What’s In That Water?

I enjoyed this…hope you do.

Life transformation is rooted in mind transformation.  ~ unknown ~

The Winner of Common Of “Common Sense” IS…

Until next time…

Falsehood is so easy, truth so difficult.  ~ George Eliot ~

Common Sense Giveaway

Common Sense  is something everybody needs, but it seems it is in short order among our elected leaders these days.  For this reason I’m giving away a copy of Glenn Beck’s Common Sense – The Case Against An-Out-Of-Control Government, Inspired By Thomas Paine (bound to be a best seller).  If you are a thinker who really wants a clear understanding of the all-important crisis our country faces today, have plenty of common sense and desire a reality check, or believe America is the greatest county on earth, leave a comment on this giveaway post for a chance to win a copy of this eye-opening book.  It is guaranteed to change the way you think about both major parties of our government and possibly fire you up to help wake up the apathetic.  For every 15 comments I’ll give away one book (one comment per person).  Double your chance of winning by sharing this giveaway with a link back to this post on your blog.  You need not have a blog to win.  If you don’t win…buy a copy and pass it along after you read it.  We must stand up for America while we still have the freedom to do so.  Giveaway ends on July 4th…

Until next time,

You need both blessings and difficulties, because one without the other is neither.  ~ unknown ~

Open Letter To Our Leaders by Janet Contreras

Note:  I only wish I had written this letter to our leaders.  Glenn Beck read it on his Fox News Network last night.  The woman who wrote it expressed my sentiments and my frustration to a “t”.

oxo Judy

June 16, 2009 – 11:40 ET

GLENN: I got a letter from a woman in Arizona. She writes an open letter to our nation’s leadership:

I’m a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you’re willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I’m not a racist. This isn’t to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don’t you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don’t you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don’t trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we’ll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let’s have it. Let’s say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let’s just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I’m busy. I’m busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don’t want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we’re morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we’re so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have canceled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn’t ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when he will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don’t care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

written by:  Janet Contreras

Note:  Thank you, Janet!  You are a great American.

Until next time…

If you don’t feel like you’re getting the love you should get, then maybe you should ask yourself if you’re giving the love you should give.

Glenn Beck: Conservative Narcissist?

Glenn Beck…you love him or hate him.  You identify with him or you don’t.  There is no middle ground.  This interview seen on 20/20 with John Stossel was fair.  (Unlike so much of the network media Stossel has class.)  Don’t know Beck?  Check out the interview.  He’ll grow on you if you give him a chance. 

Glenn Beck: Conservative Narcissist?

Shared via AddThis

On The Lighter Side

I’m still bowed up around the home front with little time for the computer.  My DD’s and DSL’s health continues to decline.  My DH and I are going to spend the day with Mom and Dad to day.  We go as often as possible now.

DH went to the orthopedic doc yesterday.  He continued “no work and rigorous physical therapy for another month.  From an external exam he concluded DH’s shoulder is frozen due to the capsular lining binding movement.

I’ve been canning in my “spare time”.  I’ve put up new potatoes, beans, pickled onions, squash pickles, dill pickles, sweet pickles, dewberry jelly, strawberry jam and dewberry/apple jelly.  Our tomatoes are beginning to turn so soon I’ll can as many of them as possible.

I found the following on a sewing message board I belong to and got a chuckle or two out of it.  I hope you do, too.

“Wisdom” according to Larry the cable guy……

1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot..

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name…

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9. Support bacteria. They’re the only culture some people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11.. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. OK, so what’s the speed of dark?

14. When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

15. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

16. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

17. Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.

20. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

21 Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

22. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, ‘What the heck happened?’

23. Just remember — if the world didn’t suck, we would all fall off.

24. Light travels faster than sound. That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

25. Life isn’t like a box of chocolates. It’s more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

Until next time…

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.  Isaiah 40:8

An Update and Delicious Dill Pickles

Life continues to be demanding enough to leave little time for the computer.  I miss my bloggy friends and my blog and look forward to the time I can visit more often.

My DH is still going to physical therapy three times a week and has regained limited mobility of his shoulder.  He’s still in a great deal of pain and his level activity is limited.

My DD spent over a week in the hospital and returned home with hospice care.  My sister and her DH came down from Atlanta to help my mom get ready to bring Dad home.  (I sure appreciate her.)  We hope to be able to keep him at home until he is taken home to be with Jesus.

My SIL went on a cruise to the Bahamas and will return home with hospice care.  It was her hearts desire to take a cruise…

Our garden is coming along nicely, and we’ve been able to enjoy its bounty.  I’ve begun canning and dehydrating as much as possible.  Ten days ago or so I made dill pickles.  The recipe I used makes excellent, crisp pickles so I’m sharing it this morning.  If you try it let me know what you think. If anyone has a dill pickle recipe that can beat it, I’d love to have it.

Dill Pickles

Small pickling cukes
hot peppers (1 per jar)
garlic cloves (1 per jar)
dill weed (1/4 tsp per jar or more to taste)
6 cups water
6 cups vinegar
1 cup ICE CREAM SALT ( do not substitute)

Prepare jars by washing and filling with hot water.

Fill canner with about four inches of hot water.   Keep water hot on low/medium heat while you fill jars.

Mix water, vinegar and salt together and bring to a boil.  Boil gently to disolve salt completely.

Prepare cukes.  (Wash and cut into desired pieces — spears, chunks or leave whole.)

Pour water out of jar and fill tightly with cukes.  Leave one inch head space in jar.  Fill with
vinegar/water mixture still leaving one inch head space.    Remove air in jar by inserting a
butter knife (or other long flat tool) along the inside wall of the jar.   Wipe the rim of jar with clean, damp cloth.
Place lid on jar and secure with band.  Place in the canner.  Repeat with each jar.

When all jars are placed in canner add hot water to cover jars.  Water level should be 1 1/2 to
2 inches above top of jars.

Cover and bring to a gentle boil.    Process for 10 minutes.   Turn heat off and remove
jars to cool.  (I place them on a kitchen towel to absorb drip…and prevent rapid temperature
shock to jar.)

Jars will seal as they cool.  After they are cool make sure they are sealed, and set aside
for at least a week before eating.

Until next time…

The language of truth is unadorned. . . . ~ M. Ammianus ~

Heavy Burdens

This world seems to be getting crazier and crazier by the day.  Iran vs Israel, South Korea defies all contenders, a bomb blows up a Star Bucks in New York City…the world economy is on a tight wire threating to plummet to its demise…politicians flex their power…parents are killing their children….the headlines and the heartaches are endless, and the beat goes on.

In my personal world my DH continues to struggle with the healing process after shoulder surgery.  My time is consumed by increased responsibility.  My father’s health is declining rapidly before us. My  dear mother is weary.  My sister-in-law’s friend-dog was bitten by a rattlesnake and died.  Her DH’s father passed away after a long illness. My DH’s sister is dying of cancer.  She desperately wants to live.  The list could go on; pain and sadness abound.

I wonder how other people carry the heavy burdens everyday life heaps on us all.  I know without Jesus I’d feel totally helpless and hopeless…I would be over-whelmed and beside myself.  I’m thankful for His love and willingness to take my burdens on Himself and lighten my load.  He is closer than a brother and the most faithful friend.  For those of you who know Jesus as Saviour what I’m saying is not unlikely or strange…you also know the comfort, peace and strength possessed by knowing Him.  To know Him is to understand the mystery and simplicity of life in Him.  To know Him is to know joy.

When I reflect on my life without Him I can clearly see how blessed life with Him is.  I’m filled with thankfulness and wish everyone knew Jesus as I do.  Turning back is not an option for me.  He is my Saviour…and Saviour to all who will call on His name and let Him in.

Until next time…

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.  1 Timothy 1:15

You are the reason

Until next time…

oxo

Two Roosters

Until next time….