The Future of This Blog

After much soul searching I have decided to sort of re-invent my blog. It began as a blog solely about scrapbooking, but evolved over time into much more. I thought about just deleting this blog and starting a new one, but decided I like some of my older posts too much to do that. I thought of keeping it private, but almost no one reads my blog now so that seems pointless. I have decided to do the following:

• I will keep this existing blog
• I will make it public once again
• I will enable comment moderation
• I will not allow anonymous comments
• I will make an earnest effort to regain blog interest from my readers
• I will make every effort to post more often, and to make the posts interesting and relevant to what is happening in my life

I hope that I will gain readers and that blogging will be fun again. I have missed it, and I am angry that I let one bad apple almost spoil the whole bunch with blogging. Funny how taking the high road isn't always much fun. However, my decision is that if I allow the person who hurt me by slandering me and making false and hurtful accusations to continue to have influence over the choices I make, then she has power over my life and I will not allow that.

I am making an earnest effort to allow only people who have positive influence over my life to speak into my life and not allow any negativity. It's time to wake up people, and realize that when God's Word in Proverbs 18:21 tells us that "life and death is in the power of our tongue" He ain't just whistling dixie. The tongue is a very powerful thing, and Paul tells us in James that is the one thing that cannot be tamed.

I may not be able to tame my tongue, as I am human, but I try to speak life over everyone I know and not speak harmful or hurtful things. If I have ever done so to any of you I sincerely apologize for that. I am human...I make mistakes, but I am trying to live a life pleasing to God and in doing so I must surround myself with positive people who speak life over me and I will make every effort to do the same for them, thereby avoiding drama and chaos and negativity in general. This applies to my life in all areas...both physically and in cyberspace.

Thanks to those of you who have continued to read, even through my dry spell, and I promise you I will do better. I am learning.....seeking....and trying.....

Blogging

SO.....I heard from a friend today that she totally hates having to sign into my blog now. I had to make my blog private because someone with no life, morals or home training decided to attack me on my blog and say some pretty nasty and untrue things about me and my family. When I made my blog private, I did it solely to prevent this person from spying into my life and taking pot shots at me and my family out of her selfish need for fulfillment.

Now though, hardly anyone comments on my blog and readers have dropped off so I am in a quandary...should I stop blogging all together? Start a brand new blog? Make my blog public again and hope for the best?

What is your opinion on this, and has this ever happened to you in the past? How did you handle it?

Happy Veteran's Day!

So what is Veterans Day exactly? A day for sales at the mall? A day for government offices to close so the people who work there get a holiday? A day for military people to get free meals at area restaurants?

No, it is much deeper than that....and I decided to do a little research. As the wife of a veteran, I feel strongly that our military men and women do not get the respect or honor they deserve. These brave men and women put their lives on the line every day, whether at home or abroad. With the recent attack at Fort Hood, we see that these soldiers, airmen and seamen are not safe here at home than they are in the great sandbox in the Middle East. They are targeted for their devotion and service to their country.

I found a website that explains the history and significance of Veteran's Day. You can click here to view it. The page sums most everything up in a few paragraphs, one of which I have copied and pasted here.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

I would like to thank all of the brave men and women who serve in our military and those who have served in the past! We owe every right and freedom we have to you and we cannot thank you enough!

HONOR ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marissa got her first report card for 7th grade, and I am very happy to report that she made honor roll with a 93 average! We are very happy with that, especially given the degree of difficulty and challenging assignments that this type of school poses. She is doing so well, and we are very proud of her!

Halloween

This year instead of parading the streets in the neighborhood we went to our church's Trunk or Treat. This is the first year we have participated in something like this and it was a lot of fun!
Here are some pictures from the evening...please observe that while I was a black kitty cat Marissa was a scary TIGER...NOT a cat!