Trying to be an informed voter

Here's a website I have been on to help me understand who is running in my local elections and to try to get a better grip on different issues.

Project Vote Smart

It's pretty informative. Check it out.

I had a pretty smooth day . Moms In Touch this morning! It's my favorite day. The ladies came over here today, so that's always fun, and my house is clean!(and smelled of lovely Yankee candles..Macintosh and Home Sweet Home)

We had a nice weekend. We all went to Homecoming and Mel High won 28-7-- Go Dawgs!

I am still a little sick and ... I don't know why this text is coming out bold. there, I fixed it.
Anyway, I still have a little cold but it should be gone any day now... I am getting tired of carrying around tissues and a water bottle everywhere I go.

We did not go to church yesterday because I have got the post nasal drippy thing going on and cough unexpectedly every so often and blow my nose like a trumpet every couple of minutes.

Fortunately the service is broadcast on the Internet so we all sat around our computer and watched. It was kinda cute.

Sarah tried to cut her own hair this morning. She took a big ol' chunk out of the side of it with baby nail scissors. Lovely!

Right now I am enjoying a glass of tawny port, aren't I so frew-frew (sp.). I like it because it warms me up on the way down. It's a little too sweet though.

I am getting very excited about my trip coming up. I can hardly stand it. I keep trying to talk to Rick about it like "Let' talk about the trip Rick.."

Him" Why?"
Me" You are such a poop, aren't you excited?"
Him"I guess,"
Me" "Won't it be cool to be on the plane, flying over the desert that the Israelites wandered in?"
Him"I guess"
Me"to be waking up on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus walked, cooked breakfast for the disciples?
Him"Uhh, I guess"
sigh...Anyway, I am so beside myself.
I don't mean to gloat.
God is so good . It is such a blessing to go on this trip, to be with my husband and to know that my kids will be well taken care of. But despite all of that, He is still so good to me. The message this week at church was about being content with what you have, regardless of your circumstances. I am still working on that, but for right now, things are pretty sweet.

Thank you LORD.

I don't have anything great to show you tonight. Sarah and I took some pictures and a video of the guinea pigs. SnowBall has got a balding butt so don't be grossed out. He's a rebel. Buster is the brown and white one and very sweet,and Chester it the tri -colored baby and the fatty of the group.

Check out the little paws on the food bowl, awww. Don't be creeped put by the beady little red-eyes.

When we pray at Moms-In-Touch, we each read a bit of scripture, this is what I read today. I think I will re-read it before I go to bed. I hope you do to. It's true, God is awesome and He is our refuge. I hope it gives you comfort.

Psalm 46:1-3

1 God is our refuge and strength,an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

That's my prayer for you guys tonight, that you will know and have comfort in Him.

G'night,

Joann

PS. If anyone has any funny pictures or something funny like this

send it to me so I can share it.
G'night
BTW - I really love Rick, I am not trying to make fun of him. He's pretty darn excited to go, too.

Here's a cute picture of Charlie and Blue

He so sweet. I love this kid. Please keep him in your prayers, that he can focus and do well in school. He's a good boy.
Don't you love Blue's smile?
I am going to get stuff done around here and try to get over this cold. I'm always up for a cup of coffee or a bike ride if anyone is interested.

Well, does anyone really understand what is going on with the economy? Is anyone worried?
I get a bit perturbed with the media tuning it into a doomsday scenario and trying to panic people. cheese!
Let's discuss if you feel led to. Feel free to point me to any reliable info if you have something (i.e. website, news article, etc.)
On a more serious note(clearing throat) tonight is Homecoming for Mel High. We are going to the football game and tomorrow night Jimmy is going to a party at a friends house. He's getting so big...
I'm excited except football games down here are not what they used to be up north. I remember bundling up for the game and bringing blankets and getting hot chocolate. You would have to take your mittens off to clap otherwise all you would hear is a dull puud-puud-puud sound.
It's hot at night here but it should be very exciting. Anyhoo, that's my big plan for the weekend. Let me know what you guys are doing. Have fun whatever it is
Love,
Jo
Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day. (Psalm 25:4-5)

I got this in a e-mail from a friend today.

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:


Men Are Just Happier People-- What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
N ew shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

This is the sweetest thing EVAH!

It sure did make me smile.
I had chemo today. i think I have 4 more to go. I had a very tough time in there today and I have no idea why. I think it's because I 've had this nasty cold for about two weeks now and I am tired of it. The tears kept popping out of my eyes. I think I was sort of freaking the other people out in the chemo room. I don't know what my deal was but I'm glad that's over with. Got to get my Z-pac to get this nasty cold annihilated. Hope you liked the video. Sarah and I just brought Blue down to the ocean and she got a frappacino. Here's a couple of pictures.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Hi guys,
That was my attempt at photojournalism. I couldn't put comments on he video because it costs extra.
Ok. The pictures are of breakfast-time, out side Sarah's school(pinwheels for Peace), Moms-in Touch (our legs as we were praying), my lunch, then I took a Benadryl after that and I fell asleep and completely missed the one o'clock picture, Sarah after school, Jimmy going to the orthodontist, Slurpee time at 7-11, Blue's walk, Charlie coming home from Robotics, homework and bedtime(Sarah walks on my back at night)
Well, have a great day everyone. I am hanging out doing laundry and I might pull some weeds and get a few new plants for outside.
Love,Joann

One picture every hour

Hi guys. I am going to take one picture every hour today just for curiosity. I fany one wans to e-mail me a picture of their day, just put the hour you took it and I will post it with mine, tonight at about 10 or so . I thought about doing it when I was falling asleep lastnight.
Just trying to "mix it up" a little. Have a great day.
Love,
Joann
Ps I f you don't have my e-mail you can contact me here and i will e-mail it to you.

One minute each night

The following is an e-mail I received from a sweet friend. Please take a sec and read it. I think I am going to set my alarm clock for 9pm. The privilege we have of prayer is so awesome. It's going to be very exciting to see what God is going to do. I think it's important to remember to pray "not my will, but Yours be done".
We may think we have it all figured out how things should be, let's put our trust in the Lord who knows all things from beginning to end and have peace in that.


ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT....

This is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced. From the looks of the polls, the Christians aren't voting Christian values. We all need to be on our knees. Do you believe we can take God at His word? Call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders to behold. His scripture gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it. I challenge you to do so. We have never been more desperate than now for God to heal our land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 :

"If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal20their land."
During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England , its people and peace. This had an amazing effect as bombing stopped.

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America . The United States of America and our citizens need prayer more than ever!

If you would like to participate: each evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time, 8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Pacific, stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, for wisdom and courage for our leaders, the up-coming election, and that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land and that Christianity will grow in the U.S.

If you know anyone who would like to participate, please pass this along.

Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.

Thank You Please pass this on to anyone who you think will want to join us. God Bless You!!!

ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT....

Being a parent is kinda hard

I'm sorry, but does any one else feel this way? Is it hard for anyone else to keep up with homework assignments, Dr appt's, clubs, and laundry and figure out what to feed them? I feel like such a slacker sometimes.
I'm ok, really, I'm not super upset or anything, it's just... is it always so complicated? I guess I should remind myself often that I am fortunate to be home to take care of things...maybe that makes me a little bit lazier? I dunno.
Just keeping on top of the boys homework and assignments that are due in school, making sure they are getting stuff done and trying to keep up with Sarah's stuff (although, I have to admit, she's only in third grade and there's not that much at all), it just gets a bit "hairy". I think I need organizational training.
There, thank you for letting me vent.
But as I was saying, being a parent is hard, isn't it? Working wih your spouse, trying to work out which approach to discipline your children, coming to terms with them (the kids) not always listening or telling the truth. Don't even get me started on haircuts. I don't think I've seen charlie's eyebrows for a year.Yikes!
They're so cute when they are babies.. then they get a bit stinky and hairy.
I still love them so much.
This is a picture of Sarah's bedtime tonight. Doesn't Blue looked as thrilled as she does?

Anyway, sad to say but this is how I feel on fridays sometimes.
Rick and I just got back from our walk and had a long talk about our parenting skills and how they differ. Needless to say I'm glad we were on the beach and no one could hear us because the waves were loud, drowning out our conversation because we got bit loud. We rewarded ourselves with a Starbucks.
sigh...
Don't know what my point is with this post.
I just get a little overwhelmed but it's all good. It's interesting how there's always a new obstacle or situation to pray about for your children every couple of years. Just when you think you've got certain issues ironed out, a new phase of life pops up at you and the issues get a little heavier. Remember when the big issue was how well your little two year old boy shared with the other little girls in his playgroup? Those were the days.
Well, here's to a great weekend for everybody. I don't know what we are doing besides church. I don't think Rick has to go in to the office this weekend , so that's cool. I was going to go to the McCain-Palin rally in FLorida this Sunday , but it's too far and we are all getting over having a nasty head-cold.


The kids and I love this video. Hope you enjoy it, too.
Good night,love,
Jo
PS. did you guys like my Blue video? i have to look at it every so often for a little giggle. I love how he looks right at the camera.

Psalm 103:13-18

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-

18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts

Now that's what I'm talking about

I enjoyed it thoroughly



Blue had a little peanut butter on his tongue

Success!

I went to the grocery store today amd bought Breyers Vanilla and Chocolate fudge Brownie Swirl but have not yet had it with my beloved melted peanut butter......
I think I will wait till tomorrow just to be torturous to myself. I am ready for bed and not even hungry. I had MomsInTouch this morning. That's our prayer group for the children in our community schools. It's my favorite day of the week. Then I did some grocery shopping, had a little lunch and came home and hung around with my dog. It was very blissful. Then the kiddies come home one by one and the party starts. So now the dinner and homework and reading and cleaning up is all done and so I am I. I bid you a buena soira, arreviderci and all that stuff. Sleep tight..don't let the bed bugs bite.


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever.” Revelation 7:12

another Saturday night and I ain't got no ...ice cream

It's Saturday night and I am craving ice cream. My favorite treat, albeit very fattening, is vanilla ice cream with a table spoon or so of melted peanut butter on it. YUM! Oh, I can't stand it...I am so in the mood for that. (think happy thoughts, thinks happy thoughts) Our Saturday started uneventfully. All three kids had sleep overs (at other kid's homes)! Cool! Rick and I hit the 'bucks and had a quiet morning, then he went off to his office for a while, then the kids came home. Sarah's sleep over was a birthday party and my my brave friend, Julie, who hosted the sleepover for her daughter, invited 14 little 8 yr olds and, guess what! ... the power went out from 6:30 til 3 am. yikes! I hung around for a while, til 9:30, then I sort of bailed on her. Later, I stayed up very late, watching the Weather Channel and Hurricane Ike. I felt very bad for the people and I was trying to stay awake, feeling a bit helpless realizing that all I could do was pray, so I did. It's a terrible tragedy. Hurricanes are pretty scary. We have been through a few of them here and it is difficult to say good-bye to your home when you have to evacuate. Not knowing what you might come back to after the storm is unsettling, but just like most other situations when you are helpless to change the situation, you become so aware of who is in control and what really is important. Last night, I was so thankful to be healthy and that my children and husband are as well. Most importantly, I am so comforted by the faith they have in Jesus Christ. He always comes through. Even though natural disasters happen, and terrible tragedies occur, like the derailment of the train in LA, the LORD is always there to get us through one way or another.

If we didn't have trials and difficulties, we would believe that we can do life alone on our own. In situations where we have no control or explanation, we have the comfort of God's promise that He will get us through the waters when they rise too high and He will deliver us through the fire and He will walk with us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He doesn't cause these things to happen and He is not powerless to stop them, but He does prove His love for us when we decide to lean on Him and allow Him to teach us things about our world and ourselves and eternity. Something that I learned in my study of Daniel last year (Daniel 3:13-18) is the three different scenarios facing us when going through a "fiery" trial. This is from the Beth Moore study by the way. Scenario one: God can deliver us from the fire(so that we don't have to go through it)...our faith is built Scenario two: God can deliver us through the fire( like me, going through cancer,but He went through it with me)..our faith is refined John 11:4 1Peter 1:7 Scenario three: God can deliver us by the fire ( straight into His arms)...our faith is perfected 1 Cor 15:26 Hebrews 12:1-3 I am rambling , but so be it, and I am not sure that I am getting my point across because I am still thinking about ice cream and peanut butter, nevertheless, I am so thankful for the blessings He has showered on me. It may sound weird to be thankful and feel blessed when I have been through cancer stuff numerous times, but it's all good and I don't know what else might be in store for me and my family, but the Lord is getting us prepared to face things and showing us His faithfulness. I'm not saying I won't be anxious or worry, but Jesus is always faithful to be with me when I am. My situation is nothing short of... extraordinary(not to sound boastful). There really aren't any statistics for what I have been through. I am not saying that no one has ever been through this sort of thing before, but it is unusual and I think unexpected for me to still be here with you today. Cool, huh? It's the Lord. Plain and simple. In a way, I need to put the things that God has done for me in the past and start looking for the things He is doing for me now or will do for me in he future. He's always at work and refining. Take a little time and think about who and what you put your trust and faith in...man, money , stuff, or Jesus Christ who died for you so that you don't have to have fear or anxiety about what might happen on this earth. Jesus gives you the gift of life everlasting with Him. After all , everyone is going somewhere after they die, you've got to chose the right path. Boy, am I preachy or what? Maybe I should go back through this post and delete all of this but I am not going to . I am just going to hit post and...whoop,there it is. I love you guys, and I just want you to take a little time and think about your relationship with the Lord and what faith is. Maybe read a little bit of your Bible or just click on the link on my blog to look at the Bible online. There's lots of commentary and info on it. Well, I am hitting the POST it button now. Have a great weekend, we sure are. Much love, Joann

Here's a cute picture to lighten things up a little bit.

we were at the beach the other evening and the water was like a bathtub with bubbles from the storm out at sea

remembering seven years ago

I am sitting here in the chemo room remembering back 7 years ago. I was having chemo that week too, and my first thought was "gee, this really stinks", then I had to put things in perspective. I can be so self centered. I am so lucky and blessed. What a terrible tragedy 9/11 is and look how blessed I am to still be with the ones I love.
I have not blogged lately because our Internet connection is whacked. I will keep this short. I am fine. Feeling good and perky. Rick and I just had our eighteenth anniversary and had a lovely dinner without friends Susan and Bob who just had their twenty second!
Rick is playing basketball tonight, Sarah just got glasses, Jimmy is a stinker but cute and Charlie likes robotics! Yeah!
Well after chemo I am going out to get lunch with my mother in law. This is a weird post but I am typing on my iPhone. Sorry.
I will add to it this afternoon if I can.
Ciao for now.

Here's a picture of my lovely daughter(can't you see the resemblance?)

Sorry that I have not updated in a week. Not too much going on here. We are keeping a sharp eye on hurricane stuff and trying to keep schoolwork straight. The boys are doing fine in school. Jimmy is doing weight-lifting(he-he) at Mel High. Isn't that cute? He's so tall and skinny, but he says that he is not intimidated by the other big kids. He's so ....Jimmy-ish.
Charlie is doing pretty good, so far, this year. We really have to stay on top of him, but I think he is starting to realize that his grades are important.(knock on wood).
Sarah is , well, Sarah. I often say, if she needed to, she could get a job and pay the mortgage. She's so capable. She's playing with her buddy, Lauren, this afternoon.
Let's see, Blue is good too, but really, really stinky, and the guinea-pigs smell of guinea-pee.
I am ok but feeling effects of chemo last week and this, but not to worry. I am getting closer and closer to my trip to Israel! I get a bad headache from the chemo, I think, but never any nausea, thank you Lord.
Did anyone watch the RNC last night, and Sarah Palin's speech? I thought it was great, especially when her littlest daughter licked her hand to smooth down her baby brother's hair. I thought she sounded very capable, sincere, smart and tough. I like her. I am not that savvy about politics but I try to stay informed. I am a Republican but I am trying to listen to facts and stay more on top and aware of issues lately.
Here's a really cute picture I'm throwing in for a chuckle...

plink plink [eyes blinking sound]
[Hand/paw slowly points towards you]
You can cuddles?



I have had an urge to watch this video on Youtube because I love it. I thought it might be a good idea to share it as well. If you have a few minutes please watch it . Have faith and know that the words are true and I am praying that it might make you feel the Heavenly Father's love for you. Have a great day.
I have to figure out something for dinner. I think I might make salmon patties. Rick is playing basketball at church tonight so I don't have to cook for him. Ok I am going to try to put the video here. Please take a look at it.
Love,
Joann

Here's one more picture for you. I just took it out the front door because the sky looked so pink.

Florida has the prettiest skies, especially when it's stormy.