Ahhh... Marriage

The pastor at the church we have been attending has been delivering a sermon series on the family, that has been an outstanding learning tool. A few weeks ago, he spoke on the man's role in the family and this past Sunday addressed the woman's role. Each sermon was begun by giving general information about each gender that I found humorous and wanted to share. While the pastor gave the list of common things about men (about 90% of all men, according to him), his wife shared a similar list of vocabulary women use. 

Men

1. There is still a lot of little boy in us.

2. We did hear you the first time. (I know we may not have responded. We may not have even acknowledged, but we did hear you the first time. Why didn't we respond? I don't know.)

3. We are very physical in nature. (We're created rough and tumble and physical. That means we view things physically. We stare at our wife even when you don't know we're looking. So, we need women to protect us and embrace modesty.)

4. We have a brain compartment for everything. (Your brains are all mixed together and we may not make the shift from compartment to compartment as you do.)

5. We are very prideful, thus we are very insecure.

6. We need training, so don't assume we know everything. 

7. We are not comfortable in ladies' clothing stores or lingerie areas. (We don't know what to do there. When you ask us the question, "How do I look?" the answer is always, "great" because we don't know what to do with that.)

8. The world is our urinal. (Can we be trained to be different? Yes, just like we can 

9. We can do nothing, and be perfectly content. (What are you thinking? Nothing. What are you doing? Nothing. And, that's the truth.)

I'm not defending men, I'm just telling you how men are, he said.  

Women

1. Fine - The word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2. 5 minutes - If she's getting dressed, this means half an hour. "5 minutes" is only five minutes if you've been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3. Nothing - This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with "nothing" usually end in "fine".

4. Go ahead - This is a dare and not permission. Don't do it.

5. The loud sigh - This is actually a word, but it is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and is wondering shy she is wasting her time standing here arguing with you about nothing. Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.

6. That's okay - This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. It means she wants to think long and hard about how and when you will pay for your mistakes 

7. Thanks. A woman is thanking you. Do not question or faint. Just say "you're welcome." This is true, unless she says "thanks a lot." That is pure sarcasm, and she is not thanking you at all. Do not say you're welcome. That will bring on a "whatever."

8. Whatever - A woman's way of saying "don't worry about". Another dangerous statement meaning this is something a woman has told a man to do several times and she is now doing herself. This will later result in a man asking "what's wrong?" For the woman's response, refer to #3, "nothing." 

We Pulled the Plug

I mentioned this earlier in the week, and failed to have the time to write about it yesterday. But, we are now in our second day of observing Lent. For many Christians, I think the Lenten season is foreign and unfamiliar, so I'll give you my brief understanding of the observance.

The season of Lent is a symbolic time meant to represent Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness for 40 days before his crucifixion. It originated as a time of preparation for Easter. I've read that it was a time when the faithful rededicated themselves and converts were taught the faith and prepared for baptism, which was only performed during the Easter season. It is now traditionally considered a time of soul-searching and repentance and reflection. Because Lent was begun by the ancient church, it is traditionally only observed by Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

The time of Lent has several parts which are fasting, prayer and repentance. Like myself, you're probably more familiar with the fasting aspect. Originally, Lent participants abstained from all animal byproducts (meat, eggs, milk, etc.) throughout the 40 days (Sundays are not included as they are a time of celebration and relaxed from the guidelines of Lent), and only one meal per day was allowed. Although those conditions were quite strict, our Western culture requires only no meat on Fridays, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Also, fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday is observed, which means only one meal on each of those days.

You may have seen many people yesterday, Ash Wednesday, with the black marks of ash on their foreheads. That means they attended a mass or service in observance of Ash Wednesday. The ashes are made from the burning of the previous Easter's blessed palms and are a symbol of our mortality (Then the Lord God formed man out of he dust of the ground...-Gen 2:7). The ashes on the head is an Old Testament custom seen in the books of Esther, Job and Jonah and is a symbol of penance and sorrow for our sins. The most interesting part (to me) of the Ash Wednesday observance is the final reading from Joel 2:18 (Rend your hearts, and not your garments). It defines to me the motivation the Lenten season. I am spending a time solely giving my heart (i.e. time, energy, efforts) and not my outward acts (Bible studies, home groups, church functions) to God.

Although I have observed aspects of Lent a few times previously, we have never observed it together as a family. However, we have approached Easter differently than we grew up. We don't participate in egg hunts or make mention of the Easter bunny. I'm quite ashamed at what our secular culture has made of the Easter season and that our churches and Christians have glommed onto those secular views. Somehow plastic eggs and chocolate bunnies don't exactly tie into my Savior bleeding and dieing for me on a cross, and I don't want to teach that lie to my children. 

The brief reason the modern church does not observe Lent dates back to the 16th century when Calvinists discarded all Christian holy days on the basis that they were Roman innovations. It is also easy to understand that as a Christian, my participation in Lent is not required of me by God because of Easter. His sacrifice on the cross freed us from the law, and we are not working or striving to get to heaven. I know that my belief in Christ Jesus and love for him and life of following him is leading me to eternal life in heaven with him.

I have mainly thought in the past that the Lenten season was a pointless outwardly act, which I'm sure it can be to many. However, as with any act within a relationship, the motivation is self-determined and can not be judged by man, only by God. I am excited at the prospects we have within our own home during this time to draw us closer to each other as we draw closer to God and re-focus our relationship and work to get further from apathy towards God. We've chosen to fast from cable TV because it is, on many levels, something that separates us from our relationship with God. It fills our minds with many subjects that are not edifying and takes away our time that would be better spent in prayer and with each other. We are excited at the idea of having time to read (I've just started reading Captivated.), go to bed earlier, have family devotionals, prayer time and, essentially, be more quiet, less distracted and more focused on what God wants to show us during this time. 

We had been discussing and debating whether this was the right step and whether our motivations were in the right place when I heard a song Sunday morning on the way to church, we then sang it in the worship service and then heard it again on the way home from church. The line "I Will Rise" repeats many times in the song, and my less than deep thoughts kept telling me that God is calling me to rise up and I can't rise up if I'm sitting on my rear end in front of the TV.  

Tuesday Treats - Lime Bars

We visited some friends on Friday night for a house-warming party, and as usual, I can't show up empty-handed. I made some chocolate-covered strawberries since we had some chocolate left over from our Christmas baking. 

And, we've been eating as light as possible so I made some angel food cupcakes as a no-fat alternative. The plan was to top them with fat-free cool whip (tinted pink) and some strawberry slices, but I didn't plan ahead enough and let the cool whip get too soft so they weren't quite presentable and were left at home. 

But, the real tasty treat was the lime bars that Daniel made. We've made them before, and they were just as tasty as I remember. They are actually from a lemon bar recipe in the Pampered Chef It's Good For You cookbook, but we like to mix it up with lime instead of lemon.

Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup 70% vegetable oil spread

Filling

3 limes

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 egg whites

2 T. flour

1/4 t. salt

2 t. powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray square pan with nonstick cooking spray (I prefer the baking spray). Combine flour and powdered sugar in bowl, add vegetable oil spread, and then mix together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press crumb mixture into bottom of pan and bake 17 minutes.

2. Zest the limes to make 2 t. zest. Juice the limes to make 1/2 lime juice. Combine zest, juice, sugar and whisk in bowl. Add eggs, egg whites, flour, salt and whisk until blended.

3. Spread filling evenly over cooled crust. Bake 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely and then sprinkle (or cover) with powdered sugar. Cut into bars and serve!

16 Bars: Calories per bar = 170 (This recipe is low-cal and low cholesterol.)

Movie Monday - The Bucket List

We're a bit late in the game on seeing this flick, but bear with me... 

We spent the weekend painting the master bedroom. It was our first foray into painting in this new home, and we're hoping to tackle one room per month, but this one wore us out. By Sunday night, we were ready to relax, so we popped this show in. 

Daniel was actually asleep before we knew Morgan Freeman's character was sick, and even before Jack Nicholson's character had made an appearance. Thus, I watched it alone. 

It was slow moving from the beginning and not as good as I had expected. I'm sure you've all seen it so I won't go into the details, but it did make me think about my own Bucket List. I don't like the idea of making one. I do set goals for myself, but they are typically short-term, spanning a quarter or at most, a year. I've thought about it further today, and still don't see myself making a list of things to do before I die. 

I'll just continue to praise God for each day he grants me with my family, and have the mind-set that every day is  a blessing from God. I am proud of what I've done with my life, and I wouldn't like the idea of feeling as if I were cheated or God didn't give me enough time to do what I wanted to do. I'll keep doing what He calls me to do and assume that He'll know when I'm done. That seems more peaceful than feeling as if I haven't accomplished enough. 

UPDATE: I've heard the same song over and over today and it finally hit me that this post needed an update. Maybe we could flip the idea in the movie around and instead make a list of things we're going to do in heaven.

Lent - Questions & Teaser

Does anyone reading this celebrate Lent? If not, then why? I grew up with many Catholic friends and have always been impressed with the energy and consistency put forth into the Catholic traditions. Although I've never been a member of a church that participated in the Lenten season, I've written quite a few articles on the subject and conducted several interviews with ministers leading Lenten services.  This has culminated in me following Lent a few times in the last decade, and we will be doing so as a family this year. 

I'm working on a blog entry for Ash Wednesday and wanted to find out first if anyone else is planning to observe this 40-day season leading into Easter? If not, do you have any other traditions that lead into Easter other than the day of Easter?

Please share...

Around the Watercooler

There's a lot of topics I've been tempted to blog about, but I just don't think they warrant that much of my time or brain power. I'm sure it's the same watercooler topics you've been privy to...

I'm certainly tired of stressing and worrying about the abundance of money the federal government is spending and how they are spending it. Oy! It's not my own pocketbook I worry about so much, but that of my children! Our country has dug itself into a hole of debt, and I think it's a travesty that the leadership is choosing to dig further into that hole. It's so scary to think that a package as large as the government's fiscal year was passed through too quickly for those voting on it to even read it in it's entirety. Does anyone remember that one of Obama's campaign promises was to post all bills online and invite public responses over a two-week time period before he would sign anything? No? Apparently, neither does he. 

You may not recognize Attorney General Holder, but I'm sure you've been talking about his comments this past week that we are a "nation of cowards" when it comes to race relations. Honestly, I do agree with that statement, but feel that it is people like him who have made me a coward. I grew up learning that it didn't matter what color you are and that we're all the same. I completely accept that and do not care if you're purple or orange! However, as an adult I've learned that it does matter what color you are and if you are not white, you should be afforded special privileges and deserve more opportunity than people who are white. And, as a white person, I've learned that I'm supposed to keep my mouth shut and not speak my opinion about people of color. For example, many white people who did not support Obama during the election were considered racist. I never did support the man, but the thought of his skin color had nothing to do with that lack of support. Oh, goodness. If we really wanted to get everyone on equal ground and not be afraid to speak up about race, I think we'd have to do away with special allowances and privileges and telling people they deserve breaks in life just because they have a particular color of skin.  Seriously, I could go on and on for a while about this and although Holder has encouraged me to...

This woman's poor story just has to be talked about. I don't even know where to begin with how much is wrong with this woman. I think we should just pray, pray and pray for those 14 children. My goodness.

And, this woman is thanking God for her life, and hopefully giving her hairdresser an extra tip next time she goes in for a do. The Kansas City woman's tight hair weave stopped a bullet headed towards her when her boyfriend attempted to shoot her in the head. If that isn't proof of God working in our world, I don't know what more you want from him!

It's been a busy watercooler week, and I'm having to step back from all the headlines and reassure myself that God is in control. I can't imagine what he thinks of us and what is happening to society, but I know I'm thankful that He hasn't given up on us, even those crazy people we've been talking about around the watercolor. When this is the world we're living in, all that we can do is give it back to Him. He knows what to with it. 

Wii Had Too Much Fun

I used some of my Christmas money to finally purchase a Wii Fit last month, and we've been having a lot of fun with it. My sister rarely uses her Wii, so when we visited them recently, we took along the Wii Fit and had a family night on the balance board.

We started out with my all-time favorite Wii Fit game, the Hula Hoop. No one but me took on the Super Hula Hoop, but they still put up some respectable spin numbers.

Dad - leaning to catch a hoop thrown at him...

Me - getting my Super Hula Hoop groove on...

I'm not quite sure what Kelly Ann is doing here, but it looks like she's having fun, no matter how silly she looks.

Mom - doing her best to play along although we had to force her to join us.

Kelly and Daniel mixed it up with some strength training push-ups to side planks...

... and, his favorite, the ski jumping.

The time got away from us because we were having so much fun, and it was nearly midnight by the time we put the board to rest. But, Dad must have enjoyed himself because he went out the following day after church and purchased his own Wii Fit.

Abigail and Grandad got straight to practicing their yoga. As you can see, their not exactly the most flexible pair. 

Tuesday Treats - Bacon Explosion

DISCLAIMER WARNING: This blog entry is Daniel's contribution, and not recommended by all Hardy - Party of Four members due to obvious artery clogging results.

Ingredients
2 pounds thick cut bacon
2 pounds Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 jar of your favorite barbecue rub

To kick off the construction of this pork medley you’ll need to create a 5×5 bacon weave. If the strips you’re using aren’t as wide as the ones pictured, then you may need to use a few extra slices to fill out the pattern. Just make sure your weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.

The next step is to add some barbecue seasoning on top of your bacon weave.  Then, layer two pounds of Italian sausage on top of the seasoned bacon weave. Be sure to press the sausage all the way to the outer edges of the bacon, creating a patty with the same thickness throughout. Next, fry the remaining slices of bacon to your liking and then crumble or chop into bite-size pieces and layer onto the sausage patty. Then, drizzle your favorite barbecue sauce onto the top of the pig pile. 

Now comes the fun part. Very carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the bacon weave in your roll. Try and keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed. Once the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the bacon goodness inside.

To complete the construction process, roll the sausage forward completely wrapping it in the bacon weave. Make sure it sits with the seam facing downward to help keep it all sealed up.

Sprinkle some barbecue seasoning on the outside of the roll, and it's ready for the smoker. Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225 degrees in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until your meat thermometer gives an internal temperature reading of 165 degrees. Normally this will take about 1 hour for each inch of thickness, but that could vary depending on how well you maintain your fire and also how many times you open the smoker to take a peek. **This is where Daniel wants to deviate from the recipe, and he plans to fry it in his turkey fryer.**

When it's fully cooked, glaze the roll with the barbecue sauce using a basting brush. Slice it into servings and prepare to call 911 to report a heart attack!

Movie Monday - The Shack

It's not a movie, yet... I'm anticipating that someone will make The Shack into a movie within the next five years, so I'm making an exception and reviewing my recent reading material for Movie Monday. However, I'm hesitant to share much of the storyline if there are any of my readers who are still planning to read the book.

Daniel and I each read the book, as we have many times, to create our own sort of book club. (It's our meager attempt to give us something to discuss aside from rantings about colleagues or current political issues.) We were wandering around Barnes & Noble on a rare datenight in January when we picked up the book that had been highly recommended by family members. And, I had read a few worthy recommendations by respected friends from college. Although it is a fiction novel, it has been marketed as a life transforming literary piece. And, I had been told by more than one person, "It is life changing."

With that in mind, I couldn't help but read it with a Biblically discerning eye, and I did not like what I read. There were many parts of The Shack that were thought-provoking but I couldn't get past the idea that someone was putting words into the mouth of not just the Holy Spirit and Jesus, but GOD! I know, I know, it's a novel. But, it has been marketed as a spiritual book. If the publishers want to play in that realm, they must present a worthy book. In fact, I was so bothered by the character of Jesus, that I made a mental note to read it as "Hay-sus" instead of the English translation I have been hearing my whole life. I just couldn't get past the heresy the author committed by putting words into my savior's mouth. 

Another disturbing issue I found was each time the main character, Mack, questioned Papa, the character of God, about instances in the Bible, and Papa brushed them off as if they were just man-made creations. Again, I know these are just characters in a fiction novel, but I don't take lightly to any disparaging views of the word I believe is God's word. 

I think it's interesting to find such a relational view of God that would be a wonderful witness to share with anyone. However, I find that the discrepancies are too strong that it is more dangerous than discipling.

I don't want to go further into revealing more of the book in case you're planning to read it. There were parts that were captivating and did not bother me, but overall, I would not recommend it to anyone. Has anyone else read The Shack? I'm intrigued to hear what you thought of the book. 

Project Runway.... NOT!

I've been exploring fabrics as I plan to re-do Abigail's room in a few months. (As a sidenote... I re-did her room with all new furniture, bedding, decor, etc. three years ago when we were preparing to use the crib and nursery furniture for Cooper. I tried to be clever and used a Hawaiian theme. Not every kid can say they were born in Hawaii, and I've always thought it would be fun to do all her birthdays as a luau, etc..., hence, the Hawaiian-themed room. In Charleston, her room even had a wainscoting of bamboo. We went all out. I always thought it was fun and adorable. When we moved to Austin, she asked to have a different decor in her room. She confessed that she didn't like the Hawaiian stuff. BUT... It's not for an obvious reason. No, this is all her father's fault. One of the fabrics in her bedding has monkeys on it. She said she doesn't like it because monkeys don't live in Hawaii.

Let that sink in a bit.

I got schooled by my Animal Planet educated daughter. I don't watch Animal Planet. I certainly don't DVR Pet Star and watch episode after episode while pretending to be judges of the silly pets. That would be her father who takes on that role. That's why it's his fault that we have a child who wants ecologically correct bedroom decor.

Okay... Back to the blog topic... I've been perusing fabric and came across these two prints at Hobby Lobby last week. The fabric was on sale, and both Abigail and I loved it, so we had to find something to do with it. Today, I found something to do with it.

If this were Project Runway, Michael Kors would butcher my sewing job. I'm not a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination. I picked up a basic Singer machine at a consignment store a year ago and have thrown a few minor projects together when I've had the time. I've yet to make anything from a pattern, and I think I'm desperately in need of classes to learn how to do it correctly. In the meantime, I have fun with the meager job I'm currently capable of doing.

This is just a simple $5 tee I picked up at Wal-Mart. The jeans are a few months old and too long, leaving the hems ragged and frayed from being walked on. I cut off the jeans and re-hemmed them, made some ruffles, with the guidance of my mother and mother-in-law over a few phone conversations and sewed them onto the jeans and tee. 

I worked with the fabric so much tonight that I like it even more than when we bought it. I'm thinking about using both prints in her room. 

Off topic, but too good to leave out...

Another note about my daughter who is too smart for her own good: On the way to church this morning, she was showing off her newly acquired whistling skills. She sings a song at school that requires whistling, and she's been trying for a while to figure out how to make the sound.  She finally got it yesterday, and seemingly hasn't stopped whistling since. (Yeah, my ears are ringing.) Daniel asked her how she learned to whistle. Her response: "Years and years of practice." Good grief, she's not even 5 years old!

Faithful Readers, Lurkers & Everyone Else!

I know I have a few faithful readers, but I suspect that I have a few lurkers. I, too, am a lurker to a few other blogs out there. But - I'm calling you out of the closet, lurkers! Leave some comments! Let me know if you're reading. Or, even better, let me know if you have a blog I can follow. I'd love to give you some link love and add you to the Party of 4 links. 

Whether you come out into the party and be known or keep hiding in the lurker closet, I hope you're getting a bit of entertainment from us.

Love is in the air & the Peanut Butter

We've never celebrated Valentine's Day at the Hardy house, due to the silliness and contrived nature of the day, but Abigail has chosen this year to become excited about the day. Honestly, it doesn't take much to cause excitement in a child, and the idea of an ice-cream party at school and candy was not surprisingly enough to do the trick this year. She was disappointed that her school party was not on the actual celebratory day, so the kids and I had a pajama Valentine's party today. 

Lunch was a special treat of sandwiches cut into hearts. Who knew a cookie cutter could impress someone?! If you have kids, remember that it doesn't take much to do the trick. 

While Cooper was napping this afternoon, we gathered up Abigail's valentines she received at school yesterday...

...and made them into a wreath for her to hang in her room!  (This is another idea I stole from someone else's blog.)

And, it was certainly intentional that all the Hannah Montana and High School Musical cards ended up on the bottom and covered up! What are these kids into? They're 4 and 5 for goodness sakes!

The candy attached to the cards was bagged and hidden in the pantry. I'm not sure if I was trying to hide it from the kids or me and Daniel...

Of course, we spent some time writing thank-you notes for the Valentine treats the kids received from grandparents and others. It's too bad there's not a day of thank-you instead of love. I think people need to be thanked more than they need to receive chocolate and expensive flowers.

And, because I'm a big spender... he he he... The big fun of the day was $2 worth of balloons that are providing hours of fun!

Germs, Cooties & Bacteria, Oh My!

I didn't forget the teachers in my wave of Valentine's craftiness last week. My sister and I worked much of the day last Friday to create V-Day treats for her co-workers (doctors' office) and Abigail and Cooper's teachers. Again, I mostly copied this idea from another blog. 

We started off with these hand sanitizers. We found them in cheap bundles at Target and also resorted to picking some up at the Dollar Tree. Either way, they were each just $1. However, some labels were more stubborn than others. Kelly Ann was a rock star when it came to removing all the labels and any leftover adhesive.

Michael's Arts & Crafts was the source of our decorating accessories. This fun ribbon was perfect to add to the Martha Stewart stickers and tags we used.

We added the stickers and this cute tag.

I also dressed up a few bottles of lotion to give as sets to teachers.

The bottles turned out so cute that we ended up making some for my mother's clients and a few of my mother-in-laws co-workers. In the end, we were a Valentine's sanitizer factory. Nothing say love like germ fightin' gel!

It's in the Bag

Please excuse my long absence in blogging. Daniel was working to create a newly designed laundry room at his parents' house over the past week, and the kids and I accompanied him to enjoy a lovely week in the big city of Odessa. That's right, Slowdeatha. We saw all the sights, or at least Taco Villa, Rosa's, Yana's... now I'm beginning to wonder if we did anything but eat. BUT... Don't forget that we are dieting. Who knew Rosa's and Taco Villa served salads?! In all my years of bean burritos and chips/queso, I had never partaken of either establishments' salads. But, that's enough about the food.

I did take two days off work in the week we were gone, and was able to use one of those days to get ahead in the Valentine's game. We don't celebrate the silly commercial day at the Hardy house, but that doesn't stop the kids' schools from having blowout parties that require our participation. Since I had the time, and I've had the itch to do something crafty, I copied this idea I found on another blog.

I started by making treat bags of yummy jelly beans and gummy Sweet Tarts.

Remember, I've got two kids, so that's two classes, a few cousins and some neighbors who need to know we love them...

Then, my first owned stamp was acquired.

When I searched the Hobby Lobby and Michael's stamp aisles, I was amazed! (Heather D. - are you reading this?) I had no idea the complexity of stamps. I've known quite a few people who are into the stamping crafts, but I've never had anything to do with it. Does anyone know what a clear stamp is? I just didn't get it. Both stores had an aisle of stamping paraphernalia that was befuddling to my meager crafting mind. I just wanted an itty-bitty heart and some cheap red ink. 

Anyways, the stamp was used to pretty-up this commercial-size coffee filter.

I stuck the treat bag in the coffee filter and then tied it up with some cute, gingham ribbon.

The pleats in the filter make a cute flower at the top of the treat. 

I know, I know. These are mostly going out to 4/5 and 2/3 year-olds tomorrow, so I'm not anticipating any impressed recipients. But, I had fun making them and I relish the idea of not having to send Dora or Veggie-Tales paper Valentine's with some cheesy saying that none of them can read with the kids tomorrow. And, I now own a stamp and have enough filters left over that I can make the same treats for both Abigail and Cooper's  classes every year until they complete their doctoral programs.

Call to Action

Here I go again with the political blogging. But, this time I'm including a challenge. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that President Obama is trying to push a "stimulus" bill through congress. This bill is the supposed help America needs to recover from the economic slump, or recession, or depression, whatever you want to call the current status of the economy.

However, this bill is far from stimulus. In a time of financial crisis, this bill contains more pork than any bill ever passed through the U.S. Congress. Take a look at this list of proposed excessive spending:

• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

Yeah. That's a lot of pork, especially for a president who said there would never be special interests in his administration. 

Please take a lot at this bill and what it means for our nation's debt. Is it worth it to you? Is it worth the abundance of taxes we will eventually have to pay forth? That's not to mention the payment future generations will pay for this excessive gluttony. 

After you take a look at this bill, please take action and write your congressional representatives. You can go to congress.org and easily find the contact information for your senators and representatives. They need to know how we feel about this "stimulus package." There is also a petition on nostimulus.com that you can sign if you are not in favor of the current spending package being proposed. 

Movie Monday - Swing Vote

Daniel and I were grasping for a cheap rental from our favorite Red Box vending machine and could only agree on mild interest in Swing Vote. We weren't expecting much, and it delivered just a bit more than our expectations hoped for. A pleasant surprise...

I do find it difficult to be entertained by horrible parents, even when it's just a movie, but once I got past Kevin Costner's character's terrible fatherhood, I was pleasantly entertained.

The end of the movie led into the obvious discussion of what's happened to Kevin Costner. A few days later the question was answered by a local radio DJ. Apparently he's attempting to develop a music career with his band, Modern West, and recently released a new CD, Untold Truths. The DJ claimed the music is good, but I've yet to hear it myself. 

Don't we all wish we had careers that had been so lucrative that we could take time off and make a go of turning our hobby into another lucrative career? Ehhh... Oh, well. Anyways, in Swing Vote, Costner convinced me that he was a worthless, dirt bag father, so I hope that means he's perfected his first career of acting and he's actually a nice guy in reality. 

Last Sunday we set out to lunch after church and found ourselves meandering around without cravings or an idea of somewhere we wanted to eat. After much driving, indecision and rumbling tummies, we headed north to the small town, or maybe just a blip on the map, of Walburg. It's 35 miles north of Austin and does have a couple of stop signs but not even a red light to alert you of its existence.

I had read about this German-American restaurant, cleverly named The Walburg Restaurant, and we were interested in trying something different so that's where we headed. The Sunday buffet of bratwurst, schweinebraten, sauerbraten, and wienerschnitzel, followed by red cabbage, sauerkraut, catfish, shrimp, grilled Salmon on rice, homefries, spaetzle, brisket or ribs, meatballs, jaeger gravy and baked bread was right up Daniel's alley. I wasn't so adventuresome, but the chicken fried steak was one of the best I've ever had. Yummy! It was a pleasant adventure in the quaint little town. 

This building was built in 1882 as a mercantile supplying the local farming community with dry goods. The original owner had migrated from Walburg, Germany, hence the name of the town. Now, it's a restaurant that seats 250. There can't be even half that many residents in Walburg, so it must be popular in the surrounding areas. 

We hope to go back sometime on a Friday or Saturday night when they have live music. It looks like fun...

In the warmer months, they have an outdoor biergarten I'm interested in seeing. For all you future visitors, I hope you like German food!