Six Random Things

The rules of this Meme are:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I was tagged by Quasi-Mom

Six Random Things About Dawn

#1. I love Fisher Honey Roasted Peanuts. Planters just doesn't cut it.
#2. I am a die hard Carpenter's Fan.
#3. I just noticed my gray hair the other day....and I kinda like it.
#4. I must put on chapstick before going to bed. I can't sleep if I
don't. I like the mint flavored one.
#5. I'm terrible at Algebra...and I'm homeschooling a 9th grader. Can't
we just skip that subject?!?
#6. I can watch Fox News 24/7...and sometimes I do!

so there..six random things..I tag anyone who reads this. Gotcha!

First Sunday of Advent

Prayer to Our Lady of the New Advent
O Lady and Mother of the One who was and is and is to come,
dawn of the New Jerusalem, we earnestly beseech you,
bring us by your intercession so to live in love
that the Church, the Body of Christ,
may stand in this world's dark
as fiery icon of the New Jerusalem.
We ask you to obtain for us this mercy
through Jesus Christ, your Son and Lord,
who lives and reigns with the Father in the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever. Amen

Leading Ladies

Your result for The Classic Dames Test...

Barbara Stanwyck

You scored 38% grit, 10% wit, 43% flair, and 29% class!

You're a tough dame, a bit of a spitfire, and you can even be a little dangerous, but you do it with such flair that almost all is forgiven (and even when it's not, you're still the most interesting woman in the room). You can be witty and charming, all right, but you have a tough streak that keeps you focused and sometimes deadly. You've had quite a climb to get where you are, but you're a hard worker and you mostly deserve all you get...and then some. You might end up destroying everything around you, but you must admit...you've got style. Your leading men include Henry Fonda, Fred MacMurray, and when you forget yourself, Gary Cooper.

Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the
Classic Leading Man Test.

Take The Classic Dames Test at HelloQuizzy

Book Award/Meme

I was tagged by Journey of Truth to participate in this book meme.

These are the rules:

Pass this on to 5 blogging friends.
Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56.
Write the 5th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that.

Here Goes:

The Bible (I'm in my living room)

When Joseph brought his sons close to him, he kissed and embraced them. Then Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your descendents as well!" Joseph removed them from his father's knees and bowed down before him with his face to the ground. Then Joseph took the two, Ephraim with his right hand, to Israel's left, and Manasseh with his left hand, to Israel's right, and led them to him. Genesis 48:10-13

I tag:
Nancy
QuasiMom
The Keeper of The Keys
Sarah
SCMom

The Weekly Wrap-Up

Wow! What a week! We started our Thanksgiving Break on Monday. We spent the better part of Monday and Tuesday cleaning house, shopping and creating to do lists for Thanksgiving dinner.

Monday we went to my place of business, a small movie theater, and decorated it for Thanksgiving. Tuesday, we tackled the laundry monster. Wednesday that monster threatened to kill me. I started my cooking on Wednesday, as well. I did all the prep work for the dinner on Thursday, cooked the mashed and sweet potatoes and did all the baking. Thursday arrived and we all awoke excited and happy! The bird went in the roaster, the ham went in the crock pot and we decorated the table.

My cousins arrived from the big city around 10:30 and were able to attend Mass with us (this was such a great Blessing, Thank you Thank you! Father T.) Then, my brother and his family arrived, the neighbor came over and we commenced Thanksgiving dinner. It was so much fun to have everyone here and I still cannot Thank The Good Lord enough for the abundance of blessings He has granted our family.

Friday..Friday..Black Friday. I went out with my cousin, she had not been black Friday shopping before.
We went for the "experience". Yeah right. We spent the night before talking and pouring over shopping flyers until nearly 1 am. At 4 am we were up and ready to go. I did find the deals I was looking for and am almost done with my gift shopping!!

The lines and crowds here were long, but very pleasant. Nothing like New York or other places I heard about on the news. I am glad that I went, this is my first Black Friday in this new city and I have to say compared to Baltimore, where I was last year, this was so so much better. The people were just nicer and more laid back. Most folks just stood around talking about what they were looking to purchase and we all had coffee..it was a very pleasant and not hectic, chaotic experience.

Aaaaaaaand....that's the weekly wrap folks!

I need my coffee!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Spot On!

What Your Thanksgiving Meal Says About You

When it comes to the holidays, you follow and love the big traditions. You look forward to them every year. You see the holidays as a time to be close to loved ones. It's a good time to reconnect and make memories. You like the more adult aspects of the holidays - parties, cocktails, and having time off from work. During the holidays, you are likely to feel energetic. At your worst, you feel bored. You consider yourself to be a bit of a purist, and you're proud of it. You tend to spend you holidays taking care of others. Holidays are one of the times you like to give.

What Does Your Thanksgiving Meal Say About You?

Holy Brain Scan Batman!

There Are 0 Gaps in Your Knowledge

Where you have gaps in your knowledge: No Gaps! Where you don't have gaps in your knowledge: Philosophy Religion Economics Literature History Science Art

Do You Have Gaps in Your Knowledge?

Where I Blog From Meme

Okay, I am finally getting around to this meme. I found my camera, brought it up here and took the pic. Now I need to clean up the place a bit :). I have one more thing to blog today and that's that quiz thingy Journey of Truth posted. I have to go take the quiz and see what it says. Then I won't look at this area until Sometime Friday or Saturday. Pre-cooking for Thursday begins tomorrow. I can't wait!!!! I love the holidays. I really really do.

Taste Testing

We went to Sam's Club for their Holiday Tasting event. Yum Yum Yum! Here are just a few of the absolutely delish items we tasted.
Mini Filet Mignon wrapped in peppercorn bacon
Mini Beef Wellington
Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

We also tasted: Rack of lamb with rosemary, onion and garlic asparagus in butter, Pork loin with apples, Belgian Chocolate profiteroles, Caramel apple pie, dark chocolate almonds, franks in a blanket, scallops in bacon, baked salmon, shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers and even more I can't remember. It wouldn't have been complete without a taste of Sparkling apple cider. We had great fun trying out new foods and we left Sam's stuffed and happy.

(We did go back to buy the filet mignon's and wellingtons for Thursday. They are absolutely delicious!)

What We Did Today

We made pine cone turkeys! It was a lot of fun and the glue gun burns weren't major. Phew! Happy Thanksgiving!

Black Friday Or Not?

It's coming! How low will they go? Wanna flat screen T.V? That seems to be the hot ticket item this year. Of course, you could stand in long lines at 3 am in the morning to try and be first one it at Best Buy or Circuit City. I've been there a few times. Never did get in early.

I like shopping, so standing in long lines with the expectation of a fabulous deal is not usually a detraction for me. However, this year I don't feel like it. The economy is in the tank and I'm tired. I don't want to stand in line! I don't want to get up at O'dark thirty to get there first..(and I'm never first anyway, someone else always gets up even earlier, God Bless 'em). So, I was resigned to just watching it on T.V. Which stores had the biggest rush? Wal-Mart? (usually) Where were the fights over the last hot toy? Wal-Mart? (usually)

Then I opened my email today and I have a message..Black Friday Blues no more. Great deals, no long lines. The email was from Amazon. Now, I don't usually shop online. But I got to thinkin' that Black Friday sounds much better in my jammies with some hot steamin' coffee and a lap quilt.

I think that's where I'll be headed on Friday morning. Just to keep in the spirit of things I'll have my oldest get up early to make the coffee.

Share Your Menu Monday

Today is going to be a fun day! We are on Thanksgiving break! The kids can sleep in! We will have a houseful on Thursday and we are going to take some time to get ready for it today and tomorrow.

I love to get together with family and friends. There will be 18 of us so far. Here's our Menu:
Roast Turkey
Glazed Ham
Southern Style Green Beans with Bacon
Whipped Cauliflower
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
Golden Yukon Potatoes
Yeast Rolls
Simple Cranberry Sauce
Homemade Turkey Gravy
Herb Stuffing
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Various Fruit Pies
Brownies
Flan
Cookies

I'd love to share your menus and trade recipes with anyone who's interested.

To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King
Who is the world's salvation, all praise and homage do we bring
And thanks and adoration.
Christ Jesus, victor!
Christ Jesus, ruler!
Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer!

Fall Friday

 

What we saw on this week's nature walk.

What a Way To Give!

This is the coolest way to give I have seen yet. My son has been asking for a laptop for a while now. He is actually saving money. Although at this rate, he may have enough to get one in the year 2020. At least, at the current laptop prices. UNTIL NOW!! Not only can he get one sooner than he thought, but he can give one in return to a child in a developing country. (And get a tax deduction..that's just not as important to a 14 year old)

Check this out: One Laptop per Child

Here's a quick review:

And here's where you can get it: Give 1, Get 1
Check out the reviews on Amazon.

What We Learned on Wednesday

Rube Goldberg: Best known for his INVENTIONS, Rube’s early years as an engineer informed his most acclaimed works. A Rube Goldberg contraption – an elaborate set of arms, wheels, gears, handles, cups, and rods, put in motion by balls, canary cages, pails, boots, bathtubs, paddles, and live animals – takes a simple task and makes it extraordinarily complicated. He had solutions for How To Get The Cotton Out Of An Aspirin Bottle, imagined a Self-Operating Napkin, and created a Simple Alarm Clock – to name just a few of his hilariously depicted drawings.

The boys are part of a team building a Rube Goldberg Machine: An assemblage of ordinary objects, mechanical gadgets, and the oddest odds and ends are linked together and somehow get to the desired goal. You can see one at You tube.

We also painted a color wheel turkey but accidentally left it behind drying. The fun color fact we learned today is:

The night sky is not black in color..it is actually a deep indigo. Indigo is created by blending purple with blue.

I love that word......Indigo..except I like to say it like this..In-di-gooooooo.

Wacky Wednesday

After all the serious political, religious discussion of late, I needed some humor. So, I headed over to Dave Barry's blog and found just what I was looking for.

Did you know that Hitler only had one ball?

Thanks Mr. Barry.

Home School Advantage

I believe it is very important for children to learn basic housekeeping skills at an early age. By participating in the day to day tasks around the house, I believe that children learn self confidence, independent and critical thinking skills and gain a sense of spatial awareness and keen observation skills. So, quite by accident, I've created a course in housekeeping. (Plus, my greatest fears is that they'll bring their laundry home to me after they've gone! If I teach them how to do it now..maybe..I'll be spared in the future)
Housekeeping 101
Learning Objectives:
- By the end of this course your child should have basic knowledge of the following housekeeping tools: broom, mop, vacuum, dusting cloths, toilet brushes and rags.
- By the end of this course your child should have mastered basic housekeeping equipment such as the washing machine, dryer and dishwasher.
- By the end of this course your child will have basic knowledge of and instruction on the use of various chemical and natural cleaning supplies and handling/disposal of such material.
- By the end of this course your child should understand what it means to sacrifice for good of others
- By the end of this course your child should understand how caring for what one has been given is good stewardship
- By the end of this course your child should understand that by sharing in the daily housekeeping responsibilities they are assisting in the families overall well-being and happiness.

Lesson I:
Discuss the importance of house keeping with your children. Ask your children what would happen if certain daily tasks did not get accomplished. Have the children discuss an instance when a daily task did not get accomplished and how it affected the entire family. Discuss with your children the virtues that can be learned by day to day housekeeping, such as: cleanliness, commitment, cooperation, helpfulness, generosity, orderliness and patience.

Lesson II:
Gather your children together. Create a list of daily housekeeping tasks and discuss them with your children. You should outline the responsibilities of each task . Allow the children to choose the tasks they would like to complete each day. Be sure to consider the age of the child vs. task level of difficulty. Young children may not be able to run the washing machine but can learn to fold and put away dried clothing. Older children should choose more challenging tasks and leave the easier ones to their younger siblings.

Lesson III:
Discuss with your children the importance of reading cleaning supply labels carefully. Children should wear gloves when dealing with cleaning supplies. Explain different types of natural cleansers, such as baking soda, lemon juice and water and vinegar and their uses. Young children can assist in dusting and sweeping without coming into contact with cleansers.

Lesson IV:
Talk with your children about suitable rewards for completing their tasks well. Follow through with rewards and don't forget surprise rewards are always fun

Lesson V:
Gather the children together often to discuss how their participation in the day to day housekeeping responsibilities has benefited them and the family. Praise and recognition go a long way!

(I had my oldest read this to "critique" my lesson plan..I asked him have you learned the virtues I mentioned above...he sort of paused and shrugging his shoulders said, "cleanliness?" Let's just say, some kids take longer than others to master the virtues) (He made a speedy getaway as I chased after him with the broom!)

Good Eats!

Great food! Great Saints! Great book! I recently read Saints at the Dinner Table by Amy Heyd. This is a gem of a book. Amy has highlighted twelve of her favorite saints with a background or story of their life and how they have inspired her. She has, and this is the best part, created a meal based around the life of each saint. Dishes like Fit For a King Chocolate Mint Cream Cakes and St. Peter's Staffs are absolutely delicious. Amy's recipes are well thought out and produce wonderful results. Her stories shed light on some of the lesser known facts of each saints life. Designed to bring families and friends back to the dinner table and inspire discussion about the lives of the saints, Amy Heyd has hit a home run with Saints at the Dinner Table.

Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Saints at the Dinner Table.

Merry Monday

Thanks to Aussie Coffee Shop!

You Are Scrabble

You are incredibly clever and witty. You can talk your way out of (and into) situations easily. You are an excellent decision maker. You are good at weighing the options in front of you. You're the type of person who can make something out of nothing. You are very resourceful. You know a lot of things. Most importantly, you know when people are wrong - even when they won't admit it.

What Board Game Are You?

This is weird because Scrabble is my most favorite board game of all!

Sunday Reflections

The day of the Lord is coming, Paul warns in Sunday’s Epistle. What matters isn’t the time or the season, but what the Lord finds us doing with the new life, the graces He has given to us. This is at the heart of Jesus’ parable in the Gospel this week. Jesus is the Master. Having died, risen, and ascended into heaven, He appears to have gone away for a long time. By our baptism, He has entrusted to each of us a portion of His “possessions,” a share in His divine life (see 2 Peter 1:4). He has given us talents and responsibilities, according to the measure of our faith (see Romans 12:3,8).

We are to be like the worthy wife in Sunday’s First Reading, and the faithful man we sing of in the Psalm. Like them, we should walk in the “fear of the Lord”—in reverence, awe, and thanksgiving for His marvelous gifts. This is the beginning of wisdom (see Acts 9:31; Proverbs 1:7). This is not the “fear” of the useless servant in Jesus’ parable this week. His is the fear of a slave cowering before a cruel master, the fear of one who refuses the relationship that God calls us to. He has called us to be trusted servants, fellow workers (see 1 Corinthians 3:9), using our talents to serve one another and His kingdom as good stewards of His grace (see 1 Peter 4:10). In this, we each have a different part to play. Though the good servants in the parable were given different numbers of talents, each “doubled” what he was given. And each earned the same reward for his faithfulness—greater responsibilities and a share of the Master’s joy. So let us resolve again in our Eucharist to make much of what we’ve been given, to do all for the glory of God (see 1 Corinthians 10:31). That we, too, may approach our Master with confidence and love when He comes to settle accounts.

Courtesy of The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology

The Weekly Wrap-Up

This week was relatively calm. Monday we spent working hard to have Tuesday and Wednesday relatively work free, only breaking for daily Mass. Tuesday we went to the Zoo and spent the day with dad on a rare day off from work. Wednesday was our first visit to the local home school group. We participated in current events, science, physics and gym. The kids loved it! We ate lunch at the Pizza Hut buffet to celebrate this great new adventure! Thursday we visited the dentist office early in the morning, and then got caught back up on the weeks curriculum. Books for quarter book reports are almost completed and outlines are in the making. Friday, we woke to thunder and lightning and some driving rain. The kids wanted to get to the movies that evening so in order to do so they needed to hit the books hard. We cleaned up, went to Daily Mass, made lasagna for dinner and then it was off to the movies to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Hold Your Tacos folks! They liked the movie and hit the sack after a fun filled, hard working week.

Today is Young Marines and play practice. I have to work two movies today ( I work at a local movie theater) and get the house cleaned up. It's just me and my fantastic 4th this morning. Off we go!

Public School Politics

I found this video and wanted to post it. I had just met someone whose child was so harassed at school over her choice of political candidate that she was pulled out of the school. My nephew, a 9th grader in California, was also singled out for expressing his families desire to vote for a particular candidate.

Sweet Deals!

I did some shopping yesterday. Let me just borrow a word from my son's fav character Napoleon Dynamite, "Sweet!" I bought 3 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of shoes, a dress shirt and some sunglasses for just $19.00!!! Where you say? Where did I get this great deal? My local Thrift Store.

Oh..used stuff. Well, I have to tell you, the shoes I bought, Converse All Star Chuck Taylors, for my daughters, were brand new and only cost $2.50 a pair. Compared to $45 at the Converse website. The jeans, were only $13.50 for all three. At the local mall I would have paid well over $60. The shirt, an Eddie Bauer plaid number, for my son was just $2.50! The sunglasses, very 70's, my daughter wanted were only $.50.

Not only did I get a great deal, but at the same time, I helped out my communtiy. A portion of the monies that I "donated" are used to help fund local soup kitchens and food pantries and clothing closets for the poor in our area.

One of the local Goodwill's here is situated right across the street from the mall. They are often donated large amounts of overstock from mall stores such as Banana Republic and The Gap. Brand new, designer duds at prices that are amazing!

Oh! Oh!..I also found a beautiful children's nativity set for my Sunday school classroom Christmas display. For under $5.00!

So shop and give at the same time! It's truly a sweet deal.

Unbelievable...

Over at Standing on My Head Father Longnecker got an outrageous email in response to Father Newman's article on refraining from The Eucharist. Just unbelievable folks. Unbelievable.

What Do You Think?

Father Newman, a priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville, South Carolina, has called on his flock to refrain from receiving The Eucharist if they pulled the lever for Obama.

"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ’s Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."

I have to say that I agree with him. Our Bishops began speaking out and then quieted after November 4th..I plan to support Father Newman. You can read the rest of his article and email him here.
What do you think?

Gov't Money For You?

Yeah..right. Thanks to The World Newser you can find out how to apply for your part of the $700,000,000,000 bailout. Or can you? Well, I couldn't resist. I fell for the headline and clicked on the link. There's the real application. But, sadly, I don't qualify. I'm going to write my congressman.

I Just Love This Guy!

Yesterday was my birthday. My hubby and I took the kids to the zoo and spent the day with my brother and his family. It was a wonderful day. Last night before going to bed, my hubby says to me, "Did you have a good birthday? I feel like I should have given you some pretty jewelry..you deserve it." I said no, that's okay..then I looked at my wedding ring. I said, "This engagement ring you bought me 12 years ago may not have been the most expensive or the biggest, but it is extremely good quality to have withstood 12 years on my hand. I'm happy to say it's never chipped and the setting hasn't weakend at all! And I never lost the stone."

Then, and this is why I love him so darned much, he says, "I don't know about ring quality, but I am very glad that our marriage has never chipped or weakened or been lost, I love you honey." He called me honey! :)

Don't you just love it when your hubby says the right things at the right times!

It Just Get's Better Folks!

"President-elect Barack Obama will reverse U.S. family planning and AIDS prevention strategies that have long linked global funding to anti-abortion and abstinence education, a public-health adviser said."Condoms Trump Abstinence in Obama Global AIDS Policy, Aide Says


"I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then."
Deut. 30:17 H/T Our God is an Awesome God

Change is a'comin'!

Obama Weighs Quick Undoing of Bush Policy

Obama to use executive orders for immediate impact Drudgereport

Obama to use executive orders for immediate impact Miami Herald

Obama reviews Bush orders on stem cells, drilling Breitbart.com

Why do I care?

Obama Renews Support for Embryonic Stem Cell Researc

Obama stock: Stem cell research benefits Geron (GERN)

So what is Embryonic Stem Cell Research?

Fact Sheet: Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Embryonic Stem Cell Research—Old Controversy; New Debate

Keep your ears open..this issue will fly low if the new President elect can keep it that way. This is just a glimmer of what is to come with this change to a more radical culture of death.

UPDATE:
You know what? We are all gonna die sometime folks. The politico's are appealing to the elderly in our America. Treating ESC's as the fountain of youth..cures for all their ills. Well we are all gonna die no matter how many ESC's you have put in your body. No matter how many embryo's are destroyed to fix what ails us.

Thanks!

Thanks so much to Aussie Coffee Shop for passing this award onto me.

This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are :
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment.
Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are my blogs:

Red Cardigan at And Sometimes Tea

Michael John Poirier at Along The Way

Sarah at Moira Lives!

Cassie at A Blessed Life

Angie at Many Little Blessings

Fr. T at The Black Biretta

More to come..technical difficulties..

My First Time

Okay..I've never done this before...be gentle.

One word answers, please. Oh, gosh, can I do it?
1. where is your cell phone? purse

2. where is dh? library

3. your hair color? brown

4. your mother? mom

5. your father? dad

6. your favorite thing? hubby

7. your dream last night? none

8. your dream/goal? baby

9. the room you're in? living

10. your hobby? music

11. your fear? spiders

12. where do you want to be in six years? home

13. where were you last night? work

14. what you're not? mathmetician

15. one of your wish list items? baby

16. where you grew up? Army

17. the last thing you did? shopped

18. what are you wearing? jeans

19. your tv? ok

20. your pet? outside

21. your computer? laptop

22. your mood? fantastic

23. missing someone? Michelle

24. your car? garage

25. something you're not wearing? coat

26. favorite store? none

27. your summer? wonderful

28. love someone? many

29. your favorite color? red

30. when is the last time you laughed? today

31. last time you cried? months

Saturday Service

Today is the Marine Corps Toys For Tots 5K run in our area. My fantastic 4 and my hubby got up this morning at 0400 so they could be ready to help set up and support the local Marine units with this wonderful charity. Now, only my Top 3 are in the Young Marines, but my fantastic 4th decided she'd get up with them.

If you haven't heard of Toys for Tots or want more info click the Here.

Phantom Friday

We have just completed a week study on The Phantom of The Opera. We watched the 2004 movie and sang the songs. We learned about the Broadway play and made plans to go see it as soon as financially possible. We talked about the Christian themes of compassion, kindness and sacrifice. We discussed how evil can sneak into our lives in what may seem, at first, to be beautiful. It was a good week with lots and lots of great discussion on virtues and vices.

My oldest, in drama, enjoyed it so much that he is going to ask his drama teacher if they can perform this in the future. They are currently in rehearsals for The Wizard of Oz, my son is the Tin Man.

So, today is Phantom Friday..the kids want to make a video themselves. This should be fun. Hopefully I'll get to post it soon.

Next week we will be discussing Johnny Tremain! Check it out from your local library (book or movie).

Thankful Thursday

Thank you for reading my blog and lending a helping hand in your families and neighborhoods across the world.

The Dignity of Marriage

The returns are still coming in, but the prospect of a ban on gay marriage (even in California!!) is looking good! In California, Proposition 8 is passing with 52% of the vote! In Florida and Arizona the ban has been upheld! Marriage is defined as a union between only a man and a woman. Thanks be to God! Thank you voters! For maintaining that the beauty of Holy Matrimony shall be given respect, dignity and protection in our country.

Keep On Moving

Okay, so Obama is the POTUS elect. What now? Fortunately, congress is not wholly democratic. There will be some balance in the U.S. Government. If you have never done so before, now is the time to get to know your congressmen and senators. Now is the time to write their emails and phone numbers down. Now is the time to give them a call, let them know you helped to elect them. Let them know what you expect of them in the next 4 years. It works. Even if you have to leave a message. Send your emails, leave your messages and if you can, make an appointment and visit them at their offices. Thank them for their service to this country and encourage them to listen to the people who placed them in that service.

And So It Goes

When I visited the polling center yesterday to cast my ballot, the lines were long so myself and about 40 others were sent to a room to wait. We got to watch T.V..guess which channel? CNN. My state went for McCain, but not for lack of trying.

Our new POTUS elect has already began his backtracking with his comment "The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even in one term, but America I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there." (emphasis mine)

Does Your Vote Count? And Whose It For Anyway?

Tomorrow is the big day. November 4th, 2008. Tomorrow the American people will make history in little booths all over the country. Tomorrow, folks will be glued to CNN, FoxNews, even MSNBC! Who will it be? Obama? McCain? How does it happen that the winner is determined even before the west coast of America has finished voting?

Let's go back to school for a minute (homeschool, cause they don't teach this in Public school anymore). Subject: Election 101

Voting for The President of The United States.

The framers of the Constitution set up this process called the Electoral College, as in group of people working for the common good, not going to university. They weren't sure it was a great idea to leave the election to just a national popular vote, nor did they like the idea of congress choosing the President. (Article II Sec. 1) The problem with their setup was that it did not foresee the forming of political parties. In the 1800 election this problem became very clear with the Jefferson/Burr ticket. Voters wrote both names down and there was tie forcing the vote to go to the House and ultimately electing Jefferson. The 12th Amendment was added to ensure that this did not happen again.

What does this mean to you? Although your ballot may say Obama/Biden or McCain/Palin you are really voting for Joe Smith who supports Obama/Biden or Mary Jones who supports McCain/Palin. So who the heck is Joe Smith and Mary Jones? They are the electors your state has chosen to vote for you in the Presidential election. 48 of the 50 states have a winner take all policy. All of the electoral votes are cast for the popular vote winner of that state. Maine and Nebraska are only awarded 2 electoral votes based on popular vote, the rest of their electoral votes are determined by the winner of each congressional district.

Your state's electors are equal to the number of your state's senators and U.S. representatives combined. There are 538 electoral votes up for grabs. A candidate only needs 270 to win the election and become President.

So can it happen that the candidate who did not win the "popular vote" become President? Yep. It's happened 4 times.

Who are your Presidential electors? Some states will list them on the ballot beside or under the candidates name. However, not all states are required to do so. You can click here to get a better idea of how many electoral votes your state has and what state laws are associated with them.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Become and informed voter. Learn the process. Teach your children and your grandchildren. Sometimes, as in my case, you can even teach your parents about this.

“The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.” - Benjamin Franklin

What a Weekend!

 

This weekend, aside from trick or treating on Friday, my family and I attended the One In The Spirit conference in Perry, Ga. It was a beautiful day of music, talks and even some Catholic comedy. The highlight fo rour family was the concert by Tony Melendez. Remember him? He rose to fame after singing for Pope John Paul II back in the early 80's. His concert was rockin'! We all enjoyed it immensely. If you get the chance to see him perform and talk about his journey we highly recommend you do.

You can find more info about Tony here: Tony Melendez Ministries

Are We Ready to Vote?

Raymond Arroyo, over at Seen and Unseen, gives us a good shaking this morning. What made me mad, was that he's right. We are being "entertained" this election. All this so called news about the economy has no real substance. It's sound bite after sound bite. The debates were a joke. Neither candidate was very clear and the questions asked were very weak. I've seen better high school debate tournaments.

So, Raymond challenged me this morning. I am rising to the challenge. I have read the Federalist Papers. The Papers were created by our founding fathers and outline how our government should work and why. I am adding this to my required reading.

I'll also be adding this to my homeschooling curriculum.
Thanks Raymond!

Federalist Papers