laughin' so hard, i'm cryin'

Y'all have GOT to click this link and watch Christian comedian, Tim Hawkins, talk about kids. (when you get to his page...scroll down and click on 'Tim on Parenting')

Let me tell you that when he talks about stupid games boys make-up...know that this is my son! The Coach and I couldn't quit laughin'. I watched it twice and cried both times.

Enjoy! :-)

Isaiah 53:5 (New Living Translation)
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

Luke 24
The Resurrection

1 But very early on Sunday morning[a] the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man[b] must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11 But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

He has Risen, Stranger-Friends! He has Risen Indeed!

Easter Fluff

I can vividly remember the Easter dresses of my childhood. Mainly because each one is permanently documented in the traditional photo...

(let's not talk about the mullet hairstyles! :-))

I can also remember coloring eggs at my grandparent's house, hunting eggs in their yard on Sunday afternoon and the candy-trail left by the Easter Bunny from my bed to my basket. But...I can only recall one specific religious memory of Easter past. I can remember, in broken segments, the youth group at our church doing a passion play for the sunrise service. One particular young man, Todd, (whom I thought was quite cute - he was 16 or so...I was 7 or so!) played the part of Jesus and he hung on the cross they erected in the yard behind the church. It was quite realistic (at least to the 7 year old eye).

My point (and I do have one) is that the vast majority of what I remember was completely "fluff". I don't think my parents did anything wrong by spending a fortune buying us dresses, shoes, hose/tights, purses, hats, and pounds of candy, but I do think there's another way.

I'm striving to live a more simple life. A life with less fluff. I admit that it's not always easy. The girl with the most stuff wins, right? To voluntarily take yourself out of the game is contradictory to society as a whole. It frustrates me to think of myself as a pawn in the game of consumerism, but apparently that is what "they" intended all along.

from SortaCrunchy...

Annie Leonard quotes Victor LeBeau's statement that in order for the consumerist model to work, as we "make consumption a way of life," we must "convert the buying and selling of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction in consumption . . ."

ugh. It is sooo irritating! "make consumption of way of life"...well, they've succeeded. We associate stuff with nearly every holiday. Halloween (something like #2 holiday for retail sales), Thanksgiving (do we really need all that food?), Christmas (need I say more?), Valentines (created for consumers I believe), St. Patrick's Day (can you say public intoxication?), Easter, blah, blah, blah. If we're not comsuming large quantities of food, we're consuming even larger quantities of stuff. What do we do with all the stuff when we tire of it? when we outgrow it? when it breaks?

Exactly how does all this stuff at Easter remind us of Christ's resurrection? I know Saucy would love to go shopping and pick out a new something for Easter, but today it's not a priority in our house. She can look cute & frilly in a dress that's already in the closet. Trust me, I'm all about the girly thing - bows, sweet little patton shoes, precious bucket hats with flowers on it - but who says I NEED to go buy new stuff for this particular Sunday?

So, this year I will rummage through the giant bucket of hand-me-downs that have been given to Saucy and I'll let her choose a dress. She will look as beautiful as the others. I pray Christ's light shines through her precious smile.

The bucket o'stuff

Our casual options...

Our fancy options...

A Goodwill find...$2 & Brand
New!

Her choice...

Happy Easter, Stranger-Friends!

Resurrection Cookies

Several years ago I found a recipe for "Resurrection Cookies" in an Easter issue of Faith & Family. I thought it was a fabulous idea and resolved to make them with the kids. Yea. Ok. So. Ummmm.... 2 years later, I'm REALLY making them on Saturday. I promise. Really. Even told the kids. (do you believe me??)

You will need:

1 cup whole nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc)
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch salt

1 cup sugar

a zipper baggy

1 wooden spoon

scotch tape

Bible

Instructions:

These are to be made the evening before Easter.

Preheat oven to 300F before you do anything else.

Place nuts in baggie and beat them with the wooden spoon until they are broken and in small pieces. Read JOHN 19:1-3 and talk about how Jesus was scourged (another word for beaten) by the soldiers.

Put one teaspoon of vinegar into the large mixing bowl. Read JOHN 19:28-30. Have children smell and taste the vinegar and explain that when Jesus was thirsty, the soldiers offered Him vinegar to drink.

Stir egg whites into the vinegar. Read JOHN 10:10-11. Discuss how eggs are a sign of life and explain how Jesus gave his life so that we could have brand new life.

Sprinkle a little salt into the bowl. Read LUKE 23:27. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers.

Now add 1 cup sugar. Read PSALM 34:8 and JOHN 3:16. Explain that Jesus' love for us sweetens the sorrow of His death. Mix on high speed until stiff peaks are formed (about 15 minutes). Read ISAIAH 1:18 and JOHN 3:1-3 and explain that the white peaks represent our souls when sins have been forgiven by Jesus.

Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed-paper covered cookie sheet. Read MATTHEW 27:57-60 and talk about how each cookie represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was placed after his death.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and TURN OFF THE OVEN (this is very important). Give each person a piece of tape and seal the door to the oven. Read MATTHEW 27:65-66 and talk about the sealed tomb.

Read JOHN 16:20-22 and talk about the sadness Jesus' followers felt when they left Him in the tomb. Leave the cookies in the oven overnight.

On Easter morning, break the tape seals, open the oven and look at the cookies. Read MATTHEW 28:1-9. See how the cookies are cracked like the empty tomb. Have everyone take a bite of a cookie. Notice that they are hollow. Explain that on the first Easter, the women were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Give thanks for the gift of Jesus and the Resurrection!

God Showed Up B-I-G!

A principal who made no effort to establish communication and made quick judgements about the athletic program was trying to push my coach out the door. I wanted to defend my man. Instead, I listened to him talk while anxiety gripped my spirit. I had to take a serious time-out and re-focus. I prayed. I had to be positive so that my coach could see something good each day he dreaded going to school. I prayed some more. A conference with the principal resulted in my coach being completely honest, yet respectful, regarding his thoughts and feelings. (oh yea, I prayed some more) Friday the principal called, "I appreciated your honesty...tear up that growth plan...let's start fresh...I'm sorry". It was probably the roughest 6 weeks we've had, but together we got through it.

%&^$@^& W H A T ???? &^%$ @$

This is a man who went for my coach's jugular at every turn and now he just wants to start fresh? All I can say is that God saw fit to rain down a miracle on My Coach's life!!!

THANK YOU JESUS!

My First Meme!

Fellow coaches wife, Megan, tagged me for my First Meme! I've been pretty busy this week so it's taken me a few days to get this posted but it was fun thinking of all the quirky things about me. (trust me, I didn't have to dig very deep!)

Here are the rules...

1. When tagged place the name and URL on your blog.
2. Post rules on your blog.
3. Write 7 non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Name 7 of your favorite blogs.
5. Send an email/comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged.

SEVEN THINGS MEME

1. I space the hangers in our closet. Each hanger has one fingers space between them. (neurotic, I know! I just can't help it.)

2. I own the Air Supply Greatest Hits CD (enough said)

3. I think too much. I am ready & willing to over-analyze absolutely anything. Case in point...I am white. The Coach is black. I met him one October and didn't start seeing him until the following February. During that time I read books on interracial relationships, bi-racial children and even asked my PawPaw what the Bible said about it. See what I mean? (again, cra-to the z - to the y!!)

4. I took piano lessons for 6 years, sang in a travelling youth choir for 6 years, was in choir at school for 6 years - even competed in UIL State Solo competitions and I do nothing with music now. What happened??

5. I just recently threw away all Veggie & Saucy's baby teeth...that the tooth fairy delivered to me. (wink wink) Why was I keeping them? Did I plan on making a necklace? Whatever.

6. The predominate color in my wardrobe is currently bright orange. There's a possibility it will change to purple sometime in April. Why? We're all about the team around here! We root for the home team and right now the home teams colors are orange & black. (Saucy even has hair ribbons, bows, pom-poms and earrings in orange!)

7. We've moved 8 times in 10 years...Hey, you know I'm a coaches wife. That's how it be's sometimes! :-)

I tag...

Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary

Ami at Cup Runneth Over

Lisa at The Preacher's Wife

Joanne at The Simple Wife

Nutmeg at Life in A Nutshell

Jessica at Shower of Roses

Kelly at Love Well