Phisch’s Friends and Family

Happy 4th of July to those who are celebrating/observing!

nobody@vox.com(J) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:45:47 -0500

Yeah. That. :)

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Fourth of July

nobody@vox.com(e'sa) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:00:37 -0500

Okay, so in regards to the last post. I really feel like in this day and age that it is high time one reads again the declaration made by our founding fathers...not just the part about man being created equal, but the entire thing. I thought maybe by posting it someone would take the time to read it.

Don't get me wrong, I miss the days of holding sparklers and lighting picolo pete's and snakes. I love a good BBQ like the next person. Nothing like a good firework finale. But sometimes it's good to remember why all the block parties, what all the hulabaloo is about.

I am thankful that I live here...regardless of which party is controlling the oval office or the senate. I am thankful that I can worship where and as I please. That I can pray in public. That I can come and go as I please. That I am free.

Sometimes I worry about that freedom continuing in America...but that worry is short lived. Because thankfully, I'm free for two reasons...one can be taken away and one can not be removed. My freedom is from being an American, but even more so, I am free in Christ. It is because of Him that I am truly eternally free, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

I wonder what the fireworks will be like in heaven.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The Declaration of Independence

nobody@vox.com(e'sa) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:51:47 -0500

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776.
THE UNANIMOUS
DECLARATION
OF THE
THIRTEEN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

WHEN, in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's GOD entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the Causes which impel them to the Separation.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their CREATOR, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that Governments long established, should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great-Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.

HE has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.

HE has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

HE has refused to pass other Laws for the Accommodation of large Districts of People, unless those People would relinquish the Right of Representation in the Legislature, a Right inestimable to them, and formidable to Tyranny only.

HE has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Measures.

HE has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly Firmness his Invasions on the Rights of the People.

HE has refused for a long Time, after such Dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining, in the mean Time, exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and Convulsions within.

HE has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

HE has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

HE has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and the Amount and Payment of their Salaries.

HE has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their Substance.

HE has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the Consent of our Legislatures.

HE has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

HE has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

FOR quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us:

FOR protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

FOR cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World:

FOR imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

FOR depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:

FOR transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences:

FOR abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries, so as to render it at once an Example and fit Instrument for introducing the same absolute Rule into these Colonies:

FOR taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

FOR suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all Cases whatsoever.

HE has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection, and waging War against us.

HE has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People.

HE is, at this Time, transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the Works of Death, Desolation, and Tyranny, already begun with Circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation.

HE has constrained our Fellow-Citizens, taken Captive on the high Seas, to bear Arms against their Country, to become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

HE has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes, and Conditions.

IN every Stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every Act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People.

NOR have we been wanting in Attentions to our British Brethren. We have warned them, from Time to Time, of Attempts by their Legislature to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have appealed to their native Justice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to disavow these Usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our Connexions and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Justice and of Consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the Necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the Rest of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

WE, therefore, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in GENERAL CONGRESS Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connexion between them and the State of Great-Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that as FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which INDEPENDENT STATES may of Right do. And for the Support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of DIVINE PROVIDENCE, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honour.

John Hancock.
GEORGIA, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, Geo. Walton.
NORTH-CAROLINA, Wm. Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn.
SOUTH-CAROLINA, Edward Rutledge, Thos Heyward, junr. Thomas Lynch, junr. Arthur Middleton.
MARYLAND, Samuel Chase, Wm. Paca, Thos. Stone, Charles Carroll, of Carrollton.
VIRGINIA, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Ths. Jefferson, Benja. Harrison, Thos. Nelson, jr. Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton.
PENNSYLVANIA, Robt. Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benja. Franklin, John Morton, Geo. Clymer, Jas. Smith, Geo. Taylor, James Wilson, Geo. Ross.
DELAWARE, Caesar Rodney, Geo. Read.
NEW-YORK, Wm. Floyd, Phil. Livingston, Frank Lewis, Lewis Morris.
NEW-JERSEY, Richd. Stockton, Jno. Witherspoon, Fras. Hopkinson, John Hart, Abra. Clark.
NEW-HAMPSHIRE, Josiah Bartlett, Wm. Whipple, Matthew Thornton.
MASSACHUSETTS-BAY, Saml. Adams, John Adams, Robt. Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry.
RHODE-ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE, &c. Step. Hopkins, William Ellery.
CONNECTICUT, Roger Sherman, Saml. Huntington, Wm. Williams, Oliver Wolcott.

IN CONGRESS, JANUARY 18, 1777.

ORDERED,
THAT an authenticated Copy of the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCY, with the Names of the MEMBERS of CONGRESS, subscribing the same, be sent to each of the UNITED STATES, and that they be desired to have the same put on RECORD.
By Order of CONGRESS,
JOHN HANCOCK, President

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotD: Rinse... and Repeat?

nobody@vox.com(Pixiemom) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:10:51 -0500

How long do you take in the shower?
Submitted by Strive2Be.

Before my hair cut, it took about 25 or 30 minutes. Now I can do it all in about 10 minutes.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotD: What Can Blogging Do for You?

nobody@vox.com(Pixiemom) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:02:25 -0500

What does blogging do for you?
Submitted by Madeleine Rose.

It's my socializing thing.

I'm an extreme extrovert who happens to be a stay-at-home mom. For a little while I would go absolutely crazy without having very much adult contact and then I found boards where I could talk with other moms and later Jeremy started blogging and reading blogs and showed me a few of Phisch's posts when she would talk about NM because he knew I'd enjoy them. I became a regular reader of her and a few others, hijacked his blog a few times to post my own stuff, and really got into the blogging world. He gave me my own blog after he realized that I was posting more than he was on HIS blog. That was about 6 years ago. I love being able to share the things that happen in this household and read what other people share. I like the interaction it has given me with other adults and it helps keep me sane when the only time I am able to get out with other adults is for church for weeks on end.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotD: Lunch Date

nobody@vox.com(Pixiemom) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:10:36 -0500

Out of anyone in your address book, with whom would you most like to have lunch today?

I don't have an address book, but if it is my Vox neighborhood... I'd like lunch with Phisch.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Ta-da! Here's my boy Casper

nobody@vox.com(J) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:47:38 -0500

S5002446

I was finally able to take semi-decent pics of him yesterday.

I totally loooove walking him around the neighborhood. When people look at him they get scared ('cos he's awfully big) and at the same time they talk about how pretty he is!

I didn't realize he had a little bit of the morning star clinging to his eyes. :-D

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Tagged!

nobody@vox.com(Pixiemom) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:12:26 -0500

By ThreeGreggs!

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was pregnant with Amie and we were living in an apartment. I was just learning about the internet on the computer that my DH had built from leftover parts that his work was throwing out.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today?

Didn't really have anything on my to-do list, but I went to Target and got a few things and then I did something else... see post under this for pics. (it won't let me make this regular... I've tried everything I know)

3. Snacks I enjoy...

M&Ms, oreos, PB crackers, corn chips and salsa con queso

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire....

Build our dream home. Fix up old house that so that we could sell it. Help my sister pay off some bills. Pay off school loan. Pay back my BIL. Give to church, missionaries, and other Christian charities that I want to help now, but can't. Get my BFF a car since hers is falling apart.

5. Places I have lived....

A few different places in TN, upperstate NY, a few different places in MO, and a few different places in IL.

6. Jobs I have had...

Church nursery worker
College Library putting books on shelves and inputting new book info into the computer
Cashier at one of those stores that has educational toys
Nanny
Cashier at Chick Fil A
Cashier at Walmart
Watkins Consultant
Mom
Homeschool Teacher
Youth Leader (not paid)
Children's Choir Leader (not paid)
Assistant Adult Choir Director (not paid)

7. 5 people I want to know more about...
Um....... sorry, I can't think of anyone who hasn't already done this, so if you want to do this, just comment.

Hmmm, not sure why the text changed color, but oh well. It's all good.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Before and After

nobody@vox.com(Pixiemom) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:31:46 -0500

Before...

Swinging

and after...

It's Gone!

There is a 12 inch long blonde ponytail heading to Locks of Love.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Overwhelmed

nobody@vox.com(Pixiemom) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:03:41 -0500

But if you want story, go over to my regular blog... I'm too tired to even copy and paste.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend