I hope you had a Merry Christmas....

We had a Fun Family Christmas.
All of our kiddos were home along with the out-laws and the Grandangel herself!
My own three siblings came to celebrate at our parents home so there was lots of coming and going and eating and laughing and celebrating.



Here are a few things I made for gifts this year....



....covered hangers for my daughter and daughter-in-love and some for friends too.
Here is my favorite link for making these which is found in Mary Engelbreit's handmade section. I made my covers 4x9" (one for each side of the hanger) and only had one seam on the bottom. I also bought my hangers pre-wrapped (lingerie hangers from Stuff Mart) and saved a step. These go really fast and I love them for drying wet lingerie, bras, or hand washables. I also like to hang camis on them or other clothing with slippery fabrics that tend to fall off regular hangers.



Here are some Softie beach balls for the babies to play with.
A good pattern comes from The Purl Bee.



I had fun making some appliqued and embroidered dish towels. The Scottie Dog applique came from All Sorts. And I'm sharing my hen pattern from my embroidery collection with you. Click the picture below to get an enlarged pattern. You may embroider it as-is, or trace the different pieces of the hen (tail, wing, body, crown, waddle) and then trace onto sewable Heat and Bond, following the package directions. Iron the pieces onto fabrics that you like, peel, and apply to your tea towel. I used a small blanket stitch around each part of the hen. For the nest, I did straight stitches here and there with two colors of gold to simulate straw.



Embroidery is a fun handicraft to do during long, cold, winter nights. If you need some help with the stitches, check out this Stitch Dictionary or You Tube where you can find the blanket stitch and other embroidery lessons.
Enjoy!

Hearts...

I've been stitching hearts. I decided to join Dawn here.
No patterns. Just some felt hearts, theads, and imagination.
Merry Christmas!

Christmas magic...

Just the beginning....
Christmas sugar cookies from the oven, cooling and awaiting their turn for the Christmas Magic.
I like the look of the plain cookies on brown paper.



The magic sprinkles give each cookie it's own personality and charm.
Let's play Eye Spy.
I spy a pink sports car and a green Santa.
Do you?



The end.
(cookies and milk for breakfast!)

P.S. I used to do this with five small children all gathered around this very table. Here are some of the memories I have of those cookie decorating days.

*Not too much, not too much (as the cookie was thoroughly coated in red sugar so thick you could chip it off).
*Don't lick the frosting off the cookie, Honey.
*Don't lick the sprinkle shaker.
*Don't lick the sugar off the table, Honey.
*Don't eat that cookie, eat the broken one.
*Sugar cookies aren't good for dogs.
*I thought I put a full box of these in the freezer!
*Yes, let's take a plate to Grandpa and Grandma.
*Yes, let's take a plate up to the mailbox.
*Yes, give some to the UPS man when he comes to the door.

Here's a sweet reminder of those days....

What Christmas is all about.....

I watch Charlie Brown Christmas every year. My kids gave it to me. When it comes to this part, I cry every time. Thank you Linus.

Goo-Goo Goggles....

Big G, little G, what begins with G?
Goat, girl, goo-goo goggles! G… g… G!



Well now, Grammy's got some goo-goo goggles (type that three times fast!) Fashionable new rims by which to see better with.

I've worn eye glasses since 4th grade and so a new pair of glasses is nothing new to me.....until today. I now own progressive bifocals --dubbed by me, goo-goo goggles -- because they are quite googly on me for the moment--vision wise. I wasn't sure I could walk to the car after my fitting. The earth moved, I'm sure. Thankfully Hubs was with me and drove me the 55 miles home. How would I have ever managed that on my own?

Before we left town we stopped at the DQ for a hamburger and it really hit me then that I can no longer discretely look over to the other booth out of the corner of my eye and evaluate someone's hairstyle, clothes or new purse. No, I must stare directly AT the person or I can't see.

Driving home in the passenger seat was another experience -- tipping my head down a little to see the land clearly and again, pointing my head, not my eyes, in the direction of the things I wanted to see. I felt like I got used to that (a very little bit) and then walked into my house. I had it in my mind that I would start a fire in the woodstove since the east wind was, and still is, blowing ferouciously making our home very chilly. I found that there was no starting wood in the bin so I went out to the garage to do a little chopping. Oh! Dangerous! I admit, I'm not too good at chopping slivers of starting wood from a chunk of firewood, but add in googoo goggles on-the-first-day and you get even more danger! I managed to sliver off enough to start my fire, but someone else will have to cut more starting wood for the bin.

Next I thought I'd tackle putting new glass into two picture frames. Well, well.....see-through materials and goo-goo goggles. Ummmm. Challenging. But I pursued. The glass ended up being a smidge too long. I was sure, very sure, that it was me.... that my eyes were not focusing properly on one corner or another. But no, the glass was not the appropriate size.

Moving on... and now the computer. Not so bad. I stare straight on so that's not so hard. The problem is when I need to look down at a key like: ! or 55 or ( ). I don't do the very top row very well when I can see let alone having to find the right spot on the goo-goo goggles to see clearly.

Tonight I will give the goo-goo goggles yet another challenge -- embroidery, for which I figured they'd be a joy. That close-up stitching has had me very frustrated these past months so I'm hopeful they'll make it easier to thread the needle and such as. Oh, and reading my book before bedtime. That will be another new experience for me. I've really missed seeing the page clearly.

I am determined. DETERMINED that I shall grow accustomed to these new-fangled glasses. I will learn to use them. I must, for they cost us dearly. Dearly, I say! I do know one thing.....when I'm outdoors doing the things I do, the goo-goo goggles can stay safe and warm in their case. I'll pull out the out-of-fashion glasses or the contact lenses and not have to worry about "blurry edges."

They say to give yourself at least 2 weeks to get used to the new lenses. I wonder.... can one totally retrain herself to walk, navigate stairs, cook, and chop wood in 2 full weeks or more? Perhaps the 2 to 3 weeks is training for the body as much as the eyes. Hmmmm....

By the way, ABC by Dr. Seuss is one of my all-time favorite books. I've always loved G for goo-goo goggles, but F too....

Big F, little f, what begins with F? Four fluffy feathers on a Fiffer Feffer Feff.

How good is that? I can't wait to read it aloud again to Miss Hazel.

Evening stitchery...

Just a little tree ornament for Baby Hazel's First Christmas.
I love grand-mothering.

Another day in the Deep Freeze...

This morning we woke up to -26 degrees but thankfully with no wind. It was dead calm outside. The tractors were jelled up and wouldn't start. Once they did get started, they wouldn't function outside in the cold even when they were warmed up, so the guys fixed up a cover for the engine that held the heat in and allowed the fuel to stay liquefied which made the tractor operable. Diesel tends to get thick with the cold more so than gasoline.

I put down a thick layer of straw on the floor of the chicken coop yesterday. Today their water bucket had an inch of ice inside but my heat lamp kept it open for them to drink. I always take out a 2 gallon bucket of the hottest water I can get from the tap and replace their icy cold water with it. I like to take them some warm mash too. The kitties got another bowlful of hot milk and dog food to fill their tummies for the night.



This is the north window in our office. That's ice and frost in the corners and up the sides. All the north windows are coated since it's the coldest side of the house. The moisture in the air inside the house condenses on the windows and freezes with these cold temps even though we have double-paned windows.

Indoors I am wearing jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt and my faithful button up sweater over top. You can't go barefoot or stocking-footed in the house this time of year -- I can't anyway. Slippers or shoes make for warm toes, and sitting by the fire is best of all.

Our high for the day was -12 degrees, tomorrow the weather man says we'll be at -6 for a high, but Wednesday the forecast is for 25 degrees ABOVE the ZERO mark! Won't that feel balmy?

COLD...

We're experiencing the first day of an Alberta Clipper that has rushed down upon us has frozen the Great Outdoors and any who dare to be out in it. This morning the weather forecasters promise a high of -15* which we have not moved from since early this morning.

The men have been out feeding livestock and de-icing water tanks and re-lighting gas heaters that keep our water tanks from freezing over. On the first day of a Deep Freeze like this, there may not be too many problems, but as there begin to be days upon days, there is greater chance of more problems of things freezing solid and tractors jelling up and livestock feeling the effects.



A negative 15 degrees sounds cold as it is, but see that flag flying straight out? That indicates how windy it is. We estimate 15-20 mph so add that on to the temp and the wind chill temperature (what if feels like) is -40*.

I bundled up in my woolies (wool pants I've had for 25 years) and many layers and then topped it off with my fur-lined bomber hat and went out to check on my chickens. Their water was icing over so I cracked that and added another scoop of wheat to their feeder. Then I decided to feed the cats some hot milk and dog food and went home to shoveled the side walk.



Hubs came and got me to go with him to feed cake to the cows in The Breaks and up at the Big Shed. Here's a view from the pick-up cab as we drove up the road. It's a bit of a ground blizzard with pretty low visibility.



Happy cows all lined up munching their cake and hay. When they're done, they'll likely go down into The Breaks (similar to badlands just over the hill) and find a place out of the wind to spend the day.


And now I'm home baking potatoes and making a good dinner for my men who have been in and out of their pick-ups and tractors all morning. The woodstove has a good, hot fire going and the Christmas music is playing. I'm so grateful for a warm home and my family gathered inside.

Now for a little humor for cold winter living. I'm not a Minnesotan, but living way up North, I can relate to them completely.

Simple Things.... snowflakes and bows

I've been snipping up a few new snowflakes this year and found a really nifty little tutorial for making a snowflake garland over at maya*made. She made her snowflakes from newspaper and I really like them, but I made mine from coffee filters, folded the same way as Maya did in her tutorial. It's a little tricky sewing them together, but slow, steady persistence works. Do read more about her grandfather's tradition of sending snowflakes to her as a child here.



Another friend, Ginger, shared a tutorial for making Christmas gift bows from magazine pages. I know, this sounds insane. Why would anyone make gift bows out of magazine pages? The better question is, "Who thinks this stuff up?" Not me. I just copy good ideas. But hey, it is one of the easiest projects ever, ever! I can visit with my daughter-in-love and Grandpeach and make a gob of these without even thinking. That's my kind of instant gratification. I really like the looks of these -- each an individual. I recycled an entire Fossil Christmas Catalog and made about 15-18 bows. Very thrifty, ay? Here are the instructions.

My tips for easier bows:

After you fold each "petal," put a little bit of scotch tape on the front and back center. When you go to put them together, they are much easier to assemble. The tape does not show at all.

I did not use brads to put my bows together. I stapled each bow in the center. Open the stapler wide -- all the way open, hold onto your bow with one hand and staple with the other. It takes a little bit of talent (not too much).

I used an old rotary cutter from my quilting supplies to cut 1" strips out of the pages. If you had a paper cutter, that would be even better. Scissors and a ruler works fine too.

About Advent.....

We always spend a little time each evening as a family doing a little Advent devotional. In the past we have used Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader by Donna W. Payne and Fran Lenzo. This reader also includes a CD of selected songs from Messiah. We have done this devotional for several years and really, we never tire of it. It's excellent. But this year I decided it might be fun to go back to the days when our children were Littles and read a few of the old favorite poems, Bible stories, and Christmas legends and tales. So far we have read from the Book of Virtues by William Bennett these selections: St. Nicholas and the Golden Bars, Hannukkah Hymn, and The House by the Side of the Road. And we read a selection from Handel's too.

I had decided to make chocolate letters for St. Nicholas's Day, but the menfolk ate all the chocolate that I had planned to use. (Ahem) So instead, I made fudge letters using chocolate molds. Do not try this if you want nice results! They turned out quite rustic, to say the least, but tasty! (pretty is as pretty tastes) Mrs. St. Nick must remember to hide the chocolate next year.

Happy Second Sunday of Advent!

Simple Joys....

Yes, the pumpkins are still on the mantle.

One of my favorite blogs is Abiding by Leslie, and one of my favorite features at her place is "Simple Joys." Today I'd like to write down a few of my own Simple Joys. Will you join me?

Jody's Simple Joys....

A "Day Out" with hubby, shopping in the City.

Going to Jolly Lane's Greenhouse to see all the gorgeous Christmas trees -- plain and flocked -- and walking down rows upon rows of poinsettias sporting blue, purple, yellow, pink, speckled and sparkly leaves. My favorite is still red, as you can see by my Christmas banner. (Thanks Seth!)

Finding a Rosemary Christmas tree for my table. It smells so strong and spicy. I made rosemary-garlic potatoes with the snippings for supper.

Driving safely home through the ice and drifted snow which glazed the interstate and secondary roads. So many slid into the ditch, but we stayed on the road. I think it may have been the prayers I was whispering along with the steady, wise driving of Hubs.

Sons who are honest and complimentary at the same time: "Mom, that messy bed-head look is really good on you! Really!!"

Freshly washed dogs and their freshly washed rugs.

A new chocolate peppermint cookie recipe that turned out the first time.

The giggle of my grandbaby.

Number Two Son's bedroom cleaned and turned into a sewing/crafting workshop --a work still in progress.

My morning mugs of coffee with a tipple of cream.

My afternoon single cup of coffee with cream and a couple chocolate chip cookies.

A hot bath with tea and a good book balanced on the edge of the tub. Oh, and don't forget a squirt of warm vanilla sugar bath bubbles.

Chickadees at my feeder.

A cozy fire when it's 10 degrees outside.

A long letter from a friend.

Lighting the candles and reading our Advent stories each night before bed (and we're all adults!)

More from the Christmas Workshop...

My newly married daughter asked if I had made Christmas stockings yet for her.

"Ummm well, no, not yet," was my reply. I had told her earlier that I would make her and her husband special stockings if they wanted them but once I finished the babies' stockings, I kind of forgot about the idea. Dear Daughter and I had been shopping at a local store, following the sales, and decided that the stockings "out there" were okay, but that I could do something more unique and personal. So today I did it.

I found the patterns for the felt cut-outs here and here at Midwest Living. Check out all the seasonal patterns here. I like the calm spirit of these patterns which will easily flow past Christmas and into winter. The stockings won't, but some of the other projects will. I did not enlarge the patterns (as directed) for my stocking projects, but kept them the original printed size.

I had read somewhere that you must never iron synthetic felt. Well, I did. I even used Heat and Bond (the non-sew variety) to adhere my felt poinsettias and the reindeer (or is he an elk?) onto the stockings. I pressed them again, and again, and again. And no, this was not the wool-blend felt. It was a nice by-the-yard-felt, but not the very best quality. It worked well, and I was happy with the results. I had hesitated to do some other projects with felt mainly because of the directions: "Do Not Iron," but now I will move onward without fear. Just for the record, if I were making some of the Midwest Living projects, like pillows and throws, I would spend the extra money and buy a wool-blend felt. I think they would hold up better.

Give thanks....

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him; bless His name,
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His faithfulness to all generations.

~Psalm 100

Happy Thanksgiving.

Fantans....

I burnt the first batch of fantan rolls. For the second batch, I raised the rack up another notch and turned down the heat. I usually bake dinner rolls at 400 degrees, but not this time. I think the fact that they have butter between the layers makes them more susceptible to burning. I love how these rolls peel apart in layers. I just used my sweet roll dough for the recipe.

To make the fantan just roll out a generous chunk of dough (a loaf's worth) into a rectangle approximately 1/8" thickness on a floured surface. Pour on some melted butter and smooth it over all. Next, take a pizza cutter and cut strips about 1 1/2 to 2 " wide. Now layer 6 to 8 strips on top of each other. Then cut them with a knife about 2" wide. Lay them in greased muffin tins so they fan out at the top. (not a perfect science) Raise to double in size. I baked these in a 350 degree oven on the middle rack for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. These are good with or without butter! Mmmmmmm.

Time to Thaw the Bird....

Just a gentle reminder that it's time to start thawing the Thanksgiving Turkey.

Man vs. Turkey



Woman vs. Turkey



And just because I think it's so darn funny....
"Charlie Bit My Finger"

Tradition....

I've always loved this Norman Rockwell picture, Freedom From Want. It reminds me of our Thanksgivings with everyone gathered around the extra-specially set table with as many matching dishes and glasses as possible. Always the table requires the bread plate, wine glasses for the grown-ups, the crystal water goblets, the cranberries in the white ceramic dish that the recipe fits in perfectly. There are platters of turkey and ham, a great dish of mashed potatoes piled high and more mashed potatoes reserved in the kettle "just in case," more-than-enough gravy, and traditional dressing with no fancy nuts, sausage or berries in it. The strawberry-pretzel salad or the orange salad or both must also grace the table, and a relish tray -- the only vegetables except possibly for green bean casserole or a few chunks of squash that very few will eat. The brown bean pot is a regular at a holiday table as well. The punch bowl is set off by itself with tiny punch glasses or large ones for those who aren't so dainty about punch drinking. And lastly there is pie -- pumpkin, cherry, or peach and REAL whipped cream with hot coffee. Can you smell it?

But the best part of Thanksgiving are those who fill the chairs around this table.



Here are some old pictures of some very special people who once gathered to celebrate Christmas. My Grandma Kathryn is in the apron at the very end of this table.



And my Grandpa Ray is at the opposite end of the table in over-alls and white T-shirt. My dad (the boy winking) and his siblings are gathered with the best Aunts and Uncles Ever. Doesn't it look like a Rockwell painting? I share these photos today to remind you to enjoy every moment with those special people on the chairs at your Thanksgiving Feast. And by all means, take a picture! Your kids and your grandkids will thank you for it one day. I'm so glad I have this little piece of my family history.

"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
~I Thessalonians 5:18

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bulls, cowboys and perspective...

The Main Event is done, the bulls are sold, the trucks and trailers have been rolling down the highway to deliver these big boys to their new homes while we're breathing a sigh of relief that it's over, and we can pay the bills for another year. God is good. We're blessed to be able to live and work in the country on our own land with our family.



I was out walking in the yards amongst the pens of bulls and saw this crew of cowboys catching some sunshine (it was 70*) and waiting for the sale to begin. They were visiting quietly amongst themselves, taking notes and no doubt telling a joke or two as they waited. I know they spied me stopping to take their picture even though I was trying to be very nonchalant about it. You'll notice that heads are down and hats conveniently cover their faces. That's the beauty of a hat, really. If you have bad hair or a bald head, wear a hat. If you're cold, wear a hat. If you don't want anyone to notice you much (in SD, ND, MT, WY, NM or TX) wear a hat, especially if you pull it down over your eyes like all real cowboys do. After all, a hat is to shield your eyes from the sun and your head from the elements, besides which, most fellas look mighty handsome in a hat. Think Marlborough Man or Gary Cooper (below).



Making a living on a ranch is risky business. There are never any guarantees, but are there ever? We live from year to year, season to season -- waiting for rain, watching to see if the stock ponds fill, hoping for green grass and hay, working hard for spring calves and lambs, anticipating the heat of intense summer sun, riding on the herds, preparing bulls for sale day, and working desperately to complete the fall jobs before the inevitable winter cold rushes in and settles the once-living into hard, cold, lifeless quiet. It's truly a challenge to rely so heavily on the weather and the Come-What-May Difficulties that country living throws at us, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's a good feeling to go to bed at night tired and ready for sleep, which reminds me of a quote I read recently in the livestock paper. Baxter Black said this about the uncertain times and economy in his article, Perspective, "Put your fears in God's hands and pick up a shovel." I couldn't say it any better.

Rubblework scarf.....

My first Rubblework Scarf is complete. I'm hoping my Coke-loving daughter likes it.
This is a Pink Chalk Studio pattern.

Workshoppy gift ideas....

It's "That Time of Year" when my mind is spinning with ideas for gifts that I can make in my workshop. I just love doing this and you know, there are gobs of ideas out there that don't take a heap of time and energy to make.



I'm about to begin some pretty Rubblework Scarves from Pink Chalk Studios. If you like to sew and create, you'll love her blog. Kathy's having a sale on the PDF pattern which is well worth the price for the tips and ideas she adds within. There are also a free pattern for a water bottle carrier that's very cute!

You've seen the fun baby softies and scottie softies I've been playing with too. Those are freebies. Oh, and Chrisi mentioned in the comments where to find the Snow Baby embroidery pattern. It's over at Florisita's blog.

If you're interested in a give-away for a little quilt, you must visit Camille at Simplify. You might even consider purchasing one of her adorable quilt patterns to make as a gift for someone special or for yourself.

Look at this DIY website filled with oodles of fun crafty ideas and tutorials from several craft blogs and web sites, One Pretty Thing.



Do you have a Starbucks addict to buy for? Why not stitch up a personalized coffee cozy for that Starbucks latte? Look at this tutorial.

And don't forget Wee Wonderfuls' free patterns for softies and embroidery projects. I made the Elf Sitchettes for childrens' Christmas stockings.

From my workshop....

Bitty Baby Booties!
I found the freebie pattern for these by Heather Bailey. They seem to fall off her precious lil' feet, but I think they're just a tad too big. I made them out of double-sided polar fleece for coziness. Remember when I made these booties for the Grandangel? She hasn't tried them on yet -- probably waiting for Christmas -- but I think the little bit of elastic will keep them on her feet better.



This is the Snow Baby softie I made my Grandangel for her Christmas stocking. I'm also making these cute little Scottie Dogs to add to the other babies' stockings. You can find the free pattern for the softie dogs at AllSorts.

I have one more Dolly to make and I'm still contemplating what she will look like. I found this cute Snow Baby at Hoop Love Flickr Group, but I don't see her there anymore. There is a darling boy on a scooter though! And you'll find other fun things too.



Here is Snow Baby all by herself. She's stuffed lightly with fiberfill so little hands can hold on. Too much stuffing and she'd be hard to grab, I think. Since the pattern for her is not "out there" anymore, you can click this photo and print it for yourself. Trace and stitch (but please do not sell).

Addendum: Here's the link to the snow baby and some of her friends. I enlarged her by 200%.

Over the drifted snooooow... OH!

Sharp-tail Grouse tracks are above. They're a lot like chickens. They are ground birds that mostly walk around but they do fly... something like B-1 Bombers. (click pic to enlarge)



Jackrabbit tracks to the left, snowshoe tracks in the middle (can you say BIG FOOT?) and dog tracks to the right.



Raccoon tracks look like small hand prints in the snow.



The dogs love to come romp with me through the snow. Sue loves me, can ya tell?
(click any pictures to enlarge)

I went out for a walk yesterday, deciding I'd keep to the shelter belts to stay out of the wind. When I got there, I realized just how FULL of snow the trees were! So I walked back home to get my snowshoes. The first snowshoeing of the year!

The snow was like sand dunes piled high and hard...or something like frozen waves to surf. I had to really watch my step because one minute I'd be on top and the next minute my foot would step off a cliff of snow. I dropped a couple of times before I quit gawking around and paid a little more attention to my steps, thankful no one was watching me.



You'll notice in this picture how the snow drifts went over the fence, but the pasture right next to it in the background, is swept bare. Our winds were so high when the snow came (sometimes at 60 mph) that the high ground and the flat prairies were bared. It's hard to say how much snow actually fell. Notice how bluey-gray everything is.



Snowshoes strapped on.
My legs are sore this morning. Snowshoeing is something like marching. I love it.

Baby it's cold outside...

This is what we woke up to this morning. The wind and snow revved up last night and blew hard all night. We really thought we'd end up without electricity, but it was sustained. We even had the tractors fueled and ready just in case we needed to start the generators up.



I went out and helped Hubs this morning. Out in the feedlots, I opened, closed and guarded gates while he took the tractor in and out and cleaned away snow from the feed bunks and stockades. Look at these poor, snow-splattered Herefords. It's 25* F and we probably have about 30 mph winds which makes for a wind chill of 9*F. It's miserable out there.



This is my favorite corner of the house lately. I moved the rocker in front of the woodstove and find much comfort and warmth here. I don't even mind tending the fire and hauling in armloads of firewood. A hot cuppa and a book makes this a very cozy spot.

I've had a spell of heartsickness since the election has been decided. Obama was not my choice, but I wasn't all that wild about any of my choices. Now that all is said and done, I am off to do the next thing. I know that nothing comes about that hasn't been through My Father's Hands first and so I accept it. I'll accept that the people have chosen, but I'm not about to sit still and shut up. I won't sit quietly by because the President-elect doesn't know when life begins. I won't sit idly by if he chooses to raise my taxes because it's patriotic. I won't sit still when he decides to "spread the wealth around" or when he establishes socialized medicine. I AM going to carry on with living the way I always have.....worshiping God, loving my husband and kids, being the best homemaker I can be, living on a budget, loving my friends and strangers alike. I'll keep on doing what's right and good, and.... I'll expect my government officials to do the same. I'm going to have to carve out some extra time in the next four years to write my senators and congressmen more than I have been and perhaps I'll write the President too. It's nothing new to me, but I'll be redoubling my efforts.

Elections have their purpose. We will get what we deserve. I think about the chapter in I Samuel chapter 8 (I recently read this) where the people asked Samuel for a King. "We want to be like other nations. We want someone else to judge us and fight our battles for us...." Samuel prayed to God about this, but God answered, "Listen to them and give them what they want and warn them...." I think God is saying the same thing once again. Nothing's new under the sun.

Now for a little laugh from some of my favorite folk singers/comedienas -- The Smothers Brothers.
Take it, Tommy and Dicky!