Do YOU know their names?

It must be all the flexoril that I have been taking, but I have been pondering many of life’s deep questions lately. Things like, “If I was one of the seven dwarves, which one would I be?” and “Why do I keep getting crunchwrap supremes at Taco Bell if every first bite I take, the words “dog food” pop into my  head?”. You know, important stuff like that.

Well today while sending a chain email, I was presented with the mind-boggling question of the day: Can you name Santa’s reindeer?

Well… can you?

I got this far before having to Google it: Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Rudolph. The others are Dancer and Vixen (Vixen used to be my favorite! How did I forget her?!). It’s a good thing Aubrey is still too young to be disappointed in me for that. But in my searches today I found some fun information about these vehicles of gift-giving fantasy, and I thought I would share:

-Rudolph’s story was originally written in verse by Robert L. May for the Montgomery Ward chain of department stores in 1939, and published as a book to be given to children in the store at Christmas time.

-According to this story, Rudolph was the son of Donner, and was born with a glowing red nose, which made him a social outcast among the other reindeer. However, one Christmas eve it was too foggy for Santa Claus to make his flight around the world. About to cancel, Santa suddenly noticed Rudolph’s nose, and decided it could be a makeshift lamp to guide his sleigh. Since then, Rudolph is said to be a permanent member of Santa’s team, who leads them on their journey.

-Donner/Donder and Blitzen were named ”Dunder” and ”Blixem” (the Dutch words for ”thunder” and ”lightning”) in the original printing of “A Visit From St. Nicholas.”

So there. Now you know.

 

 

 

 

You know your marriage needed work when Wal-Mart fixes it.

The past couple of weeks have been a little difficult for our family. Nothing horrible has happened but we just haven’t seen each other very much. Ryan’s work has been busy due to a death in an employee’s family, and he has been working more than usual. He doesn’t get home too late, but it is weird when he leaves so early that it’s dark out and he comes home after dark. He is more than looking forward to Christmas break (he gets a month off!) and us going to Chile during that time. I guess I could handle working 12 hour days for 4 months if I knew I’d get a month off in December too.

Anyways, we work next door to each other and have lunch together about 3 times a week, but since it’s in a university cafeteria, I don’t think you can count that as “quality time”. He was getting home at 6:30 and we would play with the baby til 8, put her to bed and take care of our respective things (I would do the dishes, pack the diaper bag, get my stuff ready for the next day, play jewel quest or watch Jon and Kate plus 8 on the DVR… he would watch football) until about 10 when we would realize how pooped we were and go to bed. Couple that with Aubrey’s new hobby of waking up at 2 and 4 am to test out her screaming capacity if someone ever tries to kidnap her (they would drop her and run if they wanted to ever hear another thing again), and you have two very tired parents who are feeling accomplished if they can get to and from work, daycare, church and keep the laundry loads to 7 a week.

Now I can see it, and I am sure you can see it, but for some reason the past two weeks WE didn’t see it- how utterly de-humanizing we were treating each other. Instead of turning off the TV or doing the dishes together, we were living separate lives. Ryan was so exhausted last Wednesday that he just sort of shut down and almost didn’t go to church that night- but he was so glad he did because the fellowship and discussion was just what he needed to wake us up out of our “stupor”. He had the entire weekend off work (that NEVER happens, even when all his help is working) and on Friday night we just kind of stared at the two days ahead and wondered what to do with ourselves.

When I jokingly told him that he should go to Wal-Mart with me the next day, I almost fell out of my chair when he enthusiastically agreed. Wal-Mart… on a Saturday… and we are out of EVERYTHING. But who cared if it took two hours? We had the weekend off! So off we headed to our Yukon shopping strip, Garth Brooks Boulevard which holds all the great retailers of our time- you know, Lowes, Target, PetSmart and of course, Wal-Mart. What the heck, we had time, so we went to lunch first. Discovered that Aubrey is a fan of Sun Chips. Got excited when we walked into the store and there was a Christmas tree up! Chatted about how cute our kid is.

We got our shopping done, went over budget bc -”Oh! I’m out of razor blades ($13) or man, I need some new mascara ($7) add in some detergent (the big container is on sale! $15) and then there is the necessary purchase of diapers ($30)- and before you know it your $100 budget just debited $180 our of your account. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching! After loading the car with the kid and the groceries, we hopped in, looked at each other and smiled. Who knew that spending an hour and a half in a super crowded super Wal-mart would be the best way for us to kick off our weekend?

Though, in my opinion, a trip to the zoo would have been cheaper. Just… not as entertaining.

Where did she learn THAT?!

I am so glad the election is over. While I am not abandoning my political commentary (I reserve the right to rant at any time… though I am probably the only person who reads this blog who agrees with me), its time for a break. I haven’t talked about Ryan or my dog or most especially my daughter in a long time.

We finally got the new bedtime routine down. It consists of a bath, teeth brushing, pj’s, reading books and laying down with a little stuffed reindeer my grandma gave Aubrey last Christmas. She loves that thing. The only problem with this routine is that it only works when Ryan is the orchestrator of this system. If daddy is in the bathroom, Aubrey plays nicely and lets me brush her teeth and doesn’t soak my entire body with water that she splashes. If daddy is dressing her, she lays perfectly for him. If daddy is reading Fox in Socks,Aubrey will stare in wonderment at the pictures and how Ryan never stumbles over that tongue-twister of a book (“First I’ll make a quick trick brick stack, Then I’ll make a quick trick block stack…My tongue isn’t slick or quick, sir. I get all those ticks and clocks, sir, mixed up with the chicks and tocks, sir. I can’t do it, Mr. Fox, sir.”) Then she will lay down perfectly, roll onto her tummy and snooze the night away.

This opposed to the creation of a hazard zone in the bathroom from the slippery floors, the wailing and bemoaning that I should dare want her to have good dental hygiene, the constant need to twist and stand up on the changing table and peeing on me before I can get her diaper on, the closing of every book and pointing to the dog during story-time, and the instant standing up in the crib and production of the world’s largest tears when Ryan is not home to put her to bed.

Aubrey is such a daddy’s girl. That makes me happy and I complain about how hard it is for me to put her to bed in jest, but I do love it that she is so good for him. It worries me that I won’t have as much influence in her life as he does, but that may change. I wasn’t really close to either of my parents growing up and I don’t want to repeat that. Of course, when I got to college I became best pals with my dad and sister and as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I realized why my mother acted so crazy all the time. That’s what motherhood does to you. You go crazy with the amazement that this is a brand new chance to see a life built, you go crazy with worrying about your child all the time, you go crazy when they ignore you and you go crazy wondering if they will shove that karma right down your very deserving throat when they hit puberty.

Aubrey is a good kid. She is such a sweetie, and she is very loving. The older she gets the more things come out that totally throw me off. Yesterday I told her no when she was pulling all of my kitchen towels out of the drawer and she laid on the floor and pounded her fists on the ground and cried. I was like, what the heck? Who taught her how to do that? I ignored her and she stopped (is that the best thing to do in those cases? I have no clue) but still. I don’t want my kid to be that brat in the store or restaurant and people mutter to each other “I would so beat that kid’s butt if she were mine…” Parenting is hard. I had my ideals when I thought of how I would do it, but as it progresses I see the need for flexibility (gag), creativity and most of all, teamwork. I have said this before, I give props to the single parent b/c this is the hardest and most wonderful job in the world!  

The random kisses she gives to the dog, the helping me “clean” or the new words she seems to utter everyday give me more joy that I thought possible. It’s even hard not to laugh sometimes when she wails and wails but no tears come out, and she throws her hands over her eyes and then peeks out from between her fingers to see if I am watching her. The kid is definetly a drama queen.

…I wonder where she got that from?

On the subject of “gay marriage”…

I could live with this.

Good stuff!

GOOD FACTS TO KNOW:
1 . Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish
2. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 minutes
3. Mayonnaise will KILL LICE; it will also condition your hair
4. Elmer’s Glue – paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see
the dead skin and blackheads if any (Biore strips work better and don’t pull the fine hair on your face.) 
6. Shiny Hair – use brewed Lipton Tea
7. Sunburn – empty a large jar of Nestea into your bath water
8. Minor burn – Colgate or Crest toothpaste
9. Burn your tongue? Put sugar on it!
10. Arthritis? WD-40 Spray and rub in, kill insect stings too
11 Bee stings – meat tenderizer
12. Chigger bite – Preparation H
13. Puffy eyes – Preparation H
14. Paper cut – crazy glue or Chap Stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals)
15. Stinky feet – Jello !
16. Athletes feet – cornstarch
17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails – Vicks vapor rub
18. Kool aid to clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)
19. Kool Aid can be used as a dye in paint also Kool Aid in Dannon plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won’t hurt them if they eat it!
20. Peanut butter – will get scratches out of CD’s! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper
21. Sticking bicycle chain – Pam no-stick cooking spray
22. Pam will also remove paint, and grease from your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby
23. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls
24. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with corn starch and watch them slide on
25. Heavy dandruff – pour on the vinegar !
26. Body paint – Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!
27 Tie Dye T-shirt – mix a solution of Kool Aid in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak
28. Preserving a newspaper clipping – large bottle of club soda and cup of milk of magnesia , soak for 20 min. and let dry, will last for many years!
29. A Slinky will hold toast and CD’s!
30. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste
31. Wine stains, pour on the Morton salt and watch it absorb into the salt.
32. To remove wax – Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.
33. Remove labels off glassware etc. rub with Peanut butter !
34. Baked on food – fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight. Also; you can use 2 Efferdent tablets , soak overnight!
35. Crayon on the wall – Colgate toothpaste and brush it!
36. Dirty grout – Listerine
37. Stains on clothes – Colgate toothpaste
38. Grass stains – Karo Syrup
39. Grease Stains – Coca Cola , it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!
40. Fleas in your carpet? 20 Mule Team Borax – sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours. Maybe this will work if you get them back again.
41. To keep FRESH FLOWERS longer Add a little Clorox , or 2 Bayer aspirin, or just use 7-up instead of water.
42. When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you ’squeeze’ for freshness or softness? Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie.
They are:
Monday = Blue,
Tuesday = Green,
Thursday = Red
Friday = White
Saturday = Yellow .
So if today was Thursday, you would want red twist tie; not white which is Fridays (almost a week old)! The colors go alphabetically by color Blue- Green – Red – White – Yellow, Monday through Saturday. Very easy to remember. I thought this was interesting. I looked in the grocery store and the bread wrappers DO have different twist ties, and even the ones with the plastic clips have different colors. You learn something new everyday! Enjoy fresh bread when you buy bread with the right color on the day you are shopping.

Don’t forget Gatorade for Migraine Headaches. PowerAde won’t work. Pass this information on to friends so they can be informed.

 

Prayer

Well everyone knows how upset I am about the way the election went. I feel a lot of things, among them dissapointment (in my fellow Americans and even my own family), fear, annoyance and irritation. And you know what, that’s okay. I don’t want you to try and convince me that I shouldn’t feel that way. I am sick of hearing why I am wrong, these are my feelings so leave me alone, I will feel them as long as I need to. That being said, I know I can’t stay in this funk forever or my husband might leave me. I don’t count myself as Pentecostal or charasmatic. I go to an Anglican church about twice a month by myself, and if Ryan was with me on it and my family wouldn’t disown me, I would so be Catholic. I love the PH church, grew up in it but it’s just not my thing, not the best form of worship for me.

All that to say that I received this from one of our Prayer Directors (I work for the Pentecostal church) and it really comforted me. Since this is MY blog I am posting it and if you don’t like it, please keep your comments to yourself bc I don’t know how to close them.

From: Dr. James A. Roberts

iWIN Director, Rocky Mountain Conference

 

Presidential Prayer

I, like most conservatives, am disappointed in the way the elections turned out. It seems like nearly everything and everybody that I voted for went just the opposite direction. It would be very easy to let a root of bitterness creep in, but we cannot and must not allow that to happen. As Christians we must pray for the new president, as Scripture commands. What should we pray for?

President elect, Obama claims to be Christian, however many of his stances are far from Christian, i.e., abortion, same sex marriage, etc. Pray that he has a true conversion. Pray that those with strong Christian beliefs be protected and not be relabeled “radicals” “bigots” and such. Pray that God would use President elect Obama to bring peace to our society in order for the Gospel to flourish. The black liberation theology, which Obama sat under for many years at his church and to my knowledge, has not disavowed, is not Christian. Some of the positions he has taken and acted upon are destructive of Christian faith. However, a study of the life of Paul shows that God is able to get one’s attention and turn that life around. Pray that it be so with President elect Obama.

Pray that God will bless President-elect Obama’s life, family, and new leadership role. May the One True God speak to Obama’s heart on a daily basis as he makes policy and serves this nation, still the best nation on earth. Prayer is key!
Pray the new leadership will have a cleansing effect on the church in the United States. Sometimes we do not get the leader we want, but rather the one we deserve. We must not put our faith in politicians and or politics. We must repent and trust in Jesus, Who is the head of the church and the only One Who can bring peace to this much-divided land that we call home.
President elect, Obama will soon be taking the oath of office along with a promise to uphold the constitution. Pray that God will hold him to that and that he will be blessed in keeping the oath, along with all of its promises.
Pray that God will strengthen him in every Godly venture and prevent a radical liberal agenda from making headway in our nation. Pray that he will have such a radical, true Christian conversion that he has the courage to be bold with his Christian faith in the administration of our country.
Pray that he steps up to the plate with the promise he made of listening to the other side. History shows that when one party controls both the White house and Congress the tendency is to force their agenda on the other party. Pray that Obama keeps that promise and if he does, he can be a great president.

 Pray for the virtues of prudence and temperance in a culture, which seems to have a disdain for both. Pray that God’s Word will flourish in the United States of America and that God’s will be done.

Pray that Christians would not act like radicals and bigots, and will be given discernment to see God’s plan in reacting to President-elect Obama and his administration (while at the same time not sacrificing principles). Remember that these people are not our enemies. Go back and read Ephesians, chapter 6 and pray that we all keep a proper perspective.
Pray for the upholding of justice, tempered with the right amounts of mercy, for the good of the nation.
Pray for the peace and safety of this nation and pray for peace and safety for Israel.

Pray that Godly people will begin to step up to the plate and be counted. Check your hearts often. Put your hope in Christ.

Pray that all of our national leaders, both current and soon to come will truly acknowledge God, both in word and deed.
Pray that the liberal agenda on abortion, same sex marriage, etc. does not end in a “hate speech” law that would affect churches and pastors ability to speak out on moral issues.
Pray that our new president and vice president will work to establish peace; protect all the citizens of our nation, especially the weak and helpless (unborn babies), and have their speech seasoned with grace. Let all citizens of the United States exercise the freedoms we have been given by God, while at the same time showing honor and esteem to out national leaders.
Pray that President-Elect Barrack Obama and Vice President-Elect Joseph Biden, be protected from harm.
Pray that Almighty God will sit in the councils of our nation and guide our leaders in their deliberations. Certainly, God did not die last night, nor did America. God is still in charge. We are living in some of the most interesting and exciting times in the history of the world.
Father God, we pray that President Elect, Obama, his Cabinet members, Vice President Biden, Speaker Pelosi and all the members of Congress, Governors, all the members of the state legislatures, nation wide and all others whom are placed in authority over us, will take such measures as will preserve peace and Godly order in our land.
Protect this nation and it’s leaders from weapons of destruction, so that we may be a light set on a hill, illuminating the Gospel to the entire world. Give all of our leaders strength, Godly wisdom, and courage to do those things, which will serve the Kingdom of God and also the best interests of our entire nation and its people. Turn the hearts of our leaders in a right direction and help them maintain a just and righteous peace.
God Bless America

 

 

Editorial by Huntley Brown, black concert pianist

Editorial by pianist Huntley Brown explains why he won’t vote for Barack Obama.

Posted by Rick Honcho

October 18, 2008

I wanted to send this article from Huntley Brown – a fabulous concert pianist, a man of God and a black man. I appreciate so much his reasoning for not voting for Obama. I would like to see his article published or spread out via Email to as many as possible. It’s good stuff!

________________________________________
Why I Can’t Vote For Obama
By Huntley Brown

Dear Friends, A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama, I sent out an email with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but it’s worth repeating…

First I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means He leads I follow. I can’t dictate the terms He does because He is the leader.

I can’t vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that’s who I am. Christian first, black second. Neither should anyone from the other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won’t be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning to name a few, wrong economic concerns will soon not matter.

We need to follow Martin Luther King’s words, don’t judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I don’t know

Obama so all I can go off is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007.

NATIONAL JOURNAL: Obama: Most Liberal Senator in 2007 (01/31/2008)

To beat Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with.

There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100% rating. There is a reason the homosexual community supports him. There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc. love him. There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court. There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill. There is a reason he voted No on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. There is a reason he voted No on banning partial birth abortion. There is a reason he voted No on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue.

Let’s take a look at the practice he wanted to continue

The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedures:

A. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby’s leg with forceps. (Remember this is a live baby)
B. The baby’s leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
C. The abortionist delivers the baby’s entire body, except for the head.
D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby’s skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole.
E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child’s brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

God help him. There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law.

Think about this: You can’t give a kid an aspirin without parental notification but that same kid can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane.

There is a reason he went to Jeremiah Wright’s church for 20 years.

Obama tells us he has good judgment but he sat under Jeremiah Wright teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright’s sermons. I wonder why now?

Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple is one in training. Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 – 20 “Go and make disciples of all nations.” This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to think like you, walk like you; talk like you believe what you believe etc. The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him?

Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets that said they have a …

1. Commitment to the White Community
2. Commitment to the White Family
3. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community.
5. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
6. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

Would you support a President who went to a church like that?

Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets of Obama’s former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside.

This kind of church is a racist church. Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discovered he went to a racist church. The church can’t be about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world.

A church can’t have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandate. It does not matter if it?s a white church or a black church it’s still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote.

Obama’s former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book A Black Theology of Liberation. Cone once wrote: “Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him.

Cone is the man Obama’s mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this?

So what does all this mean for the nation?

In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing – judgment.

Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king. First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 “Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”

Then God says

1 Samuel 1:18 ” When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.” 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

Here is what we know for sure.

God is not schizophrenic

He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God.

Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy.

I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama’s positions. Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends.

Since we know someone’s value system has to be placed on the nation,

1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation.

2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings, Huntley Brown

Poem

The Night Before Elections

Twas the night before elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys.

They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay,
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn’t stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note-

IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!