Brave-ing the Opening Day Crowd

*Spoiler Alert*

Today my friend and I took our girls to see the new Pixar film, Brave. We pre-purchased our tickets online, thankfully, because the theater was full. Maybe the crowds can be contributed to the fact that it is summer. We Texans often escape the hot, humid days by spending a couple of hours in a cool, dark theater. The weather, however, is not what enticed me to the theater today.

The previews for Brave made the mother-of-a-girl in me take notice. I thought the story would be one of girl power, with the main character fights for her right to choose who she marries. Unfotunately, that is not what I got.

The story, instead, is about a teenage girl who, in a fit of anger at her mother, makes a deal with a witch to change her fate. The spell goes wrong and changes her mother in to a bear.

The audience then worries that the father, who has a Captain Hook/crocodile relationship with a bear that ate his leg, will kill the mother in her grizzly (pun intended) state.

The daughter (the one that the previews tried to tell us was the hero of the film... girl power, remember?) is really just a teenage brat. In a selfish act, she has potentially turned her mother from a queen to a bear forever. The mother is the actual "Brave" one in the film.

I won't say that I am sad I went. Anytime with friends is worth it, and I'm a sucker for snuggling up to my girl and sharing some popcorn!

Lazy Girl's Cooking

I hate to cook. Cooking, to me, is a chore. It has to be done, but it isn't something that I enjoy. Tonight, however, my daughter said that she wanted to help. I have to give her credit, she is a big help when it comes to the kitchen! We added a little music courtesy of my Pandora app (Summer Oldies station) and we had a nice little time!

Here is what we made:



It was delish!

Here's how we did it (remember I am not a cook...this is the lazy girl's guide to a good dinner!):
Ingredients:
Turkey bacon (1 slice per piece of chicken)
Chicken breast
Salt
Pepper
TexJoy's Mesquite shake


We got chicken breast, not tenders, so we cut them to smaller tender-sized halves and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper, and some mesquite shake. The wrap turkey bacon (because it's better for you!) around each piece of chicken. Next heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken until it is browned on both sides. EASY!

We served with some rice-a-roni and tomatoes.

My girl had a blast wrapping the bacon around the chicken and felt like she was really cooking!

The Gift of Time

Today I was given the most precious gift anyone can receive. Time. Time is the one resource that no one can control. We cannot rewind it, pause it, or even speed it up at our will. As parents, we really appreciate and understand how short childhood is. We, or at least I do, realize how valuable time is with our children.

My daughter and I have been praying every morning and every night that she would get to stay home with me in the summer. Since she was three years old, she has been made to spend the summers with her dad. She goes for six-weeks, which is a long time for a little girl (and for a momma!). It is a major source of stress for both of us, and many tears are shed over it. Most kids long for school to be out, mine dreads it.

Today we learned that she will be home with me all summer. We literally cried we were so thankful and happy. Together we said a prayer of thanksgiving and talked about how thankful we were. Then planned out all the fun things that we could do together. I am going to really have to remind my daughter that we need to continue to thank God that she is home.

As for me, I am consumed with a feeling of inadequacy. I desperately want to show Jesus how thankful I am; I want to repay him for this gift for which I have begged. Then I kick myself, because obviously Jesus gave me (and you) an even more precious gift when He died on the cross for our sins. I guess these little (big to me...) miracles remind us of the major miracle and serve to renew us and refocus us on His will.

I am scrambling in my mind to find a way to properly thank Jesus. I know that it cannot be done. We can never repay Him for all the unconditional love we receive. I do know that He wants a personal relationship with us and for us to live for Him. In place of praying for my girl to stay home for the summer, I will now pray for open eyes, ears, and heart in order to understand what I can do to live for Him. I will continue to pray this with my daughter, also, because it is important that she sees this as an answered prayer.

Time on earth is so short compared to the time we will spend in Heaven. I fully recognize that Jesus has heard our prayer. I hope that I will remain focused on doing His will. We are all touched by God working in our lives. I pray that you can recognize where He is working in yours.