Wake Up, Americans!

What is better? 

A leader who is rude but has good policies, or a leader who is polite but kills while smiling? 

The liberal media is distracting the public with half-mast flags for COVID deaths while actively pushing the so-called Equality Act, which is the greatest assault on religious freedom to ever be proposed in the United States of America. This is classic liberalism, they are not supporting one of their own for some anti-republican rhetoric right now also, feigning taking the high-ground. Be on the alert, while smiling and doing these 'noble' things, they are working hard to make it so doctors can inject your child with sex-altering hormone therapy even if you the parent (who will be committing a criminal act) disagree. WAKE UP, AMERICANS!

Democrats Ramming Equality Act to Avoid Scrutiny

Franklin Graham Calls Equality Act a Smokescreen

Most Comprehensive Assault on Christianity Ever Written Into Law

The Catholic League and the so-called Equality Act

If you consider yourself to be a Catholic, this would seem like something to take note of.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/22/catholic-league-pro-trans-equality-act-the-most-comprehensive-assault-on-christianity-ever-written-into-law/

Why the Equality Act is a Disaster for Society

This is not the time for Christians to be absorbed with their own little lives, ignoring what is politically going on. We have to be engaged in the culture right now. 

The Equality Act tramples on the religious freedom the US Constitution protects. It will classify the definition of gender as a civil rights issue. This is the highest protection there is, and it spells disaster for people who belong to God or those with religious beliefs that oppose homosexual 'marriage', transgenderism and other perversions of God's design. 

What Does Concerned Women for America Say?

Those of us who are against these things are not against them due to our own opinions, it is the morality that God, who created us and this world, set forth. Why does anything qualify as a sin? It is because God, who has the right to say so, has said so. We don't pick and choose what is true and what isn't. We can't say something isn't a sin for us but is for others or vise versa. Right is right and wrong is wrong. God sets the boundaries. We either choose to acknowledge that or we don't. There isn't a 'make your own God' clinic that gets us in to Heaven or reconciles us to God. 

God says that living together outside of marriage with someone you are having sex with is sin. He says that murder is sin. He hates hands that shed innocent blood. God makes the rules and if we claim to be Christians, our job isn't to defend what God has said, but it is to live and uphold what He has said. We are not helping people to pretend otherwise and we hurt the cause of Christ if we justify the sin around us because it misleads people. How awful to give someone a false assurance they will spend eternity with God in Heaven when the truth is, according to His word, they are heading to Hell if they don't change course. 

What Does The Catholic League Say?

Who cares what ACL thinks about this or that issue. There is no glory in our opinion!  What matters is this: what does God think about it? What does He say about it? We're here to proclaim the truth of God's word. 

The issues plaguing our society are not murky. We can know what God says and we can rest assured that if we are choosing to snub Him and sin, we WILL pay the consequences. There are always consequences to sin. No one who is born again can live a sinful lifestyle comfortably. Thus, if you are living a sinful life (cohabitating, engaging in homosexuality, denying your gender at birth), you are very likely not in Christ, which means, you will pay the penalty for your sins in eternity. That will mean you are in Hell when you die, because the only way to go to Heaven is as the result of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When we humbly go to God for forgiveness, it is because we have asked Him to forgive our sins based on Christ's sacrifice. This is not a mental acknowledgment. It involves our turning AWAY from sin henceforth and living for Christ. A gratitude pours forth from us and we WANT to please to God. Either Christ pays for your sins, or you do. When He pays, Heaven awaits. When you pay, Hell awaits, because we can never satisfy God's requirements on our own.

Friend, if you are justifying your sinful decisions and actions and do not care what God says, why would you think you are going to Heaven when you die? Is it due to a feeling you have or because you read the Bible sometimes? Satan knows the Bible very well, how else did he tempt Christ by quoting (and misquoting) Scripture? We must die to ourselves and accept Christ's forgiveness for our sins.

Christians and those morally opposed to the tenets of the Equality Act need to join in prayer to God Almighty to protect us from this oppression and take action! (of course, Election Day was the biggest day to take action because it was well known that Democrats support this measure)

Isn't the Media Neutral?

Neutrality is a comfortable place to land. It is easy when we don't feel compelled to pick a side. Look at Sweden. Neutrality has been attributed to that country many times when we simply do not wish to engage in a disagreement or engage our minds enough to search out the truth. But when it comes to news sources, we are fooling ourselves if we think they are neutral. Many issues of our day are not neutral by any stretch, and if we are Christians, we're in dangerous territory if we pretend otherwise. Truly, we are deceived if we claim to live for Christ and yet view the media outlets as neutral. They are anything but. 

How Rush Limbaugh and Paul Harvey Changed the World

As Christians, we are either on the Lord's side or we are not. There are many circumstances in our culture that are either pleasing to God or they are an abomination to Him. Naturally we can conclude that God's people should stand on the side of the line where He is standing. How can we know which side God is on? Read the Bible. Trust it and change our opinions when they do not align with God's. Be in regular fellowship with other believers in church. Submit to the pastoral care and leadership in your church. 

Why I Switched from Liberalism to Conservativism

Just as we'd be foolish to form an opinion on someone based solely on the words of their enemies, we are foolish to think we can label ourselves as something and then be that merely because we have a few ideas that seem to put us in that camp. If we claim to be in Christ, we need to check our selves against the Word of God and see if we really are there. 

Freedom Fighters Like Rush Limbaugh

Realize that the media is driven by an ideology that is not from the Bible. The media is not neutral. There is light and darkness in this world. The media is not ruled by God, they are not the path to truth and what is right. If we're digesting the mainstream media like it is a source of truth, we're in trouble as Christians. There is a spiritual battle being waged in our midst and quite simply, the mainstream media is not on the right side of the battle line.

Is There a Liberal Media Bias?

Why was Rush Limbaugh such an important part of conservativism in America? Because he saw what the liberals and the biased media were doing and would report on it in ways regular folks could understand. The liberals who are anti-freedom hated him for it, but no matter how much they maligned him, they couldn't silence him because to silence him was to silence a LARGE amount of the American populous. There are millions of Americans, just like there were millions of Jews who opposed Hitler, who see what the liberals in this nation are about: control, tyranny, death, fear mongering, oppression and the like. The god of the liberals, including mainstream media, is the government. The God of conservatives is often the One True God, yet not always. How are their irreligious conservatives? Because many people see the tyrannical bent of the liberal media and they want no part of it. They want small government, freedom, and they understand that when the government thinks they are god, the people lose out.  

Rush Limbaugh Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

We must be critical thinkers if we're to stay on the right side of the road. Examine ourselves in light of Scripture--hate what God hates, love what God loves. And to be as shrewd as serpents yet as innocent as doves as the Bible says, we must understand what the wicked influences in this world system are and steer clear of them. 

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Cor 13:5

God Saves Only Sinners by John MacArthur--Please Listen

It is a critical matter for people to understand how to be rightly reconciled to God Almighty. Many voices claim to have this information. Who will you trust with where your soul will spend eternity? Realizing that the wrong decision will land you eternally separated from the loving God of the universe, will you reconsider and give the matter a few minutes of your time today? Rather than light, you will be in darkness if the wrong path is taken. There is no changing course once death has come. 

Please listen to this sermon or read the transcript from Pastor John MacArthur explaining what the Bible teaches. 

You may have already demonstrated by your life that you do not care what the Bible teaches. Perhaps you have created your own god and have opted to follow your own opinions on matters of eternity. Perhaps you have made your self out to be god and so deny there is any deity higher than you. 

Take a chance and listen or read anyway. 

Content in Difficult Times: Temple Baptist Church - 2/07/2021 - Sunday PM

This is a message I've thought back on daily since hearing it. It is one of those that is easy to recommend.

Love vs. Vitriol

Where truth is, love abounds. Look at how the liberal mainstream media talks about the passing of Rush Limbaugh. It is not kind. Realize the mainstream media is not unbiased. They speak for a limited number of people. There are as many or far more conservatives in America. If you only interact with liberals, you don't realize just how many people think very differently from mainstream media. 

Speaking the truth isn't hateful, though many outside of Christ like to act like it is. 

Truth stands on its own-whether a biblical truth or a worldview perspective that is accurate; it doesn't need to be defended. What is right will win in the end. Love speaks much more powerfully than hate, which really just shows insecurity. 

My hope and prayer for many of the lost is that they will see how ugly the liberals are toward the passing of Rush Limbaugh and thus, those of us who loved him. Then I hope they will see that is not of God. As Christians, we should always be kind to people suffering, no matter how much we disagree with their ideologies.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James 1:27 KJV

Thank you, Rush

What do you write when you are just an average person who loves the Lord and has experienced the same sadness as many others in America, and probably the world? I can't add anything to what people far smarter than I are saying and will say. 

All I can do is tell you that the first time I heard Rush Limbaugh was riding in a car with a sales representative with ISK Biotech when I was 19 years old. We were in North Carolina and the man driving was showing me the lumber yards I'd be checking in with during that summer. This was to be a transformative summer in my life, and the fact I was introduced to Rush was probably no accident. 

Here I am 27 years later, having been brought up largely on conservative principles in church, but encouraged regularly by the now late, great Rush Limbaugh. He's done so much in being the voice of reason, logic, truth and courage for political conservatives. 

We are not all religious conservatives who loved Rush, but for those of us who are, I'm surely not alone in seeing the spiritual side of the timing of this. The dark days ahead for America will not be seen as such by the spiritually dead, but we know the truth. God is the judge and we need to draw closer to Him for our refuge and strength as His judgment draws nearer. 

I hope you are resting in peace, Rush Limbaugh. ♥

New Administration Won't Be Clear About New COVID Spending Bill Funding Abortions

The Federalist has the story

We can't rightly walk through this life oblivious to what we're supporting or not supporting since we represent Jesus Christ. We don't have to be lobbyists or even politically vocal, but we are responsible for what we do. God gives us money to spend in accordance with principles that glorify Him. It is very upsetting that we cannot control so much of where our dollars go. When we can control it, we should. 

It was well-known that President Biden and particularly, Kamala Harris, are avid abortion supporters. They oppose the Hyde Amendment and Mexico City Policy--two policies that did not come easy. Each was a huge way to protect the freedom of Americans with how their money is spent and how many abortions occur. With this new COVID spending bill, we see the games beginning in full force. 

God help us, the victims of abortion, and those who do the victimizing.  

Small Projects This Week

When I get a slower week or two, I try to work in a few projects to the normal day to day running of our home. This morning after making breakfast, I did a quick inventory of the medicines and house hold supplies. Getting that list together will aid shopping fast and help me not waste money. After so much quarantining the past 2 months, and realizing we were fine, I want to try to keep up with less running around by planning better. 

Yesterday's extra job was to freshly organize the master bedroom closet, the front coat closet and the main linen closet.  I try to do this a couple times a year so it never takes that long, but it still amazes me how much junk I can accumulate! This time, I finally dug out all of the pictures and diplomas that have been stashed away for about 5 yrs, since we redid the basement. I think it is time to either box things up for long-term storage or hang things on the walls again. Hard decision...plain walls look nice and really, I'd decorate differently now if I could. For years I proclaimed that the new paint WAS the artwork. That said, this isn't really the season to go with the modern black/wood/simple design that I like so much. Maybe after college.... :) 

Creamy Crock Pot Hot Chocolate--Regular and Non-dairy

If you are a hot chocolate lover, this recipe, loaded with cow's milk and heavy whipping cream, is sure to thrill you! I've substituted a can of evaporated milk for the heavy whipping cream at times. It is still great, but the original recipe really is the game-changer. 

I know this doesn't look gorgeous in the photo. Ideally I'd of put it in a clean crock with no evidence of stirring, but this is real life and lots of vigorous stirring had been occurring!

Tonight I decided to make a half batch in the smaller crock pot that was mostly dairy free and contained very little refined sugar. If you have dairy free chocolate chips on hand, you can make this totally dairy free! Those chips don't completely dissolve like dairy based chocolate chips, but they do work. I used dark chocolate regular chips with this version and even my dairy eaters thought it was good. Really, for the nearly 3 cups of non-dairy milk, you could do a variety of combinations. I don't think I'd go with almond since it has a pretty pronounced flavor. Place everything in the little crock pot and start out on high, whisk vigorously on and off during the first 30 minutes if you get time, then reduce to low. For faster cocoa you can keep it on high but stir every 15 min or so. On low the whole time it takes about 2 hrs to be ready, whisking just a time or two during those 2 hrs. Usually we want it faster so I do the high/low combo. Preheating the milk is an option as well to speed up the process.

• 1 can of full fat coconut milk (can use lower fat but it won't be as creamy)
• 7 oz unsweetened vanilla flax milk (this tastes naturally sweeter than oat or unsweet soy milk and adds protein)
• 2 cups unsweetened vanilla oat milk 
• 3 TBSP date syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of dark chocolate chips (can use any kind, probably even white if you are into that sort of thing!)

This hadn't been drunk, the thick chocolate on the sides of the mug is from the ladle. It is not a watery cocoa!

Vegan Gluten-free Lasagna

For a quick vegan dinner that was a bit luscious, I went for a vegan gluten-free lasagna tonight for the Mr. and myself. I did the "cheese" sauce similar to this Minimalist Baker recipe, only since this was last minute, I used a package of 5 grain tempeh in lieu of the soaked nuts. This required more water to be added, about 1 cup. I also threw in a few sesame seeds for added nutrition, but do think that gave the sauce a little bit of a tahini taste--just a smidge. 

I used a bought no sugar marinara instead of my usual bolognese sauce, and layered red onion, mushroom, spinach/arugula, yellow peppers and shredded carrots on top of the noodles, followed by the tempeh 'cheese' sauce (mixed in the Vitamix) which was sprinkled with Bragg no salt spice mixture and more nutritional yeast. Only one layer had the spinach due to volume restrictions in my 8x8 pan. Here's a picture of some of the ingredients needed. Not shown are the Bragg spices and the marinara sauce. 

Rather than skip a cheesy layer for the top, I went with non-dairy mozzarella style shreds. Often I'll skip this for recipes since I'm not a huge fan, but with this application, they were a nice addition visually and for taste! Cooked at 425 degrees uncovered the whole time, it was finished in 50 minutes--boiling like lava. 

Is Full-Time Homemaking Valuable with Older Teens?

What does a "homeschooling" mom of older teens do all day if she isn't teaching any of their classes? Couldn't she be more valuable to her family if she was out making money to pay for college? Does a husband really need a full-time wife at home?

These are fair questions. College is expensive and is the mom really bringing anything to the table, or bringing enough to warrant her still not working outside the home? Does a man who works full time at home need his wife there during the day?

Something to recognize is the stability having mom home brings. Just her presence holds the house together and lets her near-adult children focus on school, which is their full-time job. They don't have to worry about meals, remembering to drink enough water or take their vitamins. Mom reminds them, helping them develop habits they'll hopefully take into their college years. She walks by putting a glass of water on their desk. They aren't distracted if the doorbell rings, or by their laundry, the tidiness of the house, if there is toilet paper in the bathroom, if there is a computer problem, the phone ringing, making appointments, and if they will have a ride when they need it. Mom encourages, gives hugs, pats on the arm while the kids are in online classes, listens to frustrations, edits papers and simply pours into her children by showing them they matter greatly to her by the work she does for them each day.

The nutritional value of meals prepared by mom is vastly different than if kids make their own meals. They do not have the time to prepare nutritious food in the midst of a school day, and at least in our home, they work up until dinner time. Nutrition is an oft overlooked area in our culture, and with how unhealthy Americans are (even though we're so wealthy), it shouldn't be. The brain functions at its best when it is fed properly day in and day out. Most husbands do not have the time or are not interested in nutrition as an area of study. Culinary art is time-consuming!

Aside from nurturing the children, the value of a full-time homemaker is seen in a multitude of other ways. The organization of the home--things like keeping the soaps filled, tissues stocked around the house, seed containers filled (if you eat plant based this is a regular task!), trash emptied, floors cleaned (people who are home full time make for a much dirtier house), under the cabinets organized, pantries filled, and longer term food preparation take time and thought. Refrigerators don't clean themselves and garages get messy fast if someone isn't able to keep on top of it. Likewise, food preparation isn't just an issue at meal times.

Today was 'make the overnight oatmeal containers' day and bean-cooking day. Simple things that take time but which won't get done if nobody does them. It is rare for people in America to be in their late 40s and not be on any medication. This goal can be reached in many cases by diet, but it won't happen without effort. A predominately vegan diet is not easy to switch to if both the husband and wife work full time. 

Running a home effectively frees up the other people living there to do their work with as little distraction as possible. It may not seem as valuable as a big pay check, but like many aspects of motherhood, the rewards are profound. 

Safe in the Arms of God

The title of this blog post is the title of a book by Dr. John MacArthur, but I'm using it simply to say that as believers, we are safe, safest even, when we walk circumspectly, as the Lord desires.

Just as an unbeliever can't really claim that everything happens in their life for a good reason, or a reason that will bring some measure of 'positivity', everyone can't claim safety in the Lord. The benefits of being in a saving relationship with God, through Christ, are reserved for born-again Christians. There is not a middle ground. We are either in Christ and safe, or we are outside of Christ and VERY unsafe.

Sinful practices that lead to a lack of safety would be things like having sex outside of marriage or lying when you think it is justified (for example: you don't live in your college district for in-state rates but will say you do so you save money; you call out sick but are not sick; you intentionally mislead people about your actions; you don't claim all of your income on your taxes....). If you get drunk as a part of your life practice, or have other lifestyle sins God expressly prohibits, you can't claim the peace and safety which come from a saving relationship with God. The promises don't apply to people comfortably living in ways that God forbids. God has standards, and they cannot be lowered because someone feels they are the exception. How we live reveals our heart toward sin, and God is clear that those who claim to belong to Him, yet practice these and other sins, are not in Him. Believers represent God, and God has NO place in sin. He uses strong language about hating all who do iniquity. (Ps 5:5)

When Psalm 4:8 says, 'In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For you alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety', the believer can know he can safely rest in that truth. It isn't socially distancing that keeps the believer safe, it isn't wearing a mask, it isn't a vaccine, and it certainly isn't staying home for months and months avoiding interaction with one's fellow man to try to stay safe.

Am I staying safe? You betcha. I'm safe because I've trusted God to forgive my sins because of the shed blood of Christ, who died for a wretch like me, was buried and rose from the dead on the 3rd day. As a healthy person WELL under the age for COVID complications, I'm safe in church worshipping the Lord weekly with His people. A Christian who is out of fellowship with the body of Christ is at great risk for being drawn away from the truth. That person is not playing it safe when it comes to their spiritual health. (Christians who are at high risk for serious covid complications need to be proactive in guarding their minds while avoiding society obviously.) I'm safe because my faith is in the God of the Bible, not a man-made religion that thinks we earn the Holy Spirit of God in parts. You can't portion out the three members of the Trinity. 

A saved person attending a Bible preaching church is far safer than the unsaved person who has  quarantined for 10 months. A saved person with COVID is far safer than an unsaved person without COVID. These are dark times spiritually in America. There is a lot of wickedness abounding and more is about to abound with the new administration that is coming. 

Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! Psalm 2:10

Super Bowl Jeep Commercial

JEEP-(update: ad was subsequently pulled after Super Bowl due to drunk driving Springsteen. Is this even true, or is The Boss seeing that liberals only have use for you if you are accomplishing what they want? Did they need a reason to pull this unpopular ad?)

If you watched the Super Bowl, you know the company isn't afraid to show their liberal bend. To get an American icon like Bruce Springsteen to stand in the ad was well played since the company obviously wanted to show they endorse far politically liberal ideals. Springsteen has worked hard to get Democrats elected and he supports radical agendas like the transgender movement. We'd all like to think back on days when he seemed just like a neutral political person who put out satisfying tunes hearkening back to an America we all enjoyed more, but we really can't afford to keep our heads in the sand in the climate of this present day.

Liberals driving the cultural movements with the media and society are clever--they do nothing to promote unity in America when they are the political losers because unity to liberals means SUBMISSION. During President Trump's time in office they actually conjured up ways to promote disunity. Malice and ill will were propagated among the nation, and they promoted fear during the pandemic day and day out. I find it disheartening now to see they have the audacity to say that we're not at our best when we're fearful. They actually say we're the REunited States of America as if they are trying to LEAD this effort. Do they really think most Americans are so daft as to not be able to recognize the 180 degree shift? There are spiritual forces at work in our midst, and when I see a commercial like the Super Bowl JEEP commercial, that reality really stands out. 

To be plain, no commercial has more shockingly reminded me of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. Nazi's would do things to make a situation exist, and when they led the people there, they would tell them how they'd been feeling or what they'd been doing wasn't right or good (have you read Animal Farm--examples of this abound with Communism). People being worked in this way are convinced they are standing on the higher ground, rather than where they are, which is the lowest rung on the totem pole, being manipulated to fit in to the liberal agenda the mainstream media promotes. 

Suddenly, the mantra is that if you don't promote unity in America, you are the problem. Please don't miss that those dissenting now will be the conservatives. When it was LIBERALS dissenting, DISSENTION was NOBEL. 

How many people watched that JEEP commercial, got teary-eyed and thought, "Yeah. This is what we need to do y'all, come together" ? Somehow missing that for the past 4 years the media and liberals never said that, they never thought it, and they promoted fear and a distrust among American citizens. Everything Donald Trump did was seen in as negative a light as possible, and false charges were continually laid at his door. Literally nothing the man did was seen well by the media. The idea of respectfully disagreeing never entered the minds of the liberal media and those who digest MSNBC or CNN. There was one acceptable way to think about covid: hide out in fear and if you love others, avoid them. Healthy dialogue died. Judgment abounded to the point of cutting off discussions among people who once were close. 

Everyone wants peace and a cohesive society, but to not give conservatives a voice is not only dangerous, it doesn't value those we may disagree with. The media said how bad conservatives were for 4 yrs and that if they weren't living in utter fear of COVID they were just willing to kill their neighbors essentially, and now fearful living is when "we're not at our best", simply because the liberals now say so? There has been so much misinformation and twisting of facts by the media. Please check out the websites listed on my sidebar to at least see a different perspective that is rather pervasive in America, but which doesn't get air time on mainstream media. Everyone does not agree with CNN and MSNBC...

We've needed to be focused on what really matters for ages--that this life is not all there is. There is an afterlife and people will spend it in Heaven or in Hell. There is one way to Heaven, by admitting you are a sinner and accepting Jesus Christ's payment for your sins by dying on the cross and then rising from the dead. That forgiveness brings ultimate peace and freedom!

Travel Foods

Above is a delicious garden salad, ultra fresh, from Vitos Pizza Pie in Penn Laird, VA. It was followed by a terrific fresh vegetable gluten free pizza that is sadly not pictured! 

Vitos is super clean and very nicely decorated. Our Vinny's could take some serious pointers from them.

This is coconut pandan ice cream from Boboko Indonesian cafe in Harrisonburg, VA. Incredibly smooth and tasty, almost cheesecake flavored. This cafe is worth trying if you want excellent vegan and gluten free options. 

Macarons that truly surprised us. Delicious. Memorable. Using the spelling that was on the menu...they are French. :)

Mixed Vegetables and Tempeh

Vegan rendang-incredibly made with Jack fruit

Temple teriyaki summer rolls

 

Attitudes Driven by Media and Not Doctors?!

In December my family traveled to a state with very high covid numbers. We had been in several airports and around a lot of people, and our plan was to quarantine if we got sick. When my husband and I did get sick after that trip, that is exactly what we did. We didn't test-which was our prerogative thankfully and seemed to gel with our area having a shortage of tests. The questionnaire to get tested is what put me off of testing. I didn't HAVE to test--we could quarantine just fine. It being our prerogative to test revealed the liberal mindset of some folks though, an unloving attitude that showed a lot of judgment.

People who accuse others of being unloving or reckless if they don't test really need to check themselves. Just because some can't read and follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC doesn't mean everyone cannot. There are those who want to make everyone panic and stay home in case they might come down with sickness, acting like covid is the bubonic plague. Fine, if your job allows that and you don't have kids in school, act like potentially spreading covid is equivalent to killing someone. A much more measured and reasonable approach, however, is to stay home if you are feeling sick. If you want or need to test, then do it. Realizing that we've been spreading colds and the flu to other people for generations. Covid is nasty, I'll give you that, but it isn't something that will kill 99% of people. How you think about it isn't right vs. how I think about it. We should respect people as having a different opinion, not as being wrong and hateful if they feel differently. Also, understanding contact tracing produced no magic would help a lot of folks with their judgmental attitude. Contact tracing stopped because it was wasting tons of money and wasn't helping.

When we thought we had covid, we didn't tell our family because we didn't want to worry them around Christmas. Some had been locked down since March and were still very fearful. That said, none of our friends cared if we tested or not. They were all very kind and understanding, and they only asked if they could bring us a meal, or pay for us to have one delivered if they lived out of state.

Tip--when someone is sick, don't grill them about how they've handled it. Ask them how they are doing and if you can bring them/send them a meal. The superiority complex of the liberal-minded person, acting like someone has done something wrong if they get covid, causes a lot of hurt and damages relationships.

After our exciting December, this past January we were directly exposed to covid and started feeling sick. When the symptoms pointed to covid, we tested. We thought we'd had it already as you know, so wanted to know for sure this time. When most of us tested positive and I tested negative, we knew we were wrong and that in December. We told our family this time because we weren't at risk of dampening a holiday for them. 

The attitude at our doctor's office proved that not testing in December was what they prefer if you don't need to test. Never mind that some areas consider you immune for 3-6 months after you test positive. Around here, they aren't pushing testing. Another reason people shouldn't come at you asking if you tested, making it clear they think you are a bad person if you didn't. Nice attitude of this nurse, who never spoke to me so didn't understand why I was tested. #rappahannockfamilyphysicians 

Ann did  RAPID test in the office since she had symptoms AND looked for IgM (recent) and IgG (past) antibodies.. all negative. Not sure why she even tested bc she had a positive household contact so would have been considered a "presumed positive" and should have just quarantined for 10 days

FROM THE CDC website, there are times testing is warranted, like when you think you already had it:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html

Role of viral diagnostic testing (PCR or antigen)2 after discontinuation of isolation or precautions

For persons previously diagnosed with symptomatic COVID-19 who remain asymptomatic after recovery, retesting is not recommended within 3 months after the date of symptom onset for the initial COVID-19 infection.

For persons who develop new symptoms consistent with COVID-19 during the 3 months after the date of initial symptom onset, if an alternative etiology cannot be identified by a provider, then the person may warrant retesting. Consultation with infectious disease or infection control experts is recommended, especially in the event symptoms develop within 14 days after close contact with an infected person. Persons being evaluated for reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 should be isolated under recommended precautions while undergoing evaluation. If reinfection is confirmed or remains suspected they should remain under the recommended SARS-CoV-2 isolation until they meet the criteria for discontinuation of precautions – for most persons, this would be 10 days after symptom onset and resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and with improvement of other symptoms

What is a Political Conservative?

This article, with map of the U.S., does a decent job explaining what a political conservative believes. The only issue I wish it mentioned is protecting vulnerable humans from murder. That is the biggest point for me as a conservative.

Proud and Thankful to be A Woman

I love being a woman. I'm thankful to have a husband that values womanhood, as designed by God, as the means of fulfilling the unique role of being a wife and mother. The role of a mother is the main concern herein.

Too many women in America think that rejecting their God-given design is somehow superior to the 'old fashioned' idea of being a full-time homemaker.  Women were designed for greatness, and it is sad that so many have let society steer their thinking away from that and into accepting something lesser. God designed men different from women, and He said it was good. And it is good. I reject the wisdom of this world that says women need to have more than what God said. In getting this 'more' women have lost out. The sexual revolution did nothing to help women feel more fulfilled. Men got sex without the commitment. Women working may have gotten themselves outside of the house, but then someone else (or no one) largely focused on raising their children, and they were pulled in different directions. They still had home duties so their workload actually increased. Being lulled into thinking they weren't getting 'all they had coming to them' turned into a cheap counterfeit for many of these women. Today there is plenty of evidence that liberal women are among the most unfulfilled. Many feel they don't give their best to any one area, and that is a continual stressor. What I wish more working mother's realized is that plenty of mothers leave the workforce, and couples turn their lives in a whole different direction so that can happen. It isn't always possible, but it shouldn't be rejected outright. This is a sensitive subject, and inevitability feelings can be hurt, but as Christians don't you think we need to stop being silent on this issue that greatly impacts family life?

Two things are exasperating at times: One is career women who act like what they do is better than being a homemaker. The other is those same type of women, who also have children, acting like martyrs because they 'have' to work. They ignore any notion that they have chosen to have a career as the thing that gets the best of their time and youth. Working outside the home is not synonymous with being a career woman. Everyone knows that, but I'll state it since some women try to play both sides of the issue. If women are going to act like martyrs because they work outside the home while someone else raises their children, they should at least own up to the reality that they are choosing a lifestyle that requires they work as much as they do. People can drive cars until they fall apart, they can live with just a few outfits, they do not have to have expensive TV service, they don't have to eat out several times a week. We make lifestyle choices and trade off what we think is less important for what we value as more important. Not everyone owns a nicer home, or owns one at all. 

I'm thankful my husband values what I do in creating a home for him and our kids. Our children are nearly grown, and they still attest to how different it feels (worse) when I'm out all day. Nothing takes the place of a mom in the home. It provides security and stability for children to have her there. It isn't rocket science, but it also can't be erased simply because people want it to be untrue. I don't think being barefoot and pregnant is a bad thing. I'm well past child bearing, but to act like that image is inferior to working to make life better for 'society' rather than pouring into one's own children, is a farce. This is not to ignore those mothers who must work to help pay for their family needs. Of course that is a huge gift and a sacrifice. Some regions are very expensive and people are unable to move to a more affordable region, but this is to address the great importance of a full time mother.

Along this line, I don't think I need something to fall back on if this gig I'm into doesn't work out. God's designed me for a purpose and I'm committed to living that out. I've poured the best years of my life into raising my children and I believe that is God's best. Had I been working 'just in case' something didn't work out with my marriage, my focus wouldn't have been on my family life, but it would have had to have been on educating myself and/or working. Scripture describes my job-- I'm a keeper at home. I'm not interchangeable with my husband. It would be to deny God's word to have a different attitude. God created males and females, and He gave each different roles. Too many liberal women get offended when you talk about a wife's role in the Bible, but a follower of God embraces God's plan and purpose. He is a good God, all the time, and if there is a problem with what He's said, it is with my thinking, not His word. 

Why is it liberal women get to cover all the bases--they can think their husband is just as good as they are at being home full time with the kids, they can think their career is more important than being home full time, they can claim guilt about working because they 'want' to be home and think that equates doing the hard work of being home full time, they act like having a career is harder than being a full time mom, and they act like you have insulted them if they want to be outside the home...it can't be all those things. Bottom line, why can only liberal women have strong opinions about these things? I'm a conservative homemaker who believes that nothing is more important work for a mom than to stay home and raise her own children. I do not think every role women want to fulfill is 'the' best role. Everyone can't be doing what is best if we're doing different things, and I disagree that what is best for one person is different than for another in general because God has said what a wife/mother should do. It is not subject to human opinion. The family is designed to function in an optimal way-- God's way is THE best way.

Let's examine our beliefs and be consistent. If we think men and women are interchangeable, we don't have much ground to stand on with rejecting this transgender mess. Morality without the Bible is just an opinion that can change with the times and culture. God designed men and women, different yet equal. People are most fulfilled when they submit to God's design. Rejecting God's design, no matter how sincere one is, will never bring the happiness and contentment of accepting it. It doesn't mean a husband isn't more skilled at home skills or that a wife can't make more money than him, but God has laid out that a husband is to be the provider for his family and his wife is to help him by raising their children and keeping their home. Look at how communism, an ungodly form of government and societal rule, thrives when the husband is out of the way. The government becomes the husband, though it doesn't do the job as God designed. This is more evidence of God's design being to protect what He has given as a picture of His relationship with the church. There is a leader in the home, the dad, then others working together to fulfill different and needed roles. God is a God of order, and the beauty of a father leading, guiding, sacrificing for and protecting his family shows us how God Himself is toward His church. A man's wife supporting him, nurturing the next generation, and keeping their home fulfills her and utilizes her gifts in a complementary way. It is a beautiful design that is superior to anything else. 

Fresh roasted pumpkin seeds from a pie pumpkin grown by a friend on her farm.

Planning and Applying for College: Dual Enrollment for Homeschoolers Part 2

Part 1 of this two-part series can be found here. 

Dual Enrollment is when a high school student takes a college level class and receives high school credit as well as college credit. Over the last 5-7 years, it has become a very common practice. As with most things homeschool related, it has become easier to get involved with dual enrollment classes, so I encourage you to go that route if your student is academically inclined. The cost of college can be reduced if dual enrollment is thoughtfully approached, and students can lock in to what they want to study faster, which wastes less time and funds. Approaching college as college, with the goal being great success, sets your student up with the right attitude toward university learning. It isn't a trial and error, get-it-done-somehow situation. 

That said, colleges vary widely in how approachable they are. Don't get discouraged if the first college you approach is cumbersome. Look around--most offer dual enrollment and many basic classes like English will transfer to most other schools. 

Our community college is easy to work with. Contact an advisor, fill out some simple forms, meet with the advisor (student and parent) and take a placement test or two depending on what classes your student wants. Generally a student new to college will take a math placement test and an English placement test. Enrolling happens online like for normal college students once the advisor approves the student. 

The Master's University is rather easy to take classes with if your student is a Christian and is academically ready. There is a brief application and the student needs a letter of recommendation from their pastor. There is not a need for the SAT or placement tests. Their system is a little cumbersome and paying/ordering transcripts through Parchment hasn't been as smooth as it could be at times. For example, you can register for classes before you are technically supposed to which can send the system into a tailspin. They could use an expert with dual enrollment for questions and understanding the system a bit more. TMU has accelerated dual enrollment options, so theoretically a student could fit in 4 classes over their junior year alone, taking just one college level course at a time. Make sure your student is academically ready based on the rigor of their high school curricula. The onus is on you as their teacher to know if they are ready, and it is your money on the line as well as your student's GPA. 

Cedarville University was much more complicated for dual enrollment than our community college or TMU, but has changed since COVID. They have good, tough classes. SAT has been dropped as a requirement. You'll get an advisor for dual enrollment and then a different one if you apply to the college for after high school. System is a bit cumbersome and the process to get set up takes longer. I'm not sure why they make students choose multiple classes they will take if in fact only one is desired.

Once you've selected the colleges you will use, realize this: the flow of coursework is different for college classes vs. high school classes. It is more challenging to take year-long classes alongside 8 wk classes rather than just take all year-long classes. It is tough to take semester long college classes while taking year long high school classes and 8 wk intensive classes. An 8 wk course packs in a lot of reading, discussion posts, and tests. If there is a big project, realize it is going to monopolize your student's time. There just isn't the time to spread out the work load. When an 8 wk class is really intensifying, a semester long class may or may not be. A year long high school class will have its own flow. What is hard is for a student to be capable of seeing this and mapping out their time commitment accordingly. For this reason it is important your student can really manage time well.

Something else about dual enrollment--check with the colleges your student is considering before spending the time and money on taking a course. You want to ensure the class will aid them as a prerequisite to classes they have to take when enrolled in university, or as a core class. Keep records and contact all of the colleges to see how a perspective class will transfer. Check it with your student's desired major as well since some classes may count as a gen. ed for some majors but not others. A lot of money and frustration would be saved if parents helped their students out here. This part is not for kids to do, they have lots of school work to focus on. This is what Mom should be doing as a support during these later high school years. Your student will learn to navigate these sorts of things later when they are in college, but their time is better spent keeping grades up when they are in high school. Know when to alleviate their stress!

My recommendation is to do a solid high school education before dual enrollment classes. It goes much smoother for kids to have a basic understanding of Biology and Chemistry before they start with college level sciences. They should also be able to write at the college level and know how to manage their own classwork. Too many parents want to throw their kids into college without adequately preparing them, and this causes undo stress on the student. Treat college as college, not as an extension of high school. Just because a student can muddle through, doesn't mean you as the parent have done your job adequately. Come along side your student and realize they still need help and support with softer issues. Let them focus on the school work. In time they will have to manage their cooking, laundry, talking to advisors AND school work. Don't rush it.