Whatever Happened?

Whatever happened?  Why are the kids here?  What have they been doing? This picture was shot on their official school picture day which is scheduled once a year and for which a professional photographer is hired.  However, Chelle always takes advantage of the day to make a lot of interesting shots for her own use.  So far, the triplets have cooperated and consequently, we have many great pictures.

And whatever happened to, 'innocent until proven guilty".  Isn't that law in this land? If you think a minute, I'll bet you'll come up with a dichotomy between this law and practice.

The treatment of Herman Cain recently is a perfect example of this. He has been accused of things that he quite frankly says are false. All evidence points that way as well.

But a group of crazed, monied people practicing Chicago gangland politics are determined to discredit every Republican in the race, because they can not win a clean race.  They have nothing to offer except more of the same.

It would be a sad thing to see this type of behavior condoned, to see it win out and destroy  our freedom and this country.

As far as I am concerned, Herman Cain is innocent of all the charges brought  against him...unless and until he is proven guilty in a court of law.

Can we stand 4 more years of this type of politics?  The destruction of a man's reputation?

Creative Use of Play Dough

That's my grandson! I love  this. Caleb is being creative...thinking outside the box... Interesting piece of art.  This is the most unusual use of play dough I've seen.  So glad he chose to do it on canvas instead of the wall his mother is painting.

Museums

My husband loves museums...at least it appears that way.  He always wants to see them. This last weekend, after much coaxing, he finally chose where he wanted to go...to the Hagley Museum.  We arrived at 4:30 PM and it closed at 4:30 PM. Perhaps it would have been better to make some decisions earlier.  Well, anyway, I can look forward to seeing it next time.  I bet you can tell that I can hardly wait to see a museum of  gun powder.  Oh well, no matter what, my camera and I always find something interesting to shoot.  And how appropriate is a shot in a gun powder museum?  Very!

If we as a nation continue to postpone making decisions, we will end up sooner than later a socialist (Marxist) republic.  Some of the first moves are being made toward a 'peace keeping' force within the states.  Wake up people, our rights are being usurped. Inform yourselves and call your senators.  Then at least you can say you tried.

Be a vocal Christian this holiday season and wish all you see a MERRY CHRISTMAS!  May God bless you all.

Ronald McDonald House

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we were able to visit the Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington, DE. We were very impressed with the operation.  It is wonderful to see so many people donating and volunteering their time for such a worthwhile effort.

While  there, we took advantage of the gazebo on the property for a photo shoot.   April, Tim, Hope, Jarod and little Sam posed with Ron and me.

To God be the glory!

If one evening you open the blog and don't see a current message, I am apologizing in advance.  I started the blog as a fun endeavor, but sometimes with the problems I'm having with my computer and my resultant high blood pressure, some days it is a chore to  come up with a layout.  So, again...if I miss a day or so this Christmas season, please know that I'll be back as often as I can.

Meanwhile I will be holding on to Proverbs 3:5:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Something is wrong with this picture.  

 I'd like you to meet some fine looking white Amish turkeys. They do not look like the traditional birds we see in picture books. They are quite pretty.  And I'm told by my daughter, who lives in the neighborhood, that the little children of the family like to play with them.  

Now let me tell you about Thanksgiving Day... One of these big birds ended up on the  dining room table of my daughter. It had lost its feathers and really looked like any other turkey one might buy at the store.  It was delicious.  But I must say, that at least one person there declined to eat that pet turkey.

Now, notice Abram and Sarah Turkey look at that funny looking brown creature dressed in his Pilgrim clothes. I wonder what they are thinking.

I'll tell you what. I really would prefer to eat a  turkey from the local grocery  than one that grew up down the street from me.  Okay, laugh at me if you will.  But next year, I'm eating ham. ..and don't show me any cute pigs.

Cutie Pie

Whom Do We Cheer?

Caleb had a great time running off some energy... around and around my kitchen counters. And of  course I didn't mind. I  wasn't cooking.  I was watching him like  I'd paid $100 to see a fantastic play. He  is my grandson! When I was a teenager there was a singer  whom I loved to see and hear...and it was not Elvis.  When I was a teenager there was a singer  that I loved to see and hear. It was not Elvis.     I thought he was disgusting at the  time. I liked to hear him sing Peace in the Valley, but that was it. I liked Pat Boone.  He went to the same  college as I did only some years before.  One of his friends went to church with  me and a couple of times Pat came to  our state and went to church with us.   The second time he came, he was famous.  Someone saw him enter the building and  when church was over and we opened  the doors, there was a humungous crowd  out there waiting and cheering for him.   They were cheering just about like I  clapped for little Caleb in my kitchen. Today Pat Boone is still speaking his mind  and I've copied here his thoughts on Obama. Pat Boone on Obama......Simply  Outstanding CHRISTIAN NATION! When you have read what Pat Boone  wrote about Obama (below), you may  want to click on the link to "Snopes",  which brings up a page telling you that  this is an actual letter written by Pat  Boone - and Very well written, I might  add. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT COMMENTARY, AND SHOULD BE READ BY EVERY AMERICAN! The President Without A Country By Pat Boone "We're no longer a Christian nation." - President  Barack Obama, June 2009 " America has been arrogant." -  President BarackObama "After 9/11, America didn't always  live up to her ideals."- President Barack Obama "You might say that America is a Muslim nation." - President Barack Obama, Egypt  2009 Thinking about these and other statements  made by the man who wears the title of president.  I keep wondering what country  he believes he's president of. In one of my very favorite stories,  EdwardEverett Hale's "The Man without  a Country," a young Army lieutenant  named Philip Nolan stands condemned  for treason during the Revolutionary  War, having come under the influence  of Aaron Burr. When the judge asks  him if he wishes to say anything before  sentence is passed, young Nolan  defiantly exclaims, "Damn the United  States ! I wish I might never hear of  the United States again!" The stunned silence in the courtroom  is palpable, pulsing. After a long pause,  the judge soberly says to the angry  lieutenant: "You have just pronounced  your own sentence. You will never hear  of the United States again.. I sentence  you to spend the rest of your life at  sea, on one or another of this c ountry's naval vessels - under strict  orders that no one will ever speak to  you again about the country you have  just cursed." And so it was. Philip Nolan was taken  away and spent the next 40 years at  sea, never hearing anything but an  occasional slip of the tongue about  America.. The last few pages of  the story, recounting Nolan's dying  hours in his small stateroom - now  turned into a shrine to the country  he foreswore - never fail to bring  me to tears. And I find my own  love for this dream, this miracle  called America , refreshed and  renewed. I know how blessed and  unique we are. But reading and hearing the audacious,  shocking statements of the man who  was recently elected our president  - a young black man living the  impossible dream of millions of young  Americans, past and present, black  and white - I want to ask him,  "Just what country do you think  you're president of?" You surely can't be referring to  the United States of America ,  can you? America is emphatically  a Christian nation, and has been  from its inception! Seventy percent  of her citizens identify themselves  as Christian. The Declaration of  Independence and our Constitution  were framed, written and ratified  by Christians. It's because this  was, and is, a nation built on and  guided by Judeo-Christian biblical  principles that you, sir, have had  the inestimable privilege of being  elected her president. You studied law at Harvard, didn't  you, sir? You taught constitutional  law in Chicago ? Did you not ever  read the statement of John Jay,  the first Chief Justice of the  Supreme Court and an author of  the landmark "Federalist Papers":  " Providence has given to our people  the choice of their rulers - and it  is the duty, as well as the privilege  and interest of our Christian nation  - to select and prefer Christians  for their rulers"? In your studies, you surely must have  read the decision of the Supreme  Court in 1892: "Our lives and our  institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings  of the Redeemer of mankind. It is  impossible that it should be  otherwise; and in this sense and to  this extent our civilization and our  institutions are emphatically Christian." Did your professors have you skip  over all the high-court decisions  right up till the mid 1900's that  echoed and reinforced these views  and intentions? Did you pick up the  history of American jurisprudence  only in 1947, when for the first  time a phrase coined by Thomas  Jefferson about a "wall of separation  between church and state" was used  to deny some specific religious  expression -contrary to Jefferson's  intent with that statement? Or, wait a minute: were your ideas  about America 's Christianity formed  during the 20 years you were a  member of the TrinityUnitedChurch  of Christ under your pastor, Jeremiah  Wright? Is that where you got the i dea that " America is no longer a  Christian nation"? Is this where you,  even as you came to call yourself  a Christian, formed the belief that  " America has been arrogant"? Even if that's the understandable  explanation of your damning of  your country and accusing the whole  nation (not just a few military  officials trying their best to keep  more Americans from being murdered  by jihadists) of "not always living  up to her ideals," how did you come  up with the ridiculous, alarming  notion that we might be"considered  a Muslim nation"? Is it because there are some 2  million or more Muslims living here,  trying to be good Americans? Out  of a current population of over 300  million, 70 percent of whom are  Christians? Does that make us, by  any rational definition, a "Muslim nation"? Why are we not, then, a "Chinese  nation"? A "Korean nation"? Even a  "Vietnamese nation"? There are even  more of these distinct groups in  America than Muslims. And if the  distinction you're trying to make is  a religious one, why is America not  "a Jewish nation"? There's actually  a case to be made for the latter,  because our Constitution - and the  success of our Revolution and founding  - owe a deep debt to our Jewish brothers. Have you stopped to think what an  actual Muslim America would be like?  Have you ever really spent much time  in Iran ? Even in Egypt ? You, having  been instructed in Islam as a kid at  a Muslim school in Indonesia and  saying you still love the call to evening  prayers, can surely picture our nation  founded on the Quran, not the Judeo- Christian Bible, and living under  Shariah law. Can't you? You do  recall Muhammad's directives  [Surah 9:5,73] to "break the cross"  and "kill the infidel"? It seems increasingly and painfully  obvious that you are more influenced  by your upbringing and questionable  education than most suspected. If you   consider yourself the president of a  people who are "no longer Christian,"  who have  "failed to live up to our ideals," who  "have  been arrogant," and might even be  "considered Muslim" - you are president  of a country most Americans don't  recognize. Could it be you are a president without  a country? All who love their Christian Beliefs and  their Country, Forward to all in your  address book. http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/patboone.asp

Early Thanksgivings

We need to remember to give thanks at all times for the marvelous gifts our Lord has given us.  On Thanksgiving , which was set apart by George Washington as a religious national holiday of thanks to God, we are blest with a special  time to think of what is good in our lives.   We generally have much more to be thankful for today than the early settlers did, and yet sometimes we lack the faith they had.


Thanksgiving is a good time to slow down and count your blessings. Give thanks this week for everything  that is a blessing, big or small.


As I look at these pictures I appreciate so many things...my husband, my family...including this little grandson who lights up our life. I am thankful for the piano, a roof over our heads with adequate heat, for wood floors that are easier to clean than old carpet, for this old lamp that  caught my eye years ago in a new shop I was  visiting with friends, for whom I am thankful.  Try counting.  You may perk up a bit.


Sometimes our friend Jim Chilton says things so well, that I must post his piece here for you. And today I am doing just that:

A Thanksgiving Message From A Dollar Bill (21^st November 2011)

A favorite passage of our ancestors was Psalm 95:  “Come, let us sing for joy to  Yahweh; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For Yahweh is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before Yahweh our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (1-7).

Early Thanksgivings in America were celebrated in spite of many hardships and loss.  They had joy in their hearts brought on by a deep and abiding peace in the Lord.  Today, Thanksgiving is our only cultural “religious” holiday.  George Washington, as president, made this proclamation on 3^rd October 1789:  “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore his protection and favor.”  He would refer to God as “the great Lord and Ruler of Nations.”

We’ve been told that money talks, and this week we will prove it.  In Jesus’ day, He was asked to comment on a Roman coin.  Maybe if He were here today, He would ask for a buck and say, “You seem to worship this so much; why don’t you listen to it.” 

Take a buck out and look on the back.  Above the pyramid are the words, Annuit Coeptus.  In 1782 Congress appointed William Barton, a design artist, to propose a national seal.  He did, and he included these Latin words, which means, “God has favored our undertakings.”  He certainly has!

Psalm 90:17 asserts, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us.”  Solomon added, “for whoever find me finds life and receives favor from Yahweh” (Proverbs 8:35). 

Who gave us our liberty and prosperity?  Technology, education, resources, luck?  No.  “God has favored our undertakings.”  Many other peoples lived on this soil before the pilgrims, but something special happened when people came with a kingdom agenda, and our national seal reminds us.

Jim Chilton

thejameschilton@gmail.com

Comfort

For Caleb a comfort is his very special blankie his mom made for him and a finger in his mouth.

It sometimes takes much more to comfort adults, whose world is so complicated and filled with sinful influences.  But we can take comfort in the fact that like Caleb's mommy loves him, our God and Father loves us very much and wants the best for each of us.

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
 ² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
 ³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
   for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
   through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
   for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.

 ⁵ You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
   forever.

2 Corinthians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,


Sleep tight in the comfort of our LORD.

Caleb is a real worker. Sometimes as hard as he tries, it doesn't seem to me that he gets very far.  But he in good nature continues to practice whatever it is.  That reminds me of an email titled PUSH that I received today.  It has gone around and around the web and is always a good read:

A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared.

The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin.

The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with
all his might...

So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from
sunup to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold,
massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might!

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling
that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind. (He will do it every time!)

"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't moved." Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.

These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort, and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a
matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked.

Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a
millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done.

Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it.
Your task was to push.

And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself.

Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown;
your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock.

But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom.

That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock.."

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own
intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants
is just simple obedience and faith in Him.

By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God Who moves the mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong.................................Just P.U.S.H.

When the job gets you down...............................................Just P.U.S.H.

When people don't do as you think they should.................Just P.U.S.H.

When your money is "gone" and the bills are due..............Just P.U.S.H.

When people just don't understand you..............................Just P.U.S.H.

P = Pray
U = Until
S = Something
H = Happens


Some of us are feeling these days that no matter what we do, we just keep getting more behind.   PUSH and God will do the rest.

Here Is Your Wish

This layout was  done to please my daughter, Chelle. She took her triplets on a photo shoot yesterday. They co-operated and she  took some marvelous pictures.  However, she wanted them  to pose with this scarecrow and they thought it was just too creepy.  They didn't want to be near it.

No problem for Gramma.  She could make it happen. Hope you are happy, Chelle.  And kiddos, hope you are glad your mom is happy while you didn't have to be anywhere near old Mr. Ugly Face.

I'm glad to have helped out here, while I'm not sure what I'll be able to do day to day...I think my computer is about to die.  At least that is the way it seems...my hard drive is failing.  There could be a time when I don't get to publish my layout of the day.

With all the trouble in the world already, we might as pile this on as well...a rebellious computer.    It just doesn't want to work.. . It  would rather set on my desk and look pretty. Maybe we should pitch a tent in the park for it.

I Love You Lord and Am Thankful for So Much

Caleb is a lucky boy.  His mom and grandmother are great cooks. (The excludes me, Gramma.)  When I was emailed this picture, I just figured it was baked just for him in Carol's kitchen, but even she buys some things ready to eat.  Anyway, he was at her house eating chocolate croissants.  What a treat. It certainly looks as if he was enjoying them.

Caleb is an active and  healthy boy! He eats well, so we don't worry about him having a few yummies. When he was here on Tuesday, his favorite part of lunch was Grandma Shearer's potato chips. He gobbled them.

Ladies' Bible Class this morning was dedicated to our favorite things. Some ladies brought sweet treats.
One made spiced cider. Some of us had favorite songs . Others had verses that were exceedingly comforting for them. One read a poem.

Even though I could have probably talked about my grand children, I didn't want to suggest that mine were better than those of the other older ladies.  So, I shared a song that I break into singing quite often at home.  It is the praise song,  I Love You Lord. I sing it in full voice when I'm alone...only in the company of our God and Father.  I know that He loves me his child. And I believe to Him, my voice is as beautiful as Carrie Underwood. (I'm sure that will make you laugh if you've heard me sing.)



I love you, Lord 
And I lift my voice 
To worship You 
Oh, my soul rejoice! 
Take joy my King 
In what You hear 
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear 

Been There, Done That, Worn Out

What a blessing it was to have Beth and Caleb here yesterday. You know that grandchildren are the reward for having raised children.   The little fellow was so  full of energy and kept us entertained for hours.  I could tell he was getting sleepy near the end, but he held out until he got in his car seat, cuddled in with his new toys, and started back to Columbus where he has been visiting his Mom's side of the family.  Beth said he was out in no time and made her drive rather peaceful.  Now all we can think about  is how very cute and talented he is and when we are going to see him again.

The first part of the title, "Been There, Done That" has been a very popular saying in the past decade or two.  Adding, "Worn Out" just followed when I saw this picture.

Our nation has been there, done that before...twice before, once with FDR and then with Carter.  And it wore us out both times.  But no matter how tired it makes us feel, we have to keep up the good 'fight'.  We surely have learned from history and know that we can't give in to this type of practice.  We can not build business by choking it with government regulations and taxes.  We can not be independent of foreign oil, if we will not allow companies to drill here, drill now.  We can not be independent with wind power, sun power, or anything else that doesn't  and can't produce enough to run even one city in this nation.

With God's help we can rebuild this nation before it is too late.  We need to do it for Caleb and all the other children who should not have  to become slaves to government.

Fall Splendor

Last Friday some of us ORU girls made a little road trip down to the Pine Tree Barn. Even though the sun was not shining brightly, it was not a dreary day. And we caught the end of some very lovely fall color.

As usual we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch and dessert.  We also had a lot of fun browsing through all the rooms in the 'barn' admiring  apparel, furniture, gift items, jewelry and Christmas decorations.  I tend to be conservative with my wallet these days, but I  broke down and bought  a couple of items.  One was a scarf that Teresa, acting as my personal shopper, picked out for me and the other a string of Christmas lighted stars, which will look splendid on my angel tree.  Is it really about time to drag those trees up from the basement again???

It was wonderful to have a volunteer snap this picture for us, permitting me the pleasure of simply doing a
layout without any photoshopping of the shot.  I wish she knew how much time she saved me and how much I appreciated her help.

God bless those who are thoughtful and anticipate the needs of others instead of continually wanting others to do everything for them. If you are not generally one who will step up and volunteer help, consider doing that now and then.  Not only will you be appreciated, but you will feel satisfaction in your soul.

More Leaves

Continuing with the leaves on the trampoline...Mason does his share of jumping. I love these shots of him in mid-air.  And of course the group shot at the end with the leaf fight is fun.

Lots of Leaves November 13, 2011

This is my blog entry for November 13. My computer  didn't cooperate and froze; so I had to publish it this morning. I'll have another later today for the 14th.

Ashley had gone out to play on the trampoline, but she ran in quickly yelling, "Mom, get your camera."
The trampoline had been covered by leaves during the night. This made jumping in the leaves much more fun than usual.   Of course, Chelle did have her camera and caught some really good shots of the kids. This page shows Ashley enjoying this unexpected gift of fall in her own backyard.

Tomorrow night  I hope to post a companion page for this one.

Tonight we had what we call a Harvest Dinner at church. It is an annual affair and draws many from church and friends of the church as well as neighbors.  Ron cooked a 22 pound turkey and I made LOTS of real cranberry sauce.  Since I wanted a fresh turkey before the week of Easter, we paid dearly for it.  Some had bought their frozen turkeys for 69 cents a pound and we paid over $2 a pound.  For a bargain hunter, I really got a bad deal.  I also bought three bags of fresh cranberries.  Whenever I go to the grocery store these days, I wonder how people are coping if they still have high house payments, etc.  We must do something to pull ourselves together and STOP THE OUTRAGEOUS FEDERAL SPENDING that will collapse our economy.

I don't think you check in to be left in a bad mood, so consider the Lord and His goodness.  Rely on Him to give you peace, for He is a good God, full of love and forgiveness.