Is having more than two kids being selfish?

Check this story - http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=424030.
My husband and I have a blended family of six children- my first husband and I had three children, a daughter and two sons. My husband and his first wife had two children - a daughter and a son. And Randy and I have a daughter together- that's right, six kids... just like the Brady Bunch (NOT).
And it doesn't stop there - our oldest daughter has a daughter and two sons; our oldest son has three daughters and a son; our next oldest daughter has a son and a daughter. Our next oldest son is expecting his first child this fall. And that's not counting how many children our two youngest will have when they get married. Ten grandchildren so far, and still counting... and I love each and every one. Some of our children we got the regular way, and some came as a package deal (some people call that steps, but we call them bonuses!) We love our grandchildren, and we don't make any differences in them.
So this story really hit a sore spot with me- I get grief from all kinds of people (including a lot more Christians than you might imagine) because we have a large family.
Now don't get me wrong- I think it's totally wrong to bring children into this world when you have no desire to take care of them, and your only reason for having them is to add to the number of checks you receive from the government every month.
But I have looked through the Bible, and I have yet to find any scripture anywhere that says God punished people by giving them children- quite the opposite. In some times, God punished people by withholding children from them.
Psalm 127 says:
3 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

My husband and I are very blessed by our children- sure, they've messed up sometimes, just like we have, but I would not trade anything for them.
And even if you don't want to consider things from a biblical stand, consider this: the more children we have, the bigger the work force twenty years from now. As there are more workers, there are more wages to tax, and more services and products to sell.
And as far as there not being enough land or food for the people we have on earth now- that's a bunch of hogwash... if we're running out of food, why is the government paying farmers not to raise certain crops?

Oh, and as a balance on stopping life from beginning, check what Arlen Specter has to say about older folks who are at the end of their lives- http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=426486 - nice huh?

Happy Valentine's Day

So hubby leaves out early this morning for work (5:45) and I sleep in a bit. I get up a little later (6:30) because I've got a ride planned for today with some friends. While in the kitchen I find a lovely velvet box of candy on the table with a note from him. I notice the lid is sorta bulgy, but I don't think too much about it, because I'm trying to get ready.
Well, the rain moves in instead of passing over us, so I come back home, and decide to treat myself to a piece of candy- guess what? the reason the box was bulgy was the Canon Elph he'd stuck under the cover. All the other goodies to go with it were hidden beside my desk.
Wow, what a great husband, and what a nice gift! I have a Canon Rebel DSLR that I love to use, but when I'm on my bike, it's too bulky to take pictures; I'd also mentioned to Randy that I'd read an article about how the vibrations of the bike can cause the insides of the camera to work loose, so I knew I didn't want to strap it on my handlebars for extended periods.
So now I have a great little 8 MP camera that fits inside one of my coat pockets, I can take it out, turn it on and shoot with one hand, (just tried!) and put it back in my pocket with a minimum of wasted motion.
I've got such a good husband.

The road called today...

It's been a long week or so, and between the weather and my stuffy head, I haven't ridden like I wanted to.
But today, the road called and I had to roll with it. The weather was nice: mid-60s, with a light wind, and plenty of sun. I did a short run to the closest town with a Wal-Mart (I had to think of SOME excuse to ride, right?). The road has long slow curves and beautiful scenery, so it did my head and my heart good.
Doesn't matter that I'm still sniffing and coughing- I'd be doing that either way, and at least I got to ride. Picked up some beautiful red thread and some crochet hooks to make myself a set of 'gauntlets/fingerless gloves' to keep the wind from running up my coat sleeve when I wear my light gloves. These will be handy, but they're as much for looks as for warmth. I just love to wear red...
I ride quite a bit by myself; I prefer it most of the time, because I don't have to worry about anybody but myself. It often works out that I'm riding alone anyway; I have worked things out so I can be ready in as little as 5 minutes - just slip on my boots and put my wallet in my back pocket. Then out the door with my leathers, strap on my helmet and I'm ready to ride.
And when the road calls, I don't want to have wait for folks to gather or get ready.
I'm riding again tomorrow- apparently today only made the need to ride stronger; I've got an appointment in another town, so I'll just strap on my backpack and pack my camera and stuff in it.

Do children really need cell phones?

Check out this blog post about children and cell phones- http://www.christianity.com/11599436/ - this guy is on the money- if we don't have time to monitor our children's phone and texting history, we don't have time for them to have a cell phone.
We sometimes tend to treat our kids like they're grownups, when they aren't. I saw a family movie a couple years ago, where the 15 year old daughter told her dad she had the right to date who she wanted, and the mother was standing there agreeing with her!
My fifteen year old is a very bright, loving, caring person, but she's still only fifteen, and she doesn't always have the wisdom or discernment to know that people can be other than what they seem- and it's my job, and my husband's job to help her find the right path.

I did it again

I found another blog to follow - Motorcycle Travel America - the author is in the process of developing a biker website that should be very cool and useful.
I'm watching and waiting - she's promising lots of very good information!

Whatever happened to our right to protect ourselves and our property?

Check this story out - http://www.therant.us/usa.htm#0210.
When did it become a crime for us as US citizens to protect our families, property and homes from those who would destroy it?
This really gets my goat... our country is quickly turning into a socialist state, and this type of lawsuit is just the thing to start a drive to take property away from folks who have worked hard to get it, and give it away to anyone who wants it.
How long are we as citizens going to sit by and let our government destroy us? we need to remember that the main reason we were granted the right to bear arms, was to protect ourselves from our government.

The Dragonmaster is HERE!

http://www.the-dragonmaster.webeden.co.uk/
Nigel sent me some copies of the Dragonmaster, fresh from the printer and they came in Friday's mail. They look GREAT! Even though I read the manuscript on my computer, I'm re-reading it as a book- somehow it's different.
This is a great book, and I'd recommend it for most anyone. It's exciting, and would appeal to fans of Frank Peretti, as well as fans of any fantasy authors, I believe.
You really need to check this book out - it will catch your attention immediately, and you won't want to put it down.

Caleb is at the Rainbow Bridge

Seven years ago this spring, our basset baby Caleb came to live with us. We adopted him from the basset rescue group here in Alabama. At three years old, he'd had a pretty hard life; he had been diagnosed and treated for heartworms while at the rescue group; before they picked him up, he'd been on his own for a while. He was afraid of brooms and sticks, he didn't like coming through doors, and he jumped at most loud sounds.
The wonderful folks at the rescue place got him over his heartworms, helped him put on some weight and 'fixed' him so he didn't want to roam. We brought him home and immediately fell in love with him.
He was always a very humble dog, loving everybody, whether it was boys and girls who came over, to the other dogs he met. He loved cats, dogs, squirrels and even the two rabbits my youngest daughter had for a while. They would climb all over him and he just loved every minute of it.
He also loved to ride, like most dogs. One of his favorite trips was to the school to pick up the kids with me. He'd hang his head out the window and 'arooooo' at anyone who would look at him, and wag that big ol' stick of a tail, and smile at everybody.
He even loved going to the vet's office. I guess he had seen such hard times on his own that he'd learned to appreciate everything.
Caleb taught me a lot of things:
*he helped me remember to always greet my loved ones with a happy face when they got home- Caleb always recognized the sound of each vehicle we owned and even could tell Randy's bike from any other bike in the county. As much as he hated loud noises, he loved to hear Randy's bike come roaring around the yard - he'd run towards him, every part of his body quivering because he knew his Daddy was home.
*he never discriminated against anyone- he loved EVERYBODY and expected them to love him, slobber and all; his best animal friend of all was Ricky Bobby, our cat; they loved snuggling on the sofa.
* he reminded me the quote from Seabiscuit - "You don't throw a whole life away just because it's banged up a little." Caleb had a pretty good bump on his nose where somebody hit him, he elbowed out on his front left side, and he had a lot of baggage to work through when he came to us, but his life was worth it.
Over the last few weeks, he'd gotten noticeably weaker, both physically and mentally. Several times he'd get in the bushes around the edges of our yard, and I'd have to talk to him to help him figure out how to get back out. He'd get a lost look on his face. He'd also started having trouble coming back up the steps into the house; several times I had to pick him and bring him inside. He'd also started breathing harder more of the time.
His favorite place to snooze was in the dining room, out of everybody's way, where it was quiet and he could sleep. Late this afternoon, he went into his little 'cave' and laid down. I knew things were getting close, so I'd go in the check on him often. Each time he'd lift his head and wag his tail a time or two. Our little shih tzu came and barked at me, and I think I knew - I went and checked and sure enough, he was gone. He'd left like he wanted, not bothering anybody. He just slipped away.
I already miss hearing the clicking of his toenails on the tile as he pranced in to see me. He always reminded me of Bustopher Jones from Cats... as chunky as he was, he was always so prissy too.
I may have other dogs in my life, but I'll never have another one as good as Caleb. He's gone to the Rainbow Bridge, and since he's always been a good dog, I guess he'll see me coming when it's my time, and run to greet me when I get there.