My heart hurts for Oklahoma

From The Huffington Post: The path of yesterday's tornado

 

I found myself rejoicing that the storms pretty much dissipated before they hit the Tulsa area. We barely received any rain the last two days. I give God the glory and honor for keeping my family safe during these storms that have decimated parts of Oklahoma. But while reading the news reports and scrolling through the images on Google of the damage, all I can do it feel guilty for being so happy. The emotions going through my mind right now are crazy. 

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Once upon a time, there were wild fires close to my friend's house. I posted a picture of her home on Facebook saying something along the lines of "I can just see God's angels standing guard with their arms extended telling the fire to stay back"  ... the picture is amazing- how close it came to her house... 

Someone commented on the picture saying, "Where were God's angels when MY house burnt down?" 

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It broke my heart. In the times of celebration when God brings us through, it's hard to know that other people are not as fortunate. The age-old question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Who really knows? As I am seeing everything about the tornadoes from the last couple of days, I am reminded of my friend's house. I know that Tulsa is a praying community... many ministers talk about how they have seen storms heading RIGHT at us completely dissolve by the time it gets here- all because of the prayers of the saints. But I have to wonder - is that to suggest that the saints are NOT praying in Moore or in New Castle or in Edmond ?? I don't think so- I know that God is there- in fact the Bible says He will never leave us or forsake us. So I ask myself what happened? Why were so many people in Oklahoma killed this week? Why did hundreds of people lose their homes and even some of their family members? 

 There is an overwhelming sense of guilt present while I am thrilled that my family made it without any issues... I feel bad for feeling happy! I hurt that these people are hurting. I hug my children extra close today as I think about all of those moms and dads who CAN'T hug their kids tonight because the tornado killed them! I look at the homes that are completely gone and can't imagine their pain. While I realize that the best things in life aren't THINGS, I can't imagine finding myself with no home, no car, no clothing, no food... all because of a storm!  I feel guilty that our life is going on as though nothing happened. While I sit in the comfort of home, these people have no home. It's hard to imagine that all of this pain and destruction happened just about 100 miles away.

I read another blog that said, "Okies are strong, resilient, and God-fearing." So very true! Life WILL go on. Families and homes WILL be restored. You should see all of the out-pouring of support in Oklahoma now. Communities are pulling together to donate money, blood, and supplies. People are praying like never before. Churches are sending teams to help feed people and rebuild. All over Facebook, people are posting messages such as, "My daughter is missing- spread the word to help us find her" ... or "John Doe, your child is HERE... come get her!" ... or "My relative is stuck in the storm shelter at XYZ address- something is on top of the door- can anyone get to him to help?" I love the social media aspect in the midst of it all! 14 years ago, the same town of Moore, OK was hit by a terrible tornado. Back then, they wouldn't have the option of FB to spread the word. Who knows how many more people would be dead today if it weren't for so many people sharing the posts on Facebook. I know it sounds silly to say "Facebook is saving lives and reconnecting families," but in the case of Moore, OK, it is true!

God is good. Even when bad things happen. My previous post was about how GOOD is from GOD and BAD is from dumb devil! This destruction is NOT from God! What the dumb devil meant for bad, GOD will make it good. (Genesis 50:20) Okies ARE a God-fearing people. We come together in times of hardship and pray. God WILL bring these people through. God WILL comfort those who have lost loved ones. God WILL give them a peace that passes understanding. God WILL restore what has been stolen by satan! God is good and His mercies endure forever! I am so glad to serve a great God.

I don't know why bad things happen to good people, but I DO know that I am proud to be an Okie. I am proud to see how people are coming together to support the towns impacted by the tornadoes this week. While my heart is in pain and my eyes have cried many tears, I KNOW that 

 OKIES ARE STRONG, RESILIENT AND GOD-FEARING AND WE WILL PULL THROUGH!

Steal, Kill, and Destroy

So many people right now are asking, "Why did God do this?

  

I'm here to tell ya, 

GOD didn't do it!!!

Every GOOD gift is from HIM. 

The devil comes to STEAL, KILL, AND DESTROY!

Are you sad? Has your joy been stolen? That's the devil, not God!

Are you experiencing anxiety? GOD gives a sound mind! The devil has stolen your soundness!

Are you dying from disease? GOD didn't put that on you. HE gives life abundantly... the devil comes to kill!

Whenever I'm in the middle of a bad situation, I have to step back and realize that it's not GOD giving me the bad. HE gives me the good. The bad is from the devil and I have authority over him!! My God is bigger than the thief that prowls around in the night seeking to steal, kill and destroy!

 Gotta refocus. Give glory to the LORD for His peace that passes understanding, for the power, love, and sound mind that HE gives, for every good & perfect gift that comes from above! If it's not good, it's not from God!! Plain and simple! We need to stop blaming God for our trials and heartaches and pain. His plan for us is for a hope and a future... not to harm!

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*Jeremiah 29:11  "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

*John 10:10  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
 

*2 Timothy 1: 7  "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

*James 1:17 " Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Five Minute Friday: Song

Today I link up (along with over 150 other bloggers) with Lisa-Jo Baker and her Five Minute Friday prompt. Click the picture above to go check it out and see what this thing is all about. Essentially, she gives a prompt word and we set our timers for FIVE minutes of unedited writing based on that word. Today's word is SONG. If you know me, I LOVE TO SING... I LOVE MUSIC... So I love this prompt!  

So, without further ado, I will start my timer....
GO: 

I love to sing. A song is always in my heart. The ONE song that moves me whenever I hear it- where ever I am is Amazing Grace. I can't hear this song without being stirred on the inside. 

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
  

God's salvation is so awesome! I once was lost, but now I'm found... He pulled me out of crud and into HIS life! How can I not be moved? His grace is so amazing- His love is so amazing. Do you know what the word amazing means? I read once that "amazing" means "Startlingly Impressive" ... apply that to God. He is Startlingly Impressive. Think about that... it's like, Out of NOWHERE, He came and startled you with His awesomeness... pretty cool, right?

I remember once, when I was in middle school, I auditioned for a special ensemble choir and used this song. I got into the group and will always remember that it was THIS song that brought me through. This song of grace. This song that lives in my heart every single day. This song that, no matter what is going on in life, I can sing and it will bring my heart back to HIM. This song that resonates inside ... Amazing Grace is my song!

And... there's the timer. BOO

Hope you enjoyed reading about His Amazing Grace...How sweet the sound!

Last day of 2nd Grade- Take ONE

It's an odd day in my mind, but I'm trying not to say anything to make Xander feel insecure.

1st day of 2nd grade: Take ONE

We've made a decision- by "We" I mean Tim, Xander, and me- we've discussed and decided to keep Xander in the second grade for another year. I hate the term "held back" ... but that's what we're doing. We're talking it up... saying "You'll be one of the older kids, instead of the youngest" ...  and "You'll get to spend another year with Mrs. L getting extra practice so that third grade should be easier for you!"... and "Two of your closest friends are going to be repeating 2nd grade too, so you're not alone!" (of course not celebrating that his friends are struggling too, but that he won't be alone....)  Yesterday, we said something about Xander having a great year in the second grade, and he said, "It wasn't THAT great if I have to do it again." .... So again, we had to explain things to him... he DID have a great year. His grades were A's and B's all year long- we just feel like an extra year of practicing the 2nd grade skills will make 3rd grade more manageable. I just hate the thought of him struggling to make it all next year...ya know?

His issues center around his reading. He does math really well... except the word problems. The reading is kicking his behind. At the end of the 2nd grade, he should be reading around 90 words a minute, but he's in the 35wpm range... he's got a long way to go! In the third grade, they don't do phonics or sight words AND math has a lot of word problems. So it all comes back to being a solid reader...which he is not! So, we're working with him...trying to improve his reading at home, plus during the school year, he's in tutoring, AND we're having him repeat grade 2 for the extra boost. He is the youngest in his class, and even the teacher feels like the maturity issue can be part of the problem.

 But as everyone is posting pictures on Facebook of their kid's "last day of ___ grade" ... I posted "Xander's last day of school!"  It feels weird to say "Last day of 2nd grade" when he'll have TWO last days of the second grade.  Don't get me wrong... I am not at all doubting our decision to retain him for the upcoming year. My "weirdness" is from not knowing how to phrase it... for the sake of pictures! Is that silly? I know it doesn't matter what other people think, but I keep thinking, "This is going to confuse people next year when I say it's his first day of second grade...again!" LOL... I know, I know, Tim tells me I over-think things... I am pretty sure he's correct!

So, today we celebrate the last day of school... the last day of 2nd grade... Take One!! 

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Last day of 2nd grade- Take ONE

Dear Xander,

You have learned so much this last year! You have learned to read better, and to spell, and how to add, subtract and multiply (a little). You have made so many new friends. You absolutely love your teacher! She tells me all the time what a sweet and honest boy you are! You got an A on almost every single spelling test this year- that's so cool! You made the honor roll on both report cards; you received the "Shining Citizen" award; and you were named "Tiger Cub"! I am so excited for the next year ahead of you. I can't imagine how much more you'll know after another year of practicing the second grade skills! I anticipate your confidence level significantly increasing. You've got this son... you can do anything you set your mind to. I know you have the ability to do whatever you want!  I love you so much and have never been more proud of you!

XOXO,
Mommy!

What a year- Asher!!

Today was the Graduation "Ceremony" for Asher's pre-K class. They still have another week of play left, but today was the "official" graduation! I can't even believe how far he has come in the last 9 months! That first day of school scared me probably as much as it scared him. He was so nervous. Over the first 4 months of school, we struggled...  A LOT! If you don't know the story, read about it HERE and HERE or HERE! It's been quite a journey of him not participating in ANYTHING- even play time... of him not speaking to his teachers... or the other kids. BUT NOW, his progress is great!

We've been doing speech therapy to help him overcome the social anxiety issues he's dealing with. We began that in January, and he's now talking to Mr. C and Mrs. L. He plays with the other kids. He even walks to class without me holding his hand now! It's like he is a whole different kid! We still have a long way to go, but we've come so far! The Certificate of Achievement below is the "Penny For Your Thoughts" Award... cracks me up! Mr. C said, "Most of the time, Asher is a man of few words. And that is okay. It just means he's soaking it all in!"

To my dear Asher,

I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished this last year in school! You've learned to write, and you love doing it! You're always writing people's names and spelling things to see what they say! You still love to sing and draw...and you take pride in your coloring sheets because you don't go outside the lines! You have made a few really good friends this year and talk about them all the time! I am so excited that you're having a good time and making friends and learning every day! You are such an awesomely special kid and I am proud to be your mom!

Love you- XOXOXO

-Mom!

Coconut-Lime Chicken & Pineapple

ANOTHER great dinner...thanks to my hubby and his love for finding crazy recipes! 

Check the original recipe HERE

But here's what I did to make it my own...

What you need for marinade:
6 chicken breasts

Citrus soy sauce- 4oz

Lime Juice- 2oz

*Marinate 6 chicken breasts in above liquid mixture for at least an hour. The recipe called for Tequila, but that is NOT a staple in my house, so we improvised :)

What you need for sauce:  

16 oz sour cream

1/2 C coconut milk

1/4 C Lime juice

3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

3 pressed/crushed garlic cloves

salt/pepper to taste

*Mix all of the above together and set aside.

THEN, I contacted my trusted friend- George Foreman- and asked him to grill some chicken and pineapple for me! He came through... as always! And the result was DELICIOUS!!  I plated with chicken topped with pineapple, then drizzled the sauce over the top and garnished with extra cilantro! The blend of the savory and sweet flavors was awesome! We even used the sauce (since it's sour cream based) on our baked potatoes!

This meal was a definite keeper... we WILL make it again!

 

Foil packs for dinner?

When we used to cook on the charcoal grill, we would put veggies in foil packs to grill- the food was always amazing!

So we tried the same idea in the oven twice this week! The first time I served it with fried rice with a side of corn, and yesterday, I served it over lemon-butter pasta. 

It is such an easy dinner to make. I cut up chicken into bite-size pieces and set it aside to marinate in a soy sauce.

While it marinated, I cut up all of my veggies: zucchini, onions, red/yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, and celery. I separated each into bowls.

 Then I took one sheet of foil and put a handful of chicken & each of the veggies on the foil. Then I added some salt & pepper, sealed the foil into a bag/pouch, and placed on a cookie sheet. I baked it for 30 minutes at 350degrees and it was PERFECTLY cooked! The chicken was tender, the veggies were cooked to just right...it was SO good! Whether served with fried rice or the lemon butter pasta, both flavors were AMAZING!