To Those Who ENDURE...

Pause

2011-01-19T11:41:00.001-06:00

I’m going to get back to a second post of “around town” pictures. Just haven’t had time to go through the pictures folder, find them and put them in a post yet. But I did run across a nice video that really made me pause and think. I sure saw my impatient self in this video. Maybe you will see a glimpse of yourself in it as well. It will certainly make me look at the people I encounter through different eyes, and hopefully exercise a bit more patience. Can you imagine – if we could determine these things in others – how would we react and behave?

Paradigm Shift–Seeing Others Through Different Eyes

It’s been a rainy week so far, but at least only moderate temps. A bit dreary… it’s just that time of year when I begin to long for spring and flowers and budding of trees and bushes – the greening of the earth, the renewal of life as a new season comes. Of course it can be spring every day in our hearts as we are being renewed inwardly day by day.

I’ll be working on the next picture post from around town! Soon!

Around Town

2011-01-04T11:06:00.001-06:00

The small southern city we live in now is known as the “Peanut Capital of the World.” This link goes to the Visitors Bureau page and you can learn some interesting things about the area known as the Wiregrass. Back in the fall one Sunday afternoon Bobby and I went downtown and parked our car. We got out and just started walking, camera in hand. There is a lot of history here and many painted murals along the sides of old buildings tell a story of that history. Not being from here, I found it all very interesting. Of course, being a southerner, the history is familiar as many southern towns have similar histories.

There is a rich agricultural history documented in several of the murals.. from cotton to peanuts! Many worked in cotton fields and later, in peanut fields and technology advanced from hand planting and harvesting, to machinery. The two pictures below are close-ups of sections of a single very large mural.

My husband’s father was an army helicopter pilot at near-by Ft Rucker so I was interested in the mural above. It made me think of him. Apparently there was a malaria outbreak around here in the early 1800’s and it was severe. There is a recovery camp (tent hospital) depicted in one mural. I included the information plaque below. Hopefully you can read some of it when you click on the picture.

There were a number of other murals scattered around downtown so I’ll make this a two part post. Stay tuned for more!

Have a great day.

De-Cluttering

2011-01-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Most of yesterday afternoon and evening I spent packing away Christmas 2010. It’s a dreaded chore that I have to psyche myself up for, but the closer I got to being finished, the more satisfied I felt. Of course over the next 48 hours my back and feet and legs will feel the pain from the many trips up the ladder to the attic to put away all those boxes. UGH! I cleaned up the kitchen from top to bottom as well, and packed away the Christmas ‘pretties’ in there.

I enjoy deep cleaning the kitchen because I love a product that I use when cleaning - Mrs. Meyers Basil Counter Top Spray. Oh goodness I do LOVE the smell of that spray! The room smells so wonderful and not at all chemical smelling. It’s a very gentle cleaner that leaves behind a light fresh and natural clean smell. It used to be somewhat difficult to find these products but several months ago W*l-M*r*t began carrying several of the lines of Mrs. Meyers products. If you have never tried any of the Mrs. Meyers products, you must get to your local W*l-M*rt. You will find them on the aisle where other household cleaners are found. They have their own section on that row. It’s sad, but I get excited over this stuff!!

Some people think that packing away all the Christmas décor makes a home look bare and depressing. Not me! I LOVE the act of de-cluttering the house and the minimal / simple / clean look that results when all the decorations are put away. It’s fun to get it all out the first of December but it is so nice to pack it up again after Christmas. I love the clean, fresh de-cluttered look after a month of lots of extra stuff being out!

As I climbed up the attic ladder with the last Rubbermaid storage box in my arms – I heard the cheerful doorknob jingle bells ringing inside the box – the bells that rang all month long, announcing every time someone walked in the front door. Their happy jingle was muffled inside the box but they were jingling nevertheless. It made me smile and I said out loud “Good-bye Christmas! See you again in 11 short months!”

For now, we will enjoy the remainder of the Christmas candles – their warm glow and lovely scents. And we will enjoy a clean home and stay warm and cozy inside, anticipating the coming spring in a few weeks! In the newness of 2011 I am reminded of the old hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

"Great is Thy faithfulness," O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
"Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Welcome 2011–The Old Has Gone, the New Has Come!

2011-01-01T21:29:00.001-06:00

The New Year came in with warmish, muggy rainy weather in the deep south last night. Thankfully we did not experience the severe weather that the Midwest had earlier. We had a quiet night at home, watching TV. I did watch the ball drop in Times Square at midnight while Bobby snored soundly in the recliner. Yesterday Bobby made a huge pot of homemade soup and we’ve been eating on that yesterday and today. It was delicious!

Today we’ve been watching bowl games all day. Of course the one we were most interested in was the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, FL. Our beloved Alabama Crimson Tide played in that one and they won by a huge margin of 49-7 against Michigan St. What can I say? The SEC rules! The younger players were put in for a good portion of the game and still it was ugly as they romped over the Spartans as easily as the starters had. ROLL TIDE ROLL!!

What will we do for the next 8 months? I’ll miss my Alabama football but I can’t wait to see next year’s Crimson Tide! They sure looked good tonight and the ‘up and coming’ youngsters are going to be GREAT! Oh well… softball is just around the corner now so we’ll be busy with that!

The girls will be home for a few more days on Christmas break. School starts back on Thursday January 6th and I know it’s hard to go back after a break but the time will fly. The school year is half over now and in a few short months Hannah will be graduating and Katelyn will be moving on to high school. I just can’t believe how the time has passed so quickly. Upon their return to school, Hannah’s softball will get cranked up as the conditioning kicks into high gear. The season will begin a few weeks later. In February Katelyn will try out for cheering at the high school for next year. I sure hope she makes it. Bless her heart, she has a very sore tailbone right now that makes it hard for her to move in certain ways. I really think it’s broken but there is little to do for that problem. She was shoved down hard during a game of yard football and it has been so sore ever since – for many weeks now. Does anyone know how long she will experience this pain? My poor girl.

I read a good article called Resolutions For American Citizens by John Hayward, posted at Mommy Life. You may want to read and carefully consider your resolutions with regard to your responsibilities as an American Citizen. It’s a very good article.

Wishing all my friends a HAPPY and HEALTHY New Year!

Christmas Recap

2010-12-30T14:55:00.001-06:00

2010 – One of the coldest Christmas seasons I can remember. We even had snow across a large part of Alabama for Christmas day –almost unheard of in the deep south! I enjoyed this season with my two babies. Hannah and Katelyn are growing up and I am increasingly aware of how short our time together is. In the blink of an eye they’ll be gone off to college and my days of mothering children will be over. Of course I’ll always be their mother but as they grow up and begin their own lives and families, my mothering responsibilities will fade to the background and we will become friends. And hopefully there will be grandchildren in my future, God willing.

We enjoyed the time of Christmas vacation from school – laughing, talking, watching tv together, baking and making Christmas goodies. We wore Christmas pajamas all day on some days. What could be more comfy on days when the weather outside is frightful and flannel pajamas are so delightful!?

Hannah and Katelyn did a little cookie baking and then while Katelyn was visiting at a friend’s house, Hannah and I did an afternoon or two of baking and dessert making. It was really fun spending that time together and I hope she will save that memory, as will I.

Hannah was dipping pretzel sticks in white chocolate – one at a time, so carefully insuring each little stick got dipped to within a half inch of the tip, leaving a little handle to grab them by. I asked her if she was getting tired of dipping them after a while and she said “Oh no… it’s fun!”

While Hannah dipped pretzels, I made Ritz Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies. Not really sure that’s what they are called, but it’s my name for them! Simply spread peanut butter on a Ritz cracker and then sandwich another Ritz on top. With a butter knife, go around the edges cleaning any excess peanut butter that squeezes out. Then dip the cracker sandwich in melted chocolate bark and lay them out on a sheet of wax paper to dry. It doesn’t take them long! If you like the combination of chocolate and peanut butter (think Reese’s!) then you’ll love these. We were busy all afternoon in that kitchen and it was delightful! Laughing, talking, creating and memory making. Even Casey kept us company, keeping a close eye on all the food prep!

Over the weekend our oldest 3 were able to get home and we all enjoyed the family time. Bobby cooked a pot full of his renown gumbo and it was a hit! We made my mom’s Christmas punch (a yearly custom which my kids clamor for!) and a batch of her Christmas Snowballs (a pecan sandy/shortbread type goodie) and just had a wonderful time. All too soon and one by one, they had to say goodbye and head back to their homes. Though we loved having them all, yesterday afternoon there was a nice ‘quiet’ in the house… an ‘unbusy-ness’ which was welcome.

Today is December 30th – a quiet, chilly, damp gray day. We are staying in and winding down today. Tomorrow we will tackle the un-decorating and packing away of Christmas 2010. As always, it was bittersweet. I missed you mama. It has been 20 Christmas’s now, since you celebrated with us. So long ago, yet 20 Christmas’s closer to the day we will see you again! ♥

Christmas Blessings

2010-12-25T19:43:00.001-06:00

Joy to the World! The Lord has come! Christmas 2010 has arrived and and is now winding down. The day brought time with some of our family, and others to arrive tomorrow.

The day brought sorrow as well as I learned of the unexpected sudden death of an online friend. For years I have followed the cancer journey of a young man named Kody. He developed a brain tumor when he was a young boy and has battled (successfully) for years. He’s now a young man in his mid teens and doing pretty well. Along the way a friendship developed and I enjoyed knowing Kody’s family through the writings of his parents (Karl and Kim) chronicling their son’s journey through cancer and ensuing treatment. We went through spells of cutting up with one another through comments/emails. Kody’s parents were a lot of fun to mess with – they were both good sports and I enjoyed their friendship. For several years we lived in Florida (they also live in FL) and I thought one day our paths might cross and we could meet even though we lived a number of hours apart. It never happened and a couple of years ago we moved back to Alabama.

I’ve continued to keep up with them but life has gone on and we’ve had our own trials and struggles as all families do. My time for commenting on blogs was more limited but I continued to read and check up on Kody and when his mom Kim started a blog, I became a regular reader but a limited commenter. Haven’t been by Kim’s blog in about a week so today I clicked on to wish all the K family a Merry Christmas. Her latest post puzzled me so I read down through the past week’s postings to see what was going on with them. I was absolutely shocked to read that on Wednesday evening, December 22, Karl was killed in a head on collision on his way home after work. I was so shocked and my heart just broke for them. On Christmas Eve as most families were preparing to gather for Christmas, they gathered to say good-bye to their daddy/husband/granddaddy. He was my age.

What a poignant reminder of the fragility of life. All our days are written in God’s book. He knows the length of our lives and the bible says not a second can be added to, or taken away from the time He has ordained for us to be here. This has always been a comfort to me, knowing I would live every moment of the life God has ordained for me but still the tragic circumstances of life tear at our hearts and we cannot comprehend so many things that happen in this life. The K family has endured so much over the years. It just seemed they had worked through so many trials and struggles and had recently bought a new home which they were so proud of. Just seemed things were looking up for them and now suddenly Karl has been taken from their lives. Without understanding of this horrible tragedy, but with faith and trust in God, I pray for their comfort and peace, and that this will draw them closer to one another and to the Lord, their sustainer in this life and beyond. May their faith not waver and may their hope grow ever stronger. God’s promises are true.

If you happen to read this Kim – God bless you and all the children. And may all of us be reminded once again – beyond this day is not promised to us. Let us live fully each day and leave nothing undone or unsaid which needs to be said. Live in love. The K family was a wonderful example of this philosophy.

I’ll write more about Christmas later.

Weekend Wrap-up

2010-12-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

Saturday was a chilly and damp sort of day so we hung out around the house trying to stay warm and fend off that damp chill. Katelyn and I sat at the kitchen table all morning and worked on Christmas cards. I addressed envelopes and she stuffed them, stamped them and placed our return address labels on each one. What a big help that was! Then we went to the post office and she dropped them in the mailbox inside so they are now on their way.

On Sunday we had a family gathering at my dad’s in Greenville, AL. That was fun as the whole family was able to be there. My sister and her husband have one daughter Abby, who is in college at the University of Kentucky. She’s two years older than Hannah and two years younger than Zachary. My brother has two children – a boy, John and a girl, Owen. Katelyn was born right in between them so they are like stepping stones. Right now they are 14, 13 and 12 years old and they always have fun when we get them together. All our crew was able to come – Nathan and his wife and Gretchen and her husband. My dad fixed a pot FULL of gumbo and a pot full of rice and some good southern baked cornbread. My sister brought some KFC for the ones who don’t care for the gumbo. She had several sides in addition to the chicken and would you believe – every bit of that food was gone!? My dad really put us over the top with his famous blueberry crisp for dessert. YUM!!

This is the time when we exchange presents with my siblings and then our older kids will be home next weekend and we’ll have a more intimate time together with them. I got some fun things this year! My brother gave me something green with Ben Franklin’s picture on it! (wink!) He also gave me a pretty tray and said he expected to be served something good on it next time he came! Hee hee. The pattern is Eddy and you can learn more about this versatile cook and serve product by clicking on the tray. The picture is not a very good one – it’s really a beautiful, high sheen metal.

My sister and family gave us money as well (boy is that good because the girls have a return visit to the dentist this afternoon for more work. What a bummer that my Christmas present goes to the dentist. SIGH) Every year she gives me a box from Victoria’s Secret as well. YAY for the ‘5 for 25’ sale! I always love the fun patterns she chooses! Just click on the picture and take a look at all the fun colors! I’m not into the fancy or sexy ones – just give me those wonderful hi-leg cotton briefs! Love em!

My sister also got me a very unique ‘hometown shop’ gift. Next time I go to Montgomery I have to check out this new shop. It’s called The Vintage Olive and they offer a wide variety of cold pressed olive oils which are infused with flavors and spices. Their menu of selections looks very interesting. I received the Tuscan Herb EVOO. Their website is very new so they don’t have any pictures I can show you but you can click the link to check out their product line. My sister said you can sample all those wonderful oils and she and my niece did just that in order to find the best one for me! YUM! I bet that was fun! It says on their site that the Tuscan Herb is excellent for bread dipping. Can’t wait! Might have to go buy some good crusty bread today!

Even though we were not really having ‘Christmas’ with our kids yet, my oldest two both brought us a little something. Nathan and Amelia gave me a Best Buy Gift card and Gretchen and Joe gave me something I’ve had on my wish list at Amazon – George Bush’s “Decision Points” book which was recently released. I enjoyed all those interviews ‘W’ gave this past month so was really wanting to read the book! Yay! Happy reading ahead for me! And now it’s on to Christmas – 5 days and counting!

If you are interested in reading George Bush’s ‘Decision Points’ you can click on this link to get it from Amazon.

Toothless in Dixie…

2010-12-17T22:05:00.001-06:00

Well, not exactly toothless… but missing lots of teeth tonight. No… NOT ME! Ha ha! Poor Casey, our beagle had dental surgery this morning. She had to have all of her upper jaw teeth pulled. OUCH! Her teeth have been icky for so long. This

time last year I paid for dental surgery on her and unfortunately the vet I took her to did not do all the work he needed to do. He pulled one tooth but there were several that needed attention. It’s risky to put elderly dogs under anesthesia as sometimes they don’t wake up. Casey will be 16 yrs. old in May. So it was upsetting to me when a month after that 1st surgery and as soon as her antibiotics ended, her mouth developed that familiar foul odor that indicated infection was present.

Needless to say, I never went back to that vet. I changed vets. I heard about a wonderful vet about 20 minutes away in a very small rural town south of us. So in May we went in for the annual check-up and shots and then he took a look at her teeth. He shook his head and said “OH MY! These are really grodie.” I told him I had just had a dental done on her and was very disappointed to see her in this shape again. I couldn’t afford to turn around and do it again right away and neither did I want my sweet little Casey to go under anesthesia again. She didn’t appear to be in any pain, she just had stinky breath. So we waited. And things got worse. And we finally got to that point where it began to cause her pain and it was going to affect her health in some serious ways.

Yesterday she went to visit the vet and he said “We are to that point between a rock and a hard place. It’s risky to put one to sleep at her age…sometimes they don’t wake up. But this infection is going to kill her if we don’t take care of it.” So we agreed she really needed to have some teeth pulled. This morning she went back and her sweet vet pulled 5 jaw teeth. Having already lost two, she has nothing left up top anymore. SIGH. He called me this morning to let me know she had made it through the anesthesia and surgery just fine and she could go home this afternoon. When I arrived to get her, he said this was one of the worst cases he had ever seen. Thankfully she tolerated the anesthesia well and he was able to really get in there and clean things up and get rid of all those rotten teeth.

As I prepared to leave with my very groggy doggie, our good doctor said “she might not be able to eat for several days but try to keep her drinking. Call if you need anything over the weekend and please call Monday and give us a report on how she’s doing.” Well, that silly dog came home, slept a LONG time. And when she woke, she realized she had slept through her suppertime! She got a spoon full of canned food with her antibiotic stuffed in it. Carefully licked that up and looked at me for more. So I spooned out a bit more. She ate that, licked the plate to death and looked at me as if to say “is this it? You DO know that I missed breakfast this morning, right?” So I soaked her dry food in hot water, mashed it up and she gobbled that down (carefully!) Then I worried she might upchuck it all because she is still having some anesthesia affects. So far so good – it seems to be staying down. So much for being in too much pain to eat! He obviously did not realize there is no such thing as a hound being in too much pain to eat! If she doesn’t eat, it will be because she is dead! LOL! Dogs! Gotta love em! I snapped the picture with my cell phone a little while ago. She was curled up at my feet in her little bed, snoring.

Get well soon sweet Casey!

Cookies… Cookies… Cookies!

2010-12-16T08:39:00.000-06:00

Hannah and Katelyn have been baking cookies this past week. Katelyn baked some chocolate chip cookies that barely lasted 24 hours! Of course no one ‘ate them all’ – they simply disappeared! They had those yummy big chocolate chunks in them.

Then Hannah baked some snicker doodle cookies which are her favorite. We still have a few crumbs left of those; they lasted slightly longer! She added extra cinnamon and they tasted so buttery and cinnamon-y!

It’s nice to have girls who are old enough to turn loose in the kitchen. I think we’ll do some peanut butter cookies with kisses on top next. Any predictions on how long those will last?? We seem to have a house full of cookie monsters!

Cookies fill the tummy with love!

December Happenings

2010-12-15T11:38:00.001-06:00

Well we are midway through the month of December and as usual, it has proven to be a month of challenges. Hannah had her first of two dental appointments this past Monday and had several deep fillings that involved some pulp treatment before filling. I sure hope they work and she will be pain free. She has another appointment this coming Monday to do the rest. Katelyn will also be going Monday for a bit of dental work as well. Poor kiddos.

This week is a rough one as the girls are having final exams for the semester. They are more than ready to be out of school for a little break. Two more days after today… they can make it!

We have a sick doggie as well. She’s been coughing a lot so I’ll be calling the vet and seeing if we can get her in and get her on the road to recovery as well. Merry Christmas to the dentist and the vet – not so merry for us.

The winter sickness has found me as well, and I have been battling a sore throat, impacted sinuses and cough, cough coughing. UGH! Nyquil is my friend of necessity right now. It will be a good day when the misery goes away.

There was some excitement from Panama City as many of you may know. They made the national news yesterday when a man with a gun interrupted the school board meeting. After a rant about his wife being fired from the school system, he opened fire on several board members. Thankfully none of them were injured, but the gunman was shot by a security guard and then apparently turned the gun on himself. Very sad and scary situation. The superintendent Mr. Bill Husfelt was Zachary’s principal at Mosley High School when we lived in Panama City. You can read about it here –>Gunman Interrupts FL School Board Meeting This man was very troubled and apparently facing deep financial difficulty as voiced in his rant before the shooting began. Times are so hard for so many but violence of this nature is a permanent solution to a current/temporary problem.

I am wondering how the vote will go today, concerning continuing the current tax rates, or letting them expire. I definitely do not want to see taxes go up but feel so disheartened over the loading up of what should have been a simple up or down vote on continuing the tax rate – we now have yet another omnibus bill filled with spending billions in multiple other areas. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? Did they NOT UNDERSTAND what happened in November? What other job allows people who have been fired to continue making policies?? SIGH. Throw this mess out and let the new guys come in on January 5th and vote straight up or down, to continue the current tax rates – PERIOD. Don’t attach anything else to it. NO MORE spending.

Rant over… for now.

It’s very cold in the deep south. May the love of God warm our hearts and souls.

2010 Christmas Card

2010-12-07T20:13:00.003-06:00

Christ Wishes Religious Christmas Card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

I LOVE our Christmas cards from Shutterfly! For many years we sent out Christmas cards with family pictures. I loved doing that but after 9/11/2001 Bobby lost his job and it was almost 17 months before he got work again. Needless to say, we didn't get to send cards that year, nor the next. In fact, we haven't been able to send Christmas cards for several years now. It's one of the things I've missed since I enjoy getting cards every year. It's fun to see family and friends growing through the years.

I was excited when I learned of Shutterfly's promotion for bloggers. It was a pleasure to write about because it was a very nice product. With so many card designs and formats, shapes, sizes and colors - there's something for everybody! In my case there were too many to choose from! I wanted several designs I saw. :) Already looking forward to next year's card line-up.

Thank you Shutterfly, for your generosity! And thanks for a beautiful product that I am going to be so proud to send out to friends and family this Christmas!

And friends, if you blog it's not too late to get in on this offer! But time IS growing very short! Check out my previous post for the link.

A Very Merry Shutterfly Bonanza

2010-12-04T01:26:00.001-06:00

Have you chosen your Christmas cards yet? It seems like Halloween just departed the scene and Thanksgiving came swiftly on its heels. The delicious aroma of cornbread dressing and turkey still lingers in my memory. Alas, I blinked my eyes and it is December the 4th already and my neighborhood is lighting up in many splendid colors. Wreaths are going up on the doors, Christmas trees are appearing in more windows every day and I bet this weekend a LOT more will go up. Folks, the season is HERE and NOW!

The Shutterfly 2010 holiday card collection is amazing! I looked at a number of different sites over the past two weeks and kept returning to Shutterfly. Their cards are so beautiful, so well designed, and the price is right! The other sites just could not compare. You won’t have a problem finding a beautiful card at Shutterfly – the problem will be settling on a single design!

Perhaps like me, you have scoured the web for the best prices, the cutest, or most eloquent designs and most variations and customizations to choose from. Look no further; just hurry to Shutterfly and get ready to feast on their lovely eye candy! Maybe you have one special photo you want to send out to all your family and friends and you need a stunning card to show it off perfectly. I love the card to the left, “Peace on Earth” because your photo is the star of this card. Very pretty!

Or maybe it’s been hard to choose just one photo and you’d like to find a design that you can incorporate several favorite photos into. I really liked this folded design with the family monogram, the year and verse – all personalized by you. –>

You’ll love how easy it is to create your perfect card in Shutterfly’s user-friendly format.

Maybe you’d like to find a design that allows a whole year of photos! Check out this wonderful card below. You can customize the text and this would be great for someone who has had a new baby this past year and wants to send pictures that allow family and friends to watch baby grow through that first year. Do you want to send a photo card but also include a personal Christmas letter with your prized family pictures? Shutterfly has it! This is a great card for families who enjoy writing a Christmas newsletter. Pick your pictures and write your family’s story for 2010.

Perhaps you want to find a card that expresses the true reason for the season… or a card that allows you to say what you want to say whether it’s “Happy Holidays” or “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” Check, check and check! Shutterfly has got you covered!

There are pages and pages of great card designs – over 800 to choose from. You have a multitude of styles – vertical, horizontal, flat, folded, square, color, black and white – it’s all there! I enjoyed several hours of browsing and trying out different card styles before I finally settled on one and it is beautiful. I was able to personalize it with several photos and to write a custom greeting that focused on Christ during this season. In a few days I’ll post our card, once they’ve been mailed out.

In the Shutterfly card and stationery section you can also select some holiday invitations, address labels to coordinate with your Christmas cards, thank you cards – even invitations for your New Years gathering. Again, there is a wide selection.

Right now Shutterfly is having a special promotion for bloggers and I am grateful to be included. Check it out here if you have a blog, but hurry! Registration ends on December 10th. I hope all of you will click any of the links in this post and visit Shutterfly today. If you are not a blogger, don’t fret. They have a great sale going on right now. I included lots of images in this post but trust me, this is only a drop in the bucket! You’ll enjoy browsing and choosing your family’s perfect Christmas card! And check back in a few days to view our family Christmas card for 2010.

I’ll leave you with a look at our Shutterfly book which highlights our years living at beach. We’ve had this book for a couple of years now and we LOVE THIS BOOK! My kids all enjoy looking at this book and reading the things I had written on every page. You might want to create your own quality Shutterfly books and give them as Christmas presents. Thanks Shutterfly, for all the great products you offer!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Bow Making….

2010-12-03T14:48:00.001-06:00

For a number of years now I’ve been making my own bows for packages, using the wired ribbon. They just look so much prettier to me than the premade bows packaged several dozen to a bag. You know the ones I’m referring to! They’re always smashed and lop-sided in the bag. Ick! This morning I was reading a blog I have bookmarked and enjoyed for some time now - Home On The Range. If you click this link or click on her picture to the left, the ‘MidLife Mom’ has a good tutorial for making your own bows. So easy and they turn out so fluffy and full! So head to Michael’s, Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, Target or any place that sells wired ribbon and stock up! You will enjoy making your own bows and friends and family will be wowed over how pretty their packages look. They won’t want to open them! Thanks to Midlife Mom for posting this easy to follow tutorial with pictures that show the procedure well.

Well, Katelyn had her dental visit yesterday. In my previous post I wrote about Hannah’s experience earlier in the week. It turned out that Katelyn had a few issues herself. For some reason some of her baby teeth have been very reluctant to get loose and come out. Last year she struggled to get out one of her upper molar teeth as the permanent tooth was coming down. In the nick of time, just before an appointment to remove the tooth, she wrestled it out of there! Now, same tooth on opposite side refuses to loosen. This time she won’t be able to wrestle it out. The permanent tooth has come down beside the baby tooth, to the inside toward the roof of her mouth. As a result the permanent tooth has not put any force on the roots of the baby tooth to loosen and dissolve them. Now it will have to be pulled out. Both of those new molars are sitting out of line with the rest of her teeth because they came in beside the babies and strange as it sounds, they are turned sideways as well, at a 90 degree angle! How crazy! So they will need to be straightened out, turned like a screw! And they need to be pulled back into alignment with the other teeth. Every other tooth in her head is in PERFECT alignment. This is crazy! She has three molars that have a defect in the way they were formed and as a result there is some decay in the deep crevices that are abnormally deep – just like Hannah’s. So in a few days they’ll be going back. We’ll get 11 fillings total, 5 sealants, one tooth extraction and a beyond broke mom.

When it rains… it not only pours, it FLOODS!

Sigh.

Sweet Tooth… or NOT So Sweet?

2010-12-01T19:52:00.001-06:00

Aaaaah… no it’s not so sweet! Over the weekend Hannah told me her teeth were bothering her. For a long time she has been chewing on one side only – since she got a filling, in fact. She says it’s sensitive where the filling is. So for several years she has chewed on the opposite side only. She complains about her teeth a good bit but nothing has ever been found… except for very DEEP pits in all her molars. (not her tooth to the right, but an example of deep molar pitting before sealants) She has had sealants in those pits but they don’t seem to stay put very well.

Wouldn’t you know it, those darn pits have finally caused some trouble. She went to the dentist Monday and we learned she has 8… yes EIGHT areas of decay. EVERY molar on both sides, both top and bottom is affected. SIGH. On the 13th she’ll be having all of one side done, top and bottom. Then a few days later they’ll fill all the other side. Poor, poor girl.

In Hannah’s defense, she’s not actually a big sweet eater and has pretty good oral hygiene. We drink water at home so she’s not even a big soft drink fan. She just had the misfortune to have extremely deep crevices and pits in all her molars and they are VERY difficult to keep clean. Toothbrush bristles have trouble getting in those crevices.

As if that were not enough, they showed us a lovely panoramic film of her mouth which revealed 4 impacted wisdom teeth that should come out at some point in time as well. He strongly suggested when we do it, that we go the IV anesthesia route and have all 4 removed at once so we have it behind us with a single recovery period. I can’t imagine – all four at once! POOR POOR girl! SIGH. Katelyn goes for her cleaning tomorrow and I am PRAYING they will find no problems with her teeth!

And thus begins the Christmas season at our house! Still working on ‘putting away’ fall!

Remember: Drink lots of water. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, concentrating on reaching every surface of every tooth. Try to floss daily. And go easy on the sweets!

Until next time…

Farewell To Fall

2010-11-29T12:37:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving 2010 has come and gone. We had a wonderful day at my sister’s house with all the family present. I can’t believe I didn’t take a single picture. Sometimes it is better to just live the moment rather than trying to photograph it! The worst thing about going to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving – NO leftovers. But this year my sister packed us a care package to bring back home with us! So on Friday we got to eat some Honey Baked ham, some yummy cornbread dressing, green beans and orange Jell-O salad. YEA for leftovers!

The final weeks of fall are upon us, and we are heading into the most difficult weeks of the year. This week I’ll be packing up the pumpkins, the leaves, the fall candles, the gourds – saying good-bye to the cozy fall décor and trying to gather the energy to clean house thoroughly. Then I’ll head to the attic to bring the Christmas boxes down. It seems like so much work… and the financial worries of the season tend to dampen my spirits. It’s easy to lose sight of the baby in the manger. It’s hard to ‘change’ the expectations that kids have at Christmas; hard to get them on board to focus on the true meaning. Oh, they know it… but they are gripped by the commercial aspects as well, and reluctant to change those expectations. To their credit, we don’t buy things all through the year so they do have a needs/wants wish list built up. Still… it’s difficult to get through this time of year, financially.

Sometimes I wonder, how did my mama do it. How did she make Christmas so special for us when the money was every bit as tight when we were growing up? How did she keep her joy and make it magical for us, and keep the money worries away? We poured through the Wishbooks (Sears and JC Penney) and check-marked things, made our lists, checked them twice.. or three or four… arranged them in order of most wanted! We worried whether Santa would bring the things we wanted most. (He always did!) And we tried our hardest to be extra good.

She has been gone 20 Christmases now. My, how I have struggled to find the magic again. Something occurred to me as I thought back over the years. It seems like every year she began the season by bringing out the nativity set. She carefully unwrapped each fragile piece and set up the scene on the bookcase. There was the large wooden stable with its hay-scattered floor. Then she arranged the family and sheep in the stable. Then wise men and donkeys and a shepherd carrying a lamb on his shoulders were set up outside the stable, all making their way to behold the Savior! Then last of all – she allowed me to carefully hang the angel above the stable and wind the key beside her. Then ‘Silent Night’ would begin to play and I would be in awe once again as the soft night light fell upon the figures in the stable! This, this simple tradition would begin the Christmas season at our house. Maybe this is the key/ the magic. I have her nativity set but there have been recent years when I didn’t even bring it down from the attic. Not only was it not the signal of the beginning of the season. It didn’t make an appearance at all. Of course I had smaller nativity pieces set round about in various areas… just the little family – Mary, Joseph and Jesus. It’s not the same. You know what – I am thinking that box should be the first one out of the attic this year. Not the tree… not the boxes of lights and ornaments… not the knick-knacks that sit on the shelves. No, I will pack away fall this week and clean up good. Then I will bring down that box and remember all those wonderful Christmases past, when that sweet stable scene set my mind on the reason for the season. And instead of doing it myself while the girls are gone to school, I’ll wait for them and allow them to HELP. TOGETHER we will WELCOME the season as we begin it by keeping Christmas as my mama always kept it – eyes on the baby, hearts of expectation, thankful for the gift God gave.

I’ll let you all know how it goes!

A LONG Dry Spell on the Journey

2010-11-24T14:04:00.001-06:00

It has been a LONG time since I visited my blog. Facebook has provided a convenient way of staying in touch with family and friends and it was easier to pop in there and post a line or two as opposed to actually sitting here to write a blog post. So many it seems, have fallen by the wayside of blogging and turned to this easier route of keeping in touch. Thankfully, many have continued to share their every day lives and thoughts through blogging and I kept reading despite my lack of blogging. I have been refreshed and encouraged through the bloggers I enjoy reading and following. Perhaps they have brought me to this day of wanting to write again.

Life has been a series of ups and downs (as life can tend to be) and it would be impossible to relate all that has gone on since I was last here writing, nor would I want to. So today I will pick up and begin anew… for myself, and for any friends who happen to drop by. It is THANKSGIVING week in the USA and I feel so thankful that all my family lives within the same state, and we will all be gathering at my sister’s for Thanksgiving Day. It may not always be this way, as families grow and jobs sometimes take them away… so I am grateful for our time now. Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday of the year. Just to be together and soak in the joy of having all my kids around, my siblings,nieces and nephew… it fills up my ‘tank’ to have this day to be together since none of us live in the same city or even same areas of the state anymore.

Hannah is a senior this year. We were watching old family videos this week and the scenes were so near in my memory – how could she now be a senior in High School? Alas, time is passing whether I want it to or not. She has done well in her softball and was offered a full scholarship to a state jr. college. Signing day will be in January… and her final high school season will begin shortly after. How bittersweet! Last year they captured the ‘6A Alabama State Runner Up’ title and trophy in softball. This year they will try to go back and finish the job and take the #1 trophy.

We ended the high school season in May and she played summer travel ball. They played a little bit this fall and will pick it back up as soon as the high school season ends this coming May. After that, it will be on to college ball! It’ll be fun and I’m glad our softball days won’t end yet.

Senior portraits have come in and cap and gown and announcements have been ordered. The year is FLYING by.

Katelyn is an 8th grader, finishing up her middle school career. It seems unreal that she’ll be in high school in a few months! There were a number of changes at her school this year. Their principal retired and he is so missed. The kids LOVED Mr. Norris. Then to make matters worse their much loved assistant principal was sent over to be the principal at another school. So the leadership is all new this year and they don’t know the kids like the old group did. They do things a lot different which is hard to get accustomed to. Needless to say, the 8th graders are more than ready to move on out of there now. Katelyn went out for cheerleading for the first time and made the squad so she has enjoyed cheering during the football season and now at basketball. She’s a good little cheerleader so I hope she’ll go out for high school next year as well.

Bobby was finally able to get work here locally back in July so he’s home now. He seems to be doing well, health-wise. For those who don’t know, this very weekend last year he suffered chest pains which landed him in he hospital. He ended up having a heart catheterization and a stent inserted in the LAD (the ‘widow maker’ artery was 90% blocked) on the front of his heart. He was a very lucky guy! Every Thanksgiving we will remember Thanksgiving 2009 when God was with him and his life was spared.

I’m doing ok. Life is stressful and stress has a negative impact on my physical well-being but it’s hard to reduce stress sometimes. Right now I am looking for a job. I have a lot of applications out there in the past 6-7 weeks but nothing has come through yet. I’ve been at home with my babies for 30 years now and am finding it’s not easy to get into the work force with no job history in over 30 years. I don’t really want to leave the home as I have always felt my job/calling was here as a homemaker and mother. We’ve lived as frugal as possible but could really use a bit of additional income. Times are tough economically and I fear they are about to get tougher as we go into 2011. Hopefully I can get a foot in the door somewhere soon. And hopefully it will be flexible and tailor-made for us, because my first job IS at home.

Well, that’s about it for now. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all who visit here.

…We’re Coming For You.

2009-06-17T22:26:00.001-05:00

On the Glenn Beck Show today, Glenn read a letter he received which I thought was VERY GOOD. It’s very worth your time and you can read that letter by going to Glenn Beck’s website. Here is a direct link –> Glenn Beck: THE LETTER.

The whole letter is intense, but the final paragraph of the letter is so gripping. It reads -

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

We have been enjoying our summer so far. I plan to write a blog update tomorrow and share some of the things we’ve been doing since school got out in late May, as well as some of the things ahead for this summer. It’s going to be a BUSY one!

More tomorrow!

I Tea Partied!!!

2009-04-16T13:26:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I attended a local Tax Day Tea Party Protest. First time in my life, ever to protest publicly against something. And I must say it felt good to DO SOMETHING. The time for talking is over. Now is the time for action if we believe our country is being hijacked and sold out from under us. This is the first step, the “first arrow fired across the bow.” It will be a difficult struggle but one I am determined to stand firm on. Here are some of the pictures taken at the tea party yesterday. ENJOY.

Make a Smilebox photobook

And The Two Became ONE….

2009-04-10T13:45:00.001-05:00

We had a wedding last weekend! It was picture perfect! The weather was beautiful after a week of storms. The sun shone bright, the breezes blew cool… it was beautiful. Seagrove Beach, Florida was the setting and the two families including the wedding party, stayed together in two exquisite beach houses "Above it All" and "Triple Crown" which shared beautifully landscaped grounds known as “The Lawn.” The wedding took place on the beach behind the houses and the Rehearsal Dinner (Mexican Fiesta) and the Wedding Reception were both held on The Lawn.

It was special… and a bit emotional (hey, this is my first to wed!) Things went very well with no major setbacks… really, no minor setbacks either. It was a wonderful several days which culminated in the birth of a new family! The video below shows a small sampling of the pictures taken over the 3 days of fun, sun, celebration and wedding festivities.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And now the countdown is on to August 22nd when Nathan and Amelia will marry! Goodness!! After that, we hope to have a several year break before the next wedding occurs! My brother suggested paying the other three NOT to marry! LOL!!

I hope to blog a bit more regularly in the days to come. It’s enjoyable.. more so than Facebook or MySpace. I feel it’s more like enjoying a personal visit around the kitchen table as opposed to the superficial feel of FB and MS. No promises that I’ll write daily. But I do hope to write “regularly.”

Take care everybody… all one or two of you who still check in here!

The Teleprompter Speaks! (LOL)

2009-03-19T13:38:00.001-05:00

I was listening to Rush Limbaugh today and he was having a great time talking about the attention he was receiving from an unlikely source –“Obama’s Teleprompter!” LOL!! Yes! It seems Obama’s teleprompter has become quite popular in recent days and now even has it’s own blog! To keep up with the little electronic genius, Obama’s brain… visit its blog by clicking –> HERE.

Be sure to check out the comments too… some funny stuff there! There are plenty of folks out there with great imaginations and equally great humor! (Which is tough to muster in today’s worrisome climate.)

There are just over 2 weeks until Gretchen’s wedding. Are we ready? NO.

We are into spring weather and spring-like temps around here. It’s 75 degrees right now, and sunny. When it gets like this, I miss living in Panama City. These are the days when the ocean looks so clean and pure and clear. It’s still rather chilly for swimming, but it’s WONDERFUL weather for spending time out on the beach, walking or taking a bike ride along the coast. Yes… I DO miss it BAD. So bad I’ve been visiting the webcam online, just to watch the waves come in and go out, and see an occasional gull fly past the camera. I watch The Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort cams (the roof cam is focused on the ocean; the beach cam is down for a couple of weeks.) I also check the cams from Trip Smarter – Panama City Beach, and the cam from The Chateau Motel on the beach. You do have to install a tiny little plug-in to view this last one, but this is a good cam because it changes views up and down the beach. The plug-in is for Abacast – the company the cam is run by. You’ll never notice it unless you view a cam on a website that is powered by Abacast, then the plug-in will load so you can watch the webcam. If you want to do some beach viewing, check out these cams.

Alas, I’m land-bound today, an hour and a half north of the coast, so the cams are as close as I’ll get.

Call to Resist Tyranny…

2009-03-04T11:38:00.001-06:00

This is one of the most important videos I have watched on YouTube. I had to watch it 3 times to soak it all in. This Marine is a HERO and a TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOT. God BLESS YOU soldier, and keep you safe! People, this is what it is coming to in our beloved America. Which side will you be on? Listen carefully, to every word he speaks.

We are about 4 weeks away from Gretchen’s wedding now. I still don’t have clothes for that weekend. UGH… we’ll make it. Life is very “up in the air” around here. And that’s about all I have to say about that at this time. I hope all my friends are well. See you again soon….

Top of the [upside down] World…

2009-02-17T10:30:00.001-06:00

In February 1983 I was 26 years old. I was a busy young mother with 2 toddlers. In the middle of my busy day on February 4 of that year I was shocked to hear the news reports that one of my favorite singers had died. Karen Carpenter had quietly slipped away and I had not even known anything was wrong with her. I would learn that she suffered from the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. She was a slender young lady but I never knew it was related to her battle with a terrible disorder. How tragic was her death. It was like a bright candle had been extinguished, a breath of fresh air stifled, an unusually beautiful talent cut down.

Karen and her brother Richard were wildly popular back in those days. Their folksy style seemed to appeal across the boards and their music could evoke feelings of happiness, or sometimes moodiness. It could stir the deepest emotions that were common to us all. Karen Carpenter had a very distinctive, pleasing voice… one of the more memorable and enduring voices of our generation.. maybe even of the past century. The Carpenters were my FAVORITE performers when I was in my teens and continuing on into my 20s. I had every album they produced. I played them DAILY. For years after Karen’s sudden, untimely death, I still played those albums. Even today, when I hear an old Carpenter song, I am immediately taken back to the 70s, back to the time of innocence and youthfulness and hopefulness.

I ran across this video on YouTube – Karen and Richard singing one of my favorite “feel good” songs from their repertoire. The performance is a bit cheesy by today’s standards. But this was back in the time of variety shows that entertained people, that made people smile, that brought laughter to our lives, to our homes. I miss those times. And listening to this song… I miss The Carpenters.

We are only a few weeks away from Gretchen’s wedding which takes place on April 4th. I still don’t have my wedding attire. Sigh. Our tax refund (which we are still waiting on) was far less than I had hoped for this year. It’s disheartening as we were counting on that money to help outfit us for the wedding and also to buy a nice gift for Gretchen and Joe. DOUBLE SIGH.

I have so much on my mind, but it’s probably best left unsaid. My heart is heavy. These are trying days in my personal life, in our nation’s life.. it gets harder to keep hoping for the best, when the worst seems at hand. One thing is for sure; heaven looks sweeter by the day and like Paul – I long to be gone there.

Hannah had an MRI yesterday. We are awaiting results on that. She has suffered recurrent headaches for several years now. For the past couple of years, they have been daily and she has become of age where she self-medicated. Long story short – she has taken so much ibuprophen that it has hurt her liver. So she has had to be weaned off of the ibuprophen and now we will wait to see if the MRI reveals anything. I feel like we are entering a time of trial and error for migraine treatment. This will be complicated by the fact that her liver is already compromised and those medications can be hard on the liver. It may be tricky – the process of helping her. I’ve been told the cost of the medications is substantial, so I am worried about this as well.

SIGH SIGH SIGH!

Monday…

2009-02-02T11:08:00.001-06:00

Life is getting…. overwhelming.

THANK YOU PRESIDENT BUSH…

2009-01-27T00:33:00.001-06:00

ON MY WAY TO WANNA BE… written & sung by Folk/Indie singer James Hooker, expressly to honor and thank President Bush. He wrote this song and put this amazing video together after meeting President Bush and having the opportunity to observe his interaction with and love for our troops and their deep love for President Bush. It was a mutually felt genuine affection and deep respect. The military’s approval rating of Bush was at more than 80% – they understood. Too bad the civilian population never did. Perhaps one day people will realize. You who are Bush supporters and friends, enjoy this touching video. THIS IS W – in his simplicity, in his humility and in his love for fellow countrymen. I was spellbound by this simple, earnest song - how beautifully the words fit President Bush. They are printed below the video.

Mr. Hooker, thank you for honoring a man that served us so well despite the cesspool that relentlessly pounded him.

(Helpful tip: start video then click the triangle in the lower right corner and select HQ for better quality picture and music.)

TUESDAY JANUARY 20th - 2009

2009-01-20T12:30:00.001-06:00

My good friend Alice is a co-founder of the very informative web site - Two Sisters From The Right ~ Making No Apologies For Celebrating America. She has written such a beautiful post for today, I want to repeat that post here, for it speaks my thoughts and my heart. I would encourage you all to visit and bookmark Two Sisters From The Right. They are an excellent source of information and commentary on US and world happenings. And now, today's post...

FAREWELL TO OUR COMMANDER IN CHIEF. GODSPEED.
THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US SAFE.

"Our responsibility to history is already clear: to answer these attacks and rid the world of evil. War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour, of our choosing."

-- President George W. Bush
National Day of Prayer and Remembrance
September 14, 2001

Farewell to the Chief
When Richard Nixon withdrew from politics, he angrily told the press: "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference." After today, January 20th, 2009, neither his constituents nor the media will have George W. Bush to kick around anymore, but you won't be hearing angry words from the man who was treated more brutally and unfairly than Nixon could have imagined. We won't waste time trying to defend him. We're confident that history will show that he was worthy of the Office and that he met the crucial challenges of his tenure with more wisdom and dignity than anyone gives him credit for on this day.

This won't be a long post. There are too many other tributes that say what we feel more eloquently and objectively. We would like to refer you to a few:

There are also some good tributes you might like to see on You Tube:

Unlike the left, we do not consider hatred a legitimate tactic. We will continue to keep a watchful eye on the incoming president. We are deeply disturbed by the evidence pointing to his presidential ineligibility, his arrogant refusal to present proof of his birth status, and his ties to communists, terrorists, lawbreakers and people with anti-American views. Our vigilance, however, will be tempered by the reality that the welfare of this nation is more important than our misgivings. To us, our country comes first......and although we believe that the wrong man has been chosen to lead us during the these trying times, we wish the new president well because our country's future is now in his hands.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Thank you Alice, for this post. And to my friends, I will write again soon. My heart is low. The fact that Barack Obama could not even repeat the words of the oath of office without stumbling all over them and then appearing very uncomfortable about having to say them at all - is DISTURBING to me. I guess after him saying a number of times, that "our constitution is fundamentally flawed and needs to be rewritten," it really must have been difficult to swear under oath that he would protect and defend the constitution.

GOD HELP US.

Friends...

2009-01-12T14:27:00.001-06:00

Change is in the Wind...

2009-01-09T12:49:00.001-06:00

When I took a little break I didn't realize it would last so long. Here we are, nearly half way into the month of January! The worries, hardships and struggles of December have spilled over into the new year. So I opened my picture folder and clicked on my "beach" folder and took a little trip to the beach. This is the scene that comes to my mind when I think of peace and tranquility. And I sure need a little peace and tranquility.

Have you ever gone into a new year with feelings of trepidation? I never have before. I've always anticipated a new year... new beginnings... starting fresh. It has always been with an air of hope and better days, that I greeted a new year. Not so this year. It has been difficult for me to greet people with the usual customary "Happy New Year." I just don't FEEL it... so it seems hollow, unrealistic to speak those words. Of course I HOPE this year will be a good one. But I don't "feel" it deep down in my bones, that all will be well in this new year.

Nevertheless, may each one of you my friends, be well, be safe, be protected in your little corner of this world in this new year.

We have 85 days before Gretchen's wedding on April 4th. I'm beginning to panic as there are clothes to be purchased for showers, for dinners, for the wedding itself... for ALL of us. And I am wondering as I search my checkbook balance for grocery money - exactly HOW are these clothes going to be purchased? I'm so excited for Gretchen and so happy for them both, but I'm worried about how we will pull this off... even with them paying for all their wedding expenses. We will have our own expenses related to participating. This is really putting a damper on my spirits and I don't want to make Gretchen feel bad. SIGH.

And guess what! On New Years Eve, my son Nathan proposed to his girlfriend of several years. OH MY! He's getting married too! They are planning to marry on August 22nd. DOUBLE HAPPINESS, but SIGH! We need some financial miracles! Maybe we could sign up on the bailout list??

Remembering...

2008-12-19T09:32:00.001-06:00

Focusing on the little things that bring a smile... or a sweet memory. Every year when I see Hannah tenderly unwrap this little Santa from all his tissue and bubble wrap and carefully place him on a sturdy branch - I SMILE. When she was a little kid she received this ornament from our neighbor who lived two doors down - a teenager. Emily was Gretchen's age, and a teenager in high school when she gave this gift to Hannah along with a framed photo of the two of them hanging out together at Emily's house. Hannah was just a little girl then... maybe 5 years old at most.

She LOVED going down to the Mielke's house. They always had animals..dogs, rabbits, hamsters, fish... you name it! And Mr Dan was always cookin' up special treats that he might let you sample if you showed up at just the right time! Miss Yvonne was always welcoming, always had a hug and smile to give you... always interested in what was on your mind. There was Emily who always played with Hannah, played board games with her and included her in whatever she was doing and made her feel special, like a big girl! And there was always our Zach and Emily's younger brother Andrew to play ball with in the side yard. I never worried when my little ones were up there because Emily's mama and daddy treated mine just like their own!

From all our kids growing up in the deep south in a history-rich town nestled on the banks of the Alabama River, in an old historic district which was half revived from the previous century - we retain some of our very best memories!

Our block was filled with families young and old, who actually became a FAMILY! We had babies together. We had the "grandparents" of the block who enjoyed watching our children grow up. They always had time to listen to the important things that little people had to talk about! We had the other young families scattered up and down the block so every child had several "mothers" looking out for them. We visited in each other's homes and spent many happy hours sitting in rockers on our southern front porches, watching our children playing in side yards. Sometimes we had to break up fusses and disputes and send kids home to cool off. LOL! Within hours they were right back together again, the disagreement long forgotten!

We ate meals together. We admired lost teeth, good school work, crafty creations.. of ALL the neighborhood children and not just our own. We watched the city's huge 4th of July fireworks from the backyard in the neighborhood that had the best view. Elderly Mrs Pope had a sweet spirit and a backyard with a clear view to just over the trees where the fireworks were launched in the city stadium parking lot... just across the creek from our neighborhood. Everyone brought their lawn chair and a cool drink (and mosquito repellant!) and positioned themselves in her backyard to "oooh" and "aaaah" over each brilliant rocket that fired and lit the summer skies - in our sleepy southern small town. Afterwards as we each made our way back to our houses, you could hear the laughter of kids and the conversations of adults, carrying in the slight humid breezes of the summer night air. And as we stepped onto our porches, we would turn around and wave "GOOD NIGHT! See ya'll tomorrow!" And we would.

All our children came to each other's birthday parties year in and year out. They were usually simple yard parties where games were played... or slip and slide was brought out... simple parties. And those children grew up right before our eyes.. but we didn't notice at the time. We were living "in the day."

I used to think we were practically poor back in those days, struggling to raise a growing young family. And it was a struggle but now looking back, I see that we were rich. Rich in friendship... rich in playmates... rich in compassionate shoulders to cry upon... rich in generous friends who regularly opened their homes... rich in encouragement when times were hard... rich in laughter and love on a daily basis. We were RICH!! And I didn't even know it!

OH HOW I MISS THOSE BLESSSED DAYS!!

Today Emily is married and has two children of her own and lives several states away! Her brothers are married as well. Mr Dan and Miss Yvonne live alone in the big old house now... and in the old neighborhood still. There are no little children running in and out from house to house, begging for cool water and a treat at each stop. There are no longer the "block grandparents" for sadly, they have mostly died. Our favorite "grandparents" moved. The families grew up; they moved away. The houses in our old block are mostly vacant and run down - worn by time and neglect... perhaps missing the life that used to grace them and keep them strong and sturdy.

I wonder how often Dan and Yvonne walk out their front door and PAUSE... and see the ghosts of children playing in the side yard.. see the porch rockers swaying slightly in a breeze and recall the hours spent there visiting with friends. I wonder if they look to the left, down the block which used to be vibrant with life - and in their minds conjure again, the sight of neighbors sweeping sidewalks, kids on bikes, on skates, in wagons, on little hot wheels... kids drawing with chalk on the sidewalks... neighbors waving from their front porch and calling out "come on down!" I wonder if they cherish the memories as much as I do!

Hannah FONDLY remembers life in Selma... on the banks of the Alabama River... in the old Historic Riverview neighborhood... where she had a dozen siblings, at least half that many mamas and daddies, and grandparents galore! Every day was fun. Every day was filled with laughter and love. Every day was an adventure with the old historic cemetery to explore behind our back yard, and the creek at the end of the block... and the river just two blocks over... and friends, blessed friends just steps away from our front door. Those were best times of her life, she said.

Yes they were... and I didn't even know it at the time.

(Merry Christmas Emily!)

9 Days Til Christmas 2008.... 10 Days Til It's Over....

2008-12-16T13:17:00.001-06:00

Trodding along here... enduring. I photographed another of my favorite ornaments hanging on the tree. I really like this one. I love the prophecies from the Old Testament, foretelling of the birth of the Messiah.

I have an idea, if I only had the money to do it. I bought this one from Family Christian Store in the Panama City Mall several years ago after Christmas. Anyway, I'd like to buy a number of these ornaments with various prophecy scriptures on them, and wire them into a thick garland, weave a gold ribbon through the length of the garland with gold bows to accompany the scrolls. Weave tiny white lights throughout... maybe a gold trumpet here and there... can you picture it!? The names of the coming Messiah, Jesus, as foretold in the Old Testament... strung along the length of the garland. I think it would make a nice royal looking garland for the mantel. Basically it would be in earthy colors, similar to this ornament to the left.

I've had this idea in mind for several years now, but never had the extra money to purchase any more of the ornaments like the one above. At the time I bought mine, they had different ones - "Prince of Peace"... "Lamb of God"... the one above that says "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God".. all were scrolled like this one. I haven't even been in a store this holiday season so I don't know if they still carry this line of ornaments at the Family Christian Bookstore. I hope they do. I hope they keep them year to year, until I am able to buy them! I'll be sad if I never get to make that garland.

As you might imagine, I have some patriotic ornaments on the tree as well. One of them is a Snoopy I bought for Gretchen several years ago. She was excited about getting to vote for Bush that year! I really was proud of her interest, her thirst for knowledge and her duty of participation. So When I saw the "VOTE" ornament, I knew she had to have it! The flag goes on the tree every year! (LONG MAY SHE WAVE OVER THE LAND OF THE FREE & BRAVE) I would love to have some of the White House ornaments on our tree, especially from the Reagan and Bush years, but never could afford to purchase any.

Santa Claus LOVES the Alabama Crimson Tide!! Even Hallmark knew that! They featured a Santa ornament several years ago with Santa dressed in his Crimson Tide sweats! We have quite a few Alabama ornaments on the tree... here are two of those ornaments.

In a couple of days I'll post a few more pictures of treasured ornaments. I like photographing them!

On another subject, there are some good articles on JackLewis.Net. Check it out. The articles are brief, easy reading, to the point. The top article today was a shocker. Firefox has topped ZDNet's list of 12 most vulnerable apps! I don't use Firefox but I know a lot of you do! I never could really get comfortable with it, and continued to come

up on some sites that just would not display properly, if at all, in Firefox. After giving it a try, I decided I was more comfortable with IE. If you are a Firefox fan, you may want to check the article.

One more ornament for today. It's a snowman that my friend Susan sent to me a couple of years ago. I can never place it on the tree without immediately thinking of Susan! WHO loves snowmen more than her!? LOL!

Bits and Pieces...

2008-12-12T09:45:00.001-06:00

Several years ago I took some pictures of various ornaments on the Christmas tree. Like most of you, I collect ornaments and every year when I unpack them and handle each one, I remember the Christmas it came to reside on our tree. I remember some of the circumstances (whether good or bad) of that year. Isn't it wonderful how looking at things can bring back memories associated with another time and place in our lives! I haven't taken any pictures yet, this year. But I did dig through my picture folder and retrieve several I had taken on previous Christmas seasons.

This Peanuts ornament is one of my favorites (get used to the phrase "one of my favorites! Everything I hang on the tree is "one of my favorites!" LOL!) But I do love the simplicity, the whimsy, the purity of this ornament. It's just plain SWEET!! And it is God's transforming truth for a lost world... "Unto you is born a Son..a Savior, tis Christ the Lord!"

Another ornament that is just plain SWEETNESS to my heart is this one...Christopher Robin reading to Pooh! Every time I look at this one, I smile and my heart gets a warm feeling. My Zach was a Pooh lover when he was a little boy. So when I see Pooh I think of my baby Zachary. These are pleasant memories so I love that silly ole bear!

We have lots of ornaments on our tree that feature Pooh and his friends at the Hundred Acre Wood. Yes we do love that silly ole bear and his friends!

And this pewter heart ornament is special because it represents friendship across the miles. It's from my friend Tera who lives WAY UP NORTH... a LONG way from where I am in the deep south! I LOVE the ornament and I love Tera and Jason and Emma! Their friendship is precious to me. I'll share some more special ornaments over the next several day. But today I'll end with this sweet heart... it's appropriate!

BAH HUMBUG!

2008-12-09T13:08:00.001-06:00

Sigh... things are just NOT going well around here! Feeling so NOT in the Christmas spirit, it took every ounce of energy I could summon to go up into the attic and drag out the Christmas boxes this past weekend. Katelyn was worrying me to death, anxious to bring out the Christmas things. We assembled tree #1... a normal sized 61/2 ft artificial pre-lit tree (we have some serious allergy issues with bringing a live pine tree in the house!) Got it together, got all the branches fanned out nicely and plugged it in. Well wouldn't you know.. a row around the top and a row around the bottom would not light up. So we had two large sections of the tree that remained dark! Poor Bobby crawled up underneath the tree and got all into the wiring of that pre-lit tree to try and discover why these lights were out. After about two hours of fruitless effort, he crawled out, yanked the tree apart, mumbled something under his breath as he took it outside and put it on the curb for garbage pickup. Thirty minutes later it was gone (someone stopped and picked it up - good luck to you, "someone!")

Back into the attic to drag out tree #2... a very large, full tree we used one Christmas several years ago. It was pretty but way too big for our house. But out it came. It's not pre-lit so we had to also search for enough strings of lights to go around it. Alas, we couldn't find them. So off we went to Wal-Mart where Bobby convinced me that we should buy those led lights this time because the other lights would be phased out of production soon, and we would not be able to buy replacement bulbs. So we bought them. Two boxes. I told him it would take at least 3 and more likely, 4. He would shortly learn that I was right but hey, they have to learn the hard way, right. We got home, he strung the 2 strings of lights, and they made it halfway down the tree! UGH...

Mad about having to go back to Wal-Mart on a Sunday afternoon in December - he went very grudgingly. Came back with two more strings of lights and put them on the tree. Then he sat down in a huff and said he was THROUGH - the rest of it was my job! Those lights looked a strange shade of dull blue, but I dared not say a word! They looked very strange... but I kept quiet. Got that tree all decorated and turned it on and it was AWFUL! Those lights were DARK. They didn't look like regular lights at all and they cast no light on their surroundings, so all the ornaments were in virtual darkness. All you could see was these strange pale bluish lights.

Monday morning I got up and took another look. I hated it!! The girls hated it!! They said it was ugly and embarrassing! LOL! So when Bobby called later and asked how the tree looked when it was all finished, I said "UGLY!" Long story short... he said "take the lights back then!" Oh my goodness! That was not something I wanted to contemplate! But after I hung the garland on the mantel and plugged in the tiny lights for it - and they glowed with their soft golden light like warm little candles - that tree looked even uglier!!! It WAS embarrassing! The two did NOT go together in the same room.

So yesterday afternoon I took off every decoration. Then I took off all those lights (and carefully repackaged them) and then I went back into the attic and searched every box until I found the lights that had been bought for this huge tree several years ago. Found all but one string, I restrung lights, redecorated that tree and finished up about 12:30 a.m. this morning. It had been about an 8-9 hour ordeal from start to finish! This morning I took those (UGLY)lights back to Wal-Mart and they gave me a gift card for that amount. I promptly turned around and went back to the seasonal aisle and bought the candy, lifesaver books, candy canes, gum etc.. for all the stockings.

The tree looks so much better even though it is far too large for our living room. But it has a nice warm golden glow now. Of course all the boxes and mess are strewn all over the living room still.. so today I need to clean up the mess, find some other decorations and complete this task of Christmas decorating. Katelyn said "hurry up and get the presents under the tree!" Presents?? Bah humbug! There are no presents. Tough year kid.. be glad your daddy still has a job at all. (They've laid off a number of folks, and his hours are limited.) A competitor company across town closed their doors this past Friday.. a shock to the employees who were told on Wednesday.. given two days notice, two weeks before Christmas. This is so sad. Bobby worked there until about a year ago. It could have been us receiving this news. We've been there before, where these friends are now - back in 2001 after 9-11. I DON'T want to revisit that horrible time.

Then I had an idea... go back up to the attic and bring down all those cute little gift boxes I have collected over time. They are adorable and would surely dress up the tree!!! Of course there would be much weeping and wailing in the land come Christmas morning when they discover those boxes are empty, put there only for decoration! I better not do that. Much better to have to face and deal with reality now, than to be on the cruel end of a decorating scheme come Christmas morning.

I've heard some of the guys on talk radio (Glenn Beck specifically) say that this Christmas is hard, yet people are buying gifts as best they can. But he predicts next Christmas in America will be so drastically different that we won't recognize it... that people will be worried about buying food instead of presents next Christmas.

Can this really be true? Of course it can... it's already "next Christmas" in our household.

FOCUS..... Got..... to......FOCUS..........

Wanna Play?

2008-12-01T22:12:00.002-06:00

He's very gentle and loves to play! You can click the center of his wheel and he'll run on it. You can click anywhere in the box to drop pellets for him to eat. He'll drink if he's thirsty. If you move the pointer around, he'll chase after it! What a sweet little furball!

Thanksgiving in Pictures...

2008-11-29T12:11:00.001-06:00

We traveled to my sister's house about 2 hours north of where we live. All my kids were there, my brother and his kids were there, and my sister's family was there, of course. All present and accounted for! Nathan brought his girlfriend Amelia, and of course the engaged couple (Gretchen and Joe) came! The doggies enjoyed their annual get together, minus dear Rebel. He was so missed - his happy face and wagging tail. : (

It was a wonderful day, as it always is. This is my FAVORITE holiday because it's not overtaken with commercialism - it's all about people, relationships, families, visiting, thanking God for His blessings, talking, laughing, cousins playing and talking... just enjoying being together. And the good food is just the icing on the cake!

A few pictures from our day -

Now the Christmas countdown begins - the holiday I DON'T like so much anymore. The focus has shifted to extreme commercialism which puts hardship on families struggling financially, just to keep food and shelter (a category we fall into unfortunately.) Once Thanksgiving has passed, I grit my teeth and endure til January. Sigh. I wish it were not that way.

But it IS what it is...

VICTORY IN IRAQ Day!

2008-11-22T14:36:00.001-06:00

VICTORY IN IRAQ DAY! The mainstream media might not acknowledge the success and the courage and convictions of those who would defend freedom everywhere in the world - but the blog world does! Visit the link to see some wonderful pictures!!

THANK YOU AMERICAN SOLDIERS!!!!

A Little Lighthearted Post...

2008-11-18T11:42:00.001-06:00

It seems like all my posts have been so heavy over the past month or so - I guess it's because my heart has been heavy, burdened with troubles on both a personal and a national level. These are trying times. But there HAS been some good stuff going on! Can you say #1 in the nation!?!?! Yes indeed! My Alabama Crimson Tide football team is #1 in the nation! They are undefeated going into the last regular season game against in-state rival Auburn. They are bound for the SEC Championship game in early December to face those incorrigible Florida Gators! What a game that will be! But first things first... ROLL TIDE ROLL!! Beat Auburn!!!

In honor of the SPECTACULAR season the Crimson Tide has been enjoying, my desktop has been all BAMA! Some of you know how I enjoy changing out my desktop wallpaper, sometimes even changing it several times a day! LOL! But I have kept this same wallpaper for a couple of weeks now. You can click on it to see it enlarged.

Baby, it's COLD in the deep south today! We've had a little cold front come through and our temperatures have nose-dived! I'm talking mid 20s for lows and low 50s for highs, with a chilly wind to boot! And that's COLD for the deep south in November! Of course it's time for things to cool down but I always shudder when it happens, for it means winter is coming. I don't see how so many of you endure the brutal winters up north! Brrrr!

Thank you for the couple of comments on the previous Veteran's Day post. It's hard for me to look at such a picture as that and not be moved to tears, with emotion and pride. That picture said more than a thousand words could ever convey. Perhaps that is why so few commented - they were rendered speechless maybe?

An interesting link before I go today. You can click on the stamp to the left, to read about our Muslim Holiday postage stamp. Did you know we have one?? And note that this is in commemoration of a feast to celebrate the end of the month long fasting of Ramadan, and also "to commemorate the willingness of the 'prophet' Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael in response to God's command..." Did you catch that? The LIE?

My, how they TWIST truth! The bible tells us that in a test of faith and trust, Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, the son of promise! We all know that Abraham [passed the test] was willing to obey God to the very point that he raised his knife against his son, but God stopped him! And in His mercy, God provided a ram to be sacrificed instead. Isaac is the child God promised, the royal lineage!! Ishmael is the counterfeit, born of the bondwoman, not the free! Yet Muslims believe through Ishmael, is God's chosen lineage. Isaac's lineage is the house of Israel (the line of Jesus, and the line through which we have been adopted as sons and daughters.) Ishmael's descendants are of the Arab world. Thus the NEVER ENDING WAR between the Arabs and the house of Israel... all because Abraham and Sarah grew impatient waiting for the child God promised, and devised their own human plan to gain an heir. HOW SAD. To this very day the counterfeit attempts to usurp the place of Israel. AND THE WHOLE WORLD SUFFERS BECAUSE OF IT.

That's it for today...

An AMERICAN SOLDIER...

2008-11-11T10:14:00.001-06:00

This sight stirs the very soul. One generation thanking another, for serving.

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American Soldier.

One died for your soul; the other for your freedom.

Brief Election Wrap and Onto Other Things...

2008-11-10T12:39:00.001-06:00

Isn't it interesting how the same thing can be viewed in such opposite ways!? It's all in one's perspective I guess! No? I feel our country is more divided than EVER at this point in time.

People have said with tears streaming down their faces, that Martin Luther King's "dream" has come true. NO IT HAS NOT!!! Martin's dream was that one day his children would be judged by the content of their character and NOT by the color of their skin. The election of Barack Hussein Obama is not a realization of MLK's dream. We were never allowed to learn about Obama's character BECAUSE of the color of his skin. To ask about his CHARACTER would be racist.

It should be noted that 95% of blacks voted for Obama, many of those shamelessly stating his race as the reason. 43% of whites nationwide, voted for Obama, which was a percentage point stronger than previous democratic candidates. Race appears not to have been an issue at all, with white voters. So, sadly MLK's own race remains trapped in racism, unwilling to unshackle themselves and begin to judge people rightly, according to the content of their character.

We are now headed for "change" and having already received a preview of some of that change, I DO NOT WISH OBAMA SUCCESS IN OFFICE. Socialism is a FAILED agenda - We are witnessing European countries who are abandoning failed socialism and reaching for democracy. Why would I wish Obama success in implementing proven failed socialist policies in our country?

I would imagine that soon, many of those who voted for Obama will begin to experience "buyer's remorse." Sadly, it will be too late. Their mortgages will not be paid by him, their cars not gassed up by him, and they will not find themselves above adherence to the municipal laws of their communities. Taxes will increase, freedoms (of speech, of right to bear arms etc) will be threatened. And this is the 'small stuff.' The BIG stuff will be the testing of the untested one, when the world's dictators come calling. Time will tell. May GOD help us, for the sake of His remnant in the land.

At the CROSSROADS OF A LIFETIME...

2008-11-03T12:29:00.001-06:00

EDIT 8:00 P.M. central time (Tuesday) : Sorry for the password friends. I wish blogger would allow passwording of a post rather than only allowing the whole blog to be passworded or not. Maybe it won't have to remain for long. I had a visitor who I don't know, but who is a friend of someone I do know. They came, they read, they went back to their blog and proceeded to post a rant against me, urging their liberal friends to pay me a visit. You can visit the guy HERE to see what he said. Never mind, he deleted it (very wise because it was vicious) - only the comments remain.

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I want to preface this entry by reminding my readers that THIS IS MY BLOG. This is the place where I CAN TALK ABOUT MY BELIEFS, MY OPINIONS, MY CONCERNS, MY HOPES, THOUGHTS and DREAMS. What follows are MY (WELL researched) OPINIONS and CONCERNS. You have that same right on YOUR blogs so please express your opinions on YOUR blogs! General (I agree/I disagree) comments are fine, but do NOT try to sell this DANGEROUS fraud to me in my comments section! Now, to share some thoughts and concerns...

I was sitting here last night, listening to a speech Obama was giving. And he was smearing McCain and ridiculing the fact that Dick Cheney endorsed McCain this past week. Well, why wouldn't he??? Cheney IS a registered Republican voter. Why wouldn't he support McCain, the Republican candidate?? The crowd was jeering and sneering at Obama's words, collectively ridiculing McCain because Cheney is voting for him. Would they likewise jeer at the fact that Barney Frank (GAG!!!!) cast a vote for Barack Hussein Obama!?

WELL WELL... I would rather it be known that a fellow American, a fellow Republican was publicly endorsing me, than to be in Obama's shoes - trying to downplay and hide the fact that all of the terrorist world is supporting him! EVERY SINGLE TERRORIST DICTATOR AROUND THE WORLD HAS COME OUT PUBLICALLY AND ENDORSED OBAMA AS THEIR MAN!! And as for the LOCALS -

Endorsed by Communist Party USA
Endorsed by Chicago Young Communists League
Endorsed by Marxists/Communists/Socialists for Obama
Endorsed by Hamas terrorist group

Now THAT is something to be PROUD of!!! Right Mr. Obama? Thank God THEY can't vote! Oops, I forgot! They ARE voting, by way of funneling millions of their foreign (and domestic) terrorist/dictator dollars into his campaign fund.

Barack Hussein Obama, sir, instead of wasting your precious final campaign hours RIDICULING American Republican voters, why don't you tell us more about your plan to brainwash our children into believing they should be pacifists and appease the "sensitivities of America HATERS." And tell the truth about "The Civilian National Security Force" you will put in place without delay... which sadly, your legions of fans/followers/worshippers - whatever, don't have a clue what this means! It sounds good because their Obamessiah is saying it!

We need to be listening to Cuban Americans who escaped the horrors of such a regime that implemented this same police force, controlled by Fidel Castro - NOT to protect the people, but to FORCE them into submission to him. Here's a few links by Cuban bloggers who cannot believe this beloved country of freedom which they fled to and began new lives in, has come to this day.

http://www.babalublog.com/archives/009042.html
http://cubanamericanpundits.blogspot.com/
http://www.anewtone.com/2008/07/czarbama-and-civilian-national-security.html

Tell us Barack Hussein Obama, why you plan to bankrupt the American coal industry?? Are you people paying attention out in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, and any other state that has a significant coal industry? And for the rest of the nation, do you know that putting the coal industry out of business will turn out your lights... and get ready to freeze to death in the winter. Click here, read it for yourself. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/11/obamas_brags_his_cap_and_trade.html

Michelle Malkin also reports on this same issue and you can read it here.
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/02/audio-obama-will-bankrupt-the-coal-industry/ Should it surprise anyone that Obama's "internet police" immediately removed that video where he brazenly spoke of doing this? No matter; bloggers were smart enough to copy the transcript of his exact words.

There are so many issues I could bring up here, but the bottom line for me is very clear: We have on the ballot an American who has proven his allegiance to America.. who was RAISED by America-loving parents to LOVE HIS COUNTRY, who SERVED at great personal sacrifice, who has MANY pro-American friends who have publicly spoken of his love and loyalty, his dedication and service.. many veterans who served alongside of him and publicly praised his honor, loyalty, love and steadfast service and devotion... a man whose life has been TRANSPARENT from his birth to this very point in time - his accomplishments as well as his failures in life, he has honestly put out there for us to see. HE HAS A HISTORY PEOPLE, THAT WE CAN SEE AND JUDGE. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

On the other side, we have a man who's history is FRIGHTENINGLY VAGUE and INCOMPLETE. He seems to have just "appeared on the scene" out of nowhere, a few years back. There are more years missing from his life resume` than are visible for us to look at, and what little history has been revealed or uncovered, is contradictory- i.e. birthplace, citizenship, ideologic affiliation (muslim). Here is a compilation of what little we know - Obama Timeline.

There is NO long list of people who have come forward and been interviewed, to vouch for his allegiance to country... NO ONE, in fact! No friends from his past have surfaced and been interviewed about his character, his growing up years. No childhood friends, no college friends, no records to examine, of service... NO ONE has stepped forward to reassure us that we are choosing a GOOD man who has a history of love for America and the desire to serve America's best interests. What few records in his life that have been dug up, are ALL SEALED TO THE PUBLIC. Those who seek information are investigated themselves!!! I.E. Joe the Plumber.. and examples such as THIS...

We have heard about his associations and friends in life though he wishes we had not. Certainly NONE of them have appeared on TV to share about and reassure us of his patriotism and allegiance to America. And why not?? Because ALL of those associations are America-haters, anti-white, anti-Jew, anti-democracy, anti-American, pro marxist, pro-communist, socialist enemies of our country.

Has there EVER been a candidate for president of these blessed United States of America, who has such a full stable of ANTI-AMERICAN friends from his birth to this very day??

PEOPLE!!!!!! These facts should SCARE THE LIVING HELL OUT OF AMERICAN CITIZENS!!!! I don't care WHAT he is saying and what he is promising - LOOK AT THESE FACTS, WHAT FEW WE HAVE... this isn't all about party feuding. It is NOTHING about party affiliation. People, this man is not your average American democrat... he is a FAR EXTREME LEFT WING (anti-American) democrat who scares the general democratic population. Check out DEMOCRATS FOR McCain ... Hillary Supporters For McCain ... HILL BUZZ ... PUMA PARTY ... Just Say NO Deal ... and hundreds more sites, just google!! And here is an excellent article, compiling Obama's own words concerning who he is and what he intends to do. The Case Against Obama. This is a very thoughtful case.

This election boils down to choosing a PROVEN AMERICAN LOVING, PRO-AMERICAN citizen with a lifetime of defending this country and serving this country, and the experience to lead wisely- verses choosing an UNKNOWN on MANY LEVELS, with FRIGHTENING associations, with a FRIGHTENING anti-America upbringing (immersed in Marxism from his raising by his mother and grandparents, to the seeking out of marxist friends as an adult, BY HIS OWN WORDS) who speaks carefully, but has slipped enough for us to know he speaks with a forked tongue. His words and his ideas come straight from the SOCIALIST playbooks.

John McCain is not a perfect man but his allegiance to the United States is UNQUESTIONED. Barack Obama is not a perfect man either, and his allegiance to the United States is VERY QUESTIONABLE.

This and That

2008-10-31T13:54:00.001-05:00

I appreciate those who took the time to leave a comment in the previous post. Those who haven't yet, you can still leave one just to let me know you've been by for a visit. I appreciate having a sense of who comes by for a visit... and by the way - NONE of you who left a comment are guilty of the threatening communications! A couple of you seemed concerned I might be speaking of you! I'm not censoring lively debate/discussion. I'm just sounding off against "over the top" behavior. You all know what I'm talking about. Also glad to meet a couple of newbies who commented. Thanks for letting me know who you are. I have been excited to see a couple of visitors are stopping in from my 'hometown' - you Selma visitors leave me a comment !

It's no secret that I am voting for McCain/Palin this coming Tuesday. I put a lot of stock in who our military support as their commander-in-chief. They are putting it all on the line TO DEFEND OUR FREEDOM and their opinions do definitely count, to me.

Recently polls indicated that there is overwhelming support for John McCain among US troops in every branch of the armed forces by a nearly 3-1 margin. 68 percent of active-duty and retired servicemen and women support McCain, while 23 percent support Barack Obama. The numbers are nearly identical among officers and enlisted troops.

They are positioned around the world, and very well qualified to see the alternative to freedom and democracy. Their solid endorsement of John McCain is a strong statement.

I read yesterday's post at UNFAIR DOCTRINE, a defender of 1st amendment rights. It's a short, but very good post concerning our right to freedom of speech and how our current democratic candidate is ALREADY doing a rather good job of "squashing" that right among those who dare to question or disagree with his positions on anything. He's not yet made a single policy but his pre-election behavior is an ominous sign.

WHAT SAY YOU, democrats?

Just a little blog business...

2008-10-29T17:33:00.001-05:00

I'd like to ask all of my regular readers to please take a moment to just click on "Comments" below this post, and say HI. I'd like to know who is stopping by to read on a regular basis. Even if you have only stopped in here once or twice, I'd like to know of your visit and hope you will come again.

In this blog, I do express strong political opinions and surely not everyone who visits, shares those opinions. And that's perfectly OK! What is NOT ok, is to receive threatening/unfriendly communications concerning my opinions. Recently the blog has received some additional traffic, some "unknown visitors" according to my blog stats. This increase in traffic has also coincided with a little 'unfriendly' communication.

Friends, old and new who may have differing views are always welcome here. But anonymous, threatening visitors are urged to delete my blog from your memory - and please NEVER return! I am about this far <--> from pass-wording the blog in order to safeguard myself and my family. So please -friendly visitors, old visitors, new visitors, even visitors who have differing viewpoints - take a moment and identify yourselves in the "Comments" section below, so you may continue to stop in for visits without running up against a password block.

This blog frequently contains personal family references and I don't mind meeting new folks so please don't be shy - leave a simple "hello" in the comments. If you are meeting me/my family - I'd like to also meet you.

P.S. There are a lot of interesting political links in the left sidebar - check out some of them!

Thanks a lot for the "HELLO'S" I'm sure I'll be seeing in the comments!

Halloween...

2008-10-28T09:57:00.001-05:00

...my least favorite 'holiday.' I do not like Halloween at all. I don't like what is brought out in people at this time of year. It seems to be an occasion for evil, as if any occasion is needed for evil. Yet it is 'justified'... tolerated, even encouraged and overlooked at Halloween. Did you see the Halloween "decor" at one West Hollywood home? (video) It featured an effigy of Sarah Palin, hanging from a noose strung up on the chimney. It also featured an effigy of a devilish John McCain crawling out of the chimney, surrounded by flames.

Do any of my readers find this offensive? Chad Michael Morisette, who lives in the house, told CBS 2 News that the effigy would be out of bounds at any other time of year, but it's within the spirit of Halloween. "It should be seen as art, and as within the month of October. It's Halloween, it's time to be scary, it's time to be spooky," Morisette said.

ART?????

Sorry, but this is NOT art. And this is NOT appropriate, acceptable behavior. It would be one thing to have the typical generic, spooky characters strung up like this in your yard. I could 'buy' that as Halloween "art." But to depict actual American citizens, public candidates, in this way is NOT cool. The home owner admitted that if he had 'hung' Barack Obama, it would not have gone over as well because of the history of blacks and lynchings. So it is acceptable to hang women.. but not blacks??

I find this attitude DISGRACEFUL, DISGUSTING.

Right now this home is being swamped with onlookers, even tour buses - gawking, taking pictures, laughing, pointing. I dare say if this was a mannequin of Barack Obama hanging by a noose, this house would be swamped with FBI, Secret Service, and the local police. This guy would be TOAST!! He would be immediately booked for commission of 'hate crimes' and become very familiar with the inside of a prison cell. His home would be desecrated by angry citizens. His life might even be in danger IF he remained out of prison!

LYNCHING is not acceptable in the United States of America. It is a heinous, murderous crime. And depiction of hanging of an actual known person is not acceptable either. And as Forrest Gump would say - "That's all I have to say about that."

Thank you all for the very kind comments expressing your love for us, concerning my previous post. It is still a sad thing to think about. Looking back over the years of enjoyment we had with our collie Rebel brings both joy and grief. Gretchen told me that Roscoe was having a difficult time without his buddy. His appetite was off (and he LIVES to eat) and his behavior has been a bit 'out of character' for him. Poor doggie. : ( Hopefully he will grow closer to Belle pup and will regain his love of life... and eating! Some say that animals do not experience emotions such as love and grief. BALONEY!! They certainly do!

I'm off to do some housecleaning... until next time...

Yesterday The Sun Set...

2008-10-17T15:08:00.001-05:00

...on the life of a good dog. I recalled the conversation with a lady on a collie list many years ago. She lived in California - we lived in Alabama. She showed collies and had 19 of them at the time - several were champions. As we communicated back and forth, I learned that she had one who just wasn't liking the show circuit. He was beautiful and showed well in confirmation, but was a home boy, preferring to be at home with family. Of course being that her work was showing and raising show champions - she had little use for, and no room for a 'family pet' collie in her grand furry menagerie.

His name was "Rebel" and she told me his name fit him! But I was struck by his beauty and having lost my beautiful collie Courtney several years previous - my heart longed for another collie in the home. And so we made a deal - she would give him to us, but I would pay for his airplane ride across the country. That FREE dog cost me nearly 300 dollars to transport... and thus he became a beloved family member. He was 18 months old when he came to be our dog. Yesterday he died, 2 months shy of his 12th birthday... old and very arthritic, in pain, unable to stand to relieve himself... wobbly on his feet... the proud, happy, rambunctious Rebel's life had become very, very difficult.

The first half of his life with us, he was a family pet. He loved to romp and run and play and bark. His tail was always carried high, and wagging continually. He was a mischief maker, a merry boy. He was a thorn in Casey's side as his playful and rambunctious antics did not always sit well with her. Yet let the sky darken and the thunder grow loud with an approaching storm, and suddenly they became best friends - both scared of bad weather, they huddled together during storms, comforting each other through them. Their love/hate (jealousy, really) relationship and behavior was often a source of humor and entertainment to us.

When Gretchen went off to college she lived in some unsafe neighborhoods. She often spoke of being a little afraid. So in her 3rd year of college (of 7 - she switched majors) when we moved to Florida, she took Rebel back to school with her at the University of Alabama. Thus the last several years of his life were spent at college being her best friend, her roommate, her

bodyguard. She said she always felt safe when Rebel was with her. He was big, and though he was a collie and generally friendly as collies are - he would not tolerate anyone messing with his human family. So he made a good companion and bodyguard for Gretchen, and though I missed him, I felt better knowing he was with her, taking care of her. Gretchen graduated in May of 2007 and began a wonderful career as a registered dietician. She got engaged this past summer. And Rebel was right there to observe as his beloved human child became a strong and wonderful woman. But he was slowing down. His body was betraying his wonderful lively spirit. It became more difficult to run and play, though he would try his hardest. He had bursts of playfulness, but pain got the best of him eventually, and he took to observing the fun around him, unable to participate any longer.

He went to live with Joe (Gretchen's fiance) the past couple of years. Joe is a dog lover, and had a longhaired doxie named Roscoe. Roscoe and Rebel formed an immediate bond. They understood one another and became fast friends... best friends. Gretchen lived in a cramped apartment and Rebel was happier in a house with a yard, so it was a good arrangement. Every day after her classes, and eventually after she graduated, after her job she would go over and play with the dogs, feed them, and spend several hours with them and with Joe.

As Rebel slowed down and then deteriorated due to the severe arthritis afflicting him, Joe and Gretchen worried how it would affect Roscoe when the day came, that he would no longer have his friend. They worried that Roscoe might actually grieve himself to death, without Rebel. So they brought in baby Belle to join the family a couple of months ago. At first the two 'old men' rejected her but eventually Roscoe began to accept her as a playmate. After all, his old friend Rebel could no longer run and play with him. He was now the silent observer, where once he had been the joyful instigator of fun and merriment. Gretchen's heart grew heavier as the days went on.. and Rebel grew more feeble.

These last weeks have been very rough for Rebel as he became incontinent and unable to even move away from the soiling. Gretchen and Joe exhibited tremendous patience with him as they knew he could not help it. But it was very unpleasant to come in and have to deal with the mess and to clean it out of his coat without subjecting him to a full bath. This week they talked and made the decision that it was time to let Rebel go, to release him from his suffering. Yesterday was the hardest day for my baby girl as the vet would be coming out to the house in the evening, to put Rebel-man to sleep. My brokenhearted Gretchen said good-bye to her faithful friend and reassured him that he had been a good boy and a good friend. Thanks to their good and compassionate vet, He went easily to sleep in the comfort of his home, surrounded by his human and canine friends. And dear Joe, bless his heart, had the task of digging his grave and burying him. This task has always fallen to Bobby over the years of our children growing up, and Bobby said he felt for Joe, as it was the hardest thing to bury a good family pet.

And so the landscape of our family changes again.. with the loss of dear Rebel. As much as we know that death is a part of life... we still grieve. His place will always be secure in our hearts. As I type, Casey is resting at my feet. She is getting up in age as well, though seems to be in good health for an almost 14 yr old doggie. But in my heart I know that we will face another similar dreaded day somewhere ahead in time.

I don't truly know if dogs go to heaven. Some say yes. Some say no, because dogs are animals and have no souls. But I find no evidence in scripture that the lack of a soul would keep one out of heaven, for the angels are welcome there and they have no souls! And we know the scriptures speak of horses being in heaven, for Jesus will one day return, riding a great horse... and lions and lambs are spoken of in heaven. There is a passage in scripture which speaks of the whole creation groaning under the curse of sin, and eagerly awaiting that day when God will redeem His whole creature from the curse of sin, which is death. So who knows? If they do go to heaven... then there will be several very good doggies there, who will be so glad to see us when we arrive! :")

Rest easy Rebel-man. You blessed our lives with your coming to join our family, and you will always be loved. The afflictions you increasingly endured the last two years of your life will NEVER overshadow the memories we will keep of your love, your exuberance, your mischievousness, your playfulness, your sheer joy of just being alive! Rest, good boy. And I do hope we meet again in heaven.

"The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of its master." ~ Ben Hur Lampman

A SWEET Visit...

2008-10-12T13:58:00.001-05:00

The girls and I had a nice visit this week - with big sister Gretchen. She brought her new golden retriever puppy, Belle along with her. It was Belle's first big adventure away from home and she did wonderful!

You can see who was THRILLED to lay eyes on Belle for the first time! Katelyn just adored her! Of course when Hannah saw her, the 'awwwwwwws' went on at length as well! What a SWEET SWEET puppy she is! She turned 4 months old during her visit. Gretchen and Joe have been working with her and she is so well behaved and already nicely trained - what a pleasure she is to be around. GOOD DOGGIE!

It was a short visit, sadly. Gretchen got here after work Thursday night, and Friday we drove down to Seagrove Beach, Florida where the wedding will take place in April. (Sorry Karol.. we were only 3 blocks from you, but didn't even have time to pop in for a visit. LONG story!) Gretchen had an appointment with a florist, to discuss wedding arrangements. We also took a few minutes to check out the beach where the ceremony will take place, and to take a peek at the two beach houses they have rented for the occasion. Gretchen treated us girls to lunch at The Back Porch in Pier Park. Their original location is just down the road, in Destin.

Isn't it a colorful place!?! We sat out on the patio and they allowed the doggies (we took Casey and Belle with us) in and they were so well behaved! Both of them rested under the table while we ate outside, enjoying the nice fall sea air. You can see the beautiful Gulf of Mexico right across the street and it's a very relaxing atmosphere. Oooh, did it make me miss living there! October was always my favorite month at the beach - warm days, cool nights, minimal crowds - great outdoors weather. I DO miss it!

We stopped over at the beach after our floral appointment and took a few pictures right at sunset. I called Bobby and he met us over there for a quick visit.

It went by way too quick and we were on our way back home. We got in late and I had tuckered out girls - canine and human alike!

Saturday morning we slept in and then had coffee out on the screened in patio while the dogs played in the yard. I wish I had gotten a video of Belle chasing after Casey trying to get her to play! Casey (nearly 14) thought Belle had lost her mind! LOL! But she did give brief chase a time or two, when the pup ragged her hard enough! They were funny and we laughed and laughed at those two!

Can you tell Katelyn is in LOVE!?!?! She moped around Saturday afternoon, missing Gretchen and Belle. It was fun and we'll see them again in a little over a month, God willing. We will all gather at my sister's in Montgomery, Alabama, for Thanksgiving... my most favorite day of every year because all my family is together that day.

Gretchen, thank you for bringing your sunshine to us this week.. even if only for a day or two! We love you and miss you!

One final photo from the beach... and a face no one could resist! : )

P.S. UH OH... A little hanky panky detected on the "Fight the Smears" site concerning the Obama/ACORN relationship.

See ya'll next time...

Politics...

2008-10-09T14:10:00.001-05:00

Is this ACORN group getting under your skin? It is mine. I fail to understand why we must go out and encourage those who are NON-interested and UN-informed, to vote anyway? Why would anyone want people who are uninformed, uneducated, uninterested in what's going on in the world around them - to VOTE for a candidate who's world view, character and wisdom would directly impact the course of our country?

Yet we have ACORN going out and recruiting the uninformed, uninterested masses by the tens of thousands - to vote! Some of them when interviewed are very honest to say they don't know what's going on and don't care! They go along with it because they "get a gift" for registering to vote. One street thug said he didn't care, but he voted for Obama cos they gave him a nice pen.. the one he filled out the form with.

And we have people like this determining our future!?!?! ACORN has admitted that one of every two of these registrations are fraudulent!! FRAUDULENT!! This means the election is being rigged, stacked, stolen, and a candidate is illegally attaining to the highest position of leadership and authority in our land. I say illegally because many of these registrations are multiple -some as many as 20 times - SAME PERSON. Multiply this by tens of thousands, and you might just squeeze out a win.

What do you all think about this? My opinion is that democrats do not care about the impoverished, the uneducated, the homeless - but don't think twice about USING them as a stepping block on their greedy quest to attain power.

And how about this article?

On the home front... still holding on to the knot at the end of my rope!

Checking In... And Conducting a Little Sale Here...

2008-09-29T12:44:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry to be so irregular in posting. It's just hard for me to sit down here and write anything these days. Times are tougher than tough and that's all I have to say about that.

Over the weekend my Alabama Crimson Tide beat the 3rd ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, GA. We were thrilled! When I was in 10th grade we lived in Athens, Georgia for a year before moving over to Atlanta. I know how fanatical they are about their "dawgs"!! To this day, I still like those scrappy bulldogs, but I LOVE my Crimson Tide! We prevailed Saturday and are now ranked 2nd in the nation! We have some tough games ahead of us, but I have faith we will get the job done, a week at a time!! ROLL TIDE!!!

The man who was kind enough to point me to the laptop charger on eBay (couple of weeks ago) also fixed my PC which died several months ago. He did it for a very reasonable price (half of what Best Buy quoted me, to fix it.) It is as good as new which I was so happy to hear because it was a nice (expensive) computer. But unfortunately I don't have the funds to retrieve it from him at this time. And don't foresee having those funds any time soon. It may be months before I can get it back. I hope he'll be patient as I told him up front, I didn't have the money to pay for the repairs at this time.

We have to make some critical changes in our household, immediately. Those changes involve finances - the big ones being the house and car. We need to get rid of both and would so covet your prayers for that to happen, and right away. We are stretched so thin that buying groceries and gas (both of which are needed) has become difficult.

If any of you are in the market for a good camera which has been well cared for, used minimally (just under 1 yr old) please contact me. Mine is for sale. Asking price is 300.00 and that includes camera and all accessories which came with the camera, and I will even throw in the nice camera bag I purchased for it. I will throw in the 1gb.pro memory duo stick and the memory stick adaptor as well. (these add'l accessories are worth 55.00)

The camera is a high end point and shoot with optional full manual settings. It's a Sony Cybershot DSC-H9B, 8.1 Megapixel, 15x Optical/2x Digital Zoom, Digital Camera (Black)(DSCH9B). It can be seen HERE. A small picture of my camera is on this page in the upper left corner of my sidebar as well. This model is presently going on eBay for 300.00 - used and listed as showing moderate wear. By contrast, mine is in brand new condition with no wear or scratches. It is kept clean and in a well padded camera bag. The battery has been charged less than 10 times so you can see it has not been used very much. And mine includes additional accessories.

Prices for a brand new one in the box are ranging from about 359 - 699.00. The average price of a new one (if bought from a reputable dealer online) is around 389.00-439.00. In watching the prices since I bought last year, this camera has NOT declined in price or value over the past year as most models do! The 15X optical zoom is an amazing feature which is extremely hard to find!

With the tender loving care I have given mine, the minimal usage, the additional accessories I am including (nicely padded bag, pro memory stick and adaptor) I feel 300.00 is a fair price. I paid right at 460.00 for the whole works that I am offering for 300.00. Contact me if you are interested in purchasing this high end point and shoot. This is about the top of the line unless you want to go into DSLR cameras. I do not want to sell this gem of a camera, but NEED to sell ASAP.

Thanks for reading through this post. Keep us in your prayers. Relationships and finances are strained to the breaking point in our family. I'll post as I am able.

This and That...

2008-09-19T10:36:00.001-05:00

Aaah, it's good to be back. Last week our computer power cord bit the dust, aided by the carelessness of two girls who shall remain nameless. : / They did not seem to understand my repeated warnings that pulling the cord taunt and continually pressing it against things would eventually bend/break the wires inside and kill the power! Needless to say - it happened. I was right! So we spent a week without computer access while waiting for a replacement charging cord to come in from eBay. Note in the picture to the left - the kinked cord! GRRRR... and also notice the very effective multi-tasking - computing, telephoning and thumbs up, all at the same time! LOL!

A side note - if you ever find yourself in need of a replacement power cord, do NOT buy local! Every place I called (all the common electronics stores located everywhere) wanted at least - AT LEAST 89.99 for a universal power cord. (Not guaranteed to even fit our computer!) The highest price I was quoted was 159.99!! For a universal cord! Needless to say, I ebay'd for one (from my trusty little iPod - not convenient to go online with, but available if needed) and found one specifically made for my computer, for 14.95 plus 8.00 shipping!

A lot of things happening in the news this past week. Hurricane Ike wreaked devastation upon Texas. I feel so bad for these many families who left home to be safe, and now have no home to return to. I cannot even imagine. : ( Thankfully, the ocean is clear at this time, and we have a break from these storms.

So many things happening on the news front, it's hard to stay on top of it all. All I can say is THESE ARE PERILOUS TIMES IN MANY WAYS. Not gonna get into it all today - but people had best be paying VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to the candidates running, to their associations and influences, and to their mind-sets concerning this great country and how to retain her strength and glory. Be sure... BE VERY SURE of who you cast your vote for.

On the home front, Hannah, Katelyn and I continue to struggle along. I know many families are doing the same. Bobby and Zach are living hand to mouth in Panama City - so we are all dealing with stress on several levels. It's not fun, but it is what it is - and we just take it a day at a time. Katelyn said I never smile anymore, so we took this picture together, so she could see me smiling. : / Sad, huh!

These days I am contemplating more and more, Jesus' lifestyle while He lived on this earth. He owned nothing, not even a place to lay His head, according to scripture. And He was unencumbered. More and more I am feeling the need to turn loose of material things. Car loans, mortgages, ever increasing gas prices, ever increasing food prices, ever increasing everything! And the tendency is to acquire more, more and more. I am wanting to simplify... to scale back, to reduce the burdens of so many things and so many obligations. And right now - going up against a brick wall trying to do that. It's not easy to sell houses and cars right now. SIGH. So we continue to hold on to the knot at the end of the rope. But I am growing weary, I tell you that.

Well, the weekend is upon us, so I hope you all have a peaceful one. To all the football fans - may your team WIN! (ROLL TIDE ROLL!!) To those who are not football fans, I hope you enjoy a nice weekend as fall approaches!

REMEMBERING 9-11...

2008-09-11T09:38:00.001-05:00

Sitting here this morning, watching the various commemorative services - my heart is broken again. It is also fortified to continue to support our troops as they battle against oppression against freedom, in every place.

A couple of years ago on this same occasion, I read a commentary online at One Man's Blog. I do not endorse this blog - only this post written on 9/11/2006. I am not familiar with the blogger's views other than this post which is worth repeating and it went like this:

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is credited with saying, after the attack on Pearl Harbor,

“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the re-awakening of a sleeping giant.

The terrorists in the Middle East are not led by philosophy, history and the promise of universal peace and freedom. But are pious, unquestioning and often ignorant; making for a dangerous, if not lethal, combination when mixed with a religious Autocracy.

A part of me has sympathy for the plight of those people who become inducted into the terrorist’s regime. The same kind of sympathy for youth who become ensnared in gangs, or young men that become trapped in the mafia. The terrorists are zealots, but the fascist societies in which they are bred often offer little or no alternative.

When democracy is stamped out, people are left catering to the will of those in power in order to survive. In places like Afghanistan, Iran, and China a human life is valued by servitude and obedience to the powerful.

September 11 reminds me that wherever democracy fails, people are enslaved. And people that are enslaved will have no access to unbiased history, freedom of speech, and freedom from oppression. Slaves will submit to all manner of misfortunes opposed upon them so long as they believe they will remain alive; and will even submit themselves to death under the justification that it would have come to them sooner had they offered opposition.

9/11, and the many terrorist attacks before and since, are the flailings of backwards societies which are trying to survive in a world where information now seeps in to disrupt their monopolistic control of young minds.

Make no mistake, this is not about religion… it’s a struggle against freedom. It always has been.

The final line is so true. May we never grow weary in the struggle to uphold freedom and liberty! The alternative is unthinkable!

THANK YOU to all of you who left kind comments and love and well wishes on my birthday. How did you even know?? It passed with little fanfare, which is ok. I'm not much into birthdays anymore! But thank you for remembering.

Being My Brother's Keeper...

2008-09-04T11:44:00.001-05:00

I am loving watching the Palin kids take their turns tending to their little baby brother, Trig. It's brought back sweet memories of Gretchen when she was little, tending to the babies. She toted my babies on her hip and fed them in their highchair, rocked them in the old blue rocker and generally tended to them from the tender age of 7 when the first baby (Zach) came along after her. I have pictures of her 'mothering' a baby Zach, a baby Hannah and a baby Katelyn who all came along after her. I have pictures of Nathan toting them all as well, entertaining them and making them laugh, encouraging them as they were learning new things like walking or eating, or mastering a new skill. SWEET SWEET memories of my 'big' kids interacting with my little kids.

So I love seeing these Palin kids busy caring for their little baby brother. It's so sad and disheartening that I've read so many criticisms of this very thing, this act of sibling love - complaints, snide remarks about the older sibs tending to baby Trig (and insinuating his mother should be doing all the caring for him and she obviously cannot do her mothering job because she is too busy in politics.) RIDICULOUS!! Utterly ridiculous!

This is what is so precious about larger families - the love and interdependence and interaction... the examples of the older to the younger. It makes me angry to hear these criticisms of the older Palin children holding, feeding, cuddling baby Trig. SHAME ON ALL THE CRITICS who obviously have not experienced healthy family interaction!

All of this 'family' and ''personal attack on Sarah Palin reminds me of a quote from a well respected and proven lady of the world stage - Margaret Thatcher...

"When they attack one personally it means they haven't a single political argument left." Margaret Thatcher.

AMEN.

With all this said... now take a look at this sweet video and SMILE! It's only a few seconds, but priceless! Every little brother needs such a helpful big sister to keep him looking his best! LOL!

Goodbye Gustav...We Fared Well But Trouble Looms in the Caribbean

2008-09-02T14:36:00.001-05:00

Thank you Sue and Denise, for thinking of us and asking about us in the comments. In Southeast Alabama where I am, and in Panama City, Florida where I have family, and also in Mobile, Alabama where I have a child - we all fared very well through Hurricane Gustav. Here and in Panama City, it was basically wind and rain - no problems at all. In Mobile, Alabama where Nathan is living, they experienced a little more action, but still fared very well.

This morning I am seeing on Fox News that there was a lot of damage in Louisiana. Yes, it could have been so much worse but there is still a lot of flooding and structural damage to be dealt with around the state. The residents are being kept away for fear it is not yet safe to return. This must be very frustrating, knowing that another potential major gulf threat (Hurricane Ike) is only several days away. We have three more storms out there which are headed this way so the next couple of weeks will be busy. I just pray they will all have minimal impact on those who will be in their path. It's that scary time of year for those of us who live in the south, in the coastal states.

One thing that has come out of the hurricane is the opportunity to see Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in action - and I DO LIKE what I have seen! He is an impressive young leader and I look forward to seeing him play an integral part on the larger political stage in the not too distant future. I am encouraged to see such vibrant and capable up and coming Republicans.

For a very thoughtful and sensitive, well written article on the coming trials of Sarah Palin, visit the American Thinker and read their September 1 entry. This link should go directly to the article. It's really sad to see the forked-tongue hypocrisy concerning this woman and her family. Feminists are obviously NOT for women!! If they were, they would be shouting from the rooftops, crying out against the accusations and outright mudslinging being hurled against Sarah Palin. Maybe what Rush said was right? ("To feminists, politics trumps sisterhood.")

Finally, in my internet travels I ran across this video of Ronald Reagan giving his speech from which I draw one of my sidebar quotes - the "Rendezvous with Destiny" quote. Someone posted this video which they saw on another blog, and commented, "Reagan's words still apply to today's national and global situation. You only need to replace "Russia" and "Cold War" with "Islamofascism" to hear the truth still ring through." I TOTALLY AGREE. Here's the video and it's only about 4 minutes long - and very worth listening to. This is vintage Reagan, and why I love the man so much.

Gustav... sigh

2008-08-31T15:36:00.001-05:00

I LOVE living in the deep south. I was born here so it's home. But one of the perils of living here is having to deal with hurricane season every year - June to November. We've had a quiet couple of years since the year 2005 which brought us more than 2 dozen hurricanes, several of those being major and very destructive! But now as 2008 hurricane season enters its' peak time the tropics are getting extremely busy.

We have hurricane Gustav who is now in the Gulf of Mexico - spinning, eyeing the coastline and sizing up victims. We have hurricane Hanna on the lower east coast side of Florida - who knows what she will do in the next several days? And two more active storms are making their way across the Caribbean, from off the coast of Africa. They will come into play in the days to come. Yes, it's a very busy season. I am compelled to pray for all the Gulf coast states and their residents, that we would be kept safe through these storms of 2008.

The rains from the outer bands of Gustav have already begun in my neck of the woods in the southeast corner of Alabama. I am about 75 miles inland from the coast, straight north of Panama City, FL. Some of my family is in Panama City, and my Nathan is in Mobile, AL which is a coastal city about 30 minutes east of Biloxi, Mississippi. So we will all experience some of the effects of Gustav, even if he stays on track. If he jogs east of the present track, our level of involvement will increase. We always pray that the hurricanes which enter the Gulf will go straight west and fizzle out in the unpopulated wilderness of Mexico. This would be the best possible outcome, always. Right now it appears that will not happen this time. I just pray New Orleans can survive this one. God bless those people there.

My hat is off to the Republicans at the convention now, who are carefully, sensitively assessing the situation and going on standby mode, pending the outcome of Gustav. This is a wise decision although I am sorry to see their convention not able to run as scheduled. I certainly understand and respect the McCain organization all the more, for living out the "Country First" motto.

Stay safe everybody! To Michelle over in Biloxi, hunker down girl! Stay safe!

VERY VERY CLASSY...

2008-08-29T11:28:00.001-05:00

I watched the Democratic Convention last night via Fox News. During the 2 hours I watched, I saw the following ad run four times.

This cost John McCain a LOT of money and he didn't have to do this. He suspended all current campaign ads in favor of running this single congratulatory ad during the convention tonight. A true gentleman and a very classy thing to do.

And now to the BIG news of the day - McCain chooses SARAH PALIN!!!!!!!!!!

I am SOOOO STOKED over this choice John McCain has made for his vice presidential running mate!! Talk about "hitting a grand slam out of the park" - EAT YOUR HEART OUT BILL CLINTON!!! Ha!! Months ago I said I hoped Sarah Palin would be the vice president and Bobby laughed at me, saying there was NO WAY she would be chosen! She was a long shot alright, but I knew that she would be an AWESOME choice! Congratulations John McCain and Godspeed to the McCain/Palin team as they travel across the nation on the "Straight Talk Express" over the crucial upcoming weeks.

Now LETS ROLL!!!!

In other news, can you all believe this Caylee Anthony story??? Bless her little heart. The DNA tests are in and they indicate that this beautiful little child is dead. : ( So what the heck is going on with her mother??? Why is she sitting at home, seemingly detached from all of this? And take a look at this horrific story!! This is SICK! What is wrong with people??

Well, I gotta get to school and pick up my girls! Ya'll have a great weekend!

OH NO... Here We Go

2008-08-28T11:13:00.001-05:00

Well well... this year seems to be shaping up to be very active, weather-wise. Hurricane Gustav is on his way and following close behind, Tropical Storm Hanna. When you live on the Gulf Coast, hurricanes are certainly a strong possibility. Every year from June to November we live with this possibility always in the back of our minds.

We watch the tropics on a regular basis and if we see a swirling bit of red out there in the far away Caribbean... we pay attention. Best case scenario is that the canes will make a sharp turn northward and drift harmlessly out into the Atlantic and die. Worst case scenario is that they enter the Gulf of Mexico where the waters are warm and beautiful, and well known to ripen hurricanes into high category dangerous killers. They tend to strengthen dramatically once in the warmth of the Gulf of Mexico.

Gustav will be in the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday and once in the gulf waters, which direction he heads is unknown at this point. Therefore, the whole gulf coast is on high alert. Someone will be hit - we all know that. Hanna will be right on his heels and what sort of destruction will she bring? And look here! Two circles in the lower right of this map indicate two more developing tropical storms following close behind. This is starting to bring back memories of 3 summers ago when we experienced some 26 named storms that summer! More than half a dozen of them had significant impact on the area I lived in. We are NOT anxious to see a repeat here in 2008! Die you dastardly storms... DIE!! Go away!

On a lighter note - ROLL TIDE ROLL!!! Alabama football kicks off the 2008 season this Saturday evening! We are filled with high expectations for a great season! Can't wait to watch the season opener Saturday night! (STAY AWAY Gustav!)

On a "what the heck??" note - WHAT is up with the rock star party/greek god/temple of obama worship atmosphere shaping up at the Dems convention tonight??? Isn't this a little over the top?? Wasn't enough money spent "tricking out" the convention center, without having to expensively "trick out" a second venue?? And what about the special effects being built into this 50 yard line temple, making it seem like he is "more than mere mortal" descending by way of special effects platform - to associate with us mortals?? More than a little weird, to me!! Me thinks he has lost touch with reality here! Just my opinion.

Splish Splash...

2008-08-24T22:41:00.001-05:00

Sunday it was still raining as Fay lingered along the gulf coast....

This was the view looking out my front door early today... and you can see one of my pretty siam tulips that I photographed last week, the one with the spider in it (in a previous post below.) Yep, it's the thing in the lower corner of the photos that's broken and laying in the puddle. : / (click to enlarge)

My driveway is under water as well.

But the good news was that the repairs Bobby made to the roof yesterday (see previous post) seem to have held firm... no further leaking.

Tonight all is quiet except for an occasional stray shower which pops up out of the Gulf of Mexico, the last of the lingering tails of the bands of wind and rain that swirled round the eye of the storm all weekend.

We continue to have a strong chance of thundershowers through Wednesday of this week, but hopefully better weather will prevail.

There has been a little ray of sunshine in my life this past week... one which brings a smile to my face! Gretchen got a new golden retriever puppy! Her name is Belle and she is almost 10 weeks old now. Though I haven't yet met her, Gretchen has told me all about her, how sweet and precious she is. Every time I look at her cute little face and furry little body, I smile! Take a look and see if you can smell the sweet puppy breath as well...

Isn't she adorable!!!! : ) She's trying to entice Rebel to play with her, but he's an 'old man' now and didn't think too much of this young pup's antics! He snarled now and then but mostly just tried to ignore her! Hopefully it won't be long before he'll enjoy her company. He doesn't get around very well these days - very arthritic, but now and then he has a little burst of playfulness left in him. Gretchen hopes Belle will lift his spirits and make him feel better.

I just think she is so cute! She makes me smile! We can't wait to meet her - hopefully before she gets too big!

Well, I better shut it down for tonight and try to get to bed at a semi-decent hour. More rest (than my usual 4-5 hours per night) would probably help my spirits and my ability to cope with life's trials and struggles. If I get to bed shortly, I should get about 7 hours!

Stilllll Raining... Hit the Road Tropical Storm Fay

2008-08-24T01:15:00.001-05:00

Oh boy... what fun we have had over the past 30 hours... NOT. Due to Tropical Storm Fay's anticipated trek, that she would come right across the Wiregrass area (lower SE Alabama) schools closed early on Friday and they urged everyone to make final preparations for dear Fay's arrival. I've lived in Panama City, Florida for the past several years, and lived through the season of hurricane after hurricane three years ago - BIG hurricanes like Katrina and Ivan... CAT 4 hurricanes! What was a little tropical storm to me??? Just a rainy weekend.

The winds picked up through the afternoon, and then the rains came as well. And it rained... and rained... and rained. Guess what! It's STILL raining some thirty hours later! And the winds BLEW and BLEW!! During the night we lost power due to the totally saturated ground and very high winds breaking/uprooting numerous trees citywide. That was fun... NOT.

Then we started seeing wet spots on the ceiling in two different rooms. Well, that was even more fun... TOTALLY NOT! Then my beautiful wood floor in the entryway began to look soaked. No water was coming in under the front door, but we later determined the brick step that is right up against the threshold outside was so saturated, it was wetting the ends of the wood planks where they met the brick under the threshold and the wood planks were soaking up the water like a sponge. At this point... my Christian attitude was totally down the toilet.

I was MAAAD.... I was SAAAD.... I was FRUSTRATED.... and was worried about the mega bucks this storm was going to cost (which we do not have!) This was supposed to have been a rainy weekend... not a hurricane! It was acting like a hurricane - the nerve of that storm! And of course, I was here alone with the girls as usual... so no guy help around. SIGH. Well I called Bobby and he had to get in his car and drive from Panama City in this tropical storm! Being an hour south of us, they happened to be between the rain bands, so were not really in the bad weather at that point. But he got into it soon enough as he made his way here. Once here, then he had to go up on the roof in driving rain, and fix the leaks! I was the "ground support" at the base of the ladder. Well that was just more fun than we could hardly stand!! NOT!

I felt so stressed out by all this... being hot, having no power and all that entails, watching the paint on my walls literally bubbling and peeling as they became soaked... and getting soaked myself, it was just upsetting. Once Bobby got the roof patch around the several drains that were leaking up there (the gaskets around the pvc pipes that go through the attic and out through the roof, were ALL busted and allowing water to pour in around the pipes) he came in and showered and sat down for a few minutes and then lo and behold - he left! He drove back to Panama City!

These are strange times.. they are. For all practical purposes, I am a single parent these days. It was me who had to climb up in the attic and search for the leaks to see what was leaking - the roof, or pipes, or what?! After finding the problem and calling him, he DID come and go up on the roof in the rain and patch around those pipes and replace the gasket on on of them. He brought one gasket, not knowing that several were busted... so patched the others as best he could, with the gooey patch stuff.

Apparently the combination of HOT weather, cold weather, rainy weather, drought weather - all had combined to dry out and crack the gaskets which were used to seal around these drain pipes and vent pipes that went out through the roof. Hopefully this weekend coming up will be a dry one and he can get back on the roof and properly replace the other gaskets. For now, the leaks have apparently been stopped... but some drywall damage has been done. Some ceiling damage has been done. And some wood floor damage has been done. Thank you so much, "DEAR" Fay. NOT!!

I'm discouraged... about so many things. I just want peace in my life... not stress, not worry, not sadness, not regret... not this feeling I am drowning.

... And the rain keeps falling.

What Is This?

2008-08-17T01:59:00.001-05:00

*** UPDATE - Sun Evening ***

My sweet lil Lisa friend saw my pictures and made a positive id on the flowers! She is so smart! I have never seen or heard of this flower bulb before, but it is called a Siam Tulip! I am so glad to know what it is, and now I am so sad that I did such a thorough job of digging out those beds and unknowing, removed most of these nice bulbs. : ( The lady who used to live here probably planted a number of these bulbs and in a nice orderly planting. Oh well.. I have three pretty ones left to enjoy. : / Thanks Lisa, for providing some info and a link in the comments. I wish you would go to blogger.com and start a blog. You have lots of knowledge on many various things, and interesting things to share. Please, please please!!! : )

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These interesting pale lavender/pinkish flowers grew up out of nowhere recently. There is one in my little flower bed by the front door, and a couple in the bed of mexican heather on the opposite side of my front door. I assume they grew from bulbs the former owner planted since I turned these beds over pretty good (must've missed these!) They are over 3 feet tall and the bloom is a spike which then opens. Very handsome flowers but I don't know what they are! If you know, leave me a comment and share the info on this pretty flower! I've never planted bulbs so I am not familiar with many different types, only the very popular ones like daffodils/crocus etc.

You can click on each picture for a closer look. Guess it's kind of icky to some of you, but while photographing the flower I saw this spider eating her dinner - a big bumble bee that was captured in her practically invisible web! I thought it was kind of cool. The spider has hairy legs! LOL!! And when I viewed the picture full size, the bee actually looks furry, like a soft-coated dog! I never realized they were furry! Aren't cameras great and isn't nature so very interesting! Oh, the things we miss when we don't take time to inspect creation more closely.

Out of my Element...

2008-08-12T13:07:00.001-05:00

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at all there is to do, to get ready for a wedding... and to think it only lasts a few minutes! I am also feeling a bit ashamed that I didn't participate more in my own wedding nearly thirty years ago. There are a number of reasons for that, but this was my response to my mama's attempts to help me have a nice wedding... "I don't really care mama.. I could go to a courthouse and be married and save all this time, trouble, money..." This was my attitude toward planning a wedding. I know - SHAME on me. sigh.

I still think it has all gotten way out of hand over the past several decades - weddings and kids birthday parties!! LOL! The cost factor has gotten out of control! But I want to do my best to enjoy Gretchen's planning process because she is doing things the way she wants to. And I like seeing her happy. (Even if this is all 'foreign' to me and I am like a fishy out of water, flopping around on the floor!)

I wanted to post a picture of Hannah's tournament team since I have been saying I would for the past month! These are the girls who went to the Fastpitch Softball World Series back in July and ended up placing 9th in their age group. Not bad since there were more than 60 teams in their 16u classification. There were more than 300 teams there this year, representing ages 8-18! Hannah is on the back row, right end with a bottle of water in her hand.

Last, I want to say THANK YOU to Tänia! She sent a cute little graphic to me! You can see it over in the left sidebar... "Ewe Bless Me"... thank you ma'am! 'Ewes a blessin' too!!' LOL!

Back to searching for wedding music!

Support Well Made Christian Films

2008-08-08T13:26:00.001-05:00

Save up some "entertainment" funds for the end of September - and go to the movies! From the producers of "Facing The Giants" comes "Fireproof" and it looks to be really good! You can watch the trailer by following the link below, and visit the website to find out if this movie will be playing in your area. If it's not yet listed, there may be some contacts listed so you can join a local effort to bring this very worthwhile film to a theater in your town.

You remember how "The Passion" was played down and Mel Gibson had some troubles getting it into widespread locales. You know how it goes - movies to teach your kids how to be witches and wizards are far-reaching to every local theater in every town, regardless of population - but movies promoting values, morals, godly choices, consequences of living unto ourselves rather than living submitted to Christ - they are often passed over by theaters. Support the effort to bring this very well made movie in your local theater! And if you see a local theater has already picked it up, show your support for decent movies by GOING to see it!

Playing Tag

2008-08-06T14:02:00.001-05:00

Sigh... it is so hard for me to get here these days. Not having my own computer that I can sit down to at will, has surely cramped my style! I have so much to talk about but never have time to come here and write it all down.

Several days ago, Mary tagged me to play the "Random" game.

This means I have to write six random things about me. But first there are rules.

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Write 6 random things about yourself.
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged, leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Okay, here I go:

1) When I was very young, I had the same 3 recurring nightmares over and over again several times a week from about age 2, until I was around 12. I still remember all three of them vividly, though I have not dreamed them again in some 38-40 years.

2) When I was around 11 years old, I asked for a guitar for Christmas. My parents got me a little inexpensive beginners guitar and I taught myself to play! Several years later my mom gave me a good guitar for Christmas and I still have that one.

3) My first dog was a collie puppy I named Champ. He came to me on my 5th Christmas and though it was all I ever wanted and dreamed about (I LOVED LASSIE!) when I first saw him, I was terrified of him! He barked, he chased me, he jumped on me (as all happy 6 week old puppies do) and I had never been around a real dog (only Lassie up to that point!) so I was terrified of him! My mama made me take him out to potty every time and I would RUN down the back steps with him tumbling along behind me, barking joyfully. I would hit the ground and run for the swing set, shimmy up one of the legs and hang from the top bar of the swing set, crying! LOL! He would stand beneath me and wag his tail and bark excitedly. It was a fun game for him!

Within days I lost the fear, fell in love with him, and we became the best of friends and inseparable. We shared everything, including my daily lunch - peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Champ secured in me, a lifelong love for the collie breed and I have had several more collies over the course of my life. The collie will always be my favorite breed. Sadly I have no photos of my beloved collie Champ, but he was a white, rough-coated collie that looked very similar to this one I found on the web. He had the same sable and black markings on his head and his body was mostly white except a patch of sable near his hips and extending onto his tail. Very pretty!

4) My first hero was Roy Rogers! (For you babies too young to know, he was a cowboy - a good guy with a smart and beautiful horse named Trigger!) By the time I was three years old, I was a cowboy too - from the hat on my head, to the boots on my feet, and the shiny pair of six-shooters that hung at my waist. I had a stick horse, my "Trigger" and every day Champ and Trigger accompanied me on many imaginary journeys. My mama continually tried to lure me in to play with dolls and tea sets in my younger years. I would watch her play and feed the dolls, amused, but I would not join in. After a few minutes, I would run back outside and jump on my trusty steed, Trigger, and head off for another adventure! (can we say tomboy, here??)

5) Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday... always has been.

6) When I was about 20 years old, I met actor Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward. That was back in day when he was making movies such as "The Sting" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." My best friend and I got some tickets to the Atlanta International Motor Speedway (between Atlanta and Athens, Georgia) to the races one weekend. I lived in Atlanta back then. Paul was racing his Datsun that weekend and we got paddock passes and spent the whole day with the Newmans, at their RV which was parked right at the fence overlooking the track. It was fun! SO fun that we got tickets again the following year, and did the same thing again! I have pictures but will have to dig them out of the box and scan them in. I'll try to do that sometime soon. They were very relaxed and friendly. I guess it's because people at the racetrack don't hound them like people who are "star-chasers" (i.e. paparazzi.) I don't know when this picture was taken, which I found on the web, but this was his approximate age when I met him. He looked very similar to this picture. I'll hunt for my pics and scan then in and post one.

Soooo, that's some randomness about me! I won't tag anyone to do this because so many of you have already done it. If you haven't yet, and want to participate though, just leave me a comment and let me know you are, and I'll come visit and read your "Randomness!" I still have to share about the Softball World Series we went to several weeks ago, which I will try to do next time I get on here.

Until then....

A Photo Slide Show from Biloxi

2008-07-30T00:03:00.001-05:00

I promise I am going to post again - SOON! But I wanted to share these photos from Biloxi, taken the evening of Gretchen and Joe's engagement announcement.

"Goin To The Chapel and We're Gonna Get Married...." : )

2008-07-22T01:17:00.001-05:00

Gretchen and Joe get engaged!

Gretchen and Joe are ENGAGED! We're having a wedding! This past weekend we drove to Biloxi, Mississippi after a week at the Softball World Series in Panama City beach, FL. Talk about a busy week! We had one to remember!

Over a month ago Joe called and said he was going to be calling on a customer near where we live, so he wanted to take Bobby and me out to supper. That night he asked for our permission and our blessing to ask Gretchen to marry him. He had an elaborate plan for how and when and where he would propose, and we were to be a part of that plan! But we had to keep QUIET for more than a month! We did!

This past week his family was at a work conference at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi. (What a swanky, luxurious place that was!!) We were invited to be their guests there for the weekend, but Gretchen did not know that. She was also there as Joe's guest. We arrived mid afternoon on Friday and were whisked away to our hotel room to hide out until Joe called us on his cell phone. His plan was genius! He arranged for a fake drawing to take place during the conference, and Gretchen was announced as the winner of the drawing and was instructed to go to a room down the hall to claim her prize. She envisioned a big screen tv... maybe even a cruise as they told her the Casino gave a BIG prize!! (Ha ha!)

Meanwhile, Joe called us and told us to head down because Gretchen was on her way to the room to claim her prize. : )

When she arrived at the room and opened the door, her "prize" was waiting at the end of a rose-strewn path lit with candles! There, he proposed! After a few minutes, they came out to greet Joe's family who was waiting in the hallway to congratulate them! BUT, Gretchen had NO idea that her own family would be standing out there as well! She was in for a shock!

She came out smiling at his family, and then she saw us and she went very emotional on us!! She cried and shouted and ran toward me and threw her arms around me and boo-hoo'd! Then she stepped back and wiped her tears and saw Bobby, Nathan, Katelyn and my brother Edwin all standing a few feet beyond me. (We left Hannah behind at World Series since her team was still in it at that point, and Zach had to remain behind to work.) But most of us were able to go. She hugged all of them as well and then came back and hugged me again. She just cried and cried! It was all too emotional! But it was happy tears! She was SO HAPPY that we were there to share in this special occasion with her.

It was a fun weekend as we spent time with Gretchen and also spent some time getting acquainted with Joe's family. They live in Texas so it was our first meeting. They were very warm and welcoming and have expressed so much love for our Gretchen. We enjoyed our time together. We couldn't be happier as Joe and Gretchen are very best friends and love one another deeply. They'll make a wonderful lifelong team.

The coming months will be busy ones as we plan a wedding! I think they are looking toward having a beach wedding this coming spring, so that should be fun!

Sooo, it has been a busy and momentous week for us! You all will have to help me along in the coming months, as I have never planned a wedding with my child! Sniff!

We are glad to be home after a week of travel. Next time I will share about our week in Panama City, staying with Karol and playing ball every day. Just had to share the weekend news first! More soon...

Softball World Series Time...

2008-07-12T19:50:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's that time of year again - the annual USFA (Fastpitch Softball) World Series in Panama City Beach, Florida. Hannah's team is going to the World Series. Who knows how far they'll get in the quest for 1st place and 2008 World Series Champs, but at least we'll be there!

I'm looking forward to going as I'll be staying with my good friend Karol and I have sure missed her since moving away from Panama City. Some of you may be familiar with Karol as the owner of Home Sweet Homepage Graphics. Karol is also in my blog list at Home Sweet Home Inspiration.

When I lived in Panama City we used to meet up regularly and make a Starbuck's run, or go browsing at Hobby Lobby, or go for a bike ride at the beach. Those were fun times and it was nice to have a good friend to bounce things off of, to share things with. We listened to each other and encouraged each other so I miss those times getting together. It'll be NICE to visit again. Hopefully we can take a few pictures during the week and I can share some here in a few days.

I don't have much to talk about other than the visit ahead, this week... and games, games, games! It's been raining here and in Panama City, so we could be in for a steamy,hot, rainy week ahead - I hope not! Later in the week I hope to blog again and share some other interesting news, so stay tuned!

SALUTE TO THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE!!

2008-07-04T11:23:00.001-05:00

Happy 4th of July to Americans EVERYWHERE!

WHICH WAY?

2008-07-02T02:27:00.001-05:00

I know people like to read happy posts, light-hearted posts about daily happenings in the family. But with our nation about to celebrate Independence Day on the 4th, I am worried, very worried about the state of our world and the particularly the state of our nation. I would call your attention to one of my favorite web sites - Two Sisters From The Right and ask you to read the article there. Written for July 1, the article is titled "In Remembrance of... America" by Rich Carroll. Very important reading there and I left a comment for Rich. When you read that article, you will understand my title for today.

There's not much going on around here right now, that I can speak of. We are struggling along, and that is the truth.

We've been talking about ways to cut expenses around here. Bobby approached the car dealership where we bought our Hyundai Santa Fe about 13 months ago - asking about trading it in for a smaller, more economical car - the Elantra. We figured we would save a couple hundred dollars a month in car payments and less gas consumption. Unfortunately they refused to deal. They are unable to take any larger vehicles for trade right now, because they are unable to sell anything other than the small, gas friendly Elantra model. The salesman honestly told Bobby that he and the other salesmen were barely selling any cars and all of them were in desperate financial distress. Still, they couldn't take the trades of larger vehicles because they were losing money on them.

I was discouraged, very discouraged. This means we will continue to have the higher payment and the higher fuel cost. : ( The car and house are our two largest expenses. Having only been in the house for about 6 months, we would absolutely lose our shirts and then some, if we sold this house... IF we could even sell it at all. There are 10 houses for sale in our short two-block subdivision. I have been very discouraged this past week - seeing no way to ease the financial pain and distress we are feeling.

HOWEVER, I am going to end this post on a happy note! Monday my daughter Gretchen (center in photo) took a very important and difficult state exam. She PASSED!!! She did well!!! And she is now a very important person with initials after her name! : ) Gretchen Campbell, RD,LD. She is a full-fledged registered and licensed dietician in the state of Alabama! This is the culmination of 7 long hard years of college study. She graduated last May, turned around and enrolled in a graduate / internship program and finished that this past February. She was immediately hired by the employer she interned for. They loved her and couldn't wait to have her onboard permanently. So after being there some 4 months, they offered her a great promotion. But in order to receive it, she had to go ahead and sit for the state exam and become registered. There was a lot riding on the results of the exam! She was happy happy happy when she called me about noon on Monday and told me it was over and she was now a registered dietician! I'm as proud as I can be, for her!! Her good news was SUNSHINE in my otherwise gloomy week.

Shoving This and That.. Right Down the Throat of America...

2008-06-24T02:19:00.001-05:00

....Yet another thing being forced upon us these days. Does anyone else hate these bulbs?? I don't like them, don't currently own any, and may have Bobby buy cases of regular incandescent bulbs from work to stockpile for our future use, before the mandatory switchover occurs. My sister and I talked about these bulbs recently. Her husband is a doctor and I learned that doctors attribute the occurrence of increased migraines to the use of these bulbs. I can only imagine a country filled with migraine suffering Americans when the law forces us to use these things in a few short years. I prefer good ole Thomas Edison's light bulb - hasn't it worked well for us, for all these years?? It was crazy to see this video detail the procedures for dealing with breakage of one of these newfangled killer bulbs! God forbid you break one!

I don't like it... not one bit.

(P.S. To Michelle - WHERE can I visit you? I saw your comment on my previous post!)

A Potpourri Type of Post...

2008-06-17T14:08:00.001-05:00

This post will be a potpourri of sorts. There is nothing really on my mind to write about. There is much on my mind to worry about. UGH... so this post is a distraction for my mind!

The pictures above demonstrate some of the hazards of playing tournament fastpitch softball!

Hannah's foot is not normally "fat" - it is swelled to about twice its normal size in the picture! And these pictures were taken a full week and a half AFTER she sustained the injuries and spent the week laid up in her bed with ice and elevation! This resulted from a HARD blow to her lower shin which radiated down the ankle and into the foot. CRAZY huh! The same weekend she got hit by a ball in the arm and that also bruised and swelled. Again, pictures are taken over a week after that injury as well! I didn't get shots of the busted shin or the bruised chest! I tell ya, one must be a warrior to play softball! It is NOT a game for sissies!

Katelyn's little softball team finished their season with an exciting round of play-offs that vaulted them into the championship game! Though they finished 2nd, runner up city champs - it was very exciting!

The pictures above were all taken during the championship game. Wish we could have taken the city title but if you had seen us play during the season, you would know that receiving the runner- up trophies was a good accomplishment for us! LOL!

Now just a couple of random photos I've taken in the past couple of weeks... my favorite summertime treat and watching a summer sunset from my back porch....

I LOVE strawberries and blueberries mixed together. I want to eat it every day! Unfortunately they can be cost-prohibitive. (WHY does it have to be expensive to eat things that are good for you??) I need to plant a blueberry bush or two so I can enjoy them to my heart's desire!

When I landed in the cardiac care unit for several days last year, I learned that blueberries are very good for you. I never had eaten them much before - not that I didn't like them, but I felt they were an expensive indulgence. As I left the hospital and began to take a look at my diet, blueberries showed up on the research radar as a powerful superfood! Now when they are in season, I try to stock up on the fresh blueberries and strawberries at Sam's and eat to my heart's content!

The final picture is the last light of a recent summer day. You can already see the small glow of my little lighthouse on the porch, flickering in response to the approaching darkness. One of my comments recently inquired as to how I was enjoying my own home, compared to years of renting. To be honest, I feel afraid to enjoy it. I feel afraid to turn loose and decorate and put my own imprints on this house. I love the house, but don't feel assured that we will be able to live out our lives here. I still live here in that "renter's mentality" - trying not to disturb anything. Sigh.

The rising cost of living is hurting us as it is hurting so many other families. We live paycheck to paycheck and that paycheck has not risen along with the high fuel and grocery prices. Monthly expenses are now exceeding funds to pay them. I am feeling anxious about having bought this house now. And I am feeling fearful that we won't be able to sell it and get what we put into it as there are 4 houses surrounding us, that are for sale. I don't want a profit, just to break even. I'm thinking we may have to consider looking for something less expensive, which makes me sad. This house is so beautiful and I was so proud after nearly 30 years of living in run down, worn out, very OLD homes - to have a newer home we could be proud of, and not ashamed of.

Our family's future concerns me... our country's future concerns me. And that's a small portion of what is on my mind today. I'll be back on as I am able (still without a computer, and will be for some time as the cost of a computer is a low priority right now. )

Before I go I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to my old neighbor Emily who has recently learned that she is expecting a baby boy this fall. She has a little girl who will be a big sister now! Emily grew up with my Gretchen - they are the same age and went through school together and played outside together, so Emily is sorta one of my kids too.

We're no longer neighbors (she lives many hours from me now) so I'm really glad she blogs so I can continue to keep up with her. I'm happy for you girl! Take care of yourself!

Until next time...

Summer Living...

2008-06-10T11:00:00.001-05:00

Wow... a week has gone by since I last posted. The routine is different in the summer with the girls home, and still doing without my own computer makes my online time more erratic. We've had ball tournaments the last two weekends but will be off for Father's Day weekend. Thank goodness! We need the rest and the break.

Katelyn's little rec league team made it to the championship game in city play-offs. They came in as runner up champs which was very good for them. All Stars will be chosen later this week and perhaps she will make that team. We'll see.

I do have some pictures to add here but don't have the time to upload them right now. Perhaps later I can do a photo post! I know... I've been slacking. There are things going on, stresses occurring that seem to sap my mental energies for blogging. Like so many American families, we are struggling to survive.

Life is hard.

Persevering...

Ball, Ball, Ball... we're ballin' 2008

2008-06-02T09:25:00.001-05:00

Ooooh, what a weekend! I am TIRED! It may take me a couple of days to recover! All day Friday I washed, packed and prepared things here, for us to be gone the weekend. We were in Panama City Beach for the Fastpitch in Paradise softball tournament. Not having the money to stay in a hotel right now (very pricey at the beach) it was decided we should all stay in the camper that Bobby and Zach stay in through the week. So Friday night I loaded the car down with filled cooler, dog crate, bat/equipment bag, several bags of clothes, towels etc.that we would need to make it through the weekend. And at about 7:00 PM we (Lynn, girl and dog!) headed for Florida. Hannah road on down ahead of us with a teammate and stayed with that family in a condo (lucky Hannah!)

When we got there we found the camper in shambles - not at all like it was the last time I saw it, after a good cleaning after Bobby purchased it. Several months of two males living in it, and it is NOT the same camper, sadly. Of course they blame each other for the condition it has sunk to. I was so NOT THRILLED about having to live there for a couple of days! I'll spare the details here. Three words will suffice - DIRTY and CROWDED and SLEEPLESS. Thankfully, most of our time was spent at the ball fields and not in the camper, or it could have gotten ugly!

Hannah's team won their games all day on Saturday but fell into the loser's bracket on Sunday, which meant you play game after game with no break, clawing your way back up into a position to be in the championship game. The championship game was at 4:40 and and we got put out around 3, so we did pretty well for our first tournament this season. So far Hannah has been guest playing with another team - this is her team's first weekend out. So not a bad showing but there is work to be done and room for improvement.

Hannah came home pretty beat up. She got hit several times through the weekend. She has a lump on her arm, a lump/bruise on her chest, and the worst of the injuries - a lump on her lower shin which caused bruising and swelling down the leg, across the ankles and the foot. It seems unusual that the ankle/foot is all swelled and purple when the leg took the hit? Hmm, well we iced it down last night and will do the same through the day today, and hopefully it will heal quick because we play again this coming weekend!There is not much time for recovery.

I hope you didn't miss "batgirl's" picture at the top of the post and in the dugout shot! : ) It's GOOD to be back at home! Katelyn's team has their first play-off game tonight at 7:30 so there is no break from softball, but at least we are at home sweet home!

I'm off for a shower and going for a haircut. Need a few groceries and then I plan an afternoon of REST before an evening of being back at the ball field. Hope everyone has a good day. If I can wrestle this computer away from Hannah and Katelyn, later on (waah, I MISS my computer!) I'll try to visit some of you!

Busy, But Here...

2008-05-30T08:59:00.000-05:00

This is just a very brief post to say I am still alive! This has been a busy week and it's leading into a busy weekend at a softball tournament out of town. The girls wrapped up their school year yesterday. We then had some hitting practice in the afternoon, and then regular practice followed by a team party for Katelyn's team which I will have to share more about later as I have time. It was a great time and there are pictures! : )

I have a lot to do today to get us ready to drive down to Panama City tonight for the tournament which begins at 7:45 in the morning. I will try to to get back on later, in between tasks and running errands. If I don't, I do want to say one thing - THANK YOU AND BLESS YOU - those who commented on the previous entry. I've been struggling with some inner turmoils and your messages just seemed to be a warm blanket around my heart. I didn't know, but I really needed the encouragement that seemed to come in those messages. More later! But thank you, dear friends!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

2008-05-25T03:03:00.001-05:00

GOD BLESS AMERICA - LAND THAT I LOVE

STAND BESIDE HER, AND GUIDE HER

THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH A LIGHT FROM ABOVE!

Sorry to have been absent for the week - it's HARD not having my computer with my things on it. Sigh. Thursday afternoon Gretchen came down. It was her first time to see the house and she loved it! She was so proud for us to finally have a nice little home. Us girls spent time together eating, visiting, and running around town.

Katelyn graduated from elementary school on Wednesday morning. It was not required that she return to school for the duration of the year, which is another week. BUT she wanted to go because she enjoys her teacher and she knew several friends would be returning at least through Friday. Well about 9:15 Thursday morning (while I was cleaning and anticipating Gretchen's arrival by lunch time) the school called and told me a [bratty] boy had thrown a rock at her out on the playground and it had cut a deep gash in her forehead. They told me I needed to come and get her, that she would need a couple of stitches. UGH! So I went and got her. Sure enough, it was busted open right at her hairline and it had a goose-egg of a lump as well as the bleeding gash. UGH! Poor sweet girl. I felt so bad for her since she didn't even have to go to school - she WANTED to.

Well I brought her home and cleaned her up and decided since I just got the ER back in Panama City paid off for her trip there several months ago - I just could not go to the ER here and run up another 1500 dollars for this. I looked at it carefully and decided I could clean this up good and pull the skin together and use butterfly bandages. It worked like a charm! It bled a bit through the day, oozing mostly. But she was fine and even decided she wanted me to take her back up to the school so she could spend the last day with one of her favorite friends who would not be back after that day.

Soooo... her little knot-head is healing well! And us girls enjoyed the afternoon and evening and then on Friday afternoon Gretchen took Katelyn back to Tuscaloosa with her. She had gotten Hannah for a weekend, several months ago and Katelyn had been wanting her time with Gretchen! So they headed out about 2:30 Friday afternoon with plans all set for their weekend together! : ) About an hour and 45 min. later I took Hannah to meet up with some girls (and daddy/coach) that she had been invited to guest-play for in a softball tournament this weekend, in Tallahassee, FL.

Can you believe it?? I had ONE glorious evening to myself! I didn't do anything but watch tv and eat nachos! LOL! About midnight Bobby and Zach arrived for the weekend after Zach got off of work at 10:00. But today I am back down to just me and Zach - Bobby went on north, to Selma to work this weekend. Sunday evening the girls will both be back home, Bobby will be back, and things will be back to normal! Hannah will have to go to school through Thursday noon - then our summer vacation officially begins!

Have a great weekend everyone!

29 Years... 11 Years... Time Marches On

2008-05-19T10:44:00.000-05:00

This is a silly picture from our wedding reception, taken 29 years ago today. A LOT of water has 'flowed under the bridge' since this picture was taken... So many struggles and trials and joys and happy events and heartbreaking events - LIFE has been lived with all its' good and bad. And here we are, hanging in there. "Thus far, the Lord has helped us."

No, we don't have any special plans. In fact, Bobby is in Panama City and we are here. So we won't even have dinner together! It's ok though. We've long since passed the point of feeling we must buy presents and steak dinners on May 19th!

Friday we celebrated yet another birthday in our house! With 7 folks in the family, it seems it's always somebody's birthday! Four of our five kids have birthdays within about a 6 week period of time - from March 29th through May 16th. Every spring we stay broke! Zach's birthday is the only one out of this loop - his is in January!

Friday it was Katelyn's turn to eat cupcakes! My baby turned 11 years old! Here's a picture taken about an hour after she was born! Oh yeh.. now I remember what color my hair USED to be - before this kid came into my life! LOL!

Friday afternoon she and I went to the Mexican restaurant and ate an early supper, then headed to the movie theater to see the opening of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." She was SO EXCITED that the movie opened on her birthday! She has anticipated seeing this movie for months now!

It did not disappoint her! She LOVED it! It was a good movie and Narnia fans will love it, though I did notice that Aslan had been reduced in his role as the hero. How sad as in the books, Aslan is always the hero!

But Katelyn loved it and we enjoyed our evening at the movies! After we got home we talked for hours about the movie, scene by scene!

Saturday she woke up wanting to go shopping (have birthday money - lets spend!) : ) So she dragged me around town all day long and we shopped til we dropped. How long can 50 dollars last anyway!? But it was fun! We had a nice weekend, us girls.

Unfortunately, Katelyn woke up about 4 a.m. this morning with the throw-ups. UGH!! It's been awhile since we had to deal with that, and the first time we've had to deal with it in the new house (the CARPETED new house!) Thank the Lord she made it to the bathroom, though not totally over the toilet. That's ok - cleaning tile is preferable to cleaning carpet ANY DAY! So she is at home from school with the tummy aching and a headache at the moment. We apparently have a virus in the house. Poor kid.

Just a note about the computer situation since several have offered help and advice. I am looking into the replacement of the hard drive IF that is the only problem and not the result of another problem. There is a wide variation in prices on hard drives so I am getting educated on exactly what I need to replace mine with. Price will dictate if that happens! I'll keep ya'll posted as I am able. Have a good day everyone!

Feeling Out of Sorts Today...

2008-05-14T13:32:00.001-05:00

... don't really know why. For one thing, my allergies are bothering me. My sinuses are aching which makes the roots of my teeth ache as well. Medicating brings partial relief but also induces some unwanted drowsiness. So I feel BLAH. Since moving back to Alabama, my allergies have kicked up into high gear again. They definitely did better in Florida.

And... I miss my computer. Yesterday I went to Best Buy and spoke with the Geek Squad there. It doesn't look like it will be feasible to replace my dead hard drive. By the time I spend a couple of hundred replacing it, and pay them a couple of hundred more to install and reload all the operating system and programs AND run diagnostics to make sure nothing else is wrong that caused the hard drive to fail... (I suspect there is something else because of the behavior of the computer a couple of weeks before the hard drive actually failed)... I may as well buy a new computer anyway. Regardless, I don't have the extra money to do either.. so I will be without my computer indefinitely. This is really a BIG BUMMER.

Something else I didn't realize when I lost my computer - I lost the ability to get the pictures off of my camera. My camera uses a memory stick pro and my computer had slots of various sizes where you could insert memory media. The 'family' computer I am on now does not have any media slots. I don't have a cord for retrieving the pictures off of the camera either - because it was not needed. The camera did not come with a cord. UGH. So... I have pictures which remain in my camera, and I have a bare picture-less blog these days.

... and I'm just feeling quite out of sorts.

Mother's Day...

2008-05-12T10:24:00.001-05:00

Mother's Day was nice here. The weather was warm and windy! My younger kids who are still at home got me a nice Wolfgang Puck knife set that I had been eyeing for several months now.

One day when I was in Sam's Club a while back, I was on the row where the knives were displayed and two ladies walked up and started talking about the knives. They both highly recommended the set so I came home and told Bobby about them. I just never seemed to have the extra money to get the set, though I continued to look at them every time I went to Sam's! Well, they remembered and bought the knives for me for Mother's Day. I haven't used them yet, but they are very sharp - I know that!

My Gretchen sent me a card with a gift certificate to get an hour massage at Westwood Day Spa. That'll be a nice treat! The sentiments expressed in the card were so special though - long after the massage is history, I'll be cherishing the card. Katelyn drew me a pretty card and everyone at home signed and wrote messages in it, so that will be cherished as well. Nathan called me to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. All in all, it was a pretty good day.

Just a Moment on Here to Say...

2008-05-10T10:14:00.001-05:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of my friends who are moms and to all of my friends who lovingly 'mother' other children who need that extra special loving, whether they be nieces and nephews, neighbors, Sunday School students - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all who love and give their time and attention to nurture the next generation!

See you all next week.

Universal Healthcare?

2008-05-07T10:49:00.001-05:00

I'm coming to you again this morning, via the kids computer. How frustrating! I'll be researching the cost of a replacement hard drive for my computer and considering whether it would be best to replace that hard drive, or replace the whole computer. I just don't know if the computer is sound aside from the hard drive failure. Hmm...

Are any of you familiar with Dr. Douglass who writes The Douglass Report? He's a bit 'radical' and often goes against the flow of the 'medical establishment' but I like him a lot! His email - The Daily Dose (of the Douglass Report) is always interesting, educational and thought provoking.

Today's email Daily Dose was very interesting. It deals with the ramifications of endorsing the Universal Healthcare for America. As you know, both democratic candidates Clinton and Obama support implementing Universal Healthcare while republican candidate John McCain is opposed to implementing Universal Healthcare. You can read Dr. Douglass's assessment of this program by clicking "Straight Talk About Universal Healthcare."

Well I'm off to research hard drives now! UGH!

When it Rains it Pours...

2008-05-05T22:25:00.001-05:00

I may be rather sporadic in posting here for a bit. Over the weekend my hard drive bit the dust. I had about a ten minute warning that "hard drive failure was imminent - back up files immediately." I tried to...

You always hear about such things happening - the "blue/black screen of death"...but it's never happened to me, to my computer. Never had a hard drive actually fail. It was pretty dramatic... and sad... especially since the computer is only a year and 3 months old... just out of warranty, of course. I am presently using the" kids computer" which has none of my files on it, so I feel very much at a disadvantage trying to use this one.

I don't know when things will get back to normal. I'll be investigating the cost of replacement hard drives for my computer, but I have to wonder if other things are also wrong with it. I surely can't afford another computer right now.

We had some other issues crop up in addition to the computer's death which put us under a great deal of financial stress. I think it's safe to say that this day has been a total bummer.

I'll be back on as I am able.

AGGRAVATION...

2008-05-01T14:21:00.001-05:00

Do any of you have issues with health insurance and not being able to choose health care providers based on their skills and personalities that you get along with? I am feeling so aggravated because in January we received new insurance through Bobby's work. I am finding out that we are so restricted in who we can choose as our dentist since moving. And we are restricted in our choice of doctors as well. It is doing me no good to speak to people in our new community and get their recommendations for good health care providers, only to find out they are not on our list so if we use them, this insurance won't pay!

Before we left Panama City back in January, Hannah, Katelyn and myself had our teeth cleaned. It was time for our cleanings and we went on, expecting the newly acquired insurance to cover it. Always in the past, any dental insurance we've ever had, has covered all preventative care such as cleanings, regardless of whether the dentist used was in our network or not. Cleanings were always paid at %100 because they would rather pay for preventative care than to pay for more expensive repair work. Now if any further work was needed and we used a dentist out of network, he would be paid less than if we used an in-network dentist. We would be responsible for more out of pocket money. But I found out last week, three months after those cleanings, that the insurance will not pay for them at all! WHAT?? And I cannot seem to get through the maze of automated menus to speak to a human being on the phone, to appeal my case!! I am getting spittin' mad over this! GRRRR!

What do you do when you cannot speak to a human being on the phone?? I owe the dentist a couple of hundred dollars now and I don't have it! We never would have had the cleanings if I had known this up front. I just never dreamed they would not pay them - never heard of such!

Speaking of automated menus on the phone, I'm totally aggravated with the bank our car is financed through as well. It is located in North Carolina, and I cannot reach a human being on the phone to get a copy of my car title so I can get an Alabama car tag!! Grrrr!!! I reached a person ONE time back in February, by punching in something very unrelated to what I was calling about - and they told me they didn't have a copy of my title!? HUH!? I said "well you financed the car - you have to have the title until it's paid off, and then you mail it to me, releasing me from the lien!!" She said actually, the state of Florida has the title and she must contact them to see about getting it and it will take some time - a few days, she said. I NEVER in my life heard of such!! So that conversation took place back in February, and here it is now May!! I NEVER heard from that bank again, and have yet to receive a copy of the title - and have yet to get an Alabama tag! And I cannot remember HOW I worked my way through the phone menu maze back in February, to finally reach a human!

This is all so aggravating!! Grrrrr......

Sigh...

Thinking...

2008-04-29T11:07:00.001-05:00

Just thinking about a number of things this morning. I saw a segment on the Early Show (CBS) this morning, about the changing face of hunger in America. A family whose business had failed was featured. They had 4 young children and they were sharing about how they had been forced to use a local food pantry over a number of months now. Of course there were some feelings of shame or embarrassment (humbling) associated with the loss of their job, the need for assistance of various sorts.

I could sure relate as I recalled our nearly 17 months of joblessness after 9/11/2001. Some of you knew me then and remember that time in my family's life. Some of you precious friends even helped us during that time. It's very frightening to be in need like this, to not know where the next meal will come from, how the next bill will be paid, how the rent will be paid, how the electric and other associated monthly expenses will be paid. VERY FRIGHTENING to not have any income at all coming in, but all the normal monthly bills and expenses remain to be paid every four weeks.

One statement this woman made this morning struck me - "hunger doesn't always show... need doesn't always show." That's a paraphrase as best I remember, but I recall feeling the same way when seeking assistance. If you LOOK like a decent person (clean, dressed decently etc) then the need is not apparent and you are shunned for requesting it. After all, you don't look like you are in need and others obviously look more desperate, more needy. It is VERY difficult to get assistance in this case. On the other hand, if you LOOK poverty stricken, then you are viewed with disdain and treated like a 2nd class human. This was VERY distressing to me when we found ourselves in this predicament. I would imagine there are a LOT of Americans right now, who do not LOOK poor or needy, but who are in desperate need.

I am watching President Bush's news conference right now. Something that stands out is his repeated pleas with congress (which is democratically controlled) to pass bills which would have relieved many of the burdens we are struggling under right now. And again and again, congress has failed to work in our best interests.

A president works with the hand he is dealt. The congress controls policy. Congress "changed" 2 years ago - to democratic majority/control. I can't imagine what might happen if they get a like-minded president in there with them now. The word "change" being thrown about by the democratic candidates is scary indeed!

In closing, did you all see this in the news? Seven year old kid stole his grandmother's car and went for a joyride with his cigarette smoking friend. His reason? "...because it's fun to do bad things." God help us! Before I go, another EXCELLENT article over at Two Sisters From The Right. Go and read the article titled "Wright spews More Venom" dated April 29, and give particular attention to the final paragraph. This is So ON TARGET.

See ya'll!

Decency... It's Getting Harder to Find it...

2008-04-28T14:02:00.003-05:00

Sitting here watching Fox News this morning, I saw that the latest installment of the popular video game "Grand Theft Auto" is set to go on sale everywhere at midnight tonight. Unbelievably, this 4th edition follows on the heels of 3 prior hot sellers! Could this be contributing to such rampant thug behavior everywhere? Could this also contribute to thugs who are younger and younger nowadays? The game carries a "Mature" warning (meaning acceptable for 17 and up) but this is small comfort as we all know children everywhere can access whatever they WANT to access. It's as easy as going to a friend's house and being exposed to older siblings of their friends.

The Grand Theft Auto series is reported to be filled with violence. I ran across an article that was written back in 2003, but is very relevant to this day, discussing the dangers of such violent material. You can read more about it in this article entitled "Most Dangerous Games: Video Games That Inspire Serious Crimes." This article referenced the 3rd edition of this game, but there is no doubt the violence in the newest edition being released will continue to perpetuate the real-life violence in the streets. I was shocked while reading this article, to find out what the object of the game is, and what is required to progress through and finally win the game. VERY DISTURBING... and SAD. I also ran across this 2005 article from CBS News, still very relevant as well - Grand Theft Auto Under Fire.

We don't own the latest, greatest video game players. Thirteen years ago we purchased a Nintendo system and gradually collected about a dozen games to go with it - several being the Super Mario series and Donkey Kong, and the remainder being baseball, football and basketball games for the system. Zach progressed to Play Station several years ago, and owned 4 games for it - Major League Baseball, NFL Football, College Football and NBA Basketball. That's it. The game console tore up after a year or so and he was without for awhile.

Eventually we bought him the X-Box 360 Live which lasted all of about 5 months before quitting. We sent it in for repair. It was returned and broke down again a couple of months later - but not before ruining one of the 3 sports games he owned. The UPS store recognized the box X-Box issues for returns/repairs and told us he had seen hundreds of those go out for repair (and that was only in his local store in Panama City!) THAT'S IT! We are through with buying over-priced pieces of gaming junk! I am so NOT into forking out $400.00 for game consoles that last only months. The Nintendo we owned YEARS ago, still works today though we may not be very popular with our Super Mario games and outdated sports games! And the graphics/technology is 13 years old. LOL! Still looks great to me! My girls are always telling me that their friends' houses are more fun because they have "Guitar Hero" and other similar "newest, latest" games. They want me to buy them a game player and some of those new games. I'm just not willing to waste any more money on this kind of stuff. The consoles themselves cost hundreds of dollars. With every new model, the prices keep rising. The accessories/games cost hundreds more. Whatever happened to playing Monopoly, Parcheesi, Checkers, cards, etc?? Thankfully some of Hannah's friends ARE returning to those games and having FUN playing them!

I must be getting OLD. Every day I long more and more to return to the old ways in most every area of life - from entertainment, to food (back to local grown, hormone/pesticide/radiation free fruits, veggies and meats) to values and convictions that ruled in most hearts, to neighborhoods that were close-knit, to efficient government and individual responsibility... yes, I must be getting old.

Ya'll have a good one...