How does anyone fight a battle like this?

If anyone does NOT understand the necessity of President Bush's move to oust Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, I will kindly ask them to get their heads out from under the covers. There is NO negotiating with these tyrannic rulers in the Middle East. Most are cowards who won't stand up for anything, as long as they can keep their pockets lined, and the rest are out to destroy Israel and any thing that has to do with the western world and the 'infidels.'

There is no compromise for a Muslim. There are so many discrepancies in that religion, one minute it speaks of peace among brothers (assumingly MUSLIM brothers) and the next it speaks of destroying all who are NOT Muslim. If one follows the Muslim faith, there is no love for enemies as Jesus taught in the New Testament.

Now the president of Iran is boldly stating that the only way to bring peace to the middle east is to destroy Israel. I just don't see how anyone could EVER think there is compromise with these folks. Some people are so open-minded, their brains have literally fallen out.

This all stems from a debate I had several months back with a woman who did not grasp that the Islamic terrorists don't want power, or money, or anything like that.. they want to destroy it's enemy, namely Israel and the U.S. She could not understand the importance of removing power from tyrannical maniacs who hate the U.S and Israel, like Saddam Hussein... doing so was just a waste of time.

With Ahmadinejad admitting that he seeks the destruction of Israel, I certainly hope the screen will be lifted in front of the eyes of so many, and that they will come to an understanding that there is no room for compromise. True Muslim followers will not rest until Israel is no more. This is the beginning of a very troubled time for our world, and a very confusing time for its inhabitants. The rules of the games are changing. What was once right, is now wrong.. what was once wrong now seems right. We as a nation must stand fast in our defense of Israel, and not have the wool thrown over our own eyes, as has many other countries in the world.


Psalm 83
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not keep silent;
be not quiet, O God, be not still.

2 See how your enemies are astir,
how your foes rear their heads.

3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.

4 "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation,
that the name of Israel be remembered no more."

5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you-

6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal, [a] Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.

8 Even Assyria has joined them
to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.
Selah

9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

10 who perished at Endor
and became like refuse on the ground.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 who said, "Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God."

13 Make them like tumbleweed, O my God,
like chaff before the wind.

14 As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15 so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.

16 Cover their faces with shame
so that men will seek your name, O LORD.

17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may they perish in disgrace.

18 Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

Sickening...

Exxon Mobil profit rises on soaring prices

While some people (conservative republicans who have sold their souls to capitalism) scream at the top of their lungs that Exxon-Mobil is justified in their billion dollar profits... I just don't buy it. Much like the pensions that have been widdled away to pay off company debts, while greedy-CEO's who can't get by on less than $10 million a year get pay raises... tell me how that helps everyone???

The flip side to the whole rising gas price problem is that perhaps, we as Americans will stop being the wasteful society that we have become. We are obviously thinking twice about taking our gas-guzzling SUV's on a road trip this summer, and even getting to work is becoming a financial burden on many people, and these are our working class people who don't have stockpiles of extra funds to finance their trips to work every month. Will local governments do more to get the ball rolling on implementing more public transportation? Will more people USE the public transportation that is available to them? I'd always get sick to my stomach driving to work in Raleigh, NC seeing miles and miles of backed-up traffic heading into the Research Triangle Park.. so many people going in the same direction, and there is even public transportation available around the area, yet so few people used it! Maybe the rising gas prices will help our American mindset switch over to more of a 'waste not, want not' philosophy in regards to the way we spend our money and how we conserve energy. Although, I understand that is my naivete showing through there... like THAT will ever happen here in this country full of wasteful mindless spenders!

I'm all up for governmental control of the gasoline/fuel industry.. it's getting ridiculous. If electricity isn't a commodity up for being bought and sold by people who have no idea what exactly what it takes to create those 60kw of juice coming through your lightbulb, then I am all up for governmental control/regulation of the oil market. With the oil companies profits skyrocketing on top of the rising prices due to higher standards for emissions imposed by the government, as well as all the taxing that is done to gas... the government needs to step in and do something before we have a class of people who can't get to work because they can't afford to drive!

Here is an interesting article (from 2005) I stumbled across this morning:

Taxing America Clean?

A late night with Yankee Doodle Dandy

As I was lying in bed last night before going to sleep, I was flipping through the million and one channels we have through our cable. I came across one of my favorite movies Yankee Doodle Dandy. It's a life-story of the Broadway legend George M. Cohan. Apparently several liberties were taken with the screenplay, to make his life a little bit more dramatic for the big screen, but the film did capture Cohan's spirit, liveliness, and sincere devotion to the United States.

Watching all the patriotic flag waving, and listening to those old Cohan songs, such as Over There and Yankee Doodle Dandy can make one realize just how blessed we are here in the United States. My how times have changed since the days of the World Wars! I started thinking about all the people nowdays who bash the President, or American-born citizens who are so disgruntled with the state of affairs in our country they would rather live somewhere other than the U.S. When did our immense pride for our country get tossed out like yesterdays garbage? I understand there are many problems in our country that need attention, but is it really so bad as needing to disown the U.S.? No other country in this world offers more freedoms and more opportunities than ours. Instead of having our own citizens focusing only what is going wrong, perhaps we should all take some time to pay attention to what is going RIGHT, and once again, be proud of being a citizen in the U.S.

Off my patriotic soap box... We have a gloomy start to our Wednesday. It is raining as I type and there are some rumbles of thunder. Today is a busy cleaning day, which is nice since today is calling for showers off and on all day. I need to vacuum the carpets and rugs and clean the bathrooms, and of course do more laundry.

I still need to figure out dinner for tonight. We ate a few slices of our huge 10lb ham... I imagine we will be eating quite a bit of ham for the next little bit. I should look up some ham recipes and get creative with what is left. Aiden ate some of the asparagus I sauted last night. He enjoys biting the tops off and moving on to the next piece. At least he's eating ASPARAGUS of all things!

Oh and I have a couple of EXTREMELY ripe bananas, so I was planning on making some banana nut bread today too! I've set myself up for a busy day, so I better get started on it. Aiden is finally waking up.. he has been sleeping so much recently, but I am in no way, shape, or form complaining! I know he's a growing little boy who needs tons of rest.

Now, to let my day begin... Happy Wednesday!

Love

Today, many of us are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is a time where we ponder the many different ideas the Easter holiday brings to mind. We remember the new life that we are able to have because Jesus willingly gave up His. We remember the pain He went through as he was beaten and ridiculed while he made his way through the streets of Jerusalem to Golgotha. We remember the crown of thorns that was placed upon his head and the spikes driven through his feet and hands. We remember the incredible despair Mary must have felt as she watched her first born Son give up His life so that she and others can have eternal life. After remembering all that Jesus did for us, and all the pain that He felt as He took the weight of the world's sins on His shoulders, we ultimately remember how much love it took for God to give up His only Son, Jesus Christ.

Remember today, and everyday, how much God loves each and everyone of us, and how we ought to love others. Keep the love of the Lord in your heart each and every day and share it with those around you. This is the best witness of God's love that you can share.

Gramma and Poppa

Today Gramma and Poppa are coming for a visit. This is coming at a good time. I think we will just try to skip naptime today for Aiden since they will get here around 12:30pm, and hopefully he will get in bed and GO TO SLEEP earlier. His little body is still set to Standard Time. I really don't like the time change. We don't 'add' daylight to our days, we just add it to society's normal wakeful hours. I say we all just get up earlier! Just kidding... I just see the time changes as too much of a nuisance now instead of being beneficial. I find it hard to go to sleep when it is still light outside, and I think Aiden does too!

Change of Plans and Letting go of the Wheel!

I started out today with an almost immediate change of plans. The photoshoot that I thought was supposed to happen this morning is instead happening Thursday morning. That's fine, because the new camera should be here by then (crossing fingers!).

The camera and lenses are expected to arrive sometime tomorrow. Originally, I had planned on going to SC to visit my grandmother on her 88th birthday. Today, I realized one of the packages coming FedEx needed a Direct Signature, meaning they will not leave the package on the doorstep no matter what and they would reattempt delivery the next day. So I began to stew over not being here tomorrow when FedEx came. But I just said to myself that I waited this long for this new camera, I can wait an extra day... I had made a prior committment and I should keep it! So, I was ok with that! I felt good about my decision. It was bittersweet, but I knew it was the right choice, and I made the choice joyfully, without resentment at not being home to accept the deliveries.

Matt came home slightly before 4pm this afternoon which surprised me. His car has been leaking oil for quite a while. We attempted to repair this leak back in November but it just didn't work. He decided to call the shop he took it to back in November and talk with them about the situation. This resulted in an appointment for the car in Asheville on Friday. We will drive the car to Asheville either Thursday night or bright and early Friday morning, and be sans car during the day on Friday.

So, I call my mom to inform her of this, and ask her if we could postpone our SC trip (she was going to meet me in SC at my grandmother's place tomorrow) until Friday and Matt would be able to make the trip to SC then. She will come rescue us from the shop and we will all make the journey to celebrate my grandmother's birthday on Friday. That leaves me home tomorrow to accept the packages tomorrow, and the rescheduled photoshoot will more than likely be with the new camera, and Matt gets to come with us to help celebrate my grandmother's birthday!

I did not try to force things to work out as perfectly as they did. I saw the opportunities given to me and worked them to everyone's advantage, not just my own. You know that old saying, "Patience is a virtue." Patience, while it can be hard to maintain, always seems to help me out in the long run. Don't try to take control of every little thing that comes your way. Sometimes, we all need to sit back and, like the Carrie Underwood song says, let Jesus take the wheel.

Below is one of my absolute favorite verses from the Bible. If you let the Lord take control and trust in His perfect planning and timing, the truth of this verse should ring loud and clear for you!

Isaiah 40:31
But those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Being Productive

Productivity seems to run in spurts for me. I can go a few weeks being productive, and then I will get into a slump where I just feel the need to be LAZY. That is how I feel right now, and this cold dreary weather we are having isn't helping matters one bit! Hopefully I can get back on the right track of my 4 day cleaning schedule so I won't be playing catch-up on the weekends for a while.

On the agenda today is dusting, wiping down counters and tabletops, and the ever-present mountain of laundry. I've basically given up ever having all of the laundry done; having a toddler makes this seem pointless! We get so many clothes dirty, especially when the weather is warmer and we are outside playing more.

Aiden seems to be feeling better today. He slept a good chunk of yesterday and slept solidly through the night last night, which gives him some much needed rest. I will encourage him to take it easy again today so it gives his body a chance to heal itself. He isn't wanting to eat very much; all that congestion makes food taste funny to a little kid. Right now, we are contributing to his Winnie the Pooh obsession as we watch The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I'm still praying that the sickness leaves this house so we can all feel well again.

Even though he was feeling 'under-the-weather' yesterday, he did have a few true toddler moments. One time he fell, and I'm not even sure how he did it, even though I did see him fall.. I just missed what caused it. He did a belly flop on the floor. And he also did an Evil Knievel impression on his Rockin' Trike. I will post a picture later.

OK, I'm off to get my day started now that Aiden is awake and has had a tiny bit of breakfast.

Happy Tuesday! :) And unless you have a good reason not to... BE PRODUCTIVE!

"Somebody has a case of 'The Monday's.'"

If you've seen the movie "Office Space," you definitely understand that quote!

Sickness has invaded our home yet again! Matt has been battling a cough/headache/congestion this weekend, and of course Aiden now seems to have it. Pray it does not result in another ear infection... those are NOT fun.

Today I will try to finish playing catch up as far as the housework goes. We are having our St. Patrick's Day dinner 3 days late. I just put a corned beef brisket in the crock-pot to cook all day. I will cook cabbage and some rice later.

Hopefully I will get some pictures of Aiden today, if he doesn't look too sick. An online pregnancy/baby forum I participate on does a Picture of the Week thing every week. This week's theme is supposed to be of our baby's reading books. It's neat seeing all the babies, and of course it's a great excuse for me to take more pictures!

Here is a verse from Luke 12 I ran across while perusing a few different websites. It goes along with the Thurgood Marshall quote I posted a few days ago. Is someone trying to tell me something?

"There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."
Luke 12:2-3 NIV

Happy Monday!

Intentions

"What is the quality of your intent? Certain people have a way of saying things that shake us at the core. Even when the words do not seem harsh or offensive, the impact is shattering. What we could be experiencing is the intent behind the words. When we intend to do good, we do. When we intend to do harm, it happens. What each of us must come to realize is that our intent always comes through. We cannot sugarcoat the feelings in our heart of hearts. The emotion is the energy that motivates. We cannot ignore what we really want to create. We should be honest and do it the way we feel it. What we owe to ourselves and everyone around is to examine the reasons of our true intent. My intent will be evident in the results."
Thurgood Marshall
American jurist and lawyer. 1908-1993

Before you say something, write something, or type something, think of the intentions you have for your words. Upon closer examination, many times what we say isn't exactly what we mean. Think about this quote today, and if your actions or words are intended to hurt someone, do everyone a favor and say nothing at all.

"Whenever a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon."

The title of this post is actually a quote from Emily Dickinson. This describes many facets of my life. The little demon that is released the first time I do things is the demon of PERFECTION. Many new things I become involved in, I first become overly obsessed, and it then flows into obtaining perfection in everything that is done. It is probably my tragic downfall. So many times, I stop myself from doing something, because I know I will want to do it perfectly, and for whatever reason, be it time, money, or other resources, I won't be able to please myself. I find this evident many times in my life now. I worry about being the perfect wife and mother. I read and study all I can on photography to become better today than I was yeterday. At times, I'm afraid of trying something new, for fear that I can't be perfect. I now sit back and realize, just how much I might have missed out on because of this 'demon.'

So, with this blog, I hope to examine my own character flaws and learn from them. I hope to share some of my life through the pictures I take. And most importantly, I hope it helps me to relax and be comfortable with exactly who I am, perfect or not!