When Mom's Away (Giving Exams)

Abby and Daddy go meet Darth Vader!

Saturday I had to trek to NGU to give two exams. Personally, I think that Saturday exams should be illegal in all 50 states, but it's really not up to me, and in order to collect my paycheck, I have to submit to the authority over me.

Anyway, one of Jason's new friends at the bank (i.e. clients) told him about "free comic book day" and mentioned that some of the Star Wars characters would be out posing for pictures. Jason, being the Star Wars junkie that he is (and that he is trying to make our daughter into) had to go.

While I was sitting in a classroom, Abby was meeting "Vader" as she calls him.

Here's the amazing part of the whole story. Abby was TERRIFIED of the Easter Bunny. I'm talking screaming, grabbing-to-the-shirt, I'm-not-going terrified. You'll notice that I've not posted any pictures of that outing. There's a simple reason: we don't have any. Even now when we ask Abby if she wants the Easter Bunny to come to our house, she drops her head and says meekly, "no".

Jason tells me, however that Darth Vader was another story. He stood about 4 feet from Vader and Abby eyed him. Finally she looked over his direction and said, "Hey Vader" with a timid wave. She loves him.

My fear is that she's going to be drawn to the dark and handsome type. What does our future hold?

If you look in the picture, she particularly interested in his light saber. I'm not sure what that means either.

Only time will tell!

It's Not Fair!

I had a moment this week where I really wanted to raise my fist to heaven and scream, "That's not fair, God; that's just not fair!" I'm so glad that God understands our frustration and doesn't condemn us for it, but just like a good Father, he extends his hands and says quietly, "I know you think it's not fair, but trust me on this one."

We have some friends at church who have been trying to get pregnant for about 3 years. I understand the frustration and the disappointment (kind of) as Jason and I have been trying to get pregnant for 8 months with no luck.

Last month we got the joyful news - a baby for this precious family, due in December, the same time as their other little girl's birthday. We were so excited. They were excited. Celebration was everywhere.

This Wednesday they lost the baby. There aren't even words. When I read the message, I dropped my head to my hands and cried. Not fair! So not fair!

What do you say? What do you do? I pray for them. God knows what he's doing - Romans 8:28 - molding them into his likeness, but it hurts so very much.

I think the song by Natalie Grant is most appropriate here:

Our Hope endures the worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the Earth quake
Let the Earth quake
Our Hope is unchanged

Please say a prayer for this family if you think about it.

A Wonderful, Easy, Cheap Dinner

I've never been much for Chinese food, but my husband LOVES the stuff. Usually I just make him go and eat it with his mom, but over the years I acquired a taste for some of it, and I've even learned to cook a few dishes myself.

Here's a quick and easy stir-fry that Jason and I love, love, love. The secret is the peanut butter. You have to put in the peanut butter or else it is just plain ordinary.

Ingredients:
Bell peppers - sliced (any color will do; I've used them all)
Soy Sauce
Teriyake Sauce
Chicken or Beef
Peanut Butter

I marinate my chicken or beef in a combination of the soy sauce and the teriyake sauce. Use enough of the sauces to cover the meat and let it sit for a few hours.

Put the meat and the sauce into a wok and cook until cooked through
Add peppers and a heaping spoonful of peanut butter

After all of that has come together, add in (I use 2 cups) some cooked rice

Mix it all together and VIOLA!

It is fantastic. Let me know what you think.

Grace Grace

Since I've become a teacher, I've learned a lot about grace. It's sort of like my previous post about Jesus Saves.; I knew about the concept of grace, but I'm not sure I ever knew what it really looked like.

I know that I'm saved by grace and that grace is amazing. I've sung the song, "O to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be", but I'm not sure that I ever knew exactly what grace was.

Students and children have a way of making abstract concepts concrete. I have a student who pushes my buttons at every turn. He asks questions constantly and he pushes boundaries. I'm sure that it is just how he's wired, but it is very trying at times.

He didn't bring his paper to class one day, and I had made it abundantly clear that students without their papers would be asked to leave class and they would take an absence. This student can't afford anymore absences because he would fail if he missed anymore. I extended grace. Pure, unadulterated grace. I could have failed him; it was totally within my rights. I could have held him to the letter of the law, but I didn't. He didn't deserve it. Grace.

I have another student who needs to graduate. Life is really, really tough for her right now. She's got a lot going on. Her paper was due, and she didn't turn it in. I extended her deadline. Grace.

I like to appear tough. I like to have my students think and know that what I say I mean, but there is always room for grace, undeserved favor.

It's the students who push me the most who I find it hardest and most rewarding to extend grace to. I sometimes get angry because they then don't handle the grace the right way, but how many times have I abused God's grace, yet he still extends it over and over again.

Where would we be without grace. Where would life have taken us if God hadn't handed down our sentence...free because Christ paid the penalty, and I choose to release you. GRACE.

May your day be filled with GRACE and you know the power of it.

Waiting

Abby and I have an afternoon ritual. It goes something like this:

2:00 Abby goes down for a nap. I may or may not nap with her. It depends on the day. When I'm feeling really motivated, I exercise and/or fold clothes. I know, life's a thrill right.

4:00-4:30 Abby gets up from her nap. On really good days, she sleeps longer, but usually 2 hours is about all I can get from her. I call the two hours she naps my sanity time.

4:30-5:00 We chill out, watch some Judge Judy, play, whatever gets us through.

5:00 I start cooking dinner and we begin the countdown for Daddy to come home.

6:00 We listen for the car or truck to pull into the driveway, run for the door and watch for Daddy to come down the sidewalk.

The other day, it was somewhere around 4:30 and Abby saw the door. She ran to it and said to me, "Daddy's coming!" She insisted that I open the front door so she could wait for Daddy to come home. She said, "Sit down" meaning I was to sit in the floor and watch with her.

I wonder if we wait with this kind of anticipation for the return of our Father? It didn't matter what I said to Abby, she knew her daddy was coming and she was going to wait for him to get there.

I pray for that kind of excitement and anticipation. I hope that you do as well.

My Body is Rebelling!

Whatever do you mean, Alicia? You have a wonderfully fantastic body that anyone would kill for.

Stop laughing. I'm serious. I had to imagine for just a moment that I was in another world where everything was perfect.

Seriously though, I decided several weeks ago that I had had it. By it I mean I was done with still carrying baby weight from 2 years ago and that I needed a body overhaul.

When I was in college Weight Watchers worked miracles for me. I lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 40lbs and looked really, really thin. I managed not to gain too much weight until my sweet little angel came along and there went the 40lbs. I thought breastfeeding would take it off, but apparently even though Abby eats everything in sight, she couldn't eat the extra pounds off my hips and butt.

Back to where I started, I jumped back on the wagon, even exercising regularly. I've been doing about 30 minutes a night and my legs are KILLING ME!

Unfortunately, my body hasn't gotten the memo yet. I'm wondering if my cells think that I'm starving them so they're hanging onto every morsel I give them. If you know me well, you know that I'm definitely NOT starving myself, so please refrain from posting comments saying things like, "Really, Alicia, you can eat too little and make your body retain weight." Trust me when I say, "I'M EATING ENOUGH!"

This morning I got on the scale and was up a pound and a half. It..is..so..frustrating! Anyway, if you've got any tips (other than telling me to eat more), I'll be happy to listen.

PS - totally unrelated - if you have any tips on how to get rid of sugar ants, I'm all ears. We're up to our eyeballs in them. It's that time of year, I suppose!

Happy Easter

They showed this at church last night for Good Friday.

May you realize the depth of God's love for you this Easter!



Hallelujah!