My "little" mouser

Well thank heavens I don't have any pictures to post - but guess what? Our darling Nicky has become a rat-catcher. We've seen them at night, scurring across on the tops of the privacy fences between the yards, probably snagging bits of dog food here and there. Quite grossed me out, to be honest - but not NEAR as much as now that my dear boy has begun to catch them and present them as an offering to us. And present them he does - see, our Nicky can open the back door and let himself in. So we will put him out and go about our business, and later he'll come into the house carrying something he wants to play with - like a garden hose, or a shovel or a rake, a soccer ball - whatever. And it's quite funny because if we're in "eyeshot" he will try to sneak in with his booty (like a 100+ lb dog could "sneak" anywhere!), and if Paul says, "NICK! That belongs OUTSIDE!" he will huff and turn around and take it back outside. UNLESS it's fresh kill, that is. Twice in the last week he's brought in a big rat and laid it at the bottom of the stairs. The second one Paul saw him sneaking in and yelled at him, and he ran the whole 2 bounds it took him to cross the living room into the dining room with his kill. Sheesh!

How nasty is that? Of course, somebody - Paul or Zach - has to go dig a hole and bury the thing, and then put something large on top of it so they won't just dig it back up. For this second one, Paul parked a LAWNMOWER over the little rat grave, and damned if the next morning they didn't MOVE THE LAWNMOWER and dig the little sucker back up.

So anyway, we were just on the threshold of putting in a doggie door so that I could go further away than the grocery store and for longer than an hour or so - important with the holidays coming up - but now I worry what kind of "things" Nicky will have brought in while I'm away!!!!

Obama's Freedom of Choice Act

I don't care if you voted for Obama or not - but if you're pro-life, if you believe abortion shouldn't be a form of birth control but rather a necessary evil in the face of extreme cases such as rape or incest, please take the time to go to the link below.

This was (and always is) my MAIN reason for voting the way I did - to uphold what little value we currently place on life, and to promote more. This "act" annihilates that hope, and I fear it seals our nation's downward spiral. I truly resent that abortion was treated as a non-issue by Democrats (at least the ones I spoke to) - and yet is going to be the "first thing" Obama promises to addresses as president of our country. Does anybody care? I mean, does caring about the economy and health care mean you CAN'T care about this?

"All that is needed for evil to succeed is that decent human beings do nothing." - Edmund Burke

Freedom of Choice Act (fight FOCA website)

I'm angry! This is not the freedom our forefathers spoke about. Our foundations are crumbling and it's being blamed on good men, not on the moral decay that's been spreading like the Blob, eating everything in its sight and growing immensely. In the background, while everyone's sleeping, imagining themselves safe. That reminds me of yet another Casting Crowns song - "While You Were Sleeping". Wake up America!!!!

A New Day

I have deleted my previous posts regarding the hazards of electing Barack Obama. Not for any reason other than - I am not a Dixie Chick. I am disappointed, and disheartened, that America insisted that God give them their King (I Samuel 8). But he is now the President and that is that. For 8 years anyway (aw come on - 8 years is the going term nowadays).

I am disappointed and a bit nauseous. The race thing - I think that's cool. I'm glad that we have broken that particular wall down, and I feel happy for those who can take the accomplishment personally for themselves and their children. Right now that's all the good I can see in it. We now "look good" to other nations. America the Overspenders are no longer bigots. Well go us. I hope we do a lot more housecleaning than that - each of us, because that's what it will take to turn this nation around. Not from the top down - but each individual.

God help us.

What mud?

I didn't see any mud, honest Mom.

It's about time!!

So finally I got all 3 of my kids to stand still long enough - at the same time - to take a recent picture of them. The oldest 2 - the ones on the outside wearing green shirts - are Zachary and Jessyca, proudly wearing their Crew uniforms from Fuel at church. Daniel, well, that's his uniform - a silly smile or a way to make YOU smile. They're all 3 homeschooled, though don't get sucked into that ol' myth about "no social life." Their social life makes me tired. Most of it takes place at church - by their choice - which I must say is better than the social choices I made as a teenager. Zachary is my computer genius; rarely a day goes by when I'm not yelling, "Zach I need you to fix something!" He also refuses to let me beat myself up or spend any real time in a panic attack - he's a very good encourager (is that a word?). Not to mention he's just a good FRIEND and a terrific example to those he's around (including me). Now Jessyca's my social butterfly - as well as a clothes horse, of late. She's developing her own fashion sense and doing very well. She doesn't ever hear me talk - usually has those darn things in her ears playing Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothes or the BLUES BROTHERS...but who am I to complain? She is a lot of fun to share a milk shake with! Finally there is Daniel, who would gladly live his entire life playing his Wii and his DS, if only his mother would stop making him read so much. Funny, too - cause he has a real affinity for math and GERMAN of all things. Little dude catches on pretty fast! Daniel and I love to watch mysteries together - and Mr. Bean. I don't know who laughs harder, me or him.

Altogether - kids that don't suck too bad. :)

Cause to Celebrate

This morning my Ebay feedback hit the 500 mark. I now (tada!) have my purple star. When looking at my profile on Ebay - sadly lacking a good picture of me, which I will remedy as soon as I can lose (or photoshop away) about 30 lbs - I note that Ebay is now officially my longest-standing relationship. Ebay and I have been together for 8 years and 8 months (give or take a day or 2). Even more than that - Ebay and I have been together 8 years 8 months, have had 621 interactions, and I have 100% feedback. I have never been able to say those things about any other relationship. And it HAS been a 2-way street - I have bought, and I have sold. And Ebay 100% loves me and recommends me to others. I am A+++++ x500!!!! Wow. Shouldn't there be some special jewelry to go along with that? I bet there is, and I bet I could out-bargain someone on it!!!

Tam

Heaven

At the urging of my aunt, I borrowed from the library - and subsequently went to Family Christian and bought a copy I could pore over and highlight if necessary - a copy of "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn. It seems that I am not alone in my secret disdain for the idea of leaving here for a boring city of light where we dress in white and sing hymns all day. I have always kept this feeling hidden - although in the last months or so it had begun to occur to me that a God who could create this fantastic temporal place certainly wouldn't abandon His lush creativity for an eternity of bleak boredom. And perhaps that if we don't see the green fields of Ireland or feel the rain on our heads in Paris in this life, perhaps we might spend part of the afterlife exploring the world God created without the hassle of actual tourism. Randy Alcorn confirms it - heaven might not suck :) Trust me - read the book! (either "Heaven" or "The Book" itself - there's plenty of proof in both).