Oh Nine in a collage shell

I love going back and watching old family videos and looking at photo files from long ago and noticing all of the big changes that have taken place over the years.

Today, as I went back through the photo folders from this year and visually reviewed 2009 (a.k.a. Oh Nine), I am so very grateful for the wonderful memories we've made this year. We've managed to see most of our families, we've taken some fun trips, we've completed the first half of our 5th year of homeschooling, and (once again) Joe has been the king of fatherhood with the kids taking them on fun adventures while I take time to plan for school...and eat bon bons ; )

A photo collage to represent our year--month by month.


Top:
-The kids lost lots of teeth this year--starting out with Jimmer in January
-Lots of hiking and climbing miles under our belts
-A good Jeep mudding year, for sure

2nd Row:
-Mary Kate celebrated her First Communion
-She got to go to California with Gramma for a week
-Our male family members suffered the heat to watch the Red Bull X Fighters

3rd Row:
-Our kids love the homebound ministry we're involved with at church
-We did some spelunking--or, hiking below the ground
-We did a lot of hiking above the ground in the great Southwest

4th Row:
-No hiking (or walking) on water, so we just enjoyed a great big lake.
-Joe, a Longhorn of the university kind, & kids showed their 'Horns spirit
-Our love of Calvin & Hobbes just shines through the kids, don't you think?

A fabulously fun, fantastically busy, fully-lived year for which we're extremely grateful.

It's so satisfying to ring in the new year in a thankful spirit.

Great Comedic Drunk Moments

Great Comedic Drunk Moments

Obama Administration Spares Foreign Terrorists, Focuses on Torturing Domestic Airline Passengers

Now that foreign terrorists are being treated like ordinary criminals and given lawyers along with the right to remain silent, the Obama Administration is focusing instead on torturing domestic airline passengers with even more onerous security procedures.

"The days of making terrorists stand naked in the cold while being subject to interrogation are over," said President Obama. "The days of making Americans stand naked in airport security lines have just begun."

Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano issued a joint statement saying "We must show the world that America upholds its deepest values by treating domestic citizen airline customers like cattle while granting terrorists the broadest constitutional protections against self-incrimination."

Administration officials noted that "Americans have always borne burdens to protect their freedoms, and now it's time Americans gave up some of those freedoms to help ensure terrorists don't have to be interrogated about future plots."

Associated articles: Washington Post; National Review; Charles Krauthammer

Obama Administration Spares Foreign Terrorists, Focuses on Torturing Domestic Airline Passengers

Now that foreign terrorists are being treated like ordinary criminals and given lawyers along with the right to remain silent, the Obama Administration is focusing instead on torturing domestic airline passengers with even more onerous security procedures.

"The days of making terrorists stand naked in the cold while being subject to interrogation are over," said President Obama. "The days of making Americans stand naked in airport security lines have just begun."

Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano issued a joint statement saying "We must show the world that America upholds its deepest values by treating domestic citizen airline customers like cattle while granting terrorists the broadest constitutional protections against self-incrimination."

Administration officials noted that "Americans have always borne burdens to protect their freedoms, and now it's time Americans gave up some of those freedoms to help ensure terrorists don't have to be interrogated about future plots."

Associated articles: Washington Post; National Review; Charles Krauthammer

Obama Removes Caps on Taxpayer-Paid Federal Housing Loan Guarantees

Associated articles: Washington Examiner; Wall Street Journal; Wall Street Journal; Wall Street Journal; Slate; New York Times; Wall Street Journal; National Review; New York Post

Obama Removes Caps on Taxpayer-Paid Federal Housing Loan Guarantees

Associated articles: Washington Examiner; Wall Street Journal; Wall Street Journal; Wall Street Journal; Slate; New York Times; Wall Street Journal; National Review; New York Post

ACLU "Not Concerned At All" That the Names of Over 350 Million Americans Are on a "Not Safe to Be Flying" List

Washington, D.C.--After filing "privacy" lawsuits that prevented the compilation of a comprehensive terrorist "No-Fly" list that would keep known and dangerous jihadists from being able to board airplanes, the American Civil Liberties Union announced that it was "completely satisfied" that the names of over 350 million Americans remained on the "Not Safe to Be Flying" list.

"The ACLU is pleased to announce that we are not concerned in the least bit that hundreds of millions of Americans remain in danger while flying thanks to our reckless lawsuits that unduly restrict the government's ability to create a thorough list of individuals who should not be allowed to board aircraft due to their ties to terrorism," said an ACLU spokeswoman.

Associated article: Los Angeles Times

ACLU "Not Concerned At All" That the Names of Over 350 Million Americans Are on a "Not Safe to Be Flying" List

Washington, D.C.--After filing "privacy" lawsuits that prevented the compilation of a comprehensive terrorist "No-Fly" list that would keep known and dangerous jihadists from being able to board airplanes, the American Civil Liberties Union announced that it was "completely satisfied" that the names of over 350 million Americans remained on the "Not Safe to Be Flying" list.

"The ACLU is pleased to announce that we are not concerned in the least bit that hundreds of millions of Americans remain in danger while flying thanks to our reckless lawsuits that unduly restrict the government's ability to create a thorough list of individuals who should not be allowed to board aircraft due to their ties to terrorism," said an ACLU spokeswoman.

Associated article: Los Angeles Times

Janet "The System Worked" Napolitano Praises Anti-Terrorism Program Centered on Rabbits' Feet, Horseshoes, Four-Leaf Clovers

Washington, D.C.--After a bomb-wearing terrorist who managed to board a plane was thwarted by the bravery of private citizens and the fortuitous malfunction of an explosives detonator, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said "the system worked."

When asked how "the system worked" when the terrorist managed to board the plane with a bomb when his own father had previously called the U.S. Embassy to report his son's radical jihadist ideology, Napolitano pointed to what she called a "fail-safe series of rabbits' feet, horseshoes, and other good luck charms" designed to produce similarly fortunate results in the future.

"We're committed to investing whatever it takes in the latest dumb luck technology," said Napolitano, adding "We hope to have an entire field of genetically engineered four-leaf clovers by mid-year."

Associated articles: Politico; Washington Post; New York Post; Ruth Marcus; Weekly Standard

Janet "The System Worked" Napolitano Praises Anti-Terrorism Program Centered on Rabbits' Feet, Horseshoes, Four-Leaf Clovers

Washington, D.C.--After a bomb-wearing terrorist who managed to board a plane was thwarted by the bravery of private citizens and the fortuitous malfunction of an explosives detonator, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said "the system worked."

When asked how "the system worked" when the terrorist managed to board the plane with a bomb when his own father had previously called the U.S. Embassy to report his son's radical jihadist ideology, Napolitano pointed to what she called a "fail-safe series of rabbits' feet, horseshoes, and other good luck charms" designed to produce similarly fortunate results in the future.

"We're committed to investing whatever it takes in the latest dumb luck technology," said Napolitano, adding "We hope to have an entire field of genetically engineered four-leaf clovers by mid-year."

Associated articles: Politico; Washington Post; New York Post; Ruth Marcus; Weekly Standard

Global Warming Advocacy Group Unveils New Ad Campaign (Click Image to Enlarge)

Associated materials: Wall Street Journal

Global Warming Advocacy Group Unveils New Ad Campaign (Click Image to Enlarge)

Associated materials: Wall Street Journal

Christmas fun with fun Christmas funsies

New ride on fun


New indoor table fun



New slope fun

Flying Kathleen fun

Jimmer catching air fun

Mikey Knievel fun

And no fun runs to the E.R.!

We wish you a merry Christmas...

Christmas Eve


Four monkeys


Four monkeys--Calvin style


O, Holy Night!

Merry Christmas!

We wish for you a safe and very blessed Christmas with lots of good family cheer!

Kathleen's 2009 manger scene creation

More Four Calling Birds Happenings :: Music

The kids have been doing a little of this lately.

Church Thanksgiving performance

Then they played at the Mary Lee Foundation, a community of support and apartment complexes for the disabled.


After the performance we saw this flash of red and white flying down the street headed for a bus stop!

A blurry Santa in a flying wheelchair.

On December 21, they got to play at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar downtown at the Convention Center.





Their group, the Blazing Bows, played their set between The Biscuit Brothers and Joe McDermott.

As long as we were downtown, we walked through the Trail of Lights to see some friends perform in their middle school choir on the Candy Cane stage.

Love the yawning girl in the blue hat!

Trail of Lights main tree


Joe and the kids at the Yule Log fire.

Then as we were leaving the Trail of Lights, we ended up at a free outdoor concert by Asleep at the Wheel.


Lots of musical fun.

Breaking News

Breaking News

"Climategate" Scientists Manipulate Temperature Data and Backyard Photos to Negate Recent East Coast Snow Storm

"Climategate" Scientists Manipulate Temperature Data and Backyard Photos to Negate Recent East Coast Snow Storm

Boy Disgusted to Find Senate Health Care Bill Next to Rat's Head In Holiday Sausage

Washington, D.C.--A Nebraska boy who bit into a Christmas sausage during a recent family celebration was disgusted to find the hairy vestiges of the Senate health care bill inside the meaty treat.

"The kids so look forward to the holiday sausage this time of year," said the boy's mother between dry heaves. "But this year little Trad let out a shriek after he took a taste. You can imagine our revulsion when we saw, next to a rat's dismembered remains, the horrific Senate health care bill dangling out the sausage casing Trad had in his shaking hands."

When asked to comment, Senate sausage-makers said only that "we strove to produce the best sausage possible before our arbitrary 38-hour deadline for radically restructuring one-seventh of the U.S. economy."

Associated article: Wall Street Journal

Boy Disgusted to Find Senate Health Care Bill Next to Rat's Head In Holiday Sausage

Washington, D.C.--A Nebraska boy who bit into a Christmas sausage during a recent family celebration was disgusted to find the hairy vestiges of the Senate health care bill inside the meaty treat.

"The kids so look forward to the holiday sausage this time of year," said the boy's mother between dry heaves. "But this year little Trad let out a shriek after he took a taste. You can imagine our revulsion when we saw, next to a rat's dismembered remains, the horrific Senate health care bill dangling out the sausage casing Trad had in his shaking hands."

When asked to comment, Senate sausage-makers said only that "we strove to produce the best sausage possible before our arbitrary 38-hour deadline for radically restructuring one-seventh of the U.S. economy."

Associated article: Wall Street Journal

Jesse Tree :: Advent Activity

We added another Advent activity this year as a new tradition so, as a family, we can continue to focus on the real meaning of the season--of Advent, a time to prepare ourselves for Christmas. We've always done a daily nativity Advent calendar, and we've always used an Advent wreath with readings at dinnertime...but the Jesse Tree is a visual reminder of Jesus' spiritual heritage (not just genealogical) through the Old Testament leading up to Christ's birth and into the New Testament.

The Jesse Tree Kit


Here's the description from the beginning of this book:

The symbol of the Jesse Tree comes from Isaiah 11: "The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants." The tree is named after Jesse, the father of the great King David of the Old Testament.

In Church art a design developed which illustrated the relationship of Jesus with Jesse and other biblical personages. This design showed a branched tree growing from a reclining figure of Jesse. The various branches had pictures of other Old and New Testament figures who were ancestors of Jesus. Some trees also incorporated early Old Testament figures like Abraham and Moses, who lived long before Jesse's time. At the top of the tree were images of Mary and Jesus. This design was used mostly in stained glass windows in some of the great medieval cathedrals of Europe.

Another development in religious art during the Middle Ages was that of Mystery Plays--drama that depicted various Bible stories or lives of saints and martyrs. These plays were performed in churches as part of the liturgical celebrations. One such play was based on the biblical account of the fall of Adam and Eve. The
"Tree of Life" used during the play was decorated with apples. (Quite possibly this is also the forerunner of our own Christmas tree.)

This kit draws from elements of both the Jesse Tree window and the Tree of Life. Each ornament symbolizes a person or event in salvation history--the pattern of events in human history that accomplishes the saving action of God. By reflecting on salvation history, we see how God prepared the world for the coming of his Son.

Jesse Trees are meant to symbolize the spiritual heritage of Jesus, rather than his strictly genealogical origins. It is important to keep in mind that the Christian application of the Old Testament stories and symbols used does not minimize their own intrinsic value as Revelation.

Each day of Advent, we color one of the ornaments, read the daily scripture associated with the ornament's symbol and hang the ornament on our Jesse tree. I was looking for a manzanita branch to use as the tree, but no such luck finding one around here. So I just put a bunch of branches into a vase and placed it inside the Advent wreath in the middle of our dining table.



Our kids have been able to recall the specific biblical stories as they look at each of the ornament's symbols.

Here are some of them.

Noah

Joseph

Isaac and Rebecca

I really wanted to do a homemade Jesse Tree--one with ornaments the kids totally create themselves. I knew, however, that pigs would be in flight by the time I get around to making sure all the ornaments are made. So for this year and ? more years, we'll use these paper ornaments. Seeing these symbols for a while may help the kids become familiar with them so they'll be able to come up with their own version easier in the future. At least that's what I'll tell myself until we have all homemade ornaments!

Wouldn't it be nice to think that by the time all the kids left home, they'd have their own set of handmade Jesse Tree ornaments for their own tradition?



I've added this tradition to A Meaningful Family Christmas link party. Have a looksie at the wonderful family traditions others have posted.

Ebay Item of the Day

Associated article: Big Government

Ebay Item of the Day

Associated article: Big Government

White House Releases Photos of President Obama's Negotiations with China on International Climate Change Policies

White House Releases Photos of President Obama's Negotiations with China on International Climate Change Policies

Paper Circle Snowflakes Tutorial

We had so much fun with the quilled paper snowflakes, I came up with a different design for these paper circle snowflakes.


I took four sheets of 12" x 12" scrapbooking paper and adhered 2 sets with repositionable spray adhesive. (I put a lighter complimentary color to the backs of the red and green papers.)

The green thingy is my quilling tool.

The other sides of the papers I adhered.


I cut 1/4" strips of various lengths from each sheet--mainly 2-1/2" length for the bigger circles I made with my chap stick as a form guide, and 1-3/4" length for the ones I made with one of the kids' markers. I used short leftover scraps for the 3 loose, quilled centers and the 6 closed coils at the tips of the snowflake.

For each snowflake, you'll need:
13 larger circles
12 smaller circles
3 loose quilled circles for the center
6 closed coils for the snowflake tips.

Here's a link for basic quilling instructions.

I arranged them so that there would be a dark outer circle round followed by the next round with a lighter contrasting color on the outside (if that makes sense--if not, just refer to photo).

Use tweezers to help glue the smaller circles to the insides of the larger circles. (Believe me, it's more enjoyable that way! =)


Use tacky glue to stick 'em all together as they are arranged in the top photo, put embroidery thread or small ribbon through one of the closed coils for an ornament hanger, and VOILA--a circle snowflake ornament!

Hmmm...now that I'm looking at the photo of the hanging ornament, I'm thinking that gold guilded edges would look very nice. I just might have to dig up my gold paint pen and see how it looks.

Let me know if you try this or have more ideas for similar projects.