It's a Good Day When

 

It's a good day when...

I look in the mirror at the end of the day,

and I realize

that I have successfully

managed 

to

put on two earrings.

Yes,I am this excited about two earrings.

And not just that,

they 

MATCHED!!! 

I went all day long with matching

earrings!!

 EPIC!!

Tick Tock

I know that I already have 

posted my little photo on Facebook, 

but this little owl is just so stinking adorable!!!

(That is if you ask me :) 

  

Life is so short-be sure to pass a smile along.

Smiles are free and it makes others happy.

Have a great day!!!

Yahoo! The weekend is almost here!

Shark Attack and A Penguins Scorn

*

I Snagged this photo at 

Ripley's Aquarium 

in Tennessee.

*

Talk about fun!!

Have you gone to this Aquarium?

We saw a whole bunch of cool things.

I will have to post more photos later.

They had a few "spy" tunnels that the kids

and adults could climb in to observe the

animals closely.

We ended up in the Penguin room.

Phew! Their "Spy" Tunnel was

a little stinky.

My guess is 

that they don't clean it all that often.

And those grubby 

fingerprints on the glass....

(I cringe at the thought...

grubby little hand-prints, everywhere!

Who knows what and where those hands

have been!
 
I hoped after this experience that there was 

some heavy duty sanitizer,

 somewhere in that building)

ANYWAYS....

The hardest part for me

was getting in the tunnel 

and touching the nasty floor.  

You see..

I was scheduled for knee surgery, 


and I hadn't had it just yet.

So "crawling" through the smelly; make you 

gag tunnel, was a little difficult.

I had to scooch down the tube 

on my  derriere.

Course the trip back feet first was harder 

than the trip up.

On may way back out-I had caught the 

attention of one of the penguins.

He was staring me down, and watching every

move I made.

I felt ridiculous...


I could just feel him mocking me...

in that penguin type tone...

If he could talk;

I am sure he was dying to tell me:

"Don't scooch, slide on your belly!!"

"Slide lady, slide!!!"

It felt like it took me 20 minutes

to get out of that smelly tunnel.

And I did feel embarrassed.

How can a little penguin make me

feel so embarrassed?!

  
Was it worth every inch I dragged myself?  

I don't know!

 I still haven't seen my

"better up close" photos yet.




Life happens and it creates stories.

Mine just happen to be different, and usually

a challenge,

 

and it is always interesting

 

(to my family)

 

to see what is going to happen to me 

 

next...

 

like the time I went fishing and sunk my reel

 

but that is a story for another time.



Do you have a funny story that happened at 

an aquarium?  I would love to hear about it!

What is Man that Thou are Mindful of Him?

Food for thought.....

Captured: Snowflakes: God's Beautiful Design

I spent about an 

hour 

on my 

side stoop 

at our  

new home

the other day.

I was

kneeling

  in the 

freezing cold

to try to make a feeble 

attempt to catch

God's

 masterful work.

As the winds blew on that day;

the snowflakes seemed to just float in the air, 

so graceful and frail not bothered by the chill.  

They landed ever so gently 

on the mounds of white that lay at my feet.

I knelt, shivering and trying not to breath my heated breathe upon

the delicate, frozen masterpieces that lay before me.

Billions and billions of droplets 

   

crystallized, crafted and created to bring glory to God.

                
                   If God would care about

how each of these snowflakes looked,

 how much the more He cares for me!

 

Quick-The Daylight Wont Last Forever!

I know it has been

Quite Awhile 

since I have posted.

 

I have been thoroughly

Enjoying

my children.

 

I have been

Capturing Moments

whenever possible.

 

I have been

Squeezing

every second of time that I can.

 

Breathing in the

Joy & Laughter

that fills my home.

 

Being

Thankful to God

for such blessings!

 

I AM SO BLESSED!!

******

I have had a few things happen while I have been absent; a few birthdays have come and gone.

My camera had a mishap that ended up being a blessing in disguise. 

I was able to cash in on my warrenty and

upgrade my Canon Rebel XS to a Canon 60D (body) and  I still had enough left over

to get a Tameron 24-78mm 2.8 Lens!

I have been enjoying taking photos (as usual-not like that would surprise anyone) with my

new camera and lens.

Well, I think that catches us up to now. So off to the rest of my post :)

 

Here are a few photos that I took that Inspire me to keep capturing the moments:

 

"Loving the Lemon" 

"My Cute Piggytales"

 

"Adorable Blue Eyed Homeschooler" 

Have you taken any photos that

Inspire

you?

 

Remember each day only happens

once. 

The sunrise that you see today

 

will never

happen the

same 

way again.

Capture the moments of your children

 

each breath, each smile, each laugh,

 

each joy and each tear

 

each failure, and each success

 

each hug, and each kiss

 

Every little thing!

 

 Capture it

all!!

 

Because before you know it

they will be

grown.

 

Remember children don't need parents in order to grow up.

 

They grow everyday

without

our permission

(Believe me I know it, and I am sure you do too)

 

Children need parents to love them

unconditionally

to

train them

to do right

and to help them to learn to 

enjoy

the life God has given to them.

 

My children love to see me take their photos!

They love to see themselves on the screen.

I believe that if you capture them

you will capture their hearts!

 

We only have them in our homes for a

small

amount of time!

 

Make it count!

Their kissable faces

Two to be exact!

I love my daughters face.......those cheeks!!!

I am so thankful I had a chance to catch this....She loves her car!!

Have a great week!! Be sure to Kiss your babies they grow up so quick!!

Yeay...a Photoshoot!

I had the priveledge to do the school pictures

for the yeabook at the humble little school that I teach in.

It was fun and I really enjoyed it!

Of course, I heard the "I don't like my picture taken" line throughout the day;

but at the finish of the sessions I ended up with some marvelous photos!

The serious above and not so serious below.....what a great group of kids!!!

It was a good day:)

(I'm sure that blogger is going to downgrade my photos-so pardon the pixelation)

What if Government Rejects the Constitution?

By Andrew Napolitano

What if the government never took the Constitution seriously? What if the same generation – in some cases the same human beings – that wrote in the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech,” also enacted the Alien and Sedition Acts, which made it a crime to criticize the government? What if the feds don’t regard the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Land?

What if the government regards the Constitution as merely a guideline to be referred to from time to time, or a myth to be foisted upon the voters, but not as a historic delegation of power that lawfully limits the federal government? What if Congress knows that most of what it regulates puts it outside the confines of the Constitution, but it does whatever it can get away with? What if the feds don’t think that the Constitution was written to keep them off the people’s backs?

What if there’s no substantial difference between the two major political parties? What if the same political mentality that gave us the Patriot Act, with its federal agent-written search warrants that permit unconstitutional spying on us, also gave us Obamacare, with its mandate to buy health insurance, even if we don’t want or need it? What if both political parties love power more than freedom? What if both parties have used the Commerce Clause in the Constitution to stretch the power of the federal government far beyond its constitutionally ordained boundaries and well beyond the plain meaning of words?

What if both parties love war because the public is more docile during war and permits higher taxes and more federal theft of freedom from individuals and power from the states? What if none of these recent wars has made us freer or safer, but just poorer?

What if Congress bribed the states with cash in return for their enacting legislation Congress likes, but cannot lawfully enact? What if Congress went to all states in the union and offered them cash to repave their interstate highways, if the states only lowered their speed limits? What if the states took that deal? What if the Supreme Court approved this bribery and then Congress did it again and again? What if this bribery were a way for Congress to get around the few constitutional limitations that Congress acknowledges?

What if Congress believes that it can spend tax dollars on anything it pleases and tie any strings it wants to that spending? What if Congress uses its taxing and spending power to regulate anything it wants to control, whether authorized by the Constitution or not? What if anyone other than members of Congress offered state legislatures cash in return for favorable legislation? What if Congress wrote laws that let it break laws that ordinary people would be prosecuted for breaking?

What if the Declaration of Independence says that the government derives its powers from the consent of the governed? What if the government claims to derive powers from some other source that it will not – because it cannot – name? What if we never gave the government the power to spy on us, to print worthless cash, to kill in our names, to force us to buy health insurance or to waste our money by telling us that exercise is good and sugar is bad?

What if we never gave the government the power to bribe the poor with welfare or the middle class with tax breaks or the rich with bailouts or the states with cash? What if we don’t consent to what has become of the government? What if the Constitution has been tacitly amended by the consent of both political parties, whereby instead of ratifying amendments, all three branches of government merely look the other way when the government violates the Constitution? What if the president cannot constitutionally bomb whatever country he wants? What if the Congress cannot constitutionally exempt its members from the laws that govern the rest of us? What if the courts cannot constitutionally invent a right to kill babies in the womb?

What if the federal government is out of control, no matter which party controls it? What if there is only harmony on Capitol Hill when government is growing and personal liberty is shrinking? What if the presidential race this fall will not be between good and evil, between right and left, between free markets and central planning or even between constitutional government and Big Government – but only about how much bigger Big Government should get?

What if enough is enough? What do we do about it?

What if it’s too late?

*********

The constitution is not a bill of rights for us-it is a document of what government

 IS NOT

supposed to do to not infringe upon OUR RIGHTS.

The Raw Milk Factor

First off-I am not a professor, I only have my Bachelors in Education;

and

I am not a great writer ( I drive my husband crazy with my Ohio ism's)

But I want to share things I find important about our nutrition.

I think that what I have study deserves to be posted and discussed.

I tend to jump around sometimes too-I am sorry-my brain thinks too quickly for me:)

So if you forgive my flaws I will proceed:

I have been studying quite a bit on the raw milk factor,

thanks to a friend who has "challenged" me to understand why I chose raw over pasteurized.

In my studies it was interesting to find that in

 Canada it is forbidden to sell any type of raw milk product

they aren't even allowed to buy it in the US and bring it back to Canada.

The law stated that....

" it must be pasteurized to remove alkaline phosphatase activity.  "

(source)

So I looked up alkaline phosphatase just to see what it was and what it does

What it is and does:

"Although the actual purpose of the enzyme is still not fully understood, the simple hypothesis, that it is a means for the bacteria to generate free phosphate groups for uptake and use, is supported by the fact that alkaline phosphatase is usually produced by the bacteria only during phosphate starvation and not when phosphate is plentiful.^"

^{So two things-they don't fully understand what the purpose of the enzyme is......and  I}

^{wasn't sure what phosphate groups were}

^{So then I looked it up:}

"The phosphate group is important in living things in different ways. Firstly, it is an important structural component of nucleotide, which is the basic structural unit of DNA and RNA. Secondly, it is a component of energy-rich molecules, such as ATP. Thirdly, it is also bound to coenzymes like NADP / NADPH involved in anabolic reactions (such as photosynthesis in plants and lipid synthesis in animals). It is also a part of the hydrophilic head of phospholipids in biological membrane."

Alkaline phosphatase is found in all or our cells and our liver, our bones and our tissues.

The phosphate group is important in living things....so how does alkaline phosphatase in raw milk

hurt us?  (I will be studying this out)

If this is something we already produce-why is it harmful? 

Do we trust that God gave a "perfect" micro detail body that can fend for itself? 

We are so quick to listen to govt and not listen to the miracle that God has built into our bodies. 

The lactic acid that is also found in raw milk helps to fight any harmful bacteria! 

"What is generally swept under the rug in discussions about raw milk, however, is the protection given by lactic acid-producing bacteria normally present. In what microbiologists call the principal of Competitive Exclusion, non-pathogenic bacteria like, say, Lactococcus lactis, can actually limit or kill bad bugs like Listeria monocytogenes, responsible for hundreds of illnesses yearly (2).

It seems lactic acid is really hard on the germs that can make us sick if their numbers get too high. Nice system!"  source

Hmmmm.....so all wise God put a protecting acid in this milk-so that humans could consume it.

It is interesting this whole debate over pasteurized milk and raw real milk.

Now I am not claiming to know everything out there about this, and I don't mind a challenging to this view. 

 I also have to disclaim everything in this post. I am not a doctor or a govt official that can tell you to

eat this or that or the other. I cannot be held responsible to your decisions.

But I am a mother who is concerned about the choice of foods out there for my family.

There are so many dangerous foods that we are consuming!
***
God talks about a land full of milk and honey.

 I think that raw milk is okay for my family. 

(they didn't have pasteurization back in the Bible times)


****

"I CAN'T GET MY HANDS ON RAW MILK"

Some may be concerned that they can't get on raw milk-(its illegal in 27 states)

Here is an alternative way to get the least dead milk:

"I think if people can’t get raw milk, the next best thing is pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) cream diluted with water. The fats are much less prone to damage by pasteurization than the water portion of the milk, and at least the fats in cream have not been homogenized. This is what I did for my family when we could not get raw milk. We used diluted cream on porridge and in cooking. "
~Sally Fallon~

I would love to know what you think about this  subject?

More on this subject to follow.

Honesty IS the best policy

I am here to be honest to you.

To give my honest opinion on things.

I think that there is something I must share.

I know that it might not make some people happy sharing my "personal" business.

I just don't want anyone to think that I am "high and mighty" because the only that is is God.

I have had a burden on my heart to feed my family healthy and nourishing foods.

I feel led by God to seek out these healthy foods.

I know that healthy foods are expensive-so I am very frugal and keep a price book.

I want to make sure that every single cent is spent wisely, and to the fullest it can be stretched.

So with that here is my honesty for all to see and hear:

My grocery budget is $45.00 a week for us as a family of four.

A gallon of raw milk comes in at $7.99-this is extremely expensive.

But, our health I think is worth the expense.

I have saved and pinched the penny in other areas so that we can have this nourishing milk.

I am not rich-and I don't pretend to be.

My Father in Heaven is rich and He will give to me what I need.

(and a lot of times He gives me wants)

I can not afford organic produce, and I can't afford grass fed meat, or free range chicken.

Would I like to feed my family this?

Well, of course I would

but I think the money is better spent on good milk,

and good butter and vegetables and fruits and a

few grains and natural sweetners.

I strive to have something new for my family to try at least once a month if not more.

I also pray every meal that God will fill in the gaps in our food.

And that He will protect us from anything harmful that we are consuming.

I don't want to blog with false pretenses-I want to be clear as glass.

And I am sure someone isn't gonna be happy that I post this for the world to see.

But I have to be honest-especially if I am going to blog on nutrition and nourishing my family.

I am not rich-I know that nourishing a family can be a little costly.

But I am not worried-the Lord knows and He will provide.

I pray before I shop to make sure it is something that will nourish my family.

I also shop around and call places to try to find better prices.

I even had a kind friend tell me that if I researched the area her family lives in,

for milk and free range eggs-that when she went out there she would pick them up for me.

 SEE....

God has provided a way for me to get nourishing food.

Yes, $45.00 a week for a family of four is very small-especially in this economy.

I believe that God can help me stretch it to it's limits.

I just have to do my research and work in finding the best prices:)

****

So there you have it-transparency at its best.

Things can be tough and challenging with this amount, that is the truth.

But I am thankful that I have a budget and a God that owns everything.

He put this desire in my heart and He will see it through and provide-as long as I do my part.



What if the government rejects the Constitution?

{Food for thought}

By Andrew Napolitano

What if the government never took the Constitution seriously? What if the same generation – in some cases the same human beings – that wrote in the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech,” also enacted the Alien and Sedition Acts, which made it a crime to criticize the government? What if the feds don’t regard the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Land?

What if the government regards the Constitution as merely a guideline to be referred to from time to time, or a myth to be foisted upon the voters, but not as a historic delegation of power that lawfully limits the federal government?

What if Congress knows that most of what it regulates puts it outside the confines of the Constitution, but it does whatever it can get away with? What if the feds don’t think that the Constitution was written to keep them off the people’s backs?

What if there’s no substantial difference between the two major political parties? What if the same political mentality that gave us the Patriot Act, with its federal agent-written search warrants that permit unconstitutional spying on us, also gave us Obamacare, with its mandate to buy health insurance, even if we don’t want or need it?

What if both political parties love power more than freedom? What if both parties have used the Commerce Clause in the Constitution to stretch the power of the federal government far beyond its constitutionally ordained boundaries and well beyond the plain meaning of words?

What if both parties love war because the public is more docile during war and permits higher taxes and more federal theft of freedom from individuals and power from the states? What if none of these recent wars has made us freer or safer, but just poorer?

What if Congress bribed the states with cash in return for their enacting legislation Congress likes, but cannot lawfully enact? What if Congress went to all states in the union and offered them cash to repave their interstate highways, if the states only lowered their speed limits? What if the states took that deal? What if the Supreme Court approved this bribery and then Congress did it again and again? What if this bribery were a way for Congress to get around the few constitutional limitations that Congress acknowledges?

What if Congress believes that it can spend tax dollars on anything it pleases and tie any strings it wants to that spending? What if Congress uses its taxing and spending power to regulate anything it wants to control, whether authorized by the Constitution or not? What if anyone other than members of Congress offered state legislatures cash in return for favorable legislation? What if Congress wrote laws that let it break laws that ordinary people would be prosecuted for breaking?

What if the Declaration of Independence says that the government derives its powers from the consent of the governed? What if the government claims to derive powers from some other source that it will not – because it cannot – name? What if we never gave the government the power to spy on us, to print worthless cash, to kill in our names, to force us to buy health insurance or to waste our money by telling us that exercise is good and sugar is bad?

What if we never gave the government the power to bribe the poor with welfare or the middle class with tax breaks or the rich with bailouts or the states with cash? What if we don’t consent to what has become of the government? What if the Constitution has been tacitly amended by the consent of both political parties, whereby instead of ratifying amendments, all three branches of government merely look the other way when the government violates the Constitution? What if the president cannot constitutionally bomb whatever country he wants? What if the Congress cannot constitutionally exempt its members from the laws that govern the rest of us? What if the courts cannot constitutionally invent a right to kill babies in the womb?

What if the federal government is out of control, no matter which party controls it? What if there is only harmony on Capitol Hill when government is growing and personal liberty is shrinking? What if the presidential race this fall will not be between good and evil, between right and left, between free markets and central planning or even between constitutional government and Big Government –
but only about how much bigger Big Government should get?

What if enough is enough? What do we do about it?

What if it’s too late?

Yummy Raw Foods!! Frozen Fruit Cream!!

One of my favorite snacks and desserts to have is Fruit Cream.

I make it in my new food processor-it is so good!!

This batch has been the best so far-and I don't have to worry about extra sugars

or high calories, and it helps get in the right amount of fruit for the day.

So what are some of your favorite raw foods to eat?

Have you done anything special with some of your raw foods?

I would love to hear about it!!

The Money Saving Mom's Budget Audio Book Review

I was given the chance to review Crystal Paine's 

The Money Saving Mom's Budget Audio Book

Before I give my review here is some information about the author:

"Crystal Paine is a wife and homeschooling mom to three young children who has been writing on topics related to frugality for the last five years—and living a frugal, simple, and debt-free life since she was born. Her blog, MoneySavingMom.com, is one of the top personal finance blogs on the web averaging over four million page views per month. Crystal has contributed to articles in Woman's Day magazine and All You magazine, as well as being mentioned on National Public Radio and CNN.com, in USA Weekend, and Real Simple magazine and numerous other local newspapers and radio and television stations."

More about The Money Saving Mom's Budget

Crystal Paine, who has helped busy women everywhere take control of their finances, presents her most effective strategies designed for families of all sizes and income levels.

With hundreds of inspiring “why didn’t I think of that?” TIPS, plus WORKSHEETS, Paine breaks down your goals into easy, manageable steps so you can:
• Achieve a complete financial makeover
• Set up a realistic budget
• Never pay retail
• Slash your grocery bill
• Organize your time & your home
• Use coupons wisely
• Pay with cash only
• Live simply
• Become debt free
• Choose contentment
• Make every dollar count

{resource taken from here}

I really enjoyed listening to her book.  The convenience of having an audio book was superb; I could continue to work around the house.  Crystal was a delight to listen to; she has a very sweet easy going voice.

Crystal had so many ideas on how to help cut a budget.  I was excited that she shared a few websites and links to various resources, coupon printing sites, personal advertisement places, etc.  I also liked how she included the PDF files to print out the charts and lists that she referenced. 

I would highly recommend this to anyone who is trying to get a handle on their finances!  Even Dave Ramsey-the financial expert recommends her book!!!

"Crystal Paine does it all as an entrepreneur, wife, and mom—and that means she knows all about finding room in a home budget! From reducing clutter to finding amazing coupon deals outside the grocery aisle, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget will help you make dollars and sense of your life again." —Dave Ramsey, New York Times bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host {resource here}

I even recommend her book if you have your finances in order.  I praise the Lord because our finances are in order and under control.  I wasn't sure if I could learn anything new from her book.  But I am so glad that I was chosen to review this!!  I am so glad that I heard what she had to say-and I do plan on listening to her audiobook again.

I believe that there is still something anyone can learn from her book. She really covers the whole gamut of things!!  One of the topics that helped me was Personal Time Budget.  I had never even thought of a Time Budget before!  I really want to tell time where it needs to be, so that I don't feel rushed and panicked when push comes to shove.

Crystal has experienced what she talks about-she is walking the walk and talking the talk. Once again, you can find her website here at www.moneysavingmom.com.  I would like to encourage you to take some time to visit her website-she has A LOT of GOOD information. She has recipes, budget tips etc.... Trust me-go check her website out-you'll be glad you did.

Last but not least one of the other things that stand out to me about Crystal is that she has a Christian perspective with her finances, and everything she does.  I love receiving her emails-because when it seems like life is in the valley-she usually happens to included something from the Scriptures to help lift me up and encourage me.

There are a lot of retailers that sell her book-but I am going to limit it to Amazon and Barnes and Noble; you can find her book here:

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble.com

And the Audio book, Compact Disk here:

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble.com

I really give this book 5 stars!!!

{Disclaimer:  I was given the Audio book for free in exchange for an honest review}

Thank you so much for allowing me the chance to review such a wonderful book!!
Courtesy of: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13457557/moneysavingmom
and Crystal Paine at www.moneysavingmom.com

Struggles-but these are good ones

I find myself having to stop at times to decide which is more important:

1.  Uploading a new story, event, recipe, coupon, a new raw food I like, or post on my facebook

or many other numerous events happening online

OR

2. Looking into my childrens eyes, laughing with them, playing with them, and loving on them

And when it comes down to that and I have to do a self reflection-I find that

I KNOW

hands down which is number 1:

 My Children

and looking into their eyes is more important than looking into the screen of my computer.

To see their joy and their pain in the day to day.

Teaches me how to be a better mother to them and for them.

****

Lord help me to cherish this treasure today and everyday.

Psalm 127:3

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Who could say no to these cuties?!

I love these kiddos!!