Give Loud

After months of working on the project, my friends Adam and Dana Martin recently launched GiveLoud.  It is a not-for-profit company that makes giving money easier.  Want to raise money for a mission trip, run to support a local cause, donate to a ministry?  All you do is start a page on the website and tell people about it.  That's it.  So simple...and FREE.  It is much easier than mailing out letters, dealing with checks, etc.

Check it out.  giveloud.com.  Start something.  Change everything.

Grassroots movement

Now that is a political movement I could get behind.  Krissie sent this to me.  I LOVE it.

Bliss

Perfect Saturday day in FEBRUARY:

Wake up and eat breakfast.  Put on sunscreen and a bathing suit.  LAY OUT in your front yard from 10 AM to 1 PM.  Yes, it is a bit redneck.  No, I didn't care.  And it is a major plus of living on James Island -- I'm pretty sure the neighbors won't be talking about it (unlike in Mt. Plastic/Mt. Perfect/Mt. Pleasant).

Meet Mary Ready and head to Folly Beach.  Go on a 2 hour walk and catch up, people watch, and bask in the beauty of the day.

SO thankful for this warm, gorgeous weather!

Scenery

I'm taking a theology class at my church on Tuesday nights.  Perhaps another post for another time.  This past Tuesday, I walked around the Old Village in Mt. Pleasant before class.  First off, I LOVE that it has been warm this week!  Second, I'm glad I live in such a pretty part of the world.  Third, by no means am I a photographer, but I took these on my cell phone and they make me smile.  The sun was starting to set and I couldn't help but be taken in by the beauty of God's creation.

This is the "old bridge" in the Old Village.  Back in the day it was the bridge from Mt. Pleasant to Sullivan's Island.  Love the lines of Palmettos.

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.  (Psalm 27:4 ESV)

Tum da tum tum tum

I now eat these when my tummy flares up:

Yes, I feel like an old man.

Brownie Pudding

Yes, it tastes as good as it sounds.  If you like chocolate, you should give this a whirl.  Not surprisingly, it is another great recipe from Ina Garten.  I LOVE it!  It is perfect when you are PMS'ing need a chocolate indulgence.

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup good cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.*

I switched it up a tiny bit by: not using the framboise (simply because I didn't have any), using vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean (because its what I had/I am lazy), and I don't serve it with ice cream - just because I think it is plenty perfect the way it is.

* http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/brownie-pudding-recipe/index.html

I'm not getting any younger...

...but maybe I'll start looking younger?!  Over a year later, my Aveeno Positively Radiant ran out.  Instead of grabbing another bottle, I decided to switch things up a bit and go with this:

Aveeno Positively Ageless.  As watching the Grammy's the other night made it ever so clear, I'm not getting any younger.  So, why not?  It has an SPF of 30 instead of 15.  Thus far, I've been quite pleased.  

Does it go on smooth?  Yes.  (check)

Is it heavy?  No.  (check)

Is it quickly absorbed?  Yes.  (check)

Does it smell like sun screen?  No.  (check)