Why I Couldn't Vote for Obama

There are a number of reasons I didn't vote for Obama, but one reason I'm going to address in this blog post is that I believe in the rights of unborn babies. I believe they have a right to be born once they have been conceived, and that baby's right to life supersedes any other rights .

I'm sure you've all heard of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). While campaigning, Obama said one of the first things he'd do if elected was sign FOCA. I'm guessing a good many people don't even completely know what FOCA entails. Unless you're hard core pro-choice, I can't believe anyone would think FOCA is a good idea. Here are a few tidbits:

1. It's currently illegal to obtain a partial birth abortion, which is when a doctor delivers the baby, usually during the second trimester, only to end it's life (I'll leave out the gruesome details of how this is done. You can find a lot of information on Wikipedia if you need more information.) If FOCA is passed, it is almost assured that partial birth abortions will be made legal again. I question why, even if the mother's life is endangered, the baby's life needs to be ended in this vile, brutal way.

2. As of right now almost all states have laws that limit what a minor can do without consent or knowledge from the parents or guardians. If passed, minors (i.e., your daughter, your niece, your granddaughter, etc.) will be able to obtain prescription birth control, as well as have an abortion without parental consent or knowledge. And the bonus is that this makes it easy for some young girls to be taken advantage of by adults, doesn't it?

3. There are government restrictions on funding for abortions. If passed, FOCA would require the government to provide funding for abortions. As someone who is pro-life, it troubles me deeply to think of tax dollars from my home going to pay for the sole purpose of funding abortions. If Planned Parenthood and all the pro-choice folks out there want this "right", then they should fund it from their own coffers and not expect to burden the American people even more than they already are.

4. There would be no more wait periods for abortions. In many states a woman must wait 24-72 hours before having an abortion so she can reflect on the information presented to her at the consultation and presumably give it some consideration before making the final decision.

5. FOCA would make abortion legal anytime, anywhere, any age, any reason. State or Federal Judges and politicians would be found in contempt by speaking out against FOCA once it is passed. Doctors would no longer be able to claim they couldn’t do the procedure due to their conscience, and faith-based hospitals would be required to perform abortions they do not believe in.

So under FOCA a 14 year old girl could be taken advantage of by say, a 25 year old man, get pregnant, be coerced by this man into getting an abortion, and of course not tell her parents about it. Further, she can access tax dollars collected from folks experiencing infertility and who can't have a family to pay for this abortion, then force a faith-based hospital and Christian or Muslim doctor to perform the procedure. I agree this is an exaggerated scenario, but certainly one that could happen.

I ask you, how does any of this help reduce the number of abortions??

And if that's not bad enough, on 1-23-09 President Obama "rescinded a Reagan-era measure that blocks funding to foreign aid groups that perform or promote abortions." Huh. Do I need to wonder where that funding comes from? It's bad enough my tax dollars are going to bail out greedy banks and don't-have-a-clue car manufacturers, but now I have to fund abortions on foreign soil? In a country that is on it's economic knees, I don't think international abortion funding is a priority, do you? Well, our President seems to think so anyway.

I'm deeply troubled by FOCA and invite you to pray for all the unborn who are at risk, as well as speak out to our government on where you stand. I'm stepping off my soap box now. :-(

Child Proofing

Last month I requested that Mike remove all the child proofing from the cabinets. Many of our cabinets with chemicals or glass dishes still had "Tot Loks" on them (a special lock that requires a magnetic key to open.)


Eric has been opening up the cabinets with the key for a couple years, but I kept the locks on for Charlotte's sake.....probably a year too long (neither of my children has been the "budding scientist" wanting to mix ammonia with bleach or something crazy like that, so the locks really could've come off a while ago.) More likely they'd get into the movie cabinet and leave the contents strewn all over the living room floor. But, there was just too much life going on to be bothered with thinking about changing how to access the contents of a cabinet differently than I've been doing for the past 7 years. So they stayed on a little longer than needed.

Now that the Tot Loks are off the cabinets, I have to say I'm really loving just walking up to a cabinet and opening it right up! I used to do this all the time before I had children, but now it's such a novelty! No longer do I have to first reach for the magnet key, which is never where it's supposed to be, just to grab an SOS pad or a glass dish. No hunting it down, no waiting for the click that tells me the key has unlatched the lock.

While the growth of our children is bittersweet at times, there are small victories like this one to console us as we go along. And if I can sell the locks on eBay, all the better.

Perfect Timing

Yesterday was an awesome day! Everything went so well with our trip to the Orthopedic Doctor. We're very relieved and thankful it's not more serious than it is! Thank you everyone for your prayers and kind thoughts!

Yesterday Mike also received a long-awaited phone call. I'm not sure if you recall, but while we were on vacation last October Mike received a call from Randy about a job at a mostly commercial company. At the time, Mike had a job, so we really needed to pray on whether this was an opportunity he should take. However, Mike got laid off 1.5 weeks after we returned from vacation, so that pretty much decided that the commercial job was a definite possibility, lol.

Mike turned in a resume last November (highly unusual for carpentry work), and then nothing happened. He stayed in contact with Randy, who kept encouraging Mike to "hang in there". Then last week Mike was told to come in for an interview, because they were ready to hire one new carpenter. One! In an industry that has the highest rate of unemployment in the nation right now (15%), you can imagine the competition for one position. I really believe God went before Mike and cleared the way, though, because the interview went well and Mike made a good impression. Yesterday the supervisor called and offered Mike the job!! Doing a serious happy dance here, and very grateful to God!

As for that perfect timing? A couple weeks ago I asked Mike to call our insurance to find out when it expired. Our insurance is based off of hours worked. So the hours worked one quarter qualify you for insurance the next quarter. As it turned out, we had insurance through May 2009, but Mike needed to start working and banking hours by early February in order for our insurance to continue uninterrupted. I'd say the timing on this job couldn't be more perfect!

One True God

I've been hearing a new song on the radio, and I just love it. I'd add it to my playlist, but it's not available yet! But "yay" for Youtube; I can always find what I need on there. It's really a beautiful song and such a humbling reminder of what an awesome God we have.

(Turn on your speakers and hit the play button below)

I don't have a God I can put on a stand
Or a God I hold in the palm of my hand
I have a God that's holding me
And I don't have a God that I can create
In the place I live with the money I make
I have a God, He made everything
So I don't need a temporary man-made deity
When I got the real thing
I got the real thing

He's the Lord of all the earth
The maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall
But even through it all
He remains
The one true God

I don't have a thing that I got on my own
I don't have a care that I carry alone
But I have a God who's carrying me
I don't have sin that He doesn't forgive
And I don't have a heart that is worthy of His
But I have a God who still loves me
So I don't need a temporary man made deity
When I got the real thing
I got the real thing

Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
Who is this King of Glory

Preschool Forensics

Today is a frigid day. Temps were -33 Fahrenheit this morning, so school was canceled. I'm sure all the bus-riders were very happy about that! This left me with a couple of kids to keep occupied. Eric was easy to please because he's usually in school all day, then has to come home and do more homework, so that leaves him very little time to play the Wii. So he's clocked a little bit of time today playing a game. To throw a little variety into his day, I've asked him to do some reading ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid").

Charlotte loves to color, so I got her started on a biiiiig coloring project. Last year when I volunteered in Eric's 1st grade class, I used to help out in all sorts of ways - everything from "patrolling" the room to help kids out with math, to photocopying, and decorating the boards. The teacher used huge butcher paper for the background on the board, and when it was time to change the scene, that paper would just get thrown away. So I asked to take it home. I rolled it up, stuck it under a dresser, and promptly forgot about it.

Fast forward to a few days ago when I remembered the paper and wrote myself a note to do this project on Monday (school holiday). Figured I might as well do it today instead and try to come up with something else on Monday.

So I had Charlotte come into the kitchen and lay down. Notice the shoes.





With a pencil I traced around Charlotte. My favorite part is the shoes. I then took a marker and traced over the pencil. It looks eerily like an outline at a crime scene. Not my intent.





Now comes the fun part for a coloring gal like Charlotte. The first thing to get colored in was her hair, and here she's coloring in the dress. That's a purple flower on the dress, btw.




She got about 1/3 of the way done and needed a break, so I rolled it up and I'm sure she'll enjoy working on it over the next couple of days. I'll post a photo of her paper-self when it's done.

I Can Has Cheezburger

This is another post dedicated to a website that I love to check out from time to time. Since I love cats, I find it hysterical. If you're not into cats, the site owners also have a dog version called I has a hot dog, and I put a few of those at the bottom.

There's My DNA

One day last month Charlotte and I settled in to look at one of my scrap albums. It happened to be Volume I in a collection of "My Life" albums. I was looking for some photos of the blizzard of 1979 to show her because she didn't believe me that the snow was so high we could walk right up on top of our shed and jump off into the snow drifts on the other side (it was great fun, by the way.)

Charlotte wanted to start at the beginning of the album and go all the way through to the end. Along the way were baby photos, vacations in Kentucky and Washington DC, plus the obligatory school pictures. When we got to my Kindergarten photo, Charlotte pointed and said, "There's Eric!" For years I've always looked at Eric as being a "Mini Me" of Mike. From the moment he was placed into my arms at the hospital I saw the strong resemblance between the two of them. Let's just say besides my blue eyes and poker straight hair, Eric didn't inherit much else from me.

When Charlotte made that comment, though, I instinctively looked at that photo of me when I was 5 years old to see what she saw. Perhaps it was the short hairstyle my Mom preferred on me, but I'd like to think that Charlotte saw the same resemblances that for the first time I happened to notice. It was kind of exciting to see a little more evidence of my DNA. In fact, I think he looks more like me now than he ever has before.

Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese

I don't know how many years ago I cut this recipe out of the Chicago Tribune; my copy of it is yellowing so I know it was a while ago. I've made this countless times, have shared the recipe with many, and Monday I got a hankering for it since I haven't made it in at least a year. I guess I was craving some good old-fashioned comfort food. My kids about gagged on it, 'cause it's not that nasty stuff from a box that they apparently prefer. This is one of my failures as a mother.

Unlike most of my recipes, this one will require a little bit of work. It's easy work, but it's still going to require you to dirty up some dishes and stand at the stove or counter for 20 minutes. The recipe "as is" will be more than sufficient as a side dish for a family of 4-5. It easily doubles for a 9x13 pan.

***********************

1/2 stick butter
5 tbl all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp dry mustard (or to taste)
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
12 ounces (3 cups) grated mild cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbl melted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni to al dente; drain (don't over cook, since it will continue cooking in the oven.)

While macaroni is cooking, melt 1/2 stick of butter on medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir for a minute. Slowly add milk, whisking to combine. Bring to a simmer. Add salt, pepper and dry mustard. Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce slowly till very thick, stirring frequently (10-20 minutes). Remove sauce from heat. Add 8 oz (2 cups) cheese and stir until it melts. Pour sauce over macaroni and stir (NOTE: This recipe makes more sauce than you need, so add about half and go from there till it's the desired consistency.)

Pour macaroni and cheese into a dish that's been doused with cooking spray. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Mix 1 tbl melted butter to 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Sprinkle across the top. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned on top and bubbling. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. I'm guessing it's like a gazillion artery-hardening calories, so don't think about it and just enjoy.....with some buttermilk biscuits slathered in butter. Hey, what's it matter at this point ;-) ?

Pardon Me

.....while I fiddle around with new backgrounds for my blog. I'm trying to find one I like and can live with for a while. Don't be surprised to find new backgrounds here over the next week or two before I settle on the one.

The Bionic Battery

I think every parent out there can relate to this. You know those annoyingly obnoxious toys that Just Won't Die? And it's nothing you've ever bought for your child. No. It comes disguised as a birthday present or a Christmas gift from some non-well-meaning relative or friend who thinks it's funny to get these things for your child. The louder and more annoying it is, the more your child loves it too. Can anyone relate?

About 4 years ago when Eric was at the height of his Thomas the Tank craze he received a musical Christmas tree ornament that was a train. You press the little red heart-shaped button and various ear-splitting-loud Christmas tunes play. It's amazing how loud this little thing plays. It's about 4" big, ya know?

Every year we pull this thing out of storage in our attic (which is freezing cold in the winter and boiling hot in the summer), and every freakin' year this train ornament still plays! And it doesn't play faintly......it's as loud as the first time Eric pressed that button. It's no wonder after the kids went to bed that I relocated the ornament to a very high branch. What kind of battery is in this thing, anyway? I had to laugh Sunday as I packed it away for another year, knowing full well that it probably won't die till my kids are teenagers.

A Few Words From Charlotte

I don't think there's a day that goes by when Charlotte doesn't crack me up with something she says. Here are a few Charlotisms. I hope you get a chuckle out of them too.

***************************

"I'm only five years old, and I know stuff that I don't know."


***************************

C: "I have something to say."

Me: "What's that honey?"

C: "Chickens lay eggs, cows lay milk, and farmer's grow corn."


***************************

"It's getting early out. The sky is up."

***************************

Scene: Tuck in time for Charlotte. She kept getting out of bed to tuck in her dolls, arrange her animals, a drink of water, etc. Finally I'd had enough, and said sternly, "Come on, let's go!" Charlotte responded matter-of-factly, "Sometimes I'm like that. I'm only a child ya know."


***************************

As she's doing her homework:

"I think I"m getting along with my A's today."