American (political)

I have never been much of a politically interested/motivated person. I never much cared for what the government was doing and figured I really did not have much say in the matter anyway so why worry about it.

Lately it is like a light bulb had turned on for me. I feel like the direction the country has been and is still headed for is not a pretty place. I feel we have deviated to far from the constitution and the bill of rights. We are like a country out of control.

I love my country. I want it to be the best it can be and for its people to be the best they can be. I guess you could say I am now much more interested and active in my small role as an American and a voter.

The only way that we "little people" can really bring about any kind of change it to be sure our elected officials LISTEN to us, represent us and serve us! The best way to do this is to GET INVOLVED! Find out what is going on and find those that match your interests and vote them in!

I will warn people with a little (political) side note to my title so you know when I get up on my little soap box and rant. If you are not interested...just skip it. :)

Here is a little list I hold dear and hope our country can return to upholding.


The 9 Principles

1. America Is Good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” from George Washington’s first Inaugural address.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
Honesty “I hope that I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” George Washington

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
Marriage/Family “It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known. By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing connections of a family.” Thomas Jefferson

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
Justice “I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” Thomas Jefferson

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Happiness “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.” Thomas Jefferson

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.
Charity “It is not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worth of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.” George Washington

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
On your right to disagree “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.” George Washington

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
Who works for whom? “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.” Thomas Jefferson

The 12 Values
* Honesty
* Reverence
* Hope
* Thrift
* Humility
* Charity
* Sincerity
* Moderation
* Hard Work
* Courage
* Personal Responsibility
* Gratitude



Glenn Beck 9/12 project

Cory, my little (but growing up way to fast) Knight in shining armor.

I had to make Cory a knight outfit for his school "Castle Days" celebration. I purchased some material from the store and this is what we threw together. I was not able to get him to ditch the camo pants for the fake chainmail pants that I made for it though (ha ha). This was an after school deal where Cory volunteered to "work" for extra credit. I am glad he wanted to do this and I think he and all the kids had a great time.

Here is Cory (the knight) trying to stab the court jester.



Shaelynn and I went to the open house. There were a ton of awesome castles made out of every imaginable thing. Very creative kids.

Shaelynn had her cheek painted and got a crown. She also had her future read by a mysterious gypsy. It was a good time.

Snow!

Just as we felt spring had arrived we got snow...about 5 inches of it. Just as the crocus began to bloom.



Shaelynn loves making snowmen any time there is enough snow to throw one together.

Bread...

With my strange and sudden urgency for collecting food storage I started thinking really hard (possibly to hard...ahem) about bread. How is bread made?

Now, I have made bread from scratch many times, but in this case I don't mean adding packaged yeast, water, flour, sugar, salt etc. to get bread. I am thinking more along the lines of "How the heck did generations of the past make bread?". Back then you could not just go to the store and purchase yeast packets. Did they eat flat bread then or did they have a special technique to leaven their bread? And if so how?

I don't ever recall learning anything about this on any of the cooking shows I have watched or cook books I own.

I started searching the Internet for answers and was surprised at what I found. For hundreds of years people made their own bread starters using the wild yeasts and bacterias that lived all around them. They would simply mix up some ground wheat or rye with water and let it sit and ferment on their kitchen table for a week. If they were lucky they would get the right ones and the mixture would begin to bubble and ferment. They would call this their starter. They would then use some of the starter in their breads and "feed" the left over starter. It would continue to thrive until the next batch of bread was ready. If you were diligent in feeding and caring for your starter dough you could keep it alive for years and years at a time. It is said that the flavor of the resulting breads depended on the type of wild yeasts and bacterias that lived in your area and that the starter would get better tasting with time.
Starters were so important that families would hand down starters from generation to generation and keep them going.

I even found reference of the gold miners in California sleeping with the starters they would bring with them to keep the starters from freezing and dying in the cold. There is even a starter you can purchase on the Internet that is supposed to be from one of the famous starters from San Fransisco that is supposed to be several hundred years old. You can purchase French starters, African starters, starters from just about anywhere if you know where to look on the net. Kind of weird but hey...if you are crazy about making bread I guess this would be pretty cool.

I have decided to try making my own and hope I don't get grossed out to much to eat it. I have done the Amish friendship bread before and always got sort of grossed out at the fermentation process and the smells. I never really liked that sweet taste that resulted from it either. I do however really like the smell of store bought yeast in breads. Hopefully it will be more like that.

Strange, but I feel like if I can make this starter, and it doesn't turn out growing mold or something, that I would be better prepared to make one in the future if the need ever arises.

Jonesing for Accutane.

Yes you read that right. I really and truly am.

I went on accutane for the first time in my life over a year ago. I have always had acne since being a teen. I had tried every prescription they had to offer accept for accutane and was told I could not have it because I was of childbearing age.

I did find a great product called Proactive and as long as I stuck to the regime of applying it twice a day (major drag) I was pretty clear. This lasted for about 4 years. When it suddenly stopped working I just ignored (or tried my best to) my horrid complexion. I just figured it was sort of vain to worry about it so I left it alone.

As I got older I suddenly could see all the damage that leaving it alone was doing...so I tried a new doctor. To my surprise he prescribed accutane. After jumping through all the hoops to be able to take this medication I started with great fear of what it could do to me...but I was so tired of my skin (and it had taken over my back as well) that I didn't care.

To my VERY pleasant surprise I started to dry up. For a person who could supply a small country with the oil I could make in one day this was life changing. I didn't have to wash my hair everyday. In fact I went a whole week once and only washed it because the thought of that was to gross....even though you sure couldn't tell by looking at it.

After 6 months on accutane I was clear as could be and dry as sand! I was in heaven. I had only had a few aches and pains from taking it and they only lasted through the second month. I was afraid of what would happen as my body got rid of the last trace of accutane but I didn't really notice much difference for about 5 months.

Well I am slowly becoming an oil pit again and my face is not looking good. I have had one enormous zit on my forehead for the last weak. It has a life of its own, really, it even has a really painful pulse and it just wont go away.

I am so close to running back to the doctor and begging for a second round that it isn't even funny. I am going to try to just wait it out until next fall/winter so I don't have to avoid the summer sun but I am not to sure I am going to make it.

I want to be all dried out and zit free!

I can feel SPRING in the air!

It has been warming up in the daytime to above 60°F. I have been able to run out and cut down my perennials to make room for the spring bulbs that are starting to push their way through the earth. I am totally a spring/summer/fall person. I tend to get depressed during the dark days of winter and get to where I don't want to do anything but sit and mope when I have spare time between work. I feel a new burst of energy as the weather warms up.

Life at the Scotts has been super busy. Feels like all I do is run, run, run. The kids are doing wonderful at school. Shane has been doing a bit of hunting with some clients from New York and Pennsylvania. I have been busy running the car wash and working for the state.

Well that is a quick update on us. I will try to keep up a little better than I have. Hope all is well with everyone else. Until next time.