Brownie Knife

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday morning when I got my daily P31 Ministries email devotional. It was the one I had submitted! Check out Brownie Knife.

(Fresh out of the oven! Where's the "scratch and sniff" technology when you need it?)

I thought this might be an appropriate time to share Basham Brownies with you. I'm not much into box brownies, although they will do in a pinch if you add nuts to them. But, then there are some who are not much into homemade brownies. Don't you love having options?

Basham Brownies

(as adapted from

Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies

on allrecipes.com)

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups sugar

(I like a mixture of white and brown or to add a little molasses to the white)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

(or almond or rum or coffee flavoring, you choose :-)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

dash salt
1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

(we love dark chocolate chips, but semi-sweet works well too)

(or 1 cup chocolate and 1 cup peanut butter chips....mmmm)

chopped nuts, if you like

Set oven to 350 degrees. I use a Wilton 9X13 metal pan, lightly greased. This yields about 30 thick brownies. You may also use a larger cookie sheet to yield more, but thinner brownies for a crowd. 

Combine melted butter, sugars and flavoring. Beat in the 4 eggs until thoroughly mixed.

Stir in flour, cocoa and dash of salt until blended. Add chips, then smooth into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes for the 9X13 pan and about 15-20 minutes for the cookie sheet.

Don't forget this part, maybe one of the most important steps

Now go ahead and try the brownie knife!

Give Me Words to Speak

What do you say about 25 years? When I turned 25 years old, I remember thinking that my life had no purpose because it’s been a quarter of a century already and what had I accomplished?

Well, I had graduated high school (the first in my family to do so,) graduated college, had a pretty good job, owned a home, and had gotten married. But even then I was searching for significance, not success as defined by the world. Twenty-five years at that time seemed like forever.

Now, 25 years seems like a blip, or a more accurate term would be bliss. Wedded bliss, that is. Michael Kevin Basham and I have been married for 25 years today! Now, there’s significance for you!

God opened up the heavens and rained down grace unimaginable when He gave us to each other. There’s no way that 25 years has passed. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun.

A friend told me recently that I have a perfect marriage, at least the most perfect one that she knows. And I have to agree with her. I think our marriage is as close to perfect as one can get.

Not that I’m a perfect woman (though Mike says I’m really close) married to a perfect man (I think he’s really close) but that we both are close to the Perfect One and we allow Him to work in us and through us for the benefit of each other.

Yes, we disagree. But we agree to look to God for the resolution. Yes, we get mad. But we forgive each other quickly with God’s help. Yes, we’re both selfish. But we agree to put the other’s needs ahead of our own.

We love. A love that’s extremely easy most days, but on rare days it’s definitely a hard choice. We laugh. Not at each other, but with each other. (If you want to see some of the things that make us laugh, check out Tim Hawkins.)

We also cry. Together. We work to make sure the hard things unite us as we cling ever closer to Christ, and in turn that brings us ever closer to each other.

This is the scripture that we had printed on the napkins we used at our wedding reception. It encapsulates our marriage to this day:

Ecclesiastes 4.12b A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Basham

January 21, 1984

I still like to watch him. It makes me smile to watch him when he doesn’t know. It also makes my heart overflow. I can’t believe how incredibly blessed I am.

I love to see his smile. He can smile at me from across the room and I feel so loved. I always feel like he is thrilled to see me. Michael is the epitome of how a man should love his wife as Christ loves the church.

What do you say about 25 years? I’m not really sure, but I’d like at least another 25 years with Michael to come up with something.

I'm Glad Dave's Not God

One chance! Only one chance! That means the rooster didn’t really have a chance at all. When Dave brought the rooster home to their urban farm, Mitzi had concerns about having a rooster in the middle of town.






All the other chickens they had were noiseless hens, laying eggs and clucking ever so softly. And having chickens inside the town limits had been approved by the town council because of this family’s example. But roosters in the mix might jeopardize that.

So Dave assured Mitzi that the first time the rooster crowed in their yard, the animal formerly known as rooster would simply be known then as that day’s dinner!

Well, you guessed it. The rooster crowed! It happened to be a day when my daughter was sleeping over. We called to say we were coming to pick her up, but Mitzi asked if Rachael could please stay a little longer so she could join in the neck-wringing festivities.

OK, I said yes, but all the while I was thinking Rachael would be pretty nasty to take to the movie we were planning to head to after we picked her up. But I still said yes.

Later, after we picked her up, I asked her how the circle of life went. She reported that Dave had decided to wait until the next day because the rooster had just been fed and the process of cleaning said dinner would make too much a mess unless the fowl was emptied of all the foul stuff first.

So Dave gave a reprieve so as not to be inconvenienced with the mess.

I really am glad Dave’s not God. God forgives me over and over, the same crowing I do over and over. Because He loves me. Not because it’s convenient or inconvenient.

I’m not judging Dave. I’m sure I would have had a similar stipulation if I were inclined to have roosters and lived in the town limits. That makes me glad that I’m not God either, no matter how hard I try sometimes!

Psalm 130.3-4a “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness.”

1 John 1.9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”







Second chances with God are not hard to come by. But with Dave.....well, Mitzi tells me the rooster was delicious.

Don't Leave Him There

Maybe your household is like mine. My kids love to help put up Christmas decorations, but when it's time to take them down, they have made themselves scarce.


This is why I found myself alone putting away our Nativity set that spans the length of our credenza. Each little piece must be wrapped to avoid breaking, and each large piece has its own styrofoam sarcophagus-type enclosure so it's much like putting together a puzzle.


The kids set it up and did a lovely job. But since they set it up, I really didn't get a chance to reflect on the cast of characters and what that scene must really have been like. I did have solitude in the packing up, though, so I was free to speculate on the thoughts and feelings of those involved.


One thing came to mind that is not speculation. The last human figure I was placing in the box was that of Sweet Baby Jesus Himself and I thought of how He was going to rest in that manger for the next 11 months.

So different from the real Sweet Baby Jesus who came for one purpose.

Peter preached it best:

Acts 2.22-24 Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

And the people responded:

Acts 2.36-38 Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.

Three thousand people decided that day they would not leave Jesus in the manger. He was now their Christ and Lord.

So pack away your porcelain Nativity figurines and make sure Sweet Baby Jesus is nestled all snug in His manger.

But for real life, don't leave Him there this year. Spend time with Him every day. Get to know Him more. He's all grown up now and I think you'll love having that relationship. I think you'll love who you can become by your association with Him.

The Battle or the War?

I want to win both, thanks for asking. Especially when it comes to my kids.


In the end, the war seems to matter most, but each individual battle has it's own potential victories and defeats and then consequences of either.


The particular battle I had yesterday with Joshua had to do with school, but it could have been anything else. It could have been his hair. It could have been his recollection of my exact words. It could have been green or purple. Really, with this strong-willed boy, it could have been anything else. But it was school.


Since I homeschool, this is a battle that makes me shiver when I see the inevitability of it all. Joshua is very bright and especially has an aptitude for math, so one would think he could have reasoned the conclusion when he waged the battle. One would be wrong.


After breakfast and our Advent devotional, Rachael got started on her workbook material while I was going over some math word problems with Joshua. He disagreed with my explanation of the first word problem. He is bright, but he is seven! His temper got the best of him, so he was sent to his room with instructions to come back downstairs when his attitude improved.


After about 20 minutes, I decided to check on him. He was just lying in bed, as there are no electronics in his room, only books and a few toys. Lying in bed was not accomplishing much, so I had him come back downstairs. His mood had improved, but he did not want to get back to his school work because he was "hungry." Never mind that he had eggs, grits and toast less than one hour before. (Yes, he has a wonderful mother.)


I then told him, "You will not eat anything else until you feed your brain and do your schoolwork." There it was. My cannon shot back. The battle is on.


With a little grin on his face, thinking he was getting away with something, he said, "I'm not really hungry anyway."


"You will be later."


"But you'll forget."


"Oh, no I won't."


Then Rachael felt the need to give Joshua some strategic sisterly advice, "Oh, Joshua, I know who will win."


"Who?" he asks, as if he really needs to ask!


"Mom will.


"Oh no."


"Oh yes."

The battle continued, though pretty much amicably, until around 4 pm when he conceded, did his work pages and was allowed to have a piece of toast left over from breakfast and a Cutie clementine.

I won that time, but the battle has given me much food for thought for the long war ahead. It's my job to help my son learn how to put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature. Col. 3.5


I'm glad Joshua and I are ultimately on the same side! He is a formidable foe.

He Would Have Been Three

He was due October 1, 2005. He arrived way too early for my plans on May 6, 2005 at about 20 weeks. But he was just on time for God's perfect plan. He was 8 1/2 inches long, weighed 10 ounces and was fully a little boy. I remember vividly that he even had the shape of his daddy's mouth.


Never had I been through so rough a journey. I was sad. I was mad. This was the first pregnancy I had without the aid of fertility drugs. Why give a gift if you're just going to abruptly snatch it back? I was mad at God, even to the point of wanting to turn my back on Him. I'm so glad He didn't turn His back on me.


My hard journey only served to highlight the contrast between the light and the darkness. God brought me through to the other side of grief where I am sincerely joyful for my son. God has brought me to a place where all that I truly want is to be where He wants me, doing whatever He wants me to do.


One of the things that I'm obedient in (finally!) is writing. I submitted my very first devotional to Proverbs 31 Ministries and it was accepted! Exciting, but humbling! But I know I'm being obedient to his call.

1 Peter 4.11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

A couple of resources that were extremely helpful in setting my mind on the eternal during my journey of grief were the books Through a Season of Grief by my friend Kathy Leonard, also a former North Waker and Heaven by Randy Alcorn. Through Mr. Alcorn's research of scripture, he was able to paint a picture that helped me know that Jonathan is truly in a better place.

He would have been three, though, and I still miss him.


.

From There to Here

Whoa! What happened? How did we get from there to here? And in such a rush? That's what I think when I see my first-born, Sarah, who did look like this just yesterday morning when she was 19 months old.....

We woke up this morning and found out she's been 19 years old since May.....

She's traded in her blue hoodie for blue hair.....look carefully, it's there. She's got style despite the fact that she was homeschooled! The hair changes are frequent since she is employed at Douglas Carroll Salon after completion of her cosmetology program.

Hair is not the only thing that's changed as Sarah has grown up. She doesn't suck her thumb anymore.

But she does still have her blankie....the comforter I made from white eyelet fabric to complete a handmade crib set so I'd have it for all my children. Sarah latched on and carried that big, bulky blankie everywhere, even to the blueberry fields. She carried it to Belarus on a three week trip when she was 15. It is now in shreds but she still sleeps with it. None of my other children ever used it.

The blankie is not the only constant in Sarah. I so admire her ability to hold her tongue, even when others, including her mother, don't hold theirs. She is a quick thinker, so I know she could retort in a flash. But she doesn't. That makes it easier in some ways for a mom raising a daughter, especially through the teenage years. But it sure does challenge a mom when the daughter is doing a better job than she.

Proverbs 15.1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Dear God, I thank you for Sarah's ability to answer softly and sometimes not answer at all, and I thank you that our journey from there to here has been such a pleasant one. May all her days be blessed, and may she continue to be a picture of your grace.

One Candle Fell Off

Why am I so easily distracted? By silly stuff?

Sunday we had a lovely service at North Wake Church with white candles burning and filling the stage with light. White candles of all sizes and shapes with simplistic beauty. There was such a worshipful attitude even upon entering the worship center (actually, sanctuary would be a better word to use for this day.)



Candle groupings were everywhere, seemingly random groupings, but also some symmetrical ones, especially the votives that sat on either side of the "T" of the large rough-hewn wooden cross that graces the back wall. The music as always was great and drew us further into worship.






Then...one candle fell off. Not just any candle. It was a candle that sat on the right side of the cross. It left a big gap. No more symmetry on the cross. I was annoyed with the open space, but also kept watching the bottom of the cross to see if flames were going to erupt that might cause the worship team to evacuate the stage.



As much as I love symmetry (can you spell OCD?) I may not have noticed if I had not seen the candle fall. Right in the middle of the song. It was one of those "look around and see if anyone else saw it" moments. I should have had my eyes closed. I should have focused more. But now I was distracted. Mostly I was distracted by my annoyance that the gap was there, but I was also distracted by a potential fire that might happen.


I had to ask for forgiveness.


Something so silly had taken my focus off worship. It made me think of the things in everyday life that "make" me take my eyes off Jesus. I say that my focus is on Christ and His will for my life, but then stuff happens. I homeschool, the kids argue, I commit to too much, there are many chores (that I don't get to,) and don't forget this new thing called blogging. Before you know it, I have short-changed my quiet time with a five or ten minute glance rather than really spending time digesting God's Word, causing me to be more and more out of focus.



Colossians 3.1-2 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.


Fortunately, Justin the Intern who spoke that day was quite engaging (no small feat for an intern) and drew me right back to where I needed to be. But I'm still more than a little ashamed that my worship of my Creator suffered Sunday morning all because one candle fell off.

I Would Have Picked Them

My in-laws, Ron and Sue, are nowhere to be found in this crew, but the picture was taken in their backyard on a hot July day in 2007. The first thing that comes to my mind when I see this photo is how well my in-laws love. They love their grandchildren. They love their children. They love their sons-in-law. And they love their favorite (well, only) daughter-in-law, a term which they revised almost 25 years ago to be daughter-in-love.

They love people they know and they love people they don't know. One is immediately accepted by them simply by the virtue that one is living and breathing.

Sarah at Hashbrowns issued an intriguing assignment. She asked those who read her blog to post the sixth photo from their sixth folder (for some reason that reminds me of the Sheena Easton lyrics from the 80's "You're the seventh son of the seventh son...." ...long time ago...anyway...) This is the photo that won that lottery.

The kiddos in the pic are 57% mine....the two tall ones back left and the two short ones front right. The other three are cousins, but not all grandchildren of my in-laws. But you know what? It doesn't matter to them that we bring extra children along. In fact, when we do they are treated like family. It doesn't matter to my in-laws that one of the other children is from my side of the family. They are genuinely happy to have a "family portrait" that includes any of God's creations. They show love to all they meet!

I've witnessed that over and over again, beginning with their acceptance of me when Mike first took me home to meet them. I've witnessed it as they accepted our adoptive daughter during her very first visit to our home when adoption wasn't even on the radar yet. They have accepted my little brother, my nephews, the kids we kept each summer from Belarus, and my niece in the picture. Each one of them was welcomed enthusiastically to the family.

They are a true picture of God's acceptance of us, and so a witness to all who meet them. There are lots of great qualities about Ron and Sue and this is just one of them that, again, immediately came to mind when I saw the sixth picture in my sixth folder.

I'm so glad they had Mike and raised him to be the man of God, the man of character that he is today, and I have always told friends and family that if I were looking for in-laws instead of a husband, I would have picked them.

What's your story about the sixth picture in your sixth folder?

Crispy Socks

Not to be confused with Krispy Kremes...one you want, the other you don't....actually, come to think of it, at my weight I'd rather have the socks...

Last Monday (yes, I'm a slow poster) as I was helping Joshua clean his room, he suddenly yelled in disgust, "Ugh, mom! Crispy socks!" He found them hidden behind his perpetually open closet door. Left over from football, no doubt. They had once been wet and muddy, but were now dried and stiff and were, well, "crispy."

So we talked about what happens when things get hidden and don't get cleaned the way they should. We then talked about how our hearts get "crispy" sometimes when we ignore what God tells us is the right thing to do. Or sometimes we let the muddy and wet sin get hidden, and we just forget about that it's wrong because it's been there so long.

Just as we found the "crispy socks" hidden behind the closet doors because we were looking for things to clean, I told Joshua that's one of the things we need to pray to God about. We need to pray and ask God to show us any part of our heart that might be getting "crispy" and then ask God to help clean it. We need to ask Him to show us our sin because we do not want a crispy heart.

I love "shema-mmy moments" (pronounced shmommy), and yes, I just made the term up so I won't have to explain it next time I write about these teachable moments when we can do what Deuteronomy 6.6-9 says:


These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

This part of the Jewish shema (rhymes with ma with a sh in front of it) is a plan for passing along our faith to our kids all the time....which means God's commands must be on our hearts and minds all the time.

No pressure.........but is that a "crispy sock" I see?

I Told You So

I told you my Rachael is creative. Here are some photos from the budding photographer. She is wanting to submit some nature photos to a kids' contest, so she took tons. I can't help but think of Hashbrowns when as I post the flowers.

These, and many more, were taken at in the garden at The Hermitage, the home of our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, near Nashville, TN.

Sweets Made By the Sweetie!

Creativity is something eleven year old Rachael enjoys. She spent a Saturday afternoon at her Mama Basham's house and, to her joy, got to practice decorating cakes. Mama is a pro, and she's passed down her cake decorating talent gene to Rachael. Rachael completed this all herself. And, yes, it tasted as yummy as it looks.

But it wasn't as sweet as Rachael!