Em's First Baseball Game

Okay, so I think Miss Em has may have gone to a game here once before, but she was too young to know if she did. So I present the pictures from her first trip to see the local minor league team. Andrew's employer has a box at the stadium, so we were able to enjoy nice seats on a very nice Friday night a couple weeks ago. "Our" team lost 9-1, but still it was a nice evening.

Daddy and Emily at the beginning of the game.

Em, watching the game with great focus.

Em, realizing that clapping your hands really hard makes them sort of hurt!

Emily, cheering on "her" team, which was pretty much everyone that did anything. But she did it with gusto~!

Uh...Daddy...Am I supposed to clap now?

Sweet Sounds

I love the sound of:

* Wind chimes ringing in the gentle breeze

* Birds chirping while the wind chimes ring
* Water trickling from a fountain

* Emily giggling uncontrollably while daddy "crushes" the "bug" (Emily)

* Emily saying "I love you and have a 'dood' night"

* Emily saying, after receiving a much-loved frozen coke, "Oh mommy, you are my favorite mommy in the whole world!"

My Rookie Garden

So I've mentioned before that I'm not really into gardening. I don't know the first thing about it except that I hated pulling weeds as a kid and I still do. I also don't really care to get hot, sweaty and dirty. And then there are the bugs....and spiders - need I say more?

But this year, after a very long, cold winter, the gardening bug hit. Well, maybe it was more of determination to beat something that has, up until this point, completely defeated me. That something...making plants live and grow and maybe, dare I hope it?...flourish into something beautiful and lasting. And so, I present to you my first, all-my-own-design, flower garden.

The above picture shows most of the thirty-foot long area that sits behind our pool and deck. The retaining wall was already there when we bought the house, but up until last fall, was completely covered with overgrown ivy and a few ugly holly bushes and weeds. The entire area was covered, even the vertical wall. Andrew cleared most of it out last fall and I finished yesterday. (Oh, the buckets will eventually be filled with live plants, but it's rainy and cold today.)

The tree is my Mother's Day gift from Emily and Andrew. It is an ornamental cherry tree. It looked bigger in the store. I've never attempted to plant a tree before, so this should be interesting. It should turn pretty colors in the fall and have showy white blossoms in the spring. We'll see about that! This sits at the corner of our property.

This is the view from the property line toward the cul-de-sac. Eventually there will be some type of border /edging, but I'm not sure what to use. I bought some black edging that goes in the ground, but I don't know. Until yesterday, it was roughly edged with river rocks, but it had become quite over-grown. Oh and the ugly plant between the two pinkish flowers and below the left bucket is one of the remaining holly bushes. I don't really like it, but I didn't feel like digging it up either, so we'll see how it looks. Right now, it's just ugly.

And finally, the long view. The complete garden...all thirty long feet of it. It looks pretty empty right now, but hopefully there will soon be mulch and in a couple of years, the perrenials should all spread, so it should fill out nicely. That is, if the curse of my black thumb doesn't make an appearance!

$3.95 Anyone?

Yes, gas prices here in northern Indiana have officially hit $3.95 a gallon.

Next week (or this weekend) it will be at $4.00. And then higher again.

It's time to drill.

The Money Pit (Aka - Our House)

We love our first home. It's spacious and for the most part, well constructed. When we first moved in, we thought, it's only 11 years old, it won't need much work anytime soon. Boy were we naive!Fast forward four years: Apparently, the crew who sided our house wasn't very good. Take exhibit A: Over the garage. A piece broke off during a winter wind storm and since that piece is no longer repairable, several other pieces have loosened up as well. We have a problem.

Exhibit B: The back of the house - Two pieces that are also broken and constantly coming unsnapped between the two windows. There are other pieces that are loose, but it's hard to tell from this picture. Apparently, the siding job was a lousy one.

Exhibit C: The side of the house, opposite the garage - More loose pieces. The one about half-way down is the most visible. There are pieces on the front that are loose/broken as well, but I don't have a good picture of them.

So now we face having to replace all of the siding after 15 years. It should have lasted 25-30 years, but because of poor installation, it's life has been halved. And we have to pay for it. We've had 4 contractors look at it, all of whom have agreed that it just needs to be replaced rather than repaired. The first was prompt in every way and gave us a very professional estimate, but we wanted a couple opinions. The next tried to sell us "His" "better" product for about $4,000 more. The third was $1500 more than the first and the last...well, we've never heard back from him, so in my opinion, he's out. Now I just need to call and see if our homeowners insurance will cover any or all of this. The fun never ends.

And did I mention that the deck really needs to be replaced too? Yep....the money pit we call "home"!

A Cinderella Story

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, cheerful young doll named Cinderella. We've all heard the story a thousand times. The dead parents, the evil step-mother, the ugly step-sisters, the fairy godmother and so on. Yet still, despite all these traumatic events, Cinderella remained kind and gentle, with a song on her lips. That is, until she met Bella, the young German Shepard with a thing for chewing toys....hers or Emily's. And so now, I present you with the Cinderella story you haven't heard. I must warn you, this is no fairy tale with a happy ending. Oh no, this is a grisly story of pain and suffering and callous indiference for the feelings of this happy little doll and a sweet, mostly innocent young girl. I have the pictures to prove it. You see, it all happened one Saturday afternoon when the whole house was quiet. These times are rare and so whenever Emily is napping on a weekend, so are her parents. And it is then that the dastardly deed was done. Poor Cinderella was left laying on the floor, and while everyone was soundly sleeping, Bella, the beastly dog began her nightmarish treatment of the fair doll. Bella worked quietly, and to her credit, Cinderella made not a peep, but alas, she would never be the same again. And now, I give you the pictures - WARNING- they are graphic!

Poor Cinderella. She really was beside herself that day, yet still, wearing her ballgown and not a hair out of place. A real princess.

The carnage, up close.

Despite the obvious loss of four fingers, a forearm and complete dismemberment, Cinderella still gives us a brave and cheery "thumbs up".

The mangled stump...this will definitely make her chores much more difficult.

Yet still, despite the horror and trauma, Cinderella maintains her lovely smile. What a gal!

Cats are Definitely Better

Not to bring up this old debate (well, sort of) but I can say that no cat I've ever owned has CHEWED UP MY FAIRLY NEW CURTAINS while laying in her dog bed by the sliding glass door.


BAD DOG!!!!!!!!!


Enough said.

Our Not-So-Tiny Dancer

Miss Emily was in the mood to dance the other night, so I took advantage of the opportunity to take some fun candid pictures. She's quite the little ham sometimes.

The classic ballerina pose.
Irish jig, anyone?
Note the "dancing slippers" that are a full size (at least) too small. She still insists on wearing them.
Can you say "Flash Dance"? Seriously, could her little legs look any longer? She's 3.5 years old and 43 inches tall. She looks like a 5-6 year old, heightwise.

Emily's New Bathroom

Emily's bathroom (and the guest bathroom) needed a facelift. The former owners of this house had a young boy so the bathroom was painted navy and dingy white with a baseball border. This, of course, is unacceptable for a vibrant little girl like Em, so enter The Penguins! The picture below is of her new shower curtain with playful penguins snorkeling, surfing and lounging around.

The next picture shows her new over-the-toilet etagere storage area, the curtain (with cute penguin hooks) and the wall paint color ( it matches the mid-tone aqua color in the curtain).

Next up are her new towels to complement and contrast the cool blue-greens in the room.
And last, but not least, her new toilet paper/tissue box storage unit and the coordinating bath rug. It's even cuter in person!

Sick and Sicker

This will be quick. I'm no longer puking. That was a one-night thing, thank goodness. Now it's back to the same sinus infection/upper respiritory infection sickness that I had about 3 weeks ago. It feels exactly the same.

Last time, I suffered through the symptoms for about 9 days before going to the doctor to beg for help. He prescribed a round of Amoxicillin in the amount of 60 pills over 10 days time. I took it all, as directed and felt better. Then about two weeks later, it reared it's ugly head again.

This time, I went to the weekend clinic after two days of symptoms and explained that this was my second go-round. The doctor spent all of 2 minutes with me and prescribed some VERY expensive antibiotic called Avelox for 10 more days. I've taken two rounds and I still don't feel better. I'm also taking sudafed and mucinex, both of which make the symptoms more bearable, but barely. So that's the update from here. Fun stuff...

Kneeling at the Porcelain Throne

Photo found at: http://media3.guzer.com/pictures/dog_drink_toilet.jpg

Oh, there's really nothing quite as humbling as hugging the toilet. I spent all morning yesterday and all night last night doing just that, for two very different reasons.



I began yesterday feeling fine. So fine, that I tackled priming Emily's tiny bathroom. I must say, having to hug the toilet to paint around it is a special privilege. I even thought I might finish the whole job in one day (which for me, painting, is a record). But by afternoon, I wasn't feeling so perky. I waited until Andrew came home, ran to Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond to exchange some bathroom accessories that didn't match the paint as I had hoped and then grabbed some dinner for A and I at Chipotle (a great, very spicy Mexican restaurant). I wasn't very hungry, so I only ordered two soft tacos and a bag of chips. My stomach was feeling a little off, but I hadn't eaten much all day, I'd been breathing paint fumes and I just figured I had some acid churning around in there. Sometimes, food helps. Last night, it didn't.



By bedtime, I had a feeling it was going to be a long, uncomfortable night. I was right. I only stayed in bed for about 45 minutes at most. I just couldn't get comfortable. It was sort of like how I felt when I was in labor. Not terrible, but not comfortable either. Not super nauseous, but a little yucky. So I went downstairs to lay on the couch and watch a little tv in the hopes of distracting my brain enough that I could sleep through whatever was going on.



It wasn't to be. I kept feeling pukey, so I would get up, walk through the kitchen to the tiny half-bath and kneel at the toilet, accompanied by Bob the cat each time, falsely believing that she was going to be fed whenever I walked through the kitchen. But nothing happened. So after a while I would go back to the couch and try to rest some more.



But eventually, the urge to purge became too great, I knelt at the "porcelain throne" with Bob at my side, and prayed for it all to be over quickly. I hate vomiting. But there comes a point where what has gone in MUST come out and I begin to pray that it will happen quickly and completely in one effort. And so it did. And I felt better....and finally around 5:00 am, I drifted off to sleep curled up in the recliner.



Let's just say, it's going to be a long while before I eat at Chipotle again. I'm certain that it had nothing to do with my sickness, but still, it's lost all appeal to me for the time being, much to Andrew's great chagrin.



Then to top it all off, I'm almost positive that I am catching Emily's cold. My throat has that post-nasal-drip sore feeling. My glands are swollen and my eyes hurt.



Then again, at least I'm not puking anymore and just about anything is more bearable than that.

Infuriating Illegal Alien "Study"

WNDU, out of South Bend, IN., reports that "Study shows that illegal immigrants add to South Bend economy".

Oh really? How so? "Tell me more" you might say. Well here goes....

" 'If the undocumented population of South Bend was deported, the community would have much to lose.'

That's the conclusion of a study titled, "Coming to America: The Economic Impact of Undocumented Workers in South Bend."

It was conducted by the Notre Dame economics department and included 60 individuals, 40 of them undocumented, all members of St. Adalbert's Parish in South Bend's largest Hispanic neighborhood. Rev. Christopher Cox from the Church was part of the research team." (emphasis added)

The "study" mentioned that the illegals, on average, added a net figure of $3000 to the local and national economy. Then they go on to say that this figure is being spent only in the local economy. This is the second flaw of the "study". The first, of course, being that these people are referred to as "illegal immigrants" or "undocumented workers". Let's call them what we should...illegal aliens or criminals. Why sugar-coat it? This would only be accurate.

Then, of course, there is the usual liberal drivel about how there are all these jobs that Americans won't do. Hmmm....would these be jobs in the fast food industry or perhaps at Walmart or hotel housekeeping? I can assure you that if I had no education and needed a job to support my family, but was white, I wouldn't hesitate to take these jobs. So once again, the study is based on a false premise.

Next, the news story provides these two infuriating little tidbits of falsitude (is that a word?)

" 'The federal government has failed to provide a pathway to individuals who have been allowed to cross the borders to be legal so that they can fully contribute and give their tax dollars back to the nation,' McDowell says."

"The study continues to say, "The reality is that undocumented immigrants receive little government aid (often times out of fear of getting caught), are loyal taxpayers, and stimulate job growth in the community.' "

Again I say, Oh really? Seriously, the government hasn't provided a "pathway" for immigrants to legally cross the border and contribute and pay taxes? Am I really supposed to believe that? Then why is that so many generations of legal immigrants have made very prosperous lives for themselves while abiding BY THE LAW?

The second quote from the article is equally unbelieveable. The idea that illegal aliens don't receive aid from the federal AND local government is laughable at best. Maybe they don't receive a welfare check every month or week or however they come, but they do receive plenty of free or reduced-cost services such as health in the overwhelmed emergency rooms, free school lunches and school services and a host of other aid. Then there is the whole idea that these illegal aliens pay taxes. Okay, yes they pay sales tax like the rest of us, but how can they possibly pay federal taxes unless they have stolen someone's identity and social security number which counts as a second criminal offense.

And last, but certainly not least, why is St. Adalbert's Parish and Notre Dame University not reporting these illegal aliens? For this reason and the completely flawed and biased study, both should be ashamed of themselves.

***UPDATE***

As of Thursday morning, this article seems to have disappeared from WNDU's homepage. It can still be accessed through the link, however. As you might imagine, reaction was pretty "heated". Interesting, though. Most headlines stay on the homepage for MUCH longer than that.

We've Started a Rock Band!

Yes, you read that right. We (Andrew and I) have started our very own late-night rock band....and it's eating up all our free time.

Okay, so we haven't totally lost our minds...yet, but we did break down and purchase the Rock Band kit for the Xbox 360 and ever since, have rocked out on the drums and electric guitar. Andrew is the drummer (he actually is in real life too) and I play the guitar (or "concawr") as Emily has taken to calling it.

I had my doubts when Andrew first suggested that we might like this. After all, I couldn't figure out (as a "real" musician) how this could work, but I have to admit that it GREAT fun and VERY addicting. I can totally understand how teens and twenty-something college students can get into this. Not to mention, if I had all the time in the world, how awesome I could be on the pretend guitar. Seriously, I would rock!

So, if I'm not around much, or if you ever hear of this weird band called The Way-Cool Shredders" (Looonnngggg story) touring near you....you'll know how it all started.

I have tried (valiantly, I might add) to add the YouTube video directly to this post, but I can't figure it out. (It's not of anyone we know, just a good way to get a feel for the game.) Here is the link instead....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5IcFtJWUSIs

Well, Now I've Seen it All

I've been sick since....oh Tuesday I guess. I think it's the flu. I got the flu shot, why is this still happening? I feel lousy. I don't want to go anywhere or do anything. I'm currently sitting here typing while wearing a cooled gel eye mask. It's bliss. I'd take a picture, but that would require me to move....

Anyhow, I haven't been sleeping well and I've been awake at between 4:30 am-5:30 am every morning, too miserable to sleep anymore. This brings me to this morning's Fox News broadcast. (And a brief infatuation with Chuck Norris' Total Gym info-mercial.) I just assumed that I missed something when I heard the blurb on tv, but after reading the headlines on Fox's website, I apparently was more "with it" than I felt.

The headline reads:

Padded Lampposts Tested in London to Prevent Cell Phone Texting Injuries

That's right folks. London is now adding padding to their lampposts in order to prevent injuries to those pedestrians too stupid to put their cell phone down for two seconds and concentrate on walking instead of texting.

What's more, the article goes on to say that, in a survey conducted by a telephone directory service, "The survey found that almost two thirds of respondents lost peripheral vision while texting, and more than a quarter wanted lines on the pavement to create routes for texters to walk while using their phones.

The study claims that 68,000 people were injured in the U.K. last year while chatting or texting on their cell phone, Infomatics reports."

Someone please tell me that I'm delerious or hallucinating or as sick as I feel, because this is too dumb to be real...isn't it?

Busy Bees

No excuses...I've been busy. Busy taking Emily to pre-school, busy having in-home speech therapy once again, busy being sick, busy (we've all had something in the last month) and busy with various doctors' appts. Was there time to blog? Yes. Did I feel like blogging? No. Did I have anything of importance to say to my loyal readers? Nope. Do I ever? Let's not answer that one! Either way, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So, what's on my mind these days? Hmmmm....this whole political process and our "choice" of candidates is giving me a headache and making me feel queasy all at the same time. Do I like McCain? Nope. Is he the lesser of two (or three) evils? I hope so. It remains to be seen. Am I worried about the outcome of the election? Well, frankly yes, but there's not much to be done about it at this point other than to trust that the One who already knows the outcome also understands the reasons and controls everything according to His will.

What else....? Oh yeah, I'm interested to see how American Idol shapes up this season. So far, it looks promising, but we'll see. I'm hoping it's a good year for the guys. I like Michael Johns (the Aussie), David Archileta (the 17 year old) and someone else that I can't think of at the moment.

And on the topic of tv...I'm going to miss American Gladiators. What great fun. Even Emily got in on the act, loudly cheering on all of the contestants in the final episode. She loves to see anyone fall in the water....smacking the crud out of each other....

Oh and have I mentioned that I'm officially sick of winter and snow and cold? I think we've had snow on the ground since before Christmas, at the very least. Enough already. Tonight's low is supposed to be -2 with lower wind chills. Will spring please come....NOW!

In Emily news, we resumed private speech therapy once every other week for an hour. Already, she is making great strides. She finally learned how to make the c/k sound (as in "cat"). Now we are working on putting at the beginning of words. She is so proud of herself and she should be. That was a very hard-fought battle and I think she knows it.

Speaking of Emily speaking....did you know that static in her hair keeps her from staying in bed and makes her cold? Funny, I didn't know that either! And here is yesterday's lunchtime conversation at the mall:

Em: "I don't like Indiana!" (no idea how this came up)

Me: "Why don't you like Indiana?"

Em: "Because it's too big."

Me: "Oh. Well, are we in Indiana now?"

Em: "No momma...we're in the mall!"

Silly me!

And finally, here are a few pictures from Valentine's day of Miss Em. Now you're all caught up!

A Day (or two) in Our Lives

She swears she isn't tired...I turn around and she is sound asleep on the rug!

A few minutes later, the dog joined naptime. Ahhh..peace and quiet.

Our two cats, Bob (on top) and Puma, both girls, both fighting over the same seat. Bob always wins, even though she weighs 5 lbs. less. She just lays on top of Puma until Puma gives in.

Emily and her buddy, Bella.

Em sporting her overalls and pigtails.

Not Sleepy?

What does a 3-year-old do when she doesn't want to sleep at night?

Of course, what else but climb up the dresser drawers, into the highest, smallest drawer, wedge yourself in and then cry because it's not "comforble"!

Mom and Dad were not happy campers...but we had to take the pictures! (And for all those worried about the dresser tipping over....don't, we've got it taken care of, and are now monitoring her bedroom via video monitor.)

Maternity Leave from High School

According to a Fox News report, some pregnant Denver high school students are requesting at least 4 weeks unpunished maternity leave from high school. Currently, school policy is to require the girls to return to school the day after they are discharged from the hospital or face unexcused absences until they do return. The teenage mothers-to-be believe that this policy is unfair to them and interferes with their bonding time with the new baby.

How incredibly sad.

I feel very sad for the new babies, many of whose mothers will be more concerned with whether they will be able to fit into their prom dress or stay out all night at a party than concerned about the well-being of their child. I feel sad for the child that will most likely struggle all his life with a single mom whose education didn't come first and is now forced (if the child is lucky) to work very hard all the time to make a decent living. I feel sorry for the young mothers who (if the child is lucky) will have to spend the rest of her life working a boring, unfulfilling difficult job just to survive each day with her completely dependent child. I feel sorry for the high school counselors who are recomending the "high school maternity leave" who truly care about the young mothers and wrongly believe that this is the best policy.

How very, very sad.

Christmas 2007 Photo Essay

I don't know why the pictures ended up like this, but I'll work with it.

Emily had a great Christmas with Grammy, Pop-pop and Aunt Kathy in Delaware (where it was aroun 40-50 degrees the whole time!). Above are a few of my favorite "Emmy" pictures from Christmas day.

Most of her gifts revolved around the Disney princess theme. All the pictures show her wearing her Princess "bess" aka "dress". It's really a nightgown, but the two are inseperable. Literally. She wants to wear it all day and night. Getting her out of it is a battle. She did get a new princess dress, but it's still a little big right now. Her favorite Christmas morning gift was the Cinderella snow globe from Aunt Kathy. Emily has insisted on seeing these snow globes in Walmart, Target, Meijer and Sears since the time they came out in November. She was thrilled to have one of her own.

All in all, it was a good Christmas. Of course, it's not over yet. This weekend we will celebrate with Andrew's side of the family. This child will think Christmas never ends!

New Year's Photo Essay

Bella loves the snow. She loves sticking her nose in it and then romping through it.

The view of the deck on New Years' day.

The trees covered in snow. Lots of snow.

The view from the deck today. 16 inches of snow. 26 inch drifts. Too much snow. (Ignore my reflection in the glass. It's too cold to open the door!)

The view from the front door. Pretty, but enough already!

Think I Fixed the Problem

For some reason changing the template and going back and setting everything back up again seemed to fix the problem. I can't get the font I want without having the same issue though, so I guess this will have to do for now. Still, I think the new look is nicer.

Trouble With Blogger

Well, it appears that I'm smart enough to change the template and colors and page elements of my blog, but somewhere in the process I've managed to do something wrong. I can see that there is one comment on my newest post, but I cannot open it, no matter what I try. I also cannot access any links on my blog. So, if anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Until then....I'll keep trying when I can.

Truly, the Right Perspective for the New Year

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards.

Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

A Perfect Example of Insanity

Here is a headline from the WNDU (South Bend, IN.) online news: BMV letter over driver's license data worries immigrants.

Here is the text of the story:

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles' recent letter notifying more than 200,000 people that information on their driver's licenses doesn't match a government database has left some immigrants fearful that they'll lose their licenses.

Director Rebecca Griffy says Heart and Hands, a Plymouth nonprofit that helps Latinos and immigrants, has been "bombarded" by callers worried about losing their licenses.
Those fears are real because any recipient of the BMV letter who cannot resolve the mismatched data issues will have their licensed revoked.

Griffy says undocumented residents often use false Social Security numbers. She says that if they lose their license it could hurt the economy by keeping people from working and shopping.

Seriously, Americans have lost their minds. This is insane.

First, the headline is wrong. It should read "BMV Letter Over Driver's License Data Worries Illegal Aliens". Legal immigrants have no reason to worry. Legal immigrants to the U.S. have valid SSNs and driver's license numbers. Legal immigrants are employed legally. End of story. No fear for jobs or the economy.

The problem, as we all know, is illegal aliens. People illegally in the United States, for whatever reason, who have either stolen a legal person's identity and/or falsified legal employment and driver's license information now have a legitimate reason to worry. And worry they should. I personally don't care why they are here illegally. I do care that they are breaking America's laws. That's the point. That's why they should be worried. Forget about the economy. There are plenty of legal Americans who will work. Enforce the laws. Don't write new ones. Just read the laws, and then enforce them!

And just as a side note....anyone who knowingly employs or enables an illegal alien should also have to face the consequences.

Ignoring this situation is insanity, pure and simple.

Christmas Q&A

I'm a copycat, but this sounded like fun, so I'm going to play along!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. I wrap most things, but sometimes I like to mix in some pretty bags. Plus, if I have an older grandparent I will use the bags because they are easier to open.

2. Real tree or artificial? Fake tree here. With two tree-climbing cats, a rambunctious dog and a three-year-old, the pine needles and sap would be too much.

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon after Thanksgiving as possible. This year, we're doing it today.

4. When do you take the tree down? Oh, sometime in January or February....whenever I get tired of keeping the pets and Emily out of it.

5. Do you like eggnog? Never had it, don't intend to try it!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmmmm...probably my first real bicycle. It got a TON of use.

7. Do you have a Nativity scene? Yes. I bought one last year that has scripture verses on each character. Hard to explain.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My mother-in-law. Great mom-in-law, couldn't ask for better, just tough to shop for!

9. Easiest person to buy for? Emily, hands down.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmmm.....a globe.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, hopefully before Christmas!

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Absolutely hilarious!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually around October/November. I like to be done by December, but it rarely happens.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas cookies...the batter in particular!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I prefer clear.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Impossible to say. I like them all...seriously. But anything by Josh Groban, particularly "O Holy Night".

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel...always. This year we go to Delaware, next year to Greentown. We switch off.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? I think so.

20. Angel on the treetop or star? Star.

21. Open presents on Christmas eve or morning? Both. We open presents from one side of the family the night before, toys from Santa Christmas morning and more presents from the other side of the family later on Christmas.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Stores ignoring Christmas and making it a "holiday". Also rude people.

23. Corniest family tradition you do, or miss doing? We give batteries in everyone's stocking. Silly, I know.

24. Ugliest Christmas decoration ever invented? Upside down Christmas trees. Why?

25. Theme trees or homey? Either. I like both...someday I'd like to have one of each!

Things For Which I am Thankful This Shopping Season

I like to shop, but I detest the crazed Christmas crowds this time of the year. So I try to do my shopping at odd times (usually during the day on a weekday while most people are working) or as much as possible on one of the busier shopping days. Yesterday was one of those days.

My goal was to hit Kohls during their "Power Hours" sale, which lasted until 1:00pm yesterday, and other various quick stops best accomplished without a three-year-old in tow. Along the way, I compiled a list of things for which I am thankful for.

1. Clean Public Restrooms and paper toilet seat covers. I, like many other people I know, detest using public restrooms and avoid them at all costs, but on a day-long excursion, eventually even the most determined can't avoid them. Therefore, I am thankful for those stores that actually maintain their restrooms (meaning they at least periodically clean them!). On my list of reputable restrooms is Kohl's, Hobby Lobby, Macy's and Nordtroms. There might be more, but those are usually dependable. An added bonus is the paper seat covers which allow me to greatly reduce my public restroom time by not having to build my tp nest. These sanitary little life-savers are MUCH appreciated, especially in an era where people apparently do not believe in wiping their bodily functions off the seat after themselves. YUCK!

2. Emily's stroller and automatic doors. I have found that Emily's stroller works much better without her in it. It works great for carrying my purse, drink, coat and packages leaving my hands and back free to shop. Of course, it would help if the aisles were bigger (JCPenney, are you listening?) and the doors were automatic, but still I may be using that stroller at Christmas time long after Emily has outgrown it. Kudos also to anyone polite enough to hold a door open. It doesn't happen often enough.

3. Clean fitting rooms with doors large enough for above-mentioned stroller to fit through. I greatly appreciate those stores that take enough time to maintain their fitting rooms. I detest rooms (and the people guilty of this) that are filled with clothes to the extent that there is no room to hang the clothes a person brings in with them. People, put your clothes away!

4. Competent cashiers and employees with adequate cash registers. Finding a helpful employee is rare, but great when it happens. I always try to make a point to find a manager and send a good report. On the second point, having enough check-out lanes during a busy season is a must. Again, I must praise Kohls for this one.

5. People with a good sense of humor and a smile on their face. Again, this is a rarity in the "most wonderful time of the year". It goes a long way toward "making spirits bright". (I couldn't resist.)

6. Individual gift receipts with more than a bar code. Having the item description makes life so much easier later.

7. Christmas music playing in the background. This falls into the making spirits bright category.

8. Warm weather. Not too warm of course, but sunny with a little nip in the air is just perfect. No ice, no rain, no wind.

9. Finding exactly what you want, in the right size for at least 50% off. (Then seeing the "you saved $120 on your purchase today" on the receipt.)

10. The all-Christmas, all-weekend long local music station. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

That Kind of Day

Emily painted (with permanent purple paint) the months-old new kitchen table and floor and centerpiece and placemats and base board.

While yelling at her in as controlled a voice as I could manage....

The dog peed on the floor.

Then Emily left a "load" in her diaper while asking me for the 17th time if she could get up out of her chair yet.

It had been a good day....

Still sound so "wonderful" to you now, Chris?

Where's Grandma when you need her?