Merry Christmas

The Mackin kids in their PJ's from Santa. 8 )

Me and the girls at the Minden Courthouse.

Sweet Mally cuddling on the couch with her Santa hat on.

Miss Keaton ready for her School Christmas Concert.

Our Adult Couple Bible Study group out for a night out to celebrate each other as friends.

Me, Keaton, my mom, my Grandma and Great Aunt (taking Tina's place) at our annual Christmas outing, a Christmas dinner and musical in Hastings.

Me and some friends for our book club Christmas outing-saw a Christmas Jazz show at the Red Cloud Opera House.

Whew, it has been a busy month and it is hard to believe that it is almost 2010! We had a very Merry Christmas, even though we endured a blizzard on Christmas day! We were blessed to still be able to be together, I know many families were unable to do so because of the weather. We have one more Christmas this Saturday at my moms and then sadly, the Christmas festivities will be over. 8 ( Above are some of highlights of our Christmas festivities. I am so incredibly blessed to have such amazing friends and family to celebrate the season, specifically God's love for all of us. Those times are more special to me--more special than the presents and all of that.

So here is to good friends and amazing family and more important than anything, God's love forus and for Him sending Jesus to this earth to be our Savior. May God bless you all.

Halloween

Halloween was a blast this year! Each year we do something a little different...sometimes we bake and decorate cookies, sometimes we paint pumkins...this year we did the traditional carving of the pumkins. Keaton did a great job drawing the faces (and other marvelous works of art) and while apprehensive at first about cleaning the "goo" out of the pumkins, came to enjoy that as well. Mallory wouldn't touch the insides, but had fun observing the process. Of course, Dan can always make these occassions fun...he is the best dad. 8 ) Look at the faces on those girls...true joy.

On Halloween itself, we first went to the Hastings Downtown Trick-or-Treating event and while a bit chaotic, it was fun. After supper we went trick-or-treating in Blue Hill (which was nice we got to see both grandparents since my mom went with us in Hastings). We met up with some friends and trick-or-treated all over town. The weather was beautiful...just an overall super fun day. And it didn't help AT ALL that the girls were adorable in their costumes. 8 ) Both girls LOVE Wizard of Oz so Keaton was Dorothy and Mallory was a munchkin. They both played their parts well. 8 )

Workbox by The Original Scrapbox

I just became an affiliate for The Original Scrapbox. They have a great deal! If you click on the link and purchase the Workbox, you can get $100 off shipping! Just type in "100ship" at checkout. If you are looking for a piece to organize your scrapbook products and to give you a place to scrapbook, this is a great option! Notice too how when it closes, it hides everything!

The Workbox: Knotty Alder Raised Panel Craft Storage Furniture - $ 1495.00 High-end craft furniture on wheels folds up into a and comes with a collapsible work table and adjustable shelves. Dimensions 31d"x36w"x72h" includes 85 canvas totes and 20 clear zipper pouches in 3 sizes.

A new (but exciting) journey...

This building (not so pretty now...) will soon hold a dream of mine I have had for a long time-a scrapbooking store. A scrapbooking store owned by me. And really, it all happened so fast. About 3 weeks ago, Carisa (my cousin and friend who owns a photography business) saw the "Price Reduced" sign, inqured about it, and just a few weeks later, well...we OWN it! In fact, we just closed on it Friday. This is something we have talked about for years. Now, it is finally a reality.

It is a good sized building-about 2400 square feet. It is built in 2 sections-the larger back section will hold Carisa's photography studio and my crop space, and the front room will be the store. It needs a LOT of work-it has been sitting empty for many years. We are in the process of hiring a roofer to fix the roof (lots of leaks, etc) and it will take off from there. Carisa's husband will do a good portion of the work to fix it up (he is an electrician, but is very handy in all areas). Me and Carisa plan to get our hands dirty as well, we want to do as much by ourselves as we can. It is going to be a fun, but hard process as we work to get the building in good working order.

While it happened very fast, I have been spending a TON of time thinking about how this will change my life and the life of my family. The comforting thing is that the building is literally ONE block from my house. We plan to have a little sectioned off area for the kids to hang out/play/do homework, etc. so I foresee my girls spending a lot of time with me at the store. If that were not the case, I would not be embarking on this at this point in my life. Because I want to cherish this time with my kids as much as possible. Then-the question about opening a store in such a small town (rather than Hastings)-it isn't ideal from a retail point of view, but I plan on having a lot of scheduled activities/crops/classes, etc that (I hope) will bring people here. I am also going to do an online store, so the two together will hopefully move inventory.

It is all very risky and every other day brings about a new doubt or reason to be nervous, but then I remember-if I don't do it now, I may never do it. When will I get a chance again to purchase some real estate at such a low cost? And if it doesn't work, either financially or with my family's schedule, I can always sell it or close it...and try again later in life.

I will be posting photos of the 'fix-up' process on my Memories~To~Cherish Facebook page. You can be a Fan and have access to the page if you want to see them. I will also try to update regularly on here too.

Here's to a new adventure!!! 8 )

I have a kindergartner.

I can't believe my baby is in kindergarten already. Man, how time flies. (She actually started last Monday, I am a little slow posting). She is loving it. I knew she would. Of course, I am still in disbelief. So proud of her, but in disbelief that she is so grown up. She is going to the big school with the big kids, holding her own lunch tray, getting actual grades on her papers...can't believe we are "here" already. Hence the reason why it is so important to cherish today. Cherish every moment, as the moments fly by way too fast.

God bless my "baby girl"-I suppose I should start calling her my "big girl" now...naaahhh. She will always be my baby.

September Scrapalooza!!!

I am so excited for this event! I am holding a scrapbooking event called "September Scrapalooza" here in Blue Hill, which is taking place the second weekend of September. It will include making a super cute Mini-Tag Album, an "Intro to Scrapbooking" Class, 10 hours of cropping, and some shopping!!!

The class for the Mini-Album is being held at my home the Thurs and Fri evenings (10th & 11th) and participants only have to come one evening. There are limited spots for this class, so anyone interested should sign up now!!!

The Intro to Scrapbooking Class is Saturday morning, 9:30AM-12Noon at the Blue Hill Community Center and while it focuses on those who are wanting to get started in this amazing hobby, it is really good for anyone who scrapbooks, no matter the age or the amount of time they have been scrapbooking. The reason being I will also be providing some inspiration and having a discussion about what our motivation should be when we scrapbook...a way to think a little differently about the hobby.

The Crop will also be held at the Community Center from 1-11:00PM on Saturday. Anyone can bring their supplies and scrapbook to their hearts desire! I will be holding some free drawings, and will also have a mini-store of some really fun supplies there as well! So even if you can't crop, you can hop in and so some shopping!!!

If anyone has any questions, please let me know!!!

New Political Blog

FYI-I have decided to create a new blog in which I can vent my "politics" so that this blog can be for those who just want to keep up with my family, scrapbooking, etc. and not have to sift thru the political blogs...I have not had any complaints or anything like that, but thought that this way, people interested in my political views can still view that blog separately. Mostly, I have it just to vent-I must get it out of my system so that I don't explode. 8 ) For me, typing my thoughts out is therapeutic, and that is the main purpose of this blog:

http://nicmackinpolitics.blogspot.com

10 Years Ago Today...

Ten years ago today, I experienced one of the scariest days in my life: a horrible car accident that thanks to God above, me and my friend Kelly lived through. A man ran a stop sign as we were on our way to Norfolk to a wedding, sending our car across 3 lanes of traffic and far into a ditch. I was driving and was sure that when I looked over after the car came to a stop that I was sure to find my friend seriously injured or even dead, as it hit her side. Thank God she was not. She was concsious, bleeding and had the car embedded on her legs, but conscious. We landed outside of a pizza hut (Madison, NE), and the customers in there came to our assistance within seconds. A man gave Kelly the shirt off his back to press to her bleeding head. In the whirlwind of it all, she took my hand and started to pray (that is how amazing and committed she is). Shortly before the ambulance got there, I noticed something was seriously wrong. My stomach was starting to bloat and I started to "black out"-I remained fully conscious but when my eyes were wide open, all I saw was black. But when I heard the voice of the paramedics, my sight came back...I think because I knew help was there, it was going to be okay. They transferred us by ambulance (lights, sirens and all) to the Norfolk hospital and after some tests were completed and while Kelly was getting treated for her numerous injuries, they found out I was bleeding internally and would need to be life-flighted to Omaha. As if I wasn't scared enuf already...I was transported to the helicopter by myself-having to say a tearful and fearful goodbye to Kelly, her mom and some of our NCC friends that had gotten there. I was helicoptered to Omaha and kept there for a few days, some of them in ICU to monitor the internal damage to my liver and spleen. I also broke my left wrist, had a deep cut from my seatbelt (which saved our lives, I am sure!) and some other strained muscles. This is not to mention the amount of windshield glass I had all over my body-in my mouth, etc. In the following days, I had the most amazing support from my family and friends-some who traveled many miles to visit me. And of course, my now husband, Dan-who drove back and forth numerous times during that week to stay by my side.
I am indebted to those amazing EMT's and doctors who tended to us that day, as well as the citizens who stayed by our side thru the chaos. We came to find out later that our car actually started on fire not long after the jaws of life got Kelly and I out. Also that the impact of the accident actually made a cut into the cement on the highway. Also found out out the other driver had been thrown out of his car, but walked away with a broken arm.
And I must mention my parents, because what a dreadful day for them-one to receive that phone call, but then after a 3 hour drive to arrive at Norfolk to be told I was no longer there and that they needed to drive a few more hours to Omaha before they could get to their little girl to comfort her. A parents worst nightmare, I am sure.
The outcome of this day could have been a LOT worse-I believe God was watching out for us-I believe that we did not roll and that there were no other cars in the 3 lanes we crossed because He had a plan for us to stay on this earth longer. Had those things occurred, it would have been a (potential) tragedy. While it has been 10 years to this day, I must remind myself everyday that God kept me here for a reason....I must not let Him down. I think of this day often-sometimes to remind myself of how lucky and blessed I am, but sometimes because I simply can't get that moment of impact out of my head. I can close my eyes and relive it in an instant. It sticks with you forever. And that is okay-becuase while I may be a very paranoid driver sometimes (especially if I see drivers making fast stops to my right at intersections, my heart seriously starts to pound), and my heart skips a beat when I see an ambulance, I am okay having those reactions because it keeps it real. It reminds me that we will not be here forever and so while I am here, I need to do the right things. The things that honor God and his goodness. Something I strive for every day.

Why Politics?

I am currently taking a scrapbooking class at Big Picture (www.bigpicture.com) that is about documenting "me"-my family, my hobbies, etc...a little weird to do as you get used to scrapbooking your kids, etc. but great to do so that I can be documented FOR them as well. Anyway, one of the challenges is to scrapbook about my politics and while I have been thinking about how I want to approach that page, I have been thinking deeply about why I am so into politics right now and why I have chosen to be so outspoken about my beliefs:

In the last few weeks, I have noticed that I have lost about 4 Facebook friends-one I know for sure because of my political posts (blogged about that a while back-he was extremely mean too! Totally unnecessary!) and I am not sure of the others, but the assumption is pretty safe. That is all fine and dandy-I don't care now, but at first my thoughts were that maybe I should stop posting political posts, stories, etc. because I was losing those friends. But then I realized that it should not matter. And here is why:

It is my duty as an American to stand up for this country and the values that it was founded upon. My DUTY. This country has gone so far from where the founding fathers could have ever imagined and it is time to bring back the traditional values in which they believed in and implemented within the Constitution. It is my duty to point out that President Obama is implementing policy and debt that is extremely harmful to our country and future generations. The way I have chosen to do this is thru facebook/twitter/blog because TOO many people out there are uninformed and if something I write will spark the interest, it is totally worth losing FB friends. Take the last election-Obama was elected because he was a rock star, because he was cool, and was going to be the "1st black President." He was elected because the media had done such a good job at annhilating President Bush (hope and change!) and Sarah Palin (stupid conservative), and lifting up Senator Obama (like a god). The media did not question Obama on ANYTHING. I guarantee if every voter truly knew his record, his ideology, his plans for our country-he would not have been voted into office. TOO MANY ARE UNINFORMED!

However, the tide is turning. As more Americans are paying attention, his poll numbers are decreasing greatly. He is losing support and confidence because it has finally become obvious how radical left he really is. It has become obvious that he is not a miracle worker, but the opposite-he is implementing policies with the beliefs that we should spend more money to avoid bankruptcy (stimulus is failing, plus has never worked!), policies like Nationalized health care (not working in other countries, or in Massachusettes for that matter!), and Cap and Trade (also not working in other countries, or states like California within our own country!) all making things worse in this great country of ours.

So while I am not the type to run for an office, this is how I have chosen to get my opinions out-out of a sense of obligation to this great country. I am not mean about it (sometimes passionate, but not mean), I still respect President Obama and pray for him as our President, but I feel that if I can do a little to inform those who may not be so informed, then it is all good-even if I lose some friends in the process. After all, if they can't summon up the courage to have a decent debate, or even just have the ability to simply ignore the posts and look past my politics-then were they really a friend?

This is why I scrapbook.

I am currently taking an online scrapbooking class (bigpicturescrapbooking.com) that is about using vintage supplies for scrapbook pages. One of the challenges was to use a vintage milk cap, and that challenge led me to make this page. This photo is of the Gardner farm in Bloomington, Nebraska. My great-grandfather Charles Gardner built this house, and my Grandfather and father both grew up in this house. I spent a lot of time in this house, until my Grandfather passed away and the farm sadly left the family. It is approximately 100 years old. In talking to my mom about the history of the house, it led us to talk about other details of the lives of my great-grandparents, reasons why they settled in Bloomington, etc. and that, my friends, is why I scrapbook. To keep these memories alive. To keep my ancestors and their accomplishments alive. To relive special times in my own personal history. Love this amazing hobby.

Hypocricy

The word "hypocricy" has been used in the news a lot lately. While I don't know if I have it spelled right (it just doesn't look right, does it?), I want to point out a few things:

Yes-Governor Sanford is a hypocrite in preaching family values, in preaching against Clinton when he had his affair, etc by having an affair himself. But he is human. He is a sinner, like ALL of us. What cracks me up is that for the left and the media, it is better to be one of no values than to be one of values, who will inevitably fall. Sounds a little backwards right?

Well, hypocricy just doesn't apply to all of the politicians that are cheating on their spouses...remember, they are on BOTH sides of the isle. The IMPORTANT hypocricy that should be pointed out right now should be that of the Obama administration and liberal side of the aisle.

For instance...there are numerous stories right now of left wingers (in government and media) calling Conservatives "terrorists" and that the Repubs who voted against Cap & Trade committed "treason." Huh? What happened to dissent being okay? What about the democrats (30) who voted against it? All thru the Bush admin. the left fought for the right to protest (over and over and over and over) the Iraq War because dissent is "healthy" and "patriotic." So, it's not now that the Repubs are the ones dissenting? Not just on Cap and Trade, but on most of Obama's very liberal, radical policies? Hypocritical? Yup.

What about this transparency thing? Obama constantly nailed Bush for not having a transparent administration, and promised one throughout his campaign. And while it feels like he is transparent because he is on TV ALL the time...he isn't. Take for example the Stimulus bill and the Cap and Trade bill...both completed and rushed to vote without anyone getting a chance to actually READ them! The Cap and Trade bill-was 1500 pages and was not released until the afternoon before the day of the vote. Then, at 3am, a 300 page ammendment was added! Transparency? The Republicans didn't even get a chance to read the darn bill! Obama promised all legislation would be out to the American public 5 days before it was voted on, so we would have a chance to give feedback to our congressmen/women. Not happening. Remember the whole AIG thing with the bonuses? Well, that was in the Stimulus bill-that they would still get the bonuses...yet when it happens, AIG gets lambasted. No-not the Congress who didn't read and passed the bill okaying the bonuses, but the poor CEO who volunteered to work for a $1/year to get the company back on track. Ridiculous!

More hypocricy? Feminism. The feminist movement thru the years has boasted of their ability to be a voice for women. To help women climb the ladder and to fight sexual discrimination. Then came Sarah Palin and Carrie Prejean. These women were lambasted by the press, by liberal bloggers, by people like David Lettermen...Where were all of the feminists out there to stick up for them? The National Organization for women? Lately, there was also a controversy over an article on Playboy's website, where one of the male writers made a "Conservative Women Hatef--- list", simulating the rape of 10 high profile Conservative women. Again, where were the feminists? Silent. If these women had been liberals, the media and the women organizations would have been up in arms. Do you know who has stuck up for the above mentioned women? Men. Yep-men. Men like Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly...Interesting-aren't white men the root of all evil?

More hypocricy? Supreme Justices...it was totally okay for the left to completely annhialate Conservative nominees, using race and other personal attacks to denigrate them. Yet, when the right questions Sotomayor's past comments and evidence where she uses race as a factor in her decisions, the Republicans are lambasted for bringing it up! She also said that she was outright more capable of making right decisions because of her race and her background. If a Republican nominee said this, can you imagine!!!

More hypocricy? The liberals KEEP talking about slavery and how bad our country is because of this horrible part of our past. In fact, Congress just passed another formal apology for slavery in this last session (they have time for this???). YET-while slavery was horrible, these same people fight for the right to kill babies via abortion. With slavery-a war was fought, Martin Luther King, JR. and others stood up and were able to verbalize and fight for their rights...which thru the civil rights movement, they got. These babies don't have a voice. And they are being MURDERED, not just enslaved and denied rights. They are being denied the right to LIVE. Look at the babies Dr. Tiller was killing-they were late term and could have lived outside of the womb at the time they were aborted! And this is legal! Back then slavery was legal-not right, but legal. It was the way of life then. Well, now, abortion is part of our culture and I can't believe that people don't see the hypocricy in being okay with one and not the other.

Ok-last one. The ACLU-a very liberal organization who on a very regular basis only fights for causes that helps the liberal agenda. They are up in arms about the interrogation photos, blah, blah, blah...and very much against the enhanced interrogation. However, I have yet to hear a solution?? Rather than catch the terrorists and interrogate them, should we just shoot them then (since they are caught in the middle of a war)??? Human rights? Do you have more rights when you are alive and being interrogated or when you are dead? If that is not their answer, then what should our armed forces do? Let them go? Arrest them, read them Miranda rights, then (as would happen in this situation) let them go? Let them go to help plan their next attack? In Bill O'Reilly's book, Culture Warrior, he talks about numerous cases of hypocricy where the ACLU sticks up for the rapists instead of the responsible parents, etc.--very hypocritical, like NOW, in that they only speak out for liberal causes, and leave the conservative ones in the dust.

So...enuf of Sanford...he made a mistake and it is between him and his family. Leave him alone. Want to talk hypocricy within our government? Lets talk about real issues. Real issues that affect lives of all Americans. We need to take our "Obama" blinders off. We need to pay attention to the lies we are being told on a daily basis. We need to be aware of the outstanding amount of corruption happening right now-ha! that is a whole other post (ACORN, numerous members of congress up to their necks in corruption...) We need to stand up and fight against the hypocricy that is out there!!!

In love with this photo...

In love with this photo...I don't know if it is because it is a close up, or if it's her gorgeous eyes...but I am glad I picked up the camera and caught this sweet face. Love you Mallory!!!

Fathers Day

Yesterday ended up being a pretty busy day, but I wanted to go ahead and write a quick note thanking the 3 amazing fathers in my life: my Heavenly Father, my earthly father, and the father of my 2 beautiful girls. First, I want to note how lucky I am to have the best husband and the greatest father to Keaton and Mallory. Dan is truly amazing and I am very blessed to have him in my life. The girls adore him and the reason why is obvious!

Secondly, while my time with my dad was waaay too short, I am blessed to have had him as my father. He was amazing-kind, funny, dedicated, a hero in many, many ways. I miss him so much and look forward to the day where I will see him again.

Lastly and most importantly, I want to thank God, my ultimate Father for all of the blessings in my life, especially the 2 wonderful individuals mentioned above. I am so very blessed.

Valuable Lesson from BAD TV show...

I just caught a few minutes of the show "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here" and realized something interesting...that like the settlers in Jamestown, the participants are learning one lesson: socialism does not work. A couple of them were complaining about how a couple were doing all of the work, yet they all had equal access to the fire, food, etc. Wow. Such a profound concept on what I consider a pretty bad TV show...because when this happens, chaos ensues...in Jamestown it was the same way. All of the settlers shared equally the fruits of the labor--the problem was that some of them got lazy and realized "hey, why should I work hard, I still get the same amount of food no matter what I do"-thus a small portion of the settlers ended up doing all the work, yet not getting any increase in their result...sound familiar (taxes)???

This mindset is where we are heading with the "redistribution of wealth" philosophy. People who are working hard to earn what they have will be punished monetarily in order to provide for those who do not have as much. Now, I am not saying that the poor do not deserve assistance---but what if they are drug addicts or gambling addicts? Should my money be going to them with no limitation??? Is that truly helping them??? NO-what helps these people is teaching them personal responsbility. Teaching them how to work hard to earn what they want. Teaching them that taking the easy way out is not always the best way out.

President Obama, as he showed during the campaign, believes in the "share the wealth" philosophy...do we not learn from history??? From other countries??? Socialism fails every time, yet that is where our country is heading. This truly worries me-with all of the bailouts, ownership of car companies and enlargement of government...our country is heading in a dangerous direction.

Tolerance

Ok, so as I have become interested in politics these last few years, one of the words I have heard often is "tolerance." Generally a word the liberals use to describe themselves. Tolerance is what it is about-of homosexuals, of different races, etc. While it sounds all fine and dandy-I have found one thing-they aren't as tolerant as they seem. They aren't tolerent of Christianity or religion. They aren't tolerant of those who have opposing viewpoints or disagree with their world view. In fact, if their view is opposed-those that don't agree become bigots and no longer is tolerance the way to go.

This has become very clear in the media lately in the case of Miss California. She was viciously attacked because of her view on gay marriage. What happened to tolerance? Is she not entitled to her own opinion? her own view? She was very respectful, did not put down the gay and lesbian community-she just simple stated her belief-which is the same belief of President Obama and a majority of Americans. But where was the ACLU? The National Organization for Women? Oh yeah-they are liberal organizations and will only stick up for the person if they agree with their philosophies.

I have been very aware of this "culture war" for a long time-thanks to Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and those that shed light on this hatred of opposing viewpoints. I have said from day one that I will not treat Obama as Bush was treated. Man, he was HATED and constantly demeaned-and then it was okay to dissent-oh, but not now!!! Now, dissent is "intolerant"-we are racist and stupid if we don't agree with Obama and his policies! And if we approved of President Bush-oh man, watch out!!!

This is on my mind because yesterday I decided to "commentate" the Obama and Cheney security speeches on twitter (which then updates my facebook status). This issue has been very appealing to me for some reason-9/11 impacted me greatly and national security is a very important issue. Anyway, at the end, one of my final posts was a thanks to Pres. Bush, VP Cheney and the Troops for keeping us safe since 9/11. And I got a response...from a liberal. And you know what-I don't mind disagreement, I don't mind opposing viewpoints...I welcome it actually because I would love to have a civil debate on the issues. But the response was hateful-about how Pres. Bush did nothing, blah blah blah...and it ended with "screw bush"-then that person updated his status to say he hated stupidity and people who choose what they want to hear versus what is actually being said, etc-obviously responding to me. This is exactly what I am talking about-tolerant unless you don't agree with their world view. All of the sudden I became stupid because I supported the Bush Adm. No way did I know what I was talking about...after all I have not only self-schooled myself on politics and all that surrounds it for the last 7 years...After I wrote a strong but respectul response, he deleted his-fine. I know that people who are that far left can't be swayed or argued with. As O'Reilly says-"walk away." But I'd like the anwer to one question-what happened to that "tolerance" word. Do I not have the right to voice my opinion on MY facebook page? On MY twitter account??? It was a simple thank you message-not even a message that is controversial!

I struggled for a long time on whether or not to tackle political issues and stories on facebook, twitter, etc. And I ultimately decided "why not?" It is something I am passionate about and why hide my views? Yes, politics can be controversial, etc. but you don't have to read the stories I post or the opinions I express...I just find it funny when those that don't agree respond with hate versus intellect.

On a funny note-this was the same person who posted that the Twilight series sucked and that I should not read them. After I read all 4 books in a week, I knew we were obviously of different minds. 8 )

So my main message is this-we are all going to disagree at some point, can't we just do it in a civil manner? Do you have to tear down those who disagree with you?

5 Years...

I recently did this fun mini-album for a Big Picture class and it led me to reflect on Keaton's first 5 years. It was sooo fun documenting her thru the years!!! Some of my reflections (in no particular order)
-She was a "nursing baby" in that she wanted to nurse all of the time!

-She was a good baby-very content (once we got the nursing schedule under control).

-It took us a while to get her to sleep in her own bed, but that was more our fault than hers. 8 )

-She was and is a fast learner-the abc's, numbers, actually memorizing books...now we have moved on to writing, tying shoes, and cleaning her room. 8 )

-From day 1, she has been the sweetest thing. She randomly tells us she loves us all the time and is a snuggler too!

-She despises the car wash!!!

-She is just funny (got that from her dad)-a lot of "Keatonisms" that I have documented thru the years...all of her preschooler teachers have mentioned that she cracks them up on a daily basis. I hope her kindergarten teacher is ready for her...LOL

-She is very creative-she loves to paint, make crafts and NOW...scrapbook! Ha, Dan is loving that!!! 8 ) Right now she is into card making, she makes cards for us, her friends...in fact, they are taking over our house!

-She has 2 best friends (Ellie and India) and it is going to be so much fun watching them grow up together! Hopefully they don't get into too much trouble!!!

Just some random thoughts. She is growing up waaaay too fast, but each new "stage" brings with it a new set of joys. Love this girl!!!

Busy, busy...

May just started and it has been a busy month so far!!! Keaton graduated from Preschool, our god-son Joe received his first communion, Keaton had her pre-K physical (shots-didn't go over so well, but ice cream at Dairy Queen afterword made it all ok!), Dan started golf league, we had our last Couples Bible Study session (until the fall), and oh-last weekend was "National Scrapbooking Day", so that means some fun scrapbook shopping on QVC. 8 ) Ok, the last part there wasn't so "busy" but something I look forward to every year. 8 ) I did get to scrapbook some last weekend-did a little mini album that I need to put some finishing touches on, but mostly I have been working on a graduation album I am doing for my sister-in-law. It is a gift for her nephew who graduates in a couple weeks and I will be going to Denver next weekend to take it to her...and to spend the weekend with Angie to scrapbook and hang out-can't wait!!! 8 )

The next few weeks are also full of rehearsals, pictures, etc of Keaton's first ballet/tap recital which is at the end of this month. It is going to be super cute, will definetely post pictures!!! Hopefully she will do as good as she did at her graduation performance-performed like a pro, not too nervous or anything!!! What a difference a year makes! Last year, she just stood up there and would hardly move! 8 )

I have been a bit under the weather these last couple weeks (of course it started the day that Dan left to be gone for 6 days!!!). Now, I think what is still hanging on is actually allergy related. Weird. I have never had allergies. I took an allergy pill last night and it completely knocked me out, so I will just have to live with the "fullness", plugged ears, and cough. Oh well. It could be worse.

My last couple posts have been politically motivated...or you could say frustration-motivated. Part of my daily routine is to watch the news, and occasionally to listen to Rush and Hannity on the rado. I joke with Dan about how I am a stay at home mom who chooses to watch Fox News over soap operas. 8 ) But actually, politics is its own soap opera...you have secret love affairs, corruption, greed, money...all of the things that make up a bad soap opera. On a serious note though...I am really frustrated with the Obama administration and the way they are handling, well...everything. He is so extremely radical and while he can talk smoothly (with a teleprompter anyway), his views are farther left of most of Americans. I just hope Republicans can win back some seats next year. And all of this talk about the Repubs being too far to the right-that is nonsense!! Of course the Dems want us to move left...because then we would be Democrats!!! I know it would be ideal for us all to just give up and agree with the Democrats, make it a one party system-but that is not good for the country! I laugh when they say we are a party of "no"-well, the conservative ideology and philosophy is completely opposite of that of the left, so of course the Repubs are going to oppose their policies!!! And why are they complaining? They pretty much have full control now! Oh, and can't one make the argument that the right has not moved farther right (which is not true, look at Reagan!), but that the left has become more liberal??? I could definetely make that argument. And the sad thing is-the consistent trend is the more liberal, the more intolerant (funny being they are the party of tolerance...unless it is about religion or about disagreeing with their world view) and the more hateful. Look at what is happening to Carry Prejean (Miss California). I post almost a story a day (and could do many more) on my facebook account that shows how crazy things are right now in the political realm. (I generally use thefoxnation.com which is a great website for news-but also check out CNN and other news organizations on a regular basis).

Well, I will quit the "soapbox"-8 ) I should probably go get dressed for the day-after all, it is only 11:00. ha ha. I love days when we have nothing going on!

My Head is Going to Explode!

Does anyone else find these things a little, well...hypocritical, dangerous, BAD!?

Pres. Obama repeatedly says he just wants to look forward, but then chooses to release Top Secret documents from the Bush administration. These documents talk about various methods of enhanced interrogation techniques that were used after 9/11 and are now considered torture by the current administration-techniques that were used of last resort and only for those the CIA knew had information that could possibly lead to a second 9/11. While the definition of "torture" can be debated, the main question is why were these released? Why would we put this info out there for the terrorists to get? We basically just gave them more info for their training manual. If Pres. Obama was telling the truth, "moving forward" would mean "we no longer torture and that is the end of that." Instead, he makes our national security political. Nice. Apparently he has not yet realized that Bush is no longer in power-he is the President now, why waste time making the last admin. look bad when you have so many other things to worry about???

Besides the issue of hurting our security, what good is our CIA if they are going to be constantly worried about being prosecuted for what they do as part of their JOB? Obama initially said that they were not going to prosecute those that had carried out the techniques, Rahm Emmanuel said that they were not going to prosecute those that drafted the memos either. Today-complete opposite story. Now, there is a possibility that these people will be prosecuted. This is so incredibly disturbing, on so many levels:

1. They released these memos talking about the methods we used, but so far have refused to release the memos that talk about the great intelligence we got from them. VP Cheney has called them out on this and righfully so. I had read somewhere that there were 30+ terrorist attacks that were thwarted as a result of info we got from these interrogations and that 50% of the info we have on Al Qaeda is from these interrogations. What would have happened of there had been another attack on our country? Easy-Pres. Bush would have been blamed for not doing enuf to protect us. Why won't the Obama admin. put this info out? Don't the American people deserve the entire story? Shouldn't we have access to all of the information instead of what was cherry picked by Obama? This is absolutely outrageous!!

2. What about members of Congress who knew about and approved the techniques? Including Nancy Pelosi? Will she be prosecuted? Hmmm...I can guess the answer to that.

3. This type of stuff is exactly what Clinton did-he tied the hands of the CIA behind their back, and as a result, we were not able to prevent 9/11. Do we not learn from history? I said this before, but if the CIA has this constant fear of being prosecuted, they are not going to be able to do their job. Our intelligence is going to be hurt greatly, I truly believe that.

4. For Obama to completely take any of these techniques off the table is a huge mistake! What happens in this scenario (which is extremely realistic)-Intelligence finds out a terrorist got across the border with a WMD-one that could kill thousands of Americans. They know of some of his cohorts that are in Gitmo, and are pretty sure they probably know where this person is going...are you telling me we are going to get info from them by being all sweet and cuddly??? What happens when we have just hours or minutes and need to get information fast. Plain and simple, we are screwed. I am not saying we should torture, but I don't believe the techniques in those memos are torture. Not to mention-do the terrorists abide by the Geneva convention when they have an American prisoner??? Ummm...I don't think so.

Paired with Obama's world "apology" tour and his sucking up to various dictators and tyrants around the world, I believe we are extremely weak right now. Our president looks weak, our country looks weak. Terrorists around the world are celebrating today. He says we lost "moral bearing" using these tactics-isn't just about every policy he has instituted pretty much "non-moral bearing"? How is it that he chooses what ways the US can be "moral"? Oh yeah-only when it makes him look good and Bush (or any Republican for that matter) look bad.

How is it that he is more harsh toward peple like Hannity and Rush than he is toward people like Chavez and the Saudi King? How is it that he allows these dictators to blame us for all of their problems when it is the decisions they have made that have led to their demise? How is it that he can go overseas and talk about how our past is sooo horrible (not any more horrible that the past of any other country, by the way) but refuses to mention all of the tremendous good we have done and continue to do in this world? He says we should be on an equal level to these countries--but we aren't equal!!! They are run by dictators who kill people who don't agree with them! They run drug dealing operations! They take money and food they get for the people and don't actually give it to the people! And many of these dictators-in the last week have laughed at, made a fool of, or have spoken negatively about President Obama. Apparently the sucking up didn't work so much...

How is it that the administration puts out a memo warning law enforcement of the increased chance that right wing extremists (according the media, this would include all of those who attended the tea parties) are a danger, especially those who have fought for our country? With no evidence. None. (Then today-a domestic terrorist is added to the FBI's Most Wanted List-he is a left-winger. )

How is it that NBC has an interview with Janine Garafalo (sp?) who says all those who attended the tea parties are racists who just can't stand that we have a black president. And the interview (Olberman, of course) agreed with her wholeheartedly (again, great example of objective journalism)? NBC/GE is corrupt on soooo many levels and is in the President's pockets.

How is it that the President couldn't even acknowledge the thousands of Americans who are truly concerned about their country-the estimates range from 300,000 to 750,000 people came out that day. Those are not small numbers-and I can guarantee that were millions who would have been at one if they could have. Everyone from the media to Nancy Pelosi to the President dismissed them and even made fun of them. Shameful. Apparently, dissent is only okay if it is against the right.

I am one frustrated American. And while I probably pay too much attention to this stuff, I can't help it. Everyday, there is something that makes my head want to explode. Is he naive? Is the really that liberal? Does he think like Reverend Wright and William Ayers? (Which no one but Fox would cover during the camaign). Apparently so. I just hope people will pay attention and make some smart choices when it comes time to elect our representatives...and our next president. I am scared where we will be if we allow more than 4 years of this.

Tea Parties and Media Bias

I just came across some news videos on NBC and CNN (completely lost any respect I did have for Anderson Cooper) that completely ripped on the Tea Parties happening today (that had HUGE crowds of average Americans all over the nation!). Not only were the reports completely nonfactual, but they were extremely condescending and ignorant (which is unfortunately extremely typical).
Myth #1: The mainstream media and the liberal press (pretty much the same thing) keeps saying the Tea Party protests are a conservative movement. Wrong-the protests had Republicans, Democrats, and Independents invloved and they happened all over the nation.

Myth #2: The protests are just protesting Obama, but these people didn't say anything when the Republicans were in power and increased our deficit. Wrong-the anger is toward ALL govt, both parties for being fiscally irresponsible, for the bailouts, the earmarks...the blame lies on both sides, but with the Obama admin. it just keeps getting worse. Our govt. is spending outrageously right now and our kids and grandkids are going to be paying the bill.

Myth #3: That these protests are stupid because they are trying to mimick the Boston Tea Party which was about taxing without representation (and that our taxes aren't increasing anyway). Wrong-the Boston Tea Party encouraged the initial sentiment of protesting tax-related issues, but again, the protests are about our congressmen/women not listening to the people who hired them, about fiscal irresponsibility with our tax money, with the outrageous spending that will inevitably have to increase our taxes at some point (even the taxes on the rich will not provide enuf money!), and the "secret" way Obama is increasing our taxes-maybe not thru our paychecks (now), but by increasing taxes on cigarettes, utilities, etc. Anyone who truly believes their taxes will not be going up in some form is lying to themselves. And actually-right now,in the most liberal states, taxes are increasing rapidly on homes, sales, corporate taxes, etc. Right Now. So anyone who says that taxes have not increased need to do their homework.

Myth #4: That the Republican Party and Fox News organized this. Wrong-this was grassroots all the way-Patriotic American people standing up for our core values. Standing up for our kids and grandkids who are going to get dealt a horrible hand because of the choices are representatives are making right now. Fox News covered them-and were the only ones that covered them accurately. (And for the record NBC news-hardly any of the people at the rallies were 'toothless').

I have to say I am sick and tired of being considered a "right wing extremist" or a "racist" or that I should be "shamed" for being a conservative, for not voting for and agreeing with President Obama and the progressive ideaology. It doesn't happen here (of course, I live in Nebraska of all places), but it is done on a national level-in the media, at the Oscars, on the liberal talk radio shows, on shows like the View and on and on and on...I am just someone who believes in the traditional values of our country and every day (faster with the Obama administration) we are getting further and further away from that. Our government is getting larger by the day, focus on personal resonsiblity is turning into focus on entitlements and looking to the govt. for everything...I could go on and on. But I do want to say this-there is a reason why Fox News kills in the ratings-why they have 10 of the top 10 cable news shows (yep!)-they speak the voice of the majority of Americans, and that is proven by the fact they have the highest ratings in TV and on radio. And they do sway to the right in their commentary but hard-news wise, is more objective than any other news organization.

It was obvious how liberal our mainstream media had gotten-it reared its ugly head during the campaign. But today-even more obvious. The media is no longer objective. As Sean Hannity says, Journalism has truly died. And while some people think we shouldn't care...we should because the media and Hollywood shape values of our children more than we think. I hope our representatives pay attention to the thousands of Americans that stood up today for fiscal responsbility with our tax dollars. I also hope that people think twice these days when they are watching the news. (If you want to see the video of the horrendous reporting, go to FoxNation.com and you will find videos.)

Catching Up...

Yeah, I am not so good at this blogging thing...I need to keep caught up a bit better, especially since I plan on using some of my posts for my journaling for future scrapbook pages! I do have a good excuse though...Dan and I just got back from SUNNY California yesterday! For my 30th birthday (Sunday the 5th), he surprised me and took me to the beach for 5 days-he rented a convertible, and both places we stayed (Santa Barbara and Laguna Beach) were right on the beach! What an amazing husband I have, it was an amazing trip and so incredibly relaxing!!! I will post pics soon (they are still on my camera) but on the left is a page I made before the trip for an art journaling class that I am taking (too fun!) that is about getting away from the snow and into the sun! 8 ). It was sooo nice to get away from the cold weather and enjoy some sunshine. We spent part of Sunday in Hollywood and took a tour of Celebrities homes and places where fun things happened in the world of Hollywood. Sadly, I LOVE that kind of stuff. For instance, we saw the house where 'The Bodyguard' was filmed...love it!!! Overall though, we got lots of great sun, great convertible driving time, ate lots of yummy food, and even got a little sunburnt (including my lips-ouch!).

So while we were gone, our wonderful in-laws (Jim and Jodi), with some help from my mom, watched the girls We owe them huge!!! Esp since they have 4 kids of their own...the girls had a great time, but we missed them a ton! Even so, it was nice to know they were in such great hands.

So I am officially 30...not so bad, but I majorly felt it on Sat. when Dan and I went to Magic Mountain--I can't quite handle the roller coaster like I used to, and we left after 3 rides because we had no patience for the 90 minute waits...that, I say, is a sign I am officially getting old. Ugh.

Saturday was the 3rd anniversary of my dad's passing. I can't believe it has been that long. I am blessed to have the time I did with him, but it does not help the sadness that comes from missing him, and the sadness that comes from my girls not getting to know him. Keaton's memories of him are ever fading, and Mallory did not get the chance to meet this man I call my hero. I will tell them stories though...stories to keep his memory alive. He was such an amazing man, and I know that one day I will be with him again.

In memoriam, April 4th, 2006, Ronald Lee Gardner

Change is something I love...

This is one of my recent layouts I have done-totally different from what I normally do, but I think I am addicted! I love the distressed, shabby look! I did it for a challenge my best friend and I do thru email, and now am convinced I need to use these techniques more often!

Also, in the short time since I posted those photos, I have given my room a new look already-so I will post new pics soon. See, lately I have been in a "vintage" mood-for quite a while I have had this desire to shop for antiques-I love antiques! So, I decided to limit my antique shopping to my scrapbook room. I found some cool vintage fabric, and some amazing antique storage pieces. I painted my white furniture brown and distressed them. The house is still a bit stinky as a matter of fact...8 )

I think part of the fun of scrapbooking for me is organizing all of my supplies (okay...and purchasing them, ha ha!). I am an organization guru and it seems like I am finally getting to the point to where I like how I have things organized-finally!!! When I first started, I had everything neatly tucked away and labeled, but over the years have figured out that I like to have things out so that I don't forget that I have them. So, I have changed my storage to reflect that need. There are also choices like organizing by color or type, and I have chose by type-and that works great for me! So, it has been a process, but I think I finally got it down!

I also am currently addicted to taking online scrapbooking classes. I have been taking them for quite some time from Big Picture Scrapbooking-I love trying new things, meeting challenges, etc and many of them help me use of my stash. 8 ) I also just discoverd debbiehodge.com which has more classes-I am taking an Art Journaling class, which will be a totally new thing for me! I am excited to play with gesso and paint and all of that yummy stuff!!! I also discoverd jessicasprague.com, which has digitial photography and editing classes. I am really trying to learn more about my camera and Photoshop Elements. Tired of using the "manual" or"auto" options...I love to learn new things and expand this hobby as much as I can!

So that is what I have been up to scrapbooking wise. Of course, I am also working on some projects for my business-some cute acrylic sports mini albums and some 12x12 pages for a local gal who is keeping me busy! I hope to dedicate this weekend to getting more of those projects done!

My Scrapbook Room

This is a closet my brother custom made for me!

I painted my walls using designs from a popular scrapbook paper line. It was challenging, but fun!

It is a bit messy, but I like to have everything "out" or I forget what I have. 8 ) It is "organized clutter."

Here are some photos of my scrapbook room, thought I'd share!

Passions

I just wanted to write a quick note about some of my passions-a little of "me" stuff. I know...it is kind of weird to talk about myself, but one thing I have learned in my favorite hobby is that I need to be documented too---imagine that, who would have thought??? 8 )

You have probably noticed that I am a bit addicted to politics-something I used to absolutely NEVER care about-until a couple of things-first, 9/11-in general just got me more interested in watching the news, watching what is going on in the world around us. Second, I have a couple friends that years back would Bush bash constantly around me-even though I didn't know a lot, I did know that I liked what he stood for and the values he held. However, I couldn't make an argument with that, so I started to pay more attention to educate myself enuf to be able to make an argument in defense of what I knew I believed in (which if you haven't noticed by now is conservatism). So, with that, and with being able to stay at home, I became addicted to the "everyday" news stuff.

So, I am using this blog to get out a lot of my venting about politics-probably not so friendly for those who want to read and just catch up with my family...but this is my "journal" of sorts and writing it out works for me. So, for those of you not interested or do not have the same view as me, I apologize!!! 8 ) I also always welcome a debate, I am more than willing to listen to opposing points of view!

My newest addiction is to Facebook-I have reconnected with soooo many friends and family members. I log on throughout the day to see what people are up to, and for a stay at home mom, that is kind of refreshing...8 ) I would recommend it for anyone, but be cautious-it is a bit addicting!!!

I also am addicted to-you guessed it...SCRAPBOOKING! Scrapbooking has been a hobby of mine since I was in grade school-but I started the "acid free" kind in high school. Then, the hobby really exploded for me about 6 years ago. Now-I am hopeless. I have my own room (I will post pics soon), TONS of supplies and products, a semi-professional camera...the whole deal. I could tell you names of Scrapbook "celebrities" (yep, they exist) and could probably tell you the name of the company who made any given product...I go to all weekend crops (crops are basically where a bunch of people-ie-women-get together to scrapbook) and hold them at my home as well. I occasionally teach a class, sell products thru a company called Memory Works (memory-works.com) and this summer started my own scrapbooking business called Memories~To~Cherish where I make custom scrapbooks. LOVE this hobby-it is my creative outlet, my way to document memories, and besides preservation of memories, it has also taught me new ways to capture memories, like the everyday things---the quotes the kids say that are super funny, but you still tend to forget, those kind of things...

Of course I couldn't talk about passions without mentioning chocolate and Diet Dr. Pepper. Ha ha.

These are all besides the obvious passions of mine-God, my husband and my precious girls. Of course, they, along with friends and other family, top my list way above the things mentioned above. I probably could go without saying that...but still wanted to mention them!

I am very blessed-my hobbies and passions are all icing on cake compared to the great things God has blessed me with-great family, friends, a home, etc. Jut thought I'd document some of my faves right now...

Stimulus

Okay, this is another political rant, so brace yourself.

I was willing to give President Obama a chance, but I have to say I am extremely disappointed already:

The stimulus-I think it is absolutely horrific that the Republicans were not even given a chance to read the bill (1000+pages) after all of the changes were made! Didn't Obama promise transparency? (In fact, he repeatedly bashed Pres. Bush for being "too secretive.") Not just for Congress but also for the American People? Are you kidding me? Not even getting the chance to sit in the meetings or get a final copy before being forced to vote? And even the final bill had scratch marks, etc. written on it. Seriously? And we are giving these people control of a trillion dollars of our money and our children's money?

I have no doubt that the stimulus will create some jobs, but I still think it is wrong on so many levels. A trillion dollars-do you know how much power we just gave the government? That money needs to be in the hands of the people! And while they will argue all day there is no pork in the package, it is there, just hidden in the "congressional language." I guarantee that billions in the package will not provide jobs, but were on the agenda of the Democrats for years and they finally got a chance to sneak it thru...because really, how many of our leaders actually read the entire bill, or understood all of it? Nancy Pelosi even pretty much said it herself (that she never thought she's see the day where we could get so much accomplished...meaning she never thought she'd ever get to get some of her agenda thru). And for Reid to say that the Republicans were not being bipartisan about this? Who didn't give them the chance to read the bill?

Gittmo-it may not be the best thing, but closing it right away I think will be dangerous-where will these prisoners go? Do we send them back to their home countries where they will be let go and will be at an Al Queda camp as soon as they get out? Obama's decision to halt all judicial proceedings led to the person in charge of the bombing of the USS Kohl to have his charges dropped. And no harsh treatment, no making them uncomfortable? I am not saying we should torture, but water boarding, while I am sure it sucks, is nothing compared to what the terrorist do to us-beheading, unbelievable torture, etc. I really think we are in trouble. Obama is undoing a bunch of the things Bush put into place-things that have kept us SAFE since 9/11. I truly think the terrorist are rejoicing more and more each day.

A lot of people missed this-but in his first week, Obama resigned a deal that money we send to other countries could be used for "planned parenthood" ie abortions overseas. Both Bush's had stopped this from happening, but lo and behold, it is one of the first things on his agenda?

Hypocricy-he said he will not hire lobbyists in the white house and he did. Three of his cabinet appointments had tax problems (in that they did not pay them). They can't pay their taxes, but they sure want us to pay ours so they can spend it!

While I am frustrated, good can come out of this. Watching the Republicans make arguments against this bill made me realize that they are getting rejuvenated, which we really needed!!!They are finally passionate, finally fighting for conservative values.

So right now I am a little skeptical, I probably pay too much attention to this stuff, but I think it is really important-we are heading towards socialism and I think we need to watch out for what is happening, not just for us, but also for our kids.

Craziness!!!

Yeah, so it has been quite the crazy last few days. This last weekend we woke up with an inkling that someone had been in our basement-our egress (sp?) window in the basement was slightly ajar and there were some items moved around-that would need to be moved to get inside-and a bunch of leaves, sticks etc. that had come in thru the window (which makes me realize we really need to do a better job cleaning that out!!!) Anyway, nothing had been taken, so we kind of blew it off, but then the next day as Dan was checking around the house for footprints, etc. he came across a bag of flour right up next to our house. Not only odd, but as we looked inside, there was a large rock inside that when broke apart, was brown on the inside...so just to be safe we called the authorities to check it out and just let them know about the feelings we had about someone getting in our house. (We are still awaiting the results for that).

Well, on Monday evening, Dan, my sweet sweet hubby, offered to take both girls with him to Hastings to take Keaton to ballet/tap class to give me some time to myself. So, just minutes after I started scrapbooking (of course, what else would I do with free time!), I heard noises outside that basement window-as I peered into the room (just next to the room I was in), I saw a person and that person was trying with all their might to get that window open (of course, we had locked it!). Kick in adrenaline!!! I proceeded to run really quickly upstairs, called 911 and waited for the authorities to arrive. And did they arrive-4 cars, lights a goin' and guns a packin'...it was quite the show, especially for a town like Blue Hill, where this kind of stuff, well...never occurs. Of course, I was shaking like a leaf, and did for the rest of the night...anyway, without giving out too much info, we are all pretty sure that we have an idea of who it was-and hopefully it will never happen again after having lots of men with guns parading around the house...if it is this person, we don't THINK that we have anything to worry about as far as future safety, but regardless, I still did not sleep last night...there is something just so incredibly violating about knowing someone was breaking into your home.
So now I am having fun listening to all the rumors-some heard that the person actually got in the house-I'm okay with that as long as the story ends with me wrestling them to the ground and holding them down with my might strength until the authorities got there...ha ha. 8 ) First and foremost, I want to mention how amazing the 911 dispatcher and all of the sherriff/state patrol officers that came were!!!
So now, I have on my shopping list to get some mace, maybe a baseball bat-if my dad were here, he'd be getting me a gun (or giving me one of his so he'd have an excuse to buy a new one 8 ), we'll see...

News Media

I just came across these numbers and they astounded me:

FOXNEWS OREILLY 3,891,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY 3,034,000
FOXNEWS BECK 2,306,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 2,299,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 2,155,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,581,000
CNN COOPER 1,559,000CNN KING 1,420,000
CNN BLITZER 1,490,000
CNNHN GRACE 1,435,000
MSNBC MADDOW 1,398,000

I have heard soo many people on the left argue that Fox News is sooo bad because they sway to the right, and while they do a tad (although not nearly as much as the others sway to the left, they are waaaay more objective), these numbers show me that the majority of Americans apparently agree with the values and reporting of Fox News. I LOVE O'Reilly, Hannity and Glenn. Shep and Greta are both great too (I am a news junkie, in case you haven't noticed). The reason I love them-they ask the tough questions, no matter who they are interviewing. They call people in power out, they show compassion...I was just watching Glenn Beck, where (again 8 ) he cried on his show (I love that he shows so much passion). He had become aware of massive killings happening on our Mexican border (all part of the drug war) and had come into contact with a father whose daughter was killed. He made a promise to the father that he would follow up on the story and do what he could-but CNN would not allow it or do anything with the story (he just moved from CNN to Fox News). He said Fox News is all over it and is doing what they can to help this father and to find out what is going on-why there are massive killings (including beheadings) being covered up...anyway, that is why I watch Fox News. O'Reilly calls out judges who let child molesters and killers off with probation, he calls out people in government who make decision harmful to Americans. While a little gruff, his causes are noble. That is why I watch Fox News. Hannity is a true American, and while very partisan, is doing what he can to get the conservative cause out (which is constantly trampled on by those on the far left).

And President Obama is not a fan of Fox News, he rips on them whenever he gets a chance-because they were the only ones that asked him tough questions-they were the only one that asked him real questions, besides "how long did you work out today?" and questions like that. Journalism is very questionable these days and I think it is important for everyone to be cautious in what they are reading and watching...

God Bless America

Before I start my blogging, I want to say a quick thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. We will miss Dan's mom greatly and are heartbroken that she is no longer with us. However, we know she is in a better place now, and that gives us comfort. Again, thank you.

I titled this God Bless America for pretty obvious reasons. I watched the inauguration yesterday, and just felt overwhelmed and blessed that I live in such a great country where we can elect our leaders freely. What a historic moment it was to watch the transition of power, to see an African American as President, where just decades ago they lacked the basic civil rights. Our country does not get enough credit--look how far we have come in such little time. Of course, the country is not perfect, we have a lot of problems and challenges, but truly-would you want to live anywhere else in the world??? Everyone around me knows I was a huge McCain supporter, but I will pray for and support President Obama as he is our President and as an American, that is what we should do. I REFUSE to be a hater (like the many Bush haters our there).

I also am moved to say thank you to President Bush. Thank you for keeping us safe since 9/11. Thank you for giving us a good economy for 7 of the 8 years (after being handed a recession and 9/11). Thank you for being such a staunch supporter of Africa and her people (you have done more for Africa than anyone on earth). Thank you for freeing millions from evil dictatorship in Iraq and Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Thank you for holding to your principles and values, for not making decisions based on political expediency, but based on principle. Thank you for being faithful and prayerful to God-and for being outspoken about it.

God Bless America!

Happy New Years!!!

Well it is the Monday after the holidays and things are getting back to normal-of course, except sleeping hours...we are all on a really late schedule and are sleeping late in the morning, and that is going to hit us hard when preschool starts back up on Wednesday!!! Anyway, although I love the holidays, I am glad to have the Christmas stuff put away, the toys reorganized and put away, and everything a bit back to normal! (Not to mention, I finally broke down and threw away all of the leftover candies and sweets left from Christmas-no more temptation!!!)

We had a great Christmas and New Years. For Christmas we got to spend time with family, friends (Angie and Rich were in town, they got to help us break our new Wii in!!!), and of course we were all very spoiled by Santa and others. I got Dan the Wii (and subtly myself the Wii Fit-it was a packaged deal, I promise!!! I love ebay...). Dan got me a new laptop (yeah!!!) and the girls got a ton of great things-movies, barbies, clothes and countless other toys and girlie things. 8 )

On Christmas Eve we have a family tradition that while we are at church, Santa comes to Grandma and Grandpa Mackins and brings the grandkids pajamas. They are sooo cute! Mallory loves hers so much that this morning, she got hers out and (with her whine since she can't talk yet) begged me to put them on her. So, for most of the morning, she had 2 pairs of pajamas on at the same time. 8 ) Too funny.

For New Years, we went to a party at the Cox's, ate too much food, played some games, and barely made it to midnight. It was a fun time had by all!

Saturday was Keaton's 5th birthday-can you believe it!!! We had her party at the YMCA this year, and her and a bunch of her little friends had a blast in the maze and arcade area. Grammons came back for the party, which was great! It is always nice to see them, even if just for a short time! We got to end the day at a game night with our Adult Couple Bible Study group. Again, ate too much food, and played a mean game of Pictionary and a game of 10 point pitch, where (in pitch) the girls beat the boys! (I wasn't so lucky at Pictionary) 8 )

So, now that life is back to normal, I have 2 goals-one to get us all back to a somewhat normal sleep schedule and two, to keep using the Wii fit (and even the other games-I love that they are interactive and require movement!)-maybe this will be my tool to actually lose those last 5 baby pounds and get in better shape!!!

I hope that you all had a blessed holiday season, and while (like the rest of the year) I missed my dad greatly I remember that he is actually in the presence of the man we are celebrating-Jesus. Even Keaton reminds me that "grandpa is with Jesus" and while my smart little 5 year old most likely does not comprehend all of that yet, I am glad I have her to remind me of that. So, I hope you all had a chance to count your blessings this holiday season. We are not guaranteed anything, and I too often catch myself taking my blessings for granted. God be with you all this new year.