Thursday, November 26, 2009

President George Washington’s First Thanksgiving Address:

Proclamation of National Thanksgiving

George Washington

City of New York, October 3, 1789

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 course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of 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 humbly 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 faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal 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 1789.

Go: Washington

Amen.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

For those who care. Those who don’t may move along.

Total weight lost so far - 12 lbs.

I’m still pretty consistently losing about 1.5 lbs a week. At this rate I figure I’ll be able to lose another 6 lbs or so by Christmas/New Years. That will put me about 15 lbs shy of my pre-Jesse-pregnancy weight. Then the really hard stage begins, I think.

I dug out the bin with my winter sweaters and turtlenecks yesterday. They’ve been under Jesse’s bed for two winters since there was no way I could fit in them at this time last year with Molly in utero. Also in the bins were my old flannel PJs and lounging pants. I haven’t worn those since I got pregnant with Jesse. On a lark I tried on a pair and was pleased that they fit comfortably. Woo!

As for the pre-preggo jeans, I’m getting close to being able to wear them comfortably for a whole day. Just another 5 lbs I think. We’ll see, of course.

Now I’m needing to get the pants and jeans that I just bought before starting the diet taken in at the waist. And I have another pair that need hemming that I never took to be tailored because I started the diet and so I figured I’d just wait until I need to get others taken and to get those done, too. That’s a bad sentence, but I can’t deal with editing it right now. I’m sorry.

Anyway, things progress well.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Obama’s Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner

[via Granny]

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

When we moved into this house 2+ years ago one of the things I found out early is that there is no outside outlet. This meant no Christmas lights outside unless we wanted to have a window opened a crack. That wasn’t happening. So for the past two Christmases we were the Scrooge house because we didn’t have a tree up or any other decorations inside either. I couldn’t be bothered last year with my uncomfortable pregnancy.

This year we plan to have a tree. I have a large planter outside that is empty. Beau suggested that we get a small, live blue spruce to plant instead of bringing in a dead tree to later trash. So that’s our plan. We’ll put it on a small table in the window and decorate it simply depending on its size.

And I decided to investigate solar-powered lights for outside because I was determined to have some kind of festive thing out there this Christmas. No more Scrooge house. So I mentioned that I was researching solar-powered Christmas lights to Beau and he bursts out laughing, “I forgot to tell you!”

What he forgot to tell me is that when our landlord came to the house a couple of weeks ago to replace the flashing on the front and back doors, he plugged in his cell phone out front. Beau walked out to talk to LD (landlord dude) and noticed the phone sitting on the stoop with the cord leading through the azalea bush over to the box of the bay window. Turns out the outside plug is on the underside of the bay window box. LD and Beau had a good chuckle over it when Beau explained why he was so surprised to discover it. What a weird place, but it makes some kind of sense, I guess. It’s out of the weather and hidden, too. Very well hidden.

I’m excited to dig out our Christmas stuff. And I may buy new outdoor stuff, too, since what I have is pretty old and weather-beaten from winters in New Hampshire.

Friday, November 13, 2009

I gained .5 lb over the weekend, but I’ve since lost 1.5 lbs. And that’s with a high point dinner at the farm in West Virginia the other day. And I’m PMSing, which usually results in about 5 lbs gained so I’m pretty happy. And I’m hungry today, so I may eat some naughty snacks later.

Total weight lost: 10.5 lbs and I’ve dropped 1-2 points per day as a result.

There were 14 murdered, not 13. Are they forgetting Laci & Conner’s Law?

So the Prez thinks it’s time to hold a summit to discuss the economy/jobs. Really? A forum? Yeah, that’s helpful.

And he ignores his War Council. I don’t know why he even has one if he’s going to ignore them. He’s not dithering. I think he’s being very deliberate on this issue.

On a lighter note, last night’s Survivor was awesome. I love the sneak attacks.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I’d take Bill Clinton back as President.

This is not a joke. I’m not kidding.

This guy is way worse.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

1. I gained a half pound last week. I’m bummed, but it could have been worse considering the weekend of food that included my Dad’s birthday cake. Wonderful carnitas in the slow cooker on Sunday, too. And PMS. It’s water weight, right?

2. I sang during our three worship services this weekend. It is always fun, but the worship was awesome for me as well. Thanks, Lord, for giving us a great set of songs.

3. All during the Saturday PM service I looked for Beau from the stage. I found my father, he was manning the MediaShout station at the last minute. Mom was seated in our usual area. But Beau was not there. I was only a little worried because he had laughing said I might not see him there since he was having a challenging time with Jesse when I left for band practice that afternoon.

When I was done singing, I headed around to the foyer to go into the auditorium. On my way I peeked into Jesse’s classroom and he was there playing happily. I asked the friend who was ushering if Beau was in there and she confirmed that he was sitting with my mom. Wha?

And there he was, sitting there as if he’d been there the whole time. “When did you get here?” I whispered into his ear? “Just a minute ago - we’re all right, we were rear-ended on the way.”

Turns out an older couple was out walking their kitten. But the kitten was not on a leash and he decided that he wanted to play in the street. So the car in front of Beau slammed on the breaks to avoid killing the kitty, which meant that Beau slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the car, which meant the car behind Beau slammed on brakes to avoid hitting Beau, and the next car tried to slam on brakes to avoid the collision. But alas the 4th car didn’t stop in time and there ensued the rear-ending of the car behind Beau, which resulted in that car being plowed into the back of Beau’s car. It was dark, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t anything more than a bit of paint transfer.

Until one of the people’s insurance company called and insisted that he take the car to be looked at by an auto body shop. So he did that yesterday and they estimated about $500 in damage. I guess we’re waiting to hear back from the insurance company again before we get the repair done.

4. Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day. Thank you, veterans, for your service to our country. I come from a long line of veterans going back to the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, World War 1 and World War 2 and Vietnam. I’m so grateful for that legacy and I hope that will continue in our family.

We’re headed to Wild, Wonderful West Virginia for the afternoon. We may have a chance to inspect our beef steer. We’ve been told to expect the beef in early December. 300 pounds of beef. Yowsah.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

After making the switch to Weight Watchers three weeks ago things have gone really well. I’m adapting to counting points, which is easier than I thought it would be. And it’s also easier to manage. I don’t feel hungry too often and when I do it’s usually well after dinner and easily ignored by going to bed. I’m not depriving myself totally of sweets, although I can say that I’m not really desiring them either since cutting way back on my sugar consumption.

When I stepped on the scales today I had lost 9.5 lbs since starting. That’s pretty good and I’m really happy with my progress. Last week’s weight loss was 1.5 lbs, which is the goal I set for myself to lose each week.

Since I’m close to the 10 lbs loss mark,  I’ve dropped 2 points from my daily total and I’m now trying to stick to 24 points a day. Yesterday I only did 22.5 points, so that seems to be totally doable. And I had a piece of candy from Jesse’s Halloween stash, too.

I’m hoping to lose another 15 or so by Christmas. At the rate I’m going, I should surpass that, but I want to keep my goals realistic. That will put me at my pre-Jesse-pregnancy weight. Then I’ll work on getting the last 30 or so lbs off to reach my total goal sometime next year.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Love this song.

[Via Granny]

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

From my friend, Granny, via email:

I believe that the most dangerous and damaging of Meyer’s teachings is her belief (along with the rest of the Word-of-Faith Movement) that we have the power to OBLIGATE God to some course of action by the words we say. We are the little gods (another of her teachings), and He is there to do what we say if we get the formula right.
Either God is sovereign or He isn’t. I don’t believe I can do a single thing to obligate Him to do anything. I pray because I am cooperating with Him in His purposes, not because I believe that my words have power over Him.  I cannot stay His hand and I cannot tie His hands or put Him in any situation where He is forced to act. But Joyce Meyer believes and teaches that when she gets the formula and the order of a certain set of words just right, she can bind God to do her will.
This isn’t just a misunderstanding of a verse or two. This is a complete misunderstanding of the nature of God and His relationship to man. And when a man or woman has misunderstandings this deep about the very things God tells us about Himself, I will never trust him/her to teach me anything about the Word. Never.
She also believes that she is no longer a sinner. Apparently, it isn’t sinful to hide what she does with the Ministry’s finances or spend $23,000 on a toilet. I believe this woman is another charlatan from the Hagin/Copeland/Bakker model, enriching herself with the money of those who are gullible enough to buy what she’s selling. She mixes her heresy with just enough truth to catch the ears of spiritually immature people, and then leads them down a road that benefits her more than anyone else.
Here are some links to some of her beliefs and her ties to Word of Faith leaders. Some of it is repetitive, but there are some unique facts at each site…

Click here: Joyce Meyer : Apologetics research resources
Joyce Meyer : Apologetics research resources
What’s the Truth About Joyce Meyer and the Word-Faith Movement?
The Teachings of Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer - What Joyce Wants, Joyce Gets
The Changing Views of Joyce Meyer

Thanks for the information, Granny.

I have to say that Granny is one of the Godliest women I know and about as far from my thinking of a Granny as possible, her 13 grandchildren not-withstanding.

Anyway, I have sent an email to my group leader to share my concerns and the information gathered for me. I doubt this will change the study plans since we’re supposed to start with chapter one next week, but at least a couple of us will be armed with some truth. I’m praying for wisdom on how to express dissent, should it come, as we progress.

Monday, November 02, 2009

My small group is doing Battlefield of the Mind next. I don’t know anything about Joyce Meyer. For those who are fans or familiar with her, what can you tell me about her theology?

For those who have prayed for my friend who was expecting twins and on bed rest - they arrived last Thursday by c-section.

I know no details other than that they are in the NICU, although doing fine when I talked to their grandmother on Friday. Mama is doing really well. I’ve seen pictures and they look great - small, but no breathing tubes so I’m guessing that their size will keep them in the NICU for a little while. I am assuming that Mama went home yesterday.

Thanks for praying for them.

... from Molly-o-Lantern.

And Jesse-o-Lantern, too.