Diva Lunch!

Today Bob and I had lunch with the Diva herself! I was able to prove that she in fact does exist in more than my imagination. I speak of the Diva often but Bob had no proof that she was real until today! I'm not sure if he thought that she was imaginary or if he thought "Diva" was the code name I'd given my boyfriend. I can assure you if I ever have a boyfriend he won't be a Diva! Besides we know my boyfriend is busy with Angelina these days! Some years ago Bob and I made a pact that the only people we could have affairs with would be, Brad Pitt and Meg Ryan. I haven't heard that Brad is secretly craving plump Latina's, yeah I know I'm being kind using plump but well I'm nice to me that way!


Our lunch time flew by and Bob agreed the Diva is all I've said she is. She's a cutie and he admitted conversation didn't lag a bit. My next trip to Richmond I hope to see her again perhaps I'll be lucky enough to meet her better half, if indeed he does exist! Just kidding Diva I know he does. Diva is half way through her first pregnancy and I have to tell ya she is just glowing!
We stopped for a picture together as we departed! The Diva and the Diva wannabe! It was great seeing you D!
I can't wait to see that bundle of joy you are carrying, I need to get my baby fix and remember any time you need me Auntie Lillie is just a call away!

Christmas has come early for me

Though it is not customary for me to receive a present early DH thought I'd waited long enough since the death of my last digital camera. I had to agree with him! I made my decision after hours of research. I decided on this.
I love this camera! I will get the chance to break it in a bit tomorrow. The Diva herself is traveling out to my neck of the woods to meet for lunch at Ruby Tuesday's! I'll have pictures of the blogger meeting to post tomorrow. I should be back to a more regular blogging schedule now that I have a camera to inspire some posts. I'm sure you are all excited.

Proud to support....

My family is proud to be supporting our military by adopting a soldier. We just received the name and address of a soldier in Iraq. I can't and won't divulge any information here I just wanted to say I'm so happy to be apart of this. I've just sent our first letter of introduction. I'm not sure that I will receive any information from him in time for the holidays so I'm searching for some tasty items to send as well as generic items I think he could use. I'd offer to bake some items myself except I can't bake and I don't think he needs to be a guinea pig in addition to the horrors of his day. I was forwarded a couple of wonderful blogs written from the perspective of Marines. The most recent posts describe Thanksgiving from the perspective of soldiers so far from home. I thought you might like to visit them. first there is http://www.sandgram.blogspot.com/ and also http://www.onemarinesview.com/one_marines_view/

Digital Cameras

I've narrowed my search down to 2. 2 very different cameras and I was hoping anyone that had experience with either could chime in here for some advice.
1. Olympus sp500... this is not the compact model I'm used to but it has a 10X optical zoom, I think zoom is very important.
2. Canon SP600 or 630... very compact but I'm hearing some negatives on the sturdiness of the battery door and USB port
Also if you have any other suggestions please tell me those as well. I'm trying to stay in the $400 or less price range. Feel free to email me or leave your responses in the comments.
Till next time!

another interesting blog

OK ,I found this new site via an advertisement on One red paperclip, Joe apology it has much the same premise as Post Secret, only here you post your apology anonymously. I think its a great way to get the ball rolling. It's cathartic! Some have posted that its a lame excuse for an apology... and maybe on some level that is correct. I think however, that it can be the first step to voicing your apology and or secret. Maybe its like confessions at the Catholic church only much easier. I know as a child growing up in the Catholic church I was not able to confess my true sins. I knew the father knew me and I didn't want him to know the awful truth about my sinful ways. So I made much more menial things up to confess.
I've long sense left the Catholic church partly because of confessions and the strictness of the religion though honestly I'm not a true practicing Baptist either. I don't attend church but I don't feel that keeps me from being a Christian. I try to do unto others as I'd have them do unto me. Even though they don't usually do the same. I can tell you some stories but I won't bore you with the details. Anyway, I had not intended to go into religion I just wanted to give you a great site to check out.
Till next time!

As we were watching the Animal Planet

The other night we learned that flamingo get their pink color from the food they eat. So we got to talking about Jackie turning green cause of all the pickles she's been eating. Bob and Brandon started mentioning different things they like to eat and the colors they would turn if that was all they ate. Next thing I know Brandon says... "It's a good thing I didn't turn to chocolate, because then I'd have to eat myself!" We burst out into laughter in unison.

Thank God for this great country, the USA, that we live in.

Today in an email alert from the Home School legal Defense I received the following:
From the HSLDA E-lert Service...======================================================================Urgent! Calls Needed to the German Embassy Next Week(Updated with Contact Info for the German Embassy)Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:The German government is persecuting homeschoolers like never before. Armin Eckermann, president of Schulunterricht zu Hause (School Instruction at Home--SIH), the homeschool legal defense association of Germany, states that there are over 40 homeschool families in court in Germany!The families are being heavily fined; the parents are being jailed; the children are being threatened with being seized and placed in the custody of the state; and families are being forced to flee to Austria and other surrounding countries.Here are a few current and frightening situations:1) The Rudolph family: They are diligently homeschooling their six children in Hamburg. The father, Andre, was jailed for a week for refusing to send his children to public school. Like many of the homeschool families in Germany, they are evangelicals. What is even more surprising about Andre Rudolph being put in jail for homeschooling is that he has a degree in teaching! He and his wife have been fined 840 euros ($1,090) for homeschooling. After Andre's jail time the authorities tried a new weapon and began to forcibly take the children to public school each day. Their plan was take custody of these six children and make them wards of the state. One day, however, the authorities came to take the children to school, but no one answered the door. The Rudolphs fled to another country in order to homeschool their children according to God's ways.2) The Plett family: If you recall, last year we asked you to pray and contact the embassy about the seven Baptist homeschool families of Paderborn. One of the families, the Pletts, have continued to homeschool their 12 children. Last week, a female plainclothes police officer rang at the Platt's house. When the mother opened the door, other police officers who were hiding in the bushes forced their way in. The mother was able to inform her husband by cell phone before the police took her to jail. The husband then fled to Austria with the children. She was given a 10-day prison sentence and is facing heavy fines and more jail time.Of the seven Paderborn homeschool families from last year, two have fled to Austria and five have enrolled in a Christian school in Heidelburg. They all still have pending cases against them.3) Three homeschool families from Saxony have been taken to court and convicted. One was fined 3,000 euros, one 6,000 euros, and another 10,000 euros.4) The Bauer family: This family in Hesse are American missionaries for the last 15 years. They were prosecuted about five years ago and have exhausted their appeals and have sought review by the Human Rights European Court that covers all of Europe.There are now eight cases pending before the European Court, most of which the SIH organization has brought, along with Ronald Richert, a renown Constitutional law attorney who has handled some of the SIH members' cases. The problem with the European Court, is that it all cases are discretionary: there is no right of appeal. If the Court decides not to rule on them, the case will not be heard. Another problem is the Court has no particular deadline of when they have to decide to take the case or not, so some of these cases have been sitting for three to four years, with no resolution in sight.5) The Herrmann family: This family from Baden-Wurttemberg was facing prosecution for homeschooling their twins who have many medical problems. They have been forced into hiding and are seeking asylum in the United States and other countries. The Maisch family, also from Baden-Wurtemberg, has been convicted of homeschooling. For the past three weeks they have faced increasing fines.Schulunterricht zu Hause (SIH), the legal association that HSLDA helped establish, is being worn out with defending all these families in court. They have approximately 150 members in their association that are all homeschool families, many of whom are underground, and almost 40 in court.Appeals have been exhausted time and time again, and money is running out. The German homeschool families are pleading for your help.Will you take a moment and contact the German Embassy?ACTION REQUESTED1. Please contact the German Embassy and give them this message:"German governments need to make homeschooling legal. Over 40 families are being prosecuted in Germany merely for teaching their children at home. These families have been given huge fines, some parents have been jailed, some have been forced to flee to other countries, and they are all being threatened to take their children into state custody. This is deplorable and unacceptable for any free nation to persecute Christian families who are providing an excellent education for their children. We ask you to stop prosecuting these families like the Maisches, the Pletts, the Bauers, the Rudolphs, and the many others. Homeschooling needs to be legalized in Germany."This message can be put in your own words, along with a story or information about the success of your own homeschool.The German Embassy can be contacted at:Wolfgang IschingerAmbassadorGerman Embassy4645 Reservoir Road NWWashington, DC, 20007-1998(202) 298-4000The embassy can be e-mailed from its website: http://www.globescope.biz/germany/reg/index.cfm 2. If you want to support homeschoolers in other countries--and causes such as Schulunterricht zu Hause in Germany--you can make a donation to the Home School Foundation's international fund. For more information visit http://www.homeschoolfoundation.org/ .3. Please pray fervently for these poor families facing incredible pressure and fear.We cannot give up. Our brothers and sisters in Germany need us and have their back against the wall.BACKGROUNDHomeschooling in Germany has been illegal in Germany for a long time. In fact, according to some newspaper accounts it has been illegal since Hitler banned it in 1938. Five years ago we helped establish Schulunterricht zu Hause as a way for Germans to receive some legal defense. However, even though the determined lawyers defending the families have worked for free and many attempts have been made to battle to make it legal, homeschooling is still outlawed.We have had tremendous success in many countries in the past to influence their parliaments to legalize homeschooling and even release people from jail. When Americans and homeschoolers in other countries have contacted the German Embassy, officials there have communicated the thousands of calls back to their national government and it makes a difference, even in policy considerations.We have been successful in help legalizing homeschooling in South Africa and Romania and in stopping bad legislation that would destroy homeschool freedoms in Ireland, Australia, Czech Republic, and other countries.Thank you and God bless you for your willingness to make a difference. Sincerely, Christopher J. KlickaHSLDA Senior Counsel
I'm thankful that here in the US of A we have the right to homeschool our children with little interference from the government. I know there are many cases where the government tries to cross the line beyond their legal rights, we aren't a perfect government nor a perfect society. We do however have the HSLDA to stand behind us and help us fight the good fight. I'd like to ask you to contact the German embassy and ask them to protect the God given right of every parent that wishes to home school their children, that they may do so without persecution from the government. Please join me in doing the right thing.

Thank you!

Thanks to World of bloggers for linking me to their site. Now my friends those of you with experience on Blogger and or HTML expertise, I need help with the side bar links. I've never been able to follow Bloggers instructions to add links to the side bar and I need someone that can help me out with this ASAP! In turn I will add all my favorite bloggers as well as the one that successfully helps me to add links to the side bar... I don't know how helpful that will be to your traffic but it is all I can offer in return for you help. HELP!

16 candles!

Princess for the day! Actually if you ask her she is princess everyday! Today of course we all had to agree she was a pretty, pretty, princess!
Every year that passes is another miracle! This daughter of mine was not expected to live past her 6th birthday! A full decade later and she is going strong! I knew the doctors had no idea the strong will of this young lady.

It took both Shaun and I to light those 16 candles! Seems we couldn't get a single lighter to cooperate and I feared the cake would melt before we got them all lit but thankfully we
finally did.








Nickie hit the makeup jackpot and can you tell just how happy this made her? She also has a bunch of new jewlery and clothes to impress her new boyfriend, Brian. 

Frankie and Aldo!

Indroducing our newest family members, Frankie and Aldo. Frankie is the smaller tri-colored goat and Aldo is the older more mischeivous tan and white goat.