More pics of our home

Here are a couple more pictures of the front of our house. I think we are almost done fixing it up the way we want it.



We spend a lot of time at the table. We love eating meals here and I frequently do my Bible study while sitting on the lawn swing. Hopefully next year we will put in a stone floor and better steps.

If you're ever in our neck of Arizona come visit!!

Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Since I did George Washington's Proclamation the other day I thought I'd do Abraham Lincoln's today! Please keep in mind that President Obama highly regards Lincoln....
Any bold or italicized words are mine for emphasis.

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choisest bounties of heaven, we have been preservedthese many years in peace and prosperity, we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all those blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken sucess, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

(signed) A. Lincoln
October 3, 1863

This is OUR history!! This United States of America is only because of those Separatists who settled here to escape religious persecution to be able to worship God! And this same United States fought England for freedom of taxation and tyranny of big government! I am so thankful for my/our ancestors who believed in God and worshiped Him and settled this country. What are you thankful for?

New Pictures!

We finished our fence yesterday, planted a tree, added my metal wheel, and fixed up the front of our house, finally! I used the house picture to change the banner since we've done so many changes this year! What do you think? We love enjoying our meals under the awning! And the swing is so relaxing!


Here is my red wheel! I've had this for over 10 years and Dean painted it for me this week. I'm thinking of planting something next to it that climbs. I think it'd make a great trellis!


And here is my jalapeno pepper plant! I cut it way back and it's sprouting all over!! I may have a winter crop! I'll have to cover it on cold nights but that's not a problem. It's growing in a half whiskey keg. I have a tomato in the other one but the frost did nail it a couple weeks ago. I'm waiting to see if it'll re-sprout like the pepper.

I'll get another picture of the house from a different angle soon.

Thanksgiving Proclamations

Today our pastor read these 2 proclamations as part of our service. Please read. Any bold or italicized words are my emphasis.

Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation, October 3, 1789

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks -- for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation -- for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His Providence which we experienced in the tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humble offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithful executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 17989.

Isn't this proof that the United States started as a Christian nation? Yet new history textbooks are leaving all mention of the reason this "great" country was settled, etc.

May this Thanksgiving you remember and thank God for this country and PRAY that He will once again bless this country and that we'll have a government that is truly concerned for the state of our country without the greed and power-hungry that are destroying it.

Twas the Month Before Christmas....

Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*See the PC Police had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*

* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd! *

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*

*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*

* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*

*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,

not Happy Holiday !*

Please, all Christians join together and

wish everyone you meet during the

holidays a

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!

Tucson's Last Stand

Last Saturday, Oct. 10, my family and I attended a "Tea Party" in Tucson called Tucson's Last Stand. The local paper reported that there was about 6000 of us! It was wonderful! There were Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in attendance who are tired of the current administrations' lack of transparency, high spending, health care plans, etc. I tried to get a picture of the crowd but this is only about 2/3 of them. We were sitting at the first base line at the Tucson Electric Park ballpark and there was more above, below, and behind us. James T. Harris, a talk show host, was the emcee and he did great! There were speakers running for Tucson city council and other organizations. Then came the main speakers.....



Barry Goldwater, Jr. spoke and he was great. He talked about his dad and we did purchase his book, "Pure Goldwater." I will read it when I finish the book I'm currently reading.


J. D. Hayworth, a former AZ congressman gave a wonderful speech! Hopefully he'll run for the Senate seat. Great conservative, values and morals.


And the last speaker was Judge Andrew Napolitano of Fox News. The last 10 minutes of his speech was inspired preaching about God!! He had the audience on their feet in agreement many times!

I am proud to be an American and I love the Constitution. Have you read it? Do you know your rights? Do you know that the current government is way overstepping their limits according to the Constitution?? I'm also a member of ResistNet, an organization to fight socialism and to preserve grassroots America and the Constitution. I'm also a member of the Arizona Patriots, a state group of ResistNet. I was not politically minded until the middle of the Bush's last term and do NOT like the direction our "government" is taking us. I believe strongly that a person should not complain about the way things are going if they don't vote as that's a vote FOR what's going on. We have a right to let our elected officials and the government know that WE elected them to work FOR us!! Take a stand! Be involved!

Pecan Chew cookies

I made these today and they were sooooo good! Give them a try!

Pecan Chews

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

1 cup butter
3 cups brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 cups finely chopped pecans
4 cups flour

Melt butter and add the brown sugar. Mix well and let cool. Add beaten eggs and mix. Add salt, baking soda, vanilla, and nuts. Mix well. Add flour and mix until flour is thoroughly mixed in.

Form dough into walnut-sized balls (I used a soup spoon and just dropped these on the cookie sheet) with your fingers. Place them on a greased cookie sheet. Press them down with a spatula (spray with Pam first).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cookies set up on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 8 - 10 dozen