Fun Afternoon of Swimming

Today we had a good day at school.  We’re working hard.  Work hard / play hard… so off to the pool.   And what a treat that we played with our friend Zoe.   And I got time with another mom and friend Sherri… now that is a big treat.

Get a Rope

By now, if you’ve had any news media, you know about the man and his wife who kidnapped the girl about 18 years ago and kept her as a slave.  She had 2 children by this evil monster… with no medical care.

At some point, can we go back to public hangings?  If this man is found guilty by his peers, I’d like to see him hanging from a tree.  And if his wife knew, then she can hang too.  Maybe even leave him up there for a few days so the birds can have lunch.   Old time recycling.  This scumbag needs to be removed from this earth at the earliest possible time.  But our system has gotten to the point these dirtbags have so many “rights”.  I’m a lawyer so you can tell me all the reasons for these rights – I’ve heard it before.  I understand but don’t care.  This guy needs to hang.

Here’s photo from FoxNews.

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DOJ

Phillip Garrido, 58, and wife Nancy Garrido, are in custody for the abduction of Jaycee Lee Dugard.

Reporting Neighbors to the Gov’t

In Kansas, a school district sent out a letter asking parents to report any kids who are not enrolled in school – see here for blog post.  Kansas homeschooling parents already have to file with the state.  My interest in this is much bigger than homeschooling or public school.  It is about the government asking people to turn in their neighbors.

Let’s assume this letter in well intentioned and had sound reasons for requesting others report this information.  It leads us down a very dangerous road.  I’ve been reading about Hitler and Germany, and am seeing too many similarities.  If we allow ourselves as a society to be conditioned that reporting neighbors to a government entity is OK, then we are one step closer to socialism.

• I understand if a child is being abused, they need help.  I think this is an instance where genuine need is twisted to give gov’t a hand into the lives of families who do not deserve meddling.

• Even if you are a school fanatic and think every child should be enrolled in school, I hope this letter alarms you.  Because if you accept this letter because you agree or don’t care about the intentions behind the letter… you may be next.

• The next letter may be – please let us know anyone who is reading the Bible to their children in their home.  Or praying…. GASP.  Or forcing their children to be vegetarians…. Or growing an unapproved garden… Or raising chickens without a permit….  Or tossing plastic versus recycling….  Or listening to certain music….  Or reading non-gov’t approved (underground) newspapers…

Your __________ may be next.  This is about liberty and freedom.  If these letters don’t outrage our society, then I see serious problems.

No More King

Today I used the schoolhouse rock videos on You Tube for part of our English lesson on parts of speech.   We started watching a few others and I couldn’t help but notice how this old video is so current and on point:

Govt’t Spending – 9 Trillion in the hole

Foxs News Article:

Administration Pegs Long-Term Deficits at $9 Trillion

“The mid-year review from the Office of Management and Budget, released Tuesday, estimates that the 2009 deficit will be $1.58 trillion, which is $262 billion less than officials predicted earlier in the year. But the 10-year projection rose to $9 trillion, while the Congressional Budget Office estimated the 10-year deficit at $7.1 trillion.”

My thoughts:  Our deficit is projected to be $9 Trillion and the Dow is up over 9,500.   This makes no sense to me.  There is no way we can ever repay this money, other than a miracle from God.  We will have to print it and our debtors will be displeased.  This just blows my mind.

Woman visited by secret service fighting back

Sometimes you’re minding your own business, next thing you know you’re pulled into the fire.  I’ve had days like that.  This lady is fighting back….

Below is an a portion of a story on this lady.  see here for full article:  http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=107263.

A homeschooling mother – who made headlines during the presidential campaign when she received a visit from the Secret Service after calling Obama a “socialist” and criticizing his position on abortion – has launched a movement to hold state lawmakers accountable and promote a return to the rule of law defined in the U.S. Constitution.

Jessica Hughes, a Lufkin, Texas, resident, received a phone call from an Obama volunteer in 2008 asking if she supported the Democratic Party candidate.

Hughes replied, “No, I don’t support him. Your guy is a socialist who voted four times in the state Senate to let little babies die in hospital closets; I think you should find something better to do with your time.”

The next day, two Secret Service agents visited her home, asking if she said, “I will never support Obama and he will wind up dead on a hospital floor.”

Her story was just one in a string of reports about alleged intimidation against Obama critics.

School starts

We’ve been doing school ‘light’ all summer.  We went back to full time school last week.  This weekend I had a ton of catch up.  We’re back to school this morning, so blogging on the backburner.  Once we get our schedule down, I’ll be back to normal.

A side note: I can’t listen to anymore of the healthcare / spending plans disasters.  I cannot change our country through Washington.  It is just too corrupt.  However, I can change our country starting at my kitchen table.  If we teach our children values and the importance/cost of freedom, our country might have a chance down the road.  They must learn how to think and analyze political x#4!@.  We must equip them as a remnant of  future leaders who want less government and understand the evils of large centralized power within human hands.  Our future generations have a very difficult job ahead.  So off I go to work on the remnant:)

Bartering in today’s world

Today I’m joining frugal Friday.  My topic is bartering.  But first, why should we think about bartering when we get all we need at the store?

We are in weird economic times.  The doom / gloom crowd thinks we’re headed for a major economic depression and then there are those who think we’re coming out of the recession as seen by the uptick in the market.  I tend to be on  the less optimistic side.  I cannot see how a country can carry this amount of debt and thrive.  It defies God’s law:  the debtor is slave to the lender.

Now that does not mean we have to sit home and cry.  No, we can look for the good that God will do in our lives.  And we also need to get back to basics economically and reduce our lavish lifestyles.  It is actually fun and rewarding once you get into it.  I used to live a very lavish lifestyle and now am on a mission to be frugal.   The consumerism life is only satisfying for an instant.  But a life focused on others and away from “getting more” is the most fulfilling.   There is nothing wrong with wealth, but if you have it and put your identity there… one day it could be gone and you’ll be crushed.  We all need to be prepared to live a simple life even if we are wealthy now.

One thing we should all have is a skill that could be bartered.  I’m in a world where you give people gifts.  Some see it as being “cheap” if you barter.  But I think it could become necessary in the future, and is necessary now for many of our fellow citizens who are out of work.

Here’s an example.  I’m really good at making homemade bread.  My friend Terah is really good at making homemade picante and verde sauce.  I suggested I trade her bread for jars of hot sauce.  It is a good trade for both of us.  I plan to make bread today because I want to stock up on more of her sauce.  I would never show up at her door and ask for 4 more jars of this homemade delicacy.  But I will show up with bread and next time she makes sauce…. I know what is coming.

Here’s another example, my friend Julie is a graphic designer who owns her own business.   She is giving our girls art lessons at no charge.  She loves our family and wants to invest her time in people.   She offered this expecting nothing in return.  However, when she comes over I try to give back to her (it is a very unequal trade:) ).  I’m a generation older and we talk about life, cooking, friendships, etc.  And many times we’ll cook a meal she’s never made and send it home for her dinner.  She has prepared food and a new skill.  Our girls have a younger Godly woman investing in their lives, which is priceless.

We have lost many skills in our society.  Do you have one good skill that others could benefit from?  If not, learn one.  If so, look at the people around you and determine if they have skills that would benefit you.  Then suggest a fair trade.  The best part:  no tax!

Looking for an emotionally secure relationship?

It is just a click away…..   http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14394152&mtf=1.   His name is Tractor.

We are on a hunt for land (with a bare habitable dwelling) outside Houston.  If/when we find the spot, I said OK to one more dog.  We ‘only’ have two dogs now.  Dave and the kids have been on the pet search.  I mentioned to Dave today he is looking harder for a pet than land.  He replied that finding a pet is easier.  He’s right.  I’m standing firm!  No land, no more pets.

Now they want a pig as well as a dog.  Please someone adopt Tractor before we get land…..  Actually, I might enjoy have a pet pig.  Life is not dull, that’s for sure.

Pot Bellied [Mix]

Large Young Male Pig Pet ID: 29331

<!–SPCA of Brazoria County, Lake Jackson, TX

Email: spcabc@spcabc.org Web site

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Looking for an emotionally secure, mutually satisfying relationship? I am all you need. Let me sit at your feet, walk by your side, and I’ll be your devoted companion forever!

Cooking from the pantry – Dried Apples

I’ve been stocking my pantry with dried fruits and veggies the last 6 months.  Now that I have these supplies, I am learning to use them in my everyday cooking.  It is easy to be a good cook with fresh dairy, produce and meats.  It is harder to make “just as good” dishes from your pantry.  However, after Ike I became determined to learn.  I want our family to have some normalcy during times when / if we can’t get groceries.  The time to learn these skills is before the event… not during the event.

Being a good pantry cook can bring comfort to family, friends and neighbors who have lived off cans of high sodium soup and chips.  I have a gas stove top and had fuel during our 2 week elect outage during Ike.  Had I had these pantry cooking skills before the storm and my pantry been better prepared, life would have been more pleasant.  Instead, we lived on canned green beans, canned chili, prepacked pasta mixes and freezer items as they thawed.  This may sound OK, but it was very different than our normal meals.  Packaged stuff is not the same as home cooked.  And the ingredients are different – more preservatives and salt.  So you have stress from the situation and your body is also reacting to a change in diet.  Not good.

Today I experimented with dried apples for the first time and they were great.  You toss a couple of handfuls of dried apples into boiling water and they plump up / become soft.  I drained the water, added butter, brown sugar and cinamon.  Used this as a fruit compote to top whole wheat pancakes.  I made the pancakes from whole wheat, buttermilk powder, sugar, baking powder/soda and an egg.  I have egg powder I could use if we don’t have fresh eggs.  I wrapped the apples in a pancake and it tasted just like apple pie.  So so good.

These required no prep except boiling water.  Much easier than using fresh.  And I could not taste the difference.  I could tell from the texture these will be great in apple crisps and apple pie.  We also eat them dried as a chip snack.

Here’s a couple of pics:  one of the apples cooking and one of  hubby’s plate to take to work.

For other ideas see: worksformewednesday.