Confession: I Have a LARGE Sweet Tooth

So yeah, this recipe was a happy accident, born out of a major moment of weakness and severe lack of sleep :)  My staff members affectionately refer to them as "Death Brownies" or "Death by Brownie."  They're amazing hot, cold, the next day (IF you can hide one away that long without eating it), and they're WICKED GOOD as part of a brownie sundae.

Seriously though, they're the easiest box brownie hack you'll ever make.  Even easier than adding peanut butter cups (sorry, mom) or Rolos because I don't have to unwrap all those little buggers!

"___________________" BROWNIES

1 box of brownie mix (for a 9"x13" pan) AND all the ingredients it calls for
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1-2 cups mini marshmallows
2 big messy spoonfuls of peanut butter (okay, so I kind of just eyeball it!)
2 normal spoonfuls of powdered sugar (probably about 2 1/2 - 3 Tablespoons)

Preheat your oven as directed on brownie box.  Mix brownies according to directions.  Add the chocolate chips and enough marshmallows so that it seems like there's just enough batter to cover them.  Make sure all the marshmallows are at least coated a little so they don't burn.  Pour batter mix into a greased 9"x13" pan.  Sometimes it's tricky to get the marshmallows spread out.  Place the peanut butter in a small microwavable bowl and heat for 20 seconds or until runny and soft.  Stir in powdered sugar, it's okay if it's a little lumpy.  Microwave for 20 more seconds until it's soft again.  Use a spoon to drizzle/glop the peanut butter into 3 rows the long way and then draw the spoon through back and forth to spread out.  Orrrrrr, you can just glop it on.  It still tastes good :)  Cook for a little less time than directed, for some reason (probably all the sugar) they tend to cook a little faster than regular brownies.

EAT....and don't even THINK about the nutrition facts!!  Sometimes we need to eat for health, sometimes we eat for sanity.  At least, that's what I tell myself regularly. 

Don't Get Bent Out of Shape

Seriously.  If anyone says they're from (or lived there) southern California or Hawaii, I always ask if they surf.  For some reason people who don't surf think this is a weird question.  I don't get it.  I really don't.  They give you that awkward, "why are you asking me that?" look.  You know which one I mean.  The one where their face turns slightly to the side, one eyebrow lifts a tiny bit, their nose scrunches, and they overall seem annoyed.  WHY ARE YOU ANNOYED!?!?  (and more importantly - WHY DON'T YOU SURF!?!?!)  

I mean, I'm a skier.  I can understand why all people in areas with awesome ski areas don't ski (or board) - it's expensive.  However, if you WANT to do it, there are ways to do so relatively inexpensively, or at least at major reduced cost.  

Being a skier, though, I still ask people in snowy, mountainous areas (or relatively close proximity to them) if they've at least tried it (or snow boarding).  Skiers and boarders do not get bent out of shape by these questions.  In my experience other people in these areas don't either.  

What's the difference?  I have no clue.  

I DO know, if I lived somewhere where surfing was an option, count me in, I want to at least try it!  As for you bent out of shape folks, mom always said, "Careful, your face might stick that way."

On Single-Dom

Okay, so I started to write this post last December and got a little sidetracked in life....regardless, it still has a great article :)

After reading Singled Out: How Churches Can Embrace Unmarried Adults, I thought back to a lot of the interactions and experiences I'd had over the years.  Regardless of the frustrations I've felt, my faith itself has never wavered due to something directly related to this topic, it's just kind of something that is perpetually irksome.

 It's extremely easy to feel very lost, left out, and irrelevant as a single person in church.  I don't intend to point fingers at a particular one as I have frequented many in my adult (scary word) life.  Involving singles is something they can all work on.  I don't by ANY way shape or form mean that they should be offering matchmaking or dating services (not even close!), but it's pretty easy to feel overlooked or incomplete in a church setting.  Conversations frequently start with children, how many, and ages which inevitably leads to "my" children which I must have???  Nope.  Husband? Nope.  Boy---- Nope....at this point people are sometimes left standing awkwardly wondering what to say next.

Secondly, many people mistakenly assume that all Christian singles at church are "shopping" for eligible singles.  Not so.  Honestly, I'd love the opportunity to just fellowship with other people who share the similarity of singleness.  Single life is very different than married life.  While I greatly appreciate the opportunity to fellowship with the women in my ladies bible study across different stages in life and with families in my church, there is a something totally different about fellowshipping, encouraging, and enjoying the company of other single believers.

We want to be involved.  We want to feel needed.  These are human wants in any community.  Shouldn't they be met in a place where people are modeling their lives after the only perfect man's teachings?

When One Can Only Dream of Sleep

Most of the tome things stay at a pretty "normal" level of chaotic around here. Late nights, ridiculous pranks, lots of laughs, too much candy, excessive amounts of ramen, the never ending paperwork mountain and constant meetings....yeah, that's the norm.

The past two weeks have been a blur. An ongoing major crisis from last week took many hours to come up with a game plan and involved my entire department above me. That had barely had time to settle when this week hit with two back to back incidents involving 11 students in the wee hours of the morning when the rest of the world gets their beauty sleep. Eleven hours of sleep in sixty four hours.....I was in rough shape.

Today I was finally on my homestretch for disciplinary forms and meetings and just wanted to make it through the day before another wave hit when two of my residents (one of whom was the boxer briefs kid I mentioned before) decided to throw ALL of the bouncy balls being used as part of a "Seven Deadly Sins" program on wrath at me from the other end of the hallway.

My first reaction was, "No! Guys, the sprinkler heads! Seriously stop!" Eventually though I could only laugh as forty to fifty little balls came happily bouncing at me off the floor and walls. They were laughing hysterically from the start, I just needed to refocus my priorities and relax.

Thanks for the reminder.