DELICIOUS Dessert!!!

Do you like a nice, gooey brownie? Perhaps some peanut butter? Maybe some marshmallows, and the crunch of Rice Crispies? Then this one is for you! A mom in my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group made these, and though she didn't have a recipe, she kinda mentioned what she did, so I did my best, and the result was AMAZING! It's super simple and great for any occasion!!

What you need:

1 box brownie mix (I use Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mix)
1/2 bag of mini marshmallows
1/2 stick of butter
12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Approx. 1 cup peanut butter (no need to really measure it out - just 2 big globs)
2 cups Rice Crispies

What you do:

* Make brownies in a 13x9 pan as directed.
* With 5 minutes cooking time remaining, take out brownies and cover evenly with the marshmallows.
* Return to oven and bake another 7 minutes. (that's 7, not 5)
* In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add and melt (stir continuously) chocolate chips.
* Stir in peanut butter til blended
* Stir in Rice Crispies (will be thick and tough to stir).
* When brownies are done, top marshmallows with 6 globs of chocolate mixture, and spread over and through marshmallows. It can and will look messy - just try to make all ingredients even over the whole thing.
* Refrigerate til ready to serve. (Not necessary, but a lot yummier, I think!) I refrigerated my last batch overnight, then took them out and cut them a couple hours before serving, and they were great!

Good luck and ENJOY!! Oh, and they are fat free (haha, yeah right!)

I'm Back - with a complete life update!

How many excuses can I give for why it's been so long since I've blogged? Procrastination, sick kids, life issues...the list could go on. But, here I am. I'm back. And we've all been back - from Scotland for three weeks now. I can't believe it's been that long already! It seems like a lot has happened in those three weeks, though...

Sick kids. Oh boy! Well, all three kids came home with ear infections and conjunctivitis. They were all on anti-biotics - Caleb did well, Hannah got some nasty, 'need-a-prescription-for-this' diaper rash, and Johnny broke out in a full body rash (see picture). I guess we found our first allergy! Also, Johnny got the 24 hour stomach virus during the other sicknesses, which was terrible!! We shipped off the other two kids to Grandma's for a day and night so we could focus on helping Johnny get through it. And, he did, but not before Jon caught the bug. A few days later Caleb started complaining about headaches, neck pain and an achy body. I was convinced he had bacterial meningitis, but we stuck it out for a couple days before freaking out, then took him to the doctor who assured us it was just viral symptoms, and it's just the time of year for it all. Phew! So, aside from Hannah being on diaper rash medication, we are all healthy and well again.

Onto life issues... Well, for as long as I can remember I have struggled with self-image, self-esteem, negativity and identity problems. And while I still don't know who I am and what I'm gonna be when I grow up, God has truly freed me from some of my negativity and concerns. It had hit a pretty major low just last week, but after talking with Jon and another friend who gave some simple suggestions, and after my MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group, and after the start of the new sermon series at New Hope (all three timed perfectly, I must add...God, was that you??), I feel a new freshness about each day. I'm feeling less overwhelmed and so much more in control of my life and my situations. I am in the process of making a list of things about myself and my life that I can change when I partner with God, knowing that 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'. So, I'm giving life a thumbs up these days! (Thanks for hearing me out about my personal struggles in life - we're all human, right?! Oh, and that's me recording in Phil's attic studio.) So hopefully no more procrastinating and being lazy with blogging...we'll see.

Also in the latest news, Jon turned 29 yesterday. He's a bit concerned about how close to 30 that is, but, we all know he's still a young-un. (How would you spell that??) This new American citizen has a fresh outlook on life, as well, and is excited about the future. While still unemployed, he's got his application in some places, and has some ideas for down the road. We shall see where the good Lord leads...and we know that He always does lead, so that's reassuring! In the meantime, Jon's doing some work on our friend's new house, which he loves doing. He's also working on getting his CD together, which should be available sometime soon. For a sneak peek at one of the songs, check out newhopejourney.com and see what you think!

It turns out I'm already 5 months pregnant with this amazing baby #4. Boy, how time flies! It's amazing to feel our little GIRL (for those who didn't know) wiggling around and kicking me in the gut or the ribs. That is a feeling that just never gets old - I LOVE it! The babe's name is Lily or Lilly...we haven't decided if there will be one 'l' or two 'l's' in the middle yet, but at least we know the name. We're almost set on a middle name, too, but since it isn't 100% we won't share it just yet. It's amazing how I can be in love with little Lily (Lilly) already, and she's just 11 inches long and I have no idea what she's like or looks like. I guess that's one of the miracles of parenthood!

Well, while we had an AMAZING time with Jon's family in Scotland, we are happy to be home, and are pleased the weather has improved so we can be outside a lot more! HAPPY SPRING, everyone! :)

(This is a picture of Hannah with her little buddy Lily from next door.)

Home Sweet Home

'Scotland 2' just never seemed to happen...so we'll tie it all together now that we are home. We left a CD with a lot of our photo's on in Scotland, so we'll have to post some more photo's another time...

We had a GREAT time. It was wonderful to see family and old friends - some that I haven't seen for about 12 years since I left home. We visited the church that I grew up in and took a quick drive around my old neighborhood to show Ang the house we lived in till I was 17. I had forgotten how beautiful Scotland is...or possibly just never appreciated because it was all I really knew. Scotland is truly a beautiful country. This pic is of Stirling Castle.

We spent most of our time at my parents house in Saltcoats on the south-west coast of Scotland. My dad currently pastors a church there. They live in a house right on the sea with incredible views of Arran (a mountainous island) and the Firth of Clyde. They let us borrow one of their cars - if it was just me and Ang, we took the Smart Car - what a sweet car. We laughed every time we returned to the parking lot...it's small - very small.

We spent a week in Perth staying with Jaime and Phil (Sister and Bro-in-law) where we had the opportunity to record some music with Phil. Phil is an incredible musician and sound engineer and helped us to produce a sound which I am truly amazed at. Thanks Phil! Hopefully the CD will be complete in a couple of weeks after it has all been mixed and mastered. At some point it will be available to everyone if anyone is interested :) These pics are nephews David and Daniel, niece Leah, and our three.

My parents offered to look after the kids for a couple of days so that Ang and I could get away on a 'real' vacation. We found a great airline called Ryan Air who fly out of the local airport to destinations all over Europe. It was sooooo cheap to fly! We ended up choosing Spain as I have an Aunt and Uncle there who I have not seen since I left home. It was great to spend some time with them as an adult (instead of being the adolescent nephew), and they treated us to free accommodation and most of our meals. Thanks Irene! Along with our $60 round trip flights, this made for a fantastic, CHEAP, vacation. These are pics of downtown Malaga which has an incredible bull fighting arena. Spain was warm and beautiful...

It was also great to be able to celebrate Hannah's first birthday with my family, since they have always been so far away for the kids' birthdays. We had a little party for her at my parents' house, and the rest of the family made the journey to celebrate with us. It made for a wonderful last day in Scotland. Happy Birthday, Hannah!!

Truly an incredible month. Flying was difficult with three kids as I'm sure you can imagine. I think it will be a while before we do it again...as we will have four kids soon! It was a blessing in disguise to be recently out of work so that we could take a whole month to go. This is Robert the Bruce (Ang) storming Stirling Castle...

So now that we are home, life will slowly get back to 'normal'. The job search continues. Being back home in Ohio makes us realize how much we love living here. Not for Ohio (by any means), but for the friends and family that we have here. We are so happy that God placed us here, and continue to feel completely assured that this is where God wants us for now - unemployed and all...

Oh yeah, I became a U.S. citizen today. A subject for another day...

And, we find out tomorrow whether our new one is a boy or a girl - CRAZY!