Christmas Cool Things

One of the most cherished traditions of our family at Christmas is to watch two favorite movies. In years past, we had to wait for network TV to show them. Then the advent of VCR's and now, DVD's, make it so we can turn it into and event.

What movies are they? "Christmas Story" with Peter Billingsly. We have it on DVD, and definitely love that movie. I showed it to my dad a few years ago, the man who is not a movie watcher. He loved it because it captured his childhood, and he had a Red Rider BB gun just like that when we was a kid. This year is the 25th anniversary of the movie and it sounds like a nice celebration is going on. Click here.

Now, the next one? "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is the most watched movie in our family. We know all the lines, we have studied each scene. In almost every scene we can show you funny things that you may not catch the first dozen times you watch it. We know all the trivia behind this cinematic nightmare (ie did you know during all the snow scenes, that is fake snow?? All of it, it was 80 degrees outside when they filmed all the outdoor snow scenes).

Charlie Brown Christmas? Frosty the Snowman? 'Twas the Night Before Christmas? No, those are not family favorites, but we watch them. But just not with the same vigor as those two. Did you learn something new about me today?

It's either here or there....

It's been one of those weeks where there could be a whole lot of nothing to say. Not much in terms of interesting things, but a whole lot of stuff.

Here goes:

* Trying to incorporate Lizzie back outside, and the other chickens are attacking her. Normally, I would let her duke it out, but she won't fight back and she is still slightly injured. Not sure what to do. I think she actually likes being inside, but being in a cardboard box 24/7 is no existence for a chicken, or my family.

* Had my huge annual candle sale yesterday. I didn't put as much effort into as I usually do, but I still sold close to $1,000 in products that were stored in my basement. So I cleaned out some stock, some friends got some great deals, created some future business, and now I can hibernate for Thanksgiving.

* School is going well for JM. He aced a math test yesterday, and I am so proud of him!

* School is going okay for BH. He is doing great, loves his teacher, loves his classmates, and tells me all the fun preschool things he does. The church that runs the school just pulled one of those typical church politics stunts (three influential people had a back room meeting while the school director was gone on vacation, and had her fired) that just chaps my hide. So we parents are dealing with that, and hoping the church realizes, no matter if she was worthy of being fired, that their way of doing it was completely mean-spirited and ungodly. The former director is planning to sue. It will be pretty I am sure!

* Need to make a spinach salad and a requested broccoli salad for my part of Thanksgiving dinner. Going to the inlaws. Just as a general rule, when I go to my inlaws, please pray for me.

* Went to cash a check at a bank yesterday that I don't bank at. The bank teller couldn't cash it. She needed an approval from the branch manager. Way back in college, I was a bank teller for three years. I know that was long ago, and fraud is a huge problem, I know this. I told this branch manager, "Why do you even have tellers? If she can't cash a check on your bank with sufficient ID and my fingerprint (yes, I had to fingerprint the check for CSI purposes) then why do we have bank tellers?" I got the "we need extra measures if you aren't a bank customer...." bit. That didn't answer my question, seriously, why have bank tellers?

Corollary, I am thankful to have banks. I am thankful to have money that needs to be cashed. I am thankful to have a distraction for my preschooler at the time I waited that thirty minutes for the manager. I am thankful I have these simple inconveniences that others don't have. I am thankful.

* Our beef has been ordered since the beginning of November. We have conversed with the butcher. On December 13th, our freezer will be full. I am so excited, and yes, very thankful.

I wish all of you a wonderful, safe, thoughtful and special Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for. We have roofs over our heads, we have warm beds, we have people in our lives that make us who we are, we have opportunities, we have a warm meal on Thursday, and we have Jesus Christ. We have so much!

Thankfulness

As we approach our Thanksgiving season, I do like to reflect on what I am thankful for. I think I may have more than one post on this, so I thought I would get started early.

Here goes:

I am thankful that I have a job. I am thankful that my job still pays bills and puts food on the table.

I am thankful for my family, always. With every breathe I take, I am so thankful for them.

I am so thankful for my friends. As I have lived over the years, it is the influence of my friends that has chiseled me into the person I am today, and I am ever so thankful.

I am so thankful to God for giving us Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate artist in my life that has the most influence. He has redeemed me, saved me from my ungodliness, and made my life something that glorifies Him. Only God can do that.

I am so thankful for living in the United States. The freedoms we enjoy, the rights we enjoy, the basics we enjoy, etc. They are because pioneering folks got into a boat, and braved a new world.

I am thankful for the writers of the Constitution and the huge amount of wisdom and foresight they had when writing such an amazing document. I honestly believe God was influencing their writing.

I am thankful for all American soldiers, past, present and future, who have sacrificed for those freedoms that we have all enjoyed since the earliest settlements of Northern America. Those soldiers have sacrificed life, liberty, limb and peace for those freedoms we all enjoy, and I take every opportunity I have to thank them for protecting my home and family, and the rights I enjoy.

Please add any more you can think of! I am sure as I reflect more this week, I'll have another post this week.

Jesus, to you alone be the glory!

Church Bulletin

Got this out of our church bulletin last Sunday. I have taken it from "The Church Around the World" volume 38, number 12.

Pro-Life Leader: Poland is Profoundly Pro-Life Culture

Abortion was first instituted in Poland in 1943 by the Nazi occupiers, whose stated goal was to exterminate the Slavic peoples under their control, and continued under the Soviet Communists. Throughout the Communist period, lay pro-life activists worked hard to retain a deep sense of the sacredness of human life under successive totalitarian regimes. Today, a dramatically dropping abortion rate in Poland is the payoff of the concerted work of those activists, says the vice president of the Polish Federation of Pro-life Movements, Antoni Zieba.

Polish law allows abortion in cases of rape or fetal abnormalities. Although Poland and Spain have similar abortion laws, in 2006 Spain reported 98,500 abortions, while in Poland that same year, there were only 360 abortions. This marks a massive reduction from the 1990's, when the number of abortions was 100,000 a year. During the Communist period, it is estimated that the total number of abortions was over 600,000 a year.

Zieba explains this disparity simply, saying that Poland enjoys a pro-life culture, so even though the law allows abortion, few Poles would consider it. He attributes this to the extensive apostolic work of lay Catholics during the Communist period and continues during Communism's decline. "Within the structures of the Catholic Church, we have engaged in intense activity in defense of the life of the unborn." Zieba pointed out that, while most of the world has been convinced abortion is the key to women's emancipation, in Poland, through the work of the pro-life movement, it is still remembered as a tool genocide popular with racist and inhumane totalitarian regimes.



Thoughts? I wonder what Obama would think of this. Considering he could say something similar. His ancestors can say they were mistreated by racists and kept in mini totalitarian regimes (southern farms) and seen as property, not humans. Yet, he is the most pro-abortion president this nation has ever had and has already started to change legislation regarding stem cell research. Yet, the most abortions done in this country right now are in the African American, low income, communities.

Too bad, unlike Poland, we can't learn from our past on that one. Obama may just lead the way too.

More Chicken Updates

Okay, I know you are all sick of this topic. I am about done with it too. But I still have gimpy chicken in a box in my bedroom. It's still kind of consuming my time and efforts at least for a few more days.

I have posted some before and after pictures at the bottom of this post. The before picture is not pretty. It isn't disgustingly graphic or anything, but if you are squeamish, you might think twice before looking. I posted them on my Facebook page with the same warning, and people seem to not be squeamish. But I think it might be worse for me because I saw it up close and fresh.

The only new thing we have noticed is how Lizzie drinks water. The fact that she is drinking water is important. Birds in general need lots of water and can become dehydrated easily. So I have put water in her box, but not sure if she is drinking it. But what is funny, if I am holding her and put it in front of her, she cranes her neck like a duck and puts almost her whole face in the water and drinks deeply. The kids think this is so funny. She didn't do this out in the yard, I am wondering if her craning has something to do with her neck. But, hey, she is drinking and letting me handle her and staying relaxed.

My dad, who grew up on a chicken farm, told me she should be just fine within a week. He also told me the finer points of how to use my new pellet gun to kill rodents and get rid of raccoons.

Why am I showing these? Well, I am pretty pleased that in just a few days she is doing so well. I am quite amazed in fact. I am an animal lover and have never given aid to an injured animal before, so this is an accomplishment for me. And I never want to repeat it again, because the initial stress was gut wrenching.

Lizzie right after the attack.

Lizzie yesterday, with my little helper who loves to see how she is doing.

Yesterday up close. Looking not so bad!

Where that feather is sticking out on the back of her head is her worst gash. It's deep and hard to clean. I don't mess with it much because it opens up pretty easily.

Sitting quite relaxed on my arm. Yes, her box is under my sewing desk.

Lizzie Update

Whewie, what a crazy last 36 hours. Here is the "story":

Four thirty in the morning on Sunday morning, I could hear my husband get up to let the dog out. I heard the back door open. But what was unusual was her instant fierce barking that woke me up, but not enough to get up.

Five minutes (sure, we'll go with that) later, the hubbie comes and says in that voice all wives know, "Honey.....ummmmm......a raccoon got into the coop and got one of the chickens." I honestly don't remember the exact course of events after that. I know that in my mind, I knew she was a goner. Chickens have very few defenses and raccoons are vicious.

I know that over the next two hours, I got a few updates from my husband while I tried to go back to sleep. I know that sounds selfish, and it was. I was beyond tired that night. I had worked 18 hours on Saturday and had a long Sunday ahead of me. But as much as I tried, I couldn't fall back to sleep. I just had a raw feeling in my gut thinking about what happened to my favorite chicken. Ticked off that a raccoon got into my coop made up like Fort Knox. And so on....I got up.

It was six or so when I got up and the sky was beginning to turn slightly light. Again, not sure of the course of events but my hubbie had spent those two hours trying to figure out how to put Lizzie out of her misery. We don't have guns that rural families have. We use tree trimming tools, and don't have an ax. He was a little beside himself trying to figure out what to do for her to take away her suffering.

Like I said in the initial post, I pictured a disemboweled chicken, so I didn't want to see this part of the show. But once the sun came up, and I got my caffeine going, I asked what she looked like. I heard that she could walk and flap, she was bleeding, but didn't seem to have broken bones. Just really bloody. I asked the hubbie to put her in a box and bring her inside. He brought her into the garage, I honestly think he just wanted to not have to deal with her. I don't blame him, he just went head to head with a raccoon and saw her in it's clutches.

Okay, I put on my brave face and went out in the garage and brought in the box. Honest to goodness, I was petrified to see what I would find. I opened the box in the kitchen, and saw my little Lizzie. Words can't describe how messed up her head was. She was cut up badly. Lots of pretty deep lacerations, but nothing life threatening, like a deep cut to the throat. She obviously put up a fight. She was very quiet. I don't know much chicken first aid, but I know if she is frightened much more, she can drop dead from shock. But I realized, she could survive this. So I closed the box and did what I do best.

I went online. My favorite backyard chicken website is www.backyardchickens.com. Went to their message boards and pleaded for help as well as looked at a lot of other strings of folks who have chickens attacked by predators. Folks, what happened to Lizzie is nothing! There are some pretty horrible stories of what raccoons can do to chickens, and it's awful!

Got some chicken first aid help, and got some pretty valuable raccoon advice. One thing I had a hunch would be correct, the raccoons will be back to this food source (my coop) until the food source is exhausted. I have two other chickens! I will be making some coop repairs in the next few days and locking up the chickens at night.

After setting up Lizzie for the day, I went to work for ten hours. When I came home it was pretty late, but decided to try to clean up her wounds a bit and put some neosporin on them (chicken first aid from the message boards, no kidding). Again, put on my brave face and took her into the bathroom to see what I could do. I tried to wash her head, but the blood was exceptionally crusty. As I held her, no kidding, she cooed at me!! It broke my heart! So I put her in the bathtub and dripped warm water on her head to soften it up. Yucky yucky bloody water drained off her, but I was able to get to the wounds. I put peroxide on them and dressed them in neosporin.

Here is what seriously freaked me out. She was absolutely lethargic. I am putting burning peroxide on her and her eyes are closing. I couldn't figure out if she was dying or falling asleep. I held her for quite awhile wondering if I would hold her while she died. I also could feel her body shivering occasionally, so either she is cold or she is fighting an infection. Ugh!

I put her back in her box and laid a heating pad on the box to keep her warm. I just knew I would open the box in the morning and find a dead chicken.

Nope! I opened the box this morning and her head perked up and she was perking her head out of the box looking around. I found out later that truly, when chickens are tired, they fall asleep in the middle of anything. Since I was doing this at about midnight, her body clock says it's sleep time and doggone it she will sleep. I also found out that is probably the best time to dress her wounds because she won't flap around and fight me. Just picking her up at lunchtime to look at her today, she was definitely fighting me.

So, when she did poke her head out of the box this morning, she looked pretty doggone good. She wasn't dead! The neosporin and peroxide definitely promoted healing through the night.

Another thing, last night when I was examining her all over last night, I noticed a weird puffed section of her skin. just above her wing but below her beak. Just like a balloon had been blown up under her skin. A few feathers had been pulled out there, but not many. I honestly thought that could maybe be internal damage of some kind. I also thought it could just be bruised skin too, but it was weird and a bit alarming. I could bandage wounds, but internal stuff, not so much!

This morning that puffed up spot is only about a third the size it was last night. Much better! She has acted more like a chicken today. She is moving around in the box and bock bocking a little bit. Yesterday, she was laying down and not holding her head up much. Today, she holds her head up and is looking around, and even holding her tail feathers up. Chickens are a lot like dogs in their body language--head up and tail up, they feel good. Head down and tail down, they don't feel good.

I have never nursed an injured animal back to health, but I am feeling pretty good she'll pull through this. Considering that 36 hours ago we were trying to figure out how to put her out of her misery, this is quite an accomplishment for this city girl!

What else did I do yesterday? I bought a pellet gun with a scope. I can't wait to use it.

Trauma...

One of our chickens, our lovely youngest hen, Lizzie, was attacked by a raccoon last night.

Long story, but thanks to our barking dog, the raccoon didn't make the final blow. But, now we have a raccoon who knows how to break into our coop and has the taste of fresh chicken on it's mind.

A few new policies are in place until we can get some extra security put in place. The chickens will be locked up in their boxed enclosure at night. They go in there at night anyway, but the door isn't closed and locked. It will be now. Honestly, I think that raccoon got into the box and pulled her out because the chickens stay inside when it's dark. Also, this morning, the sun is out and the other chickens haven't come out yet. I think they are a little freaked out too.

I'll give some more details later. I have a long day of work, a headache, and a big trip to Home Depot to make my coop like Fort Knox, although I thought it already was.

Lizzie is inside the house in a box. She is quite shaken up, and quite bloody. All the backyard advice I read about says she will probably make it. At four this morning, it was very surreal to figure out what to do for her. Once the sun came up and we could assess her better, we decided to see what we could do.

I couldn't go outside to see her and was trying to picture how bad she was based upon what my husband was saying. His first descriptive words when it first happened was "mangled". I pictured a disemboweled hen. Later on, it turned into "cut up pretty bad but she can walk". Okay, well, let me take a look. He put her in a box and we brought her in. Her head is cut up pretty bad. The coon was going for her head for sure. There has been much bleeding, but it has stopped. I think our barking dog prevented the final bite that would have decided this issue for us. Anyway, she is in a box, in the house, resting quietly.

Get this, the hubbie is going out of town all this week too. Wish me luck!

Conversations With Myself

I don't get them often, but I do have them. I have done this before where I share with you what my initial gut, internal, response is when I read a headline or even the title of a piece of spam. The collection is getting large again. Here goes:

Spam headline reads:

Interview With Jesus Extra 20% Off Ends at Midnight - Save Now!

Now, can Jesus clear the temple and crack a whip virtually? If anyone could, He could. Stand back!

Cleanse Your Colon of Excess Weight

Sure, but that isn't where my excess weight is.

Turtle Wax Ice--Stop Waxing Start Icing

Okay, the image in my head is really disturbing. I don't want to click on this spam to see if they are talking about bikini wax or car wax.

Sell Your House to Us!

Ummm....no.

Hi!

Bye.

Viagra or Cialis solution for your problems. (all kinds of grammar issues here)

Trust me, Viagra and Cialis won't cure my problems. Can you put more money in my bank account, pay my credit card bill, and make sure that my retirement fund is funded? That would be a solution for my problems.


Headlines:

Michael Jackson Sells Never Land to Corporation

Seriously, can we be done with Michael Jackson already?

Virtual Affair Leads to Real Divorce for UK Couple

Oh my word!

Scientists Investigate JFK Conspiracy Theories

Can we let the man rest in peace, please?

Prince Charles Wants to Speak Out as King: Biographer

Don't get too crazy, Charles. Careful now.

Unhappy People Watch More TV

Yeah, so?

Lily Tomlin Wants Dallas Elephant Relocated

Really? Where? Someplace that probably looks an awful lot like a zoo.

As I get ready to go to bed after being thoroughly discouraged by current events, my final thought to myself, "Jesus, come soon!"

I Actually Had a Little Time

I actually had some time to finish a few projects this week. Our church holds one of the biggest independent bazaar's in the city annually--and it is tomorrow. Last year, I was a yarn guru, and crocheted about four afghans, several doggie sweaters, and several stockings. I didn't start anything in the last few months. This afghan I started last Christmas and rushed through it this week. The stockings were done awhile back too.

The bazaar is tomorrow, so I am dropping them off this morning. Been a little busy lately! But if you want to go to a very cool bazaar in the north east section of my town, and get some really great quilts, woodworking, food items, etc. let me know, I'll give you the particulars. It is not a vendor bazaar. It is a all homemade, handcrafted items. It is very nice!

Also, note! Kathi (see under homeschool families list) has a recipe for Kielbasa and Corn Chowder. We made it last night, and it was a hit. Thanks Kathi for a great recipe!

BH's Birthparent Letter

Hello Birthparents of BH, November 2008

It is that time again! We have had such an adventurous summer and fall, we have much to share with you. There are lots of pictures attached this time, mainly because we have had so many activities since we last wrote you a letter.

In June, we attended our city’s children’s parade, and had a lot of fun. BH and JM certainly enjoyed squishing themselves into one lawn chair. The picture we got of them was priceless.

It also shows a really nice dynamic. BH and JM are definitely brothers. BH is very consistent to pray for his “brudder” every Sunday in church during prayer time. They look out for each other, share toys, fight over toys, copy each other, bug each other, hug each other, and all the things brothers do.

This summer we also acquired a used trampoline. That was the best thing! Both boys have a lot of fun jumping on it and getting out their boyish energy. BH is incredibly cute because of how little and bouncy he is. We hope you enjoy the pictures we included of that.

We also took a trip to Colorado at the end of August to visit some of AM’s family. BH talked for weeks beforehand about how excited he was to fly on an airplane. The last time he was on an airplane was when we brought him home from XXX. Anne Marie grew up in Colorado and it was a joy to show her sons the places she played as a little girl. Both boys got the chance to fish for trout, see the Olympic Training Center, visit family, hike in the woods, and go on a train ride.

We also had one of our “firsts” on that trip. You can see in the pictures the boys playing in a fountain. At one point, both boys slipped on the slippery surface. BH took a spill that bumped his head, and he sprung right up and was mad about falling. A few hours after that, he was vomiting. Of course, we took him to the emergency room immediately, and he was checked out thoroughly and was fine. That little trip marked the “first” trip to the emergency room for our family. We are glad it turned out to be nothing to worry about.

BH has also started preschool this fall! Where did the time go? He was a little nervous at first, but loves it now. He even asked the other day, when being picked up, “Can I go back to school?” Several of his classmates are close friends now. You’ll see a little blonde girl in several of the pictures. She is our pastor’s daughter, and they are almost the same age and are in preschool and Sunday school together.

They also act like a little married couple. She gets kind of bossy and orders BH around. After too much of that, he ignores her and walks away.

We also had an incredibly fun day in October going to one of our favorite pumpkin patches with our pastor’s family. The kids climbed a hay tower, picked out pumpkins, rode a little cart of cows, saw farm animals, went through a corn maize, and had a very fun day. Having BH’s little friend there was very fun because they stuck to each other like good friends.

We also took our annual day to the local apple orchards up in the hills. Again, another wonderful fall day, and we have included pictures from that as well.

Because BH is getting older, he hasn’t had any need for doctor’s appointments these days. He will get a check up on his fourth birthday. His shots are all up to date. We have definitely noticed that he got taller. Suddenly jeans he wore before the heat of summer are way too short for him as the weather gets colder.

What does Ben like? He likes macaroni and cheese, pizza, apples, oranges, lemonade, orange juice, hash browns and Halloween candy. He is a great sleeper and still takes a good nap in the afternoon and sleeps through the night. While he still has a few accidents at night we are working on having him wear big boy pants all the time, including at night.

BH is such a comedian! He knows how to joke around and make things funny. He knows how to give the right little grin to get his way. He loves to cuddle, hug and give kisses. BH has wonderful verbal skills, and we think he is a bit ahead of the average three year old. He speaks well, and has a great vocabulary. AM’s aunt, a former educator, was shocked to hear him count backwards from ten. He is definitely a smart little boy, and loves to color, figure out things, play with stickers, books and crayons.

We wish you and your family a very warm Christmas season as we reflect on what God has given us this past year. Of course, we look at our children and are so thankful for the adventurous year we have had with them. We pray you and your family have a blessed Christmas this year. Please know that we are thinking of you this Christmas season.

Lovingly,

M, AM, JM and BH

I am feeling it....

I am feeling the economic crunch finally. Why?

My personal business is going great. I can't ask for better. My numbers are even to last year's. But everyone else around me in my business is tanking, and honestly, it's not the business. It's the people around me giving up that this business can bring in an income before they have even tried. But that's another story....

But where I am really feeling it is in our budget. Suddenly, the utility bills are higher, food is higher, everything is not just a few cents higher. I am not kidding, when gas fell this last week so much, I sighed a huge sigh of relief. Suddenly filling up my minivan is under fifty bucks for the first time in over a year!

I am finding myself thinking of ways to cut back, and here is what is on the chopping block in our budget:

**BH's preschool. It is $130.00 a month. That is dirt cheap for preschool, but that is also $1300 out of our annual budget.

**Me not going to my company's annual training conference next summer. I have gone ever since I started this business eight years ago, and the training and tools are unmatched that I get when I go. It is also a $1000 expense to go, and I anticipate that being higher because of airfare.

**JM's piano lessons. Right now, we love them! I love that he is getting it and he is actually trying to read music out of the hymnals on Sunday. It is $82 a month, which is just under $1000 a year.

**One nice thing that has already been cut. My husband's annual winter trip to the east coast to visit his doctorate advisor. That is going to be done differently this year, so that trip is already gone. That was about $500 each winter to do that.

**I know my hubbie will need to make one or two more trips to Europe for his doctorate. Honest to goodness, once that expense is gone, it means two things. The $1200-$1600 cost of that trip will be gone. PLUS, it will mean he has his doctorate, and his pay will hopefully increase.

**Eating out. My hubbie's birthday was yesterday, and we had a coupon to Red Robin. It didn't make a drop in the bucket. Most of Red Robin's menu items are $10 a plate. We also won't be ordering what used to be our favorite pizza anymore, Pizza Hut. The last time we ordered it was icky pizza and it was expensive. Eating out won't be happening as much anymore. If we can cut out $100 (two trips to a restaurant a month at Red Robin's prices), that is a $1200 annual savings.

**We also rediscovered the library this last week. Got the kids a library card. Did you know they let you borrow books for free? No more of my $12-$15 paperbacks, again times out two books a month times twelve months, the library saves me $360 annually.

Okay campers!! Give me your input! What are you cutting!

Does This Look Familiar??

What is in common with all these pictures? They are past Christmases of ours where my husband and our brother in law has spent most of the time undoing wires, using wire cutter to get the toys out of the packaging, and cutting through plastic and boxes. It's a new thing called "Wrap Rage", and I have experienced it along with anyone who has small children.

No more. Hopefully this trend will catch on, click here. Please be sure to watch the video AND also click below to the pictures people have sent in showing the gouges on their hands, frustration, etc. from extracting kid's toys from packaging. We actually did a modern art sculpture one year with all the wires. If I find it, I'll submit it.

Okay, Just One More Thing and I'll Be Quiet

I was absolutely in awe as I watched the day after votes come in and watched how three states succinctly turned out and voted for marriage being only for heterosexual couples. After years and years of fighting this kind of issue in the state I live in as well as watching it get fought in other states, I knew it would be a matter of time before we got to swallow another pill of unholiness.

Can I just say congratulations to my friends in California? Nice job! That was not a narrow margin either. It was a David and Goliath fight, and David won. There was a huge bazillion dollar budget on the pro gay side of that fight against a million dollar budget on the pro traditional side. To God alone be the glory. He fought that for California and it was breathtaking to watch.

Yahoo's news in the last twenty four hours is astonishing to me. They are not all pro Obama, pro gay marriage, pro socialism like they usually are. Here is an interesting and thoughtful response to what happened in California.

I encourage you to watch the YouTube ad they have linked on that article with Gavin Newsom basically bragging about how you don't have a choice, you will be pro gay marriage "whether you like it or not". Whoever did the marketing on that hit the nerve that I have been feeling tickled for too long. It is one thing to be tolerant of other's ungodliness, but it's another thing to have it forced and mandated down your throat.

I am also glad to see that Hollywood will need to tuck their tales between their legs and be a little more tempered on this issue. The majority of their audience doesn't agree with them, and they need to think twice about what they say in front of a camera. Personally, I don't watch what the camera puts in front of me from such celebrities.

Brings Up A Good Point

Kristina made a fabulous comment on my "Election Day" post a few days ago. She is right! There is definitely a contingency out there that thinks Obama is going to pay for all this and suddenly all their expenses will be subsidized.

Interesting thing happened to me election night. I was at a candle party with predominantly Spanish speaking, green card immigrants. I have never been in this situation before, and it was weird for my first time to be on election night. I had a few of the gals who were bilingual help me out, and from a candle point of view it was fine.

But, when I arrived, they had their TV on to a Spanish channel that was covering the election. After the candle party, they turned the TV on and announced that Obama had won. The entire room jumped up and clapped and cheered loudly.

Why? This lady says it best. Seriously, they think that their rent, gas, food, etc. will be subsidized. And there is a lot of joking going on about how we are headed for a socialist state. And you know what, I am not laughing anymore, it actually does frighten me now.

The morning after wake up pill.....

No this isn't about abortion, but get ready for that future post. Obama being the most pro-abortion, pro-infanticide president ever elected. Pro life advocates need to shed a tear for the millions of lives that will be lost because of Obama's pro-abortion policies coming down the pike.

I have sat all week watching my homepage, www.yahoo.com, support Obama in it's coverage. Made me want to barf. I expect nothing less.

I just find this front page report they put up today absolutely appalling. It is the actual reality of what Obama just signed on for, as well as ourselves. Click here.

What is even more interesting, is the thoughtful commentary below the article. Take a look at what your fellow Americans are thinking regarding this upcoming presidency. They are not happy.

Woulda been nice to see this reality article posted on yahoo about five days ago, for several hours, not just tucked away in a financial blog not on the homepage.

Election Stuff

Honestly, when I talk about election stuff, I try to keep it to a minimum. Why? Because there is so much election stuff, it gets lost in the noise.

Here is my opinion. We have a right to vote. It is an amazing right. We have the right to vote because our forefathers bought that right with their blood on the battle ground of the Revolutionary War. Our forefathers recognized it as a huge right and privilege. I remember tearing up a few years ago when Iraq held it's first election, and seeing the huge pride well up in people as they proudly showed off their purple index finger from dunking it in ink to vote. It was a badge of honor.

Another right that was bought and paid for with the blood of our forefathers, is the right to free speech. There are women, right now, around the world, who don't even have the right to show their face, let alone what their opinions are. The soldiers of the Revolutionary War thought it was worth shedding blood over.

Every time we have a presidential election, it gets nasty. I have learned my lesson, I keep my opinions to myself, and let my voice be my vote. Why? I have lost friends because we differ on political views. Not because I wanted to end it, but because they did.

Can we all agree to one thing? Can we please embrace the fact that we have the right to agree and disagree? That we can each have and own our opinions without persecution from the powers that govern our land? I have opinions that would get me killed in other countries, especially as a woman. I may disagree with my neighbor about their views, but goodness, I revel in the fact that we all get to vote, and it matters. I want my neighbor to go cast his or her dissenting vote!

Before anyone goes and severs a friendship because they disagree politically, can we stop for a moment and enjoy the fact that we have that right? Can we please separate the two? We can still be friends, we can still disagree, and we can enjoy such wonderful rights! How cool is that?

That Season Again

Remember back in May when I shared about the car conversation I had with JM about writing letters to the kids birthparents? We all ended up needing a box of Kleenex?

It's that time again. Creeps up on you huh? We need to get another letter and batch of photos off to BH's birthparents before we enjoy Thanksgiving. Because it's something you can't just throw together, I do start planning a few weeks ahead of time.

First thing, I download any pictures I need to one of my favorite photo websites. Snapfish.com is the one I am using this time because I have a freebie coming from them. My usual place is shutterfly.com. I have about 50+ photos ready to be ordered, and will do it this week.

I have also required JM to write a letter to include this time. Last May, it was optional. Not this time. He's old enough to write sentences, and I have let him know, he needs to do that this time.

I have also got to think through the special events we've done since May. It's been a lot! Parade in June, meeting AC Green, Fourth of July, trip to Colorado (and the emergency room), starting preschool, going to the apple orchards and pumpkin patch. You have all seen many of the pictures I will be sending.

Then I need to also write anything developmentally that he has done recently. Well, his little sense of humor is way beyond his years. He certainly can't be looked at too long because his little smiling gaze will wrap you around his little finger. He has learned how to shake his boom boom, and makes getting dressed a whole different adventure. It's these sorts of thing that we get to write about.

We don't have ongoing contact with JM's birthmom. So I always make it clear, he can write a letter to his birthmom, and I will save it in a special place and get it to her when I am allowed to. Again, tears! How special it will be to hand to her letters he has written to her over the course of his childhood. I would love to be able to hand that to her as a gift someday.

And it always brings me back to the same place. I am so privileged and blessed that these generous people gave me a slice of their soul, entrusted their flesh and blood to me, to raise. How amazing is that? And again, God being the author and example of what adoption means. I am such a blessed person!

Sigh......Need another Kleenex again.....