tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30063358365228887112024-03-12T22:40:32.372-05:00Frugal And OpinionatedThe frugal and opinionated thoughts of a radical conservative.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-3891603936457209662009-12-21T17:33:00.003-06:002009-12-21T17:40:32.446-06:00Pet Peeve of the DayThis pet peeve of mine has just been driving me nuts even more lately because I have been using cash to pay for all my Christmas gifts. I can't stand it when cashiers hand me back my change and my receipt all in one big handful without counting it back. It's even worse when they don't tell me how much change they think they are giving me and then immediately move on to the next customer. I know they are in a hurry and probably being timed by management, but I'm still standing there trying to count my change to make sure they gave me the right amount. Then I'm putting it in my wallet. Then, if I'm at a place like the grocery store or Target, I'm gathering up my bags while dodging the next customer's merchandise coming down the conveyor belt. In a way I understand those Visa commercials that show the happy symphony of customers sliding their credit cards through the machines and then someone paying cash holding up the line. But in the grand scheme of things I made more money for the store by paying them in cash than if I had used a debit or credit card because they didn't have to pay merchant fees. They also didn't have to wait for payment from a bank or worry about a check bouncing. So why do I feel like I'm treated with less respect because I paid with cash?LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-19828452152485251802009-12-19T18:52:00.003-06:002009-12-19T18:57:09.195-06:00Was the shopping trip a bust?I went to Michael's with a 40% off coupon to get an American Girl book for Rebecca with the money my grandmother sent. Rebecca had almost $6 left in her envelope and that was just enough to pay for the book with the coupon. Michael's coupons aren't valid for books. It's in the fine print but I missed it. So no book for Rebecca. I went to Target to get bathrobes for each of the girls for Christmas. They only had extra small so I decided to wait until next week and try another Target store. Or maybe the website. So no bathrobes for the girls. At this point I'm empty handed and have spent about an hour out, including dealing with traffic. Then I decided to check out the shoe section at Target since I still had about $10 left for myself form the money my grandmother sent. I found a really cute pair of shoes that was on 50% off clearance for only $9.98. Of course I bought them. Now the question...can I consider a shopping trip that was intended to be for Christmas gifts for the girls a bust if all I came home with was a pair of shoes for myself?? I think not.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-46776365106899188012009-12-18T14:09:00.004-06:002009-12-18T14:17:19.735-06:00New discoveries I made this weekI know...I'm usually behind the times with most things. But I learned this week that Target brand milk and yogurt comes from cows that are not treated with rBST. What is that, you ask? It's a growth hormone that is often given to cows. I don't care why farmers use it. I don't care that the FDA has declared milk with it to be safe. I don't want it in my milk. I would prefer to buy raw milk for my family but that's outside the range of my budget right now. <br /><br />I also learned that Target brand yogurt does not have high fructose corn syrup in it. I had been buying Kroger and Dannon brands because everything else seemed to have HFCS in it. I'm glad to have another reasonably priced option. Also, Target brand has plastic lids that will snap back on when my child says halfway through the carton "I'm full." <br /><br />The last thing I learned today is that Citibank will create a Virtual Account Number for me to use online. That way I don't have to give out my real account number and worry about it being stolen. How cool is that? The virtual number they gave me today expires next month; I think that it's actually only good for one use but I'll have to double check that. Now I need to see if my credit union can do that, too, so I can use it with my debit card.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-72852254027380262462009-08-01T19:32:00.002-05:002009-08-01T19:39:27.356-05:00Another $2 billion for clunkers?I understand the idea behind the program is to get people to get rid of their gas-guzzling vehicles and start driving more fuel efficient ones so that we aren't using as much gasoline and therefore dependent as much on oil, foreign and domestic. I get it. It's a nice idea. But do I really want my tax dollars paying for people to buy new cars? I don't EVER buy new cars. They would depreciate dramatically as soon as I drive them off the lot. Also, I don't have enough money saved up to buy a brand new car -- I can only afford used. And since I'm not willing to take out a loan to purchase a depreciating asset then this cash for clunkers program will not benefit me at all. But the more I think about it, the less I mind it benefitting others with my tax money. That's because it actually is a good idea...but I'm sad that those perfectly good vehicles (even though the gov't calls them clunkers) will be destroyed instead of available on the used car market. But the bigger problem that I have with this program is the question of "where is the extra money coming from"? What budget cut is being made to account for the EXTRA $2 billion that congress allocated for it? Or do they think they can just print money whenever they want?LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-44437104256923928932009-07-27T16:34:00.002-05:002009-07-27T16:39:36.460-05:00Albertson's DealsIf you are in the DFW area and have the Albertson's ad that came in the newspaper last week (or in my case was thrown on the yard on Wednesday morning because I don't subscribe to the paper) check out the in-store coupons. They expire tomorrow (Tuesday). I got Dannon All-Natural yogurt for 29 cents a carton, Aquafresh toothpaste for 89 cents, and White Rain conditioner for 69 cents a bottle. They also have eggs on sale for 88 cents a dozen. I usually get free eggs from a friend who has chickens but when I'm running low I will buy them on sale. There are lots more coupons in the ad so check it out!LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-74666820726427131232009-06-15T14:43:00.002-05:002009-06-15T14:53:00.886-05:00Financial crisis?We hear so much on the news about the current "economic crisis" but I wonder how much it's actually affecting our day to day lives. I hear reports of people having their credit limits reduced and suddenly finding themselves over the limit on their credit cards and paying fees for that. I don't actually use credit cards except for gasoline and utilities (for the convenience factor) and I'm very careful about paying it off in full each month. But I do check online regularly to see if my limit has been changed at all. So far it hasn't. I have more credit available to me than I know what to do with. And since I never carry a balance I'm not really a money-maker for the bank that issues my credit card. So I wouldn't be surprised to see my limit lowered. But I'm wondering if this is actually happening to people or if it's just news reports blown out of proportion. What are you seeing in your life? Are you being hurt by the current economic conditions?LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-6872416698477472322009-05-26T14:33:00.003-05:002009-05-26T14:53:58.921-05:00Jon & Kate Plus 8Yes, I have been watching the saga of the Gosselin family for 4 seasons now. Last night I watched the opening episode of season 5. I haven't read any of the articles in the magazines at the grocery checkout line -- just the headlines. So I don't know if Jon really cheated. I don't know if Kate really made an agreement with him to allow him to cheat. I don't know if she had an affair with her body guard. What I do know is that I enjoyed their show because they were a normal family but with more children than normal. They fought, they loved, they played, they worked. They just lived their lives and did the best they could to raise their 8 children. Basically, they were like my family only with a few less children (and of course our kids came along one at a time). Now they <span style="font-weight: bold;">seem</span> like a celebrity family with a huge house, fancy toys, expensive vacations, and a staff of employees including bodyguards and nannies. They don't come across as a normal family working together anymore. Given what I've seen on the show and what I saw in last night's episode, here's my unsolicited advice for the Gosselin family...<br /><br />Kate -- Quit the book tour. Quit the speaking engagements. Stay home with your children. Play with them. Read books with them. Just enjoy them.<br /><br />Jon -- Get a job. Get a job outside the home. Cultivate friendships with other dads. <br /><br />I would never want my family's life put on television so I would stop the show immediately. I understand, however, that they make a lot of money doing this, and that's probably asking too much of them. But what is it doing to the kids? <br /><br />I have started watching a new show on TLC called "Table for Twelve" that I enjoy so much more than Jon & Kate. The Hayes family also has several sets of multiples -- 2 sets of twins and a set of sexteplets. But they come across as a very normal family, a family I can relate to. Mom stays home with the kids while dad works as a police officer. Their home is chaotic at times and so is mine. They laugh at the chaos and I *try* to to do same. What's different about these 2 families -- the Hayes and the Gosselins? I think maybe the Hayes come across like the Gossleins USED TO. So to Jon & Kate -- go back to your roots. Go back to what brought you together in the first place. Take down the facade and be real, like you used to.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-48297187535334007222009-05-26T14:24:00.002-05:002009-05-26T14:33:02.511-05:00Shopping for kids clothesRebecca needed a few pair of shorts since she doesn't usually have hand-me-downs to grow into like her sisters. So we went to Target and she didn't find anything that she liked and that I was willing to buy. Either the shorts were really really short (to the point where her bottom was hanging out the back) or they were low rise and she doesn't like the way those fit. What happened to plain old shorts for little girls? So we ended up at Kid to Kid, a local resale shop. We found some great clothes there for both Rebecca and Melanie for a fraction of the cost. It has never bothered me to buy used clothing for my children. The quality tends to be better because you can tell that they have already been through wear and tear from at least one other child and still look great. And I can't beat the price. I spent a little over $20 at Kid to Kid; it would have cost me well over$50 to get the same amount of clothing from an affordable place like Target. <br /><br />Bathing suits, on the other hand, I buy new. I am willing to let them be passed down from one of my children to the next but I balk at buying them used. I'm searching for modest bathing suits for my girls now because they start swimming lessons in a couple of weeks. It's a definite challenge. My oldest prefers 2-piece suits because they are easier to deal with when she has to go to the bathroom. She has a very valid point there. But I'm not letting her wear a bikini-style suit. How am I supposed to let her do that now and then in a couple of years tell her that it's not acceptable anymore because we don't think it's modest enough? So I'm again searching for a suit that will work for both criteria -- modest and reasonably priced. I'm thinking about a trip to Kohls and will be cruising the Land's End website later today. Any other suggestions?LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-70451023696771723452009-05-07T15:27:00.002-05:002009-05-07T15:34:37.868-05:00Free KFC Chicken?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:EMhEssJugagWvM:http://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/Johnstown/cvb/resource/image/poi/Restaraunts/KFC%2520logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 99px; height: 122px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:EMhEssJugagWvM:http://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/Johnstown/cvb/resource/image/poi/Restaraunts/KFC%2520logo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Have you seen the KFC coupons that were touted on the Oprah show for free grilled chicken and a side? Have you had problems with them being accepted at your local KFC? I've been reading in several places online that franchises aren't taking them because corporate doesn't reimburse them for the all the chicken being given away. So only corporate locations are honoring them. The same was apparently true for a national promotion at Popeyes last week. I saw a news story about the only Popeye's store in Minnesota, I think it was. They had lines out to the street and were telling people that they were not honoring the nationally advertised special because they were a franchise. Quiznos has had the same issue with coupons in the past -- only corporate locations accept them and franchises don't because they aren't getting reimbursed. What is wrong with the corporations? Why would they pull thses kind of stunts? I know the reason for the advertised specials and the coupons -- to get customers in the door. Do they think that screwing over their franchise owners is good for their bottom line? I guess maybe they think that if you come in the door you will buy something even if you can't get what you came there for. Well, let me tell you something Mr CEO...I live on a budget. I can't print money like the federal government. If I plan to use a coupon or take advantage of a sale and am denied at the register, I will leave. Even if my kids cry about it, I will leave. And I WILL NOT COME BACK. Trust me. Ask anyone who knows me -- I don't forget these things.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-60896303406224701512009-04-28T08:36:00.002-05:002009-04-28T08:48:15.256-05:00Obama's "luck"Isn't it interesting how lucky President Obama is? Just when John McCain was pulling ahead in the polls last fall, Wall Street collapsed and in a panic the tide turned toward him. When he was elected, the crisis got worse and we watched the stimulus bill get passed with so many senators and representatives not even reading the entire bill; there just wasn't enough time to read it -- we just needed to pass it to save all of us. Now we are looking at a questionable appointment to HHS Secretary in Kathleen Sebelius but it appears that she will receive quick confirmation in the next few days because we're facing a potential epidemic of swine flu. I find it really interesting that all these crises keep popping up and we the people keep rushing to approve drastic measures that we are likely to regret later. I pray that Governor Sebelius is not confirmed as HHS Secretary until a full investigation is done regarding her support of (and financial support from) the infamous Dr George Tiller (aka Tiller The Baby Killer). Regardless of whether or not abortion is legal in this country, do most Americans really want the head of the HHS to be someone who had no problem with gruesome late-term abortions for pretty much any reason? Tiller was aborting babies who had already reached the point of viability! If the American people are accepting of this kind of action, then maybe we've sunk too far down morally to ever recover. What can we do right now? Call your senator and ask him or her to slow down and think about this decision before calling for a hasty vote. And of course, PRAY!LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-14270421911160405582009-04-26T15:04:00.003-05:002009-04-26T15:25:56.986-05:00Duct Tape Alert!I don't know if he still does it, but when I first started listening to Glenn Beck's radio show about 7 years ago he often spoke of the need to wrap his head in duct tape to keep it from exploding. Well, I am looking for the duct tape today!<br /><br />I just read an <a href="http://catholicexchange.com/2009/04/25/117968/">article</a> on Catholic Exchange about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments about the founder of Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger. In addition to describing herself as "in awe" of Sanger, she said, "The 20th century reproductive rights movement, really embodied in the life and leadership of Margaret Sanger, was one of the most transformational in the entire history of the human race. She also said that Sanger’s work "is not done." Really? The most transformational? Well, I guess I can agree with that -- but not in the positive way that Mrs Clinton sees it. New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith questioned Mrs. Clinton saying, "Sanger’s prolific writings dripped with contempt for those she considers to be unfit to live. Sanger was an unapologetic eugenicist and racist, who said, and I quote, ‘The most merciful thing a family does for one of its infant members is to kill it.’ She also said, on another occasion, quote, ‘Eugenics is the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial, political and social problems.’" Congressmand Smith then asked her in regard to the undone work of Sanger if the Obama administration seeks "in any way to weaken or overturn pro-life laws and policies in African and Latin American countries, either directly or through multilateral organizations, including and especially the United Nations, African Union, or the OAS, or by way of funding NGOs like Planned Parenthood?" What do you think Mrs Clinton's answer was? Of course she confirmed that the Obama administration’s definition of "reproductive health" includes abortion, and that, "We are now an Administration that will protect the rights of women, including their rights to reproductive health care."<br /><br />So in other words we are an Administration that supports women who choose to murder their offspring. Great. Of course none of us should be surprised by this. Didn't we know what we were getting when we (as a nation, not me personally) elected Mr Obama?<br /><br />I think the worst part of this article is the fact that Mrs Clinton gives so much praise to Margaret Sanger and to eugenics. I seriously doubt that Mrs Clinton would stand up and say to us "I support the extermination from the human race of the poor, poor, disenfranchised, weak, disabled, people of color, and the unborn child." But isn't that what she says when she speaks so highly of Margaret Sanger? I for one am very worried about the state of our nation with regard to human life, especially with Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama as leaders.<br /><br />On March 28 Mrs Clinton was awarded the Margaret Sanger Award by Panned Parenthood. This was right after she made a trip to Mexico's Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Did you know that Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the pro-life movement?<br /><br />Here's a picture that absolutely turned my stomach --<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKYAcTxxeKopTzIQRXsrf7dJAqGfzC-ChmvUmvGsg7_j_qRLQAL0nU9VJMpkC5wPTN-5a7MFp1C7ABsEE5VWLme-oTBjVSOgYxBad6kk3yC5GcMRsfVrGorP3G3OVdEbMsfgLDJu_IAA/s1600-h/Clintonprays.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKYAcTxxeKopTzIQRXsrf7dJAqGfzC-ChmvUmvGsg7_j_qRLQAL0nU9VJMpkC5wPTN-5a7MFp1C7ABsEE5VWLme-oTBjVSOgYxBad6kk3yC5GcMRsfVrGorP3G3OVdEbMsfgLDJu_IAA/s320/Clintonprays.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329098219022690914" border="0" /></a>Do you see the caption on it?? If I remember this news story correctly she also asked during this visit to Mexico who that lady was in the pictures -- it was Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe. I can only pray that Mary turns Mrs Clinton's heart and helps her repent for her support of abortion as a "reproductive right".LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-73285306407428451022009-03-08T19:48:00.002-05:002009-03-08T20:12:46.820-05:00Technology is driving me batty!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEU1YxMscDHVu8zvtyJnwAQbKhVDjbF9NeEqT6GxpVbiMghIy9PUATmOrvwSMZlibeF0txAwr0LA1Ma6cNF2HWLaU3R_TYqTafAAX7c8cpeq9s3xUCfioikxfu_X9YfS6l2zhLKpXPtM/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 79px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEU1YxMscDHVu8zvtyJnwAQbKhVDjbF9NeEqT6GxpVbiMghIy9PUATmOrvwSMZlibeF0txAwr0LA1Ma6cNF2HWLaU3R_TYqTafAAX7c8cpeq9s3xUCfioikxfu_X9YfS6l2zhLKpXPtM/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310989672551614370" border="0" /></a><br />OK...I admit it. In many ways I'm a luddite. According to Merriam-Webster a luddite can broadly be defined as a person "opposed to technological change". It's not so much that I'm <span style="font-weight: bold;">opposed</span> to it; I just can't handle the encroachment of technology on my everyday life.<br /><br />1. I have a cell phone but it's pre-paid (at a rate of 25 cents per minute) and I very rarely use it. I bought it for emergencies. I almost never give out the number and don't answer calls unless I recognize the name or number on the caller-id.<br /><br />2. When I want to listen to music I turn on the radio in the van or the radio in the house. I don't have an I-Pod or any such device. I'm not entirely sure I could download songs from the internet even if I wanted to.<br /><br />3. I don't have a Palm Pilot; I have a calendar on the wall next to my desk.<br /><br />4. Speaking of desks...I do have a computer. It's a desktop computer that's probably outdated but it works for me. We do have a laptop computer that we bought used from my brother-in-law but it mostly stays in the closet.<br /><br />5. Speaking of outdated, I LOVE the version of Quicken that I use to keep track of our bank accounts and investments but it's from 1999. I haven't bothered to update since then because what I am using works just fine for me.<br /><br />6. We finally caved and got high-speed internet through AT&T. Really, the only reason we did that was because it was bundled with the cable channel package we wanted. Before that we had dial-up internet because there wasn't any DSL service available in our neighborhood.<br /><br />As much as I do love certain aspects of technology, I find that it can easily get in the way. I've recently signed up for Facebook and before I knew it I had over 100 friends there. I didn't realize that I even knew that many people! I have to limit the time I spend on Facebook because I know that I could easily become addicted to it. In fact, I have several friends who have given up Facebook for Lent. I like Facebook because I've been able to reconnect with friends from high school and am able to keep up with people easily through the website. E-mail is another part of technology that I really do like. I do business for my organic meat co-op through e-mail and also find that it's easier to send someone a quick note rather than call them and sometimes end up on the telephone for 20 or 30 minutes. But at the same time the e-mail is so informal and seems to distance us from each other. Hmmmm....that's an entirely new blog topic and I think I'll save it for tomorrow.<br /><br />I sat down a little while ago to check e-mails and saw that I have 588 unread e-mails! How does that happen? Well, I don't always have a lot of time to sit at the computer and read/respond to them so I will skan the subject lines and only open the ones that I think need to be dealt with right now. Sometimes I will open one, read it, and then mark it as "unread" so that I will remember to respond to it later. I do that because I often am nursing the baby while checking e-mails and have a hard time typing one-handed!<br /><br />Back to my original point...technology is driving me batty! Too many e-mails, too many electronic devices, too little time spent just playing with the kids and reading books to them. It's probably not driving you batty...it's probably just me. I think I'll write more later on the idea of technology putting us in our own little bubbles. Right now, though, I want to to and read books with my kids.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-69684901697753212672009-03-07T16:23:00.008-06:002009-03-07T16:39:02.609-06:00My Birthday ProjectYes -- I chose a project for my birthday. Don't most people do that? No? OK...I never claimed to be like "most people" anyway. I chose to empty out my bedroom and paint it today. Then I went ahead and pulled up the carpet so I could decide what to do with the floors. I thought I might like to live with the concrete floors and even considered painting them. Now that I've had bare concrete floors for a few hours I'm already planning on saving up for laminate floors. LOL! I am just so tired of dealing with carpet that I would rather deal with the concrete for a while until I can get the money together. Below are a couple of BEFORE and AFTER pictures of parts of the room. Before we painted, the walls were white (except for inside the windows which my dad had already painted when I replaced the blinds) and the carpet was 11-year-old cheap builder's grade tan. Now the walls are sort of a slate blue and the floors are...well...concrete. The blue showed up much brighter in the pictures than it actually looks on the wall. The best part about the paint is that I am now ALMOST DONE painting the entire house! I still have one more coat to put in our bathroom and a little bit of touch-up here and there. We had the builder just paint all the walls white when we built the house almost 11 years ago and finally started painting about 2 years ago. I was so tired of white walls that I have created a very colorful (some would say too colorful) house. But I like it and I enjoyed my birthday project. I especially enjoyed having a babysitter come over and keep my 4 children occupied for a good chunk of the day while we worked!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZCZVOiuH7aBspQU_qY-jHDuaBDJObrZnadj9Mxg-kNMO1KRd1w6GUO994YCKWcSU3PiD3hSsAy8faV-Af7oJWG73xVM2glcBDGBkMLqL54sW8myWNQfrC-6YENKx3bBkKXG2S_RLQoc/s1600-h/Master+Bedroom+BEFORE+%234.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZCZVOiuH7aBspQU_qY-jHDuaBDJObrZnadj9Mxg-kNMO1KRd1w6GUO994YCKWcSU3PiD3hSsAy8faV-Af7oJWG73xVM2glcBDGBkMLqL54sW8myWNQfrC-6YENKx3bBkKXG2S_RLQoc/s200/Master+Bedroom+BEFORE+%234.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310577761232381122" border="0" /></a> The dresser where we usually have a 10 gallon fish tank.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGgVrpSfOFXxAxwKIniLEMUexpcbyFJxNYN9qqQFq9GJbIpIAxv62P5tvYpnORHZTXZtEeT0yaoX5gRl9ufimVrE4qIh9HJQ3d8O-X4EZr2zjEh9UkrOf4fSx8bXe-kLLJjapynJYNrs/s1600-h/Master+Bedroom+BEFORE+%231.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGgVrpSfOFXxAxwKIniLEMUexpcbyFJxNYN9qqQFq9GJbIpIAxv62P5tvYpnORHZTXZtEeT0yaoX5gRl9ufimVrE4qIh9HJQ3d8O-X4EZr2zjEh9UkrOf4fSx8bXe-kLLJjapynJYNrs/s200/Master+Bedroom+BEFORE+%231.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310577659225630754" border="0" /></a> The corner of the room right next to me VERY yellow bathroom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xUL1TSqevwWeEetNhuLhyphenhyphenHpOQ7PzDJ8E01aNYV7NVq7-RRY_Oio6c5tl2g1sAr0_iL8f8xVgNhB_hPHuY1U_B432sB2lGHyyy4MYGt4brWkJk0NxNCmgrGm7FcVMOIc6izV-adEdY0g/s1600-h/Master+Bedroom+AFTER+%234.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xUL1TSqevwWeEetNhuLhyphenhyphenHpOQ7PzDJ8E01aNYV7NVq7-RRY_Oio6c5tl2g1sAr0_iL8f8xVgNhB_hPHuY1U_B432sB2lGHyyy4MYGt4brWkJk0NxNCmgrGm7FcVMOIc6izV-adEdY0g/s200/Master+Bedroom+AFTER+%234.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310577537016987938" border="0" /></a> We messed up the vinyl a little pulling up the carpet tack strips.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKkgdcqrYMFsM8ImcedVcE5jAovBwJ0U-7BTEAFCnq6kraTlUXVP_GaNs7H0mBrC4X_ZWu0KEw-zIkpk6FJOPcH4md4SOtem1jMz9AEZEvJqD01_Nx1xOOsW6Dt77pjWtsNutfmtYvxA/s1600-h/Master+Bedroom+AFTER+%231.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKkgdcqrYMFsM8ImcedVcE5jAovBwJ0U-7BTEAFCnq6kraTlUXVP_GaNs7H0mBrC4X_ZWu0KEw-zIkpk6FJOPcH4md4SOtem1jMz9AEZEvJqD01_Nx1xOOsW6Dt77pjWtsNutfmtYvxA/s200/Master+Bedroom+AFTER+%231.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310577409493814706" border="0" /></a> The blue in this picture is fairly accurate. I can't wait to get all my books back on the shelf!LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-20481591241107405392009-02-13T12:18:00.001-06:002009-02-13T12:20:20.259-06:00The Slippery Slope of Reproductive Rights"It's my opinion that a woman's right to reproduce should be limited to a number which the parents can pay for," Charles Murray wrote in a letter to the Los Angeles Daily News. "Why should my wife and I, as taxpayers, pay child support for 14 Suleman kids?"<br /><br />Wow! So if I follow his logic out just a little farther will I get to the point where the state will be in my bedroom telling me to use birth control because they don't think that we can support any more children? What about the family with 2 or 3 or 4 or 10 or 11 children who is supporting themselves just fine but then tragedy strikes in the form of a job layoff? Suddenly they are at the point where they are having to choose between the mortgage payment, the electricity bill, or groceries.<br /><br />"From the outside you can tell that this woman was playing the system," host Bryan Suits said on the "Kennedy and Suits" show on KFI-AM. "You're damn right the state should step in and seize the kids and adopt them out."<br /><br />According to Mr Suits, where is the line that needs to be crossed before the state steps in and seizes children from families who have fallen on hard times? Maybe he's only talking about families who, in his opinion, are "playing the system". But who decides that? There are so many families with any number of children who are only one or two paychecks away from disaster.<br /><br />These opinions scare the living daylights out of me. Maybe that's because I have 4 children so far and hope that we are blessed with more. In this new world of "hope and change" should I someday expect to have to apply for a permit to have another child? Will I have to justify that choice by providing tax returns for a few years to show we can afford to raise another child? And who decides the cost of raising a child? If I am to believe the media reports I've read in the last few years it will cost in the neighborhood of $250,000 to raise each of my children. That certainly makes me laugh! Either we live in a totally different world from the people who calculated those numbers or my poor children are completely deprived.<br /><br />What I find interesting about the recent case of Ms Suleman, the mom who just gave birth to octuplets, is that it seems to be the most rabid pro-choice people who are spewing hate all over the internet. She CHOSE to give birth instead of "selectively reducing" the number of babies. She CHOSE life over death. She CHOSE to use the embryos instead of allowing them to be destroyed, used for medical testing, or donating them to another couple. As a rabid pro-life person myself, I commend her for choosing life for the babies. I'm just saddened that she put herself in that position to begin with by creating life in a petri dish.<br /><br />So to answer Mr Murray's question, "Why should my wife and I, as taxpayers, pay child support for 14 Suleman kids?" Maybe because you have a vested interest in ALL children succeeding and being able to support themselves some day. Maybe because you don't want the state in your bedroom telling you whether you have permission to conceive a child. Maybe because those children didn't do anything wrong and deserve the basic human rights of a safe place to live and safe food to eat. Maybe because those children will someday make great contributions to our society. Maybe because it's just the right thing to do.<br /><br />Watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt8C5MsnCp0">THIS VIDEO</a> and think about it.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-50710289039080994852009-02-08T17:53:00.005-06:002009-02-08T18:05:01.914-06:00Obama defends life. Really??According to the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/this_is_my_prayer/">White House blog</a>, here is an excerpt from President Obama's remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast this past Wednesday in Washington DC.....<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">There is no doubt that the very nature of faith means that some of our beliefs will never be the same. We read from different texts. We follow different edicts. We subscribe to different accounts of how we came to be here and where we’re going next – and some subscribe to no faith at all. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> But no matter what we choose to believe, let us remember that there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. <span style="font-weight: bold;">There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know</span>.</span>" (I added the emphasis on the last 2 sentences.)<br /><br />Really Mr President? Those are very kind words. I'm impressed. But I have a question. Is there any human life more innocent than that of an unborn baby living in its mother’s womb?LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-21426102650227690152009-02-01T15:41:00.003-06:002009-02-01T15:51:49.895-06:00I'm getting new living room furniture!No, it's not "new" but it's "new to me". I'm so excited about it! We were able to get a great deal from a local guy who was selling it on CraigsList. He's even going to deliver it tomorrow afternoon so I don't have to go rent a truck. <br /><br />It's all leather and includes a sleeper sofa, a dual-reclining loveseat, a rocker/recliner, and a large ottoman with storage. It's originally from a high-end leather store that custom makes furniture at their facility about 30 miles north of here so it's MADE IN THE USA and not in China. I think that might be the best part for me. I looked at some furniture at Haverty's a few months ago and asked the salesman where it was made. He actually laughed at me and told me that no furniture is made in the US anymore. Guess he was wrong. <br /><br />We paid cash for the furniture that is only about a year old and paid about 30% of the retail price. My point in writing about this is to show that if you "live like no one else" as Dave Ramsey says then later on you can "live like no one else". It does take patience, though, to save up the money and wait for the right deal to come along. <br /><br />Here's a picture of the entire set that he posted with his CraigsList ad.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4mns_e4XdlE8gGu_m4aHW4xxKVDT6BcSNRt6BRyw4dRxWjBU_nUHrcvUUWDmOVMUxVm_cm4zrFRiHGOWOQv0HzdzdL6rJTKCtVPS80Lezm4vpT_qYPp_ACQ3LNSrPHq1qXCqKiPKWfk/s1600-h/Living+Room+Furniture.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4mns_e4XdlE8gGu_m4aHW4xxKVDT6BcSNRt6BRyw4dRxWjBU_nUHrcvUUWDmOVMUxVm_cm4zrFRiHGOWOQv0HzdzdL6rJTKCtVPS80Lezm4vpT_qYPp_ACQ3LNSrPHq1qXCqKiPKWfk/s200/Living+Room+Furniture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297949186424145058" border="0" /></a><br />It's lighter than we had planned to buy but it was such a great deal that I was willing to compromise some on the color.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-65833234512517542362009-01-23T15:10:00.002-06:002009-01-23T15:17:46.388-06:00Paying down the mortgageI am working on our monthly budget for the new year in my Quicken program and just realized something. In a few months we will have more of our monthly mortgage payment going toward principle than toward interest! That's never happened before!! We used to have a 30 year mortgage and only about $200 each month went toward the principle...way less than what was going toward interest. We refinanced last year to a 15 year mortgage and I'm so amazed at how quickly the numbers are changing. <br /><br />Another exciting thing for us is that my husband just got a sort-of promotion at work and will be getting a raise along with it. Since we have a fully funded emergency fund (baby step 3 per Dave Ramsey) and are already putting 15% of our income into retirement (baby step 4 per Dave Ramsey) we will be able to dump all of his raise onto our mortgage every month. I'm excited to see those numbers go down even faster!! Take a look at your own budget and your mortgage and see if you can do the same thing. What a great feeling it will be when we can finally say that we OWN our house!LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-16256462226362506542008-12-26T20:27:00.002-06:002008-12-26T20:39:08.091-06:00Little People Big World<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:7Zvbb4dB54dXMM:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rGS5tdl_umGQVWmrgVWW1NqkZK6Sk1JrgC4qjf84gGr3KzyEo5AJ1gg_fAivVqmN2ilYV4khY-GYiS_r-pRbRAM7eJKXHaoflGFsbYyFzDRAwXGmUn32AlztqunxtJ28P5HUYFyHpGY/s400/11572_little_people_big_world_box_art_2d.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 92px; height: 124px;" src="http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:7Zvbb4dB54dXMM:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rGS5tdl_umGQVWmrgVWW1NqkZK6Sk1JrgC4qjf84gGr3KzyEo5AJ1gg_fAivVqmN2ilYV4khY-GYiS_r-pRbRAM7eJKXHaoflGFsbYyFzDRAwXGmUn32AlztqunxtJ28P5HUYFyHpGY/s400/11572_little_people_big_world_box_art_2d.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br />Have you ever seen the show "Wife Swap"? I don't even know if it's on anymore but I saw one episode a few years ago. A friend-of-a-friend was on the show and so I watched it. Basically, two families have the mom swap families for a week or two. They are usually drastically different families and they are supposed to learn something from walking in someone else's shoes. <br /><br />I was thinking about this show the other day while I was watching an episode of "Little People Big World" that I taped a while ago on my DVR. I would LOVE to see the mom on LPBW trade places with Kate Gosselin from "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" or maybe Michelle Duggar from "17 Kids and Counting". ((Yes...I'm a little bit addicted to these shows on TLC.)) I felt so bad for Amy Roloff on LPBW -- her kids seem to treat her like crap quite often. They never pick up after themselves (she admits it's because she never emphasized it while they were growing up) and often ignore her when she tells them to do something. Let me tell you -- I'm FAR from the perfect mom but my kids don't get away with ignoring a request from me. I'd like to see her trade places with a mom who has trained her kids to do their share of chores around the house just so she knows that it CAN BE DONE. <br /><br />And speaking of the Duggars, did you see the latest episode of their show?? The new baby is so adorable! While I am fairly certain God is NOT calling me to have 17 or 18 kids, I admire her for listening to Him and following what she feels He is calling her to do. Can you imagine how much better this world would be if more of us actually listened to God in prayer rather than just blindly doing whatever we want to do? That's my goal for this new year -- listen quietly to God in prayer. It's quite a challenge in my house since quiet time is rare. But I WILL make it happen even if I have to take my prayer time out to the van in the garage all by myself. :-)<br /><br />Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-209946637165181972008-12-26T20:23:00.002-06:002008-12-26T20:27:14.981-06:00Want some Cash-Baq?I signed up for a great site called CashBaq the other day. It's free to sign up and you get $5 in your account just for registering. You can earn cash back on all sorts of things. I bought an Entertainment Book for 2009 and ended up getting it for free with the cash back. They have a "deal of the day" each day as well as lots of other specials. If you want to sign up, I would really appreciate it if you did so with this link -- http://www.cashbaq.com/?refer=456913<br /><br />Thanks!!LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-79250866046723772252008-12-07T15:00:00.002-06:002008-12-07T15:12:00.207-06:00Cash for ChristmasHave you started your Christmas shopping? Do you have a budget? Do you make a budget and then end up spending more than you intended? Many people do just that so you are in good company. But remember -- just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean it's a good idea!<br /><br />Ideally you want to plan for Christmas spending all year long. Remember -- Christmas comes at the same time every year so don't let it "sneak up on you". Set aside a little money every month and then next December you will be ready to go. Remember those "Christmas Club" accounts that your parents might have had at the local bank? I wonder why those fell out of favor with people? It's a great idea to set aside the money every month. I bet it was when the banks started issuing credit cards; they would rather you spend using those and then take half of the next year to pay them off. <br /><br />At the first of December go to your bank and withdraw CASH for the amount of your Christmas budget. Put it in an envelope and make your spending list on the back of it. Decide ahead of time who you will buy for and how much you will spend. If you budget $20 for Uncle Joe and end up spending $40 on him then you will need to take $20 away from someone else to make it balance. When the money is gone, that's it -- you're done!<br /><br />The first year we did this was was just amazing! We ended up finding sales and stayed under budget. As a result we were able to make a larger donation to a local charity than we had planned. Every year I feel such power and control when I spend cash for Christmas. I pay more attention to what I'm spending than if I were just swiping the debit card ) or worse -- the credit card. I do still use the debit card when I shop online, though. I simply make sure that I have enough cash in my envelope first and then set it aside to deposit back into the bank the next time I am out running errands. <br /><br />This system has worked for us for many years now and I know that if you give it a chance it will work for you, too.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-78156328811237050072008-11-28T17:56:00.002-06:002008-11-28T18:10:25.627-06:00"Black Friday" is black in more ways this yearI was really saddened at the state of humanity when I read the newspaper online this afternoon. One story from the AP was about a WalMart employee in New York who was killed by a stampeding mob of customers when he opened the doors this morning. These people couldn't even be bothered to stop to help him -- they just stepped over him. Then some were actually upset at being told that the store was closing for a few hours because of the DEATH of this employee. Yes -- he died. Yes -- they whined about how long they had stood in line to get in and didn't want to leave. Yes -- their ability to purchase crap from China was more important than the life a another person. You can ready the rest of the story <a href="http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1063773.html">here</a>. The second story came out of California. Apparently 2 people are dead after a shooting in a Toy's R Us store. Now, I need to point out that authorities have not yet determined the cause of the shooting and won't confirm that it was because of a toy. Perhaps it was gang-related. The real question is "who in their right mind brings a loaded weapon into a TOY STORE?" You can read that story <a href="http://www.star-telegram.com/462/story/1064048.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Bottom line -- Black Friday is truly a black day for our society as a whole this year. While there are innocent people being taken hostage and killed in India we are fighting over toys (probably imported from China) that will break and/or be forgotten shortly after Christmas morning. Pretty sad. Maybe we should all think about this and <span style="font-weight:bold;">let it</span> affect how we celebrate Christmas this year. What's more important to us? And what are we teaching our children? Is a pile of bargains under the tree more important than human life?LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-66570446448624571712008-11-02T15:23:00.003-06:002008-11-02T15:34:06.166-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBu7VuiMcjU6frpEiz-lfAdlW5nm_K1cs9wqTO-IQzxl7wAIwXmvE3m4dtfGKHNn7vzPIIeCo3Hfeo54AkcZa-ESuzv8n0IY-xUorrZw8AfgQB7-hGtJyeEzVA_agyZXxi2vs8CenygY/s1600-h/IMAG0140.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBu7VuiMcjU6frpEiz-lfAdlW5nm_K1cs9wqTO-IQzxl7wAIwXmvE3m4dtfGKHNn7vzPIIeCo3Hfeo54AkcZa-ESuzv8n0IY-xUorrZw8AfgQB7-hGtJyeEzVA_agyZXxi2vs8CenygY/s200/IMAG0140.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264174301609485010" /></a><br /><br />Here are my little Trick or Treaters this year -- at least the 3 big ones. Rebecca (age 7) is dressed as Mary the Mother of Jesus. Melanie (age 5) is dressed as Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a Native American who has been recognized by the Catholic Church and elevated to the status of "blessed". Olivia (age 3) is a tiger. The older girls were dressed also for All Saints Day so their costumes were doing double duty. Olivia was supposed to be Saint Elizabeth of Hungary for All Saints Day but she decided she liked the tiger costume more. We told people she was either the tiger/lion who ate Saints Perpetua and Felicity or she was one of the tigers on Noah's Ark. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-F15TskjxRJT86S4K2i5T14VhH9fAYv-9vt-ZL6zy4Q2phpZnBAjZWPiM8CtyH0MsWToj4VhNhXJ1_tm5DMN8YrULe4AqxWh46Zl6j7tAWY7HxfnOkLECHcmI4VNtHoT_5tVvoFCvlE/s1600-h/IMAG0139.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-F15TskjxRJT86S4K2i5T14VhH9fAYv-9vt-ZL6zy4Q2phpZnBAjZWPiM8CtyH0MsWToj4VhNhXJ1_tm5DMN8YrULe4AqxWh46Zl6j7tAWY7HxfnOkLECHcmI4VNtHoT_5tVvoFCvlE/s200/IMAG0139.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264175419331872514" /></a><br /><br />Here's my littlest Trick or Treater with daddy. Stephen is just barely 6 months old. I have an angel costume that the girls wore for their first Halloweens but it did look a little too frilly for him. Plus it was long sleeved and long legged...not a great combination for Halloween in Texas this year. I think the high that day was about 82 degrees.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-16172748496036252972008-10-31T18:09:00.002-05:002008-10-31T18:15:30.414-05:00Has the real John McCain come back??I absolutely LOVED John McCain's speech at the Republican convention in Minnesota. He was full of spirit and energy and exhorting Americans to "stand up and fight" for their country. Then that John McCain sort of disappeared and this mousy guy took his place. I kept yelling at the TV screen, begging him to show that he has some fight left in him. Well, this morning I heard a clip of him at a rally in Ohio and it actually brought a tear to my eye. He was full of life again and ready to fight for the traditional America that we all love and don't want to lose. He was ready to fight to repair the economy. Best of all -- he was ready to fight to beat out Barack Obama. And the introduction he received from Rudy Giuliani was AWESOME! Now, Giuliani wasn't my favorite candidate in the primaries (that was Mike Huckabee) but I have to admit that he did a great job supporting McCain today. Why hasn't McCain had him along the campaign trail in recent weeks? Why did it take this long? Or maybe he's been there and I just haven't heard about it. It could be that the liberal media simply didn't report it. Who knows. Who cares. What I'm excited about today is that JOHN MCCAIN HASN'T GIVEN UP. We've still got a chance next week!LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-53601807699862747522008-10-31T18:04:00.002-05:002008-10-31T18:08:07.476-05:00I want to move to Australia....but I'm afraid that they actually DO have <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Terrible-Horrible-Good-Very/dp/0689711735">terrible horrible no good very bad days</a> there, too. My husband always smiles and tells me that it's true but I have yet to admit that he might be right.LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006335836522888711.post-85938097255751667832008-10-28T21:22:00.000-05:002008-10-28T21:24:33.337-05:00Abortion: A Red Herring Issue or Reasons for Concern?I was told the other day that life issues are a “Red Herring” used to rally the base. Perhaps, but I see them as a cause for grave concern. <br /><br /> The way I see it, human life is inherently worth protecting, but we abort more than 1.1 million genetically distinct pre-born humans every year. To me, all other issues that interest me (and there are many), must be balanced against 1.1 million innocent lives lost to our abortion industries. I believe that one should vote based on the good of the nation and one’s fellow citizens rather than for one’s own self interests. Accordingly, to those who are in danger of being aborted access to free healthcare, just wages, safety from war and low taxes probably seem like insignificant issues when compared to the right to safely exit their mother’s womb. <br /><br />While there are many fiscal conservatives in the Republican party who don’t care about abortion, the Democratic Party has made it quite clear in their platform that they support full access to abortion, paid for by taxpayer, and with no apparent restrictions as to the age of the client, the opinion of the father, or the procedure used. With Democratic control over the Executive and the Legislative branches, that party will have to act upon its platform, and deliver its promises or forever lose the support of NOW, NARAL, Planned Parenthood and every other “pro-Choice” group that helps bankroll their campaigns. Even with laws on the books and judicial fiat supporting abortion on demand, the Pro-Life movement is very hard to silence (much to the chagrin of the Canadian government judging from recent news articles) and will continue to press its counterattack, ensuring that the Democrats will still be able to rely upon Pro-Choice groups for as long as there is a Pro-Life opposition. <br /><br />What promises have the Democrats made that they will have to deliver on?<br /><br />Choice <br />The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions. The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman’s decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs. p. 50 of the Democratic Party Platform<br />http://www.democrats.org/a/party/platform.html<br /><br />The position of the Democratic Party is why I left it many years ago. They have grown more devoted to the “Pro-Choice” cause with each election cycle since then. Senator Obama’s voting record indicates that he is in full agreement within the party’s platform: <br /><br />Barack Obama (in his Statement on 35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Decision):<br />"Throughout my career, I've been a consistent and strong supporter of reproductive justice, and have consistently had a 100% pro-choice rating with Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America.<br />When South Dakota passed a law banning all abortions in a direct effort to have Roe overruled, I was the only candidate for President to raise money to help the citizens of South Dakota repeal that law. When anti-choice protesters blocked the opening of an Illinois Planned Parenthood clinic in a community where affordable health care is in short supply, I was the only candidate for President who spoke out against it. And I will continue to defend this right by passing the Freedom of Choice Act as president.<br />As of May 11, 2007, Senator Obama became a co-sponsor of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA).<br /><br />Excerpted from the Senate’s version of FOCA, which Senator Obama is co-sponsoring:<br />SEC. 4. INTERFERENCE WITH REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROHIBITED.<br />(a) Statement of Policy- It is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child, to terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, or to terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the woman.<br />(b) Prohibition of Interference- A government may not—<br />(1) deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose—<br />(A) to bear a child;<br />(B) to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability; or<br />(C) to terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman; or<br />(2) discriminate against the exercise of the rights set forth in paragraph (1) in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information.<br /> (c) Civil Action- An individual aggrieved by a violation of this section may obtain appropriate relief (including relief against a government) in a civil action.<br />http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.1173:<br /><br />Health is not defined in the FOCA, but courts have often interpreted to include any sort of physical, mental, or emotional discomfort. <br /><br />Woman is not defined here. There is no indication that the law applies only to adults 18 and over. <br /><br />So, what Texas laws will be overturned by Sec.4.b. Prohibition of Interference? <br /><br />There are many, but the two that bother me most are parental notification laws and the ability of pro-life medical staff to refuse to provide abortion services:<br /><br />From the Texas Family Code:<br />§ 33.002. PARENTAL NOTICE. <br />(a) A physician may not perform an abortion[0] on a pregnant unemancipated minor unless:<br />(1) the physician performing the abortion[0] gives at least 48 hours actual notice, in person or by telephone, of the physician's intent to perform the abortion[0] to:<br />(A) a parent of the minor, if the minor has no managing conservator or guardian; or<br />(B) a court-appointed managing conservator or guardian; <br />(2) the judge of a court having probate jurisdiction, the judge of a county court at law, the judge of a district court, including a family district court, or a court of appellate jurisdiction issues an order authorizing the minor to consent to the abortion[0] as provided by Section 33.003 or 33.004;<br />http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/cqcgi?CQ_SESSION_KEY=AOERKDULBFGQ&CQ_QUERY_HANDLE=125535&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=6&CQ_TLO_DOC_TEXT=YES<br /><br />From the Texas Occupations Code:<br />§ 103.001. RIGHT TO OBJECT. A physician, nurse, staff member, or employee of a hospital or other health care facility who objects to directly or indirectly performing or participating in an abortion[0] procedure may not be required to directly or indirectly perform or participate in the procedure.<br /><br />http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/cqcgi?CQ_SESSION_KEY=AOERKDULBFGQ&CQ_QUERY_HANDLE=125535&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=21&CQ_TLO_DOC_TEXT=YES<br /><br />Now, you might ask, why do I care about abortion at all? After all, having been a Social Darwinist for many years, my gut instincts have a hard time standing the way of people who disagree with me destroying themselves and their offspring. The fewer of “them” there are, the less competition my children will face for educational and employment opportunities!<br /><br />Unfortunately, I have come to believe that human beings are a special creation, superior to slugs, dandelions and spotted owls, and that all human life has an inherent dignity and worth that cannot be measured in strictly utilitarian terms. <br /><br />I believe, based on my somewhat limited knowledge of human biology, that a genetically unique human being is created when the sperm joins with the ovum, and that, barring interference, that zygote will implant in its mother’s uterus and eventually become visibly recognizable as human and be born. This development is continuous from one moment to the next, and there is no other distinct point during development besides the moment when sperm and ovum join at which one can clearly say “This genetically distinct creature is not fully human and has no right to exist while this genetically distinct creature, one second later, is human and should have full rights to exist.” <br /><br />Currently, our legal system seems very confused. A child killed by accident, in utero, during an assault can cause an assailant to be charged with murder. While a child killed, deliberately, in utero, is merely fetal tissue subject to a medical procedure.<br /><br />Likewise, a child born prematurely, seven months into development, has full human rights though it is dependent on external life support systems. While a child nine months in utero, can be partially extracted via C-section and have a pair of forceps plunged through the base of its neck to kill it, even though it is only an inch or two from being able to live outside the womb with no external life support. <br /><br />Being a fairly simple minded person, this is very confusing to me. Who gets to decide when life begins or when human rights should be protected? Is it the biological parents? Is it only the mother, or shouldn’t the genetic father have some say as well where consensual sex is suspected? Right now, the answer is that only the mother can say whether a biologically distinct creature within her is human with an inherent dignity and right to life, or not. And her answer to that question can change from one day to the next up to the moment when the child is completely removed from her body. <br /><br />It seems to me, that if the start of life is negotiable and subject to constant reinterpretation by a family member, then the end of life might also be negotiable…<br /><br />What has abortion wrought?<br /><br />Using the stats found at:<br />http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-unitedstates.html<br /><br />From 1973, to 2005, there have been an estimated 45,669,110 abortions according to stats analyzed using CDC and other data. <br /><br />About 7.9 million of these abortions were performed between 1986 and 1990…those individuals killed would now be between 18 and 22 years old. About 20 million live births took place those same years. If those people had been allowed to be born, then the number of 18 to 22 year olds would be about 35% larger than it currently is, and I doubt we’d have ever fallen short of a single military recruitment goal…<br /><br />Approximately 21 million were aborted from 1973 to 1990. Had they been born, would corporate America be demanding that we allow 12 million illegal immigrants (not screened for criminal records or terrorist ties) into the country to perform labor that American’s won’t do? Or would we have the manpower to perform those jobs? (as an aside, I have no beef with the immigration rate, but only with the fact that we don’t know specifically who is coming in)<br /><br />Right now, we abort one child for every five live births in this nation. <br /><br />If our workforce was 20% larger, would Social Security be “in danger”? Without the abortion losses, the age 25 to 34 cohort would be larger than the age 35 to 44 cohort…and larger than all previous cohorts. We would still face a pinch with the 24 and younger cohorts, but it would take longer to feel it. <br />http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_DP5&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-_sse=on<br /> <br /><br />Admittedly, there is a practical advantage to killing off a workforce’s children and importing adult workers from other nations to replace them at the time when they would be entering the work force. You don’t have to expend the resources in feeding or educating them while they are “non-productive”! The downside is, they aren’t your people. They don’t know the culture, and they haven’t necessarily been trained for the types of jobs that need to be performed. <br /><br />Unfortunately, I hold human life to be sacred. I believe in protecting the lives of innocents whenever possible and I believe that states have a fundamental self-interest and moral duty to protect their citizens from conception to natural death. Right now, the nation, its courts, its legislators and many of its people do not see it that way. Unborn, genetically distinct humans are a commodity that can be dispatched of at will and their remains (or leftover siblings from in vitro processes) can be used for medical research. Social acceptance of these laws will only change when we have a change of heart, but in the meantime, I will support whatever legal protections can be put in place for the most vulnerable members of our society and fight against the removal of those protections which have already been established.<br /><br />Of the major parties, the Republicans are somewhat pro-life, while the Democrats, the Libertarians and the Greens all support abortion on demand. This leaves me few options if I want to execute my duty to vote as a citizen. <br /><br />While taxes, war, education, and economic development are all significant issues, if one does not have the right to live, then these other things become irrelevant. <br /><br />A child aborted is not going to care about the free healthcare he would have been afforded if he’d been born or about the war he did not have to fight, or the taxes he did not have to pay. While pragmatism might lead me to think my children would have an advantage should their competitors be destroyed in utero, cutting the size of their generation by 20% increases the work load and tax burden on my children when there should be more people to help with the heavy lifting of moving our society forward into the 22nd Century. <br /><br />Finally, if the life of an innocent person, filled with unlimited potential, is not worth protecting, then is anyone safe from being deemed unworthy of life? If we choose not to protect life when it first begins, will we long tolerate the presence of those in their waning years? I think that we, as a nation, are better off becoming a Culture of Life!LisaMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13315495435608446151noreply@blogger.com4