I recommend this site:

As A Mom...... A network of principled mothers, grandmothers, daughters, & guardians of our nation's children dedicated to the 9 Principles & 12 Values.

The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

The Twelve Values
1-Honesty
2-Reverence
3-Hope
4-Thrift
5-Humility
6-Charity
7-Sincerity 8-Moderation
9-Hard Work
10-Courage
11-Personal Responsibility
12-Gratitude

The purpose of this group is to give a forum for moms of all types to come together to discuss and resolve issues. Through the centuries women a have bonded together to teach and mentor one another. In the spirit of those foremothers let us now come together. Many of you have questions, some of you have answers. Some of you may know what textbooks teach a good history of our nation. Others can mentor a first time school board candidate...

Well I guess I need to start a journal on my renters. I rent my mom's house which is right next door. I had what I thought was a good lease stating that the renters need to take care of the yard, mow the grass and keep it neat and clean. The renters I have in now signed the lease, swore they would take care of the yard and yadda, yadda. I also mentioned that our houses were built in the l930s and have small driveways and only inches between the drive ways. First off they came with a van and a huge pickup truck. Then came the boat on a trailer which was soon replaced with a pontoon boat (the largest one they make) and then a flat bed trailer. There was so much in the driveway that the last vehicle was over the sidewalk. During the summer they did not water the grass and the grass died. My son in law tilled the yard and we spread seed and it started to grow very fast. Then they didn't water that and the grass died again. I have decided to not give them the deposit back until I pay for the yard to be sodded (after they move). Several times when we did have grass my daughter mowed it or I had to ask them to. Recently they filled up their two trash cans, left them sitting at the corner of the front of the house where they also left some tires, some trash and the lawnmower (the lawnmower because there was no room for him to take it down the driveway to put it in the garage. He had too many vehicles parked in the driveway and they were hanging over my side.) After three weeks of not taking the trash to the curb I had to ask them to do something about it. He put it in the back of his pickup and left it there for another week. After I mentioned we'd get mice he finally dumped it somewhere. Now we have the tires, trash etc and I left another note to please clean up the mess. How can people live like that? They had moved from another house in town to my rental so I would imagine that landlord had them move. When they signed the lease they said they had a small dog and a cat. They do but then a few weeks in and they had another dog. They have had a friend living there also for a few weeks. He may be gone now, I am not for sure. I hate to be a nosy landlord but you know my property is important to me. It is no wonder people hate to rent to anyone. Out of 5 renters I have had 2 that were nice and kept things looking good.

Some folks want to be buried with their cell phones. In 2005, a New York defense attorney named John Jacobs died. His wife buried him with his cell phone and a fully charged battery. Marion Seltzer continues to pay the phone bill and still calls him on occasion. The battery’s dead now, so the calls go to his voice mail.

Now, if she ever gets a call back, that will be a story.

Observations on Growing Older ---


~It's harder to tell navy from black!
~Everything old is new again, but if you wore it before, you're too old to wear it the 2nd time around!
~Your kids are becoming you...and you don't like them! ..but your grandchildren are perfect!
~Yellow becomes the big color...walls...hair...teeth!
~Going out is good. Coming home is better!
~When people say you look "Great"...they add "for your age"!
~When you needed the discount you paid full price. Now you get discounts on everything...movies, hotels ...flights.
~You forget names...but it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you.
~The last 2 outfits you wore had spots on them.
~You ask your husband or friend how your outfit looks and they tell you the truth!
~The five pounds you wanted to lose is now 15 and you have a better chance of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.
~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything...especially golf.
~Your husband is counting on you to remember things you don't remember.
~The things you cared to do, you don't care to do, but you care that you don't care to do them anymore.
~Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring then he does in bed. It's called his "pre-sleep."
~Remember when your mother said, "Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident"? Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!
~You used to say, "I hope my kids GET married.. Now, " I hope they STAY married!"
~The best place to have a conversation with your husband is in the bathroom...you have his full attention.
-Who wants to wear 3" heels anyway?
-You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch.
~When GOOGLE, ipod, email, modem, were unheard of and a mouse was something that made you climb on a table.
~You use more 4 letter words..."what?"..."when?" ???
~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.
~Your husband has a night out with the guys but he's home by 9:00 P.M...next week it will be 8:30 P.M.
~You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you've read it.
~Notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?
~Many of the people in People Magazine you've never heard of.
~Your concealer doesn't conceal.
~Your lipstick bleeds.
~Your mascara clumps and your eyebrows are disappearing.
~You don't have hair under your arms and very little on your legs but your chin needs to be plucked daily!
~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers.
~Now that your husband has retired ...you'd give anything if he'd find a job!
-You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet....2 of which you will never wear.
~~~~But old is good in some things:...old songs...old movies
And best of all OLD FRIENDS

New High School Exit Exam!
(Passing requires 4 correct answers)

1) How long did the Hundred Years' War Last?
2) Which country makes Panama hats?
3) From which animal do we get cat gut?
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are Named after what animal?
7) What was King George VI's first name?
8) What color is a purple finch?
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?

Remember, you need 4 correct answers to pass.
The answers are on the About page.

I didn't know if all you avid decorators saw this yesterday.

Martha announces her brand new product partnership with The Home Depot, launching in 2010. To learn more, visit homedepot.com/marthastewart.

Joined by The Home Depot CEO Frank Blake, Martha gives a sneak peek at the beautiful patio furniture in the Pacifica 4-piece Deep-Seating Collection, which includes 2 club chairs, a loveseat with oversized weather-resistant cushions, and a glass-top coffee table.

Fun Facts
from The Home Depot

- Each year, The Home Depot sells more than one hundred million pounds of nails and screws, which equals the weight of over nineteen thousand five hundred elephants.

- The Home Depot sells enough carpet per year to cover more than one third of Manhattan.

- If The Home Depot strung together all of the Christmas light sets they sell annually, they would go around the earth twice.

How to find your car in the parking lot? Have I ever had to look for my car? Of course not!!!!

LOL, because I have a bad back I have to park as close to the door as I can so I am easy to find. However I remember my mom always had something fastened to her antenna so she could find her car. I think the last thing she had was an Oklahoma State University Cowboy antenna ball.
There was a time she had an artificial Christmas flower with some Christmas ribbon (which flew wildly in the wind). I was glad to see that go and thought this little guy was not quite as "obnoxious" as the flower. My mother was quite a character and definitely not a person who did what everyone else did..........

Therefore my idea is to find something you like and put it on the antenna and you can see it from afar.

This will be the first year that a cost of living increase will not be given, since congress passed a law making increases mandatory.

2010 is an election year for 1/3 of the senate and 1/2 of the house of representatives. It would be nice if congress got the message; the voting taxpayers are in charge now.

LET US SHOW OUR LEADERS IN WASHINGTON "PEOPLE POWER" AND THE POWER OF THE INTERNET. PLEASE FORWARD TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS.

IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT! KEEP IT GOING!!!! Propose this in 2009:

START A BILL TO PLACE ALL POLITICIANS ON SOCIAL SECURITY
------------ --------- --------- ----

Why? (This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.)

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years.
Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it. You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no congress person has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan. For all practical purposes their plan works like this: When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die. Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments. .....

For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw
$7, 800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives. This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries. Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives. Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. ZIP!! NADA!!! ZILCH!!! This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds; "OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK"!

From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into, every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer), We can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement. Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!

Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made. That change would be to Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us Then sit back..... And see how fast they would fix it! If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.

How many people can YOU send this to? Better yet......How many people WILL you send this to?
P.S. The same goes for their health plan.

Sunday, 13 September 09 is National Grandparents Day.

In 1978, five years after its West Virginia inception, the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. The proclamation was signed by President Jimmy Carter. (September was chosen for the holiday, to signify the "autumn years" of life.)

If you still have grandparents and forgot to send a card, make a phone call or stop by and tell them you love them. Don't forget to get family stories from your grandparents to pass down.

Read the story and then look at the pictures. They are pretty amazing.

Don Marco... The Master Crayola Artist
Don Marco was born in Northern Minnesota in the late
1920's. His interest in art was evident even before starting school. As a young adult in the Army Air Corp, he began his life's career in Air Traffic Control, which continued until his retirement from Honolulu International Airport in 1973. Much of his spare time was spent as a professional artist.
Before retirement, Don started developing a technique to create fine art, using Crayola Crayons. Shortly after retiring, he published his first print. Living in Southern California, his work was in demand, including commissions from Burt Reynolds and a one-man show at his Dinner Theater in Florida.
.....Hard to imagine these are done with crayons!!!

This will put our fellow Americans back to work here in America. We just have to unite and DO IT every time we shop. Let's be good Americans and build it stronger than ever.

Good idea . . . . one light bulb at a time . . . .

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American.

Good idea . . . one light bulb at a time . . . .

Check this out. I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA. Start looking.

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track. Let's get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. (Can be true for any store.) I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland, Ohio.

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.

So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets . . . yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!

(We should have awakened a decade ago . . . . . . )

Let's get with the program. Help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A. (Please copy this and pass it on!)

As of 1999 - Is It The NBA Or NFL?

29 have been accused of spousal abuse
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad checks
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault.
71, Repeat.... 71, cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting.
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits,
and
84 have been arrested for drunk driving- In 1998 alone.
Can You guess which organization this is?
Give up yet?... Scroll down,



Neither, it's the 435 members of the
United States Congress and they are going to give all of us FREE health care????
You Gotta pass this one on!

Wear your college colors wherever you are on Friday, September 4, for the fifth annual College Colors Day celebration!

College Colors Day is an annual celebration dedicated to promote the traditions and spirit that make the college experience great by encouraging people across America to wear apparel of their favorite college or university throughout the day of Friday, September 4.

Additionally, College Colors Day, which coincides with "back to school" and the kick-off of intercollegiate athletics, strives to advocate higher education through increased public awareness, and celebrates the achievements of colleges and universities, acknowledging their fundamental importance.

So let's see everyone in their best orange, crimson, black and cream tomorrow!

SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is . . . . Not piddling in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . Having friends.
At age 17 success is . . . Having a driver's license.
At age 35 success is . . . Having money.
At age 50 success is . . . Having money.
At age 70 success is . . . Having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . . . Having friends.
At age 80 success is . . . Not piddling in your pants.

Pass this on to someone who could use a laugh.
Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way;
BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.

Have a wonderful day with many "smiles"!