Turning A Corner (Taking a Moment to Get REAL Personal)

Two days ago I had a birthday. That morning I came to the realization that I was a thirty-five year old woman with minimal experience and a somewhat checkered past. If such a combination even makes any sense. (TMI, you say? *shrug* We'll get to that later.) Well, I was good on my birthday. I got a little down on myself but other than that I was good. But the next day... I cried. And the day after that... I cried. Mind you, I'm not a woman given to much crying or depression at growing older. It's just that I thought I'd be in a different place in my life by now. And it's challenging to convince myself that I shouldn't be somebody's awesome soccer mom and loving wife at thirty-five. It's also challenging to convince myself that it's not all my fault.

Through a very loving and respectable source I was made aware that I desired getting married more than I desired GOD. *sigh* (pause) *heavy sigh* How EXACTLY was I supposed to reign in my desire for something that I've wanted for nearly twenty-three of my thirty-five years on this earth?? Okay, so I didn't actually want to get married at twelve but I remember feeling an acute loneliness that I was sure could only be satisfied by that 'special someone'. Well, in the midst of lots of snot and tears this morning I asked GOD that very thing. And what did I hear? Ohhh... "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." Go figure. This made me feel as if GOD had absolutely no compassion for my feelings and concerns. Of course He heard this thought so next I hear "I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you... plans for [your] welfare... and not for your harm..." Just what I needed to hear but definitely not what I WANTED to hear.

So needless to say I've been moping all day. I'm fully aware that the verses the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance were GOD's way of encouraging me. Trying to cheer me up even. I mean, I was sitting here wondering whether or not I'm able to do something and here He was saying "I KNOW you can do it because I am here to help you do it." I was wondering what the future held for me if I dared to let go of this long-held desire and He was saying to me "Don't worry about it. I've only got good things for you." But I'm having a hard time with that. I have questions. Such as: What ARE those things that You have for me, GOD? And why don't they include my current crush declaring his undying love to me? LBVS (Another sad, sad story that I'm not sure I'll share. Okay, well... maybe.) And why am I just now understanding this? Am I really that slow?? (No need to answer that last one.)

I've always thought that I trusted GOD with everything. But I'm realizing that I don't. Not didn't. Or haven't been. Just don't. Not in this area of my life. He's allowed me to be alone for so long. On one hand, I'm concerned that I've wasted so much time that, in order to make up for that, I won't get married until I'm forty-five... or FIFTY! I suppose it's possible but I simply can't imagine feeling truly fulfilled in this life w/o having a family of my very own. On the other hand, I'm concerned that if I give this over to Him... I'll NEVER get married and never *ahem* have sex! (Not that sex is the most important reason to get married but it would be nice to have the experience. Hmmph!)

I know that this entry is supposed to end w/some hopeful little ditty about how GOD is sovereign and how things will work out for my good (whatever that truly means) but that's why this is titled "Turning A Corner". I'm still in the process. And I have no idea what will greet me once I've completely changed direction. But I'll be sure to keep you posted (and ocassionally share completely unrelated little tidbits) as I go along. Hope you'll choose to join me on this journey to developing a much needed trust in the LORD. And I'll even make you a few promises. I promise to be completely inappropriate, to share too much information and that you'll laugh at me... A LOT. And I welcome it.

What I Learned

Where to begin? There were so many chapters in that book. So many things to consider when creating a blog post or a pillar article. One of the first things I learned in this course is that you cannot simply created a blog or website and expect for traffic to easily find you. It takes a little bit of work: submitting entries to different search engines and trying to figure out other creative ways to generate traffic to your site. Another thing I learned was the difference between and purpose of a blog post and a pillar article. Blog posts are at least 250 words and address current, timely events; pillar articles are at least 1000 words and are an opportunity for the writer to show that they are an expert on a certain subject or can be used as a reference. 


In addition to those basics I also learned that customer relationship management is still important even if there is never any actual physical contact. Viewers/readers (customers) have expectations even when it comes to the purpose of a blog or website. It is important to meet those needs and expectations so that patrons continue to purchase from one's site. Meeting needs ensures that one maintains customer retention. It is less expensive to keep a current customer than to acquire a new customer. 


I learned how to advertise for other companies on my site. It was much easier than I thought it would be. I always wondered how different blogs that I have visited had those little ads on their sites. Now I know.


What else have I learned? Have I  shared enough? Let me see...
Ah, I learned about brand awareness and how it is necessary for one to discover a marketing niche and cater to it in order to be successful. I've learned about the various ways that firms pay for advertising on other sites: Cost per impression - paying each time an ad appears on a site; Cost per click - paying only each time an ad is clicked on; Cost per acquisition - paying only when a purchase is made due to a posted ad.


I think that's enough.

FACP - It's Everywhere!

FACP? Does anyone know what that stands for? It stands for From A Certain Perspective. Does that work for you? I'm trying to be snazzy and use acronyms when relating to my website. In all honesty, it is about as well developed as this site. Actually, it is a bit less developed. May the route I should take is to tell you all the wonderful things it will contain... hopefully in the near future. Well, the purpose of my website is the same as my blogspot. It is my goal to develop an online magazine and to generate traffic to my Etsy.com store where I will showcase my floral and fashion designs. Hope you'll choose to stay with me and enjoy the progress. It'll be like a makeover in slow-motion.

Breakfast on a Burger

Tonight, I felt like I was on an episode of Man v. Food. Is anyone familiar with this show? It comes on the Travel Channel and follows this guy who travels back and forth across the United States exploring different regional cultures and looking for the craziest eating challenges. I'd been aware of the show for a while and had steered clear because I figured it would be a disgusting display of eating competitions. *picturing hotdog and egg eating contests and turning my nose up* But I was wrong. Instead, I get to watch adorable Adam Richman (yes he is a bit overweight but still adorable) get cozy with the locals and freak out at every challenge as if he hasn't done something similar to it more than twenty time before. I have placed his challenges into two categorie. The first one is quantity because he's usually expected to eat an insane amount of food. Here are a couple of pictures of what this crazy man has attempted to consume in one sitting.



Ultimate Slider Challenge at Chompie’s


If I remember correctly, this challenge consisted of twelve steamed mini beef patties with cheese and grilled onions as well as a POUND (I might be exaggerating) of fried onion strings that he was supposed to be able to put down in thirty minutes. I do believe food won this one.



Eagle's Deli Burger Challenge at Eagle's Deli in Boston



This monstrosity is made up of eight 1/4 or 1/2 pound beef patties, slices after slice of cheese and too much bacon. And don't forget about the fries. So many that you need two plates?? Forget about it. He's a Crazy Man! with a cast iron stomach! And I do believe he managed to win this one. Had an entire hour... I think.



"Ludicrous Wings" Challenge at The Chicken or the Egg



Doesn't even look like that much food does it? Well the second type of challenge category is fiery. Here is where Adams's expected to eat something insanely hot. Please allow me to say Crazy Man! once again. Crazy Man! And these are made special with habanero pepper extract and what they call "satan's blood". (The devil is a lie.)

You know what? I've gotten COMPLETELY off topic. Is anyone wondering what all this extreme eating has to do with breakfast on a burger? I'm beginning to. All this Man v. Food business was supposed to serve as an intro to this...



Steak 'n Shake's Royale Steakburger



Does anyone else see what I see? There is bacon and egg on this burger! Hence, breakfast on a burger. While I was eating this deliciousness (Yes, I know that fast food is the devil -- Been mentioning him a lot in this post, huh?) I was taken back to an episode of Man v. Food where hashbrowns as well as a fried egg were put on a burger. So I figured I would use that show as an introduction. Got carried away, I guess. Oh well. There you go. Not usually a fan Steak 'n Shake but I guess I recommending this burger. It was pretty good by it Actually, I usually call them Choke 'n Puke *shrug* I don't think there's any smooth way to end this post after that bit of information so I'm just gonna end it. Tah.

Broken Promises

Everything has been fluffy and artsy lately. Please allow me some time to let off a bit of steam and voice my frustrations. Time to discuss a more serious topic... our government's fiscal irresponsibility. I listen to talk radio -- both liberal and conservative. Well, the Republican side (conservative posers, I like to call them) was all abuzz about overreaching government spending and a need to cut the budget. And of course they promised during the election season to tackle this matter head-on. Yeah, right *rolling eyes*


According to usgovernmentspending.com the US Gross Public Debt for end of fiscal year 2011 is $15.476 trillion dollars. Yes, trillion. Can anyone tell me how many zeros that is? *looking for raised hands... and seeing none* That would be twelve zeros. ($15,476,000,000,000) That is over 15 MILLION billion... or 15 BILLION million. Did I get that right? Somebody check my math. It can all be a bit overwhelming, right? Yup.

Time Series Chart of US Government Spending

Who deals in such large amounts of currency?? What in the world was purchased (even over time) that costs so much? I truly do not understand but at the same time am not so curious that I'm going to go in a detailed breakdown of exactly what makes up the federal government and debt. Today, I'm talking about broken promises.

Republicans were allowed to take charge of the House of Representations based upon the promise that they would rein in the spending of the federal government. There was the repeated declaration that when it came time to vote on the budget they would demand $100 BILLION in cuts. $100 BILLION. After the dust had settled from the scuff-up of the election and after weeks of extensions in order to avoid a government shutdown, an agreement was finally reached. And what was that agreed upon amount? Well, we were told that the original amount had been reduced to just over $63 billiion and then $38 billion but then settled on a whopping $300 million, yes MILLION dollars. 


Of course, excuse after excuse was made as to how this was the best that could be done at the time and how the House on makes up one half of one third of the government. I've got something real immature to say to that. Whatever. I don't even think they care about letting up down anymore.

Molotov Time! (Is the Old Testament Obsolete?)

Mr. Mitchell speaks again, as he does every week. This week he gives well-intentioned Christians some serious food for thought. Remember that I mentioned before how he considered himself a Christian supremacist. Well here, he challenges the 'Christian' argument that marriage is only for one man and one woman which is used in the defense of the marriage amendment. He explains that in the Old Testament polygamy is never called a sin. As a matter of fact, when God is chastising David for hooking up with Bathsheba He says this, "And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom... if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things." (2 Samuel 12:8) Now I believe in only one interpretation of Scripture and that would be the one that comes from the Holy Spirit. He NEVER contradicts Himself but of course... that is something that will be addressed at a later date. But I am not convinced that God was saying He would have given David more wives if he'd asked for them. I mean, did God give Adam Eve AND Genevieve? Nope.

Is the Old Testament Obsolete

Molotov goes on to reassure his viewers that he is not a proponent of polygamy. He believes that one wife is more than enough. (lol) Smart man. But at the same time he refuses to call polygamy a sin since it is NOT called a sin anywhere in the Bible. I was ready to come back with the argument that polygamy was not called a sin because all of that went on before the Law was given to Man but no. That wouldn't fly. David's story comes well after the Torah (which contains the Law). Or does it?


But then something else came to mind. I do believe the idea of marriage being between one man and one woman comes from "An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife..." (Titus 1:6). This scripture is explaining the requirements for a man to become an elder in a church. Since this man would be considered an example to be followed by the other men in the church is makes sense to assume that the ideal marriage situation would include only one man and one woman.


What are your thoughts?

Gyre, Gyre, Earth's on Fire

Has anyone ever heard about the North Pacific Gyre? Would anyone like to know about the North Pacific Gyre? Ha! What's a gyre you might ask? Let's start out with a pretty little picture, shall we? Yes. Let's.

North Pacific Gyre



Now I would like to apologize for anyone who felt that the title of this post was a bit on the alarmist side. Alarmism (Is that a word?) is for extremist and I'm only extreme about one Thing. (As always, we'll touch upon that on another day.) But I will admit to a mild bit of alarm when I first saw this picture. And when I found out that this was only one of five gyres in our earth's oceans that alarm grew just a bit more. I mean, what we're looking at here is an enormous swirling of plastic trash twice the size the man floating there.

Getting back to exactly what makes up a gyre. According to wikipedia (an increasingly reliable source): A gyre in oceanography is any large system of rotating ocean currents, particularly those involved with large wind movements and are caused by the Coriolis Effect. Do we REALLY wanna know what the Coriolis Effect is? *pause* I didn't think so. Either way, what's swirling around inside these things is more important. Here's a clear picture of what that is.

Pretty, right. (I know. I'm terribly sarcastic. Any comment regarding that would be welcomed... well, maybe welcomed not really the right word.) Yes, what you are seeing here is a multiple bottle caps, what looks like the fuel canister on a lighter and maybe some little plastic tabs. What happens is that when these birds fly over the face of the ocean they see these things floating and think that it's food. It's really unfortunate. Well, let me leave you with one more disturbing picture and next time we'll take about what's being done about this fascinating, man-caused phenomenon.

Heck of a way to end a post, right? Well, this is where we'll pick up next time. Until then... 

Esjaybee   

Molotov Time! (Democratic Good Guys... Really!)

Molotov Mitchell is his usually sardonic self when talking about President Obama. He goes as far as to call him "Usurper In Chief". Remember from a previous post that he believes that Obama is holding his current position illegally. Well, that was just the intro. 

Democratic Good Guys... Really!

This particular post was actually about how our representatives voted when deciding to take funding away from Planned Parenthood. He pointed out the although a majority of Republicans voted against federally-funded abortion clinics there were also ten Democrats, to his pleasant surprise, who voted not to fund Planned Parenthood. He was sure to voice his displeasure with the seven GOP members who voted to continue their funding. But he was even more annoyed with the one person who voted 'present' after promising to always vote against government funding of abortion.

I have to say, the more I learn about Planned Parenthood the more I am against them being funded by the government. Some will argue that not funding them will make much needed medical services such as breast exams as well as other testing unavailable to those less fortunate. I would argue in return that if all they did were those all important tests then there may be some standing in government support being given to them. But these clinics are mostly found in urban areas and the institution was founded by Margaret Sanger. And this woman was a believer is eugenics. This means she agreed with the idea of improving a human population by controlled breeding of those who has undesirable characteristics. This bit of information alone leads me to believe that the motivation behind Planned Parenthood is not completely altruistic. 


What are your thoughts?

Molotov Time! (Terrorist-protecting Media Hacks)

Who's excited about Molotov Time?? 
This week Mr. Mitchell is discussing how complicit the media is in depending Muslims whenever another  unfortunate, terrorism-related event makes its way to the news. One of the examples he uses is the horrible shooting involving Major Hasan at Fort Hood. The public was instructed by the media, and I do believe President Obama as well, to not jump to conclusions regarding the shooters motivation. 

Terrorist-protecting Media Hacks

Another example given was when John Johnson of Newser.com wrote about the Kosovo shooting in Germany. His headline read "No Motive Yet in Killing US Airmen in Germany".  But it was previously discovered and shared by another news entity that the shooter had known terrorists ties and had shot up a bus full of soldiers who were on their way to being deployed in the Middle East.


This episode goes on to question why the media, which Molotov sees as completely liberal, goes above and beyond to defend Muslims and Islam. It's pointed out how everything that the liberal ideal encompasses is despised by adherents to Islam - from homosexuality to the loose morals on display in Hollywood. Molotov explains that "Familiarity breed contempt." Pretty much, liberals (the media) hate Christianity. So it's basically, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." But what they don't seem to understand is that Muslim terrorists want to destroy us all and more specifically those they see as 'the immoral'. 


I would say there's some true to this idea. The worst is consistently assumed whenever there are Christians involved. Muslims, or the members of any other religious group for that matter, are given the benefit of the doubt even when the evidence is overwhelming. 


What are your thoughts?

Pending Birthday Plans

Train trip, train trip! I'm taking a train trip! Well, maybe. If you haven't guessed, I'm thinking about taking a train trip...  for my birthday. It's not until December and I know it's kinda early but I would imagine it would be best to start planning now. Amtrak will probably be the train company with which I choose to travel. I'll give details on that later but first... Let's dream a bit shall we? Let us look at what my trip would be like if I were to choose to go to let's say... Canada! Whoo hoo! If we're gonna dream, let's dream BIG, good people. And I always like when I dreams are full of pretty, colorful pictures. Sooooo...

Canadian Rockies

Ooooohhhh... Pretty, right?? As the caption says this is picture of the Canadian Rockies. This is one of the routes offered by the Rocky Mountaineer train station. Ladies and gentlemen I could be seeing this from my cabin. And how about this one?

Yes, yes. That's all very lovely. Very scenic. Very pristine. Yes. All of that. But at what price? Well, let's just say that their packages START at $3,656. Ha! Hilarious. Granted this is for eleven days, ten nights, includes gourmet meals and complimentary drinks but still... That would be about ten times what I am prepared and currently able to pay. I think I'm gonna have to settle for the pretty, scenic and pristine view that greets me as I take the train to either Seattle or New Orleans.

How Much is that Doggie in the Window?

Recently, I wrote about how I was looking forward to owning my own home and exactly how I would like it to be. Well, for a dog-lover (which I am), no house can truly be a home without the perfect little poochie to greet you with wagging tail and dripping tongue. Actually, for me that would be the perfect GIANT poochie. Little tiny, teacup, carry-in-a-bag (hope it doesn't poop in there) puppies are cute.. from a distance. But I'm pretty sure that if I had one in my home I would be holding its funeral within a matter of weeks. Why do I say this? Do I have animal cruelty tendencies? (No obvious Michael Vick jokes here. Thank you.) Would the yapping of an overactive canine drive me over the edge? Nah. The death of a tiny pup would be completely accidental. Look, dogs already like to scamper around your feet. A big dog you can just kinda push out of the way with your leg but a tiny dog...? I'm afraid that little scrawny neck would fit perfectly under my instep. And that would a shame. Forget the dog. I would never be the same.


Nope. Big dogs are the way to go. At least for me, they're the way to go. So what type of big bruiser appeals to me most? That has actually changed over time. When I was younger I thought that the German Shephard was the perfect dog. To this day, I cannot tell you why I thought so. It may be because it was the first dog with which I ever had any contact. But for whatever reason I do remember thinking that. When I had my first German Shephard experience it seemed like there were about twenty or thirty puppies and they were everywhere - on the couch, under the couch, behind the door. Seemed like you couldn't take a step in this person's house without stepping on a little puppy tail or paw. So I just curled up on the couch and stared down in wonder at all the adorableness. Picture seeing this everywhere you looked.

Can you even stand the cuteness??

My family ended taking three puppies home. Until they were potty-trained, we kept them in a large cardboard box that was lined with a blanket and near the back door. So this next picture is pretty close to what greeted me when I came home from school everyday.

Can anybody say, "Awwwwwww"?

I've gone on and on about how adorable German Shepherds are and that's not even the kind of dog I want anymore. Guess what that means? Yup. There'll be a part deux to this little expose' into what kind of dog Esjaybee really wants. Until then...

It's Molotov Time! (Why My CPA Dumped Me)

So I've decided to start a new thing called Molotov Time! This is where I discuss my view of Molotov Mitchell's commentary on WND (World Net Daily) called For the Record. Yep. I'll be doing my commentary on HIS commentary. Molotov Mitchell, whose given name is said to be Jason Mitchell, is the president of Illuminati Pictures production company and a self-described Christian supremacist. He is also a rather controversial political commentator. He puts out a video segment every Monday pertaining to current events and often shares a little history as well. 

Why My CPA Dumped Me

This week's episode (title listed above) was about how he had to school his certified public accountant regarding the whole 'Birther' issue. A moment to education those who may not be familiar. The term 'Birthers' refers to those who do not believe that President Barack Obama was born in these United States. They believe he was born in Kenya and there's been a huge cover-up. Because of this, they believe Obama should not be president. There you go. Molotov got into a discussion with his CPA where they ended up disagreeing and in the end, his CPA pretty much told him to go get his taxes done elsewhere.


I'm aware of the requirements for one to become president: at least thirty-five years old and native-born American. While I am a believer that we have these requirements for a reason I kinda side with the CPA who said Obama had already supplied the requested birth certificate and that there were more important issues to pursue at this time. There's the wonder of Obamacare, the out of control federal spending, our involvement in the civil wars of other countries... we all know the list goes on and on. Molotov's argument is that Obama is a usurper and an impostor. Molotov sees the office of president as the highest office attainable and as such should be subject to as much safeguarding as possible. He also does not believe that the president supplied a copy of his birth certificate stating where he was actual born but just proof that he was born. In addition, Molotov asks, "If the Obama is hiding this from us, what else could he be hiding?"


What are your thoughts?

International Business - New Move to Make Yuan a Global Currency

Summary

After some pressure from its international trading partners, the Chinese government is allowing trade in its currency in the U.S. for the first time. For the longest, trade in yuan has been done only in mainland China and recently allowed in Hong Kong. Many see this action as China finally recognizing its own global, economic power and understanding how that power can be used to make their currency fully convertible. There is hope that, due to this decision, China’s trade will see great expansion just as it did when the government allowed its currency to be used in trading done in Hong Kong. At the same time, there are those who believe that any future growth may be stunted by regulations that were recently passed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. In the end, there is still skepticism on what this change really means and what effect it will truly have on the international economy.

Discussion

With all the talk of how the dollar is dropping in value and how China owns a good portion of American debt, my first response to the title of this article alone was one of alarm. I assumed that this article would be announcing how China was implementing a plan where all international trade with their country would eventually be done using only their currency. Armed with only this idea, I expected this piece would be a tutorial on how I, as an American consumer, could plan for the worst once all business was forced to be done in yuan.

After the first cursory reading, my mind was put at ease only slightly. There were still details that I’d missed. So after going through the article a second time I saw that this was something that was being encouraged by the U.S. as well as many of China’s other international trade partners. The argument from the U.S. side was that the actual amount of Chinese-held U.S. debt was being exaggerated by an undervalued yuan. That in time, by trading globally, the yuan would be put on equal footing with the dollar, euro and yen. I would think that the supposed value of any currency would be considered when tabulating the amount of another country’s debt. I wonder what effect this change will truly have on how U.S. debt is calculated. In the end, I would imagine it would still be a considerable sum.

As always, there are those who are skeptical of any new development. It was pointed out that China’s decision to open up its trade practices was made conveniently before President Hu’s scheduled visit to the U.S. Because this event would draw attention to the restrictions placed on Chinese trade by its government, I believe it is being suggested that this choice was made in order to look better to the international community.

Generating Traffic

How do I encourage my audience (as small as it is) to visit another blog site? If I had the know-how I'd do a screen shot of the site and rave about how wonderful the site is. This site is called I Believe Live. I do believe the  "About this Page" section says it all: [This site was] Created for the Christian purpose of honoring Jesus Christ. If you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God then now is the time to show your faith. The Bible teaches us that he that confesses the name of Jesus Christ before men will all so be confessed by Christ in heaven. Together we can talk about the church and the will of God. Give God the praise!!! 


In addition to the posting of thought-provoking arguments, there is the opportunity to purchase apparel and accessories with a moral message. Here's a little shameless advertising.

Don't Wait until It's Too Late T-shirt

So go check this site out. Get involved in some meaningful conversation regarding the Word of God and the Christian walk. And don't forget to purchase yourself an edgy T-shirt.

We Deserve More Options (part deux)

It is possible that after looking at these parties or any of the others in detail one may be convinced of the argument that paying attention to any minority party candidate is simply a waste of time. On the other hand, after doing some research, individuals may find that they feel more passionately about certain issues than they thought. Finding the party that best embodies ones ideals is sure to add conviction to one votes. Perhaps if more people were aware that there were alternative political group of which one can be a member, then maybe there would be a greater level of participation in the election process.

This Constitution party bases their platform on the belief that America is a nation that was founded not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of this they feel that adherents to should be afforded the freedom of worship in this country. Despite what many may see as an overly religious viewpoint, the Constitution Party also believe there should be no religious test in order to qualify for any public office. They also believe that if allowed, federal government will grow to the point of overshadowing individual freedom. This party takes concrete stances on a number of issues. The following are few examples:

Sanctity of Life - the unalienable rights addressed in the Declaration of Independence extends to the unborn; Bring Government Back Home - a closer civil government means a more responsive, responsible and accountable government;Character and Moral Conduct - requiring honesty, integrity, reliability, moral uprightness, fidelity, prudence, temperance, justice, fortitude, self-restraint, courage, kindness, and compassion in public officials. (constitutionparty.com)

"The Socialist Party stands for the abolition of every form of domination and exploitation, whether based on social class, gender, race/ethnicty, age, education, sexual orientation or other characteristics." This party seeks to make radical changes to the existing system and challenges the idea that capitalism is the best form economic form for this country.They have the following eight platform planks: International Policy - calling for the close of all military facility at home and abroad;Labor - seeks absolutely no limits to the establishment of unions;Economics - call for a $15 minimum wage nationwide; Human Rights - seek the legalization of same-sex 'marriage'; Human Needs - a call for full funding of school and community art programs as well as supporting income guarantees for artists and performers; Civil Rights - belief in separation of church and state; Environment - call for public ownership of all natural resources; Energy - pursuing alternative energy sources;Agriculture - believe in strong government support of organic crops; Animal Rights - call for a ban on the fur trade. (socialistparty-usa.org)

We Deserve More Options

Before we know it, another presidential election season will be upon us. A powerful voter is an informed voter but unfortunately most relevant information is not readily available. Often, people who do participate in elections only vote for who they feel is the lesser of two evils. The candidate that an individuals should support is the one whose platform aligns best with that individual's beliefs. But how can one know what candidates stand for the same set of ideals? The only candidates given any meaningful airtime are those battling in the Democratic and Republican primaries. 

Well, knowledge is power. And voters need to be empowered. Perhaps if the two incumbent parties were made to realize they did not have each election in the bag they would take the desires of the people more seriously. This article gives a brief description of the political parties other than the Democrats and Republicans that exist in the United States. There are over fifteen parties not including the two major ones but this piece will speak on only four of those parties because they have greater followings than the other parties. This list includes the Libertarian, Green, Constitution and Socialist parties. A brief summary will be offered in order to give an idea of that for which each party stands. This is by no means a comprehensive look at each party's platform but instead serves as a bit of teaser to whet the intellectual appetite of the politically curious.

The Libertarian ideals include the rights of an individual's pursuit of life, liberty and property ownership not being hampered in any way by the government. According to their Statement of Principle, "The Libertarian Party does not believe in or advocate the initiation of force to achieve social or political goals." (mi.lp.org) In short, they believe that, as long as their actions are not infringing upon the rights of other individuals, people have the right to engage in peaceful activities and pursue happiness in whatever matter they choose without government interference.

The platform of the Green Party are based upon the following ten Key Values:

Grassroots Democracy - every individual having a say in decision-making that affects his/her life; Social Justice and Equal Opportunity - all individuals have a right to social and environmental resources; Ecological Wisdom - understanding that humans are a part of nature, not separate from nature and must live accordingly; Non-Violence - developing alternatives to violence and elimination of all weapons of mass destruction;Decentralization - transference of control from the powerful few to the individual and local levels; Community Based Economics -  encouraging employee ownership of business and workplace democracy; Feminism and Gender Equality - replacement of a male dominated culture with a one that is open to differences of opinion and gender; Respect for Diversity - valuing cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual differences;Personal and Global Responsibility - encouraging individuals to act in ways that improve their well-being while pursuing social harmony; Future Focus and Sustainability - establishing policies that are motivated by long-term goals. (gp.org)

I will address the characteristics of the other two larger minority parties in a second post. Until then...

I Wanna Be Like Her When I Grow up

Let's cut to the chase. This woman's blog amazes me. Forget that. This WOMAN amazes me. She calls herself a pioneer women. And that also happens to be the name of her blog site. It's absolutely amazing. (*WARNING* There will be an overuse of the word amazing. Just so you're prepared.) Now back to this... amazing woman. Her name is Ree Drummond and she is a self-described moderately agoraphobic ranch wife and mother of four. 

Ree as a photogenic teenager

Ree Drummond today

This woman does everything: cooks, homeschools her children, is a photographer, tends a garden and is madly in love with her husband whom she's given the name Marlboro Man. May I submit as evidence of her love: the haiku she posted on his birthday. This site is so professional looking and clearly displays everything that she is about. There are the following tabs (in alphabetical order, mind you): Bath & Beauty; Cleaning out My Closet - where she gives away items to fortunate viewers; Design - where she addresses Interior Design ideas, Fashion, Gardening, Gift Ideas and My Favorite Things - where she discusses the use of items that make her everyday life easier.

 She has tasteful advertisement running along the side and across the top. Even the color combinations she's chosen are calming and in short... I wanna be like her when I grow up.

I'm Not the Only One... Clearly

Hope you enjoy today's post. It's full of wonderful pictures. Soon to come, an instructional video on how to make these cute (and oftentimes gorgeous) little flowers. A couple of posts back I took the opportunity to brag on myself (just a little). You see, I have been crafting stocking flowers for over twenty years and can make just about any bloom I put my mind to. (There I go bragging again *sigh*) In my defense, I'm used to seeing basic flowers such as these these:

Well! I've come across a site that has made me aware of how much I need to step up my game. I realize that I'm not as much of an expert as I thought . You know what? Let's not even waste any more time with too much talking (or typing). I'm gonna get straight to the site so that you can check out all their awesome pieces. So I did a Google image search for "stocking flowers". Many of the results led me to where I could purchase cheap items from China. But then I came across Flowers That Last. This site is based out of Australia. My brain could only produce one thought: Amazing. My mouth could only produce two words: Oh my. I've just got to show you what I mean.



Was my brain right, or what? Amazing, right? Each calla lily is hand-shaped wire covered by nylon stocking material. As I looked through this site, I realized that I'd already made a majority of these flowers myself but had yet to arrange them in the way that this artist has so obviously succeeded in doing. How about a little something more for your viewing pleasure?





While I was impressed by what was before me, I also saw on this site I also saw that there were a number of flowers that did not appear here that I DO make. But of course, this is not the only site out there. Well, maybe it is. I say that because although there were tons of pictures many of the sites were no longer available. That's unfortunate. Hopefully, that won't happen to me. Here's some more of what I found:

Considering my tendency toward apathy, I need as much motivation as possible. These pictures DEFINITELY serve as such. There are so many ideas that I've had but never took the time to turn into a reality. I see some of them here and it lets me know that I CAN make it happen. That's encouraging. But me being me, I'm also convinced that I can do it better. Actions speak louder than words, right? Because I'm not the only one... clearly!

My Guilty Pleasure (and Ultimate Time-Waster)

I work best under pressure, especially when it comes to schoolwork. Knowing that I have less than an ideal amount of time to complete an assignment is great motivation to prove the universe wrong. And I usually succeed. Does the work end up being my best? Honesty compels me to answer no. But I typically end up doing better than I thought I would with the time I allotted myself. Sadly, (depending on ones point of view, I guess) my instructors are usually impressed so I have yet to truly learn my lesson. Although I PROMISE myself that I will not wait until the last minute next time, each time the pressure is lifted, I go back to my old habits and indulge in my guilty pleasure. Interested in knowing what that might be? Well, it's not reality TV. Many people claim that one. It's not some seedy, underground activity. You know, I'm almost ashamed to say what it is. But I've started this so I'm just gonna get it out already. It's Sorority Life. Huh? What's that, you say? Oh, it's a social game on Facebook. How about some pictures so that I can show you why I find it all so dazzling. (I'm sure you'll remain unconvinced.)



A place where you can be young, beautiful, slim AND in college forever.

(I'm young, some might say beautiful, not so slim and have NO desire to be

in school forever. Maybe this game is fulfilling some part of my life. FASHION!)

  

 There are opportunities to wear amazing fashion for which

you would never have the occassion to purchase in real life.

(And when you wear heels with every outfit, your feet never get tired.)

 Anyway, this is my ultimate time-waster. When I should be studying for a test, working on an assignment, or even tackling a project on my extensive to-make list, I am fighting girls in other houses, doing the next social event in order to get more money or influence points or dressing my paper dolls. That's what my mom calls them. Cyber-paperdolls. I have three. Yup. That's right. You can play with up to ten different avatars. This means you can start the fun over and over and over... (up to ten times) again. Yay.

A plus to this social game is that it really does help you to meet new people. Yes, I know that I've never really met these people and only know how they look based on the pictures they post. (And some of them never post real pictures of themselves.) But, believe it or not, I've had some really good conversations with some of them. And I've had opportunities to encourage a couple of them and be encouraged in return. I know it sounds like I'm trying to make excuses for playing the game but really I'm not. I understand what a collossal waste of time AND money this game is. Yes. Money. I have spent money on what they call brownie points (BP) *hanging head in shame* With BPs you can purchase outfits and accessories that are not regularly available for free.

These are different hairstyles that are cuter than what is available
and can give you better advantage when fighting.
(I didn't buy any of these.But that black one is nice.)

This is sad. I know. Sometimes the items are just so cute and you manage to tell yourself, "I have a little disposable income. I can do this." But ones money can always be better spent than on a make believe fantasy land. But it's so much fun!

I guess this is my moment of confession. (There may be more.) And I'm not sure this is what I intended. I mean, there's a chances that people I know, love and respect will read this and know how frivolous I can be. Spending money on a game that does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to improve my real life? That's just no good. And each time I tell myself that I won't do it again. There's probably some sort of dependency group out there for me but I'm not sure if I need it yet. I really think I'm getting bored with Sorority Life but you never know. They may come up with something else exciting to do. If they do, I'll be sure to NOT let you know.

What I Do

I've talked about a number of things on this blog already. Okay... maybe not that many. I mean, did go on and on about the [sing it with me now] ♪♫ Intergalactic planetary ♪♪ Planetary intergalactic ♫♪ bead show, didn't I? Well, I'm sorry! I was excited and it took me a while to down off that high. I'm good now. I promise I will TRY not to be such a geek about it when I go back in July. But I will probably still sing the song (Gonna have to find a link for that so you guys can listen to it) and I'm DEFINITELY going to show you all the goodies that I purchase. I'm saving my money so there will be a great deal more next time.


Believe it or not, after all that talk about the bead show and the goodies that can be had, that is not what this post is about. Today, I want to bring it back home, sort of speak, to my first love. That would be wire sculpturing. To be more exact, floral wire sculpturing. You see, when it comes to knitting, jewelry-making and even cooking, I am still learning. But floral wire sculpturing... that's my baby. That's where, if I were so inclined, I would claim some level of expertise. I don't just make your simply flowers or butterflies. I can shape roses, daisies (where I incorporate a little knitting), calla lillies, day lillies, orchids, sunflowers, peonies, brown-eyed susans... there I go getting carried away again. What can I say? Art excites me. Creating thrills me. I can stare at something I've recently made for almost an hour, thanking God for the talent He's blessed me with the entire time.


Enough talking, right? Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what I'm rambling about.

This was just a little something I threw together sometime last year... or the year before that. You know, I really don't remember. What I do remember was that Hobby Lobby (I'll have to rave about them in another post.) was having one of their mad crazy sales where the mirror and the candle were more than 50% off. I'd seen this combination of elements before and always wanted to try putting it together myself. This sale presented the perfect opportunity.

I often blame being a fulltime student and being employed fulltime for not keeping up with my art. But in the end, I don't really have any excuse. If I were a better manager of my time I could probably produce something once a week... Alright then! Here's another picture before I REALLY get down on myself.

This is just a closer look at the blossoms: blue-tinted, pink roses (I don't think these exist in the natural.) and simple yellow day lilies with pink stamen (Once again, probably not found in nature). I took a little creative license with this piece. Usually I like to keep things natural but I think I was just working with what I had. I remember thinking that there was no point in purchasing any new material since I had no intention of attempting to sell this item. Here's another bit of floral art for your viewing pleasure:

This is one of my daisies. The center is knitted and then sown around a circular wire frame that I shaped myself. It was my intention to make this into some sort of barrette. I either decided that it was too heavy or just never got around to it. After handling it again today, I'm thinking it was more than likely the latter. *sigh*

Creation Care: A More Detailed Look

Creation Care? What's that all about? Let's find out, shall we?

I began my investigation at a site called Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN). Their stated mission is to be "...a ministry that seeks to educate, equip, inspire, and mobilize Christians in their effort to care for God's creation, to be faithful stewards of God's provision, and to advocate for actions and policies that honor God and protect the environment." There are some who make the argument that it a biblical responsibility to care for the earth. When God gave Man dominion He also gave Man the responsibility of stewardship. All of that sounds very noble but I've learned not to take anything at face value when it comes to environment issues.


Not everyone sees this as such a noble calling. So I did just a little digging to see what the critics have to say. This movement has gone as far as to create a The GREEN Bible and many Believers are taking issue with this. As stated in an article from WorldNetDaily.com "... the book is not about spreading the word of God, [but]... it is about environmental indoctrination." Someone who has been RATHER outspoken about this matter is Jan Markell. She has a daily two-hour radio show and is the founder of Olive Tree Ministries. She has also written several articles on the matter. One of them includes an unflinching piece about what she sees as the scam of global warming. I cannot speak to whether or not she is a conspiracy theorist but she did state that "The real agenda of the global warming crowd is global government." She even disputes that the earth is warming. She believes, along with others, that it is actually cooling now.


To a point I believe what the scientists tell me. What I mean by that is that I am not the one keeping tracking of the changing weather patterns of the earth. I barely check the forecast to see what I should be wearing the next day. Everyday is a wonderful surprise. (lol) But I am getting off track. Basically, I'm not terribly concerned about incremental changes in the weather. If there's something Man can do about it then we'll figure it out. If not, then it's that sooner that I'm on to Glory. What does pique my interest is when there's talk of passing legislation that will impede my freedoms and then basing it on 'science'. That's when I feel the need to start doing some investigating and discern the facts for myself.