News Flash

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are expecting their first baby! 
That was actually a news flash on TV today.
A slight complication in this story -- Kim is still married to her first husband, even though they separated after 72 days.

The media is celebrating this announcement as if it is such a wonderful event.

Doesn't anyone see a problem here?

I really have never figured out why Kim Kardashian or any of the rest of her family is famous -- maybe they're only famous because they believe their own press releases?

It's almost over

The year is almost at it's end...and the new year is right around the corner.  It's a clean slate again -- and I wonder what will happen this year.  We are in an age group where our friends are entering nursing homes or getting Alzheimers, or even dying, and I wonder who of us will still be able to celebrate New Year's Day 2014.  I don't mean to sound morbid, but it's part of life.

One of the blogs that I like to read is this one:  http://theresnoplacelikehome-family.blogspot.com/.  This is a family that already has adopted eight (Yes, 8!) children from China, and in January they are traveling back to China to adopt three more girls.  They do this because they love Jesus and they love children.  It is an amazing family. 

Another blog I follow is http://www.abeautifulroad.com/.  I have lost count of how many Chinese orphans have been adopted by this family, all of them have special needs like severe heart problems, blindness, one girl has no arms, etc.; the parents are adopting these children because they love Jesus and they love children.  They too are an amazing family.

If you want to be blessed, read these two blogs. 

Christmas Day in Pictures

Today the family was gathering at Tanya's house for the Christmas get-together; we were a little concerned because of the snow last night, but it only was a couple of inches, and in Colorado the intensity of the sun added to the mag chloride they put on the streets takes care of the snow very quickly.

We went early to help with some of the preparation, so while Bill, Tanya and Paul were working in the kitchen, I was playing the new game with Joey and Carly:

Bill and Tanya provided the meat and beverages, while the rest of us furnished all the side dishes.  Bill got busy carving the ham (he took his right arm out of the sling for a few minutes to do this).

Joey and Carly enjoyed playing with 8-month old Avery:



One of the benefits of being the Grammy, is that I could sit in the living room and relax while everybody else was in the kitchen getting the food ready.  I found myself wondering if the meat was done, and if the potatoes were ready and everything was on the table, but then I remember that I'm no longer in charge and I didn't have to worry about a thing!



With so many aunts and uncles, there were lots and lots of presents to open:

My two beautiful girls, Carly and Tanya:



Joey and his Kindle Fire;  he's only six years old, but he sure knows his way around any electronics:

He is such a relaxed, happy kid.  I get really emotional when I think of what his and Carly's lives would be like if they had never found their forever family.

Joey loves maps, so I found this Discovery Kids flannel map set; it has labels for all the states, rivers, countries, etc.  He loved it!



At one point, Joey's stack of presents was as tall as he is:

Carly received a new doll named Julie from Mom and Dad:

Aunt Sharlene gave Carly a pretty dress with a matching dress for Julie:

I gave Carly a pretty trunk full of outfits I had sewed for Julie:

This is beautiful granddaughter Heather and her Mom Janette:

Granddaughter Renee with Avery (8 months) and Rachel (3 1/2):  Aren't they all pretty girls?

Avery and her daddy Adam:

Joey and Aunt Cathy busy with the Kindle:

Aunt Janette and a giggling Carly:

It was a wonderful day.  Several people didn't get into any pictures today:  Sharlene, Dale, Cindy, Darold, Scott, Jerry and Paul aren't in any pictures, but they were all part of the celebration.

It was hard to say good-bye, especially to Cathy who was flying back to Nashville early tomorrow morning; Darold is staying a few more days.  We sure do miss her and Darold, but Paul and I will be going to visit them in spring.

And so - Christmas is over for another year, but it's been a wonderful time of family togetherness.  We are so blessed that when we get together, we all have a good time. 

We're having a White Christmas!!!!!

This was what I saw when I looked out the living room window this morning:

And it's Christmas in the house too:

Last night was one of the best Christmas Eves that I can remember.  We finished all our "to-do" list before noon and we were able to relax.  At about 3:00, Dale and Cindy, and Darold and Cathy came here, and we started playing the game "Suspend" which I had recently bought.  It's a simple but complex game of taking turns balancing rods on a center rod; we've been having a lot of fun with it.

Darold, with Cathy's help, tries his hand at the balancing act.



Dale next - with Cindy helping him concentrate:

     At about 5:30 we all headed off to our church for the Christmas Eve service, Jim and Janette joined us there. Our church has a puppet ministry, I had never seen them perform, but they opened the program and absolutely amazed us!  They were very professional!  After that, the praise band and the congregation sang several Christmas songs and then our pastor led us in partaking of communion.  It was a lovely service made even more so because the church has been decorated so beautifully for Christmas.

     Then we all headed back to our house where Darold started cooking the oyster stew; the rest of us started munching on all the good food that was prepared, and again started playing the game.

     This is Janette having a bowl of the oyster stew; Cathy is just enjoying the evening after a very stressful year of moving out of state and having a very demanding job:

Back to the game - Cindy trying her luck:

Besides the oyster stew, there were lots of munchies:

Jerry and Sharlene joined us later after having their Christmas with Jerry's family.  We no longer draw names to exchange gifts, but to my surprise, I received some beautiful gifts from everybody.  I am blessed!

Dreamin' of a white Christmas

If the weathermen are right, we'll have a white Christmas, and I really hope they're getting it right this time!
The forecast is that it will start snowing this evening (like while we're at the Christmas Eve church service) and continue through tomorrow morning with about three inches of snow.  That works for me!

Coming home for Christmas

I've been thinking how it used to feel when I lived a long distance away from my parents and I would come home for Christmas.  There would be such a feeling of anticipation and as the car or the airplane, whatever the mode of transportation was, got closer to the destination, the anticipation grew till finally I walked in the door and was home again!  It was always such a good feeling.  A feeling of safety and security.  And even though the word "love" was never mentioned, the feeling of love was there. 

After my Mom died in January of 1972, I could no longer go "home".  Home didn't exist.  And when my Dad died almost twenty years later (two days after Christmas in 1991) I realized that I was the "older generation" now.  So now I am the "home" that family comes to. 

I am blessed because my daughter and her family live in this state; it's about a 45 minute drive from where we live so we are able to see each other quite often.  And Paul's children all lived in this state till this summer when Darold and Cathy moved to another state.  But last week, they came home - and it was so good to see them again.  They were here Friday evening and we enjoyed visiting over dinner and then played a new table game I had recently bought.  Yesterday eleven of us met for lunch at the Cracker Barrel restaurant; we enjoyed good food and lots of conversation and laughter.  Tomorrow evening all of Paul's children will be here; we'll first attend the Christmas Eve service in our church, and then we'll all be back at our house for oyster stew and other goodies, although for me - oyster stew isn't a "goodie".  Our Christmas Day dinner and gift exchange will be at my daughter's house and everyone will be there except one granddaughter and her family from out of town, but we did get to see them yesterday.  Nine-month old Avery is the newest great-grandchild in the family; her older sister Rachel is 3 1/2, and then Joey and Carly are 6 and 7, so it will be a lot of fun watching the children open their gifts.  We all used to draw names for gifts, but it became hard to buy for each other because we all have everything we need, so now we just give gifts to the children. 

There were many years in my life when I was very lonely, when my daughter and I were alone, and later after she left for college and marriage - I would often be alone and lonely.  This was especially true at holiday time because my friends would all be with their families.  But one year, I think it was in the early 1980's, God gave me a special promise, it was the verse found in Psalms 68:6 "He sets the lonely in families".  Those of you who have received a special promise from God know what I'm talking about.  You know that you know it's a special promise!  But time went on and my circumstances really didn't get better and I would think of that verse and wonder if it was all my imagination -- but it wasn't -- I knew it was a promise. 

And God kept that promise.  He set me in a loving family; on Christmas day there will be 18 of us, enjoying each other's company.  He also set me in a larger non-related family; I now have a wonderful group of friends that are as close as family, and then I have the special "family" of the ladies in my Sunday School class at church.

All I can think of is "Praise God from whom all blessings flow!"

About yesterday's post

The first story was that in China, a man had invaded a school and stabbed 32 children to death.

Later, the story was corrected that he hadn't killed anyone, but slashed 22 children and one adult.
And it was a relief that 32 children had not been killed.

What kind of world is it when it's a relief that children were only slashed, not killed??????

More tragedy

With all the news focused on the school shooting in Connecticut, we have hardly heard that on Friday - the same day - a man in China entered a school room and stabbed 32 children to death. This is beyond terrible, beyond evil.  From what I've heard, this happened in the same province where my grandson came from.

LATER:
I did some checking on the internet and found that the above story is not accurate.  Here is the report:

BEIJING — A knife-wielding man injured 22 children and one adult outside a primary school in central China as students were arriving for classes Friday, police said, the latest in a series of periodic rampage attacks at Chinese schools and kindergartens.
The attack in the Henan province village of Chengping happened shortly before 8 a.m., said a police officer from Guangshan county, where the village is located.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-attacks-22-kids-knife-china-school-article-1.1220230#ixzz2FNBDOO00

Grieving for the families

The tragedy in Connecticut is almost too awful to believe.  So many more details are coming out now, such as that the shooter had a huge amount of ammunition with him; evidently he was going to keep on shooting till he heard the police sirens coming closer.  But really, twenty innocent little children is twenty too many. 

It has also been revealed that he had Aspergers Syndrome.  This brings it home for me.  I have a friend who has a seventeen year old son who has Aspergers.  It has been very difficult for her.  A few weeks ago he was acting out in a violent way and she had to wrestle him to the floor and sit on him while another of her children called the police.  She and her husband have been very worried about him because of the kids he hangs out with, and also because another of her children told her that this boy has a gun.  The family decided to move out of this city and out of this environment, so on Christmas Eve day they are moving to another state where they have more family and he will have better influences.  I can't imagine how she feels to know that the Connecticut shooter had the same illness that her son has. 

And I find it ironic that his first victim -- his mother -- loved guns and with her children did a lot of target shooting and that she was killed by her own gun.

I get tired of hearing "guns don't kill people, people kill people".  I don't think anyone in the Sandy Hook community believes that, and I certainly don't believe it.  There is no reason on earth why anyone not in the military and not in law enforcement has to own a high powered assault weapon.  I'm not going to criticize anyone who goes hunting to put food on the table, but it was not done in my family when I was growing up, and I couldn't do it myself. 

"Gotcha Day"

Today is Joey's "Gotcha Day" - the day he was placed in the arms of his daddy in China.  Poor little guy - he had no idea what was going on; he had been in an orphanage for almost three years, had seen only fairly short people with black hair, and here was this very tall, light haired man holding him and taking him away from the only home he had ever known.  No wonder he was shell-shocked!  We didn't hear one word from him for a very long time.  (Now he talks and laughs all the time.)  I can't find a picture of Bill and Joey on that day, although I know I have one some place, but here is a picture of Paul holding both Joey and Carly a couple of weeks after his arrival in his new family's home.

And here is a picture of Joey taken this fall:

Amazing what four years of love, good food, fresh air and sunshine can do!

My heart is breaking for the families of those children in Connecticut who were slaughtered yesterday while safely (?) in their schoolrooms.  When Joey and Carly's daddy heard about the shooting, he went to the school and brought them both home; he knew they were safe in their school, but he just wanted them close to him.  Thank you Bill!

So thankful!

I am so thankful for my friends.  There were many years when I was very lonely; times when I moved to a new city and didn't know anyone and it took a long time to develop good friendships.  But I have been so blessed here, my life is enriched by my circle of friends.

For instance, yesterday my friends Janet and Phyllis and I had a "ladies day out", and did some shopping in our locally owned shops.  The town we live near used to be just a small town, but now it's a suburb of Denver - but it still has the small town flavor.  Several new shops have opened recently, including a dress shop that carries merchandise that comes from Canada rather than from the usual places overseas.  That shop was our first stop and we really enjoyed browsing through all the pretty things. 

Our next stop was at a town about fifteen miles further out, this was a store with many unique hand-made items as well as other collectibles.  Each of us found some very nice things that made their way into my car.  There was also a little coffee shop in this store, and we relaxed over a light lunch, just enjoying the Christmasy ambiance. 

This town also had an antique shop that we visited which was filled with very old clocks; the sound of all the tick-tocks was somehow very comforting to us senior citizens -- I'm not sure why that was. 

But it was just a very enjoyable day.  Yesterday started out  very cold, only about 14 degrees in the morning, but with the sunshine, I didn't even need a coat - just a nice warm sweater.  That's Colorado!

Today was another great day with friends.  The planning team of my local Christian Women's Connection met for our annual Christmas potluck and party, about fifteen ladies came together at Andrea's very beautifully decorated house.  We started with our monthly prayer time, sang some Christmas carols, ate LOTS of food and then had an ornament exchange.  I have known most of these ladies since I moved to the north end of Denver, and they are all very dear to me. 

Then this evening my husband and I went out to dinner with our friends Glenn and Phyllis; we have a habit of eating out together every Wednesday evening, usually Janet and her husband Denny join us, but they were not able to join us tonight.  It's so good to relax with friends, visit about our family activities while having some good coffee and a light dinner.

So when I think of all my friends who are close here, and all my friends who live a long distance away, I just feel very blessed!

A very cold morning

Brrrrrr - it was cold out there this morning.  As I write this at 10:30, it's warmed up to 31 degrees - heat wave!  I have to venture out later on to go see my chiropractor.  Till then, I'm in my craft room sewing doll clothes while I'm listening to Il Divo's Christmas CD.  Wonderful music!

Still no snow!

The weather forecast was for a snowstorm in the mountains yesterday, with a possible six inches of snow here in the city.  And yes - it did snow in the mountains, but did it snow out where we live?  No!  Not one flake of snow!  I was so disappointed when I looked out the window this morning and nothing had changed.  But it was cold!!!  The thermometer read 20 degrees as we left for church this morning; I actually pulled out my cold weather coat from my Nebraska days, warm gloves and a scarf.  But the sun was shining - that's Colorado!  It might be very cold, but the sunshine makes it bearable!

I love the ladies in my Sunday School class.  There were only about ten of us present this morning, but we have all come to love each other and support each other when someone is going through a rough patch in life.  We also went to a Bible study on the book of Revelations; we were in chapter 19 this morning where John describes the great wedding feast will take place.  I'm looking forward to the rejoicing; I'll be rid of my cane and will be dancing with the best of them!!!

An update on the stray cat situation.  After I fed him Tuesday morning, he disappeared, so I assumed he had either gone home or gone to someone else's farm.  Wrong!  He was back on Thursday morning, determined to come into the house, and I was just as determined that he wouldn't get in.  But I have such a soft spot for stray animals, I couldn't just let him stay out in the cold and fend for himself, so we took him to the county animal shelter where he will be put up for adoption. 

There is an article in the Denver Post today that reveals that there are 100,000 feral cats in Denver, and it's not their fault -- it's the fault of humans who originally abandoned their animals. 

Once again I took a bad fall.  One of these days I'll really hurt myself.  This time there were a few drops of water on the bathroom floor and of course one of my feet found them and one leg when out to the east and the other leg went out to the west and I landed in a very awkward position on the floor!  Fortunately nothing was really hurt except my pride, but I will be going to the chiropractor tomorrow to do some fixing in my joints. 

I've read the Sunday paper, checked my emails, and now it's time for a nap!

The unpleasantness of country life

Generally, living in the country has many advantages, but there is one big disadvantage.

People seem to think it's OK to dump their pet dogs or cats at the end of our driveway, thinking they will find a good home.

It happened about twelve years ago when a very hungry cat found us; she has lived with us ever since and has earned her keep by catching mice, rabbits and unfortunately - also birds.

Another time someone dropped off a Great Dane puppy - and we saw him do it, but we couldn't stop him.  We didn't keep that dog.

This past Sunday a cat appeared at our door.  He was all gray, and very obviously used to humans.  He really wanted to come in the house, but I didn't want that, one cat is enough, thank you!  He is very playful and friendly, but since I didn't want another cat, I decided not to feed him so that he would wander on to someone else's yard.  It didn't work.  He liked it here.  I cannot stand to see animals starving or suffering, so I started feeding him.  Now the problem is what to do with him!  I've contacted a cat rescue organization, and they'll let me know by Thursday if they have space for another cat.  If they don't -- I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!

In the meantime - I'll just keep feeding him, unless he decides to bless someone else with his presence!

A beautiful day - but where's the snow?

It is unbelievably warm today, as it has been the last week or so.  But we need snow!  We are desparately in need of moisture because of the drought, but also -- I need snow to put me in the mood for Christmas!  I could never live in a place that has a hot climate all year - I NEED SNOW!

It's been a busy time for me.  Yesterday afternoon I was invited to a ladies Christmas tea at my friend Phyllis's church; there were lots of goodies to enjoy, good music, and a very good speaker.  Before I went to the church, I stopped at Kohls to do some shopping -- BIG MISTAKE!  Now I remember why I have a rule to never go shopping on weekends!!!  It was a madhouse!  I stayed in the store just long enough to determine that I didn't want to be there.

This morning we went to the church we formerly attended; I still publish the newsletter for the Deaf ministry in that church, and they had asked me to attend today so they could present me with a gift.  It was good to see a lot of my friends again, and I enjoyed the Deaf worship service.  They "sang" several Christmas songs - using their hands of course.  One of the interpreters "sang" the song "Mary did you know" with her hands, while the CD was played for those of us who could hear.  The special speaker was from North Carolina and spoke about when Jesus healed the paralyzed man whose friends let him down through the roof.  The speaker wore a robe such as they wore in Bible times, and had several masks:  one mask when he was speaking in Jesus' voice, another mask when he was speaking as one of the friends, and another mask when he was speaking as a Pharisee.  It was a very good presentation and had everyone's rapt attention.  There were interpreters who interpreted the sign language for those of us who didn't know American Sign Language. 

As a thank you gift, they gave me a lovely glass box and on the lid was the sign for love.  It is so very pretty.  I was trying to remember how long I've published their newsletter, I think it must be about six years already. 

Then we met some friends for lunch at the Village Inn, after which came nap time.  In my spare time I'm sewing doll clothes for my granddaughter who will be getting a new doll for Christmas.  It's so much fun sewing these outfits, except for when I have to thread the needle - my eyes really have a problem seeing that tiny hole in the needle!

Tomorrow morning - a fun time at our Christmas party with the ladies of the once-a-month Bible study; ladies I have known for many years.  We all bring food, and we each bring a wrapped gift; the gifts are distributed during a game in which we can either keep the gift we have or exchange it with a gift someone else has.  It's always fun.  After that I'll stop in at the nursing home to visit my friend Evie.  I have to confess that it's not easy for me to go to the nursing home and see so many elderly people in such situations, but I haven't been to see her for a long time and I'm feeling guilty about it.  When I'm there, I always wonder if some day I'll be a patient in a place like that. 

And now - time to relax with a cup of tea....

A Hard Day

Yesterday was hard.  And sad.

Three of my friends and I accompanied another friend to her court hearing.  She had been arrested last year for a crime that she says she did not commit.  We believe her.  It is a terrible crime, but there is no evidence that she did anything, but it's also the type of crime for which it is very difficult to prove innocence.  She has no money -- which means she has a Public Defender.

In this county, most Public Defenders are overworked and underpaid.  They carry a huge caseload, and so it feels to us like she isn't doing much for my friend.  Most of them take this job because they sincerely want to help the indigent, because they certainly are not doing it for the money.

My friend spent several months in jail after her arrest, and then was let out on bond.  She was given the choice of a plea bargain which would be up to ten years in prison, or go to a jury trial with a possible sentence of sixteen years to life in prison.  She had decided to take the plea agreement; she has two small children and she couldn't bear the thought of possibly spending life in prison for something she did not do. 

She knew when entering the courtroom yesterday that she would be led away in handcuffs, and indeed, that is what happened.  But first she had to plead guilty to the charges; each charge was read, and all the terms were defined, and it was ugly.  The four of us seated in the courtroom were silently praying for her as she bravely replied "guilty" to each of the charges. 

The sentencing hearing will take place in January, and in the meantime, we will be writing letters to the judge, asking for compassion and mercy. 

My heart was heavy all day yesterday.  It is such a sad thing to witness but we know that God is still in control.  In the meantime, her two little daughters cry for their mother.

This was the first time I was in a courtroom, other than my divorce hearing.  The defendant who appeared before the judge right before my friend, was severely chastized by the judge because of his attitude.  The judge told him in no uncertain terms that in this judge's courtroom "there would be respect, so stand up straight and answer the questions and change your attitude; it was your actions that brought you here, and you have to take the responsibility for it".  This was a Spanish-speaking man, but there was an interpreter for him, so he had no excuse for his bad attitude.  Actually it was good to see enforcement of the matter of respect. 

The day after

As usual - we had far more than enough to eat!  We met at Paul's older daughter's home, there were only six of us this year.  Paul's youngest son and wife moved to Nashville this summer and we really missed them.  All the other families celebrated Thanksgiving with the "other side" of their family.  The table at Sharlene's house was heaped full of food, and every bite was delicious.

Today we're going to my daughter's house to help put up their Christmas tree.  Her husband had rotator cuff surgery this past Monday, so he is not able to use his right arm at this time.  My part will be fixing a delicious lunch, it's called "Swiss Chicken" and it is delicious.

So yesterday, many of the stores opened to get an early start to "Black Friday".  By the way, I hate that name - I wish they would think of something more positive, although I guess it is positive for the retailers.  At the Macy's store on 34th in New York, 11,000 people were waiting to get in the doors last night.

And the economy is bad???????

On the TV news, they showed one woman who was pushing one cart loaded high with big boxes, and pulling another cart on which she had piled 3 flat-screen TVs. 

And the economy is bad??????  I don't think so.

When you compare how we in the United States live with how a large percentage of the people in the world live, we are all wealthy - we are all very blessed. 

And I, for one, am very thankful. 

I'm thankful for family, for friends, for church, for our country, for our President, for a pantry and a freezer that are full of food.  For being able to live in comfort and have the freedom to go about our daily business without fear of bombs and missiles falling around us. 

I am blessed, and I thank the Lord.

Giving credit where credit is due

That's what I'm going to do in today's post.

I've been criticizing the Republican party quite a bit lately, but today I want to complement two Republican governors, who don't let politics get in the way of what they believe.

First of all:  Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.  After Hurricane Sandy tore his state apart, President Obama came to meet with him and offer him all the resources of the Federal government.  And Gov. Christie thanked the President, and praised him for his quick response and his generous promise of assistance. 

And then -- other Republicans criticized Gov. Christie for saying nice things about the President.  But Gov. Christie stood his ground - it wasn't a matter of politics to him.  Way to go!

Second:  Gov. Bobby Jindahl of Louisiana.  During the prseidential campaign and after the election, a lot of really dumb things have been said - sometimes things about President Obama that are entirely untrue, many times very unkind and disrespectful.  In the days since the election results, Gov. Jindahl has said several times "our party has to stop saying such dumb things".  He is honestly looking for ways to help his party win, rather than demonizing the party and the candidate who won.

An example:  yesterday as I was driving doing some errands I was listening to one of my favorite programs on the radio, and during the commercial break, a conservative "talking head" came on and blamed Obama for the adultery scandal involving one of our top generals (and now it's possibly two generals).

Now really.  My president has his plate so full with national security matters as well as matters concerning issues internal to our country - and I would rather have him pay attention to those matters than monitoring the private habits of members of the military or other Federal employees.  In fact, what president EVER has spent time monitoring the private habits of his cabinet members, Congress, military, or others.  THEY ARE FAR TOO BUSY - WHETHER THE PRESIDENT IS A REPUBLICAN OR A DEMOCRAT.  In my opinion, this "talking head" reached an all time low.

Every day I think that I'll stop talking about the election fallout, and then something stupid happens, and here I go again......  I am not painting all Republicans with a broad brush of criticism; all my good friends are Republicans and they respect my viewpoint and I respect theirs, and our differences do not get in the way of our friendship.  Even my husband is a Republican!

Pardon me while I brag

We have a budding scientist in our family.
Joey is in the first grade, and recently did a science project about hurricanes.  He did it all by himself, and I think it's pretty terrific!

Fallout from the election

I heard on the news today that Texans are so unhappy about Obama's win that they want to secede from the Union.  I think that's a terrific idea!  If we'd have no more Texas, the following would result:

1.  Federal agents would no longer have to guard the texas/Mexico border.

2.  When the next hurricane hits Galveston, FEMA wouldn't have to come and help and then be criticized because they didn't do enough.

3.  If a terrorist would bomb Dallas, the FBI wouldn't have to get involved.

4.  All the people in Texas who are on food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other Federal programs would no longer qualify; the savings would be plenty to really reduce the national debt.

5.  The Federal government would no longer have to provide grants for highways, bridges and updating the electrical grid in Texas.

6.  Future U.S. elections wouldn't have to include someone like Rick Perry.

7.  The airways wouldn't be so full of "talking heads" talking trash about the President of the United States -- the man who the Bible directs us to respect.

Soo - if it comes up for a vote -- I'm for it!

When I came home this afternoon, the light on the phone was blinking indicating a voice mail message, so I dialed in and it was one of these "robocalls" (thought we were done with them after the election).  This was a message from someone who was ranting all kinds of untruths about Obama and raving that now was the time to impeach him!  (This caller must have been from Texas!)  Really, Republicans are such sore losers!
Obama won the election - 332 electoral votes to Romney's 206 votes. 

If you remember the 2000 election, George Bush won the electoral votes, but Al Gore won the popular votes, but the Democrats are far more gracious than the Republicans are when they lose. 

Frankly, I am worred about President Obama's safety.  In the last few days, a man in our city was arrested because he had plans to shoot up some schools, and also to assassinate the president.  If something like that happens, I can guarantee that the shooter is not a Democrat, nor an Independent -- guess that means it would be a Republican - a member of the "party of family values".  I agree with Gov. Jindahl (I think he's governor of Louisiana, but I'm not sure) who has come out and said that the Republican party needs to stop doing such dumb things.  AMEN, BROTHER!

Ok, now I've vented again.  Let's all get back to sanity!

We had company today.....

A phone call came this morning with a special request:  Would Grammy make "thin pancakes" (crepes) for her?  There was no way I could say no, even if we were out of milk; Grandpa had to go into town anyway for a blood draw, so he would pick up milk and maybe a few other goodies on the way home.  Before long, my two little special people and their mama walked in the door.

My precious second-grader

and

My just-as-precious first-grader:

After a late breakfast of thin pancakes, bacon and fruit, we watched the video "Toy Story 2" - which I enjoyed just as much as they did, played with Lincoln logs, trucks, a kitchen set, and read a new book I had gotten for them.  The name of the book is "Where's Jesus" and it's patterned after the "Where's Waldo" series; on each page there's a story about Jesus and the there is a picture with many people in it and you ave to find Jesus in the picture as well as some other objects in the story.  When it was time to go home, they really didn't want to go, we were having too much fun.

When I was young, my paternal grandmother was very special to me.  I knew without a doubt that she loved me and I have wonderful memories of her, and I want my grandchildren to have wonderful memories of me as well.

It's been COLD the last few days, with about two or three inches of snow.  However, it's supposed to warm up this week and I'm happy about that!  Winter will be here soon enough!

Do you know what it feels like?

Remember the last time you had a terrible toothache?  And then you went to the dentist and he fixed it?
How good that felt?

That's how good it feels now that there are no political commercials on TV!

Election Night

As I'm watching the election results coming in, I'm reflecting on what a privilege it is to be able to vote.  My forefathers came to the United States from Russia in 1874 with practically nothing, except a strong faith in God and a willingness to work hard. My maternal grandparents were only eight and nine years old when they arrived here, and went through unbelievable hardships as they homesteaded and raised a family of nine children -- all who grew up to be Godly, honest and hardworking adults.  It is a heritage for which I am very thankful.

It is 9:15, and it's just been announced that President Obama has gotten more than the 270 electoral votes and he will president for another four years.  Thank you Lord!  There are still several states whose votes have not yet been counted, but are projected to go for Obama. 

Is it too much to hope that the Republican controlled House of Representatives will work with him instead of against him as they've been doing the last four years?

Some other contests are interesting too.  Elizabeth Warren won the Senate seat in Masssachusetts, and I'm happy for that because I really admire her. 

In Indiana - the Republican candidate for the Senate is the man who said that if a woman gets pregnant as a result of rape, well that's just God's will - he has lost the race.

And in Missouri, the Republican candidate for the Senate who said that a woman can't get pregnant as a result of rape -- he also lost the race. 

Another interesting note is that Massachusetts - the state where Romney was governor, has gone for Obama.  And Wisconsin - the home state of the Republican candidate for Vice President, Paul Ryan, has also gone for Obama. 

I'm looking forward to hearing Romney's concession speech and Obama's acceptance speech.  I firmly believe in the verse found in the book of Daniel that says that it is God who puts men in power and it's God who deposes them.  Had Romney won, I had determined that I would continue to believe this verse, even though it might not have made me happy.

Election day

May I say HALLELUJAH again?  I'm so glad it's finally here.  I'm so tired of all the "talking heads" trying to get a new angle on the news from the campaign trail. 

I am praying that I can be gracious, regardless of the outcome.  Obviously as you know if you've been reading my blog, I do have a favorite, but above all - I know that God is in control.  I'm also praying that after the election, Congress will start cooperating for the good of the country instead of trying to block whatever the other party is trying to do.  I'm praying that the hatred will stop, and the lying will stop, and that our country can get back to the business of being the greatest country in the world.

He can't do anything right!

Poor Mr. Obama!  He can't do anything right!

Right after Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast, President Obama was present in New York and New Jersey promising all the help that the federal government could possibly give.  And the Republicans complained that he shouldn't be there, he was in the way of the clean-up and recovery process.

After a few days, he went back on the campaign trail.  Then the Republicans, in the form of Rudy Guiliani, former Mayor of New York, blasted him because he was campaigning, instead of being in New York or New Jersey and helping the recovery efforts. 

Sometimes I hope that Mitt Romney wins the election, just so the Democrats can treat him the way the Republicans have treated President Obama.

One more day....................

And then -- no more political commercials for four years!  Hallelujah!

Since Colorado is a "swing" state, we have been inundated with political commercials on TV.  They are non-stop, one after another, the same ones over and over.  The mute button on our remote control has never been used as much as during this campaign!

I don't mind the commercials that are positive about what that candidate is planning to do if he wins the election, but unfortunately, most of the ads are negative about the opposing candidate.  So many of the Republican commercials have outright lies about President Obama and his record, and it makes me so angry! 

Another thing I'm angry about is the amount of money spent on this campaign -- when there's so much poverty in our country, it's obscene to spend a billion dollars on a presidential campaign.  There is a Republican casino owner in Las Vegas (I know his name but I won't mention it; if you want to know the name, send me an email and I'll send you the internet link to read about it) who vowed he would spend up to $100 million to defeat Obama; as of this summer he had already spent $45 million - mostly on TV commercials.   I hope that $45 million is a complete waste.

I was in a meeting this morning and one of the women said "Obama is a Muslim"; I would have corrected her but I think not too many of the ladies heard it so I let it pass.  President Obama has never been a Muslim, but that is a lie that so many people like to spread.  He has been a Christian for more than 25 years, and in the October issue of "O" magazine, there is an interview of him and he is asked what it means to him to be a Christian.  His answer:  "To me it means that Jesus died for my sins."  They would rather believe a candidate who is part of a cult that doesn't believe in the Trinity, that believes that men can be baptized for the dead, that believes the Book of Mormon is another inspired word of God - plus other non-Biblical beliefs.  I don't get it.

One more day and then I'll quit with my political ranting and raving!!!

But then what will I have to write about????

Another beautiful day

It's days like this that make me glad I live in Colorado - November 3 and it's warm and not a cloud in the sky!

My day started with going to the basketball game at the YMCA to watch my grandchildren play.  They are both on the same team, and their daddy is the coach.  Carly is the only girl on the team, and there are no girls on the opposing team.  Most of the kids really get into it and put everything into the game.  Carly made two baskets; Joey almost made several baskets, but I consoled him by telling him that he's the fastest runner on the team - which he is.  He is also the shortest player on the team, but he puts his whole heart into playing.  He, Carly and Daddy practice in the backyard every evening.  I'm really proud of Carly that she plays in spite of being the only girl, and she does well.

After that we went to the house for awhile; Joey played a Christmas song for me on the piano - he had just been given the song at yesterday's lesson, and he did really well.

After that we all went to the Chinese Children's Adoption International office where they were having their annual sale of gift merchandise.  We go there every year, and it's always fun.  This is the agency that is responsible for giving us those two beautiful grandchildren. 

Well, I guess I'm dammed.....
Mike Huckabee, the former pastor who ran for president in 2008, recently said in a published article, that anyone who votes for Obama is dammed.
I wonder who made him judge and jury?  How is he going to explain that statement to Jesus some day when he appears before the judgment seat of Christ?

Which leads me to one of my favorite topics - the matter of judging.  Why do we as Christians think God gave us the responsibility to judge everybody?  Jesus said "the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself."  He didn't say "the first and greatest commandment is to be judge of all those people around you who don't live by your standards."  In fact, in the Bible it says quite clearly "judge not lest you be judged". 

I grew up in an evironment where everyone was very judgmental, and I learned to also be judgmental.  I cringe now when I think of some of the things I have said through the years.  But I have come to realize that God put me on earth to love my neighbor instead of judging him or her.  I have a hard time being silent when I'm with a group of Christians and they are making such judgmental statements about people who have various types of what they classify as sin.  Our own sins are probably not so apparent to other people, but that doesn't give us any special kind of license to do the judging.  I remember the story in the Bible when someone was caught in sin and Jesus said "let him who is without sin, cast the first stone" and the crowd all dissipated when they heard those words.  It would take so much responsibility off our shoulders if we would just let God do the judging!

What's in a name?

When I was young, I enjoyed reading the comics about Lil' Orphan Annie and her dog whose name was Sandy.  It was an appropriate name for a shaggy looking dog.

All this week we've been hearing about hurricane Sandy.  Hardly an appropriate name for a storm that is turning out to be the worst in America's history.  It should have been named Jezebel or something in that order.

But the weather here in Colorado is wonderful.  Both yesterday and today, the temperatues have been in the 70's; in fact, as I was driving around today, I had to run the A/C in the car.  Unusual for November 1.

My day started with the Bible study at Bible Study Fellowship.  This is a weekly in-depth study that meets all over our country and other countries around the world.  We are studying the book of Genesis, and even though I grew up with the Bible, I am learning all kinds of new things.  There are six days of homework each week, so it does take some commitment to be in the class. 

After that I traveled into Denver to get a perm - it was very badly needed, as my last perm was a disaster and led me to change hairdressers.  I really enjoy the one who is doing my hair now, we have great discussions about politics because we both are registered as Independents and both of us spend time studying both sides in this campaign. 

President Obama was at his presidential best during the storm emergency this week.  So of course Romney wanted to get a photo op related to the storm; he went to a location where donations of food and other necessities were being processed and he was photographed holding a package of toilet paper.  If I wouldn't be a nice person, I would say that Romney and toilet paper are related....But I'm a nice person...

I found the following article on the CNN web site today, and I'm posting it here; I agree completely with him.

My Take: Billy Graham and Ralph Reed are putting politics before God

Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "The American Bible: How Our Words Unite, Divide, and Define a Nation," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.

By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN

(CNN)–Why are evangelicals like Billy Graham and Ralph Reed stumping for Mitt Romney? And why are roughly three-quarters of white evangelicals inclined to vote for him? 

Because politics matters more to them than religion. 

Last year, in a talk at a conference on Mormonism and Islam at Utah Valley University, I asked my Mormon listeners why they had not rushed to the defense of Muslims in controversies such as the one that raged over the Park51 project near ground zero. After all, they have been the victims of religious prejudice. Their founder, Joseph Smith, was killed by a mob of vigilantes.  Given this history, I expected that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as Mormons, would feel the sting of anti-Muslim prejudice and speak out against it. But neither Mitt Romney of the GOP nor Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of the Democratic Party did anything of the sort. In fact, Romney issued a statement opposing the construction of the Islamic center.

Why? Because they were thinking and acting as Republicans or Democrats first and Mormons second.

I see a parallel story playing out this election season with the religious right.

Until quite recently, many evangelicals saw Mormonism as a dangerous cult spreading false theology and dooming its followers to hell. In fact, only after Romney showed up for a meet and greet with Billy Graham in North Carolina earlier this month did the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association erase a reference to Mormonism as a “cult."

Did Mormons all of a sudden change their theology? Did Graham change his definition of a “cult”? Of course not. It just became politically expedient for Graham to declassify Mormonism, given the fact that Romney, a Mormon, was the presidential nominee of his beloved GOP.

Ralph Reed, too, is forsaking his theology for his politics, mobilizing his Atlanta-based Faith and Freedom Coalition to place voter guides in Ohio churches in the run-up to election day.

I am old enough to remember when the main purpose of Reed’s Christian Coalition and other groups on the religious right was to put born-again Christians in the Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court. And for decades those who were running those groups saw Mormons as non-Christians.

And don't get me started on Mike Huckabee, who in a recent ad says that a vote for Obama is a vote for your own damnation.

Have LDS Church members repudiated the Book of Mormon as “another testament of Jesus Christ” or their view that the Bible is the word of God only “as far as it is correctly translated”? Have they accepted the Trinity? Rejected their teaching that there are many gods?

As Ben Witherington, Albert Mohler, and many other evangelical thinkers continue to insist: no, no, and no.

CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories

I used to believe that the purpose of the religious right was to infuse American politics with Christian politicians and Christian politics. I no longer believe that. The purpose of the religious right is to use the Christian God for political purposes. Why any Christian, conservative or liberal, can say "Amen" to that is beyond me.

I am perfectly happy to see Reed stump for Romney in Ohio and Graham plump for Romney in an ad in The Wall Street Journal. Just don’t tell me they are doing so as Christians. They are doing so as shills for the GOP.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero.

Stephen Prothero - CNN Belief Blog contributor

So far, so good......

No one has disowned me yet after reading the last blog about my political thoughts...

After all, this is my blog and it's the place for my thoughts and beliefs..

I am continually amazed at what people say about the presidential candidates.  Recently during a committee meeting that I attended, one woman said "I don't know who to vote for - both of them are anti-christs!"

In this case, I would even defend Romney; even though I don't like him, he certainly can't be accused of being the anti-christ. 

But the Barack Obama that the Republicans are fighting against is entirely a figment of their imagination.  Their description of him is so far from the fact -- I just wonder who makes up all that stuff..

Some of my Republican friends cite the movie "Obama's America - 2016" as proof that he is not a Christian and that he has a plan to destroy America.  I haven't seen the movie, but I've researched it; it was made by a man who emigrated here from Mumbai and became very active in the far right political activities.  It would be as if someone from the far liberal left would make a movie about Romney.  And they call it a documentary.  I understand that in the movie, it states that Obama learned his hatred of America from his father.  That seems strange, since first of all - he doesn't hate America, but also - his father left the family when Barack was two years old, and there was contact with him only one time after that! 

In this month's issue of Oprah Winfrey's magazine, she interviewed both Mr. and Mrs. Obama, and Mr. and Mrs. Romney (not at the same time of course).  She asked Mr. Obama what it means to him that he is a Christian.  His reply:  "it means that Jesus died for my sins". 

But I'll get off that subject for a while.

Thursday evening we were invited to my daughter's home for a belated birthday dinner.  I stayed the night because I was going to babysit the next day -- the children had "fall break" from school.

Joey had to model his "great white shark" halloween costume.  It was so cute.  We always have so much fun together.  They are both taking piano lessons and doing very well;  the method this teacher uses is unlike any method I ever knew but it seems to be working well. 

On Thursday we had our first snow of the season - altogether we got about four or five inches of good, wet snow.  So thankful for the moisture!

An arrest.....

"Justice for Jessica" has been the motto of all the law enforcement agencies around here the last few weeks since the kidnapping, murder and dismembering of 10 year old Jessica Ridgeway.  Today they announced the arrest of a 17 year old boy as the person who did this horrible thing.  The rumor is that his mother called the police to turn him in.  Not only are the members of Jessica's family the victims, but this young man's mother is also a victim; as a mother, I can't imagine what she is going through.

This presidential campaign has just been awful and I'm glad that in 13 days it will be over.  I am registered as an Independent, and in past elections I have voted for the candidate I thought was best, regardless if he was a Republican or a Democrat.  However, after witnessing how awful the Republicans have treated President Obama the last four years, I don't think I could ever again vote for a Republican.  They say they are the party of "family values", but oh my goodness - they have worked so hard to fight anything the President wanted to do for the country these last four years, there has been complete gridlock in Congress because of the Republicans.  Never before has there been such a complete lack of cooperation, but of course the Republicans don't take responsibility for it. I don't see any "family values" in that. 

Then they blame the big financial deficit on Obama.  The truth is, that in January of 2001 when Bill Clinton left office, there was no deficit -- in fact there was a surplus - the largest surplus in the history of the country.  That's what George Bush inherited.  Eight years later in January of 2009 when George Bush left office, there was a deficit - and it was the largest deficit in the history of the country.  That's what Barack Obama inherited -- but now the Republicans are blaming the entire deficit on him. 

Just last Sunday, my Sunday School teacher said that Obama's administration has not stood by Israel - which seems to be a common complain of Republicans.  The truth is (and this can easily be researched on the internet) that Obama has done more for Israel that George Bush ever did, and Mr. Obama has been on record that he will always stand by Israel. 

But the Republicans don't want to know the truth.  It makes me so sad to say this, because most of my friends and family members are Republicans and I love them. 

During the Republican primary campaign, the Billy Graham Association came out opposed to Romney and stated that Mormonism is a cult.  Now that Romney is the Republican candidate, they have changed their mind and said that Mormonism is not a cult.  The Southern Baptist Convention did the same thing.  Isn't it strange how Christian organizations can change definitions because of the political candidate they prefer over the one that they hate.  So much for taking a stand.

It's also true that Romney is running on the platform of all abortion being wrong, but now he's flip-flopping to say that abortion in event of rape or incest is ok. 

In the presidential campaign debate the other night, Romney kept accusing Obama of attacking him.  That is really a case of the pot calling the kettle black!  Romney has been attacking Obama since the beginning of the campaign and still is constantly attacking him.

The strangest thing is about Ann Romney.  She no longer watches TV because all the campaign ads upset her and since she has MS, she is supposed to stay calm.  If her husband becomes president - does she think there will be no stress?  Does she think he won't get criticized?  Did her husband not think of her medical condition before he decided to run for president -- or did he not care?  I think it's very strange.

And today Donald Trump gave President Obama till October 31 at 5 pm to release all his college records and his passport.  No other presidential candidate has ever before been asked to release college records.  And Mr. Romney hasn't even released more than two years of his tax returns - when even his father released many years of his.  Mr. Obama was a professor of constitutional law at Chicago University -- and he would never have gotten that position if there was any problem with his college transcript.  It's just not possible.  Donald Trump has just made a laughing stock of himself -- again!

OK, I feel a little better now for getting this out of my system!

The Presidential Suite

Some time ago, we had received a gift certificate for a free night's stay in the presidential suite of one of the local luxury hotels, and since yesterday was my birthday, we decided to use the gift and see what a presidential suite might be like. 

The suite was located on the 11th floor of the hotel - it was a secure floor, you could only access it with a key.  Looking out from the balcony, we saw the Denver skyline against the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

We were told that Mitt Romney stayed in this suite during one of his recent visits to Denver, but in spite of that, it was very nice.  Spacious - oh my goodness, I think the entire suite was larger than our whole house!  The sign on the back of the door said that the nightly rate was $1,500, but I know the person who gave us this gift purchased it at a charity auction, so I'm sure it was for much less.

And finally - sunset over the Rockies.....

The gift certificate included a wonderful dinner in the hotel dining room.  In my opinion, the true value of a hotel can be judged by its mattress and its towels, and the hotel scored A+ on both of these.  But after this - it will be back to Holiday Inns again!