Posted in Daily Happenings
I have quite a few blogs that I frequent and comment on. I am a talker and there is very little chance I will visit a blog and not say something! Today I tought I would spotlight a couple of blogs and their posts that really hit home. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
The first one is Lynnae at From Under the Clutter. The post I have it linked to is awesome. I encourage you to check out the rest of her blog as she covers lots of different thoughts and ideas.
The next one is Grace for Gayle- she is in the middle of answering a whole bunch of questions from other bloggers. Her answers are great!
Number three is Ornaments of Grace. This is a hugely attention getting post that I just had to link to. Don’t forget to check out the rest of her blog.
And the last one for today is- Antique Mommy. I know that many of you already know about her blog but the post I have it linked to goes really well with the post by Ornaments of Grace.
MEXICAN GOV’T. REVEALS PLANS FOR TRANS NORTH AMERICAN CORRIDOR
By Jim Kouri
Posted 1:00 AM Eastern
October 8, 2007
NewsWithViews.com
In the midst of the current presidential race, American voters are being denied information regarding alleged plans to merge the three nations of North America — the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Not only are most political leaders in both major parties failing to discuss allegations of an impending North American Union, but the mainstream news media are failing to examine what promises to be THE major news story of the 21st Century.
Meanwhile, the Mexican government has revealed to its own citizens that Mexico has entered extensive discussions with government officials in Texas and top representatives from the Bush administration to extend what it called the Trans-Texas Corridor into Mexico, with a plan to connect to the Mexican ports on the Pacific, including Manzanillo and Lazaro Cardenas.
In fact, the official website of the Mexican northeastern state of Nuevo León contains multiple reports that José Natividad Gonzáles Parás, governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo León, has actively discussed these plans with numerous US government officials, including Texas’ state and local officeholders.
“All one needs to do is to look at the social mass viewpoint on Americans themselves by their own media as well as media outlets in other countries,” Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning actor Michael Moriarty told NewsWithViews.com during an exclusive interview.
“Americans are looked at [sic] majoritively speaking, as gun-toting, constitution quoting, trigger happy [sic] misinformee’s. Yet, carrying a gun is the first and foremost sign of being a truly free person. The view that Americans are stupid is a widely held one, yet they are one of the last bastions of freedom left to view,” added the former Law & Order star.
Texas Governor Rick Perry, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice all discussed the extension of the Trans-Texas Corridor into Mexico to create what’s called a “Trans North America Corridor.”
In fact, just last August during a trip to Mexico, Perry made news in the conservative news media by calling the idea of building a fence along the US-Mexico border “idiocy.”
“Largely unreported in the American press were meetings Perry held in Mexico with Gonzáles Parás in which the two discussed extending the corridor into Mexico,” said Moriarty.
“In their private meetings, the pair thoroughly discussed extending Trans-Texas Corridor into Mexico,” said Moriarty during his NWV interview.
“We have had interaction with the governor of Texas,” Gonzáles Parás said on the government web site. “We have had a very productive relationship with Rick Perry, who is also interested in what we can do to continue that which is known as the Trans-Texas Corridor, that in reality is the corridor of North America, the Trans North America Corridor, that includes railroads, bridges, passenger automobile highways, and truck highway lanes.”
Gonzáles Parás further explained the extension of TTC-35 into Mexico would connect through Monterrey, a city which he suggested would function as a hub for truck-freight traffic. Monterrey is the capital of Nuevo León.
“One of the themes that merited the most attention on the part of the two governors was the development of the infrastructure needed for the competitive development of the region as it relates to developing the Trans-Texas Corridor in connection with the project we call the Corridor of Northeastern Mexico,” the Nuevo León government web site reported Gonzáles Parás saying Sept. 1, at the conclusion of Perry’s visit.
“Gonzáles Parás is reportedly pursuing plans to establish Monterrey as an ‘inland port’ where international container freight cargo, largely delivered into Mexico via the Mexican ports on the Pacific, could be transported via a Trans North America Corridor into the United States via Laredo, Texas,” claims Moriarty, who’s been following this story closely.
Once on I-35, the Mexican trucks transporting the Chinese containers could travel north, heading toward US inland ports are being established by the Free Trade Alliance San Antonio in San Antonio and in Kansas City by the Kansas City SmartPort.
On May 24, Gonzáles Parás announced during his meetings in Austin, Perry had agreed the envisioned Trans North America Corridor would pass through Laredo and connect with San Antonio, just as Mexico ultimately planned to extend the superhighway south into Colombia.
“We have also worked in Monterrey to create an inland port, a metropolitan center for moving rapidly the commercial traffic from Monterrey to the inland port at San Antonio,” Gonzáles Parás said in the state-published interview.
“For this strategic project to be accomplished, we have been working with the federal government in Mexico as well as holding discussions with the secretary of transportation and the secretary of state in the United States,” he said.
Similar comments made by Gonzáles Parás at a press conference in Mexico that first announced Transportes Olympic had been selected as the first trucking firm to cross the border in the Mexican truck-demonstration project.
Monday Meanderings is a way to use your blog to keep yourself accountable for the week ahead. I tend to to be more diligent if I’m sticking it out here for all to see. Simply pick 5 things each week that will better help you to tackle the week ahead. Click here to read an explanation of the guidelines.
Bible Study/Devotions~ I already do a daily morning bible reading. I just got into doing this. I was doing it at night. What I would like to add now is having a daily prayer list. I have a ton of notebooks around. I need to get one out and write down the people and situations I am told about that need prayer.
Must Do ~
*get all of the boxes off of the porch and into the shed.
*I am almost done with my Tackle it Tuesday area but I need to make that last push to finish the last of it and pick out my new Tackle it Tuesday area.
*go through the boxes in my room and get them out into one of the sheds.
*get the two tubs in the living room gone through and also put into one of the sheds.
*strip the kids’ beds and wash and line dry all of the linens.
*get a couple of packages and a card or two mailed out.
*take several homeschooling materials that are reproducible to the library and make copies.
Zone ~
*A good scrubbing of the master bathroom
Train Them Up ~
*We do our bible study on Tuesday and I want to continue with that and the devotions and verse writing we do each morning. I like the way this is working out for us.
Menu Planning ~
*I have already planned my menu for the week- Here it is.
Ya’ll know how much I love to do tags and memes and Proverbs 22:6 Academy tagged me for a historical one. Too cool! I am such a huge history buff (I love the movie National Treasure). Here are the rules. Go to wikipedia and type in the day and month of your birthday excluding the year. Then you are to list 3 events, two births and one holiday that occured on your birthday. If you read this then you are tagged by me. No ifs, ands or buts! Leave me a comment so I can come and read your birthday history.
Here is mine:
Events-1184 BC - Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse , 1704 - The first regular newspaper in the United States, the Boston, Massachusetts New-Letter, is published and 1907 - Hersheypark, founded by Milton S. Hershey, for the exclusive use of his employees is opened.
Births- 1905 - Robert Penn Warren, American poet and 1942 - Barbra Streisand, American singer/actress
Holiday- Australia - Kapyong Day a day of remembrance for Korean War veterans, named after the Battle of Kapyong in 1951
Posted in Daily Happenings
I have been reading blogs about where people were, how they remember now and what it all means to them. The posts have all been the same yet different just as the people who write them. I have enjoyed reading them. It just shows how connected we all are in God’s world.
My September 11th is a bittersweet one. I will always remember the feelings, mourn those who were lost and pray for their families who are still living day by day with their tragedy. I remember getting a phone call from my mom telling me to turn it to the news- Now! I remember tuning in just in time to see the second plane hit live. I remember hugging my kids and praying for all the people who were in the towers, the pentagon, and the 4th plane. I also remember what I was doing when my mom called. I was dancing with Ms. Firecracker celebrating her 1st birthday. I remember feeling guilty for celebrating when so many people were hurting. How could we not celebrate her birthday? She could not understand what was going on. Something that sticks in my mind is the look on peoples’ faces when they ask her birthday and she says September 11th. We have started a birthday tradition of tying a yellow ribbon in memory of those souls who were taken and saying a prayer for those who were called home and those who are still affected by that day. We have tried to find a way to combine the celebration of a major blessing in our lives with remembering the tragedy that happened on her first birthday. I don’t want her to look at her birthday as a bad day. I want her to enjoy her birthday but understand its signifigance for our country. I want her to love the day God chose for her to make her entrance but also to remember those who were called home.
Our September 11th is a day of celebration, rememberance, prayer and love of God, family and country. That is the best we can do. I hope it is enough for her and for the memories of September 11, 2001.
For many years, up until last year in fact, I was the only one doing any chores in this house. At that time we had 5 children and I just could not keep up with the mess of 7 people and be pregnant and sane at the same time. Just wasn’t gonna happen. I had to let go. Why did I do all of the work around here? Control. I know how I like things done and children and husbands just are not going to do it that way no matter how hard you try to get them to. I had to let go and let them learn to do things themselves. All of them. It was not easy but the more I let go and the more they took up the better it got. One of the ways we disperse some of the work is with weekly chores for the oldest three (ages 6,8 and 10). The chores last for one week. Each Sunday it changes and I have it written on the calender so there is no question about who is doing what. One child assists me with laundry. They don’t put away other people’s laundry. They help me hang it on the line, bring it in and sort it. Each person (except the 5 month old and 2 yo) puts away their own laundry. Another child is responsible for keeping the kids’ bathroom clean. No way I am touching it! The last weekly chore is feeding the dogs.
They are also helping to clean up the kitchen after dinner. It is not hard work but it really helps. They clear their own plates, help to clear the table and load the dishwasher. We all work together and it takes no time at all. Much nicer!!
The last thing we do actually came from a WFMW tip. We have a daily chore jar. In it are different chores written on strips of paper. The chores only take 2-3 minutes but they make a huge difference in the house. Some of the chores are wipe off all lightswitches, wipe off doors, wipe off fridge, swiffer dust living room, oil the shrank, sweep the kitchen, pick up 10 toys and put them away, pick up 10 pieces of trash and throw away and such like that. The kids actually pester me to get the chore jar out so they can draw a chore! That is amazing. :) Even our 2 yo picks a chore and I help her do it.
None of the chores they are doing take a lot of time (just a few minutes tops) but it makes a really big difference for all of us. They are learning to take care of their things and how to take care of a house and I don’t have to stay up 2 hours later than everyone else just to get the cleaning done. I don’t remember who had the daily chore jar but you are a genius!!!!!
Today has been a good day so far. Laundry, schoolwork and snuggling have been accomplished with great vigor! More to do so I will be back later to post.
We have been so busy here. We started schooling 3 days a week plus a library day back in July but August has brought us back to a full schedule. It takes a couple of weeks to get the kinks worked out but we are getting there. I need to get a few more baskets and such to finish organizing all this mess! Haha! But I am determined to get finished organizing all my homeschooling supplies.
I got some more decluttering done today. Woo Hoo!! I got several piles of papers gone through, sorted and even some of the filed. There are only a few hundred more piles to go. See me? Ever the optimist. Yeah, right. Ha! I really do feel good though getting stuff gone through. Every time I clear more clutter I feel so free. It is great.
I have signed Ms. Serious up for ballet lessons. She is tall and lean and very interested in learning to dance. It is a very good fit. Now, I have also signed up Short Man, Ms. Firecracker and Ms. Banana up for gymnastics. There first lesson was Wed. and Ms. Serious did the class with them (her ballet classes actually start next Wed) and as soon as we got home so promptly informed me that she was glad to be taking ballet. All the tumbling, uneven bars and such were just not her style. LOL Short Man had a blast and Ms. Banana was very capable of keeping up with the bigger kids. Coach billy informed me after class that Ms. Serious has a very obvious, natural talent for gymnastics and was not challenged by anything he threw at her so he wants to put her on one of the teams and start her training. Wow!!! WTG Ms. Firecracker!!!
There is much more to say but then this post will be way too long and I don't like to read really long posts so I will not subject ya'll to that either. Until later!
Daughter of Hope posted this at her blog and I just had to share it. Randi- this is gonna be cool!
Got a calendar? Circle this date: Sunday, August 12th. Next to the circle write "all night" and "Meteors!" Attach the above to your refrigerator in plain view so you won't miss the 2007 Perseid meteor shower.
"It's going to be a great show," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "The Moon is new on August 12th--which means no moonlight, dark skies and plenty of meteors." How many? Cooke estimates one or two Perseids per minute at the shower's peak... Read the rest at NASA!
I love, love, love this post at ConservaChick’s blog. Click Here! I was laughing so hard that my sides hurt. It is all sooo true! Geez, now I have the giggles again.
Yep, it has been busy around here. We have gotten well settled into our schooling routine. Our new scheduling is working a lot better than I thought. It helps to keep the kids and myself on track.
Mr. Muscles has been working a lot lately. That is a good thing because we are paying over 400 buck for the root canal he had and the crown he is getting. Short Man got his braces last Friday and we are already noticing a huge difference! They said 6-9 months and I thought- nah!- but now I am thinking yeah! He really likes his braces. They are really small and he has a whole bag of stuff to keep them clean and in good repair. Ms. Firecracker wants them now. LOL I remember when getting braces was a death sentence for a kid.
The dentist's office called yesterday. Every month they put all the names of cavity free kids into a bowl and draw one name to win a prize. All 5 of my kids got to have their names in there. Short Man won. We have to go today to pick up his prize. Ms. Firecracker was upset she didn't win. We had to have a talk about being happy for her brother instead of only thinking about what SHE didn't get.
We are steadily harvesting strawberries, beans, peppers and tomatoes out of the garden. The watermelons are getting bigger and bigger. Mmmmm, I can't wait to eat one. We have a little weeding to do but I doubt I will get to it today. We have the library, park and a few other stops to make.
Oh yeah, we moved my buff orpington chicks out to the chicken house. They will be locked up for the next week or so while they learn "home" and then they will free range. We let them out during the day and lock them back up at night. They are getting so big and the older chickens we have didn't bother the little ones at all. Everyone is getting along great. My male duck is coming into his colors. He is just beautiful! I know the girls are gonna like him. LOL We have two females so I am hoping for lots of ducklings when they start laying!
That is all for now. I have to get going. Take care and God bless to all you wonderful people!
Ok Dana here is what I heard about the house...................................................................................................................................................
nothing! Aaarrrgggghhhhh! Mr. Muscles asked me the same question when he got home. LOL I hope we hear something soon.
Yep. Monday. A busy day. (insert big yawn here) We had a birthday party at the park this morning. Only about 10 minutes of fun before a storm decided to blow in. From the we headed to the library. A couple of the kids had books they requested that were in so we had to pick them up. After that was the dentist. Short Man accidentally knocked off one of his bands and they snuck him in and replaced it quickly. I was hoping they would instead of having us make an appt. Then to Ingles to pick up milk. They only had two when we were grocery shopping so I had to buy a couple more. And bagels too. They were out of them so I haven't had breakfast in over a week. I did make it to the gas station with my van dinging at me, a light blinking, me praying and the van sucking fumes. Isn't that always fun. Not! LOL Not a big deal though. I knew God had us! A quick stop to pick up crumble, scratch and bedding at the feed store and we made it home in time to do school work. Tomorrow we will introduce the chicks (they are teenagers now) to the chicken house and run. Sigh- they grow so fast. LOL
While in the middle of schoolwork our realtor called and wanted to show the house. Sure!! They came, they loved, we'll see.
Homemade chicken pot pie for dinner, a couple loads of laundry and some blogging top me off for today. Off to read some blogs!
……to talk about. Today we tried a new church that is here in the town we live in. We had been traveling 40+ miles south of us to go to church but found it was just too far away. It is a very wonderful church but 45 min by interstate (especially with gas being so expensive) it is too far. Anyway, the new church was very nice! The people were warm, easy-going and smiled a lot. No one was too pushy or anything like that. With our family size we always get attention but the church didn’t make a big deal and embarrass us. I really enjoyed the teaching and I think we will go back next Sunday.
Rain! Yes, yes, yes rain!! I may seem a little dramatic but the drought is very bad here and any rain is good rain. Several inches of rain is great rain. This weekend has been great rain.
My Buff Orpington chicks are now 6 weeks old and I am going to be moving them out to the run as soon as it dries out outside. They are getting quite a few real feathers on them. They have had their wing and tail feathers for several weeks now. They look so goofy! Kind of like feather dusters that have been half plucked by a 4 year old. LOL They are in that awkward stage with their necks and legs are really long. They are beautiful gold chickens when they are adults but first they have an ugly stage to get through. LOL
There is a break in the rain so I am going to pop out to check on the garden and on the chickens and ducks.
......... a 2 year old who has figured out that when she spins around her dress spreads out in a circle around her and it makes her giggle with delight. How wonderful are the simple, easy moments watching your children find joy in the simplest things. Amen!
Well, I was the queen for a little while today. I had to run errands and those errands took me to Kmart. I got the clariten I needed and then meandered over to the kids section is search of a blanket for my closest friend's baby shower coming up in Sept. While over there I noticed all of the clearance signs. They were practically waving me over. I started perusing and grabbing. I got Ms. Suesue 2 outfits for 1.20 each and one for 3. I got Ms. Independent a pair blue jeans with the cutest embroidery for 2.20 as well as a matching denim jacket for 2.20. She also is now the proud owner of 2 more shirts at 1.20 each. Ms. Banana also got a couple new shirts at 1.20 each. Even Short Man got a new shirt at a whopping 3 bucks. The clothing was originally priced from $6- $13 each. Much to their dissappointment Ms. Serious and Ms. Firecracker didn't get anything. The items in their sizes just were not marked down anywhere near enough. There will always be another opportunity! Don't ya feel good when you can find a sale like that?!?!
On our way home from running errands my oldest, Ms. Serious, asked me a very interesting question. "Mom, wouldn't it be nice if Daddy showed up at the house with a box of chocolates and some flowers for you?" At that point I began to laugh hysterically and fought to maintain control of the van. Now I love (adore) my hubby and he is pretty wonderful AND I can even say that he spoils me BUT he just wouldn't think of doing something like that. He would think that it was a good idea if he saw a commercial but alas there is no tv in his truck to inspire him at the right moment. Ah well, guess I will just have to be happy with being spoiled. Which I am.
I posted already about having to make my statement to the police so onto the slightly boring in comparison to earlier but still happened anyway end of the day. Did you get that? Maybe you should read that again. LOL!!
A couple of weeks ago we had Mr. Muscles' boss Jimmy and his lovely wife Pam over for dinner. We used that excuse to get a grill. Not a sissy gas grill (no offense to gas grill people as my husband is one of those but I am not. Give me fire!) a real grill that takes charcoal, 2 gallons of lighter fluid (if you are Mr. Muscles) and a long lighter (to save his eyebrows and beard). Tonight we used it for the second time. Mr. Muscles carefully arranged the charcoal, completely and fully soaked it with lighter fluid and lit it. WOOOSH! We have fire!! LOL That fire cooked our hamburgers perfectly. Fresh potato salad, lettuce and tomatoes from the garden from the burgers and corn on the cob accented the burgers wonderfully. Burgers just taste soooooo good off of the CHARCOAL grill. Mmmmmmmm! Dinner was good.
I got my workout in before Mr. Muscles came home and while the kids were finishing up their schoolwork. My workout on Mondays is bench press, pec dec, incline bench, dumb bell curls and barbell curls. I will be hurting tomorrow but I have a goal and that goal is getting closer and closer. I love being stronger, feeling stronger and healthier, and being in shape. I am down to 148. I realize that after 6 kids (all single pregnancies) my stomach is always going to look like I have been in a fire but I am finally ok-ish with that. No one else sees my tummy but Mr. Muscles and he couldn't care less. He loves me and our kids. Easy!
Now I am blogging and watching a little tv before I head off to bed. Good night and God bless!
Denise at Desert Oasis tagged me for the Pet Peeve Tag so here is my top 6.
1. Whining. I can't stand kids or grown ups who whine. Get a backbone and a grip already!!!
2. Fake people. People who never show the same "face" to people. You never know if the person is ever real, sincere or even human for that matter.
3. Spitting. Men who spit are so gross. EEWwwwww! People have to walk there. Do you mind? Did your mother not teach you basic manners????
4. Judgemental people. I do not understand how anyone can stand on their pedestal and judge other people. God calls each of us to do, be and become different things. We are not all the same. God does not have us all do the same things. Each person has to walk their own path with God and we are all at different points on that path.
5. People who depend on and actually expect the government to take care of them. Get real!!!!!!!!
and
6. this one is silly but people who do not use their turn signals. Why pay $300-$500 for the stinking turn signal stick if you are not going to use it?!?! AAaaaarrrgggghhhh LOL
Ok, it didn't start off all that exciting but it had its moments. LOL Today was grocery shopping day and I wanted to get out of the house early but we all slept a little later than I expected. First stop was the gas station. Not exciting, I know but hang with me! After much complaining by a van full of kids we stopped at the Waffle House next to the gas station. I was hungry too and you should never go grocery shopping hungry. That is the way to blow your budget! Anyway, while there one of the waitresses recognized us from a few Sunday-after-church lunches. Her husband was there visiting her and asked what church we go to. I explained that we are non-denominational and had been traveling 45 minutes south but that we had been looking for one in or around our town. They invited us to try out their church. It is just a small, country, non-denominational church. That is what we have been praying for so we are going to give it a try on Sunday and see how the Lord leads. When we were done eating I drove over to the church so I would know where it was and what it looked like for Sunday.
After that we headed to the grocery store. I hit my budget smack on the nose. Yes! LOL Once I had finished my grocery shopping and we headed outside and to the van (and the excitement). While we were walking through the parking lot I noticed a guy in a old, red truck backing up quite quickly. The next thing ya know he backed right into someone's new Dodge Ram. It was a very loud boom that rocked the Dodge. It happened just 3 spaces from where we were parked. They caught it on camera and myself and another gentleman saw the whole thing. The guy pulled forward but didn't go inside to find the owner or anything. As a matter of fact he was drunk. He could barely stand up! I wasn't about to confront him (it was just me and 6 young children) so I loaded my groceries and wrote down his tag number and description. I was going to go inside the store to call the police but the owner of the truck, the store manager and a bagger came out of the store to talk to him. The other witness called the police and the drunk took off. When the police got there I gave him the paper I wrote everything down on and gave him my statement. The kids were in the van in the air conditioning with a movie but their little faces were pressed against the windows to see what was going on. LOL Tons of questions once I got in the van.
I am off for now. Dinner is almost ready and I have to get the potato salad done. Be back later to post more!
Until later!
