New Glasses

These are not only new glasses, they are Ashley's first glasses. Now she can see without eyestrain. Believe me, that is wonderful, when it has been hard to concentrate for years because of headaches, etc. It is an added bonus that she looks good in them as well.

Congratulations Ashley! Take it from me, keep them clean and don't break or lose them. All three of those things sound pretty easy, but it will take a while to get used to them.

Don't know if the glasses will be helpful when you go to the movie, but there is one I'd like to recommend you all see. It is called Son of God. We are looking forward to seeing this movie.

Biblical Drama Son of God

Remember Gideon

We are very proud of the triplets. Each one has his/her own strengths. One of Aussie's is the ability to speak with the Chinese he meets. For example when they eat in Chinese restaurants, Aussie always impresses the waiters and waitresses with his Chinese.

 It is strange hearing that language and seeing it coming from this little strawberry blond guy with the green eyes.

All three triplets started Chinese when they were four. Mason dropped out after the first year.... Ashley after the second, but Aussie keeps it up year after year. It is paying off. I'm hoping that in some way it will serve him well in the future.


In the news... I guess all of you know by now that we have too many troops at a time when the world is 'at peace' , so our president has deemed it necessary to cut the ranks.  Oh doesn't that make you feel safe?  Well, me neither.  At least  I was a little uneasy until I finished my Bible lesson for Ladies' class earlier this week that reviewed the story of Gideon, found in the book of Judges.  Gideon started out with an army of 32,000 troops. but God said that was too many. Strange, because the Midianite army they were opposing was much, much larger than that. But God first trimmed their ranks down to 22,000 and then once more to 300! So Gideon had a very small troop going against a magnificent army.  The difference was. God was on his side... Short of you reading Judges 6-7 yourself, I want  to tell you that God confused their enemies, who then fought against themselves and  handily lost the battle to Gideon's small number of men.

So, if God is on our side, we have no fear.  We just have to make sure he is on our side. Look around you and see if you are becoming like those in the world...immoral, serving other gods like money, idols, etc. If so, turn back to God. If we do that, He can and will save us, no matter how few soldiers we have and He may give us new leaders as well.

Father and Son

It thrills me to see Caleb take an interest in things his mother and father do...like here with the guitar.
As you've seen, he is also showing an interest in photography.  His mother shares with him a liking for horses. I'm anxious for him to pick up her love of reading. It shouldn't be long now.

This is a free country and contrary to the fact of people in some countries being told what to do with their lives from an early age, we are still able to choose our own paths. At least that is true at present. How long will that freedom exist?  It all has to do with which people are elected to office. We have come to a point now, where one party wants to rule...not govern by the will of the people.

Will we ever have another free election? I am prone to doubt we will, unless we can get people to rise up and insist on impeachment of those who skirt the law and do as they please while making new laws to restrict the freedom of others.

In the last election, it has been said that intimidation by the IRS resulted in the loss of votes for freedom.  But even more importantly, the lack of asking for identification and giving many days to cast ballots over and over again under different names, is a disaster. Many were shipped from polling booth to polling booth to vote numerous times in the last election.  Of course the only people who would do such a thing are lawbreakers, the result is disastrous.

Since it worked in 2012 for them, expect it to keep happening until that problem is solved. We must ask for proper identification. If people had to have it to buy alcohol, etc., they would get the IDs. It is not that difficult.  Let's require it for voting.  And by the way...I had to show my identification. How about you?

And it is still winter. Christmas came and went so very fast. I'm still wondering how it can be over.  Chelle has had a bad year, so far...but I'm praying for better to come. I like this picture of her taken around Christmas.

In a way, I hope what I am about to tell you is not true. I just heard of it tonight and am still spinning. How in the world can this be? Not in our country. How can we become Hitler's Germany so very quickly. Our last president wasn't perfect (who is?) but he was a good man and things were going well here except for all the debt that was being taken on by people who could not afford to buy houses.  Now, the latest...I'm sure you don't want to hear this. Sit down. Brace yourself... the Federal Government is opening  FREE GAS STATIONS in poor neighborhoods.  We are paying exorbitant gas prices, compared to the prices we were paying when Bush was president.  Yet now, we will be paying for ours and for those who live in certain neighborhoods. YIKES!  He can't buy enough votes with food stamps and unemployment benefits, he has to give away gasoline as well!

Inadvertently I have passed along this piece of satire written in the Daily Current. While not true at this time, it is a perfect example of what can come of this administration's willingness to skirt the law and do whatever it takes to buy the votes it needs to stay in power.

Had a Ball

I realize that Christmas is over. But I also know that it looks like Christmas out side and I didn't want to miss having everyone see this cute dog of ours. She is a real blessing and we are so happy to have her here, especially now that holidays around here can get pretty lonely with just the two of us.

I am not complaining. We are always blessed to have April come by with family members.

I'm falling asleep at the wheel and it is only 9:15. That is so unusual, that I think I'll heed my body signals and go on to bed. Guess I need a  good night's sleep.

I will go to sleep while praying God's watchful eyes over those of us in this country who still hold on to His promise of an everlasting life when this one is done.

A Father in the House

No matter what you might hear these days, every child deserves a father in the home.  

The very first book in the Bible is Genesis. It is there that we find the account of God's creation:

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Then is chapter  2, verse 18  "The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, for she was taken out of man.”24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

That was God's plan for a perfect world...a man, his wife and children...a family. Men and women are different. It was part of the plan. Mothers and fathers play different roles in the lives of their children.

We don't live in a perfect  world, and we see man's idea of a family can be different from God's...but God's plan was for our own good...not as a punishment or just an arbitrary rule.

I made this layout of John and Oliver, knowing that Oliver is blessed by a family of love...a father, a mother and children. 

I pray that men and women will consider the well being of their children and concentrate on making good homes for them  where they can learn to love and be loved.

Two Brothers

When Rado came to live with Beth and John, he got all the attention. There were  some difficult times when he had to learn to stay alone while both of them were at work. But over time, he settled in and was good while they were away. He met them joyfully with a wagging tail....or whole body, when they arrived after a long day.

It was 4 years ago when he had to learn to share his home with  little brother Caleb. It wasn't real easy at first. He was used to being the center of attention. He was not used to having a little one pulling his hair, ears...anything. But he made the adjustment over time. They became best of friends. Now this! 

He has another new boy in the house. Yes, Rado...you can have two brothers. You will get used to him just fine. Then you will have two boys to love. Just hang in there, sweet Rado.

Big Brother Good or Bad?

Caleb is a wonderful big brother. He is so very gentle with Baby Oliver. He protects him.

That is the safe comforting way to be a big brother, just the opposite of the big brother  associated with our socialistic government of this decade.  That big brother also protects us, but he protects us from ourselves because they think we don't have intelligence enough to make our own decisions...that we can't handle making  decisions on our own... They believe we need them to tell us what to do, whether to move left or  right.

Step up to the plate...Make your own decisions.

Going Home For the First Time

Caleb loves his iPhone and he has been very serious about getting pictures with it. This tickles me to see him taking a photo of his two day old brother.

Oliver looks pretty cute bundled up in his warm boots, mittens and cap. I remember years ago, when it was difficult to find nice clothes for little boys that were different. Everything was  boring...at least I thought so. Not so now.

I pray that God will see fit to continue to bless this nation with freedom to worship as we choose.

A Joyful Heart

Becoming a parent is an awesome experience, but what can I say?  Knowing that your child is a parent is even more so...It is great each and every time there is another birth. Our latest grand child belongs to our son, John and his wife Beth. Hearing that baby cry one of his first breaths was so exciting. I was grinning from ear to ear. It was said that I looked like the Cheshire Cat. I was glad to have someone there to snap this picture at just the right time. It doesn't matter to me that it was washed out with the flash. I'm glad to have it.

The only thing that I can think of that would make me happier at present is  to have another election, where we would elect a conservational conservative to the office of president.

EXTRA EXTRA

I've spent quite a bit of time on this layout, but enjoyed every minute. It's not every day that a person's grandson is featured in a large colored picture in the local newspaper.

By the way, this is not a copy of the coloradoan today.  It is a mock up of the paper and the article that appeared today.

Caleb does show an interest in making music and I pray that this nation remains free and that he gets a chance to learn to play the instrument of his choice.

And speaking of freedom, I have not seen anything so passionate as this man's speech to Oregon lawmakers. He was raised in Cuba and escaped when the communists took over. Watch him.here.

Mother and New Born Son

Soft and tender, that's what newborns are. Sweet upon the cheek of mama.

I went for a soft look for the page. I got it in a color pencil rendition of the photo, found by playing around in the filters of Photoshop Elements. I also lowered the opacity on the 'drawing' and the stamp which says, "fresh from God"

We knew all of us have a debt hanging over us due to the federal government's spending being way out of control.  But did you know that this little one was born to a debt of about $16,180...what each state resident owes because of the overspending of the states.  Of course there are some states, that have been run by Republicans, which have good economies and no state debt. However, there are others, such as California,  that are in BIG financial trouble.  Remember, this is only the states' debt. The federal government's debt is another thing on top of that.  We have saddled this little one with a responsibility to pay back money that we thought we couldn't do without. How very sad.

I pray that God will strengthen this upcoming generation, to give them the fortitude to do without unnecessary things in order to get a handle on the debt that we have not felt the need to repay. May they be stronger and better people than we have been. Not irresponsible like we have been. May they be blessed in their hard work and find themselves rewarded by good feelings about their own generation and may all their needs be met.

God Bless America.

Welcome Son

It's about time you see this daddy with his new son. I had not worked up a layout before now because I just had bad pictures. However today a had a little time to play around  and I'm happy with this large sepia toned piece of art that I was able to get from  the little blurry and grainy photo.

This week, the Obama Administration essentially created a new crime when it unilaterally extended ObamaCare's business mandate: the crime of lying about ObamaCare.

Now small businesses are required to support ObamaCare - even at risk to their own existence - or face the consequences.  (ACLJ)

I am praying that people who are aware of what is going on in Washington will get out the vote this coming election. Of course, no telling how many more edicts will come from the oval office before then.  It says something about the military and state governments, about congress and the supreme court, when one out of control man is allowed to go completely wild and take the country with him.

Big Eyed Boy

This is getting to be a habit with all the busyness that has taken hold of my life. Is it an overload of activity, or is it that I'm slower at my work.  It could be some of both, Oh, yes, I have also been playing much too many games of Words with Friends. I've quite a couple of times because it is so time consuming, but evidently it is habit forming as well.

Still, I have a treat for you tonight. Naturally I think he is the cutest baby alive at present. I'm his gramma. I love his big eyes.  Of course I'm not with him all the time, but I choose to think they are always  bright and alert.this way.

The socialization of this country is coming at us at such a rapid pace that I can hardly keep up with it these days...and sadly, those who are falling for it, have not a clue what is happening to them under the guise of a benevolent government taking care of them.

I pray our children and grand children will find a way to live in a world without the freedoms we have enjoyed. It will be tough.  But it has been done before. We are not the first nation to be overthrown by communists.

Count Down

American Idol got in the way. I have to go to sleep now. busy day tomorrow. I'll comment on this layout then.

Your Own Kind of Beautiful

The blue  sky on this picture makes me feel really good. It is so opposite the skies we generally have here, especially at this time of year.

But we all might as well get used to it...there are not 'blue skies' ahead, unless we can get our country back in control of the people.

I read a new warning today that should make us all want to stand up and be counted. It was an article warning about our president's Asylum Plan which is a threat to our National security. Check it out at

Newsmax .here  It would seem like a disastrous plan even if it hadn't come so close to The Boston Marathon bombing.

On the lighter side, I'm looking for a really good tangle remover for dogs. Maggie begins to tangle as I take her off the grooming table.

Size of a Penguin

Earlier I made a layout of Ashley in her  penguin suit, now here is Caleb at the zoo with a real penguin. 

Caleb learned something much earlier than I did. I hate to admit this, but as an adult, I finally saw a penguin at Sea World. Until then I thought they were much bigger. I had only seen pictures and there was never anything in the photos that one could use  to judge the size of the bird. I was really quite disappointed. 

Much the same thing has happened to those disappointed with our president. Until they saw the consequences of his term in office, they thought he was much bigger than he really is. No, I don't mean he is short, but he is short on fulfilling the big promises he made to get elected. As a matter of fact, he has done much the opposite in many areas.  Now many of those who voted for him see him as the small man others who knew him to be from  his background. ..his upbringing, mentors, and days as a community organizer.

Thank You, Mason

Mason posed with his small gingerbread house. I appreciate his willingness to be photographed. Thank you, Mason. I love your smile, your hat and your gingerbread house.

I'm finishing book number 26 this weekend and tonight I decided I needed something to encourage others, since the times are so bad. I had no idea what to write, so I opened my Bible and asked the Lord to lead me. I was surprised when I was directed to Titus. But when I read it, I realized how timely it is.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say, “no” to ungodliness and worldy passions, and to live self controlled,  upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness  and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2: 11-14

May God continue to bless this nation with freedom to workshop as we are led by the spirit.

Beep Beep

Caleb had a lot of fun at the zoo. There was more than just animals, not that the animals would not have been plenty. Here he is 'driving' a cool blue vehicle. His face shows his glee.

Even though I'm still doing layouts from November, it is February and time for another big sale at MyPublisher.com. So in a day or three, I should be sending another book online to be published. If you have lots of pictures you would like to show off, or just keep in a beautiful book for your family and friends to see, you might want to check out www.mypublisher.com.

If you do digital layouts like I do, all you need to do is find out how to drop just one picture in so that is takes up a whole page, then drop your completed layout on the page. If you already have the layouts, it is very easy.

In Newsmax today, I read this piece by Rand Paul: Obama Turning US Into 'Socialist Nightmare' 

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/NewsmaxTv/rand-paul-obama-government-socialism/2014/02/05/id/551134#ixzz2sheX1R5Q

Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now!

Bird Watcher

Is there a bird watching season?   That thought came to mind as I pulled out this layout for the blog tonight. Well of course, if one has a question now, all he/she has to do is goggle it. I got the answer and a new word I'd not heard before.  There is never a bad time to go 'birding'.

Caleb is 'birding' with the binoculars I bought him last year.  While he likes to use them to watch, I like to watch him. Grandsons are so cute!

I wonder if God gets a kick out of watching us when we are engaged in good activities. It stands to reason that he would, perhaps even more than we enjoy our little ones.  After all, he was the one who formed our inward parts, he knit us together in our mother's wombs. Psalm 139:13

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when one of them as yet existed.  How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Psalm 139: 13-17

I pray that I will please my God  and Savior.  He is merciful, so I know that I don't have to please him all the time...but I wish I could. That is my desire.

How about you?

Gift From Heaven

I love this picture of Mommy, Daddy and Oliver. But it just isn't right. It has been over a month and 1/2 since this little fellow was born and I have not been able to hold him.

Tonight we were able to visit with the family on FaceTime. It is truly wonderful to see the love that Caleb has for his little sibling. Oliver will appreciate his big brother.

Oliver is so very alert and spends his time taking things in with those big eyes. I love to watch him.

The  two are very much alike, but I think Oliver will have a completion more like his Mommy.

I pray the world will continue to be a safe place for sweet people like these. May God protect them under his wing.

Triple Christmas

Triple your pleasure, triple your fun with three children instead of one.  It's been about 11 1/2
years since the triplets were born. It seems like a long time ago in some  ways, but in others, it
seems like yesterday when they were babies.They have always looked quite distinctively dif-
ferent to me, but in the last 6 months or so, Aussie and Ashley are looking very much alike.

They have a Christmas service at their church each Christmas and of course the kids are there.
Glad their parents see that they get there regularly.  In today's world, it is even more important
than when I was a kid.

May we rely on God to run the world and not worry about manufactured imaginings like 'Climate
Change'.

The Village of Cortez

We had not met Tim's close friend, Carolyn, but we found her easy to like and we soon felt like old friends.  Together, we enjoyed our little outing around Sarasota. We particularly found dining on fresh grouper at the Star Fish Company Market and Restaurant refreshing.  

Being on vacation, we took somewhat a hiatus from the woes the government is bestowing on us at this stage of their coup.  Even though ignorance is a dangerous thing in a case like this, it was still good to get away from the disastrous reality for a short time.