And the asteroid gets closer...

...as my husband likes to say. It seems that now the National Day of Prayer violates the Constitution, according to one liberal leftie judge who was nominated by Jimma Carter. Which is, of course, ridiculous. Nowhere in the Constitution does it state that prayer is disallowed, even the encouragement of prayer - to anything or anyone - by the federal government. See for yourself. Here is the First Amendment. Read it. It's short and simple. In fact, I'll post it for you right here:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Then go back and read the rest of the sections here. It's broken down nicely. Print it. READ IT. KNOW IT. We could all use a refresher, I'm certain.

This whole "separation of church & state" fiasco has been seized by the Left as a way to abolish Christianity entirely. They believe Christians have too much "power" in the U.S. (ironically, they don't understand that Christians don't believe true power comes from the government), and the ideals and morals that we try to advance interfere with their way of life. For example, they want to keep abortion legal, legalize gay marriage, fund embryonic stem cell research, etc. All of which are at odds with Christian moral principle.

We need to remember that the phrase "separation of church and state" is NOT in the Constitution at all. It came from a letter written by one man - Thomas Jefferson - in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, addressing some of their concerns over religious freedom. In fact, the purpose of his letter was to assure the Baptists that their religious freedoms would not be impeded by the government...not that they weren't allowed to practice religion because of the government! Which is ironic because the Left always uses that quote to try to inhibit prayer and religion, not the other way around.

You can see the full text of Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists here. As you can easily see, it exhibits a "separation of church and state" as a means to afford individuals a right to freely express their religion. It is an assurance of freedom...not a threat that prayer is a violation of it.

Until the government begins imposing Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Obamism, or any other "religion" upon us (think 1984), and forbids the practice of any other "non-sanctioned" religion, I believe the Founding Fathers would deem the National Day of Prayer worthy of our time and attention.

The Mailbox Surround

As it gets warmer, I've been doing some projects outside around the house. I thought the mailbox could use some sprucing up. So I did this:

I think it's kind of cute. The little border was pre-fabricated and I got 2 of them at around $7/piece. And they're malleable so I was able to curve it around the space! And yes, I realize there's only one little tiny bush in the area. That's because I had planned to transplant some of the I-don't-know-exactly-what-they-are from my backyard to the mailbox. Well...long story short, that didn't work. So now I want to go back to Lowe's or Home Depot and get a couple of more small bushes. Something hardy to cold weather, low maintenance, and easy to plant. Any suggestions? Perhaps a couple of low, flowering bushes? This one is supposed to get about 3x3 ft, so something that complements that and won't overgrow it. I'm game for advice!

Thanks in advance!

-M&TS

Some swaps that have saved me on my weight-loss journey!

Since I started Weight Watchers back in January of '08, I have found several things that have saved my life as far as satisfying cravings when I'd otherwise eat crap. Here are a few of those things:

• 100% whole-grain anything. Switch to whole grain bread, cereal, english muffins, pitas, and tortillas...whatever. You can barely tell the difference and there's tons more fiber.
• Fat free/sugar free Jell-O pudding. Chocolate's the best. Put on some fat free whipped cream and it feels like you're being really bad!
• Quaker chewy granola bars. Eat one when you really want to have a candy bar!
• Ground turkey. SOOOO much better for you than ground beef. Or just switch to the extra-lean ground beef. But you really can't tell a difference when it's in chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos, etc.
• Veggie burgers. I know, I know. It seems like they're only for tree-hugging hippie vegans, but they really satisfy your craving for a burger when you NEED one and it's not your "cheat day."
• Fat free American cheese. This stuff really is good! And it melts really oozy-ish so it's great on burgers and grilled cheese!
• Egg whites. Not quite as good as real eggs, but tons less cholesteral and fat. And if you put in a bunch of veggies, lean deli meat, and fat free cheese, it's pretty much as good as a regular omelette! And you can buy egg whites already separated for you from Egg Beaters. Hello, easy!
• Popcorn. Second. Best. Food. Ever. 'Nuff said. Eat all you want.
• Turkey bacon. The alternative to the BEST. FOOD. EVER. Not nearly as good, but again, will do in a pinch. And really is way healthier.
• On that note, turkey or fat free hot dogs. Oohh...I recently had a fat free one with turkey chili and fat free cheese. A healthy chili-cheese dog! What?!? Seriously.
• And on that note, turkey or vegetarian chili. The turkey stuff really is pretty good!
• Water. Water, water, water. If you can't stand drinking water, add a Crystal Light packet. "Can" the pop. Water is the ticket. If you must drink pop, choose diet. Zero cals.
• I almost forgot these! They're huge! I don't know where I'd be without 100 calorie packs. They come in almost any brand/flavor/species possible. I love the Chex, Cheez-It snack mixes, and some of the chocolate cookie kinds.
• Baked! potato chips like Lays & Scoops. Life savers.
• Weight Watchers 1 POINTS bars, Weight Watchers ice cream treats
• Skinny Cow. Skinny Cow and more Skinny Cow.

Besides all these ideas, a cookbook that has saved me is Hungry Girl. She has awesome swap ideas for popular crap-foods. And it's not just for girls - the author calls herself Hungry Girl.

As far as exercise, spinning, BodyStep, BodyPump, and kickboxing are my go-to's. Especially spinning. You burn like 500 cals in 30 minutes! It's insane and it's usually only a 45 minute class. Check it out at your gym or school rec-center.

Lastly, one thing you should probably avoid by all means necessary, with every fiber of your being is the Craz-E Burger. Just a thought.

UPDATE: I just remembered - light bread! The slices are small and pretty paper-thin, but it's great for a light lunch sandwich. Check it. I'll also probably think of a bunch more things later, but I'll just keep updating.

Exposing the LIES

When will our mainstream culture figure this out? This is the mode of operation at almost every Planned Parenthood across the country. But somehow, they still have credibility in the mainstream media and receive billions of tax dollars from the government...even more now, thanks to the stealthscare law. Why is it that small, caring pregnancy centers are victim to these kinds of ordinances such as the fraudulent Baltimore City Council ordinance requiring such centers to post signs stating they do not provide contraception or abortions. Ironically, a PP of Maryland spokesperson said such law is "just responsible policy." Is the video below responsible, PP spokesperson??? Thank God for Lila Rose and her undercover operations at PP "clinics" across the country. She's an amazing young woman. If you don't know her, please check out her organization, LiveAction. And please pass this video around - people need to know the TRUTH!!

The Semantics Debate

I've long argued that the pro-abortion lobby has won - not in its argument for dismembering children in the womb...that's impossible to defend - but in the war of semantics. By calling abortion (murder) a "choice", they have successfully dehumanized unborn children. The have succeeded in making the public forget about what the act of abortion really is and does to a child, and instead shifted its idea of abortion to the woman. This is why I think it's so important for those of us in the pro-life movement to cease using the term coined by our opponents - "pro-choice" - and use the term that truly highlights what they really are - pro-abortion.

It has become clear in recent months, and even the last couple of years, that the abortion lobby is not by any means pro-choice. They despise the idea of a woman choosing life for her baby. Never was this more clear than in the "Tebow Super Bowl Ad" debate. Luckily it was such a benign ad that it made the pro-aborts look even more ridiculous.

I came across this post today that I think sums up the fraudulent argument of pro-"choice"ers. I like how the author points out that because "scientifically, medically, constitutionally, morally and ethically, the case for abortion rights is so intellectually bankrupt," the abortion lobby has to succumb to moronic, baseless arguments like "choice" to keep people's attention. I especially like this paragraph:

"Nevertheless, I must also admit to finding great satisfaction in finally being able to lay to rest one of the most offensive, hollow, and illogical arguments of the pro-abortion lobby. The euphemistic label of not being pro-abortion, but rather "pro-choice" has plagued this debate for decades. Intellectually speaking, this argument has always been beyond silly. To say that you're pro-choice is absolutely meaningless unless you acknowledge what act you believe people should have a choice in doing. The question has always been, 'choice to do what?'"

Exactly. Calling abortion simply a "choice" completely voids what is actually being chosen. I use this argument any time someone asks me, shocked, "So you don't believe in a woman's right to choose?" [Gasp!] I ask them back, "To choose what?" This puts them in the position of having to defend their position of believing it's OK to kill a human being. There are a LOT of things I believe women have the right to choose: who to date, who to vote for, what doctor to go to, what college to go to, what to eat for breakfast, what shoes to wear to their best friend's wedding...you get the picture. In fact, "choice" is not a Constitutional right. There are a lot of things people aren't allowed to choose to do. Beat their wives. Beat their children. Drive drunk. Rape. Do you see how using the word "choice" doesn't even begin to address the issue of abortion?

I'm not trying to trivialize the situation, but I am trying to point out how the abortion lobby attempts to trivialize the act of abortion by spinning the semantics of the issue.

My black thumb

I'm SO excited! Hubby is building me two raised flower beds!! I tried to garden for the first time EVER last year and let's just say things didn't "grow" too well! I dug out my own little plot of land and tried tomatoes, peppers, and broccoli. I think I harvested two tiny peppers and a couple of tinier tomatoes. The broccoli pretty much died on impact. It was pathetic. People always ask me, "But didn't you grow up on a farm?" Yes. Yes I did. I grew up on a FARM...not a GARDEN. We had big, huge machines that planted, fertilized, and harvested. And I myself wasn't a big part of that process. So no...I don't know how to grow things. My dad, yes. If society ever collapsed, we'd move back to Indiana and survive just fine. But if we stayed here in Maryland, we'd be toast. And quick.

But THIS YEAR I'm optimistic! We plotted some land in the yard that gets the most sun and roped off the area. I think the biggest difference is going to be the soil. The natural soil in our yard is nasty, rocky, and clay-ey. I think that's a big part of my failure last year. So with a raised bed, we're going to dig out about 6 inches of dirt, lay some gravel, then Weed Free, compost, peet moss, then top soil and then start a-plantin! The boxes will be 3 ft. wide by 8 ft. long. I have TONS of seeds of all varieties. I'll keep you posted on how planting/growing progresses. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! In the meantime, I'll diary the building of the boxes.

La Casa de Ave

Ok, so I'm showing off a little Spanish. Actually, my Spanish is SO rusty that I had to use an online translator for the word "bird." There. Now you know. I cannot tell a lie.

My husband and son built this amazing birdhouse today. So it may not look amazing to certain professional carpenters, but it was their first woodworking project and I thought it was fantastic! However, tt wasn't as easy as it might look. My husband used some old, moldy wood from the basement that had no other use but to be otherwise taken to the dump and it split down the middle during assembly. But with a little wood glue and caulk, it turned out pretty nice! I should have taken a photo of it, but the side swings open to remove old nests. I also should have taken a picture of the self-portrait Jack drew of himself so the birdies would have something lovely to look at. Now they'll never be bored. It will be like AvianTV. Birds today are SO 2010.