CalvaryGirl

Introduction to recipes

2011-09-18T17:17:00.004-04:00

In the next few weeks I'm going to be sharing some recipes I have tried and reviews from my family. Fall is my favorite season, for many reasons- but one being the fall recipes that are abound! My all time favorite fall ingredients are of course pumpkin, and apples. I wonder if this year I will find a way to combine the two?

How about you? What are your favorite fall recipes?

25 year old "mother" kills twins

2011-09-16T08:31:00.004-04:00

Booting up my computer today, the first thing I see on the newsfeed is "Lindsey Lowe, Tenn. Mom, Confesses To Smothering Newborn Twins". I was thinking that was a typo and it was supposed to say "teen" mom, then it would make a little more sense. But no. You go into the article and it says she is a 25 year old woman (not girl) living with her parents, working in a pediatric dentists's office. She "thinks" she got pregnant in January, but never went to the doctor to confirm it. Working in a dentist's office, I'm going to take a gander and say it was not because she did not have health insurance. She gave an apparently, relatively painless birth, sitting on a toilet. Article says the baby "fell out", into the toilet, and she proceeded to smother it. Then, a few minutes later, oops, another baby "fell out", and she done the same thing to it.

The anger that is going through my mind right now cannot be expressed, but my mind also is not surprised. This is an example of WHAT has this world has come to. We have encouraged a decade of people to never be responsible for their own actions. I say decade, because I have watched over the last 10-15 years the societal excuses that have become mainstream, that takes away any kind of hint that a person should be responsible for their own actions. I know what a lot of people reading this post will think- "this is an example of worldly child rearing" ... but hold on. The end of the article mentions the family's pastor coming to be with them the evening the woman's father found the babies in the laundry basket. He is quoted as saying "... Lindsey and her sister grew up in the church and were regularly involved in youth activities.".

So here we go. Another (assuming) Christian family in the news, giving the world another reason to yell "hypocrites". Hey world- why not stop a minute. This was a grown woman. Yes, she was raised with (assuming) Christian values, but that does not take away her own responsibility for her own actions in her own life. It would seem obvious she is not living in a manner that is traditionally taught in Christian homes. It is obvious, to me at least, that this woman was not right with God. It makes me wonder if she has ever had a relationship with God. We must not assume that just because you are raised in a "Christian family", by parents who are Christian, that it makes you a Christian. It does not. Only your personal decisions regarding your own salvation makes you a Christian. Religion, appearing to be a "good person", none of that makes you a Christian. Only through Christ, confession, repentance, and acceptance of Him as your Savior makes you a Christian.

So what has this world come to?
Religion and Christianity aside, we have come to a state of mind that we can always blame someone, or something else for our actions. Even murder. I seriously doubt justice will be served for these twin babies. Her lawyers are going to claim she was mentally disabled somehow ... if she was sick enough to kill her babies, would there not be other symptoms of her illness well beforehand? She lived with other people, saw them on a daily basis, and held down a professional job. People are going to blame the missing father. Seriously? The guy obviously did not know, since this birth was a 'surprise' to the woman!

People are going to blame the church environment and 'the shame' that comes with unwed mothers. Not buying it. If you are in a church environment, you know you are doing wrong when you do it. The 'shame' is nothing more than regret that you got caught doing wrong. Do not blame the people who are doing right (or have yet to be caught publicly with their own sin). Then again, we cannot expect people on the outside of the church to truly understand what it is like to be on the inside. (This goes even from church building to church building, I believe!)

Christians are likely going to think it was somehow the parents' fault. Really? The woman is 25 years old. Right and wrong has been learned. Sex outside of wedlock is not a hard concept to grasp. It looks like it was taught well, because the woman did not want to get caught with the result of her sin so she killed it. The parents done their job, at 25, it is the adult's responsibility to do right. Some might even say it was the parents' fault because they allowed her to continue living with them as an adult. No, not buying it. You're grasping at straws here. There are plenty of young adults and twenty somethings who live with their parents and are productive, honorable members of society. Some are going to blame satan and his 'attacks' on Christian families. I'm not buying it. That's too easy.

How about this:
We are born sinners.
We deserve to go to hell because the wages of sin is death.
Jesus come to this earth to die on the cross, to pay for that sin.
We have the choice, repent and accept Christ as our Savior, turning away from the grasp sin holds on our lives, OR, we continue to allow sin to rule our hearts and live in the absence of a true relationship with God.

Lindsay Lowe was living without a true relationship with God in her life. This was why she killed her babies.

IF she ever professed to have Jesus as her Savior, either she was not sincere, or she turned away from Him. (On the basis of "by ye fruits are ye known...", I'm going to lean towards any profession not being sincere because I cannot wrap my head around murder being capable of even the most backslidden of Christians.) Her relationship deficit with God can be corrected. That's what I love about my God. No matter the vilest of sinner, He would have died if they were the only person on this earth. Those babies are with Him right now. Should we be concerned with earthly justice? I believe so. What about spiritual justice? I pray that happens, too.

I pray this woman will realize she is lost, be saved, and live the rest of her life- be it in jail or not, living closer to God than she could ever imagine.

(read the article here)

John 7:24
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

It IS that simple

2011-09-14T16:28:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine posted a verse on his Facebook page today:

“Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Leviticus 19:2

someone replied to him:
"Can you be a sinner and holy at the same time? It is said that we all are sinners."

to which I replied:

"When God looks at me, all He sees is the finished work on the cross by His son Jesus Christ. Yes, I am a sinner. Yes, I have a Savior, therefore, I have the ability now, through His power, to be holy; because He is. ♥"

Yes. The gospel IS. that. simple.

Homeschooling, Unschooling, Public Schooling

2011-09-05T11:10:00.002-04:00

This year we made the big jump of bringing out kids our of the private school they have attended their entire school careers minus eight months. They are in the 4th and 7th grade. Toni, the Happy Housewife, posted this morning "Why do you homeschool?". Well that's a good question. Honestly? The truest, honest answer that is most accurate is, we sought the Lord, and He revealed His will for us. It was very easy to yield to, which I found VERY ironic considering three short years ago, I prayed and prayed and prayed for peace about homeschooling and found NONE. (See first link in post.) Then you go into the "sub-reasons" for homeschooling (in no particular order of priority) a) it's much lesser expensive, which will afford our family more opportunities to do things that can honor the Lord b) I'm tired of being "poor" (oh, did I say that out loud?) c) it will work better with my at home work schedule when the 2012 election season gets in high gear ... oh there's more, those are the highlights.

I thought Toni made a good point, that I will add to my own reasons, when she said:

"The bottom line is that the system is broken. As a homeschooler we’ve chosen to flee the system rather than try to fix it and many people think that is the wrong solution... Teach your child to think, to question, to solve problems, to challenge the status quo. Focus less on grades and grade levels and more on learning experiences.
When they ask Why teach them how to find the answer."

We've only been at it for four weeks, but I have already had this revelation. One of my kids become paralyzed when they get to a point where they do not know an answer. I found this really surprising and we've been working on this for the past week. At first glance it just seemed they wanted to have you give them the answer, but the Lord revealed their lack of confidence in their own selves to start figuring out the solution on their own. WOW!

Toni had linked to this article on Seth Godin's blog, which is a very good article with valid points that anyone who is responsible for the education of children should read. That article, made me think about an article I read some time back on Jessica's blog (Bohemian Bowmans), that contained a video. I highly, HIGHLY recommend spending a few minutes in her post, and for you to watch that video. It makes tons of sense, and if it doesn't to you now, it will make you think about the ideas and it will eventually make sense :) Not to mention, in this article, Jessica hit on the very "heart reason" that made it so easy for me to say "yes" to homeschooling, when I was the one who said for years "I do not have that kind of relationship with my kids to be able to be with them all day, much less do school":

"I was becoming painfully aware of how quickly their childhoods were going to be over and what a sucky job I was doing as a parent to pass on to them what I actually thought was important. None of which was found in this place called “school” that I was sending them away to 8 hours a day...It was to create an authentic loving relationship with them that would go beyond parent and child, to discipler and disciplee."

Now, for my 'local' friends of mine, as you know, we are not doing anything near close to 'unschooling'... this year. I'm not even going to say whether what we're doing is actually working. I believe it might be too soon, because there have been too many extremes of emotions going on in this house in the past four weeks to know whether what we're doing is positive or negative at this point. I do know, I love getting up in the morning and not having to be anywhere, and know that we're late when we get there. That's awesome :)

Are we connected? Follow me on Twitter and friend me on Facebook :)

I give up

2011-09-05T10:02:00.000-04:00

Ten months ago I bought a couple of domain names that suited my interests. The idea was, that was going to create my own sites and get on to the business of blogging, because that's what I enjoy. People, perfection will kill you. Costs have been tight this year, especially since the Spring, and the little it would cost to pay for a year's worth of hosting, keeps getting pushed back because I frankly think it's more worth going out on date night with hubby. Soon, though, I feel it in my bones, the hosting is going to be here. Meanwhile, I'm tired of not writing, not exchanging ideas, not having an outlet for myself. So i give up. yes, here's my humble little blogger hosted blog. Reactivated. There's no bells and whistles, just me; because I need to write. You see, we started homeschooling four weeks ago. My eyeballs are about to start bleeding! I need this outlet, so I'm taking it. Forget what the pros say about having your domain name, and not having the latest and greatest plugin. Oh. Well. That will come later. Until then, I hope you will still comment and give feedback. Welcome, to my little blog :)

5 Reasons People "Unfriend" You on Facebook

2011-02-21T12:39:00.000-05:00

This is good for a laugh, but has at least a smidgen of truth in it, too, I believe. What do you think?

Tell Me Thursday: Here's a Tissue

2011-02-10T05:12:00.001-05:00

This was taken at our favorite Hibachi Grill Restaurant. We were standing in front of the aquarium & Hannah says "Hey mom, look- that dragon needs a tissue. His nose is running"
bwahaaaa!

Wordless Wednesday: Here's a tissue

2011-02-09T05:10:00.000-05:00

Should Parents of 'Sexting' Teens Be Punished?

2011-02-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

A new law introduced by State Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin, Texas), would make "sexting" a Class C misdemeanor requiring a court appearance for the teenaged violator, and would allow a judge to 'sentence' his or her parent to participate in an education program on sexting's long-term harmful consequences.

Right now, teens caught sexting in Texas can be charged with possessing or trafficking in child pornography. There are similar laws in Florida, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Utah that I know about. Secularly speaking, I find that interesting considering teens, in my opinion, are still children themselves to be charged with "child" pornography charges. If children looking at children, is considered "illegal porn", then why isn't the act of adults looking at adults "illegal porn", as well? (Hmmm...) This offense carries the potential of decades of prison time, plus the requirement that the teen register for the rest of his or her life as a sex offense pervert. Yet, it is perfectly ok for adults to commit the same crime, and its legal. Why is it that children 17 and under are worth "protecting" from the dangers of porn, but people over 17 do not have the same protection, resulting in porn addictions and sometimes broken marriages? What about the cash strapped women who result to stripping in bars, are they not worth protection from the danger of strangers 'oogling' their bodies, and the emotional scars of humiliation and the potential ruin of their reputation in the future?

Lust is lust, correct? If we're ignoring moral absolutes, and not taking a stance that sex before marriage is wrong, then why is sexting a problem? Kids are taught about sex in middle school, and are offered condoms at school. Parents are fighting for legislation that requires their notification and consent for their underage child (=teen) to have an abortion, which means if a kid can make it to an abortion clinic, our society has said it is ok for them to make a life and death decision to have an abortion without their parents even knowing what is going on.

However, it is NOT ok for them to LOOK at pictures, of something they have seen already, in most cases, in person? Underage children having pictures of other underage children, is really how different than adults having pictures of other adults, if we're not, as a society, saying that sex should be off limits until marriage?

In a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 15 percent of cell-phone-owning teens ages 12 to 17 had received nude or nearly nude photos by phone. Four percent of the teens said they had sent out sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves. In a different survey by Cosmogirl.com, 15% of the teens (defined as 13-19 years old) who have sent or posted nude/seminude images of themselves, say they have done so to someone they only knew online. (THAT is a statistic that needs to cause worry in all parents hearts!) 2009 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 46% of all high school students reported ever having had sex—46%of girls and 46% of boys. In a January 2010 study by the Guttmacher Institute, in 2006, the pregnancy rate was 71.5 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–19, the abortion rate was 19.3 abortions per 1,000 in the same age range. So for every 71 pregnancies, 19 ended in abortion. That's about 27%, correct? Yet, excuse my simplicity here, but these states are more concerned with ... naked pictures? Can we all agree that the emotional complications of teen sex in general, and the scars that come from pregnancies ended in abortion, and the challenges of being teen parents (especially mothers) are far harder to overcome than the potential "dangers" of sexting?

Then you have this introduced legislation that holds parents accountable for what their kids are doing. Society doesn't want parents to be involved if their daughters are pregnant and wanting abortions, something that will scar them emotionally for the rest of their life- but they want parents involved in the receipt of pictures over cell phones? Can we say "misplaced priorities"? Why should parents have to assume responsibility for something that their child, knowing it is wrong, made a conscious choice to do anyway?

Senator Watson says "This bill's legal provisions ensure that minors are punished for their improper behavior, but do not face life altering criminal charges,"; "This bill ensures that prosecutors, and, frankly, parents, will have a new, appropriate tool to address this issue," "It helps Texas laws keep up with technology and our teenagers.". Really? I'm glad to see that he is able to recognize the extremity of the existing laws, but if my child was caught shoplifting at the mall, when I went to the police station to pick him/her up, and asked them if they knew what they were doing was wrong, yet chose to do it anyway- you bet your bottom dollar I would not have an issue with them receiving the punishment required by law. Should I receive a punishment because my child shoplifted knowing it was wrong? I think not. There is no difference between this and sexting. If a child is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, then they are old enough to accept the consequences of their actions.

If a child never experiences the cause and effect of this world, they will never learn. How many habitual felons are there out there whose parents took the blame for them when they were young? I believe if we as a society, say that parents must be punished for a child's actions, then that child should not be allowed to behave as an adult until the parents are no longer accountable for said child's actions. They should not drive, or vote. Then again, I'm still trying to figure out why sexting is illegal, but teenage sex ... isn't.

What are your thoughts? Should sexting even be illegal? Should parents be punished for a child's actions?

GratiTuesday: February 7th

2011-02-08T05:11:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I had a special situation come up that I wasn't prepared for. Dad has been working at my "aunts" house an extra day for the past few weeks. So where normally I take him over there on Tuesdays, I've been taking him on Mondays, as well. Add to this morning's trip to my aunt's, mom had a Doctor appointment, too. (I'm their designatured "runner".) I leave the kids at school, make the 15 mile trip from school to their house, then off to breakfast we go. On the way to my aunt's from breakfast, Jackson's teacher calls. She was concerned because his eyes were really pink, and his sinuses were very swollen. He didn't have a headache, but said his allergies were bothering him. I know if it's bad enough for a call, then it must be bad. However, I couldn't do anything because I'm in the next county, going the opposite direction, taking dad to my aunt's then mom to her appointment!

So I start calling and texting. No one is available to run any Benedryl up to the school. We get to the Doctor appointment, and I get on my notebook and post on Facebook asking for help, explaining what's going on. Within two minutes someone had said they would take it. Within 20 minutes, the medicine had arrived. I was about thirty miles away, and the Lord used Facebook to make it happen. And the friend that stepped up. Homeschooling mom of four. If there was anyone who could have said no, they were too tied up in their own day, it could have been her. But no, she didn't hesitate!

God is so good. He is able to meet us where we are at. He knew that was going to happen yesterday, and had it all under control. Praise Him.

Rachael Ray Picks Local Hot Dog as 'Best in South'

2011-02-04T11:36:00.000-05:00

This is very, very cool. I can't eat regular hot dogs unless I'm ready to weather a migraine because of the msg / nitrates. However, that was not always the case. I grew up right down the road from Pulliams BBQ, where they are known for their famous hot dogs more than the BBQ if you do a poll among us locals. I, personally, love the BBQ just as much as the hot dogs, myself. So to see that Rachael Ray has deemed Pulliam's hot dogs 'Best in South', and among the top four in the NATION, awesome!

Pulliams is getting some great press recently. Just yesterday I found a local blog, Carpe Salem, that posted their Pulliams "experience". As I said, I grew up close by Pulliams. I probably started going up there in third or fourth grade. I remember thinking I was big stuff having my own money to get my own hot dog, and riding my bike up there all by myself to get it. You see, all they cook is the hot dogs and BBQ- you can get a drink, chips, or a pie to go with them, though. The hot dogs were wrapped in napkins, then bagged in a small brown paper bag that fit just right in the basket of my pink banana seat bike. My kids now devour the hot dogs and it wasn't very long ago dad and I were having a conversation about Pulliams celebrating one hundred years of business. I remember being so thankful to be able to pass such a simple, but special experience down to my children.

Now that I can't have hot dogs, I love the BBQ even more. Although, there are times I do get a craving...and when I do, I'll go to Pulliams and make that migraine count!

So, what is your relationship with hot dogs? Love them? Hate them? What's your favorite brand?
Last fall I found Oscar Myer's "MSG/Nitrate/Nitrite Free" line, and was very happy. I don't overdo it, though. It's nice to know when we're attending a hamburger / hot dog event, I can bring my own, affordable hot dogs.

What about you?

Our future in laws

2011-02-04T05:56:00.002-05:00

The Lord always has a rhyme and a reason for everything He says in His Word. We might not understand His ways initially, but if we stay our course, it's amazing at how God reveals Himself in our lives. Our kids are still elementary aged right now, but it is already apparent how important it is for them to consider who that "special person" will be, the one that they spend their lives with. When they were in public school, we had examples upon examples of how important it is to recognize godliness in their friends. Jackson with his fourth grade confidence, was the social leader in his class. Hannah, being in first grade, needed a little more guidance, but done just fine. As they've gotten older, it's led to more interesting conversations. I actually think it might be harder as they are older because it's not necessarily black and white and they have to make more of a conscious choice to fight their flesh. It's during this time, that they need to understand that through the friends they choose, their mate will come.

God is specific about marriage. As the Jews in the Old Testament, we are to be yolked to each other, other Christians. Those who believe the same way we do. Otherwise, there will be conflict, and we do not need to put ourselves in a position where we must compromise a conviction or biblical principle, for the sake of our spouses. The same with friendships. Can they have friends who are not Christian? Of course. How else will their lights shine? Should their closest friends, the ones they go to for wisdom and advice, be non- Christians? NO. Because:

"Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly."
Deuteronomy 7:3-4

Do you pray for your children's friends?
How about their future husband or wife?
(Maybe now is a good time to start?)

Around the Web 2/3/11

2011-02-04T05:44:00.005-05:00

Interesting posts and blogs I've stumbled across this week:

Beki rocking the duct tape. (@TheRustedChain) I was so tickled to see someone so open about their relationship with duct tape as I. A couple of years ago I discovered the new colors and patterns the duct tape people were putting out. I bought some bright, hot pink duct tape for my three year old class at church. The carpet is a darker blue, so it really "pops". We have anywhere from 12-18 kids each week, so getting them all to the bathroom can be a challenge. Part of our "system" is, three big, bright pick duct tape Xs on the floor next to the exit gate. As our "bathroom runner" has three in the bathroom, about the time they're to return to the room, I'll have three more standing on the "pink spots". That way when the other three come back, the next three will be ready to go!

I liked Joanne's (@JoanneKraft) post "Name Dropper or Networker?", advice for new writers especially, but I do believe it can apply to anyone. It made me think of my returning "grief" over us not winning our State Senate race this past November (district was gerrymandered against us, but I had high hopes!) I told Hannah when we won, and her class made their 3rd grade field trip to Raleigh (our state capital) this Spring, she'd get to point to a State Senator in the legislative building and say "I know him!". We didn't win, but we're still going to Raleigh. Only mommy will be the only one who knows people.

Sherra's (@bakingupchaos) little boy Case is turning six! Happy Birthday Case! I remember when we "met" when he was just a little tyke before either of us ever thought about blogging. She would create the prettiest graphic signatures with pictures taken of him. That was six years ago. She now has FOUR boys! My what time does to us :) Be sure to check out her photography blog. If you live near College Station, Texas, she's offering discounts for Spring weddings, go check it out!

Kim's little man Isaiah is having his surgery next Tuesday (2/8/11), please pray for him. She posted the nicest devotional the other day about ancient boundary stone (Proverbs 23:10) but the cutest post had to be about forgiveness, at 1am.

The greatest surprise I found on the web this week? Amanda's back! This is going to be awesome. I've missed her pictures of the girls, especially Emma's antics.

What have you seen on the web that's worth sharing? How about your "Around the Web" post?

The Chick Fil A Controversy

2011-02-03T14:21:00.000-05:00

I've been tweeting for over a month about the rage against Chick Fil A in Pennsylvania and the calls for boycotting the chain because they disagree with the company providing food to "some of the most ferocious anti-gay groups around". At first I thought wow, that's quite a charge, what are these groups doing? Participating in lynchings? Contracting hits on gay people? I mean, what actually defines "ferocious"?
Merriam Webster says:
"1: exhibiting or given to extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality
2: extremely intense "

The group in question was the Pennsylvania Family Institute. In Particular, Chick Fil A is providing lunch for thier marriage seminar "The heart of marriage: getting to the heart of God's design for marriage".
View the promotional trailer:

From their Mission and Values page:

"The Mission of the Pennsylvania Family Institute is to strengthen families by restoring to public life the traditional, foundational principles and values essential for the well-being of society. We are a research and education organization devoted to restoring these values to our state and nation. We produce policy reports, promote responsible citizenship and work to promote unity among pro-family groups."

and their About page:

The Need for Strong Families Has Never Been Greater

In the last three decades, the number of out of wedlock births in Pennsylvania increase an astounding 400%, more than doubling for age 19 and younger.

In 1960, less than 1 out of 5 marriages in Pennsylvania ended in divorce. Today, statistically half of all marriages taking place this year will end in divorce.

In 1992-93, Pennsylvania ranked 4th nationally in total public school spending, yet the state has a high illiteracy rate, with SAT scores and high school graduation rates consistently below the national average.

Young people are becoming more violent. From 1987 to 1992, juvenile aggravated assault increased in Pennsylvania by 59% and juvenile drug offenses rose 96%.

Hard-core pornography has proliferated breaking down barriers of decency and offering its patrons a distorted view of morals and sexuality.

Each day 33,000 people contract a sexually-transmitted disease. That equates to over 12 million cases per year, up from 4 million in 1980.

Sobering as they may be, these numbers are still cold and faceless. At Pennsylvania Family Institute they come alive, representing real people who are experiencing the results of a culture that is turning its back on the family.

So where is the ferociousness?

Oh. The group supports a state constitutional amendment to define marriage as man and woman. To watch the trailer for the event, one would be hard pressed to think the event was focused around gay marriage, as a matter of fact, no where in the event information is the definition of marriage even mentioned, contrary to what change.org is saying:

"The February event co-sponsored by Chick-fil-A is called "The Art of Marriage," and it's intended to be a launching point for Pennsylvania to return to "the biblical definition of marriage." Given the work of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, it's hard not to see where this event is going to go -- straight for the jugular of anyone who supports marriage equality for same-sex couples."

Man, talk about violent rhetoric! "Straight for the jugular"? Are they trying to imply that this group is conspiring in some way to kill gay people? Contrary to what this group believes, when I attend faith based meetings that talk about topics pertaining to my marriage, gay marriage is the least thing on my mind. My marriage, and my life, is on my mind. The comment that I found most dramatic was:

"And if you're spending money on Chick-fil-A sandwiches, you're helping the Pennsylvania Family Institute deliver this message." (message being, supporting traditional marriage through a citizen vote instead of judicial activism)

The above comments then lead up to the call for a boycott of Chick Fil A because of the donation of sandwiches to a marriage seminar. That leaves several thoughts. I'm not a "boycotter" myself. I'm a firm believer that, if you do not like what a business is doing, you have the right to not spend your money at that establishment. I do believe, however, that over-inflated calls for boycotts are too dramatic for my tastes. The call by change.org for people to boycott Chick Fil A, I believe, is as equally dramatic as the calls for boycotts by the American Family Association. You do not need a dramatic diatribe to convince people to do something. Let people make the choice themselves. "Did you know Chick Fil A was donating food to a marriage seminar event promoted by a group that supports a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as man and woman?"

The defense of Chick Fil A has been interesting. The other day, I heard the quote on the radio AND read it online myself, the current President of Chick Fil A, Dan Cathey (son of the founder):

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Cathy says Chick-fil-A operates its business on Biblical principles but "is not a Christian company."

But to watch this video, it seems Mr. Cathy might be spinning a little:

Dan Cathy Statement from Chick-fil-A on Vimeo.

To insist that Chick Fil A is anything BUT a Christian company, strikes a nerve with a great many conservatives. While not questioning the company's founding principles, I question, however, just how committed Dan Cathy is to his father's vision. The evidence is clear, for me, to feel comfortable in doing so. There is no doubt that the company values Christianity, you can hear that through the music played in the dining rooms of the restaurants; but WHY did he say the company was NOT Christian? Is he comfortable enough in his statement that providing food is not the same as endorsing a group, that the chain would donate food to anti-marriage (poke poke, that is MY buzz word) groups that are vehemently FOR marriages having to be validated by the state to begin with? In other words, those groups who are pushing sooo hard for homosexual marriages to be legislated the same as heterosexual marriages?

These are my questions:
If providing food is not the same as an endorsement- will Chick Fil A, as an olive branch to those who are so angry with them now (to shut them up?)- donate food to groups that do not live to glorify Jehovah God in all that they do?

Is it possible, to live one's life morally, in line with biblical principles, and NOT be Christian?

What are your thoughts?

I look forward to reading your responses below. For now, I'm headed up the road to Chick Fil A for lunch- because I appreciate the people who work there and wish to see their jobs secured through my money.

Tell Me Thursday: Groundhog Day 2011

2011-02-03T10:59:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this week's edition of "Tell Me Thursday" (about) "Wordless Wednesday". When I got my new camera last year (Sony Cybershot) I went crazy at the soccer games taking pictures. I love getting the "action shots". I was flipping through an album from last year's Spring season, deleting a ton of them because we'll never see those kids again. (At the same time I'm making space on my hard drive, of course!) I ran across this picture and thought what an interesting moment to capture.

The girl on the left is standing literally at an angle, and the boy on the right's foot is literally at waist level. Then you have your girl in the middle, standing there just looking at the ball!

Things that make you go "hmmm".

I recently noticed that the operators of the Tell me Thursday website have not ran their linky in a month, and have not updated their Twitter account longer than that. I still plan on doing Tell Me Thursday because it works for me. It's not really a "Wordless Wednesday" if there are words present, correct? :)

Share your Wordless Wednesday and Tell me Thursday links today so I can see what you shared this week!

Wordless Wednesday: Groundhog Day 2011

2011-02-02T14:26:00.000-05:00

“Mommy, what’s an abortion?”

2011-02-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

Talking to Girls about Abortion

I had a conversation recently I was definitely not ready, or prepared to have. One evening my nine year old daughter, Hannah, and I were sitting in my bed about to watch a movie. I was just finishing up writing something on the laptop and had Twitter open. I saw a tweet from a pro life activist and without thinking clicked the link in the tweet, thinking it was going to an article. Oops. If I had looked closer, I would have seen it was a picture link. The tweet said something along the lines of “know the truth about abortion”. I thought that was a curious way of putting things, don’t you? Well, the truth was there, right under my nose! I quickly clicked away having Hannah right there beside me, but she saw it. It was a picture of a baby aborted … late term. It was one of an entire album of pictures of aborted babies of varying points during a pregnancy. She insisted I click back to the picture- “Mama, what was THAT?”.

The conversation went something along the lines:
“It’s a picture of a baby that has been aborted.”
“Mommy, what’s an abortion? Is that baby dead?”
“Yes, that baby is dead. A doctor took it out of its mommy’s belly before it was ready to be born, and it was not able to live.”
“Why did the doctor take it out?”
“Because (long pause) the mommy didn’t want to have a baby.”
“Did the mommy know the baby would die?”
“Yes.”
(long pause)

“Why did the mommy want the baby to die?”
“Some women get pregnant but do not want to have a baby, so they get abortions”
“Why do they get pregnant if they don’t want to have a baby?”
(My mind is racing at this point, sitting in utter disbelief we’re having this conversation at all)

“They don’t mean to get pregnant on purpose, but sometimes they just do. Maw maw and paw paw did not get pregnant with mommy on purpose, I was a surprise to them.”
“…and they did not get an abortion so you were born.”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t aborting a baby, killing it?”
“What do you think?”
“Yes”
“Do you think aborting babies makes God happy?”
“NO.”

She saw the preview for the “next” and “last” pictures and said “click mama, click!”. So we clicked through the entire album. Bloody pictures, an arm, a leg, tiny feet ... little tiny bodies. She sat there staring at one picture for a minute and her voice cracked a little, and she said “turn it mommy. That’s making me so sad. I’m never going to have an abortion. I’m going to have my baby!” I give her a hug and say “I know that makes God happy. Just remember you have to be married before you start thinking about babies”

She answers me with “Isn’t that the only way you can have a baby?”

“Why yes, sweetie, it is. Let’s go get a snack.” “Okay!”

Hey, she’s nine. I’m keeping it simple!

Dear Rachael Ray

2011-01-31T14:54:00.001-05:00

(Update below)

Dear Rachael Ray,

I have been observing the exchange between you and Randall Christensen, the costume designer for the show "Dancing with the Stars". I thought your addressing his letter last week and apologizing for any offense was very gracious of you. The fact is, not one time did you ever say the outfits the contestants on the show wore were ugly. You stated a personal opinion of how "little" the outfits were. You should NEVER apologize for having an opinion! You are entitled to have an opinion, Rachael!

I have watched you since my now nine year old daughter was a toddler. She has grown up watching you cook. Countless hours we have cuddled up on our couch watching 30 Minute Meals on the Food Network, and I can't begin to explain how beneficial it has been in my quest to get my child to eat a variety of foods. In the past year, my daughter has become quite observant, and she has only mentioned ONE thing she wished you done differently. She wished you did not show as much skin "up top". Much to our delight to see you stick to your principles last week and for her to see that you, one of her role models, are indeed a modest person (even if some of your shirts are sometimes too low cut for her tastes). She still admires you for who you are, and respects that your clothing choices are sometimes different than what she wishes you would choose.

I was hoping to see you continue to stand up for your principles (because you are right) when Mr. Christensen wrote you back. This evening when my daughter sees you agreeing to try on one of his custom, designed-for-you dresses, I am going to explain this scenario as one of conflict resolution. I HOPE, come Thursday, when you try on Mr. Christenson's dress, you will stick to the truth. If it shows too much skin, you will say so, and stand by your conviction that while the dresses he designs for the contestants are fine for the contestants, it is not your personal preference to show that much of your body.

As a fan, but more importantly, the mother of a fan, I hope you will be willing to convey the fact that it is more important to stick to your value of personal modesty, than it is to have someone who cannot respect your own opinion, "like" you; because in our society, it's hard enough to teach our daughters that people who cannot accept you for who you are, insisting you change yourself in order to be "accepted" -- are bullies, without having what decent role models we have left for our children, succumb to bullying.

Wendy, mom to Hannah

Update:
Well, she done it! She put on her custom dress made by the Dancing With The Stars costume designer. I believe she was sincere, clearly uncomfortable, but very respectful. Jackson sat and watched it (Hannah didn't want to), and even he mentioned how uncomfortable she looked. The dress, I didn't believe, was much different in length than the outfits she wears with leggings, and it was a simple, spaghetti strap top. In other words, he made it more conservative than what you typically see on the show, but flashy and less enough material Rachel was out of her comfort zone. Why take my word for it, go see the video here. I still don't agree with the premise of the whole ordeal, but, it is over, and she stayed true to herself. That's why I love Rachael Ray.

This is why kids act up

2011-01-31T14:39:00.001-05:00

Have you seen the news today? If not, this was a highlight from this morning's news:

This is the summary of what happened-
"The brawl broke out during a game between the Butler Bulldogs and the East Mecklenburg Eagles when a Butler player's father started arguing with a school resource officer on January 28, 2011."

Maybe, just maybe, if the adults in our society actually ACTED with the maturity that adults are expected to behave, our children would not run around with such utter disrespect- not only for each other but for adults and other authority figures in their lives. It's behavior like this, I believe, is why children run around acting like the world owes them something and they end up never truly contributing anything positive to their environment. So sad.
Even worse? This happened in my state. How embarrassing!

Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?

Why multiple twitter accounts?

2011-01-31T11:42:00.000-05:00

I first started on Twitter in 2009. My primary interest was following and tweeting about politics. When I started designing my own Twitter backgrounds, I created a second account to test out my backgrounds. I figured I could tweet about all things FLYlady on that account. Then I started following the "Mommy Bloggers" on the second account. I then realized it would likely be easier for people who did not see the same politically as me, to reciprocate follows on the second account. Social Media is about building relationships, correct? So I had my "political" relationships on the first account, and "non political" relationships on the second account. Then in December I decided to get back into blogging for myself, so, here we have the third account. The third account, essentially, was meant to replace the second, and be a better representation for my "personal brand".

Then I started going to the gym, and realized it would be easy to keep up with what I done at the gym, by tweeting my workouts as I completed sets, treadmill sessions, etc through the second account. The plan is, I tweet the details, then come home and copy the tweets into my workout logs. In the end, the second Twitter account found a purpose, anyway! Not to mention, if I would start getting more organized with FLYlady, I could start tweeting about that again, too.

Are you on Twitter (what's your handle)? How many Twitter accounts do you have? Do you use different accounts for different things?

Isn't it Amazing

2011-01-23T07:59:00.001-05:00

One can never ponder enough upon Christs birth, can they? What a beautiful song!!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

2011-01-20T16:25:00.000-05:00

Why did the chicken cross the road?

SARAH PALIN : The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!

BARACK OBAMA : The chicken crossed the road because it was time forchange ! The chicken wanted change !

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON : When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH : We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY : Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL : Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON : I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY : Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON : Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL : The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE : That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty ! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN : To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART : No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS : Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY : To die in the rain, alone.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS : Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE : It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES : I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN : Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one?

If I fall down, I'm going to sue!

2011-01-20T14:10:00.003-05:00

I saw this story on Fox this morning, and thought "Hey, that's a serious "America's Funniest Home Videos" clip! Check it out:

Then I hear the rest of the story, this woman has retained a lawyer and is suing because she's humiliated because the video was put on You Tube by the mall security and "she" was being laughed at. Seriously? Her name was never mentioned in the video! They had NO IDEA who she was. All the people who viewed this video knew was some person, who is not identifiable by any stretch of the imagination- was apparently too concerned with texting on their phone to watch where they were going and flipped straight into the mall's water fountain.

(source)

Sorry lady- that's FUNNY! Only now that she is going public to try and milk the situation with a lawsuit, is she identifying herself as the one who was not paying attention and natural consequences took over. What makes it worse is, now that she has revealed her identity, we find out she's a mall employee! Of ALL people who are forewarned of your surroundings, she would be!

Yes, texting and walking IS dangerous, when you are actually on the street and could potentially walk in front of a bus. But Ms. Marrero, you weren't. You were in the mall. You tripped straight into a fountain. End of story! To actually bring a lawsuit forward because ... you were not responsible enough to ... watch where you were walking? Really? That's almost as asinine as a girl's parents suing the city because their daughter fell into a man hole because she was not watching where she was walking while she was texting. (Who was I supposed to sue when I tripped on grass and smashed my face in?)

What has happened to our society that as soon as YOU do something YOU are responsible for, the first thing that happens is to DENY responsibility? For WALKING? Common sense must prevail in our society. Instead of making texting and walking illegal, not taking responsibility for your own actions should be made illegal. So when a frivolous lawsuit is brought forth, and it is dismissed for no grounds, the person bringing forth the lawsuit must pay a STEEP fine and the fine be donated to charity.

Are you with me?

GratiTuesday: 1-1-11

2011-01-11T20:29:00.000-05:00

This week's GratiTuesday post will be short, sweet, and simple. All day I have been grateful for heat .... and a roof over my head. Simple things, but something a lot of people in this world do not have. Yesterday started bright and early at 4:30am, and the school calling just before six cancelling. So I didn't get to sleep in like I was sharing with one of my Twitter friends, but I was up long before the kids were and was able to get a lot of things done. I was thankful for the silence. I'll confess I wasn't thankful for not being able to get to the gym, but I worked through it! ALL DAY, yesterday and today, I've been inside in my warm, cozy house, with my coffee maker pumping out the liquid gold. I also got to sleep in this morning, because school called last night to inform us instead of making us wait until this morning. Yes, I'm thankful for sleeping in, and I get to do it again tomorrow, too!

Giffords, Palin, and Tolerance

2011-01-10T21:17:00.000-05:00

I've been observing the Arizona shooting incident and the subsequent news coverage and blog posts since the shooting happened. As soon as I turned on my TV Saturday night and saw the ongoing coverage, my first thought was "Oh no, they're going to blame the TEA Party.". Instantly, I felt bad. Politics was not the story. The story was, someone, who at the time they did not know who he was, shot 13 people, and at the time five was dead, including a nine year old girl. My kids often attend political events with me. That could have been me. My daughter just turned nine. That could have been her. I should have never, in a perfect world, had to have the thought cross my mind of what kind of political mudslinging was about to occur because a Democrat Congresswoman was shot in the head. THAT is the environment in which our Main Stream "Media" has created in our society. Then I stopped, listened, and learned more about her political history.

Gabrielle Gifford's Political History
She used to be a Republican. She then changed to the Democrat party. She is known as a "Blue Dog" Democrat. ("Blue Dog" means "Conservative".) If there was a Democrat that the TEA Party would "like", it would be a Conservative Democrat in theory. It might be news to some, but Sarah Palin does not dictate what happens within the TEA Party. Go even further, there are a number who identify with the TEA Party values who do not even care for Palin, and believe the TEA Party Express, who Palin toured with, oversteps their boundaries within the movement. There are some TEA Party Patriots who when asked, will share they agree with Palin in ideology but are not a follower of Palin and hope she does not run for President in 2012.

The TEA Party
TEA Party people are very opinionated, and independent thinkers. They do not need a "leader" in the movement, they just want the right person to stand up for the values in which the TEA Party stands on. They're very simple:
- Limited Government
- Lower Taxes
- Eliminate Wasteful Spending
- Free Markets
- Individual Responsibility

Common issues outside the TEA Party platform conservatives agree on can be but are not limited to:
- 2nd Amendment Rights
- Pro Life
- Choice in Education
- Religious Freedom

The Shooter: Jared Lee Loughner, 22 Years Old
- Obvious history of mental instability, became a social outcast in the 10th grade and starting hanging around with the "drug-oriented people".
- The year he would have graduated from high school, and charged with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
- Among his favorite books is Communist Manifesto
- Registered Independent, voted in '06 & '08 but not in '10
- Anti-Government
- High school friend Mr. Marriotti says "He wasn't especially political, though he expressed frustration with the Bush Administration."
- Had been following and unhappy with Congresswomen Giffords since 2007.
-At the end of November, he finished a series of youtube videos raging against the government and the Constitution and discussed "terrorism."

Charts
Ever since the shooting, people have been pointing to Sarah Palin because last year she posted a chart with cross-hairs representing the Congressional districts that were to be targeted in the 2010 election based on the health care vote that occurred in March. After the Democrats pushed the health care legislation through (without some underhanded tricks along the way), Palin tweeted to conservatives "Don't Retreat, Reload." Normal people, which encompass 99% of the people who follow her, took it for what it was: encouragement not to give up on the political process.

The chart she posted was not unlike a chart posted in 2004 by the Democrat Leadership Committee, where the targeted districts were referred to as "enemy lines". Enemies. Where have we heard that recently? Oh, Obama!

"And if Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, we're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us, if they don't see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it's gonna be harder - and that's why I think it's so important that people focus on voting on November 2," he said. (October 2010)

Have Republicans been blaming all violence committed towards Conservatives, by Latinos, since October because those "Mean, Old, White Republicans" are their enemy? Hardly not. Yes, words do matter. I personally wish my President did not refer to me as his enemy, but that's between him and God. Logic prevails, no one is blaming President Obama for Conservative deaths coincidentally caused by Hispanics because he said Conservatives were their enemies.

Lets not forget our own President has also said:

"If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun,"

"They are fired up. They are mobilized. They see an opportunity to take back the House, maybe take back the Senate," he said. "If they're successful in doing that, they've already said they're going to go back to the same policies that were in place during the Bush administration. That means that we are going to have just hand-to-hand combat up here on Capitol Hill."

Anti Government / Revolution / Violence...
One line of conversation that was being had before the election was that Obama was not moving forward fast enough with his agenda, and the "Professional Left" (translate: the liberal base) was upset with him because of it. Buzz was that liberal "enough" legislation was not being passed fast enough. Then MSNBC highlights an author who wrote a book that promotes violence because of a "failed" government:

What about someone who used to be a "homegrown terrorist" now working in the Obama Administration, that to this day has not denounced the violence led by the group he was involved in? To not denounce it, would be to endorse it, and our Presidential Administration employs this person?

Guns do not kill people, PEOPLE kill people.
The debate is already up concerning "gun control". It is a proven fact that when people are permitted to protect themselves, the crime rate is down. Enlgand had a ban on guns in 1997, but in 2007 statistics were released that showed an increase of 340% between 1998 and 2005. In a study titled "Guns, Violent Crime, and Suicide in 21 Countries" by the Canadian Journal of Criminology found that countries with more widespread gun ownership had fewer murders while countries with less gun ownership had more murders. How about Washington D.C.? It was reported just last year that after the handgun ban was struck down by the courts, murder rates decreased by 25%. The same article refers to Chicago's gun ban, and how unsuccessful it is at protecting people.

Political rhetoric did not kill those people on Saturday, mental illness and instability did. Sarah Palin did not trigger this man no more than politics triggered Michael Hayes.

It is a sad day in America when the death of someone has to be politicized.
Lets STOP THE EXPLOITATION of these precious souls that were lost on Saturday; and
Lets STOP THE HATE towards political figures, period. I challenge any person reading this to explore their thoughts and think about the hate and contempt that is in their hearts towards those who do not share the same ideology.
TOLERANCE goes both ways.

My (new) friend Sarah said it best:

You might not be tolerant if you…

Hate those who view the world differently than you. It’s OK to disagree vehemently, but not to hate.
Object to something being said, just because of the color of the skin of the person saying it.
Think that a particular interest group should have special access to “justice.” (or other people’s money)
View someone who disagrees with you as beneath your intellect, stupid, dumb. (wrong, maybe, but not stupid)
Think society would be better off if someone in particular were not allowed to speak. Less speech is not better for society. Allow open debate and let the ideas be hashed out. The ones that don’t work will be defeated.
Preach tolerance while demonizing those who disagree, even to the point of wishing sickness or violence on them.

Glenn Reynolds hit the nail on the head when he said:
"To be clear, if you're using this event to criticize the "rhetoric" of Mrs. Palin or others with whom you disagree, then you're either: (a) asserting a connection between the "rhetoric" and the shooting, which based on evidence to date would be what we call a vicious lie; or (b) you're not, in which case you're just seizing on a tragedy to try to score unrelated political points, which is contemptible. Which is it?"

"I know this is disappointing to politicians and the media, but sometimes the story just isn’t about you. It’s about the people who were shot, and the person who shot them." - "Stu"

The image of cross-hairs, and guns existed long before Sarah Palin come on the scene, and they'll be around along with the existence of target maps for elections long after she's not on the scene; and people will still be murdered because that is the unfortunate consequence of the society we live in that will never be changed.

If there ever was a time for bipartisanship, it should be now. We can all agree the attention needs to be paid to the ones who lost loved ones, little Christina's parents, and the injured survivors of this unfortunate event. Let God hash out the rest!

=========================================================
references:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/house/jared-lee-loughner-was-a-regis.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703667904576071191163461466.html
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/journalists-urged-caution-after-ft-hood-now-race-blame-palin-afte
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_91db5db4-1b74-11e0-ba23-001cc4c002e0.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703667904576071913818696964.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

Favorite movies from 2010

2011-01-01T02:05:00.000-05:00

We saw four "new" movies this year that we really enjoyed and would watch again. In order of level of enjoyment, they go as follows:

Despicable Me
This has to be one of THE funniest movies I have seen ... since Nemo. Kid. You. Not. We laughed SO hard watching this the first, second, and third time :) I'm not a big DVD person because we DVR a lot, but we got the kids the Blue Ray version of this movie for Christmas and it was worth every penny.

Ramona and Beezus
THE cutest of all girl movies. Light hearted, sweet, loving, pink cotton candy and blue butterflies. This movie was ALL girlie, which is why Jackson was glad this movie was seen on a "mom & Hannah" day :) Unfortunately for him, this will be a DVD purchase, as well. He will see it one day! Selena Gomez plays the role of big sister struggling with her confidence perfectly. If this was a hint into her movie acting abilities, I hope she stays with roles very similar to this, appropriate for 8 year old girls.

Not only will we get the DVD of this, but I found a Beverly Cleary box set of "Ramona" books while Christmas shopping that Hannah is going to LOVE. She'll have them finished in no time! (I'm very excited about finding a new set of books for her to read.)

Toy Story 3
I was very surprised when we saw this movie. I expected it to be dud-like, like Shrek 3 was. It wasn't. I cried. There. I said it! This one was equally as good as the first and second movies. Would we buy a DVD? I'm not sure. This one probably will stay in the "DVR column", only because the kids are older. If we have Braden (our part time four year old great nephew) more and settle into a regular routine with him, I'll consider maybe getting a boxed set when they come out with those.

Marmaduke
This movie was very cute. We LOVED how realistic that HUGE Great Dane was. Cute storyline. Family friendly, hands down. We'll be watching it again when it is on TV.

What movies did you enjoy in 2010? Any recommendations?

Two Charities to Support in 2011

2010-12-29T14:58:00.004-05:00

I have been keeping my eyes open in recent months for charities our family could support, that the kids could get excited about. We don't have much extra cash to begin with, so I was looking for something that could make do with what we had. We already shop at and donate to Goodwill (@goodwillintl), that's a "no brainer" but with the kids being older I've wanted to find things that really touches their hearts.

I haven't watched a whole lot of TV since March outside of news because of "work", so I decided to find an TV show I was interested in that was absolutely non political since the election. Hannah and I enjoy watching Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals, so I decided to set the good ol DVR for the Rachael Ray Show (@RachaelRayShow) that airs daily. (I must say, I am not a "talk show" type personality at all, but I LOVE this show because it involves two of my favorite things: Rachael Ray and Food :) )

As I was catching up on episodes today, there was a mention of RR's non profit organization "Yum-O" teaming up with Gerber. For every "like" Gerber receives on their Facebook page through January 15, 2011, they will donate $1 to Yum-O, up to $500,000!
About Yum-O:

Launched in 2006 by Rachael Ray, Yum-o!® is a nonprofit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships.

Through our three core work areas of Cook, Feed and Fund, Yum-o! educates kids and their families about food and cooking by offering an interactive website that enables young cooks to get started in the kitchen and try out family-friendly recipes; teams up with partner organizations to feed hungry children; and funds innovative cooking programs in schools and educational opportunities for kids who are interested in pursuing careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. (read more)

I believe this is definitely an organization to watch, and I plan on getting the kids (Hannah, especially) more involved with the website, picking out recipes for them to cook and such. I am especially drawn to this organization's cause because they focus on hunger in the United States specifically. We are the richest country in the world, we need to care for our own people! (Be sure you go to Gerber's page on Facebook and "like" them, right away! This promotion ends January 15, 2011)

The second charity I've recently come across is "Soles 4 Souls" (view an interview with the founder, @Soles4Souls). Basically, this charity collects shoes and distributes them not only through the United States, but around the world. The interview linked above mentions how shoes given to people in Haiti this year, are actually being used for commerce there. I like that. You never know if the shoes you send to Goodwill are going to be good enough for resale, but with this charity, even if they cannot use your shoes, they are promised to be recycled so you at least have the comfort of knowing what will happen in the event they are not used. Recycled = not sitting in a landfill. Hey, I'm a conservative, I strongly believe in conservation! :)

If you live in the Winston Salem, North Carolina area, you can drop off your shoes to the following places:

4 Runners Only
111 H Reynolda Village
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
336-722-2489

SAS Comfort Shoes
153 Jonestown Road
Winston Salem, NC 27104
336-768-4069

If you do not live in Winston Salem, find out where a donation site is near you. I'm actually excited about this and believe maybe in the Spring I'll organize a shoe drive.

So what charities are you involved with? I would love to hear how others are teaching children about charities and how they're involving them in their lives!

Speaking of shoes: If you live in the Winston Salem area and have soccer shoes, shin guards and socks that your child has outgrown and is sitting around, consider giving them to the Winston Salem Optimist Club. They will give them to the children who are in the league and covered by the "in house scholarship" who cannot afford the fees to play otherwise. Leave them at Soccer Unlimited on Trenwest Drive (Stratford Road area).

Life goal: weight gain?

2010-12-29T10:23:00.003-05:00

I believe one would be hard pressed to find something that has offended me more than this woman, and the people who support her. Her goal is to weigh 1000 pounds, and eats a 16,000 calorie a day diet. She broke the Guinness World Record in 2007 for the "world's fattest mother", giving birth at 532 pounds. She has a website where people are paying to watch her eat and walk / move about her house, and send her emails of encouragement, AND more food!!

New Jersey Woman Wants to Be World's Fattest Woman: MyFoxNY.com

Her birth required THIRTY PEOPLE to accomplish her high risk cesarean birth, yet she says she doesn't believe in the health risks associated with obesity? Do the doctors in this woman's life not see that she is not mentally healthy? How was social services not involved at the time of birth three years and 118 pounds ago? How could a MOTHER set such an example to her children? How can a FAMILY support a loved one in such a self destructive habit? How can PEOPLE actually support her behavior through paying to watch her eat, and sending her food? I'm all for capitalism, but what is wrong with these people? When she dies, and she will- from reasons directly attributed to her weight, these very people will have a moral responsibility for her death.

She seems fine, now. She won't be within the next hundred pounds. By the 700 mark, her weight is going to hinder their lives in ways that are now, SO predictable it is not funny. That's what I find so offensive. She seems to be walking around the house fine now, wait until she starts having increasing pain in her back, and in her joints, until her bones will not be able to hold her up.

Wait until:
*it takes her thirty minutes to be able to make it to the bathroom.
*she sweats so badly her children start hesitating to show physical affection- or people have a hard time being in the room with her because of body odor.

*her home becomes a deep freezer to accommodate her always feeling hot.

*rashes and skin infections pop up in all those fat rolls. (Does her husband think it will be so "sexy", then?)
*round the clock fatigue kicks in.

This is just a handful of physical things associated with morbid obesity, and yes, this woman is MORBIDLY obese. Has she made arrangements for her death, yet? She might want to consider that. Can her family afford her death? What about her life? Can we say "Medical coverage"? (Should she be covered?) What kind of insurance does she have? Is it fair that taxpayers might be paying for this self destructive lifestyle this woman is living in the public eye, profiting, no less, from it?

"Well who are you to judge, Wendy?".
I have watched the decline of a morbidly obese loved one's life, and was there with them at the time of death. They weren't trying to gain weight, they just lacked the tools and support they needed to become healthy. So to see someone have such disrespect for their own selves, and their own family, and their own family returning the favor, it disgusts me. It does take a mental disorder for someone to say "Christmas should give you carte blanche to do whatever you want.' (in regards to eating a 30,000 calorie "Christmas" dinner), if you ask me.

Have you ever been affected by extreme obesity? Either yourself or through a loved one?
________________________________________

See: How Obesity Harms A Child's Body

* http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1341683/Donna-Simpsons-feast-The-30-000-calorie-Christmas-feast-eaten-worlds-fattest-mum-ONE-hour-sitting.html

Christmas play: Hannah's singing debut

2010-12-17T13:11:00.001-05:00

Hannah was SO excited to be chosen as one to sing a special in the Christmas play. As mentioned in Jackson's post, the family was snowed in at a motel, and their Christmas presents had been stolen. The conversation at this point in the play was the four children thinking about everything they were missing not being at grandma's for Christmas.

Hannah is on the left side. At a couple of points in the song she looked at us and was trying VERY hard not to smile because they were supposed to be grumpy and have an attitude. (Actually, the cutie on the right told her mom she was "saving" her attitude for the play, it worked!) All three of them done SO GOOD!

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Christmas play: Jackson's acting debut

2010-12-17T12:56:00.001-05:00

The storyline for our Christmas play was a family who were travelling to grandma's, got snowed in at the motel they stopped at for the night. Jackson was one of the theives that broke in their van to steal the family's presents, setting the stage for the whole show :) Jackson was the one who dropped a present on the way out, fulfilling the "bumbling robber" role.

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Christmas play: twos and threes

2010-12-17T12:49:00.001-05:00

This is the three year old class I teach every Sunday. They are so sweet, and we've worked so hard on our songs in the past few months! Especially my "partner in crime" who worked with them each week. The twos are on the right side of the stage, threes are the left.

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12 days of Christmas

2010-12-14T07:16:00.001-05:00

We started a new tradition yesterday, the 12 days of Christmas. Each day the kids will receive one small gift. Granted, they won't open as *many* presents on Christmas day, but then again we wouldn't break down the same things on Christmas day that we would for the 12 days presents. (you'll see!)

Hannah was ecstatic about her present yesterday, we love the song "Christmas must be something more".

What kind of traditions do you do with your children?

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Rotisserie style crock pot chicken

2010-12-10T09:38:00.005-05:00

I love Stephanie O'Dea, and she doesn't even know it :) She is the author of the blog "A Year of Slow Cooking", the books Make it Fast, Cook it Slow (and Part Two, GREAT gift ideas for yours truly!) and come up with this recipe for Rotisserie Chicken done in the crock pot. I went with her theory of removing the skin off the chicken for not wanting the meat to be swimming in it's own fat for hours on end. It might have worked better if I did not use a cut up chicken instead of a whole chicken. The outer meat of the pieces laying on top was dry (to be cooked in the crock pot). However, if you dipped it in the juices in the crock, it was perfectly fine. The inner meat was perfectly tender, as to be expected from bone in-chicken cooked in the crock pot.

Finale: I'll be using this seasoning blend again. While I love my crock pot chicken, I still love oven roasted chicken and believe this seasoning will work swimmingly either way. I actually have a rotisserie roaster, too that would be great, obviously :) I didn't use all of the seasoning when I done the above linked recipe, so I believe it's safe to say the below combo is good for two to three uses, depending on your personal preference in how much you apply to your meats.

2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper

You know this would probably do well on turkey breast, too!

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Announcement:
I'm going to be moving, soon. My online home, that is! When the transition is made, you'll see the new link at the top of the right sidebar. Stay tuned!

"Smooth move, mom!"

2010-12-07T08:11:00.001-05:00

So we're on the way to school, on the highway, and the car in front of us was washing their windshield. They were sending a light spray of water onto our windshield in the process. This highlights how dirty our windshield is, so I decide to was ours.

So do you know right offhand what happens when it is freezing outside, you're going 65MPH down the interstate, and you spritz water onto your windshield?

Yeh, I didn't consider that, either. But ain't it pretty?

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Hannah in Bell Choir

2010-11-22T08:59:00.001-05:00

Hannah and Jackson both learned how to play the bells when they were four. Hannah still enjoys playing them in the bell choir at church.<3

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first cheer of the season

2010-11-22T08:43:00.001-05:00

This clip is if the pee wee squad and Hannah's squad- they cheered together Friday for the first games of the season.

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Jasper's adjustment

2010-11-19T12:34:00.001-05:00

Well, it looks like he has adjusted quite well, don't you think? This might not go over well with the cats, though. That's their "sunny spot". Speaking of, the cats are doing well with our new arrangement. Actually, they've become a little more attentive to us ;) Timothy is still more guarded than Titus, but he doesn't freak out when Jasper comes in the room anymore.

He should be getting his stitches out SOON, which means the satellite dish on his head will be gone, too. yay!

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My favorites part of fall

2010-11-12T16:40:00.001-05:00

I am apparently a very visual type if person. You wouldn't be able to tell by my home decor, but all of my individual projects are based around a lot of colors and patterns. I have TONS of digital scrapkits that are full of vivid colors and textures. Knowing all this leaves it no surprise that my favorite part of fall is the leaves changing, and the colors they change into. Isn't this beautiful?!

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meet Jasper

2010-11-10T10:11:00.001-05:00

He came to us a week ago. He's part Border Collie and part Australian Shepherd. 9 years old. Hannah says he looks like an oreo cookie. I say he looks mighty rotten and comfortable with Jay!

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Be a responsible citizen

2010-10-19T13:02:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of people who have voted, and probably are voting this year, based on what certain groups say- even with the most honest of intentions. They believe that it is a good thing to follow along with what "GROUP X" says. The problem is, they are not actually able to "own" their vote, if they vote for people because a group says that's their particular picks. Citizens should be able to say "I chose this person because of X, Y, & Z", and that be good enough. I do not need a list of endorsements to justify my choices in this election. You do not, either.

Just because a candidate has a "tag" that seems to fit one's values, or is endorsed by a group with shared values, doesn't mean a person should not check the candidate out personally before voting for them. Vet your own candidates, and have the conversation with others about who you are voting for and why. Have questions for the candidates? They welcome questions. There are a lot more citizens than there are candidates, go to your candidates- don't sit back and expect them to come to you. This is why historically people say "Only rich people can run for office."- because people wait for the candidates to come to them! Talk to others about this election, lift up conservative candidates, and encourage others to get to the polls early.

People shouldn't vote for a candidate because they are supposed to be the "tea party pick" or because the GOP have showed preference for candidates over others ... or even think that a GOP candidate fits their values best verses a libertarian- each candidate must be vetted by each voter. It is not any group's responsibility to tell citizens WHO to vote for. It is the citizen's responsibility to seek out the people who are running to serve them in pubic office. It is the citizen's responsibility to be aware of what is happening in politics on every level, all year long, and not just at election time. This is why our country is in the trouble it is in, to begin with, as far as I am concerned. (I accept dropping the ball as a citizen before 2008, too.)

As for for endorsements: If people are checking out candidates like they should be, group / organization endorsements are not a necessity in elections. Lets not wait for the emotion of Obama in '08, or the excitement of the Tea Party Express rolling through town with Sarah Palin. It should take neither for conservatives in North Carolina to get excited about the fact that for the first time in 100 years we could have a CONSERVATIVE General Assembly, or that NC 7 will see the first Republican hold that seat in 140 years, that we have a chance to have fairly drawn State Senate and House Districts, not to mention, the gerrymandering of NC 12 will be no more!

Now go find your candidates, grab a friend, and GO VOTE! Every single vote counts!

kids sports: interest vs effort

2010-10-16T10:27:00.001-04:00

Jackson has always been interested in soccer. He's realized in the past year that he's very good at it for his age. Hannah started playing because Jackson played. She has never said she did not want to play. However, in recent weeks I wonder WHY she's playing. She refuses to practice with Jackson, although he would love it. She asks to sit out when there's a chance at her games, and during practice she goofs off & "chases butterflies" more than anything. But she's always ready to go to practice, and excited on game days & gives me no grief in getting out if bed at 6am on Saturdays. I just don't get it. She wants to do it, she just doesn't ACTUALLY DO it when its time to play! It doesn't even concern her that her team, as of today, has only won one game in six weeks.

Jackson on the other hand, cherishes his soccer experience. He has put 120% in every practice & every game he has played. There's no doubt both if them want to be here, its just how they act once they arrive at the field. Maybe this is an off season for Hannah. Maybe Spring season will prove better for her.

Basketball is coming up. I've encouraged both to play because it's different & that will help their coordination to play soccer better. Keep them on their toes. Neither are expressing any kind of excitement, and are leaning towards the "I don't wanna" attitude. Maybe they'll both be awesome :o)

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Congrats Dolphins!

2010-10-09T10:44:00.001-04:00

Hannah's team finally won a game. "We finally won & it was two to one!" Until today her team had not won, and Jackson's team has won all. I asked Jackson if his team was going to lose and he looked at me like I had a third eye.

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Funny for the day

2010-09-21T07:01:00.001-04:00

Hannah's reading a report she's working on "When the mommy penguin lays an egg the daddy penguin sits on it, is that a fact?" Jackson: "Yes, it takes a real man to sit on an egg" ... okie dokie then!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T13:50:00.001-04:00

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Menu Plan Monday 91310

2010-09-13T00:00:00.001-04:00

I love recipes. Cookbooks are my favorite books to read. I recently started re-reading a Cooking Light Annual Recipes cookbook ... the 1999 edition. It's just awesome. It's not uncommon for me to attempt to plan out our meals for the week, then I scaled myself down because I was so disorganized that after shopping for a week's worth of meals, I would fall behind and the produce would be less than desirable come time to use it. I seriously need to get organized or I will never make it to November 2 ... I won't or my family won't, that is ;o) So I'm trying something semi different: I'm planning a week's worth of meals. but I've broken my grocery shopping down into two and three day increments. This week I'm going to only focus on dinners, maybe next week I'll start planning my lunches, and so forth.

I figure if I post my meal plans, this will make it official. I'll post the recipes if they turn out to be hits with the family.

Monday:
Seasoned Chicken & carrot sticks for the kids, grilled chicken salad for myself (chicken sandwich for Jay if he's hungry- we think he had a tad of food poisoning this weekend)

Tuesday:
Beef Stew in the crock pot.
Tuesdays are a big day for us because I'm generally not at home, and since mom has been home from the hospital I've been trying to take a meal or two over for them. So I'm going to double up on this and see how that works. I'm using the recipe from Lost Recipes. I LOVE this book!

Dessert: caramel apple cupcakes. These are going to be fun.

Wednesday:
Shepherd's Pie made with deer sausage; corn pudding (from Lost Recipes)

Thursday:
White Bean & Apple Chili, cornbread

Friday:
Tomato Soup, black bean quesadillas for me and Jackson, grilled cheese sammies for Hannah & Jay

Saturday we'll clean out the fridge ....

9-11 Remembrance service

2010-09-12T22:59:00.003-04:00

Hannah and I attended a 9-11 Remembrance service last night. It was a very nice service, and the key note speaker, NC State House Representative Dale Folwell gave a lovely speech.
This thought keeps running through my mind:

Daily we remember Jesus died for our sins.
Daily we must remember that our Military die for our freedom.
Daily we must remember that First Responders die for our safety.

Never Forget.

First day of fall soccer

2010-09-11T10:54:00.001-04:00

Today is the first day of the fall soccer season. For the past two years, the kids have been playing with the YMCA league. Jackson took a huge step forward this year in skills, and Hannah showed marked improvement, as well. Towards the end of Spring soccer Jackson mentioned interest in travel soccer. Happy to see him interested, I checked on it but we were too late for tryouts. On the same note, I must say I was relieved as well, because travel ball would cause a huge conflict in our schedule this fall. The main soccer league in the city was recommended to us as a good bridge for Jackson. It was said this league was more "by the book" and would be more challenging for both kids. that by the end of fall season Jackson would be better prepared for travel ball tryouts.

So far I have been impressed. I tried to get their practices on the same night, but it was not possible with our availability. Jackson's group practices on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Hannah's practices on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We have church on Wednesday nights. So the family schedule is: visitation on Mondays, Jackson's practice on Tuesdays, church on Wednesdays, and Hannah's practice on Thursdays. In the middle of all this I also have three to four events each month that need to occur between Monday and Thursday. God is good and we can work it out!

The kid's first games are today. Hannah has already played. Her team lost 6-0. Jackson is just beside himself. He has begged Hannah all week to practice with him, and she wouldn't. Then in 2nd quarter she was goalie and the ball rolled right by her twice. Her attitude was awesome. She realizes what happened, but didn't let it bother her. Jackson was mortified. We're gong to have to sit down and explain to him that most people don't know she's his sister, and the ones who do don't care that she plays ... like an eight year old girl!

His game starts in 45 minutes. It's going to be interesting to see the difference in his age group. I know they try to make a point to keep the same kids on the teams from season to season. You can really tell, too, because even with Hannah's age group, there's a difference in teamwork (more) and skill level. Those girls are doing things with the ball that Jackson only learned this Spring! It's going to be a great season.

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Where's Wendy?

2010-09-07T13:20:00.003-04:00

Hi there! I've missed blogging! Man where has 2010 went? I was thinking that the other day and I started reflecting on where I was a year ago, to where I am now. All I can say is God is good ... ALL the time. If you seek Him, you will find him. If you seek His Will, He will show it to you ... in due time. But you have to wait on Him! I'm so thankful I did.

It's really funny, a year ago I bought my domain, and started working on a new website of my own. God obviously had other plans for me ... because a year later that site is not even closed to being finished, and it's time to renew my domain again! That's okay, I've learned a lot of new things pertaining to web design while doing web work for other people. I believe I'm on the road to mastering that thing called "social media"- well, coming to a greater understanding of it's many uses, that is.

I've learned a lot about politics in the past year. The most important thing I have learned, above all else, is that we ALL should be concerned with what is going on in politics! The days of letting other people do the worrying while we sit at home reading a favorite book, watching our favorite TV shows, baking, cooking, even doing laundry, are over. I so desperately resent all of those years I said "I don't watch the news ... it's too depressing". Know why it was depressing? Because there were a million other people like me out there, not being engaged in their own communities, letting other people take over our own country! For those who have been around this blog a while, you know the 2008 election totally sucked me in. That year was a turning point for me. The day when America voted and John McCain was deemed "the best" conservative choice, I knew there was a problem. You know what the problem was? Not enough people were doing their civic duty and paying attention to what was going on. The penalty for our civic apathy now is we must work double time to restore our country back to something we recognize for our children, and it cannot wait. Conservatives, and in my own opinion- Christians, must be more engaged than ever THIS year, for THIS November. THIS is the year history must be made.

I've learned a lot about "people" in general. That's been an interesting feat. I've always considered myself a "people" person. Being around more of them has given me a great insight into understanding where "people" might be coming from. I've learned ... that we all need to see "people" as if we were looking through God's eyes first ... then understanding comes a lot easier.

I've learned that while the appearance of humanly perfection might be attainable, it's better to acknowledge our own faults, and fight the fights that truly need fighting within us. Even if it's the urge to appear "all together" and be "bright & shiny". Balance, is the key.

So what to look forward to in CalvaryGirl's near future?

You'll see a lot more of me.

I'm going back to the basics of posting regular devotions. Food, food and more food, in all styles, shapes and forms (from the good for you to the bad for you!). Politics ... but it won't be posted with food ;) and reviews. I thoroughly enjoyed reading reviews last year and wanted to get more regular in posting them. I've tried lots of new things this year and have thought "wow, this would be a good review on the blog ..." and that's as far as it's gotten. Who knows, maybe there will be a giveaway in the future? We'll have to wait and see.

All the better? I'm gonna have some new bright & shiny websites for you to visit these topics under. So while we may not agree on politics, we will indeed have the ability to connect and agree on the best low-fat high-taste -crock pot recipe!

So how are you?

Cuts in education?

2010-03-18T11:06:00.004-04:00

There has been a lot of buzz going around North Carolina lately about proposed cuts to the public schools from the state level. I'll be upfront in not understanding for one second why between Forsyth County and North Carolina, the WS/FC school system is budgeted at $7000 per child, when our small private school accomplishes more on an academic level at a fraction of that cost. Nevertheless, I pay attention. Cuts in the state budget for the '09-10 school year led to 3000 teachers losing their jobs. (1) If we lost 3000 teachers, who is teaching the children? Obviously there was not a mass exodus of students from the public school system, they are still there, but they have no one to teach them now because of a supposed "budget crunch". I thought we had an educational lottery to help cover the expense of the school systems?

(video)

According to the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. Department of Education, public education revenue is drawn from three sources of government: federal, state, and local. In 2004- 2005, state government provided the largest share of public education revenues: 46.9 percent. Local governments provided 44.0 percent, and the federal government provided 9.2 percent.(2) Based on that, I wonder what North Carolina as a state, and Forsyth County is doing to ensure our children receive the best education possible. From what I am seeing now, the state is looking to cut even more from our children's educational experience through teacher furloughs, cuts in local salary supplements (and other ways) in order to save another $5.2 million for 2010-11. Is this what our children deserve? Isn't there another way?

Today, the N.C. Association of Educators will release its report cards for state legislators, giving them grades according to how well they support education issues. This will be interesting, and I wonder if the results will be published online. However, there is something else I am wondering. Who else can bring our public school system funds to cover the expenses required to help our children succeed academically in this economic climate? We know that the federal government is only responsible for 9%, the state government is 46%, but who do we look to in the local government? The School Board? They are not responsible for the financial end, right? Taxes? Goodness knows that cannot be the only answer.

What got me thinking about this was the role the Clerk of Superior Court plays in local education. In past elections I have seen the signs. I even voted I believe. But who did I vote for? I don't even remember. I do remember wondering what that position was about, and have been learning little by little recently about it. Did you know that any bond forfeitures goes straight back to the county and city school systems? I didn't. What this means, is, when someone is arrested, they are allowed to call a bondsman, and that bondsman will come make bail for them upon the agreed terms of their bail and of course that they will show up for their court date. If they do not show up for their court date, the bondsman is responsible for paying the bond in full. Apparently a bondsman can file a motion with the courts to set aside final forfeiture based on the idea that an order for arrest has been made for the person who skipped their court date. Apparently, this motion can be granted, and the person who skipped bail could be in hiding for however long, and no bond or fines are paid to the county at all.

EXCEPT ... if your Clerk of Superior Court steps in, like Brian Shipwash (3) did a few years ago in a case with two illegal aliens who skipped out on a two hundred thousand dollar bond. In this particular case, the bondsman filed the motion, and under normal circumstances it would had been allowed, forfeiture would have been delayed and the bondsman would have been allowed to continue writing bonds for others, except for the Clerk of Superior Court of Davidson County. In a September 28, 2006 Press release (4), it is said:

"Shipwash ordered that the Insurance Company be restricted from writing bonds in Davidson County, on the basis that the order for arrest had not been served. After meeting with Perry Mastromichalis, Attorney hired by Holeman, the Attorney stated they would be withdrawing the motion to set aside.

Today, Shipwash received $200,000 to go to the Davidson County Schools. Shipwash has collected more than 1.8 million dollars in his 7 ½ years as Clerk. Especially notable, Shipwash has collected more in the last 3 years than was collected in the previous 15."

I believe Forsyth could use a windfall like that. Who is our Clerk of Superior Court, anyway? I had to do some digging, but I was able to find a website of the appointee who is currently running, but that's about it. That makes me wonder if there's much to brag about accomplishment-wise in Forsyth County. Brian Shipwash (who is NOT an attorney, but an administrator) of Davidson County has a lot to brag about on his website and rightly so! I do know that this office is up for re-election every four years, and this year is election year for that position.

Who will be the best person to serve the citizens of Forsyth County in the position of Clerk of Superior Court? If they have the ambition and administrative skills to accomplish things like bringing millions of dollars back into the Winston Salem / Forsyth County School system, they are worthy of our attention, AND our vote.

- Wendy Wood

Facebook: Wendy Wood

Twitter: @CalvaryGirl

(1) Educators face tough climate

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/mar/18/educators-face-tough-climate/news-regional/

(2) Does Spending More on Education Improve Academic Achievement?

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2008/09/Does-Spending-More-on-Education-Improve-Academic-Achievement

(3) Brian Shipwash : http://brianshipwash.com

(4) Shipwash Protects School Systems - Nets $200,000.00

http://brianshipwash.com/?p=press/20060928

Stamp Malfunction

2010-02-22T12:22:00.000-05:00

Stamp Malfunction:
The Postal service created a new stamp with a picture of President Obama on it. The Postal service noticed that the stamp was not sticking to envelopes. This enraged the President, who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing and 1.73 million in Congressional spending, a special Presidential commission presented the following findings:

1. The stamp was in perfect order.
2. There is nothing wrong with the glue.
3. People were spitting on the wrong side.

(LOL!!)

Book review: George's Marvelous Medicine

2010-02-13T08:50:00.004-05:00

9/5/11: Welcome to my blog! I welcome you to join me on the homepage, and lets start to get to know each other from there! :) Lets connect on Twitter, and on Facebook, too!

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Since there is no way to link to individual reviews on Amazon.com, I wanted to share one here. Overall, the reviews seem innocent enough claiming the book as a "wacky" book that should be obvious enough to children that it was not a story that should be mirrored in real life. However, with the limited instruction time that teachers already have when it comes to teaching literature in school, it would seem a wiser choice could have been made. A choice that could build up family values instead of tearing it down. The common theme in all of the reviews I read was that the grandmother was this "horrible" woman, and that the boy "hated" his grandmother. The only reason I found, in one review, was that the grandmother told the boy stories he didn't like.

In this self centered age, I believe we need to be careful of the message we send our children, especially in public schools. Kids need to hear of a life where families love each other, not hate each other. This one "kid review" really struck my eye and it seems to me that this kid was in middle school possibly. They leave some good points about what message the book sends (the emphasis' are mine.):

George's Marvelous Medicine, March 19, 2006
A Kid's Review
George's Marvelous Medicine
By: Roald Dahl
Reviewed By: S. Kim
Period: 1

George's Marvelous Medicine is about how a little boy who hates his grandmother. When it is time for him to feed his grandmother his medicine, he makes a concoction of different things. Although he was late in giving his grandmother his medicine, his grandmother still took it. You may be thinking, oh where are his parents or his guardian. Well, they left for an errand and left George's grandmother in charge. That was a bad idea, but nobody knew that George was thinking of a way to destroy his grandmother. He gave the medicine to his grandmother and something odd happened. His grandmother turned very long and tall. Her head broke up into the ceiling. She was literally taller then the house!

Then George knew there was something odd about his medicine that he put together. So he decided to try it on a hen, a pig, bullocks, sheep, a gray pony, and finally a goat. One thing that he realized in all animals was that the medicine made it get bigger in size. Obviously his parents were outraged, and needed a place where grandma can sleep, and the only place was the barn, so she slept there for a while. George and his father needed something so that it would make his grandmother smaller. So they came up with another concoction. They gave the new medicine to George's grandmother and when they did she became smaller and smaller. She was so small that you can barely hear her scream or talk. Then some how George's grandmother became smaller and then disappeared into thin air. This was a good thing for George, but at first his mother going crazy. Then after a while she said that her mom disappearing was okay.

The thing that I disliked from this book was how George didn't like his grandmother at all. There is a quote about that talks about George not liking his grandmother and it is, "He really hated that horrid old witchy woman." How can you hate your grandmother so much that you think that she is horrid and somewhat like a witch? I love my grandmother very much and would never hate her even if she did something annoying, mean, and bad. Another thing that I didn't like about the book was that George's mother didn't think it was a big deal that her mother just disappeared. In the last page of the book it says, "Ah well, I suppose it's all or the best, really. She was a bit of a nuisance around the house, wasn't she?" If it were to be my mom that disappeared I would be crying my eyes out, and every time I would think about my mom I would be sad and depressed.

The part I liked in this book was how George tried it on all the animals and they all turned into a different size. The book says, "George gave a spoonful of the medicine to the pig. The pig blew smoke from its nose and jumped about all over the place. Then it grew and grew." The pig grew so big that it was big as an elephant. The pig was already big by itself and now it just got bigger. That was a hilarious part in the book. Another part that was funny was how George mixed up everything to make replace his grandmother's medicine. It says, "A handful of grease- to grease her creaking joints." When George was picking the ingredients he was very smart about picking each one the correct way.

My favorite part of the book was how George had taken so long just to replace his grandmother's medicine. Another thing that I couldn't believe was that his grandmother believed and trusted George for the medicine, even if he was late on giving it to her. I guess she is very gullible. I think George is a very smart boy, but he uses it for evil planning. Maybe that's why it's called his marvelous medicine.

The Frozen Chosin

2010-01-18T10:59:00.002-05:00

I saw a segment on Fox and Friends this morning about this new documentary coming out named "The Frozen Chosin". It is about the US's involvement in the Korean war, interviewing men who fought in that war. Not really knowing a whole lot about this particular war, but having a growing interest in all things American, including our battles, I found myself rewinding to listen closer to what the creators of the film were saying in the interview. I found it particularly interesting that the creators of the film were Iraq war veterans, themselves. This film not only covers the perspective of Korean war veterans, but it is projected in the film from a vantage point of understanding and truth that could only come from someone who has been in such a similar position. This film is definite on my list of must-sees.

From the website:

"As fellow Marines and combat veterans, we forged a unique connection with the men who shared their stories with us. We were proud to give them a gift 60 years overdue: an environment where they could feel comfortable unburdening themselves of the intimately sad, horrific, funny, and triumphant moments they experienced during the most defining experience of their lives. The story of Chosin goes beyond the history and enters a realm of mutual remembrance and healing."

View the trailer (and grab a tissue):

Are death threats acceptable if online?

2010-01-13T10:41:00.007-05:00

Twitter has a new account, and it is dedicated to rewarding its followers with the assassination of radio / Fox News TV Host Glenn Beck.

The internet has reached an all new low. Really, society has. I am waiting for the liberal sect of America to condemn such a heinous act. What's even worse, are the people who are not only following this account, but ReTweeting the original message! I believe they have just as much responsibility as the one who created this account. Cyber crimes however, I do not believe are treated as severely as "in real life" crimes. It would already be on the news if some sicko posted a community bulletin somewhere for a meeting that says "If 10,000 people show up in support of my cause, I will kill this person". Perhaps it is time to raise the standards of behavior expected on social networking sites and the web, and the consequences of one's behavior. Death threats are not acceptable when put on paper, why should it be different online?

I know Megan Meier's parents would like to see laws more stringent towards the behavior of people behind online profiles...

This goes beyond free speech, as this new twisted Twitter sicko claims:

Any reasonable person can acknowledge this is wrong and unacceptable. There should be a bi partisan effort to condemn such acts of BIGOTRY.

Update:

As of 4:45pm ET, Twitter has removed the profile. I say Thank God. This still begs the question, will the person be back under another name? What about the people following that person? When will there be an outrage and the standards be the same for left and right wing? If there was an account that threatened anyone I disagreed with politically, I would still condemn the actions. I don't care what your political views are, right is right and wrong is wrong. There are still moral absolutes in this world, and those are things we can still come together to agree on.

Palin takes on Fox News

2010-01-11T20:50:00.002-05:00

Watch out world!

Sarah Palin, ...will return to her broadcast roots and take her conservative message to Fox News as a regular commentator, the cable channel announced Monday.

"I am thrilled to be joining the great talent and management team at Fox News," Palin said in a statement posted on the network's Web site. "It's wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news."

Fox said that according to the multiyear deal, Palin will offer political commentary and analysis on the cable channel, as well as Fox's Web site, radio network and business cable channel.

I believe this is wonderful. Of course, I love her. Next week for spirit week, they are having "Superhero Day", and we just decided last night that Hannah could be Sarah Palin- the TRUE super-hero, that day. She thought it was a hoot.

Don't mess with my burger!

2010-01-06T11:46:00.005-05:00

Some McDonalds employees caught themselves in a pickle when this woman entered their store one day. She brought her sandwich back unhappy with the way it was made, and becomes, story goes irate, after the employees would not give her a refund, causing some $3000 in damages.

Added January 7th:
She threw a water cooler, a wet floor sign, grabbed things off the counter and threw them at the employees. There was a video, but this is from the local Sheriff's blog:

We have received numerous tips since posting this video. Thank you. Detectives are following up on leads now and have requested the video be taken down while we investigate.

(Continued)

Of course there are holes in this story as in:

Did she refuse a new, perfectly made, fresh burger (but they're all "fresh" now, right?)
what exactly was wrong with the burger? (haven't we all received a double cheese with one patty off the side of the bun and the cheese melted on the other side)
where was the manager?
why wouldn't they give her a refund? (could it be a manager was not present, and that was why? after all, employees cannot give refunds!)

Despite the holes in the story, there is no reason for this kind of behavior. I don't care if there was a band aid in the middle of my burger, acting like a lunatic is not the way to go. Somewhere out there, there's a McDonalds cashier filing a worker's compensation claim for emotional damage from having a water cooler thrown at him/her for something that was surly beyond their control.

No resolutions for ten

2010-01-01T10:42:00.006-05:00

I started blogging more regularly about this time last year. Needless to say the past few months I have not been very active but I promise dear readers I plan to change that. Not that blogging more regularly is a New Year's Resolution. That was last year's resolution. I succeeded until about October- with that resolution and a couple other ones. Then I have partially felt awful about not 'completing' the year, and I wonder why I'm allowing myself to feel such guilt. Typically, guilt is associated with conviction for me, but I know the Lord isn't convicting me of not posting more to the blog ... right? Of course not. I believe the guilt is more aligned with the typically "mommy guilt", guilt of not being able to do it all.

So, for 2010, in an effort to banish an attempt for mommy guilt to set in, I refuse to make New Year's Resolutions. Merriam-Webster refers to resolution as the "act of resolving"- or "to reach a firm decision about". Most anything you read on goals says to break your goal up into smaller goals, and work your way up. That is much more attainable, don't you think? Don't be surprised if you see posts from me referring to monthly goals. One thing '09 taught me, is to aim low and if you reach higher, then "yay!". In 2010, I shall have smaller goals each month, and by the end of the year, we'll talk about how they all laid the foundation for the more further out, higher end goal I see in the horizon of my mind.

With that, I realize what a blessed woman I truly am. I have seen numerous references about what a bad year '09 was, and I don't see it for us. 2008? oh yeh, that was bad. Jordan died in April, and I don't think I got out of bed much until July. We made the heart wrenching decision to pull the kids from our beloved private school and put them in a public / charter school (financial reasons only). We went through that heart wrenching transition, but God is good, even when your kids are not in the preferred school. We watched them struggle, but God is good, even when we struggle. He provided a way for us to get them back in private school by the end of the school year. The next month, Jay was demoted and the school funds were blown out. I spent the summer wondering how we were going to pay for school, but right as school was ready to start, Jay was offered a new job with a pay increase that covered the school bill. He took the job, and it has been the challenge of his career, but God is good. He carries us through.

He gives grace, where grace is needed. While I would never recommend public school to anyone if they have an option like ours, the trial we went through with our children was a "necessary trial" that I know God led us to- because we learned so much about our children. We ended school year '09 with a deeper relationship with our kids that we might not otherwise have had, if we had not worked through the trial together as a family.

My migraines have been more intense and frequent this year, but I have not seen that as a major issue necessarily- grace. This Christmas, our kids said it was the "best Christmas ever". Jackson doesn't like singing in children's choir, but his favorite day of the week is Monday night visitation when he goes out with a couple of early 20-something "preacher boys". I could not be more proud in that regard! Not only that, but for some reason he has busted out of his desire to dress casually for church, and is wanting to dress up now. While I realize it is the condition of the inside that is more important when it comes to worship, to see my soon-to-be preteen boy decide on his own now, that he wants to dress nice on Sundays is a HUGE blessing for me. (Now people will see we do buy him nice clothes!) The grief issues Hannah was experiencing regarding Jordan have passed. In '08 she was not able to hear his name much less see a picture of him without crying. In '09, she has worked through that. In '10, I plan to put his pictures on the wall. (That's big for her and me.)

2009 has presented its own challenges, but the blessings have far outweighed them. We've both done our own fair share of soul searching and pondering; there have been circumstances that, while it would not be big to others, was big enough for us- but we have been able to adjust to with the Lord's guidance. I believe 2009 has been a year of trust. For me, I have begun learning that if we trust the Lord first, and move forward second, life's trials are ten times more bearable. In my church-notebook (the diary sized journal I keep in my bible bag to take notes in Sunday School and during services...), last January I made my 2009 "theme verse":

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God" -- Psalm 20:7

I don't know what my '10 theme verse will, be, but I do know, if I continue to remember the name of the Lord MY God, 2010 will be just fine.

Things kids say ...

2009-12-17T12:42:00.004-05:00

Last night Hannah didn't know where her Christmas dress was 30 minutes before we were to leave for church. The children's Chirstmas play was last night and they were in it. Jay said "c'mon Hannah / everyone just settle down and I'll help her find it" as they're walking towards her room. Out of my earshot Hannah says to Jay "SHE'S the one who needs to settle down..." LOL!! (It was true)

The other day it was cold and rainy. Jackson got all reflective as we were riding down the road talking about the weather. He says "I don't like the cold, and being wet. It makes me sad."

He has not worn dress clothes in two years. Last Saturday his best friend spent the night. Sunday I brought in dress clothes for him because his friend had brought dress clothes for church. After he was ready I ask him if he had done ... something (don't remember) and he throws his arms out and says "Mom!" looks down at his shoes and back up, then says "Froo-Froo!" hehe- he calls dressing up getting all "froo-froo". That's my boy.

School lunches- are they safe?

2009-12-10T10:06:00.005-05:00

I just read this article from USAToday.com that shares the alarming fact that government provided meat sent to the public schools to be served to students in school lunches do not even meet the quality standards required to be served at McDonalds and other fast food restaurants. That is scary! Or is it?

When I first started reading I was wondering if the issue wasn't more quality versus safety. We WANT our kids to be safe. Chicken that comes from Whole Foods can be equally as safe as chicken from Food Lion on the surface, but there's no denying, there's a difference in quality. There used to be an old saying around here (in NC, home of R.J.Reynolds Tobacco Company) about cigarettes, that the "cheaper" cigarettes are actually the scraps swept up on the floor at the end of the shift, put together and produced into products the next day. Ewww, would you really want to smoke that? Some people enjoyed the cheaper cigarettes more than that more expensive ones. Myself included, when I did smoke. However, I do prefer the higher quality chicken sold by Whole Foods over the chicken served by Food Lion. Some of my family members do not believe there is a difference, and is adamant about buying Food Lion because it costs less.

Cost- definitely a factor when purchasing food for millions of American school children to be served five days a week. Most certainly a factor when approximately 31 million children are participating in the National School Lunch program (NSLP), and 15.4 million of those children qualify for the Federally subsidized free lunch program. Even more a factor when you add in the school breakfast and snack programs available for students.

We want our children to have safe, quality food. Having experienced the lunch program last year in the kid's former charter school, I was NONE too impressed with what was offered and wondered who come up with the menu for these programs. Everything was pre-packaged, and reheated right before serving. Nothing was fresh, so how nutritious could it really be overall? (example) (I admit right now I'm the pot calling the kettle black with what mine are choosing to eat at school right now, but it's their choice, where they had no choice last year.)

The issue at hand:

'Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), the USDA agency that buys meat for the school lunch program, ... buys more than 100 million pounds of beef a year for schools,' ... and what was being questioned is how they determine what is safe for purchase for the nation's school children. The fast food chain Jack In The Box, come up with the "top notch" standards fast food chains strive to adhere to after they experienced a horrid outbreak of E Coli in some of their west coast stores, resulting in 450 people ill, and three deaths of children. As a result, they introduced a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) based system for the management of food safety. The USA Today study compared the food testing of the AMS to the HACCP system, and the result was it failed miserably. Is the government really feeding the children in the NSLP program "scraps"?

from the article:

"For chicken, the USDA has supplied schools with thousands of tons of meat from old birds that might otherwise go to compost or pet food. Called "spent hens" because they're past their egg-laying prime, the chickens don't pass muster with Colonel Sanders— KFC won't buy them — and they don't pass the soup test, either. The Campbell Soup Company says it stopped using them a decade ago based on "quality considerations." ...

"From late November 2008 through January this year, the AMS bought nearly 500,000 pounds of ground beef from Beef Packers and Skylark with unusually high levels of an indicator bacteria known as "generic E. coli." The organism is considered an indicator of whether potential contaminants from the intestines of cattle have gotten into slaughtered meat — a source of the far more dangerous E. coli O157:H7. ...

The indicator bacteria are measured in CFUs, or colony-forming units. Jack in the Box, which pioneered many of the safety standards now used across the fast-food industry, won't accept beef with generic E. coli levels of more than 100 CFUs per gram. The AMS, on the other hand, will buy beef for the school lunch program with generic E. coli counts of up to 1,000 CFUs per gram — 10 times the Jack in the Box limit. ...

E. coli isn't the only indicator bacteria that the AMS allows at higher levels. The government also accepts beef with more than double the limit set by many fast-food chains for total coliform, which is used to assess whether a beef producer is minimizing fecal contamination in its meat. ..."

Can we say "Fast Food Nation", anyone? {For the record, "spent hens" were discontinued in 2003 after reports were made of bones being in the chicken being served.} There's more. How aggressive is AMS in detecting these bacteria?

"On a given manufacturing day, AMS workers testing ground beef bound for schools sample the meat eight times, regardless of how long the production lines are running. Those samples are combined into a single composite sample for testing.

Jack in the Box, McDonald's, Burger King and other more selective buyers sample the ground beef on their production lines every 15 minutes. Some, such as Jack in the Box, combine those samples to create a composite sample for testing every hour during the production run. Others, such as McDonald's and Burger King, combine those samples to create a composite sample for testing every two hours.

That means Jack in the Box would test at least 10 composite samples during a typical 10-hour production run, which could yield 100,000 pounds or more of ground beef. The AMS would test just one sample for the entire 100,000-pound run."

It would not appear that the AMS is truly doing a lot to protect America's schoolchildren. What can parents do? There are a few things that could be done, but they require parents to get involved.

The first is simple, pack your child's lunch. This way you KNOW what they are eating. This however, would not help your child's classmate who might not have a good home life, and their school lunch is the most nutritious meal of the day.
Second, naturally, would be to contact your representatives about concerns about the safety of the meat being sent to our public school lunchrooms. Find your house representative here, and find your Senator(s) here. Note: Handwritten letters have a considerably stronger impact than emails and typed letters. Typed letters are scanned and tucked away in a file, as well as emails. Handwritten letters require more direct attention by the representative and their staffers.
I believe it would be a fun project for schools to see what would be involved in your school having its own garden. Read this example of what an area school is doing with their students.
Comment from the school: "Our gardens provide a new experience for our students since many live in apartments or areas where gardening is not possible. They are fascinated by the growth of vegetables and excited when we harvest and eat them. They love planting bulbs and seeds and even enjoy pulling weeds."
A natural option would be to garden with your own children so they gain an appreciation for fresh foods and the benefits they offer.
Check out Farm to School programs.

Pick one, and run with it. I've heard it said a thousand times since I become a parent but it's the truest statement ever: We are our children's strongest advocate, if we don't speak up for them, who will? I'll go a step further considering public schools- there are some children out there who are waiting for you to speak up for them, because their own parents and caregivers are not doing so. Such is the world we live in.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T19:07:00.003-05:00

I hope this finds all of you well. I'm recovering from the strep still. That was rough. God is good though and He has brought me through yet another health trial. Praise Him :) We've been busy planning mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary party this coming Saturday. Their anniversary was last Saturday but we could not get the place we wanted until this weekend, which was fine. We spent last Saturday going through every family photo album we could get out hands on in their house going through pictures for the centerpieces for all the tables, and the powerpoint presentation I'm creating. It's going to be a lot of fun (I hope!). This is the "Golden" anniversary, which works well for a party. They have been season ticket holders for Wake Forest University for 40+ years, so sis and I have done everything in black and gold- Wake Forest colors ;)

Thanksgiving is here again. I love Thanksgiving, so laid back, no one stressing. It's everything Christmas should be, I believe. Not that I don't love Christmas, don't get me wrong. I do! Without Christmas, where would I be? Right? I'm not even 100% sure what is on our menu. Food. Turkey. Hey, as long as we're together it'll work out. Oh, and my mother in law's dressing. That's a holiday must have. I've tried to get my own birthday dinners planned where she makes a batch of it, but I just get eye rolls from Jay. Maybe one day. When we get past Thanksgiving and the party- next weekend is Hannah's surprise birthday party. Sshhh- she, nor her brother, knows about it! The next weekend we have The Nutcracker, which is going to be awesome because Hannah's Christmas outfit is simply stunning this year. Previous years she has not dressed up for our theater date, but last year she noticed all the little girls gussied up and asked if she could this year. She'll be gorgeous. Only thing is we're in the balcony this year, for some reason, in a RECESSION, the Nutcracker tickets doubled! :(

The following weekend is Hannah's "real" birthday weekend. She doesn't know it yet, but that Friday we're going to get her ears pierced. I was going to do it Saturday but the girl at Claire's said it would be better to do it Friday. Then Sunday the 20th is her birthday so we'll so our traditional Sunday lunch at the Mexican restaurant. Maybe I'll get a group together. Then that week is Christmas. We'll have some running to do but not a whole lot I don't think. I'll have a breather until January 2nd which is Jackson's birthday. Somewhere in the middle of all that Ill be planning his birthday ... stuff. We're still not sure what we're going to do with him, lol I just can't believe he'll be 11!

I'll try not to be scarce in the next month, and will come bearing pictures!

In bed w/strep throat

2009-11-18T16:45:00.001-05:00

My annual case of strep throat hit yesterday like a ton of bricks. I'm hurting (all over) worse now than that obviously mild case of the flu a month ago. Please pray!

Protest in Chalotte

2009-11-12T10:55:00.001-05:00

+++++++++++++

Protest in Charlotte at Convention Center

Monday 11/16/09 5:30-6:30 PM

We are taking vans to Charlotte. Let me know if you can go with us.
We will leave Winston Salem Hanes Mall McDonald's at 3 PM and should be back around 9 PM.

Duke Energy accepted stimulus funds and they are working diligently to help pass Cap and Tax legislation. This legislation will cost all of us. It is considered the biggest tax increase in the history of this country.

Duke will benefit from this legislation. But you and I will pay huge increases in energy costs.

While conservatives have been hard at work to defeat this horrendous legislation, Duke has been promoting legislation that will harm families.

Charlotte Chamber of Commerce is presenting the citizen of the Year Award to Duke Energy CEO.

We want to let them know that we oppose their Cap and Tax efforts and we will not sit by while they promote legislation to harm families.

Respond to this email or call me 336-817-4601

Thanks for all you do,
Joyce Krawiec
NC Grassroots Coordinator

Home with sick little one

2009-10-29T12:27:00.003-04:00

Hannah has had cold symptoms for the past couple of weeks now. Yesterday she was crying in class she had gotten to feel so bad, but she got better and was ok through the evening. This morning whenshe woke she was feeling really bad again, complaining mainly about her throat and runny nose. I can't help but to wonder if her throat is hurting because of drainage. The bad part was the ride taking Jackson to school and back- she got sick to her stomach. Twice. However, this is a child who is prone to carsickness. She hasn't gotten sick since we returned home this morning so I'm leaning towards that.

Please pray this turns over quickly. We have the school fall festival tomorrow night that she is greatly looking forward to!

Also, please pray for my Pastor. He is in South Africa preaching in evangelistic services this week at our church-plant there. We have been praying for 100 souls to be saved. As of yesterday, 54 had professed Christ as their Savior (Glory be to God!).

As a parent .... would you?

2009-10-22T13:45:00.005-04:00

There's no doubt about it, parents feel for one another when something is not going well with their children. It's a natural, ingrained empathy once you become a mommy or daddy, you can just imagine how you would feel if you were in another parents shoes and they were going through trials with their children. Sometimes we have "been there done that" ("BTDT"), or we can only .... literally imagine. I've never had an autistic child, but if my child had to sit through a reading from his/her kindergarten schoolmates of what they did not like about them, and a teacher leading a vote against them "Survivor style" to kick them out of class, suing would be mild. (Update: said boy is now in a private school and is an honor student.)

I sat here yesterday and watched Dina Thompson in a news conference doing what every mother in her position would do: PLEAD for whoever took her child to return the child safely. Somer, seven years old, was last seen walking home from school with a group of schoolmates and siblings before she disappeared. Last night, her dead body was found in a Georgia landfill. As a parent, that has to be our worst fear, our child dying. Or is it?

The article states:

"The cause of death hasn't yet been released, but the Georgia Bureau of Investigation planned an autopsy Thursday in Savannah.

"We hope to learn the cause and manner of the death that will assist us in the criminal investigation we are actively undertaking at this time," Beseler said. "The early discovery will be tremendously helpful in this investigation to help find the person or people responsible for the death of this beautiful child."

"He wouldn't talk about what evidence police have recovered, or whether investigators believe the crime was committed by one or more people.

He said police have questioned more than 70 registered sex offenders in the area, and that process was continuing."

I think about that last line.

I go to Family WatchDog.us, which is the National Sex Offender registry, and I find: there are 180 sex offenders in my zip code. From the looks of the map, 90% are offenses against children. There are two within a mile of my house.

Then I consider- what really is my worst fear?

If one of my children were murdered, would I want to know HOW they were murdered? What kind of abuse they endured before they took their last breath? The things they saw before it all ended? The things that autopsy will reveal?

It was enough to learn Jordan suffocated to death. He did not die of SIDS, peacefully in his sleep. His trachea folded and his neck muscles were too weak for him to be able to lift his head, to straighten his neck and trachea to allow life giving air to flow to his lungs. (He head wasn't slumped over, either, only turned slightly.) It He was an infant. That is hard enough, but to be a seven year old kidnapped little girl. Hannah is seven. She has experienced joy, laughter, sadness, fear, friendship, gladness, trust, compassion. She come in the living room last night with a sad, concerned look on her face: "Mommy, there was a mommy on TV just now crying because she lost her little girl.", bottom lip pooching. I know what she saw- she saw a replay of Dina's pleads from earlier in the day. I said "I know", and she walked back into the bedroom to change the channel to her shows.

I would NOT want to know. The only thing that would matter for me at this point, if I was Dina Thompson, is to try and rest in the knowledge that Hannah has accepted Christ as her own Savior, and that Jesus was with her each and every second before He carried her home.

You?

Pray for Hannah and me

2009-10-22T13:24:00.002-04:00

Both of us have the crud. She's coughing, sneezing, and has a runny nose. I'm coughing, aching, and bordering a low grade fever. Just in the past hour I've started that "fever stretching" that I usually get before I start running one. She's pushing on through, but I just feel awful. I just had the flu three weeks ago, and am not ready for us to make another trip to the doctor.

Jays broke toe is healing. They want to remove the entire nail, but he is not afforded time off of work to be able to do so. So we need the Lord to intervene and make sure everything heals sufficiently on its own.

Thanks!

Drunkest Guy Ever Goes for More Beer

2009-10-16T09:14:00.001-04:00

This is funny but its not.

You can't help but to giggle though. It's like watching a toddler trying to walk!

EMBED-Drunkest Guy Ever Goes for More Beer - Watch more free videos

Sen Richard Burr in Winston on Monday

2009-10-09T12:11:00.000-04:00

Senator Richard Burr will be speaking at the weekly Republican luncheon on Monday, Oct 12th at Golden Corral on Stratford Rd (Winston-Salem). The luncheon starts at noon but I recommend you get there 20-30 minutes in advance.

WINSTON-SALEM –The Republican Candidates for Winston-Salem City Council will sign an agreement based on economic growth and limited government called “The Contract with Winston-Salem” on Monday October 12th at Golden Corral Restaurant at 180 Hanes Mall Circle. The event will begin at noon.

The issues addressed within the Contract include the Baseball Stadium; our local economy; forced annexation; wasteful spending and taxes; and several other issues. The signers will be Ted Shipley from the Southwest Ward; Peter Sorensen from the Northwest Ward; John Hopkins from the North Ward; Claudia Shivers from the Northeast Ward; and Chuck Woolard from the Southeast Ward.

Copies of the Contract will be distributed, during the meeting, and a new website promoting it will be launched the same day.

Nathan Tabor, chairman of the Forsyth County Republican Party, said that the city’s current economic situation calls for the Contract with Winston-Salem.

“Tough economic times call for strong leadership,” Tabor said. “The Contract with Winston-Salem exhibits the type of leadership the city desperately needs.”

Tabor also said that he believes the Contract will have a broad base of support.

“This contract isn’t about republicans and democrats,” he said. “The Contract is about the difference between common-sense government and an out-of-control city council. And hard-working families deserve a city council that knows what it means to balance a budget and live with their means.”

Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize?

2009-10-09T12:08:00.004-04:00

I have a few thoughts on this (are you surprised?). From what I understand the committee that decides this is already very liberal: that explains a lot. In a way, I think it's for the fact he is NOT Bush, period. It's not about him. But his ego will be fed because of this, unfortunately. My understand IS that the award was for personal accomplishments, etc- so for me, this cheapens the award.

Three other presidents have received this award- Wilson, Roosevelt, and Carter (in '02). All liberal leaning progressives (I don't like using "progressive", but that's the term so Oh well, right?), which goes back to point above, the political leanings of the NPP committee. It isn't AS much Bush in the extent that history, including today, has shown that no conservative administration- one who does not have a "one world" world view, would EVER be nominated for such thing. That gives me, for one, a great deal of thoughts to chew on to form my personal perspective of the *actual worth* of this award, as I had never truly thought about the process and people that deeply before.

One thought also, is:

"Mr. President, you just won the Nobel Peace Prize- how can you send X thousand additional troops into Afghanistan?" I see it coming.

So my question is: how much of our liberty and freedom will be given up for him to try and live up to this award?

I do however agree with Mike Huckabee's statement:

"There will be an outcry from those on the right who will say that Obama's nomination, made two weeks into his Presidency, is impossible to justify but I think such an outcry will sound like right-wing whining. The better response is simply to allow those on the left to explain what he did in his first two weeks as President that merited such recognition."

and you?

Update:

Apparently conservatives aren't the only ones wondering how Obama has won this award. As reported on Special Report with Bret Baier:

-- "Apparently Nobel prizes now being awarded to anyone who is not George Bush"

Ana Marie Cox- Twitter

Air America Correspondent

-- "He won, but for what?"

Jennifer Loven (full article)

AP Correspondent

-- "Obama also awarded Nobel prize in Chemistry. 'He's just got great chemistry,' says Nobel committee"

Ezra Klein- Twitter

Washington Post Blogger

--- couple other tweets I thought was good ;)-

"How long till the Nobel Committee just gives up the ghost and names "you!" the winner of the peace prize?"
"About to receive the Nobel for hitting 7,000 Twitter followers. Planning to share it with the world."

-- "I like Barack Obama as much as the next liberal, but this is a frace"

Peter Beinart (full article, interesting read)

Political Writer

The Daily Beast

-- "Whatever happened to awarding for deeds actually done?" ... "... giving an Oscar to a young direction for films we hope that he or she will produce"

Michael Russnow (full article)

Huffington Post Writer

Racism, Garofalo, Tea Parties .. what?

2009-10-08T09:42:00.002-04:00

Jeanine Garofalo said that the Tea Party attendees were racist ... oh really? Thanks Jeanine, I didn't realize that about myself. Apparently the black people who attend the tea parties didn't know they should be afraid, right. Yes, I know her comment is old news and was said back in April, but catch this~ she has been invited to an upcoming CHICAGO Tea Party (Yes, they're still happening, there's going to be a gathering in Raleigh, North Carolina in November, too, more on that later) this month... and here's her personal invite (gotta watch, this is great):

The Twitter #nestlefamily bru haha

2009-10-03T16:21:00.004-04:00

I told myself this morning, I was not going to write anything about the #nestlefamily Twitter drama from this week. I've been following it, and yes, I've tweeted in it. I've been very surprised through this. You see, I DO have two Twitter accounts. My readers know this. I have @CalvaryGirl, where I tweet about politics. Realizing I wanted to follow other bloggers of non-political blogs, I created my "regular" account where I tweet about everything else. To understand my perspective on #nestlefamily, you must know more about me:

I realize the hybrid I am. I recycle a LOT (working towards "pre-cycling", I aim to have as less as possible preservatives and artificial ingredients in our food. I believe wholly in "clean eating", or "whole foods cooking". I foresaw myself getting sick this week and went and bought 25 lbs of carrots, 4-5 lbs of apples, two celery hearts (all organic) and juiced half of it Thursday afternoon and started drinking. Yesterday (Friday) I was at the Dr with the flu (should have juiced earlier, huh?). another post. I believe we should be good stewards of the world God has given us, but I will never consider myself "green"- I do not believe in global warming. Seeing that environmentalism has turned into somewhat of a religion, I try to be careful with my words around people who I speak with that might believe in it. The same respect I'd like for people to give Christians when the topic of God comes up. However, I'm crunchy, for sure.

My online relationships have changed in the past year. For eight years I served as a Community Leader (CL) for iVillage.com (@iVillage), and made many, wonderful friends. Jackson, now 10, was a toddler when I stumbled on the now Christian Family Life board. I conceived Hannah right before I became a leader for the board. As a SAHM, with one vehicle that was with Jay each day, that community of women were my link to the outside world. not only on the board, but the site as a whole because I got to know a number of other Community Leaders of other boards while serving as well. iVillage, was my blogosphere.

There's a dynamic to online life. Sometimes it is hard to project the right emotion into words, sometimes it is not. Writing is an art form when it comes to online relationships and communication because sometimes one needs to get "wordy" to make sure their words are received in the way they were intended.

Breastfeeding is one of my favorite subjects to discuss. On CFL (Christian Family Life) it was not an uncommon subject to be brought up because it was all mothers. This is just one example of a breastfeeding conversation on that board, and shows the character of the lovely people I have associated myself with. Due to lack of information with Jackson, the experience was cut short to three months (explained within that post / thread). Then I found these ladies (and there's more that did not post in that thread), and the information I needed to successfully bf with Hannah until she weaned herself at almost 17 months. I mourned it. I have friends who have bf for YEARS. I support it. Ask my niece, I supported her as much as I possibly COULD with ^Jordan^, and he still ended up on formula. If I knew then what I know now, I would have probably offered to induce lactation and bf him myself.... well, if my niece accepted the offer ;o)

Where I come from ... even online you should still be respectful to other people. I remember a long time ago, a Christian tried to evangelize the Atheist Parenting board, posting to its members about salvation. Instead of the members of the Atheist board coming to the CFL board and dogging us out posting anti God statements, their CL (Community Leader) contacted me via email and asked if I knew that particular member, and linked me to the posts. NO, this member had never posted on CFL. Right then we made an agreement, "her" members did not post to our board and "mine" would not post to hers. That brought about a nice friendship between the two of us that we might not otherwise have, and I dearly appreciated her contacting me first and discouraging her members from retaliating against "the Christians", because the Christians they would had been retaliating against, had nothing to do with their experience.

The 'Christian' who invaded the Atheist Parenting board was considered trolling.

By definition:

"a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion." *

So the person who said: "It's only "trolling" because you don't agree."- no m'am, you are wrong. It was trolling.

Twitter is not much different than iVillage. iVillage has boards where people of like interests discuss specific topics and broader subjects, Twitter, has the #hashtag. For the non tweeps-you click on the #hashtag and it shows you every tweet/post made on twitter containing said #hashtag, not just the people who you see on your timeline/friends list. Using the message board conversion, it would be like going from the General "iVillage" board where everyone was posting, to the #christian board where people were discussing a Christian topic. Except with twitter, you can use whatever #hashtag you want, as long as others join you and you are not sitting there tweeting with yourself!

This week, Nestle brought in a group of mothers who blog and do product reviews to California and they were to tweet their experience while they were there.

From their Nestle Family Blog:

"Nestlé understands the importance of listening directly to parents. That’s why on September 30 and October 1, we’ve invited 20 Mom and Dad bloggers to our U.S. headquarters to learn firsthand the things that are important to them and their families, and to share a little about us and our brands."

It sounds perfectly fine from a consumer standpoint, very cool as an aspiring blogger hoping to one day have a blog with the span of readership these blogging mothers have. I was already following a couple of these moms, and was reading their individual tweets about Nestle in my timeline. Then I clicked on the #hashtag and was reminded of something that my pro breastfeeding mom friends from iVillage had discussed before: there was a boycott of Nestle happening, and it started about 30 years ago.

I understand the premise of the boycott. I do. I really DO. But what I was seeing was not happiness, and it was NOT respect. The Nestle boycotters were tweeting under the same hashtag as the blogging mothers- judging them for being at Nestle, and basically making Nestle out to be Satan's tool. I understand the issues surrounding the boycott. I DO. But there is a time and place for everything, and overloading the #nestlefamily hashtag with anti Nestle posts, debating the issues, accusing the blogging mothers attending the event of "selling out for a coupon", "killing babies", "supporting child labor" ... NO. That is NOT the way to go about getting your message across.

We live in a free country, with free speech. Yes, it was perfectly "legal" for the boycotters to overload the hashtag, but was it right? I tweeted recommending that the boycotters use #discussnestle, but of course that was not acceptable to them. It was said "I feel the issues are plenty important & am glad 4 a platform where a commercial can turn into a discussion". This was after a Nestle executive started tweeting addressing the boycotters concerns, and every- answer- given- was rejected. NOTHING Nestle was going to say was going to be good enough, so WHY?

What I was looking at, was a group of otherwise women I likely would have followed on twitter under different circumstances, acting like toddlers pitching a fit for their cause. A three year old also is glad for a platform not intended for them to be the center of attention, to BECOME a platform where their issues become the center of attention, too. There's a time and place for everything.

It was said

"The pt of using #nestlefamily was to influence the attendees & their fans. If we used a diff one, it would have gone unnoticed." That's the toddler's point, too. Instead of being patient and waiting until they can get what they want, they pitch a fit. It would have been just as easy to post under #nestlefamily (use twitlonger.com!) "Hey, mom bloggers, we have some serious concerns about Nestle's marketing practices, are you aware of X, Y, & Z? Please join us under #discussnestle to talk about these issues" and go from there. That was the arrangement we had on the iVillage boards. The debate CLs was allowed to post on support boards inviting members to their discussions about heated topics. Then the members were respected by not being forced to be involved in heated discussions.

I say that, then I think of the comments that were made: "Since when did we decide to take choice away from mothers on how they want to feed their babies?" then right after you saw:
"it's easier to make the "right" choice when someone takes away a few of the choices "for you," right?"

I HOPE that was not serious. I HOPE that was sarcastic. But, in light of the disrespect I saw happening, it would make sense that by choosing NOT to use a different hashtag and inviting the mother bloggers to join in the boycott discussion if they chose to, they were left with NO choice. That goes hand in hand with opposing formula samples being sent home in American hospitals, right? When there's NO choice, the "right" one, according to some people, will be made. The thing is, we DO live in America, where there IS choice. You have the ability TO GIVE choice.

Babies dieing in third world countries is a strong enough of a cause for it to bring attention to its self, you do not HAVE to force it on people. But it was.

But what got me today, and what made me decide to write about this, was this comment about the mom bloggers:
"When I asked her why she would ever align herself with this company and attend their blogger junket, her response was that she never said she had a problem with Nestle. Maybe so, but I think she should have a problem with Nestle." *

This is THE problem. It's okay to have an opinion, but to get irate towards another mother because she does not have a problem with a company that YOU do, is DISRESPECTFUL. It's UGLY. It's NOT the attitude I hope today's generation of children are being raised with! We are in America, and we ARE allowed to have an opinion, or lack thereof, of anything, am I wrong for believing this?

My friend (and member of LLL) once said:
"i have made lots of parenting decisions over the last 8 years and almost 4 children, some great, some good and some not so good. that is really between me my husband and God. there are plenty of things i feel strongly about; breastfeeding, vaccination, circumsion, sleeping, epidurals, staying at home etc- but for me to judge someone else or think they are a bad parent because they choose to do things differently is just plain wrong. i have made completely different choices than my parents made. does that make them bad parents? NO. we all hopefully do the best w/ what we have." (~Julie, aka earthmuffinmommy)"

So I'm sitting here at my computer, coming down with the flu, jaw dropped, ashamed. Ashamed because the Nestle boycotters, people I otherwise would have likely enjoyed following, were criticizing other mothers for accepting a good opportunity and experience in their eyes. For not respecting the fact they have the freedom to make such a choice for themselves. For questioning their ethics "because they associate with such a company". Thing is, some of those mothers did not know about the boycott and the issues surrounding it. Those mothers were STILL criticized because "they didn't do their research". The mom bloggers were damned if they did and damned if they didn't.

In my eyes, I could go back to the day I realized my milk was dried up with Jackson and a "concerned lactivist" come into MY living room and condemned me for not "doing my research", when I was not aware when everything was happening, that there WAS research to do! Then when I said "thanks for the head's up" they continued to stay and stick their finger in my face.

THAT is what was happening- the boycotters did not appear to truthfully want a dialog because NOTHING Nestle said in the conversation was accepted. Nothing was good enough, If the boycotters humbly wanted to make their issues known, they could have used the different hashtag, invited others to join, and you know what? I'm willing to bet Nestle would have joined that conversation, too. YES, respect is a BIG proponent when opening a conversation over substantial subjects. I know I would have followed both hashtags. It was sad, very sad.

What makes this worse today is, some boycotters are now personally "going after" I know of at least one of the mom bloggers. They are going the "next step" in this attack on a group of women whose only "crime" is they made a decision to do something they disagree with. It's now not OK to make your own choices and not be able to live without fear of retaliation, you have to worry who's going to attack you for your views if you do not do what people think you should based on their opinion.

There's No Liberty In a Society That Lives Like That!

I saw a blog post today where a boycotter is emailing the advertisers of a mom blogger's blog. Lets be real, it is NOT because this person is "concerned" for the advertisers, she wants to hit this blogger personally. It's vindictive. It's wrong. It's sad. What's worse is the message- "Perhaps best to stop reiterating the past bad behavior. What do u think of the issue?" from last night, to learn of the continued attacks on the mom bloggers today. ::sigh::

What do I think of the issues?

I went into my kitchen and have not one Nestle product in it.

Probably because when the Whole Foods boycott started, I joined the BUYcott (2)and haven't went to a conventional grocery store but once and that was for eggs and cheese, and I have not found those on the Nestle list of products yet. No really, I think it was July at the beach with my BFF it might have been a Stouffer's lasagna one night to feed the eight kids we were in charge of. Or was that beach trip of '08? I was with BFF, that I remember.

But no, I'm not boycotting Nestle, I'm buycotting Whole Foods (@WholeFoods, @WFMWinston), and Whole Foods does not carry Nestle.

I am, however, more concerned about babies dieing in America than third world countries. Babies such, who are born alive outside of their mother's womb despite an attempted abortion, and medical workers leaving them to die because of fears of lawsuits- because there wasn't supposed to be a surviving baby. I'm more concerned about these babies, who, President Obama, when offered a chance to defend these babies and give them a chance to live, chose to defend abortion. When a baby is outside the womb, "abortion" doesn't apply. Meet Gianna, a woman who actually survived a third trimester abortion attempt.

I am, however, more concerned about things like this-

"The December issue of Natural Family Online magazine (www.naturalfamilyonline.com) features a new analysis which finds that formula feeding doubles infant death rates for babies in the United States. Health educator and author Dr. Linda Folden Palmer's report, based on several decades of research from the U.S. and across the world, reveals that the use of infant formula costs the lives of an estimated 9,335 U.S. babies each year." * (article based on '04 report, has it gotten better?)

I am concerned about the infants, children, and adults dieing of malaria in Africa, a developing country, because of the increased pressure from environmental organizations pressing for the banning of DDT, which can control malaria when used. The solution is so simple in that case, except .... (shaking head)

Oooohhhhhhhh but WAIT! I don't believe in global warming, but Whole Foods supports a number of causes linked to defeating global warming!! What am I to do? They obviously support causes contrary to my personal beliefs ... and ethics? If you really want to stretch it- I mean, if Whole Foods supports environmental causes, then how am I to know they are not indirectly contributing to the deaths of the infants and children dieing in Africa due to malaria? Oh wow ... what am I left with? Choosing lesser expensive organic food, more humane treatment of animals, fair trade coffee .... or a conventional grocery store where I can't afford their organic food and don't care for processed food?

Oh that's right. I have the right to choose my battles. I can choose to shop at Whole Foods and not support certain "environmental" causes- like the lobbying to ban the use of DDT in Africa.

That's my choice.

Just like it was the mom blogger's choice to make to do what they did.

Things could have went so much better. Just because the mom bloggers smiled and worked with the boycotters does not mean what the boycotters done was right, it means they were appeased, just like the toddler is appeased by getting their piece of candy after pitching a fit in the store. There was a better way, and it was not done, now people are still being personally attacked.

Officially taking a break

2009-09-21T05:51:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,

I know you have noticed I have not posted anything new in a week or so. I have a few new projects open and right now cannot balance those and blogging, so I'm going to take a short break for now. I will continue to post on the Facebook fanpage daily, as well as on Twitter: @CalvaryGirl (for political conversation) and @myflydays (everything else but politics), please join me there so we can keep in touch!

Remembering 9-11

2009-09-11T06:10:00.004-04:00

I have decided to show my kids the coverage from that horrific morning. Should you decide today to do the same (if they have not already seen it), here are the clips. I watched it on local NBC at the time but I found CNN so we'll go with that.

This is more than 30 minutes of coverage.

At the very end there's a song to listen to as well.

The Pentagon news:

The falling of the south tower:

Invitation to Remember 9.11 (WS, NC)

2009-09-09T10:32:00.001-04:00

Rep. Dale Folwell would like to invite you to attend Remember 9.11 -

A Nation remembers September 11, 2001

5:30-6:30 pm
Friday, September 11, 2009
(reception follows in the Fellowship Hall)

Ardmore United Methodist Church
630 S. Hawthorne Road

All are welcome to join us for a Service of Remembrance.

Stats about me

2009-09-09T10:21:00.001-04:00

from a Facebook application:

You have 311 friends, 191 more than average. 26% are male, 74% are female. 41 are single, 201 are dating or married. If you contracted a deadly variant of flu, you would likely infect 11 people, 1 of whom would die. If you died today, an estimated 456 people would try to attend your funeral. Based on your Facebook profile, you have a 91% probability of getting married. You are likely to earn US$2.7 million and have 2.3 children over your lifetime.

Someone better tell Jay about me getting married, he might wanna know about that ;o)

9-11 and kids: the discussion

2009-09-09T06:43:00.002-04:00

There's a discussion started on my Facebook-CalvaryGirl page concerning 9-11 and discussing it with kids - are you there?

Jack Webb schools Obama on America

2009-09-08T14:42:00.001-04:00

Big thanks to American Thinker for posting it first!

A giant is awakening

2009-09-07T12:56:00.001-04:00

Encouragement

2009-09-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. ...it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works." --- Psalm 73:26,28

Prayer requests

2009-09-03T09:25:00.003-04:00

We have a few things happening right now:

Jackson is feeling very cruddy. Normally he does not get sick. I'm not sure if it is because I have been kicking up so much dust in the past week his allergies are aggrivated or not. He looks quite puny. Benedryl helped him sleep last night. I gave him some before school but my fear is that he's going to be sleepy all day. Not to mention school pictures are today, I can only imagine the expression he's going to have *g*
Jay is working a LOT. His new job is very stressful and requires long hours. The Lord knows what's really needed to get those issues resolved, we're hoping this is a temporary thing and after a while can be remedied. This is a real strain for our family right now, but my biggest concern is him.
My headaches are becoming more frequent. I'm starting to be in a zone where I'm constantly waiting for a migraine to "kick in", cause all of my headaches feel like they are potential migraines. That's no way to live. I'm wondering if I have me eyes checked and get glasses or contacts if that would make a difference. If thats the case, we need to figure out how to work that in the budget. We need to get Jackson's glasses, first, though.
I have family traveling from PA to NC (here) Friday. They need travel mercies.

Thank you!

James 5:15-17

15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

17Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Where's Wendy?

2009-09-02T05:23:00.003-04:00

Is she ever busy?! I thought moms got to cool things off when the kids went back to school? not this school year it seems! I've been trying to declutter since July when we had the huge yard sale. It was a huge success, but we need to have another one. That's been the plan. So much, we put all the tables together and put a tarp over everything and left it in the yard. That was July 4th weekend. Two times my sister and I have set a date for her to bring her stuff over and we do it together, massive fail. I've decided to take the playpen full of adult women's clothes to the Goodwill, and pack up the rest for a bit. Maybe in October? I have a lot of winter kid's clothes, and more adult clothes that are stashed in the garage.

Because everything is shifted around in the garage due to the yard sale, we haven't been parking in there. Since there's more "leeway", I've been able to get stuff out of the house into the garage, which frees up space in the house to rearrange things. And that's what I have been doing! I was starting with Hannah's room late last week when mom called and said some family from out of state that we have not seen in five years is coming down for a visit. She volunteered for my second cousin and her daughter to stay with us since we're about the same age and her daughter and Hannah are. I'm very excited about our upcoming visit, but wwooooowwww wow wow (as Wubzy would say...)- I still have a LOT of work to do in this house!

Seriously, I would be ashamed if anyone come in here right now. Stuff strewn everywhere. If someone offered to help me, I would not know where to start them. Well, that's a lie. I would tell them to put the bunk bed up in Hannah's room and make the beds. (Kristi?) So my goal today is to find the living room and dining room. But, I also have a bunch of cooking to do, too. I done a big grocery trip yesterday and need to process some things.

OK STOP THE PRESSES.
I'm sitting here typing this on my laptop on my bed. The (master) bathroom door is open, the lights in there are on plus the bedroom light. Out of the corner of my eye I see about SIX INCHES of naked white tail headed towards my jacuzzi bathtub!! As I feel my heart jump in my throat I hear a faint flutter sound and it's gone. The front paneling is off due to a leak a while back, so there's a hole in the floor. THERE WAS AN OPOSSUM IN MY BATHROOM JUST NOW!! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
Oddly enough, this makes sense. Jay saw one go under the air conditioner unit a few weeks ago but could not tell where it went. Somehow it has gotten under the house and found the hole in the floor that actually leads to underneath the house in the bathroom. Jay just said he didn't realize the hole went all the way through that there was another layer of flooring under the tub. WELL NOW WE KNOW! We just got off the phone, I hope he realizes he is coming home early today! That's one way to get out of work "I got to go home, there's an opossum in my house and my wife is freaking out."

What was I talked about? Food. Yes, food. Whole foods had a great deal on chicken yesterday, $2.99/lb.. so I bought three pounds. I'm going to do Jessica Seinfeld's "Tortilla cigars" and try freezing them for the kid's lunches. It has cream cheese in the recipe, think it will work? I also bought a BIG bag of spinach (3 lbs for $5), and one of cauliflower so cook, puree, and freeze for future Seinfeld recipes. I also have celery and carrots to cut into sticks, and some Amberjack fish to divvy up into individual bags to freeze. That is the only fish Hannah will eat. It's very good if I say so myself. We are LOADED down in tilapia, flounder, and mahi mahi, but she won't touch it. (We were blessed with the contents of a friend's deep freezer when they moved.) It has the texture of a chicken thigh, which I think has a big deal to do with why she likes it. Praise the Lord for Whole Foods and their massive sampling, that's all I'm sayin'! It was on sale for $7.99/lb ($4 off) so I bought four two inch pieces to freeze and use when we have tilapia. (I don't mind fixing a different fish when we're having fish, it's the separate meal all together is what peeves me.)

Right now I'm making yogurt in the crockpot. Yes, it works :) This time I'm going to experiment with adding some vanilla extract to it. I found a recipe for a "clean" (aka healthy) shrimp scampi with orzo and corn, so I'm also going to fix that today and portion it out for Jackson's lunches. That boy LOVES shrimp scampi. So that's the plan. Pray for me today, I'll sure need it!

Jackson strikes again!

2009-08-29T14:50:00.003-04:00

"Mom, what do you call it when you put corn on a swan's head?"

:: I have a confused look on my face ::

"Corn on the cob!"

:: I look at him like he has a third eye ::

"MooOOoommm!! A male swan is called a COB. It has CORN on his head, GET IT?"

with this "duuuhh" look on his face.

I ruined it. Sorry bud, mom's just not that smart.

My twitter philosophy

2009-08-29T07:37:00.003-04:00

I try to be a good tweep, I really do. I very much enjoy Twitter and if I'm not careful it can dominate huge chunks of time out of my day. Since joining Twitter in march and seeing how everything "works", I have come up with a tweet-relationship policy that works for me. I follow people because I enjoy their tweets. I do not follow people with the expectation that they are going to follow me back. This whole "I'll follow you if you follow me" game frankly, bugs me. I do not want to follow real estate tweets, I am the least interested in real estate. If a real estate representative is a conservative Christian who follows politics, they would LOVE to read my @CalvaryGirl account. A Christian who does not care for politics would enjoy my @myflydays account, as it is "politics free".

I've learned that there are people who will only follow you IF you are following them. I'm sorry, I do not mean offense towards those of you who roll that way, I do not. I find that to be a relationship of forced intentions. Do not make me be your friend, I'll make that decision on my own.

I do get the emails from Twitter saying when someone is following you. I am three weeks behind. At first I was guilting myself for not getting through them fast enough but I learned something. You see I follow @tless, Twitter Less, an application that sends you a weekly email of those who have dropped you. I've found DoesFollow.com, a site in which you enter a user's name, and your name, and it will show if that person is following you or not.

This is my "system":

When I get my TwitterLess notification, I open that page for "the list". I used to feel bad cause I would look at people's profiles, and possibly start following a couple of profiles- and they would re-follow me. That's when I caught on. That was the game.
Now, after opening the list, I open DoesFollow, and verify that these people are indeed not following me. If TWO apps says no, I believe it can be accurate.
I then go to my email, and do a search for that user name. What I have found is that 99% of these people who are dropping me have started following me over the weekend. Since I participate in #followfriday, I realize that it is an opportunity for people to "network". It is also an opportunity for people to play the "I'll follow you if you follow me" game, too. What I realized is when I started following people after they dropped me, that they would happily be my friend again- which makes me doubt whether they actually pay attention to what I tweet in the first place. If they do not, then they really do me no good then, do they? They are just a number in my follower's list, and I do not care about that.

My solution? That "John Doe is following you" email is deleted. So when I DO sit down, and start going through the emails and following new people, I am following people who are more likely following me because they WANT to be following me. If I find their tweets comparable to my interests, then I will follow them back. I do not follow everyone back, and I understand that not everyone who I follow, will want to follow ME back, either.

What liberal leaning "green" mom is going to want to follow a right leaning new political activist who believes in conservation of our resources (and organic freak) but does NOT believe global warming is real? Likely, none. (I realize the hybrid I am!) But depending on the topics of their tweets (organic food 80% of the time, supports @wholefoods despite the stupid boycott, for example), I will follow them. That was a big part in my inspiration in creating a separate account. Us moms can differ on politics and still do our best to be the best parents our children can have, and enjoy foodie and mama talk. Common ground can be found.

If those who have unfollowed me actually have a profile I might enjoy, eventually, I'll run into it. And follow it. and they can follow me back if they choose.

Dear piano knowledgeable friends:

2009-08-27T09:13:00.002-04:00

I need your help. We are looking to put Hannah in piano lessons, but need to get a piano. I've seen some ads in the paper for pianos between $300-$500. The one for $500 says "excellent condition". Does this sound like appropriate prices for a piano? I envisioned more than that myself, but I do not know anything about pianos.

Help?

Kitchen conversations epi 1

2009-08-25T17:29:00.002-04:00

Hannah: "Mommy!!! I don't WANT vegetables in my chicken!!"

Jackson (as he is standing at the stove stirring the stiry fry): "Hannah don't you want to be healthy? You're gonna get the FLU and be out of school for two months. Then you're gonna have to make up ALL that work!"

:: I snort ::

Jackson: "Whuut? I'm trying to act more like a father ..."

:: I am trying not to lose it, as I'm headed to the bedroom to post this ::

Jackson from the kitchen across the house: "I AM going to be in COLLEGE in eight years ya know!"

553 Cool Verses: Praise Psalm of David

2009-08-25T12:01:00.001-04:00

1 Chronicles 16

7Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

8Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

9Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

10Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

11Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

12Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

13O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

14He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
________________________________

23Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.

24Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.

25For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.

26For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

27Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.

28Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

29Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

30Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

31Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.

32Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.

33Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth.

34O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

35And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.

36Blessed be the LORD God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the LORD.

Seek, and you'll find

2009-08-24T05:21:00.001-04:00

John 3

15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Something was said today about "seeker sensitive" churches, and I just run across this passage in my reading. I've always doubted the "seeker" movement because God is good just as He is, for the young and old. A four year old thinks a circus is great, and wants to go. But we should not be making our churches proverbial circuses so people might want to come. If a church is presenting the gospel in a clear, loving but straight forward manner, then those who are wanting to find God, IS going to find God.

What happens when they do not accept Him is when they are not ready to give up control in their lives, I believe. That control that makes you feel like you're doing to have to "do-do-do" once you become a Christian. They might accuse the church of being "judgmental" when its completely possible that the holy spirit is convicting them of their sins, and they are trying to deflect the attention of their sinful nature the spirit is bringing to their minds. They know that God looks at sin as evil, bad, but they are too comfortable with their sin to want to acknowledge the fact if they were right with God, they would eventually give it up. Who likes change, anyway? Most people don't. They let fear of the "how -to's" of the "do-do-do's" boggle their mind down to think they must do some cleaning up of their acts before they are "ready" to get saved. (There is never a wrong time to be saved!)

So they put it off. This is when some people become bitter in their refusal to acknowledge the working of the holy spirit on their conscious. I truly believe these are the "Christian-haters". We've all seen them, I'm sure. The ones who jump the gun and insult anything and everything that could possibly have anything to do with God. Public prayer, conservatism (though, hard to believe but not all conservatives are Christian!), so forth. They HATE the light, in truth. They do not HATE Christians, they hate what Christians stand for. God is their kryptonite and if they were truthful with themselves, they could realize the deep rooted reasons behind their response to anything holy.

But those who WANT to know the truth, will find the truth. God will see to it. There are testimonies of people in third world countries who knew there was a creator and called to whoever it was that created them to show Himself to them, and then a missionary arrives to share the gospel with them and they confess their sin and get saved. That's the problem in this country, I believe. People expect entertainment as the world knows it when they go to the place of worship, and somehow, they miss the truth. Churches today need to stop looking at the "do-do-do's" of how to get people to come to church, and they need to start looking at the "how to's" the bible presents us with and run with it.

Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

"God is like electricity, you cannot see him, but you can still see the light"

-- a former "they"

$100 Dicks Sporting Goods giveaway

2009-08-22T12:59:00.002-04:00

Feisty, Frugal, and Fabulous is hosting a giveaway for Dick's Sporting Goods. It's very easy, follow Dicks on Twitter (link in giveaway post) and in your comment share what you would buy. Oh how easy that was for me!

I could blow $100 wide open there in hunting supplies alone! I might get Jay a new hunting blind; or maybe some archery targets (for me and Jackson), or perhaps a lot of smaller miscellaneous things that will be needed during the season.

Or some girlie looking outdoors stuff. Or the kid's some new soccer supplies. Oh the possibilities are endless at that store. It's Jay's "happy place".

I can't believe I done that

2009-08-19T06:05:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I was looking through the upcoming themes for the I Heart Faces contests, and was really excited to see "bubbles" as a category. As you know bubbles has been a big theme on this blog lately. I spent Monday and Tuesday at the kid's school helping the teachers get ready for school open house Tuesday night and school starting on Thursday. Monday night I had visitation, and last night was open house. What did I do? I forgot to put up and enter my entry! I had the perfect picture!-

I love it. Amanda has some darling pictures and her entry up, toodle over there and check hers out!

Message to our children

2009-08-18T08:52:00.001-04:00

I love King David. Out of all of the people in the bible, I am drawn to David most. The Lord saw fit to show him at his best, and at his worst. Though David he shows the potential we have as humans to be righteous, pleasing to God, on the mountaintop, as well as in the valleys, at our worst with sin in our lives taking rule. Having clinical depression, I relate with David greatly because after reading about him you can see the same highs and lows in him that a Christian dealing with clinical depression would have in their own lives. David "makes it real".

I'm reading in Chronicles now, and run into David's charge to Solomon for when he will become King over Israel. I am wowed each time I read about David, and this time is no exception. David tells Solomon what we all should be telling our children (and remember for ourselves!):

1 Chronicles 28
9And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

20And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

What comfort and security is to be found in these verses! David in these verses was leaving a legacy of holiness to his child, assurance of the faithfulness of our God. He not only tells him how good God is, but how HOLY he is as well. Oftentimes we tend to forget to remind our children how HOLY God is.

Lately I have been reminding our children when things are not going well for them, how what they are experiencing could possibly be the result of unconfessed sin in their life that they have not repented from. In my own life it has been hard enough to keep that in the forefront of my own life, I want to train my children to have that thought second nature unlike their mom's experience. I don't want them to forget that our God will not tolerate sin in our lives, and when we walk in sin and with self centered prideful attitudes, we lose our fellowship with God and our prayers will be hindered.

Likewise, I want them to be confident of the faithfulness of our God. This is why it is important to always remind them when God's faithfulness is being revealed in our lives. We experienced the loss of an infant family member just a number of months ago, that we were very close with and spent an unordinary amount of time with. That tragedy was devastating to our family and I've felt as if I lost one of my own children. It's one thing to experience the loss of an infant as an adult, but imagine what goes through the mind of a tender 6 year old girl's heart when thinking about God allowing a baby to die. Imagine feeling helpless as you watch her go through the motions of grief, not really knowing what do to but praying without ceasing! Yet, time heals all hurts. It is when I see her able to look at the baby's picture, and not burst into uncontrollable tears, I am able to show her how God has helped her in her grief. How God has given her peace in her heart to be able to start thinking about how much she loved the baby, without having the overwhelming thoughts of how much she misses it.

God is so good, so faithful, and so true to us. We don't know why God allowed the baby to die, but we do know he done it for His glory. That, we can count on. He started a work in us the day the baby died, and one day we might be able to minister to another family that experienced the same thing we did. One day my daughter might be able to comfort a classmate that does not know Christ, who experienced the loss of an infant in their life. I want my children to understand and be confident that when they seek the Lord, they will find Him. That as long as they are seeking Him, He will finish the work He started in them until the day He returns. *

Originally posted September 16, 2008

New Wallpaper

2009-08-17T07:54:00.003-04:00

I am so ready for fall. I believe as soon as school starts it should turn over to fall. However, the Lord didn't design it like that, we have a little while to wait, huh? That doesn't have to stop me from starting on fall designs now though, right? I hope not because I got a darling freebie from Digital Freebies that just screams fall to me, so I created a new wallpaper with it:

View a larger version of it here.

If you like this, you have until this Thursday to download it for yourself here, for free!

I'm also going to be switching my Twitter background to a version of this soon. I thought this was "man" enough for Jay to have as his background for his desktop too- what do you think? I'm planning on offering this (minus our pictures) as a freebie but I thought some wordart would look good where the pictures would be.

What quote would be good for this wallpaper? any suggestions?

Got Purse-onality?

2009-08-17T00:00:00.002-04:00

My church had a ladies fellowship called "Got Purse-onality?". Everyone was to bring one (or more) new, or lightly used purse for a purse swap. We had a potluck dinner and our Pastor's wife gave a nice devotion. I had a very good time. The decorations were adorable. We're very fortunate to have such talented, creative ladies in our ladies ministry. I am so grateful for my sisters in Christ!

Our fellowship hall used to be the auditorium until we bought an old grocery store and remodeled it a half a mile from the building shown. The school is behind this building, and they have chapel here every week / day.

The tables were decorated so pretty.

I like that last sentence in the instructions ;-)

lots of PURSES!

me and Lizzy.

Turn and wait

2009-08-15T14:18:00.000-04:00

"Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment and wait on thy God continually."
Hosea 12:6

Family Friday: Girls Day Out

2009-08-14T08:26:00.006-04:00

It's Family Friday time again! Family Friday is hosted by HomemakerBarbi.com, thank you Danielle! Danielle has also launched two new sites in recent weeks you might want to check out:

And Freebies For All (and)

Mommy Blogger

I'm excited about today. I'm actually behind on my day right now but that's how it's been all week it seems! I learned about Crazy 8 children's clothing a few months ago. We are huge Gymboree fans, and this is a "sister store" of Gymboree. I received an email via Gymboree on Wednesday that a Crazy 8 store was opening in the next city, yay!! Not only that but a $10 off of $30 purchase coupon, too! So Hannah and I are headed off in a little while to do some back to school shopping. The kids are going back to their private Christian school this year. They have went there their whole school careers except for this past year when they went to a charter school, and that was not a very good experience for Jackson.

Hannah and I went shopping last weekend since it was tax free weekend, and I was amazed at how much money we saved in school supplies. We literally spend half as much money, or more (versus what we did last year), not counting book bags. It made me wonder- how is it that this small, private school can accomplish so much more with so much less, than the large public charter school? Of course the answer was easy- God is behind the small private school and is an integral part of its daily operation, He isn't in the public school. We're very excited about the upcoming school year that starts on the 20th. I've been helping Jackson's teacher this week get the classroom ready and its been a great blessing.

We've recent had a big family event happen: Braden turned three! Braden is our great nephew, brother to ^Jordan^.

Check out the recent Braden posts from his birthday and videos from the party:

Happy Birthday Braden!

You might be a redneck IF ...

Braden's birthday (Thomas the train is yummy)

Braden and bubbles

We've also reached a milestone with food. Hannah asked me yesterday if I can get her a Sigg bottle to send her water to school for lunch, because she has started to like drinking water. Praise the Lord! Miracles never cease. Read more about the recent food revelations.

Have a great weekend! I look forward to reading your Family Friday posts, be sure to leave your links with your comments!

Megyn Kelly takes on dep WH Press Secretary

2009-08-13T22:38:00.002-04:00

Megyn Kelly, my favorite news anchor, grills deputy White House press secretary concerning the collection of emails this morning on America's Newsroom:

Megyn talking about it on O'Reilly tonight:

I find it interesting in the first clip the gentleman accusing Megyn of getting out of sorts when clearly megyn held control of the interview, focus, and facts on the matter.

You?

Just love God

2009-08-13T09:40:00.005-04:00

Deuteronomy 10
12And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

13To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

14Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

15Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.

16Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

Why is it we have such a hard time just loving God? Why do we tend to look at him like this big boogey man in the sky ready to strike us down for the least indiscretion? Or worse, only look to Him in times of trial? Or only mention Him when the unexplainable happens, the big things? When those big things happen, and He is mentioned, why is He only looked at as a "mystery"? There's very little mystery to God! If you draw close to him through His Word, you will understand the things of life. You will be able to appreciate not only the big miracles in life, but appreciate the little things that work out as well. You will be able to thank Him after you go to the office fridge hoping there's water in there and not only soft drinks, because He worked that out for you. No, He did not "magically" put it in the fridge as you were walking to it, but he knew you would want water when you had your snack so He saw to it that water was put in the fridge and cold before you even thought of it. YES, that's God!

When you love someone, your thoughts are continually on that person. If there ever was a person we should love with everything we have and continually have our thoughts on, it should be Jesus Christ. He died for our sins. We could be looking forward to an eternal lake of fire when we died, but because He loved us, He died for our sins so we could spend eternity in heaven with Him in glory. God is holy, and cannot be in the presence of sin. We are BORN in sin, and only until we accept that fact and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will not have the assurance of our eternity in heaven when we die. It is only through the blood, it does not matter how good or nice of a person we were when we lived, only that the blood of Christ washed our sins away.

Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Lets come to a point where we truly appreciate this fact. When we are able to grasp just what was done for us, and just how perfect our God is, we can truly start to love Him. If we focus on getting to know Him better, just like in a relationship, we will continually "fall" deeper and deeper in love. Sin will bother us, because we will be more transformed into His image, and God cannot be in the presence of sin. As a result of being so close to him, the trials will be more bearable, and life will be more peaceable. Our perspectives will change for the wiser, and we will gain a deeper burden for the lost.

Acts 3:19
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

The lost is where God's burden is, that is why He sent His son to die for us. He wants us to be with Him. We need to be His messengers, but until we appreciate what He has done for us, how can we share with others what He can do for them?

How can you convince someone something tastes good, when you have not tasted it yourself? Why would I want to buy an item you have told me was just "ok"?

Psalm 34:8
"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him"

People need to SEE God in our lives. If we are not loving Him, then people SEE that we are not loving Him. When was the last time you praised Him in someone Else's presence? When was the last time you explained to someone why you do, or do not do something because of your God-lead convictions? How often do you read your bible? How important is church attendance in your life? What are the things you put before church functions ... and serving the Lord? Are you afraid of what others might say when you throw a "monkey wrench" in plans because of your dedication to church and / or ministry? Do not let foolish pride keep you from growing closer to the one who holds your life in His hands.

Love Him. Just love God.

Tell Me Thursday: Here kitty kitty

2009-08-13T08:11:00.004-04:00

Tell Me Thursday is hosted by tellmethursday.com , be sure to hop over and see other participant's posts! Last week I was missing the beach, this week, Im introducing you to some family pets. Yep, you heard right!

Yesterday you saw Sheba and baby. Braden's (2) (paternal) grandparents own them. They have had wildlife in their back yard for ten years or better now. Sheba I believe is about that old. The baby's father is Charlie, who passed away a few months ago. They have a number of acres "out in the country" , very pretty area.

The view from the driveaway / back yard behind the house:

Hannah visiting Charlie last year ('08):

Charlie- there are two rows of fencing that are cemented a few feet into the ground for support:

Charlie- he was such a beautiful animal:

Part of the field and the shed where the deer used to live:

Chilling townhall comments

2009-08-12T09:14:00.004-04:00

If you listen to nothing else, listen to the first man who speaks in this video. I heard it on the radio yesterday out running errands and got chills down my arms. From what I have been seeing apparently it's UnAmerican of our elder citizens to raise their voices towards our elected officials at these town halls. I think not. This is probably the first time these men and women have gotten involved in the civic process after watching the decline of our country for a good long while. They have a right to be this passionate, and even loud. It's quite an act of hypocrisy to say these people should remain calm, when ACORN and the like shout and are as loud as they are. What this video doesn't show that I saw on another clip was a man coming behind the first gentleman and grabbed him by the arms and tried to shove him down. Yeh, THAT'S patriotic!

Katy Abram, the lady speaking in the blue shirt, actually got a call on her cell phone yesterday (the day this was filmed) with someone calling her a racist. A Racist? Really? What in the world does race have to do with not wanting the executive branch of your country to take an unprecedented power grab into the loves of its citizens? In my experience, when some have no reasonable argument, they result to calling names, plain and simple. I believe the maturity level never reached above high school in those instances. Enjoy the video.

They sure don't look like astroturf, or paid by anyone.

Feel free to leave your thoughts, or tweet this post using this URL: http://bit.ly/7FhFs

Wordless Wednesday: Here kitty kitty

2009-08-12T01:11:00.008-04:00

Find more Wordless Wednesday posts at WordlessWednesday.com, The Not So Blog, and Five Minutes For Mom. Come back tomorrow for Tell Me Thursday: About Wordless Wednesday, and learn the story behind these pics!

Food revelations

2009-08-11T07:45:00.005-04:00

Last week I mentioned some of the changes Hannah has come upon in recent weeks. She is doing very well with food these days. She used to be very, very picky with food. Processed and junk foods are of the devil, I'm starting to believe. I've done a lot of reading over time about food, and what's best for the body and I'm starting to really appreciate the wisdom the Lord will give us especially as mothers when we ask for it, concerning how to raise our children, including what goes in their bellys. I'm not an average weight by far, and this has been a personal struggle for me in recent years. I am just not comfortable in my own skin. I have learned that one person in a family cannot combat their battles and trials alone- it takes the whole family to do it. Yes, everyone is responsible for their choices, but when it comes to strife in the home, if one's choices are not respected then not everyone is going to benefit in the situation.

My brother in law has been staying with us in the past few weeks. Monday a week ago, he treated the kids and I to Arby's. Since last Monday, we had not eaten fast food at all until Sunday night. I had cooked everything at home. I also tried some new recipes last week that worked well. One, which was something I come up with on my own- not so good. I got halfway through my Wendy's chicken sandwich when I realized, I truly was not enjoying that sandwich like I used to. Jay had even made sure the fries and sandwich were fresh, but it was different. My taste buds had already started changing. By the time I went to bed, my stomach was bothering me.

Yesterday, (Monday) Hannah and I went out to eat with my parents. I got what I usually order at this particular restaurant, "real" chicken tenders fried greek style, and crispy french fries. Same thing. I did not have the same enjoyment I used to have eating that meal. Furthermore, I felt like a block of lead was sitting in my stomach. Last night at a church dinner I attended- same thing. "Normal"- non whole foods, and by the time I got home last night I was in cramps!

In my head I knew this was a likely occurance for someone who had been eating primarily whole foods (as in, foods closest to their natural state, not "from" Whole Foods.) I realized, last week, no one complained about what I fixed, and everyone ate what was fixed and liked it. Yes, there was one night Jay fixed fried potatoes and onions, but beyond that- chicken from the grill, salads, watermelon for dessert. Great stuff. Beyond Hannah, Jay is the greatest whole food critic in this house. The times he was "exposed" to the foods I fixed (which, actually weren't many), he did not complain. He has no idea how far that has went for me and how encouraged I am right now with this food revelation: It can be done, you do feel better, and you can keep doing it.

Because when you are not the overweight one, the food issues really shouldn't be about you. It should be about who needs the biggest benefit from the food being fixed. Because nothing tastes as good as being healthy / skinny / thin feels.

This post is shared at Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday. Now hop on over to Carrie and Amy Lynne's blog and see what they're thankful for this week :)

Braden and bubbles

2009-08-11T00:01:00.003-04:00

We got Braden a Winnie The Pooh bubble wand for his birthday. That thing is HUGE. I want one! It is one of those things where you wouldn't pay for your own kids to have one, but because it's a gift, the price is justified. Am I the only one that thinks like that? (I hope not!) He LOVED his bubbles. I knew he would. Because I'm the "cool" aunt and cool aunts get the best stuff for birthdays, right? Ok, that's what I tell myself at least. I mentioned before loving to hear him talk. We don't get to spend much time with him anymore and weren't around really when he started talking in sentences and so forth, so I really enjoyed this. Three year old giggles are so adorable!!

The UNAmerican father

2009-08-10T18:20:00.002-04:00

This is the Michigan father who Pelosi calls UnAmerican, and his congressman calls a troublemaker:

Thoughts?