From a national perspective though, there are PLENTY of things that don't have to be covered. I'm only using this reference because it is the one that sticks in my brain right now, but how about the $40 million for the woodstock museum? Seriously? A Woodstock museum? $40 Million dollars of taxpayer money? Is there an educational point to that? I know there are millions of other examples of frivolous, ridiculous spending that just makes my blood boil. Plus, if we weren't paying for absolutely absurd things like this, how much more would there be for things like libraries (on a local level). Would there really be a question of if we can afford roads (which is something the federal government is actually supposed to take care of) if we weren't spending our money on things the FEDERAL goverment has no business being involved in?

You know what? The dems have been in control in the senate and the house now for how long? A

I would just use a good degreaser, sand a little and put another coat of polyurethane on the top. I just bought an old beat up table and painted it. Just make sure you allow PLENTY of time for the poly to dry, otherwise you end up with fingerprints and footprints all over it. ( Ask me how I know :001_huh:)

Don't you see that your condemnation of MY beliefs are hurtful? Christians are told all of the time they are intolerant, backwards, uneducated because they have faith in something you(the general you) do not. It doesn't harm you for me to believe in God and salvation through Jesus. I don't tell you you have to believe it. I know there are people who do get in others faces about their Christian beliefs, but there are people out there who condemn me for driving an SUV and are convinced I am responsible for all the damage to the environent. Does that make everyone who believes in caring for the environent a hateful judgemental person? I read the thread on the Duggars having their 18th child, and was amazed at the hostility against her about breastfeeding. Does she get on television and say everyone different from her is going to hell? Not that I've ever witnessed, but there was no hesitation to condemn her choices. How many of us have been criticized and condemned for our homeschooling choices? If I allow my experiences with several ps teachers to influence my opinion of all of them, I would be convinced that they are all intolerant, arrogant people. But I KNOW that isn't true. There are teachers who are convinced I'm harming my children, but I know others who are willing to help me in spite of our differences of opinion of hsing. I am allowed to have beliefs that differ from another person or group of people. I am allowed to disagree with someones actions. I am allowed to think that something is wrong. I would never condone harming someone because I believe they are wrong, but I don't have to give up my beliefs because it may cause them discomfort or hurt feelings. I don't think a human being who is homosexual is less of a person than I am, I wouldn't hesitate to invite them over to dinner. But I do not have to say I agree with all of their choices.

He'll be back at the end of the week for 4 days, then he's gone til 4th of July, then he's gone for 14 months. I'm just feeling really sorry for myself right now. Don't let this influence your normally wonderful perceptions of me, I'm usually quite the trooper. Just being awful today. :glare: Tomorrow we'll go do something fun. I'm not sure what, but something fun. I am just sick of trying to make it great for everyone else while I'm trying to keep the house from being disgusting, trying to get school finished for the year, trying to feed the kids something besides cereal (which they never eat then want a bowl of cereal when they're still hungry). Everyone has to deal with these things I know, I'm just tired of it right now. Why did I ever want to grow up????

Dh is gone for training (military).....again. Tomorrow is my b-day and I'm feeling pretty darn dumpy about it. This is the 4th year in a row he's missed my b-day. He's going to miss next year as well. It's funny, I do ok most days, but special occasions really kick me in the pants. I just can't get out of this funk today. I'm sure my kids are ready to take my head off for being a grumpy old witch today. Sorry, just a big whine here.

Just have to brag a little here. I just got back from a road trip in my Buick Rendezvous with 4 kids and a large dog. We got 25.7 mpg! We traded for this in Dec. from a Durango that was lucky to get 18 on the highway. It's hard with 4 kids....there aren't many options out there.

Anyone know the name of the steakhouse in Amarillo where you get a giant steak and it's free if you eat it in an hour? Big Tex maybe? I've been there once, it's lots of fun. Palo Duro is beautiful, and I'll second the museum in Canyon.

It always blows my mind to see the difference in my girls after reading King Arthur vs. the time they spend watching Hannah Montana. Their play and 'dreams' are so much bigger when they've read a really good fairy tale. Plus, it's easy for them to see that the magic in the fairy tales is pretend. They have a hard time understanding that Hannah Montana isn't real. She has concerts, she sells clothing, so the tv show must be reality. We've cut out most of those kids shows because I"m sick of arguing about whether there's a Tipton Hotel in Boston (a la Suite Life of Zack and Cody). It is a much bigger disservice to my kids to let them think that any of those characters are worth emulating.

I don't know much about Dyess, but Abeline is really pretty. It's got a very small town feel about it. Plus, you're only 3 hours from Dallas, 3 hours from Austin, 4 hours from San Antonio....it's right in the middle of everything. It's much drier and hotter than you'd expect during the summer, but the winters are relatively mild. Also, there are no laws about HSing in Tx. Just do it however you want. I'd choose CO first though.

My comment earlier was not well thought out, but here's the bigger point anyway. I do see a marriage as a committment between a man and a woman - in front of God. As someone (sorry, I've lost track) was saying, there is a moral law, things are right or wrong. Even if you don't believe in God, everyone has an idea of right and wrong. Where did that come from? Survival instinct? I believe that it is from God. Romans 2:14 14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, The arguments holding up the eating of pork, or stoning of adulterers is a moot point in Christianity because Christ made it clear that the old law has been fulfilled. We are no longer under the law of Moses, which is where those things are found. In the NT it makes clear that eating unclean food is only a problem if it is causing someone else to lose their faith. The adulterous woman was forgiven, not stoned because there is no one on earth who could stand in judgement of her, except Jesus, and he chose to forgive her. However, homosexuality is still listed as a sexual impurity in the NT. So is adultery. But we are not called to go stone the sinners, we are COMMANDED to love them. From a religious point of view, I still can't get my brain around homosexual marriage. It goes against what I believe the definition of marriage is. But the adulterer leaving his (or her) family is just as sinful, it's just more socially acceptable. That doesn't make it right. My job isn't to change society, my job is to live as much like Christ as I can, and depend on him to help me through the sticky situations. I have had dear friends who are gay. They weren't my "gay friends". They were just my friends, who lived a lifestyle that I do not think is right. I have a cousin who is living with his girlfriend. I don't believe that is right either, but it doesn't change the fact that I love him dearly. The worst thing I could do with either of these situations is stand up and explain how awful their choices are. It wouldn't change anything for the better and it's not my job anyway. I know if you don't believe the bible, or that God is God that sounds like a bunch of malarky, but it is what it is. I'm not sure this is worded much better than my last post...I"m having writers block or something today.

This is one of those things where the terminology is what gets me. In my mind (as confused as it may be) marriage is a covenant between me, my husband and God. The state recognizes it because marriage is an ancient custom and that is the way most civilized societies have been organized since....forever? I can see civil unions between same sex couples allowing them the legal benefits. No argument there, but why does it have to be called a marriage? That is a religious covenant first, then a legally recognized situation. A civil union could provide the same benefits legally without trying to change what marriage is and has been for centuries. I understand historically marriage was a contract between families, etc, etc, but the basic idea of it has always been man + woman = marriage. Again, it's just terminology, but it makes me crazy to have things that have a real value to me and many others made to be intolerant and arrogant, when I am not the one who created marriage, but honor it for what it is and has historically been. Not all things have to be changed to suit everyone in the world.

2 of 3 in my family are left handed. My brother and myself - my dad is also. None of my kids are.

I think it would be much easier to live simply if you just take that plunge and do it. I keep saying I'm going to downsize, I'm going to get rid of junk, but the reality is that it is very hard. I was cleaning out my kitchen of all the pots, pans, dishes, etc that I don't need, and my dh's grandparents moved to assisted care, and I now have FOUR sets of fine china. HELLO! But now those have sentimental value, so I can't get rid of them til everyone on that side of the family forgets I have them. Which may be never! It's my dream to get in the car with the clothes we need and just go. Somewhere. But, not likely to happen anytime soon.

alright, here's a true story. My dh's grandmother celebrates her English heritage. Unfortunately, she grew up in south TX during the depression, so she takes the 'idea' of the English food and makes do with whatever she has. One time she was going to make tomato aspic. Ok, tomato and meat jello grosses me out in principle, but she didn't have any of the correct ingredients, so she made LIME jello, with salsa mixed in. Served with sour cream. We found her cookbook with the recipe marked for tomato aspic and all of her substitutions noted. It was marked *VERY GOOD*. Makes me gag just to think about it. My cousin's grandmother made chocolate gravy to eat on biscuits. It was interesting. Not my first choice for breakfast though

But on another board I frequent, I met a woman at church through her sister-in-law. Come to find out, we knew each other through the message board for a curriculum we both were using. I'm in TX, she's from Alabama. Small world!

I would pull out the middle, shorter bookcase, get a piece of wood to go on top of it, the correct width and depth and hang shelves above it. I built an "entertainment center" this way. The center was deeper to hold the tv, the side shelves thinner to make the room seem a little bigger (and allow access to the doorway). That way you can plug in stuff behind the middle shelf also, just cut a little half circle for cords to go in the wood above the shelf. Is that making any sense? That will keep things from disappearing behind that middle shelf, and basically give you another whole surface to work with.

http://www.mathisfun.com Has addition trainer and test your tables for multiplication. My girls enjoy it.

I can't believe NO ONE else watches NCIS. It is my all time favorite. We even tivo the USA marathons and will sit and watch 3-4 episodes in a sitting. Love it, love it, love it. Unfortunately, right now all that is ever on at our house is hockey. I have to admit I did stay up til 1 am to see the 4th overtime for the stars/sharks last night....and dh isn't here.:glare:

DH and I LOVED it also! At the end of 2 hours I still wasn't ready for it to end. I wouldn't hesitate to take the older girls. My 6 and 8 yo have seen spiderman....this wasn't as scary as that I didn't think.

I hope I'm reading way more into that statement than was intended. I think it takes an extrodinary person to make the choice to make your living by knowingly putting yourself in danger to support your country. Even if you go into it for the education money, the security as far as the benefits, whatever *perks* there may be, the brass tacks of the matter is that this individual is choosing to serve his country. I think for some people it is a calling, for a lack of a better word. My dh didn't join til he was 28, but it was something he always wanted to do. He has a fabulous civilian job, but it doesn't have a purpose, except making money for the company. His National Guard job has a purpose and a meaning in what he does. How well he does his job will have a real impact as opposed to just being an indicator of whether he gets a 3% or 4% pay raise this year. I am a little sensitive to that "why in the world would anyone choose that" question. It isn't always the *logical* choice, but thank the Lord that people do choose to do it.

Let me begin by saying, this is NOT my plan for this month. Everyone in the WORLD has assured me that boys do NOT potty train early at all. I'm not sure that my son got that message....the one that says he's not supposed to be interested at all til he's at least 3. :glare: So, here we are a few months shy of 2 and he wants to sit on the potty. He even goes some of the time without my prompting (which is good since I"ve been actively discouraging him). So, explain to me about little boy parts. He's so chubby when he sits on the potty, his little boy parts stick straight out. I told him to point it down, and he does sometimes, but he doesn't always remember, so we are having technical difficulties. He's too short to stand up, even on a stool. How on earth do I keep from having a bathroom that has been sprayed with urine? :tongue_smilie: Again, the things no one tells you!!!!!!

Our ds is Timothy James, but we call him Jamie. My brother is Tim, I don't like Timothy for all the time, and James is too grown up. But I love his name. Besides, he definately looks (and acts) like a Jamie.

I can't think of one instance in the Bible where a child is a witness to anyone. Jesus did use children as an example, but it was only about how our attitude should be. Not that those children were perfect children. My children will learn much more about what it means to be a Christian from me and our activities together than from me telling them they have to be nice to that mean kid because Jesus wants them too. I didn't learn what it meant to be Christian til I was grown, and I grew up going to church. I hope to be able to teach that to my children while they are young.

Sell it and buy something new! Craigslist is my new best friend. I can change things up as often as I"m willing to put forth the effort and I love it! If you can do it without spending more money, do it and have fun!