and they had a blast swimming, since the fishing wasn't going that great. Eventually they got tired of the nearly 100 degree weather and hid out under the boat (who knew that was even a thing?) beating on the metal and making weird sounds to freak us out.

Anyway, one of the things these kids often request when their friends are over is that I make our family's homemade brownie recipe. Everyone has a favorite recipe, right? Years ago, I cut out of a magazine a brownie recipe that had more sugar than butter. How can you go wrong with that, right? I mean, sure, you can make boxed brownies, but why? From the first time I made these, my kids and I have been addicted!

Here's the video of me discussing some tips and tricks for the recipe, and here's the recipe and a few other links I mention in the video:

No-More-Box Brownies

2 cups white sugar
1 cup melted butter (don't substitute margarine)
4 eggs (preferably at room temperature)

Beat these three ingredients till fluffy and lighter in color.

1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 cups flour
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
handful (up to 1 cup) chocolate chips
handful (up to 1 cup) nuts, crushed

Mix and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes (cake like) or 25 minutes (chewy). Other alternatives: 24 muffins (use silicone pan, not metal or metal with muffin papers); or two 8 x 8 pans

Cuisinart HM-70 Power Advantage 7-Speed Hand Mixer,Stainless and White

ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT PASTRY FLOUR 

Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 

Bulk Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

Book Review: "Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus" by Nabeel Qureshi

Today I finished an incredible book that I simply MUST share with like-minded friends. If you can find this book at your local library, RUN, don't walk, to check it out and read it!

This book follows a young man through an almost idyllic childhood founded upon the faith of generations before him, the peaceful Islam found in his particular sect. His parents, both born in Pakistan, have emigrated to the US before his birth, and he is raised as a flag-waving son of a U.S. Navy officer.

As a young college student, the events of 9/11 shock him as much as they shock his classmates. He is appalled to discover that the Islam that created those attacks shares so many founding beliefs with the Islam he has been raised to accept as truth.

God brings a good friend into the life of the author during his time as a med student at Old Dominion University. Over the following years, the author recounts many of their conversations, and gives incredible detail of specific surah (portions of the Qu'ran) that he used to discuss theology with this friend. The notes on these portions are excellent and detailed. Finally, as the title suggests, the author finds incontrovertible proof of Christ's claims and accepts Him as his savior.

I would have liked to see more detail of how the author was accepted as a Christian both in the Muslim community and in that of the protestant community in his hometown. Additionally, I would have liked to see the story come full-circle with the author telling his college friend of his conversion. But these are simply my own preferences to give some living qualities to what is a very deep theological discussion. Several times, I put the book down and walked around the house for a few minutes to let the issues meld in my mind. It is not a book that can be read in a quick sitting!

One more disappointing part of this book relates to textual criticism. In a discussion between the author and his Christian college friend, the author asks about two sections of Scripture, "the end of Mark" and John 7:53-8:11, referring to them as later additions to Scripture, as a result of his google research on the subject. (At this point the author is still a Muslim trying to convert his friend by undermining the Bible and holding up the Qu'ran as the perfect example.) The Christian friend says simply, "Oh, most Christian scholars agree that those are not authentic. But the fact that we know that further proves that the Scripture is accurate, because at least we know and admit where additions have been made." No further discussion is offered, and as a life-long believer and apologist for the whole Word of God, I was concerned about this statement being included. In fact, this ONE statement is the thing that would keep me from being able to recommend this book to my children and others who may be less firm in their faith than they should be. I would never want a book I had recommended to be used by Satan to place doubt in their hearts about the authenticity of every word of Scripture, since our faith puts the Word of God in such an important place.

This book was convicting to my heart as a Christian parent as I saw how clearly these Muslim parents communicated to their very young children the reasons behind their beliefs, and even more importantly their calling (by Allah, of course) to be proselytizing for their faith. Beginning in middle school, the author engages his friends in doctrinal discussions that inevitably leave him even more convinced that Islam is stronger than other faiths, and the Christian students around him flailing under talking points that failed to answer close scrutiny. As a Christian parent, I was reminded once again of my responsibility to teach my children not only the whys and wherefores of our belief system, but even more, the importance of being able to draw others to our Christ as a result of lovingly challenging their thinking.

If you choose to read this book, please let me know. I think it is an incredible piece of writing that will challenge your heart and reinforce your faith that our Christian belief system holds up to the intense scrutiny it was subjected to by this med student who desperately wanted Islam to win the battle in his own heart. I want to hear from you if it impacts you as it did me!

A Broken Foot Leads to a Broken Will

Sooo... life wasn't exciting enough around here, and I found a way to spice things up :-) Isn't it funny how God takes you from the point where you think things are going pretty smoothly, and up-ends your boat?!

About the first of February, I remember looking around (mentally) at a few friends who were running hither and yon with health issues, work, kid activities, etc, and thinking to myself, "I remember when February used to be so stressful. I'm glad I've figured out (note the smug back-patting there!) how to take life more calmly."

Oops... the Lord loves me too much to let me get away with that kind of thinking.

First, on a quiet (dare I say boring?) Saturday at home, I saw that a friend needed help covering a 31 vendor event, since she'd been ill. I told her I'd do it for her, even though it was nearly an hour away, just because I hadn't done a lot with the business lately and was feeling guilty.



So off I trekked to this event for homeless pets (it was so meaningful I can't even remember the name of the group it supported!) to see if I could sell some 31 products and get a few new contacts. While there... long story short... I stepped out of a doorway the wrong way and BROKE my foot. Uh-oh... things just got a little less calm in my life. :-(

While driving myself to the ER (not everyone in my family had as boring a life as I did), I started reminding myself of the things God might very well desire to teach me by knocking me off my feet (literally...lol). I am a firm believer in self-talk. Keep yourself so busy speaking truth and rehearsing God's ways to yourself that you don't have time to doubt God's involvement in a circumstance. It had served me well in various crises, and it seemed like the right thing to do now, too.

By the time we left the ER that night, I'd decided several things:

• Broken bones are painful! I'm glad I waited nearly 37 years to get my first one!
• Cleidocranials (see Cleidocranial dysplasia) are not made to use crutches! Yikes! That was painful!
• Men in general, and teen-aged sons specifically, do not have the same "care-giving gene" granted to women, and specifically moms/wives :-)
• I was going to get longer than I originally thought to learn whatever lessons God had for me. :-(

The following week, I had the privilege of celebrating my birthday (also Valentine's Day) with my sweet husband while riding around in a wheelchair. I was so blessed by his willingness to accept the change in plans with grace and concern for my comfort!

We're two weeks into this journey now. I have found once again that God is faithful, and that He continually gives opportunities to give HIM glory, and to serve in a sacrificial way. I am amazed at how many opportunities I am given to serve my family, even from a bed-rest position. 

What does God do to throw you into the deep end when you get the mistaken feeling that you can handle life on your own? I'd love to laugh... and learn... with you! :-)

A Sacrifice of Praise... Overtime!

    Have you ever noticed how many times we are instructed to praise in God's word? I mean really, why would God not just expect us to praise Him when we feel grateful and let us off the hook when life gets rough? I'm beginning to realize (yes, again... how many times must I learn the same lesson!?) that sometimes, giving praise because of the trial in my life brings a greater blessing. 

    Lately, I've had no trouble finding things to praise God for... a relaxing afternoon hosting a beloved missionary family, a peaceful evening playing board games with my kiddos, my husband's renewed health to return to work after an extended illness... the blessings have been flowing heavily around here! 

    So why, tonight, did I find myself grasping at straws to write in my gratitude journal? It wasn't that rough of a day. Pretty relaxing, really. My girls and I read aloud together, I made some yummy home-cooked meals, nothing broke down, and there wasn't even any teenager conflict like sometimes rears its ugly head! I'm blessed! So why couldn't I think of something to put into words?
  
    Because God wanted more from me today. He wanted a sacrifice of praise today. He wasn't going to let me off the hook with the typical blessings today. It was time for me to dig deeper into my soul and obey His order to give thanks in everything! So, here goes...

    Disclaimer: If you're a military spouse, or someone whose spouse truly works long hours, you have my respect! But for me, anything longer than an eight-hour shift sets me to counting the minutes for my husband's return. Today, my challenge was to thank God for overtime. It hasn't been too long since I was worried about whether my husband would ever be well enough to return to work full-time. God has restored his health completely! And just a few weeks before that, we were going over the budget with a fine-tooth comb, trying to figure out how to keep loose ends together until "overtime season" returned. So I'm grateful today. On this, a beautiful Saturday that passed peacefully without incident, I'm grateful that my husband spent nearly twelve hours at work. I'm grateful that he missed out on going to a mystery shop for dinner with me and four of the kids. I'm grateful that we had to play our nightly round of skip-bo without his competitive hand or his wry humor. I'm grateful that I snuggled down into a cold bed, shivering until my heating blanket warmed up, while he was finishing his last flight at work. And I'm especially grateful that my husband is a hard-worker who doesn't complain about the longer days!

    I'm not saying "thank you" because I feel like it, but because it is the right thing to do. Again, I know many of you suffer far worse than this, especially if your husband works out of town or out of the country. You have my undying respect and gratitude. But for me, this is what God asked of me today, to sacrifice by thanking Him for my husband's work schedule. 

    What are you grateful for today? Let me know in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Carving my Burdens in Sand...

A friend reminded me recently to carve my blessings in stone, but my burdens in sand.  At first blush, this thought appeared to be "a good idea." But as I continued to meditate on it, it became much more deep and precious to me. Who is it that knows my frame better than anyone else?  Who is it that designed my burdens exactly to fit my weaknesses?  My God, who called me to these burdens, is the same One who calls me to cast those burdens upon Him. What a sweet thought!  On the other hand, if I have Him to carry my burdens, what would keep me from celebrating my blessings?!  I find that the "dailies", which I would have written in a much more harsh light, become less hurtful and less important, the more I keep my eyes trained above, on all of the eternal blessings I enjoy through my relationship with the Lord!

The weekend is here.  As I watch my friends' Facebook posts celebrating how many hours until their relaxing weekends start, I sometimes wonder when my weekend will come!  I mean, really.... when does a mom get to simply see the clock strike 5, gather up her things, and walk out the door for 2 1/2 days?  What bliss!  But it has been a good evening.  My 16-year old son took it upon himself to set up the Christmas village, even to the point of searching through the boxes in the attic for every last piece, then putting all the empty "village" boxes back in the attic.  Of course, I haven't seen the attic since he last left it, but for now, I am enjoying a well-decorated living room. So everything isn't exactly the way I would have placed it.  That's a good thing, though, because that means I wasn't the one doing it! Sometimes the rewards of consistent parenting just reach out and grab your attention, and the results are sweet!

Meanwhile, my 14-year old son has been lighting every candle he can find, mixing the aromas of vanilla, cinnamon spice, and evergreen in an interesting combination. He built a beautiful fire, too... a fire his sister referred to tonight as "a magazine fire." Even after the gas starter was off, the fire was spread beautifully across the neatly stacked logs - a rarity for my son's fires!

With one gone to basketball games and one at work, life seems a bit calmer tonight. We are constantly amazed at how much different the spirit of the house is with just one of those teen-aged alpha-males absent. It doesn't even really matter which one, as long as there are only two in the house at once! So I am counting my blessings tonight, and carving them in stone. (Granted, this is a much easier project when the burdens are as far away as last night or tomorrow!) But it is my choice to place my focus on blessings for today!