Planned Parenthood Boycott List

****UPDATE*****
My wonderful friend Barbara from Praying for Grace reminded me that this is only a PARTIAL list. If you become a member at Life-Decisions, you are entitled to a COMPLETE list....Barbara says at least 10 times the amount of businesses! I would also like to note that writing letters to the CEO's of these companies DOES work. Many have been removed because they discontinued contributing to PPH! Thank you Barbara!!!!!!



Take a good look at this partial Boycott List of contributors to Planned Parenthood. I must admit, when I first received this list (and it changes all the time), I was shocked at which companies used my money to contribute to Planned Parenthood. Admittedly, it is not always in our control to make a change to another company, but I think most people can do a reasonable job of changing what they can.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD BOYCOTT LIST! (updated May 2009)

Adobe Software, Agfa-Gavaert Films, Bank of America,
China Products, CBS TV, BET, MTV, Chevron/Texaco,
Cigna Health, Clif Bars, Color Me Mine,
Dallas Cowboys, Disney & ABC TV, Dupont Products,
E-Bay/PayPal/Skype, Forbes Publishing, Four Seasons Hotels,
Gannett/USA Today, Glaxo/Smith Kline, Goldman Sachs,
GWI Software, Hearst Publishing, Highsmith School Sup,
Hooters Restaurants, Holiday Inn/Crowne Plz, Jax Jaguars,
Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan Chase, Kenneth Cole,
Kernels Snacks, Kimpton Hotels, Laureate Education,
Lettuce Entertain You, Levi Strauss/Dockers, Lost Arrow Products,
Lowe's Hotels, Madison Chemicals, Marriott Hotels,
Merck Pharmaceutical, Microsoft, Midas Mufflers,
Mutual of America, National Amusements, Nationwide Insurance,
NY Times, Nike Sports, Northern Trust Bank,
Oracle Software. Pizza Pizza, Qualcomm Comm.,
Silicon Space, Sonic Restaurants, Symantec software,
Tiffany's Stores, Time Warner/AOL, Torstar,
Vulcan Broadcasting, Wachovia/Wells Fargo, Whole Foods Markets,
William Companies ,Winter Hawks, Working Assets ,
Wyeth Pet Foods, YSI Environmental, Secular Media

Source: Life Decisions-updated May 2009 (http://www.fightpp.org/)

Please prayerfully consider changing the ones that you can.

I get this information from a wonderful newsletter I receive every month called Christian Action News. It is published solely to enlighten, encourage and empower the "silent majority" to effect positive change. The news, views and opinions expressed as well as actions suggested are those of the writers and/or sources noted and not necessarily those of the officers of LIFE/CAN Inc.
Referral to sources or websites are not an endorsement of those sources or any specific websites.
For your copy of the newsletter (which I highly recommend), contact 772-219-1144 or lifecan@bellsouth.net.

Officially Summer!

Today is the official first day of summer vacation for my kids! Right now, Amelia and Olivia are glued to the tv watching some strange cartoon called "Gogoriki". I've never seen it (or heard of it) before and I'm pretty sure it will be the last time they watch it. Nathan is in his room "karate chopping" anything in sight with his new sword. I wonder how long it will be before all three of them come to me to say they are "bored".

Uuuurrrrrgggggg!

Darn it to heck! I gained 4 pounds this week!!!

My daughters!!

I would consider this blog rated G, wouldn't you? The reason I ask is because sometimes, things happen in this household that truly warrant repeating but I hesitate.....because of my "family" rating! With that in mind, I have two stories to tell....one rated G (or E for everyone) and the other is rated PG (not for everyone). Decide which one you are and read accordingly!

RATED G STORY:

Since Dan had to work tonight and I hadn't really planned much for dinner, I asked the kids to choose between pancakes, cereal or peanut butter & Fluff sandwiches. They all chose peanut butter & Fluff (as I thought they would). I added some applesauce to the meal so at least it had the appearance of being healthy. Nathan and Amelia ate really well tonight! Olivia, on the other hand....wouldn't eat hardly anything! I was finally able to persuade her to eat the sandwich but she would have NOTHING to do with the applesauce. She normally loves applesauce so I finally had to ask her why she wouldn't eat it. She responded with tears, "Mom, I didn't order any applesauce tonight"!

Moral of the story....."Moms really are short-order cooks"!

RATED PG STORY:

While the girls were taking a bath....I had Amelia lie down so I could rinse her hair. When she did, she shouted out (loudly)...."Ouch, my nuts"!! Trying to reign in my shock at her outburst.....I asked her what the heck she was talking about! She explained that when she had moved to lay down like I asked her to, she had sat on her Dora the Explorer bath toy and it had pinched her on her bottom.....near her nuts!

Moral of the story...."Moms should really just stick to short-order cooking and don't ask too many questions that they really don't want the answers to"!

Wordless Wednesday

Memorial Day

Thank you for all that you do, for all that you've sacrificed!

My heart is broken....

Faith Hope passed away. I really am heartbroken. For the last 93 days, she fought the battle that everyone said could not be won. She wasn't supposed to live more than a few minutes. She lived for 3 wonderful months. She brought joy to this fumbling world.

There is a song by a christian music artist, Twila Paris. It's called "Visitor from Heaven". This is what Faith was....an angel visiting from heaven.

A visitor from Heaven

If only for a while
A gift of love to be returned
We think of you and smile

A visitor from Heaven
Accompanied by grace
Reminding of a better love
And of a better place

With aching hearts and empty arms
We send you with a name
It hurts so much to let you go
But we're so glad you came
We're so glad you came

A visitor from Heaven
If only for a day
We thank Him for the time He gave
And now it's time to say
We trust you to the Father's love
And to His tender care
Held in the everlasting arms
And we're so glad you're there
We're so glad you're there

With breaking hearts and open hands
We send you with a name
It hurts so much to let you go
But we're so glad you came
We're so glad you came

Rest in peace, Faith. We will see you again.

Summer is almost here.....

....and the ice cream man made an early visit here this afternoon!

Spiderman and Spongebob ice cream all around!

Computer issues

I'm not really sure what's going on around your blogging world....but mine seems to have developed a mind all it's own! For the past 3 days...I've not been able to view any blogs (including my own) without getting an error message. At first, Dan and I thought it was my laptop so I tried to use his computer, but that was a bust too. Finally, he loaded Mozilla Firefox and I am able to use the Internet again! Apparently, I'm not the only one having these "issues". I'm still not sure if it's a Internet Explorer issue....or a Blogger issue. Anyway, if I have not commented on your blog lately....it isn't for lack of wanting to! If anybody out there knows for sure what's going on....I'd love to hear it!

Accomplishments!!

It's 12:35pm on Tuesday and I've gotten a lot done today!! I tackled WalMart early (8:30am) for my bag of King Arthur's Whole Wheat flour!! I was really wanting to try the new recipe that I posted about here! If the truth be told....it doesn't really taste any different than any other whole wheat bread I've made. It's still delicious and well worth the effort! Today is rainy, windy and cool here in Jacksonville.....the perfect day for making home made bread!

I made two loaves and took one over to my favorite homeschooling mom and her family. They are doing their end of the year testing this week and I thought I would treat them!

I was also able to place my order with the Oriental Trading Company for some crafts that the kids and I will do over the summer. These crafts are easy, cheap and handy to have for those moments when you need to peel the kids off the walls!!

For dinner tonight....it's BBQ chicken (legs and thighs) and corn casserole with garlic bread!

Now...it's time for a nap (or at least a rest) with Olivia before I have to leave to pick the other kids up from school.

I hope your day was productive too!

Observation

What does "getting caught up" on laundry really mean? Does it mean to have ALL of it done or just enough to be able to see the floor? I ask this because it occurred to me today that when ALL of my laundry is done.....I don't have enough room in the linen closet for all the clean towels!
I think it's best to leave some of it dirty. I'm just sayin.

What's up this week.

1. Nathan finished his report on alligators last night. This is actually the reason we went to the Alligator Farm on Saturday. We wanted to get some good pictures of Nathan with the gators. His report turned out really nice. Daddy guided him really well. There was no fighting, no raised voices and he didn't get sent to his room at all! This is progress, my friends....progress!

2. Olivia has just two more days of school....today and Wednesday! This is bittersweet as we will be leaving Wilma's Little People School (Jacksonville University) and heading to Assumption with Nathan and Amelia. WLPS has been a very special place for our kids. I will miss it! However, it will be easier to have all 3 of them in the same place. Wednesday is her "end of the year" party. Dan signed us up to bring finger sandwiches....actually...he signed me up to bring finger sandwiches.

3. There is an interesting little quiz going around on Facebook called "How well do you know ????". The way it works is you set up questions for your friends to answer....it's all multiple choice. I can't believe that some very close friends did TERRIBLE on this quiz!!!
There are actually some blogging friends who did better or as well as those I've known for 25 years or so!! I realize that I've been in Jacksonville for almost 13 years now.....so all my friends from my life in California have not seen me in many years....but still! After all, one of them was my house mate for several years....and the other...well let's just say that I could have married him. I guess I've changed in 13 years....I consider that a good thing!

4. The religious order that is associated with our school (Servant Sisters (& Brothers) of the Home of the Mother) is sponsoring a retreat for boys ages 8-24 in July. As soon as Nathan heard about it, he wanted to go! This seemed strange to me since he has never really been away from home. This would be a 6 day retreat in the Smokey Mountains of North Georgia. I was really surprised that he was so interested. One of the concerns I had was that the age range seemed so large! However, after talking with Sister Clare, she assured me that there would be plenty of boys Nathan's age attending. We mulled this over for several weeks and finally filled out the paperwork and sent in the money this morning. I'm still nervous about it....but if he has a vocation to the priesthood...I want to help foster that...not stifle it. I ask for your prayers for Nathan regarding this boys retreat. Also....pray for his mother....that she can feel comfortable by letting go a teeny, tiny bit!!

5. Nathan and Amelia only have 9 days left of school. I should be happy about this but I don't think I'm prepared yet to have all three of them home at one time.....day after day. So, being the homeschooling wannabe that I am.....I will map out a tentative calendar for us for the summer. I want to try to plan outings, crafts and adventures so that they aren't sitting in front of the tv all summer! We have the Zoo, several museums, the alligator farm, The Shrine and lots of things to do in St. Augustine. We have a water park and of course....the Atlantic Ocean close by. I will let you know what are plans are....once I plan them!

6. We are still basking in the glow of Nathan's First Holy Communion. Each time I pass the entertainment center....I stop and read all of the cards he received. I sure wish I remembered more of that time in my life...when I received the Lord for the first time. Sadly, it is all a blur.
Anyway...our first order of business tonight is to have Nathan write some thank you notes!
This could be a long night.

Have a wonderful day everybody...and a blessed week!

I Love My Kids!!!!

Spare change anyone???

I wish I had a nickel for every time I bend down and pick up things off of the floor that DON'T BELONG TO ME!!

When I walked in the door tonight....I picked up all kinds of things off the floor in the living room. When we sat down to eat dinner.....the floor was spotless. That was about 1 hour ago.
I thought I would share with you what is ON THE FLOOR right now....

1 Thomas the Tank Engine
2 dirty socks belonging to Olivia
1 Tonka ambulance/rescue truck
1 blanket
1 pillow from the couch
1 basket of various toy items
1 laundry basket of clothes needed to be folded (ok...I admit I put this one there)

and........

1 library book

How does this happen? Or, more importantly, why does this happen? I threaten to throw things away if they're on the floor....I really do threaten! Why don't I follow through???? Because I paid darn good money for these things, that's why!!!

I wonder if moving would be easier?

Homemade Bread

Do you like homemade bread? I sure do!! Dan and the kids love it too! I usually make two loaves at a time and it lasts us about two days (if I'm lucky). I am always looking for bread recipes but usually end up with my stand-by recipe from King Arthur! There is nothing better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on fresh bread! Mmmmmm Good!!

Recently, I was surfing through all of my "bookmarked" favorite blogs and came across a bread recipe that sounds terrific! I found the recipe on the blog "Be It Ever So Humble". It sounds easier than the one I use and I'm intrigued with the use of instant potato flakes. I'm going to make some this week and I'll let you know how it comes out! If you want to try it with me....here is the recipe....

100% Whole Wheat Bread

1 2/3 cups very warm water
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup instant potato flakes
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/3 - 2 cups additional whole wheat flour

Combine first 3 ingredients, then slowly add oil, honey, salt, potato flakes, and lemon juice, mixing as you go. Add remaining flour a little at a time until the texture is right. Knead about 10 minutes (I use my KitchenAid). Shape into two loaves and place in two greased 8" loaf pans. Let rise until double, about 30 minutes. (I put them on top of the stove and preheated the oven at the same time.) Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Cool on rack. For a softer crust, cover the loaves with a towel as they cool.

What kind....

....of a mother am I that I'm allowing my kids to play outside when I can hear the rumble of distant thunder?

Our Lady of Fatima

We're getting ready to celebrate Our Lady of Fatima's Feast Day tomorrow! Our plans are very simple.....praying our family rosary, enjoying a special treat and watching The Day the Sun Danced!

The girls have been begging me to make these Snow Cloud Meringue Cookies. Sometimes I avoid things because they sound complicated. I'm happy to say that these were NOT complicated at all! Extremely easy!!! This recipe is from a book I got for the girls for Christmas....it's called The Usborne Little Book of Christmas Cooking. I love Usborne books!!

Anyway, here is the recipe....

2 egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

sugar sprinkles

That's all!! I think it took me 15 minutes from start to finish!! Preheat your oven to 225 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the egg whites until the thick/stiff peak stage. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Whisk well (batter will be shiny). Scoop a teaspoon at a time of the meringue onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with your favorite sugar sprinkles. Bake them for 40 minutes, then turn off the oven and let them sit inside for another 15 minutes.

Even if they don't come out perfect....they are delicious cookies! This recipe isn't exactly on Weight Watchers...but if I substituted Splenda for the sugar....I should be good to go!

Here's how they turned out....

There are 31 yummy recipes in this little book....I'd like to try them all!

Either this camera is bad.....or (the more likely scenario) I haven't a clue how to adjust the settings so I can take decent pictures. Sigh....

Another bad picture. I wanted to show how shiny the batter is....because apparently, this is very important in order for the meringue to be the correct consistency so it can "dry" out properly and become crunchy. But all you can see here is that the batter is WHITE. Oh well...I tried.

Here is our finished product before going into the oven. These are supposed to be more uniform in shape....but I had two little girls pulling on my legs so they could see better and....well...this is what I could manage. The girls did the sprinkles....we picked blue in honor of the Blessed Mother! Since they need to be in the oven for about an hour...and we started too late, I promised that they can have this special treat for breakfast! I apologize in advance to their teachers!!

And lastly, I thought I would share one more picture from today.....I let the girls go outside to play while Nathan was doing his homework! I went outside to check on them. Olivia said they were playing "hide and seek". This is where I found Amelia hiding.....in my Camellia tree!!

She's my little monkey!!

The Miracle of the Sun

Nathan's Day in Pictures!

Here are a few more pictures of Nathan's special day!

Acting silly before leaving for church!

Nathan with his sisters.

Nathan and Amelia really need haircuts!

Nathan and his good friend Rachel!

Nathan and his friend Pheobe.

Nathan, Emily and Rachel.

Nathan, Colin and Kate.

Well, you can tell that I'm not a professional photographer!

Such a handsome little man!

Oops! I forgot to "get the red out". I didn't edit any of these photos.

Something on the lens here.....I shouldn't be allowed to carry the camera!!!!

Nathan with his wonderful Godparents...Walt and Margie Meier! It seems like just yesterday we were having him baptized! Where did the last eight years go???

Nathan and Grandma.

Nathan with Sister Clare. Our church and school are so blessed to have the presence of these wonderful women who have given their lives to our Lord. They are an order called, Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. What a witness it is to the young kids to see the nuns walking around in habits again! They have made a huge influence on the lives of the kids in our school! If it were 25 years earlier, this would be the order I would consider. Check out the link if you're interested.

What a day!!

This was such an incredible day! I can't tell you how many overflowing emotions that I had during this ceremony! God willing, I get to do this two more times!!! More pictures to follow....

Happy Mother's Day to all of those Terrific Mothers I know....and to all those I don't!!!!!

Guess What I Got???

My wonderful friend Therese sent this to me for Mother's Day.....she is the best!!! This is so cute! Thank you, Therese!!

Awesome

As most of you know, Nathan is making his First Holy Communion this Saturday! We are very excited! Nathan received a gift from his Aunt Mary Jo this week. Aunt Mary Jo is a very talented artist and spent quite a long time creating this special gift for Nathan! This is an original, designed especially for him. Everything (painting and calligraphy) was done by hand!

I can tell you for a fact that this picture does NOT do it justice! In case you are unable to read it......

"This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to His Supper. In celebration of Nathaniel Adam Widener on the day of his First Holy Communion, May 9, 2009"

Thank You, Aunt Mary Jo!!

Never noticed before.

Since re-re-re-re-re-starting Weight Watchers recently, I've really tried to pay attention to everything I put into my mouth. This has kept me pretty busy!! However, I've noticed a few things that I now know has been an integral part in my weight gain over the years. In Weight Watcher "speak", we call this a NSV (non scale victory)! Here it is....

I finish my children's meals! There.....I said it! I never really noticed it before. While I'm cleaning off the table, if there is even a tiny morsel of food on their plate (that has not been partially chewed and then spit out!), I will finish it off! I can't believe I do this! I have good news though.....I haven't done this in almost two weeks! I am so proud that I have figured this out!

This truly is a NSV for me!!!

I'm not the only one who is thrilled to have figured this out though.......Katie (the dog) is pretty darn happy too....cause now the leftovers end up in her bowl!

Seven Pounds

Last night, after the kids were in bed, Dan and I sat down and watched a movie together! Dan had gone to Target earlier in the day to return something and found that the movie "Seven Pounds" was on sale. We really like Will Smith, so he bought it.

Have you seen this movie?

I won't go into any detail about it (because it could ruin it), but, it was really good...in a strange sort of way. It was one of those "make you think" movies. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it.

Sunday's Gospel (warning....long post)

From yesterday's Gospel....

Jn 10:11-18 Jesus said:"I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own,sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd,and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father."

This has always been one of my most favorite readings. I want to tell you a story about an experience in my life that allowed me to know...within my very soul what this passage means.

When I was in my early 20's, I was introduced to the Christian Music scene. At that time (mid to late 80's), the popular musicians were...Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Kim Hill, Randy Stonehill, Twila Paris and Sandi Patti just to name a few. Michael W. Smith was one of my favorites. And so, some friends and I got tickets to one of his concerts in Oakland (Ca). Well, just a few days before the concert, the big Loma Prieta earthquake happened in the Bay Area (10/17/89). Because the integrity of the Oakland Coliseum could not be assessed in time for the concert, the venue was changed to the Berkeley Community Theatre which is much, much smaller. Anyway....there was an opening act for Smitty...and her name was Margaret Becker. I think by the end of the evening...I enjoyed Margaret's music and message much more than MWS.

A friend made some copies of her tapes for me...and I was hooked! Her music literally changed my life! She had an intimacy with God that I wanted...badly. God used her songs to ignite a fire in me that is still burning to this day. I listened to those tapes over and over again until I had to buy new ones because the old ones had worn out! I went to every single one of her concerts! If she was signing CD's at a christian bookstore the day of the concert....I was there! Wherever she was...I was! I read everything I could about her. I had every magazine interview, every video she had ever made. I would stay up until midnight to watch the Christian music hour on the Nashville station and tape it whenever she was on. I didn't know it then, but it was almost idol worshipping. I guess I had this idea that because of the songs that she wrote and sang....that she was this perfect christian seeking the Lord 24 hours a day! I mean, intellectually, I knew she wasn't "perfect", but I just wanted whatever it was that she had.

One year, Billy Graham came to Sacramento and I found out that Margaret Becker was going to be playing/singing during his crusade. I planned for weeks about how I would go every night of the crusade (just to hear her...I wasn't that into Billy Graham). I would go early in the day to assure a good seat and to make sure I could see her bus come in. On the first day....some friends and I were there very early so we just hung around in the parking lot. We were eating lunch in the car.....and then I heard it! It was one note, one strum of the guitar, one tiny little sound....and I started running! She was doing a sound check outside, just yards from where we were parked! Yep, sure enough, there she was singing her little heart out and I was in heaven!

Later that night, while I was laying in bed, I heard another Voice...only this time it was in my heart. The Voice said, "Nancy, you can recognize Margaret's voice anywhere! You can pick her voice out of any song, any commercial jingle, on the radio or even in a taped interview.....you know her voice as if it were a part of you.....but.....do you know Mine"?

BAM!

It hit me like a ton of bricks. My heart skipped a beat and I realized that no...I did not recognize the voice of God the way I should. I was so wrapped up in Margaret and her relationship with God...that I totally threw aside my own relationship. Did I know God at all?

Could I recognize Him in the people around me, in the actions of others? Did I see Him in me?

I realized that I needed to know Him....inside and out. I needed to be so familiar with Him that when trouble came, I knew who to follow. We needed a relationship...a real one. Not one that I lived through someone elses experiences.

To this day, every time I hear this Gospel...I smile. I smile because this was the time when I finally understood that He is my Shepherd. I am His and He is mine. I hear His voice. I know

him. There is an intimacy there that was not there before. There is a comfort there that I will never let go of.

I hope you don't mind me sharing this. This was a very hard, lonely and challenging time in my life. I was struggling with things of the world and things of the spirit. I can say with assurance that God used Margaret Becker's music to draw me to Himself. For that, I will forever be thankful. Incidentally, here is the song that grabbed my heart. It's called All I Ever Wanted.

Funny, Funny, Funny

I have found a blog that will keep you in stitches! It's called "Food Network Humor". I'm totally serious here. This blog is hysterical! Now, I know some of you out there are die hard Food Network fans....I am one of them. I love the Barefoot Contessa, Rachel Ray, Diners-Drive ins & Dives, Ace of Cakes!!! However, I'm not above poking fun every now and then about some of the
way the network can make regular folks (who do not have every kitchen gadget imaginable) feel like idiots in the kitchen!

Anyway...take a look....it's really funny. Oh, and I've added this site to my side bar too!


*****Disclaimer*****
I have found mostly very "generic" humor here, however, every now and then I have run across some "off color" comments. So, if you're easily offended....just be warned!