Not a Creature was Stirring

As all others in this house sleep away the day because they stayed up into almost the sunrise of the new day watching movies....

I shall post observations and quotations from the last couple of days.

First, I must share that certain people have phobias that have no basis in reality. Other have phobias that are based on supposed reality. And some people just have phobias.

Certain people are still so mortified to be buying undergarments in public, that having to return an undergarment is tantamount to torture! So it went on Monday when I took an older daughter with me to Wal-Mart to return a bra that turned out to not be quite what was advertised to be. Somehow the sizing was off. The bra was put in a non-descript Wal-Mart bag along with the receipt so that it could be properly returned. The parking was wild and we parked a very far distance from the entrance. Daughter held the bag as if it contained some disgusting, smelly thing with it barely resting on her two fingertips as she begged me to return it for her all the long way from where we parked to the entrance to the store. As we neared the store, I thought the bag might fall from her fingertips and she had tears in her eyes as she pleaded with me to take care of the return. So I caved and did it, but told her I'd be blogging about it. She didn't care. She was so relieved I thought she might cry. She was afraid someone she knew might see her returning it.

Our youngest was afflicted with the flu earlier this week, and as she was recovering she said, "Don't freak out, I'm just burping."

Also along the burping theme, when certain people are trying to be considerate and polite and NOT burp in other people's faces, their effort to repress such a biological function results in said person sounding like a cow! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

One person here recently shouted, "Beard up!" Instead of "Be right up!"

Two people commented (at exactly the same time with the same inflection and volume) upon seeing our commander-in-chief-elect in swimming trunks, "At least he's not wearing speedos!"

One person wondered aloud why sunglasses were upon her head as she headed out to the door to Blockbuster at 9 pm at night! We wondered as well...

As all of our baking occurred yesterday, since we had toned it down quite a bit, some errors were bound to be made in our haste. But you know something is really wrong when a pan of peanut butter cookies with Hersey's Kisses ends up looking like a board of Settlers of Cataan.

And now, we're off to make White Chili and a small pot of the regular stuff from recipes from previous generations handed down.

I pray you each have a blessed and wonderful Christmas season, as the first day of Christmas is tomorrow!

Our Church

During Advent we take pictures of our girls every year in front of the cross of poinsettas. I thought I'd share other pictures from our church.

Which Books of the Bible are excluded from the Lectionary?

A couple of weeks ago I shared a tidbit our Pastor had passed on to us about the Lectionary. When he shared that tidbit he was remembering information from what he thought was an older version of the lectionary and not the one associated with the new LSB.

For information visit Pastor McCain's post about it.

Being just a parishioner, I wonder, has the lectionary changed? If so, why was it altered?

Church Today

It was fun yesterday to reminisce and look at the wedding photos and see how much and how little our church has changed in the last 22 years.

Pastor's sermon was about Christ's power and might and how it is displayed in weakness and submission and re-unites us and restores us with God the Father. This was based on the Gospel lesson from Mark 1:1-8 where John talks about someone mightier than he who is coming to us.

Bible class was interesting in that we talked a bit about the pericope nature of our readings in the Divine Service before delving back into our discussions of the Gospel of Mark. We are in chapter 13 now! Woo hoo!

One tidbit Pastor shared was that he told us there were two books of the regularly accepted 66 books of the Bible that do not show up in any pericoptic readings. Do you know which ones they are? I'll post the answer later this week.

As we talked in class today about families being divided over the Gospel in New Testament times and as part of the things leading up to Christ's return, we also discussed how our church becomes our family. This is most certainly true.

Today I was marveling in the return of a friend and his wife who usually are on the western slope of Colorado this time of year. Unfortunately health concerns have had them staying here rather than there. The elevate the discussions in our Bible class in numerous ways and although I'm not happy about the health concerns, I am glad they are among us now!

Also, I got to offer hugs and support to a dear woman who is missing her husband so much right now. Being at church where they shared so much together is hard for her and with Christmas coming up, Bob's favorite holiday, she is finding it hard to overcome the flood of loving memories. Please remember sweet Darlene in your prayers. She is the dearest, kindest person and I ache for her broken heart.

I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is Mine

Today we celebrate 22 years of marriage. We have experienced much joy, some sorrow, and times of doubt and uncertainty. By the grace of God, we have survived and thrived and can call each other friend and lover. Happy Anniversary BC(squared).

In honor of my hubby, I'm doing this Hubby Meme.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Sports -- no doubt about it!

2. You are out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on is salad? Ranch.

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Just one? Seafood or fish of any sort.

4. You go out to a bar. What does he order? A microbrew beer.

5. Where did he go to high school? Doherty.

6. What size shoes does he wear? 8.5

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Classic Mustang cars.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Anything with tons of meat.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Steak.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Corn pops or Cheerios.

11. What would he never wear? Pajamas

12. What is his favorite sports team? Depends on the sport. Pro-football: Denver Broncos; college football: CU Buffs and Air Force Academy Falcons; Pro-basketball: Denver Nuggets; college basketball: Air Force Academy Falcons ; Pro-hockey: Denver Avalanche; college hockey: Air Force Academy Falcons; Sprint Racing: Carl Edwards (in days past it was Bill Elliott).

13. Who did he vote for? McCain

14. Who is his best friend? Me

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Play the radio loudly in the car.

16. How many states has he lived in? Three ~ Nebraska, Colorado and Arizona

17. What is his heritage? Scandanavian, Swedish, Czech

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind of cake? Black forest

19. Did he play sports in high school? Football and baseball

20. What could he spend hours doing? Watching TV, any kind of maintenance on the house or cars or yard (even if it should only take a little while)

Deck the Halls Meme

Sweet Heidi tagged me for this fun meme.

However, I will be a bit of a Scrooge and not tag others, just encourage anyone to play who wants to! If you do please leave me a comment so I'll know to come see your answers.

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both – hot chocolate makes me feel young and reminds me of being a kid… egg nog with an adult beverage added reminds me of the adults in my past who worked so hard to make Christmases special for me.

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree? No Santa anymore. We honor St. Nicholas on December 6th, however by reading this great book and putting candy in shoes.

Colored lights on tree or white? Colored!

When do you put your decorations up? After December 6th, depends on when the weekends fall. We keep our tree up through Epiphany (January 6th, the end of the 12 Days of Christmas).

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I love the molasses drop cookies we make every year that comes from a recipe from my Grandma, which aren't technically a dessert but I also don't think this answer fulfills the intention of the question. So... I love the homemade cranberry sauce we create each Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Cuddling with my mom as she read to me.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? One of my sisters asked me, “You know Santa is Mom and Dad right?” I think I was 7 years old. I hadn’t given it much thought and was a bit distraught to have found out.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Sometimes. We do not open all gifts on Christmas Day, though. We open one gift a day on the 12 Days of Christmas.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With three children lending a hand after my hubby has put the lights on. It gets a bit frantic but we have fun.

Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it! Love it! Love it!

Can you ice skate? Ha… ha… ha… I have never tried, so that would a big NO!

Do you remember your favorite gift? I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I remember the complete surprise of being given a certificate to get my ears pierced when I was 16, as my father repeatedly told me that only “whores” had their ears pierced. I guess my Mom convinced him otherwise. She got her ears pierced shortly after I did. :-) And then, my parents surprised us in Arizona one year with our first home computer with all the trimmings. They wanted to communicate with their grandchildren more often and had learned about using a computer and wanted us to join in their fun. That was in the mid 90’s.

What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Keeping my faith and awe of the birth of our Savior front and center. It can be a cynical time for those who don’t have that faith or are more enamored with the secular trappings of the time.

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Pumpkin mousse.

What is your favorite tradition? Baking with everyone.

Which do you prefer, Giving or Receiving? Both.

What is your favorite Christmas Song? The Christmas Song as song by Nat King Cole, his sultry voice and the song illicit warm and wonderful memories of Christmases past and all my kids love this song, too, so I'm sure it will be part of future memories as well.

To me, a song is different than a hymn. So I am adding a two-fer question: What is your favorite Advent hymn? What is your favorite Christmas hymn?

My favorite Advent hymn would be O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (LSB 357), and my favorite Christmas hymn would be What Child is This? (LSB 370)

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Ok. I’m not too excited about them. I like the cherry flavored ones best. The peppermint ones are good for stirring in hot chocolate only.

Ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope.

Seven Things

Sweet Esther shared this award with me which is accompanied with a meme.

So participate if you like, and if not, just enjoy the award!

Seven things I did before: (before what is my question, so I’m choosing before kids, or BK as we say around here)


1. I was a jogger.


2. I wore nail polish.


3. I slept more.


4. I watched football.


5. I wrote lots of letters to family and friends.


6. I kept a file of jokes to share.


7. I worked at a doctor’s office.





Seven things I do now:


1. I am amused by my children every day.


2. I am working again at the same doctor’s office.


3. I pray more.


4. I listen to my girls talk about various and sundry things.


5. I sing loudly in the car.


6. I enjoy “inside” jokes with my hubby.


7. I cherish my friendship with my sister.



Seven things I would like to do:


1. Travel around the USA with my family.


2. Be able to help out my in-laws more and my sister who works so hard.


3. Be financially independent so none of my family had to work.


4. Crochet more with the lovely new yarns available.


5. Be more consistent.


6. Lose weight.


7. Learn to quilt.





Seven things that attract me to my husband:


1. He takes care of us all as best he can. I’ll do a blog about that some day.


2. His strong faith.


3. His love for our children.


4. His selflessness.


5. His laughter.


6. His respect for his mom and dad.


7. His stubbornness.



Seven favorite foods:


1. Teriyaki Chicken and rice


2. Yakamishy (family recipe)


3. Alaskan King Crab
4. Peaches in season


5. Rangoons with crab and crème cheese


6. Oatmeal


7. Pasta dishes





Seven things I say most often:


1. Where is your sister?


2. Just a minute.


3. What are you doing?


4. Good morning, Dr. _____’s office.


5. What pharmacy do you use?


6. What?


7. I love you!

Seven people I am tagging:


1. Sarah


2. Kelly


3. Glenda


4. Laura


5. Susan


6. Cheryl


7. Jan

Sunset this evening

Higher Things has a wonderful devotional dated for tomorrow, especially for those whose hearts are lingering in a place where some encouragement is needed and you long to comfort them but just don't quite know how.

Tuesday in the 1st Week of Advent
December 2, 2008

Today's Reading: Romans 13:11-14
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 8:9-9:7; I Peter 4:1-19

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12)

Admit it: we like what is mild and easy in the faith, but dislike what is harsh and difficult. Who wouldn't prefer to remain forever on the mountain top, soaking in and singing on about God's love for them? That's what Peter wanted when he was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. That was exciting.

Trouble is, life is not lived there, on the mountain top. It is lived in the valley down below. Sooner or later, if we are to be of any use to others, we must all descend there with Christ.

Luther teaches us that when we rise in the morning, or go to bed at night, we're on the mountain top. All of God's promises are ours in Holy Baptism. His Word is there for us to read, ponder, and pray. The Absolution He sent His ministers to speak over us in Christ's stead and by His command still prevails “before God in heaven.” And with the Body and Blood of His Son behind, before, and in us—we can literally see forever. We are God's, and He is ours. What a mountain top.

But, what of our poor neighbor? There, things must change. There, the law must enter in. For there, when it comes to our neighbor, God is not so much concerned about us and our good, as He is about our neighbor and his good. Trouble is, like Pharisees, we tend to think of the law as something we keep and obey for our own good, our own sake and benefit. Talk about making
provisions for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts! What about your poor neighbor? Put aside such deeds of darkness. That sad night is far spent, the day is at hand. With Jesus as your righteousness now, you cannot be any more righteous now in God's sight. See in the law, then, not a way for you to establish and maintain your own holiness. See in it the way for you to descend into the valley to love your neighbor. Learn from its mirror the dark deeds to be cast aside for the sake of love. Find in it the godly shape and expression of gratitude for Jesus and the Gospel.

For that's the only debt we owe—a debt of gratitude. And, it is to be paid to our neighbor. Why? Because that's where Jesus, who has paid off every other debt, has placed Himself for us to love. Live this life in the strength and joy of the Gospel.

“The night will soon be ending;

The dawn cannot be far.

Let songs of praise ascending

Now greet the Morning Star!

All you whom darkness frightens

With guilt or grief or pain,

God's radiant Star now brightens

And bids you sing again.”

(LSB #337, st. 1)

Feast your eyes on this!

This Week and Yesterday

This is a chatty, way too long post. I warn you now in case you have better things to do!

Monday began with it's usual fuss, only from me as I hit the snooze alarm and everyone else snoozes.

It was a busy day at work as we are into the flu and cold season and everyone wants to feel better now and "prevent" things from developing further. Since the field of medicine is not about predicting the manifestation of symptoms, that usually means that people go home without an antibiotic which somehow they think is a miracle drug for every virus known to mankind. Pre-holidays are always filled with last minute refills as well, making for what we call a "roller skate" day.

Monday afternoon involved the unsuccessful and frustrating search for the proper color of Advent candles for our wreath. With the advent (couldn't resist the pun) of the candle industry you'd think finding tapered candles in the appropriate colors would be easy. NO! I visited 6 stores before going to the mall and Yankee Candle where I found green and cranberry colored candles, which are not the right colors. This was my capitulation to time and energy and a mental note to myself to buy blue or purple candles in the spring and save them for next year's Advent.

I had my 8-year old in tow, and as we tried to exit the mall she saw an earring store and wanted to shop. I said OK. She asked so sweetly. We left the store with me getting my ears double pierced again.

Then we went home to put the labels on the homeschool newsletter for our group meeting that evening, only labels were not to be found so I did a hodge podge of things including using up the new Christmas labels I had bought last weekend. I also needed to prepare to share with the group about Advent (thus the desperate search for said candles earlier in the day) and the 12 Days of Christmas. Most of the group members are non-denominational folks so I wanted to get it right. A few ladies came up to me after the meeting and wanted to know sources of where to find Advent wreaths and the books I had mentioned.*

I dashed off to the meeting not in the best of spirits due to being so time crunched with the label disaster... but soon my focus was not on myself but on the ladies whose company I enjoy and who were soon sharing about their various trials with teaching a child, or an ill parent, or a friend in trouble. It was a nice meeting. We have a tradition of going out afterwards, and I had every intention of leaving by 11 pm, but I arrived home closer to midnight. :-)

In the middle of the night our youngest woke up and was throwing up for over 20 minutes. Poor thing! She said she'd been dreaming of throwing up and then she woke up and she was. It was frightening to her. A complete change of bed linens was in order and then very light sleeping for me after that as each turn in the bed or noise awoke me as I worried she might be throwing up again.

Tuesday dawned and somehow we frittered away the day and didn't get to go shopping for our final Thanksgiving meal needs until the late afternoon which is DARK! Mostly I think I was waiting to assess whether R would be sick again. She wasn't. I was concerned it was a flu virus and would make its rounds with us all. But she had no fever, or aches.

Because of our late start we battled the after work crowds (I am so spoiled to shop during work hours!) We were successful in finding a new vacuum, YEA!!!

Wednesday I awoke to go to work with a literal pain in my rear. This has happened before, with the most severe instance on the day of my father's funeral. Although I have a high tolerance for pain, this particular pain just wipes me out! So I went to work and received an injection from the doctor which did not produce the immediate pain relief as it had after my father's funeral. I went home worried about how Thanksgiving dinner would get done and took some pain medication which I knew would prevent me from doing anything meaningful.

Then, as I "wallered" in my bed in pain, my friend dropped by to borrow something for their family picture they were taking on Thanksgiving Day. She graciously talked to me about things as we haven't been able to see each other for a while due to our competing schedules, most of which I do not remember since I was under the influence of pain medication. :-)

Thursday dawned and much of the pain had dissipated and I was overjoyed knowing I could direct and help out the planned meal. As per tradition in my family, breakfast is nuts and tangerines so that the cooking can continue without much interruption. We didn't get quite the start we wanted to and so we nixed plans for an early afternoon meal and decided to shoot for between 6 and 7 pm. (We started eating at 6:05 pm!)

Around lunch-time, R was hungry and wanting something. She got into the rolls and said to K, "Can you zip the bag up for me because I don't know how to do that zip." It had a twisty tie on it. We all laughed.

We had

turkey with home-made gravy (made by hubby and I)
mashed red and yukon gold potatoes (made by Sarah)
yams (made by K)
home-made stuffing (made by Sarah and I but not cooked in the bird)
corn
rolls
a relish tray (two kinds of olives, two kinds of pickles, celery sticks and carrots)

Dessert was a variety of

pecan pie (store made)
pumpkin cheesecake (store made)
gingered pears (Sarah made!)

We'll be taking left-overs to the in-laws later this weekend and to a friend of the girls at the AFA who may be facing expulsion and is quite understandably disturbed by this.

Before the meal we shared our reasons for thanksgiving this year and R again said something which delighted us. She's at that stage where she can't keep a secret and doesn't have the discretion to know what is OK to discuss and what isn't. So during the time she was sharing what she was thankful for she said she was thankful for her big sisters most of the time. "Except when they are mean to me."

K kept mother-henning it over R reminding her to move her glass away from the edge, to use her fork, to wipe her mouth, to not stuff her mouth. K used phrases I used with her and Sarah so it was nice to see that some of what I say is being ingrained, I just pray it's the right stuff. :-0

Sarah broke a wedding gift to us in the preparation of the mashed potatoes and it scared her to death. She was breathing funny for quite a while after the glass dish exploded when cold water from the sink was poured on it and it was still warm from being in the oven.

It snowed off and on without accumulating throughout the afternoon but as evening came it started to stick. We all were overjoyed and R went outside and played in it for a while even though it was dark. She told her daddy she had to do it while the snow was there. We haven't had much to speak of this fall.

We thought we might end the day by learning to play cribbage, but when we found the rules online, we were overwhelmed and instead watched movies on the Hallmark channel.

I wish I had a prize for you for reading this far!

How as your holiday?


*Some of the resources I shared at the meeting were: Countdown to Christmas; The Very First Christmas (visually stunning); and Saint Nicholas, The Real Story of the Christmas Legend.

Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who according to His abundant mercy

has begotten us again to a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible

and undefiled and that does not fade away,

reserved in heaven for you,

who are kept by the power of God

through faith for salvation

ready to be revealed in the last time.

(1 Peter 1: 3-5)

What Does My Name Mean?

And here I thought it meant "little". Hahahahha!

Esther shares this fun meme!

What Paula Means

You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic “Type A” personality. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What Color Are You Meme?

I saw this on Barb's blog and had to play along!

VIOLET

You surround yourself with art and music and are constantly driven to express yourself. You often daydream. You prefer honesty in your relationships and believe strongly in your personal morals.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

Play along if you dare. My daughter turned out to be aqua, which described her perfectly!

A babe is born

My oldest two daughters participated in the NCFCA which is a homeschool debate league.

While there was much to be learned and gained from such experiences, there is also much to be desired in the teaching of it and the implementation if it.

Tournaments are often skewed to favor the local participants. In addtion, the parents work harder than the kids, leaving these teenagers to their own devises much of the time. Unfortunately, that means there is ample opportunity for bad behavior to be exhibited, and poor choices to be made. That's not an entirely bad thing, as I believe that kids learning harder lessons while still under the tutelege of their parents is better than kids learning those lessons out among the cruel world which is often unforgiving.

The associations and friendships gained by my daughters during those competition years with the NCFCA has yielded quite a variety of persons.

One person in particular has been in our hearts, minds and prayers often these last several months as "life" has yielded her many hard lessons this past year. This friend of my daughters saw the bright beginnings of a collegiate lifestyle as she yearned to go to Patrick Henry College and then succeeded in doing so in August 2007. Within a few months at college she had become pregnant by her boyfriend who wanted nothing to do with her since she decided not to terminate the pregnancy. She then was formally kicked out of Patrick Henry College for an honor violation, that of being pregnant without benefit of marriage.

Her family, although disappointed, has welcomed her with loving forgiveness back into their homes there they have been supportive in helping her to continue her college career, although in a very different way than they all imagined.

Unto this friend of my daughters, was born a son early this morning. Both mother and son are doing well. The pictures are precious and fully of joy.

As we thank God for this healthy birth and for the quick recovery of his mother, we also recall what seems to us a terrible injustice, for you see, the father of this young boy has been allowed to continue at Patrick Henry College as if nothing occured last year. He has not been charged with an honor violation nor has he been kicked out of Patrick Henry.

This seems to me to be the height of hypocracy and I am deeply disappointed in an institution that would treat a female differently than a male in these circumstances.

Resolved if it's not honorable for her to be there, then it's not honorable for him to be there.

Remembering Mom

Eight years ago today my mom lost her very short battle with cancer. She died of lung cancer. It's kind of ironic to me that November is the Great American Smokeout sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

As a child, my younger brother and I would take anti-smoking pamphlets from the school nurse and stuff them under our parents' pillows. He and I were the only ones in our family who didn't develop the habit of smoking.

We went to her grave today, as we always do, and placed some red, white and blue flowers there. It was strange to see my father's date of death on the headstone now. Besides the flowers we left some personal items, as we always do. Just little things that remind us of them.

I miss her smile, her laughter, her sense of humor, her love of Snoppy, the way she played "Onward Christian Soldiers" on the piano (the way that got her booted from playing in the Salvation Army church for a month). I miss being able to just talk with her.

It is amazing to me how much I still miss them both...

England's Attempt to Prevent Teenaged Abortions

My daughter sent me this article in email.

It's horrifying really when government involves itself in the family planning sphere.

What Hath Athens to Do with Jerusalem?

Tertullian, in about 200 A.D., sought to synthesize/merge the classical rhetorical style of speaking with theological issues as discussed in papers, sermons, etc. In doing so, he brought the conflicting idealogies down to this simple and yet profound question: What hath Athens to do with Jerusalem?

I gave this question to my older girls to answer a couple of years ago as a short writing assignment. In cleaning out my Bible cover I found Sarah's... here it is.

What Hath Athens to Do with Jerusalem?

If were were able to reasonably understand all aspects of what we believe there would be no point or purpose or need for faith. Logic and reason have everything to do with understanding man and nothing to do with understanding God. It is impossible to understand everything about God because of our finite human reasoning. That which we cannot understand must be taken on faith. Without that faith, that trust, our relationship with God would be like any other human relationship.

Honoring Those Whose Service Preserves Our American Freedom (Left-Hand Kingdom)

Although I believe we should be thankful always for those who have chosen as their vocation serving in the military, today is a day set aside for honoring their service and sacrifice.

My family has multiple veterans in it, and one still active duty (God's peace and blessings to you, Fil, and to your lovely family). To them especially, I give my thanks and prayers for their well-being. I remember with lovingly gratitude two family veterans who have passed away since the last Veterans Day, my brother-in-law, Wesley, and my Dad.


GE Veith's blog, Cranach, has an interesting resource referenced in this post.

Here's an interesting story about the businesses that are supportive of those in the reserves and have been called up.

Hereare a couple of musical selections that are patriotic in nature, sorry I couldn't choose just one! :-)






And this last one via Michelle's blog, November 1st posting.

Happy 525th Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Brother Martin!

Meme -- 7 Random/Weird Facts about Me

Esther at The Mommy Diaries tagged me with this fun meme. It was hard to come up with stuff, it hurt my brain a little to do this...

• Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules in your post.
• Share seven random/weird facts about yourself.
• Tag seven random people and link to their blogs.
• Let each person know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

SEVEN RANDOM/WEIRD FACTS ABOUT MYSELF:

1. Conversations with me often take on a word association chain and you might need to stop and ask me what caused the diversion in our conversation to something completely different!

2. Although I am lactose intolerant, I have long and strong fingernails.

3. I have taught my children that Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" is the modern homeschool movement's original theme song, and they each know every word to that song.

4. I am the third daughter of a third child, and I have three daughters.

5. Sometimes I laugh so hard and long I almost pass out. And when I laugh like this, it is infectious and my whole family starts laughing.

6. I always wear dangley earrings.

7. Although I am a butterball, my wedding ring size is a 4.

Ok, I'm tagging:

Kelly so she'll have to read other blogs a little! (Ha! Ha! She laughed evilly!)

Heidi, if she wants, so she can focus for a minute on things not so serious.

Michelle at Ripples of Peace because it would be nice to get to know her better.

Gina's indominable spirit must have something obscure to share!

Barb is so interesting... I bet there's so much more we don't know about her. :-)

Jan at Just Imagine Heaven has a fun blog and I'd like to get to know her better, too!

Wendi because she is funny and I can't wait to hear what she'll share!

Anyone else who wants to play, PLEASE do, and just leave a comment so I'll know to visit your blog and read about it!

Berlin Wall 1961-1989

I was a newlywed when President Reagan issued the infamous line, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" What a bold challenge President Reagan issued on June 12, 1987. And then, when the wall came down, on November 9, 1989, I was a new mom, with babe in arms as I watched the extraordinary events. I remember being encouraged that my daughter would grow up without that symbol of seperation and that the people of East Berlin would finally know the pleasant aroma of freedom.

President Reagan went to Berlin in the waning months of his Presidency and exerted the power of his resolve and influence as President of the United States to affect a positive change from socialist communism to freedom!

May we all ever be so bold! (Please take time to read President Reagan's speech, it's quite appropos for today.)





And here's the little darlin' from November 1989.

How kind!

Michelle has graciously given me a blog award. Now I'm supposed to share it with others! What a nice way to encourage others and let them know you appreciate their blogs.

So, here goes:

Barb -- whose posts, while infrequent, never fail to make me smile! I admire her forthrightness and her loving posts about her granddaughters and what they're doing and learning about.

The Nightly Knitter -- her posts, which are now gone, about the election provided me with insight and useful information. I admire her skill at knitting!

Laura -- her strength and faith are an inspiration. In sharing about Ben and her family on her blog, we all have been enriched by the love that is shared within their family.

The May Family -- when you think life is difficult, take a gander here and see how other folks, on the other side of the world, are working really hard to bring the knowledge of saving grace in Christ Jesus to folks in Africa, and doing so under trying circumstances. Pray for them!

Ripples of Peace -- interesting and full of variety!

Angie -- she also has variety on her blog. Check out her recent post about the solar system!

Sarah -- my daughter and friend, of whom I am (sorry for the lack of humility here) very proud!

What Happens When Emotionalism Wanes?

The last several days were interesting as we learned about people whose motive to win is because they hate the other "side", and about the people who tried to suppress other folks from having their say, and those who could not articulate reasons to support their candidate other than to shout his name like a mantra and talk about the color of his skin instead of being informed of his policies, ideology and lineage.

While all the above lingered like cigarette smoke clings to whatever it is around and invades the porous fiber of objects, there is a stench that is hard to ignore.

I grew up with two older sisters who were teenagers in the 60's. The oldest one was rather militant about certain matters, like the Vietnam war and Nixon and "the establishment" and how God was dead. Her opinion about most of that has changed almost 180 degrees, by the way.

Her passion was real, but her logic was based on emotional appeals and not reality. I see a similarity to those I've been exposed to who supported Obama in this election. Perhaps there are others who can articulate their support of him based upon at least ideology, not to mention proposed plans and policies, but I've yet to meet one.

So what will happen when these supporters' passions wanes? What then? (Reminds me of the religious folks who depend upon their emotional responses to things rather than depending on the truth of the Word.) Our emotions are fleeting and can betray us. The pitch cannot be maintained indefinitely.

With all of this swirling in my mind, I heard a song on the way home from the office this morning. It's an oldie but a goodie. If you don't like the genre, I hope you'll at least read the lyrics following the clip.

I remember the impact this song had on my radical sister. She was just amazed that the Beatles, a group she revered, was telling the protesters that they better settle down. She felt, and I do too, that the song was directed at those people who were employing means that were destructive, hateful and directed at tearing down America, and we definitely anti-Communist.



You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right all right, all right

You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be all right all right, all right Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...

You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be all right all right, all right all right, all right, all right all right, all right, all right

Colorado Political Humor

Oh my goodness! Anyone who follows Colorado flavored politics will get all the humor laced in this article. Those of you who don't will still find enough to chuckle over.

Post Mortem

There's more to share about the last several days, but in the meanwhile while I try to sift through it before sharing I found this fabulous, articulate and accurate article, worth your time to read!

Class Act

John McCain has issued a concession speech which was elegant and full of good will and humility.

A very classy act. The act of a man willing to take responsibility for his actions and the campaign he ran.

I am proud to say I voted for him.

Thank you for your service to our country, Senator McCain. You are a remarkable man and one our children can look up to.

Although we've prayed all throughout this process, I believe a renewed effort in that is in order. The trifecta result may have impacts beyond our imaginings! I know and trust that God is in charge.

Kyrie elioson!

Them's Fighting Words!

This evening I was physically assaulted by a woman who invaded our planned, city-ordained honk and wave who didn't like what I was saying.

As she sidled up to stand in front of me and wave her 8 inch by 10 inch Obama sign she was shouting things like, "Republicans are ignorant!" "John McCain should have stayed in Hanoi!" "Sarah Palin should be hunting for moose!" And other wise and wonderful (NOT) things.

As the traffic light changed, and someone yelled out "Obama" I yelled back, "Just Say No to Socialism!" (This was the message on my 2 foot by 3 foot sign.) Then she turned to me and shouted it was typical of Republicans to revert to fear to scare the voters. I chose not to address her but shouted at a car with it's windows rolled down that I could distribute my own wealth and didn't need the government to do it for me. This incensed the woman who then charged at me like a bull. She stopped just short of touching my nose and I told her to back off. She did, and then started calling me a "F---ing b----!" Then she started to charge me again, spittle dripping down from the corner of her mouth. I put my right hand out to stop her from getting close and she kept charging, placing her chin in my palm and began to push me into the very busy highway (we were at Highway 24 and 8th Street in west Colorado Springs).

Immediately, some of the other people, who have been at many honk and waves with us over these last few days, surrounded me and told her to back off. Three men stood in front of me and to my sides while a woman came up behind me and started praying.

The Obama woman started yelling, "She touched me!" And I took her picture, which she tried to duck out of. Then she launched in to a tirade the likes of which would make most decent people blush such colorful language and twisted logic spewed forth.

The police were called, and three officers came out to discuss the matter, and when the first squad car showed up she ran off.

I didn't mind her being there to express her opinion. That's what a free election is about. But when she physically charged me and tried to push me into traffic -- well, that's just wrong. I have the same right to express my opinion. I had the legal right to be there. I could have asked her to leave since she didn't have a permit like we did to hold a peaceful assembly.

So, just be careful out there folks. Times are scary when people are so angry they'll physically accost you without provocation, or because they don't like what you say. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

Oh, yea, for posterity's sake here's her picture!

Pharisee

Check out the story on my daughter's blog about meeting up with Obama campaign workers in a local coffee shop.

Interesting....

Praying.

Eleventh Hour

This is our middle daughter's favorite new show!

Pantyhose

Sorry guys, but this just so portrays my feelings about pantyhose. I had to share!

Honk and Waves and Electing a Communist

A friend of my oldest daughter made the video below. Way to go Shaun!

On a personal note, we've been out doing "Honk and Waves" the last several days, which my oldest daughter has been in charge of for the El Paso County GOP. For those who don't know what a "Honk and Wave" is, you make or carry signs at busy intersections in support of your candidate(s). While you try not to distract drivers, you also seek their supportive honks and waves.

On Friday, teenaged boys shouted out to my 8-year old (who was holding a "Yes, she can!" sign) the "c" word. Now there's class for ya. I responded to them, "Words like that are a weak mind trying to express itself forcefully." And encouraged them to get a thesaurus. I doubt they knew what it was, because there response was to shout out that word as many times as they could before the light changed so they could move away.

The usual response has been a one-fingered salute from Obama supporters. There was a time in this city when that gesture was a misdemeanor. Some folks give us the thumbs down sign.

But overwhelmingly we're getting honks and gestures in FAVOR of the McCain/Palin ticket and other local candidates. We've all enjoyed our time at these events meeting some rather unique people. It's interesting to learn how and why people came to support McCain/Palin.

As a former representative (Ed Jones) of Colorado Springs put it, "We cannot elect that communist!" Succinct and covers it all.

Sarah and I have been holding two signs which have gotten great responses and many folks have taken my picture, the first one says "Jane the plumber." The second one says, "I'm Bitter, I'm Praying, and I Pack a Gun!" Here's a picture of Sarah carrying the second sign.

This'll hit ya between the eyes!

Internet Monk has a very thought provoking post. I believe you should take the time to read it.

Undecided? Check this out...

Here's an excellent post that will direct you to valuable information.

Thanks for posting it Nightly Knitter!

Ashamed to be a Journalist?

Here's an interesting read. Quite surprising, really that someone is finally willing to admit it.

Personally I think the MSM is like watching this.



First, the MSM pretends to trip and slams ya in the face with their bias all while blaming it on you. Soon, everyone is doing it without any pretense of it being anything but forcing their opinions on ya (pie in the face, anyone?).

It Is the 450th Anniversary of.....?

On October 24, 1648 the Peace of Westphalia was signed, which, among other things, ended the Thirty Years War and made it possible for those once considered part of the Holy Roman Empire to exercise the freedom to practice the flavor of Christianity that the various rules of the various empires selected.

Not sure if this is something to celebrate or moan about. Either way... something we as Christians probably aught to know about in our history.

I do believe that this along with the signing of the Magna Charta were building blocks of thought that would eventually lead to the formation of the United States of America.

Housing Market, Freddie Mac and Fannie May

The lies and cover-ups, the half-truths and the sins of omission and commission are so prevalent that you need a scorecard to keep them straight.

Today's post deals with the housing market, and the collapse of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Read this.

HT: Cheryl at

THE Election

I've been doing some reminiscing lately.

During the election of 2000 my family was going through a difficult time. My mother had been diagnosed with lung cancer on October 25th. Her diagnosis was end stage lung cancer with metastases to the spine and brain. That meant no opportunity to treat it in hopes of living longer. That meant that we were looking at pain relieving measures only.

My mother wanted to die at home. And so for the first 15 days, we tried to take care of her at home. Pain relief was our first concern. After that it was keeping up with her extremely weakened state and not letting her get bed sores or get hurt by falling down or falling over.

It really was a team effort and I am grateful that my sometimes uncohesive family came together and served her needs.

But it quickly became too much as her needs were so great and it didn't allow us to enjoy her for the remaining days she had left. (Enjoy is a rather odd verb here, for it is so hard to enjoy a loved one who is suffering so much. Still, every moment with her was treasured and in that sense I use the word enjoy.) So, against her will, we brought her to a hospice. This was a very difficult decision we made together as a family because we knew that we needed to be united in this. It is so hard to go against someone's wishes in this regard, and yet, it was the best thing for my mom and our family. What I learned from this is to express my wishes to my family as clearly as my mother did, but to allow room for change as needed.

Anyway... my Mom had always been interested in politics. Even as she was dying, she was so curious about the election. Remember the hanging chads? Remember how for weeks we didn't even know who the next president was going to be? She desperately wanted George W. Bush to win. Every time she awoke from her frequent naps,while she still could talk, she asked who won the election. Every time I was there, I answered, "George W. Bush." Of course, we wouldn't know that for sure until after my mom died for her stay in hospice was just ten days.

With the things we're discovering now about Obama and his affiliations with terrorists and his membership in a communist group and his many associations with them, and the question of whether or not he's actually eligible to be our President based the legitimacy of his birth on American soil and/or to American parents, I can't help but think of what her reaction to all this would have been.

She would be disappointed and upset. And, being her daughter, I am feeling that same way about this election.

Why isn't the average American upset about all this? Why doesn't the average American know about it!?

Prayers ascending daily, sometimes more often, for this upcoming election.

Vocation of Voters

Another post for consideration before casting your vote.

To consider before voting...

This post is gonna stick in your craw and give you moments of deep-seeded unrest.

That someone could continue to perform abortions while baptising some of the aborted before incinerating them is horrific.

Colorful Colorado -- Vicksburg 2008

Each fall we try to visit Vicksburg which is a ghost town near Clear Creek Reservoir.

This year we got some especially nice pictures.

The view down mainstreet looking west.

R, throwing leaves.

Sarah, our oldest, and R, our youngest, throwing leaves.

An unretouched photo of our oldest, Sarah.

Colorful Colorado -- Turquoise Lake 2008

From Turquoise Lake....

View from East to West at Tabor Campground and Boat Launch.

See how clear the water is?

Our beautiful, K -- the middle daughter!

Hubby and our lovely daughters!

The aspens turning.

R, drawing trees in the minivan.

A stream near Turquioise Lake.

Colorful Colorado -- Wilkerson Pass 2008

Last weekend after Sunday's DS we took off for the Colorado Mountains.

Leadville was our destination. To get there we had to go over Wilkerson Pass. Here's a pix of the girls at the top of the pass.

Here's a picture that shows a view to the southwest.

Bailout?

Pastor Weedon pointed us to this blog post about the bailout.

Similarity?

Anybody notice the similarity between Grand Moff Tarkin and Senator Joe Biden?

Judge for yourself.

Perhaps the visual similarity is not the only thing they have in common?

See if these quotes have any reference to the Obama/Biden ticket...

"Tarkin landed his vessel on a platform filled with activists protesting Imperial taxation."

Can you believe that the revolutionists who died to seperate us from Great Britain were protesting taxes less than 6%? Wonder what they would think of the oppressive taxes of today and the call for more from the Obama/Biden ticket?

"Another of Tarkin's visions was the so-called doctrine of fear, or the Tarkin Doctrine as it is officially known. Rather than expend the incredible amounts of resources necessary for subjugating all the worlds of the Empire, the New Order would instead make visible a single show of force that could be used to cow any treasonous activity."

It is the doctrine of fear that I wish to highlight here as I don't subscribe to the One World Order theory which is total bunk.

The fear mongering that is so prevalent in the elections and make me long for the ... dare I say it? ... the British system of elections as far as timing of them is concerned. Did you know that the longest an election process can be is 8 weeks?

NO MORE!

It is interesting how certain things play out in the political arena. But this is a critical election, not because the pundits and politicians tell us so, but because of things like the YouTube below.

If you haven't seen it I pray you'll take ten minutes to do so.

Kyrie eleison!

V for Veritas, Tactic or Strategy

"I am afraid Senator Obama does not understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy." John McCain, September 26, 2008 at the Presidential Debate between the two senators.

My oldest daughter, Sarah, has had a political bent since she was 2 and 1/2 where she punished her Grammy for voting for Ross Perot by not walking with her anymore or holding her hand. This event occured on the way to Dan's Bake Sale. Google it if you don't remember it, or are curious.

Since then her political interests have grown and developed through the years.

At the age of 9, Sarah drug us down to the local Republican office and she offered to volunteer for Bill Owens in his campaign for governor. Because of her age, they required that a parent participate in volunteering with her. A reasonable request to be sure, but also requiring a time commitment on our part.

So, like good parents, we complied and began volunteering beside her. This was in July. In August of that year at the annual Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Parade that many political candidates walk in, our daughter was carrying a sign in support of Bill Owens close to his float. As we walked the parade route, folks called out to us that having her carry the sign was "child abuse." Little did they know that it was her passion that spurred us on to helping her do what she desired to do.

This was also the first time that we had been referred to as Sarah's parents.

Because we homeschool, we were able to tailor Sarah's learning to her passion for politics. She took three years of the US Constitution and can quote many sections of it. She not only learned the basics, but also about the Supreme Court cases that helped to shape the interpretation of the Constitution.

She also volunteered as an intern for four years in high school for a representative who, together with his wife, founded CHEC (Christian Home Educators of Colorado). In those four years she learned about the reality of politics from the inside and grew in her understanding and knowledge of how the inner workings of the political scene are accomplished, or not. She also volunteered on many more campaigns, locally, statewide and nationally. Some were winning campaigns, some were not.

Right now there is a referendum on the Colorado ballot that would allow 21-year olds to run for and hold office in the Colorado State House or Senate. The age requirement now is 25-years old. This referendum was co-sponsored by the representative that Sarah interned for with the specific intention of allowing people like Sarah to run for office.

Since graduating from high school in May 2007, Sarah has been the Executive Director of the HEARTH Fund, a Political Action Team that promotes choice in education, Christian family values in Colorado politics. In the last election, the HEARTH Fund supported 16 candidates and 10 of those were elected. It was founded in 2004 by Representative Kevin Lundberg. Since Sarah assumed the ED position, the HEARTH Fund has almost doubled in size and continues to grow. She began the 5X5 campaign, helped with state-wide caucus training and recently launched the SEND campaign on the Amy Oliver Show.

Tomorrow, Sarah has the opportunity to approach a local investor to ask him to help fund her vision for the future of the HEARTH Fund. We would appreciate your prayers for that meeting.

Well, Sarah has become convinced through the last several months that she needs to geer herself towards becoming more involved in politics. (Is that possible?) Therefore, she has begun a political blog and I invite you to view it and engage her in discussion if you feel up to debating on the internet.

So, how does this tie in to the quote at the top? Truth is always truth, and that's not a tactic, it's a strategy. Veritas mean truth. I could say something rather mean-spirited, but I'll exhibit restraint for now and refrain from doing so!

Let me know what you think of her blog in my comments.

Scraping

With two older sisters and a mom to constantly watch and learn from, it is interesting how our youngest views certain activites.

R's newest observation is that girls don't shave their legs, they scrape the hair off.

So of course we've changed our family lexicon of words to now include that we are scraping and NOT shaving!

R furthered her observations in that when daddy scrapes the beard off his face it makes a lot of noise and the girls are quieter.

Happy Birthday to Coffee Bean!

Head on over to Kelly's site and wish her a fun and happy birthday!

Considering Our Options

Jane has a very well reasoned post that I think you should read as you consider your important voting privilege this fall.