Brownies, brownies, and more brownies!

I love brownies.  I REALLY love brownies.  I always thought they were nice until I had my first daughter five years ago.  When I was in the hospital, my mother-in-law brought me fruit to munch on.  Strawberries were among the fare in the basket.  One look at them and I thought, "BROWNIES!".  When my brother-in-law came, he and his girlfriend offered to bring us some dinner from a shop nearby.  I asked if they could please bring me a brownie too and ever since I've been hooked! 

With this new found love came quite an intensive buying of box mixes.  "Brownies from scratch???  Is that possible???"  I didn't think it was within my grasp.  But, whenever I made the box variety, they would be almost burned on the edges but gooey in the middle (gross gooey, not yummy gooey).  I tried and tried to fix the problem.  Bake longer, bake shorter, higher temperature, lower temperature, moving the rack, and finally just dealing with either burned edges or using a spoon in the middle.

But then it happened: I LOOKED for a recipe for brownies!  Low and behold, on www.allrecipies.com I found the most wonderful, yummy, quick, foolproof recipe for brownies!  The best part?  No chemicals to try to turn it into something like what a brownie should be.  This morning, I remembered I still had one more box of mix in my cupboard.  I thought I'd try it since it was sitting there all lonely looking without its friends around anymore.  So, I helped it fulfill its destiny.  Yup....WAY better from scratch.  :o)

Gear Review - Nike Featherlight Dri-Fit Women's Visor

So I bought this visor when I was getting new running shoes yesterday (but that's a whole other story...).  I was waiting for one of the sales staff to bring out a selection of shoes and saw some sitting on the wall - glowing like a professional runner's beacon.  I may have even heard a choir singing in the background. 

Now keep in mind that during this whole running journey I've had this "I'm not going to get sucked into that" sort of mentality.  A person can easily spend hundreds and even thousands on gear to hopefully help them run better, longer, faster, etc.  But in the end it's still just you and your feet. 

Anyway, back to the visor.  I had been wearing a chunky cotton visor that I think I got in a lost and found somewhere.  It soaked up sweat like a pillow on the Titanic and looked as such by the time I got done with a run.  But I used it because it's what I had.  Enter the Nike Featherlight Dri-Fit visor for women.  All I can say is, "where have you been my whole...um...running life?"  I love it!  It's light so you barely feel it on your head, the sweat wicks away (I'm not really sure where it goes so I'm going to assume that some sort of alternate universe portal opens up in the bill), the bill is small enough to keep visibility high but big enough to shade your face, and best of all, my hair looks super cute popping out the top in a messy knot.  And lets face it, who doesn't want to look cute on a run?

Content But Not Complacent

For those who know me, I've recently started running. On my morning runs I have quite a bit of time to think - especially considering I don't run all that fast. Some days I plan what I'll be doing with the rest of my day, some days I think about what yummy things I can treat myself to after, and some days I find myself complaining about various things in my life. Nothing major of course, just the ususal "my house is too small", " why do my knees ache so much?"," I wish I had more money so I could just pay someone to make my yard look nice", or "why do I get up so early to torture myself when I know I'll be running the kids around the rest of the day?".

Recently I've been repremanding myself for all the complaining I do. I feel like I've been dragging Eeyore's cloud around and I don't like it. Having heard quite a few sermons on contentment I know that this cloud is something of my own creation to serve....well...me I guess. Face it. As much as we hate to be glum, don't we secretly revel in how good a pity party feels? Philippians 2:14,15 says "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe" (NIV). A shining star. A star that shines so brightly that it can be seen anywhere in the entire universe! Wow! When I complain about my life (either to myself or to others) it's draining. It drains them and it drains me of energy. Like a black hole I suck the life out of everything around me when I grumble. I want to be a bright shining star! A star that gives off light to uplift those around me!

Now, how is this different from complacency? When I think of the two I have a hard time telling the difference. I know that contentment is supposed to be good and complacency is supposed to be bad but why? Both evoke a refusal to be negative. Contentment is defined as being "satisfied with a certain level of achievement, good fortune, etc., and not wishing for more." Ugh...... not wishing for more? Really? *tosses list to Santa out window* Complacency, however, is defined as "a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements." Looking at both of these definitions I still have a hard time seeing the difference because both elicit a sort of non-response. I love how complacency is talked about in Zephaniah 1:12 "At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.'" Yikes! There is a definite view on complacency and it's place with the Lord.

So what is the difference? To be content and to be complacent are choices that need to be made. CHOICES. We can choose to be content or we can choose to be complacent. Contentment means that we choose to aknowledge our blessings, we are thankful for what we have, and we choose to be okay with the place that God has put us at this time in our lives. We praise Him for the challenges that make us grow and we thank Him for the soul stretching that takes place in difficult situations. We also choose to put aside our complaining to be shining stars that lift up and edify those around us instead of like black holes. To be complacent means that instead of noting the blessings of others but being fully satisfied with our own, we say that there is no need for more because we are already the best. We are at the top and there is no more need for growth or stretching of ourselves. A sort of "I have arived" way of thinking. That everything is a coast downhill that requires no more work on our part. This way of thinking can be dangerous because it invites disaster. It's when we slip into complacency that we are blindsided by life. When we are content, however, we are satisfied with now but constantly at the ready.

So now what? Now I choose to be content, not complacent with my life because I know that the Lord has great plans for me and my family. I will be constantly at the ready to grow with whatever He brings to the table but content with where He has me now. I can't fret about what's past or worry about the future becuase I have no control over those. I give those to Him and contentedly wait for what He has for me next.

New Things

So, this is my first blog ever.  I've never set one up and never posted to one.  I didn't even set this one up!  I'm a very verbal person and tend to rant to my husband at the end of my work day.  Not on anything in particular.  Just whatever bee happened to be in my bonnet at the time.  During a particularly long stretch about health, food, and America's love affair with convenience food, Dave suggested that I blog about it.  I was hesitant but receptive to the idea.  So, being the tech guy he is, he set up this amazing blog complete with a very artistic shot of our 1940's kitchen.  As you can see, it has taken a while for me to do anything with it.  But, I plan to try.  I have lots of ideas - health, fitness, whole food vs. raw food diets, child rearing, the state of our education system, politics....  Hopefully these things will inspire many, offend very few, and not get me fired.  So, here's to new things!