Hilling Highlights

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-20T22:31:00.002-05:00

An "Appealing" Family Outing

2008-10-16T23:06:00.002-04:00

Recently, our family visited Keeny's Apple Orchard near Brooklyn, MI. This is an outing we enjoy making in the Fall. The kids like climbing in the trees, picking, and sampling the apples. The owners said this was the best year they have had for apples in 10 years. They were all juicy, big, and delicious. We ended up with about 2 and a half bushels of Golden Delicious, Jona-gold, Northern Spy, Ida Red, and Macintosh apples. Below are some pictures of the kids at the orchard.

Josiah took a break from picking apples to try one. He said he had to sit down to eat it. He started eating it at the orchard, and didn't stop until we were about home.

"Lazy," Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

2008-09-16T19:53:00.007-04:00

Wow! Here it is -- Sept. 20th, and on Monday, Fall will officially begin. The summer is nearly over, and what a busy summer it has been! I know it seems we've fallen off the blogging band wagon, but we're still here in our corner of the globe. We sorta felt like yo-yos this summer as we bounced back and forth from home to other places. In June, we went to visit my Mom and Stepfather for a few days. A couple weeks after we returned, Chris left for Youth Camp. Then it was July, and our vacation plans to WV were unexpectedly postponed. So, Chris' parents came up here instead. We celebrated Independence Day and Chris' birthday together and went to Sauder Village. A few days after they left, it was time to go to family camp. During the last week of July, we went to Indiana to meet up with my sister from Florida. When we got back home, VBS began at our church for the first full week of August. Finally, we were able to take our vacation to WV during the last week of August. We got home after Labor Day in time for the girl's to start school and Chris to begin his new part-time job at the hospital. Whew! What a summer! Somehow, we were able to find time to do some canning and freezing of fresh fruit and vegetables. We'll have some strawberries, peaches, corn, tomatoes and pickles to enjoy this winter, as well as some butternut squash and potatoes from the garden. All in all, we thank God for His blessings this summer, His protection, and the memories made with family and friends. Below are some pictures that highlight some memories from the summer:

Alayna with one of her favorite animals during our visit to Indiana.

How can you enjoy summer without making mud pies??

Taking a rest at Sauder Village

The best dressed chef in town.

All the cousins modeling their newly made t-shirts.

Mamaw giving Josiah a much needed haircut.

The kids and Daddy shucking corn

Part of the two bushels worth of corn neatly stacked in a pyramid, compliments of Melanie.

Sampling of pickles and diced tomatoes.

During our vacation to WV, we went to Smoke Hole Cavern. Below is a beautiful stalactite called the "Queen's Canopy."

Josiah trying out his musical skills on Grampy's mandolin.

Butterflies Flying Free

2008-06-04T11:55:00.003-04:00

Our butterflies have come out of their cocoons. Here are a few pictures of them before we released them. In the picture above, you can see the last butterfly right before she emerged. This was the only one we were able to watch as it came out of the cocoon. It happened so fast. After they were all out, we watched them in their habitat. We fed them "nectar" (a sugar- water mixture sprinkled on fresh flowers) and orange slices. They drink the juice.

On the day that we released them, we let the children get one out at a time. The butterfly would crawl up on their finger, and then they would lift it out! It was exciting to watch them fly away!

Miracles of Spring

2008-05-10T00:00:00.001-04:00

We have been enjoying an exciting experience recently at the Hilling household. A couple weeks ago, we sent off for live caterpillars. The children received this gift for your own butterfly habitat from Grammy and Grampy. They arrived in a special container with their own food supply included. It was fun to watch them literally grow overnight! They got so fat! The children watched them crawl around and eat. The girls named them all -- there were four.

After about a week, they had what they call their "J" day. This is when they hang from the top in the shape of a "J".

Then they begin to form their chrysalids. They can be in their chrysalids for 7 - 10 days. So, now we are watching them closely for that magical moment when they emerge as beautiful Painted Lady butterflies! What a miracle! They look so lifeless right now. It's hard to imagine anything spectacular going on. We will keep you posted on their progress.

Aside from the butterfly adventure, the children and I enjoyed gathering lilacs for a bouquet today. I love their beauty and fragrance! I like to bring some inside where I can enjoy them more.

April Showers

2008-04-15T09:43:00.003-04:00

The other day we had a little April shower. It didn't last long and when the sun came out, Alayna wanted to go outside and play. She enjoyed splashing in the puddles.

Melanie had to write a "sound poem" for English class. A sound poem uses alliteration and onomatopoeias (words that sound like their meaning). I thought it was perfect to go along with Alayna's pictures enjoying the spring weather. Here's the result of her efforts:

Warm Wet Weather
by Melanie Hilling

Warm wet weather
A breeze whistles through trees.
A busy bee buzzes by.
I sniff a flower. Achoo! I sneeze.
The birds twitter as they fly.
Twitter, whistle, buzz, achoo,
I love warm wet weather.
How about you?

Ladies' Tea Party

2008-04-12T20:21:00.008-04:00

Last week I hosted the bimonthly Ladies Day Out for our church. I decided to do an afternoon tea. I served chicken and egg salad sandwiches, dipped shortbread cookies, and orange scones with orange butter (pictured above), and of course, tea. Because I was so occupied with hosting the party, I forgot to take a single picture. Since we loved the scones so much, I made them again yesterday morning. If you'd like to try them, here's the recipe:

Orange Scones

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold butter
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped mandarin oranges, well drained
Additional sugar

ORANGE BUTTER:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon orange marmalade

1) In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, orange peel and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a bowl, whisk milk and egg. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in oranges.
2) Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times. Pat into a 6-in. circle. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Cut into eight wedges.
3) Separate wedges and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat butter and marmalade until fluffy. Serve with warm scones.

Blowing Bubbles In The Snow

2008-03-25T11:25:00.000-04:00

I just had to take a picture of the kids today as they played with bubbles outside in the cold. They received large bubble wands for Easter, and were anxious to play with them. When Josiah asked me the second time, and I replied, "This is something we do outside on a warm day," he decided he wanted to go outside. So I thought, "Oh well, why not?". Here's the result -- winter coats and summer fun -- what a combination!

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T23:08:00.002-04:00

I trust all of you had a blessed Easter. Here are some pictures we took during the day yesterday.The children's Easter baskets.

We were proud of Josiah saying an Easter recitation for the very first time! I didn't know if he would do it, but he did very well. He said, "Jesus lives is what I say on this happy Easter Day!"

Melanie enjoys memorization. She says that she doesn't get stage fright because she's a pastor's daughter. It's neat to see how she improves each year, and is able to have longer parts.

Alayna was a Son-flower in "God's Garden" along with six other flower girls. She really enjoyed this part, because she likes sunflowers. She even has a few little sunflower plants in the windowsill, growing, waiting for warm weather to plant outside.

The kids cheesing in their Easter attire.

Lady Locks for Easter

2008-03-22T00:39:00.004-04:00

Well, I finally made "lady locks". Josiah calls them "goldilocks". These yummy little cream filled cookies are delicious, but quite an ordeal to make. Melanie wanted me to make them with green tinted filling for St. Patrick's Day, but because I was a day late, I made them with pastel colors for Easter. They turned out well and we enjoyed them -- there's only a few left! Thank you Mom H. for the recipe, and Dad H. for making the foil covered dowel rods for baking the cookies.

1 Year Anniversary

2008-03-20T10:30:00.003-04:00

One year ago we decided to try our hand at blogging. This makes our 162nd post. We have had 9,796 visitors -- including friends, family, strangers, fellow homeschoolers, Huckabee supporters, political allies and enemies. It's interesting to see what brings people to our blog. One common google search that brings people to our blog is "homemade chicken pot pie." Perhaps the most unique google search was "new born wall decorations" -- I guarantee you the poor soul didn't get what they were looking for -- they found a picture of Josiah after he flung spaghetti on the wall!

First, thank you for taking the time to visit and comment on our blog.

Second, We are unveiling a new blog today. At this point, Hilling Highlights will continue, with Esther making most of the posts. She will feature more recipes and family pictures, etc. Chris is going to take the politics and other issues that interest him to a new blog -- Another Perspective. Be sure to check it out!

Happy Birthday, Melanie

2008-03-15T12:15:00.003-04:00

On March 13th we celebrated Melanie's ninth birthday. She requested potato soup for her birthday supper. After the meal, she opened her presents from the family.

On Friday, Melanie celebrated her birthday with some friends from school. The birthday party had a horse theme. Therefore, we did a lot of "horsing around." Some of the activities are pictured below:

Melanie posing with her horse cake that Esther enjoyed making. Thanks, Mom H. for the new grass tip -- it came in handy.

We served hay (edible easter grass), sugar cubes, and apples and dip for all the fillies (and one colt - Josiah). The edible easter grass tasted just like straw - I don't recommend you buy any for your Easter baskets! As they munched on their snacks, they each drew pictures of horses.

These wooden horses were transformed into works of art with a few strokes of paint. It was interesting to see how each horse looked different. The white horse above is Alayna's, and Melanie made the palamino. Josiah even enjoyed painting a "rainbow" horse. He started out painting the entire horse red, then he added blue, then green, then yellow, then some more blue, etc. Somebody said that his horse was colorful, to which Josiah replied, "It's boo-tiful."

Melanie received nice gifts from her friends. It was a nice party, and great to get together with some of the girls from Jackson Christian.

Squaw Alayna

2008-03-15T12:10:00.003-04:00

This week, Alayna has been studying about Indians in Heritage Studies. She enjoyed the lessons so much, that she dressed up as an Indian after school. She made moccasins for her lesson, you can see them around her ankles. She put on her Indian dress that Grammy made for her. She also instructed us how the papoose was to be carried on her back.

The Parlour

2008-03-15T11:51:00.003-04:00

Chris' parents came up last weekend to celebrate Melanie's Birthday. We decided to make a stop at The Parlour for supper and ice cream. If you are ever in the Jackson area and like ice cream, The Parlour is a must stop! If you "Dare to Be Great" and can eat 21 scoops of ice cream by yourself, you get your dessert for free, and get your name put on the wall. Needless to say, none us were that daring.

Melanie's favorite ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip.

No, those are not ALL mine!

Family Update

2008-03-05T11:20:00.003-05:00

Here's a few things that have happened with the kids during the last week:

Melanie constructed a candy house.

Alayna penned a scroll about the life of Nehemiah.

We found a "ball" bank for Josiah to match the sports theme border in his room.

Thank You, Mr. Huckabee ...

2008-03-05T10:29:00.003-05:00

Mike Huckabee was a like a breath of fresh air on the political landscape. Thinking back to last September, as I began studying the Republican candidates, Governor Huckabee rose to the surface. At the time I was leaning towards supporting Mike, and the Voters Value Debate sealed the deal. He was authentic. He was personable. He was a great communicator. He had values and was not ashamed of them. His faith directed his life.

Sadly, with Huckabee's withdrawal from the race, there only remains the hot air of Washington insiders who say "what needs to be said" to gain favor with others. Am I disappointed that Huckabee has lost? YES. At this point there is no candidate whom true conservative principled voters can rally around. Although disappointed, I am proud of the fact that I have supported a man of principle and integrity.

During his speech last night, Huckabee said, "I'd rather lose the election than lose the principles that got me into politics in the first place." Thank you, Gov. Huckabee for remaining true to your convictions. I, for one, will be looking forward to 2012.

Stirring Speech in Plano, TX

2008-02-22T09:52:00.003-05:00

People who say that Barak Obama gives great speeches, must not pay attention to Mike Huckabee. His speech this week in Texas was one of the best I have heard him deliver. You can feel the energy in the room. Those of you who haven't had your state primary, be sure to vote your principles, not politics!

If you have dialup, this speech is 35 minutes long, so it will take forever and a day to watch it, but if you have high speed internet, it's well worth your time. You can watch it here.

Belated Valentine's Day Post

2008-02-22T09:14:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from Valentine's Day:

Some roses I gave my wonderful wife. It's now over a week later, and the roses still look beautiful. If you live in the Jackson area, I highly recommend Bonnie's for your floral needs!

After a delicious meal featuring homemade chicken pot pie with hearts cut out in the top of the crust, we exchanged valentines.

For dessert, Esther made this heart shaped cookie.

We've Been Memed...

2008-02-13T21:54:00.002-05:00

Thanks to OneMom, a fellow Michigander, homeschooler, blogger, and Huckabee supporter, we have been tagged to participate in a meme. The rules are as follows:

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!
Find Page 123.
Read the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

On the filing cabinet beside my desk, I had a stack of over 10 books:

Roberts Rules of Order
Holy Bible
The Moral Compass, by William Bennett
90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper
Conquering The Fear of Death, by Spiros Zodhiates
The Year-Round Church Event Book, by Elmer Towns and Stan Toler
The Last Christian Generation by Josh McDowell
2007 Minister's Tax and Financial Guide by Dan Busby
Fresh Ideas by Diana Davis
The Journey, published by God's Bible School
Fresh Power by Jim Cymbala

I'll quote from Fresh Power:

"Part of our problem is that we have developed a religious industry whose machinery runs smoothly without any need of the Holy Spirit. A. W. Tozer once commented that if God were to take the Holy Spirit out of this world, most of what the church is doing would go right on, and nobody would know the difference. We have become set in our ways -- but they are not the ways of God's blessing and power."

Now, who shall I tag to keep this going?

Thanks for participating.

Huckabee didn't major in math, but did major in miracles.

2008-02-09T19:56:00.001-05:00

This is the first portion of the speech Gov. Huckabee gave today at CPAC. This man is the best communicator in the presidential race since Ronald Reagan, hands down. Anyone who questions Huckabee's conservatism needs to watch this speech, especially segment #4.

So far today, Huckabee won the Kansas caucus with a 3:1 ration over McCain. I believe he can win Louisiana and compete in Washington state. I'll update this blog as results come in.

Update: LA - 79% of precincts reporting: Huckabee - 44.5%; McCain - 40.1%
WA - 37% of precincts reporting: Huckabee - 26.9% ; McCain - 23.2%

Update2: LA - 90% reporting: Huckabee - 43.6%; McCain - 41.7%
WA - 78% reporting: Huckabee - 24% ; McCain - 25.7%; Paul - 21.4%

Note: In LA, the GOP candidate must win over 50% of the total vote before he is awarded delegates. With no candidate reaching that %, all of LA's delegates will be uncommitted going in to the convention.

Worms

2008-02-09T10:19:00.001-05:00

This week in her Science class, Melanie studied about worms. After her lessons, she made a hookworm, earthworm, and flatworm out of play-dough. I thought she did a great job.

Dr, Dobson Endorses Gov. Huckabee

2008-02-08T10:09:00.000-05:00

I took a couple days off of posting politics ... but this one was too good to pass up ...

Dr. James Dobson issued the following statement Thursday, speaking as a private citizen.

I am endorsing Gov. Mike Huckabee for President of the United States today. My decision comes in the wake of my statement on Super Tuesday that I could not vote for Sen. John McCain, even if he goes on to win the Republican nomination. His record on the institution of the family and other conservative issues makes his candidacy a matter of conscience and concern for me.

That left two pro-family candidates whom I could support, but I was reluctant to choose between them. However, the decision by Gov. Mitt Romney to put his campaign "on hold" changes the political landscape. The remaining candidate for whom I could vote is Gov. Huckabee. His unwavering positions on the social issues, notably the institution of marriage, the importance of faith and the sanctity of human life, resonate deeply with me and with many others. That is why I will support Gov. Huckabee through the remaining primaries, and will vote for him in the general election if he should get the nomination. Obviously, the governor faces an uphill struggle, given the delegates already committed to Sen. McCain. Nevertheless, I believe he is our best remaining choice for President of the United States.

(NOTE: Dr. Dobson made these statements as a private citizen. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a reflection of the opinions of Focus on the Family or Focus on the Family Action.)

Now the question of the day is whether it's possible for Huckabee to beat McCain. This endorsement helps. Romney putting his campaign on hold helps. Still, it is going to be a long row to hoe. Who would have thought Huckabee had a chance? He's overcome negative press, attack ads, and being ignored by the media. Here are a couple great links that talk about the coming primaries and Huckabee's chances:

Valentine's Dipped Cherry Cookies

2008-02-06T12:26:00.000-05:00

Esther made these cookies for Women of Worth on Monday. They were a hit, and she will be making them again for a church fellowship this Sunday. Here's the recipe:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup cold butter
1/2 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries, drained
1 bag of white chips
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Red decorating sugar

In a large bowl, combine flour and 1/2 c. sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Knead in the cherries, 2/3 c. white chips and almond extract until dough forms a ball.

Shape into 3/4 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart or ungreased baking sheets. Flatten slightly with a glass dipped in remaining sugar. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. remove to wire wracks to cool.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt remaining white chips; stir until smooth. Dip half of each cookie into the melted white chocolate; sprinkle with red decorating sugar. Place on waxed paper until set. Yields about 4 dozen.

(This recipe is adapted from Country Woman, Dec./Jan. 2008)

Super Tuesday is over ...

2008-02-06T10:50:00.000-05:00

... so we'll take a break from politics for a little while.

Here are some pictures of events in our life during the last few weeks:

A new niece - Sarah Lou. Sarah was born on January 10th. Congratulations, Kevin & LouAnn.

Alayna really liked school the day she shaped letters out of cookie dough for spelling class!

More Snow?? We are (Esther corrected me ... only I am) starting to get weary of the winter weather. This snow came during the last few days of January. Yesterday it melted. And today, we're supposed to get hit again. At least the kids and Esther like it.

Romney Reverses Position Again ...

2008-02-05T22:06:00.001-05:00

I found this over on OneMom's blog ... it's too good not to share:

Mike Huckabee on CNN:

“Yesterday, Gov. Romney instructed me not to whine and now he has changed his position and is now for whining, as evidenced by his reaction to the W. Virginia results”

Never Prouder To Be A Mountaineer!

2008-02-05T15:16:00.001-05:00

Being born and raised in West Virginia, it's my pleasure to announce to all our blog readers that Mike Huckabee got all 18 delegates from my home state! Hopefully this win will help convince all those people who really support Mike, but are not wanting to "waste their vote" to think twice before voting for Romney.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Mike Huckabee won the first contest declared on Super Tuesday, picking up all 18 national delegates awarded at West Virginia's state GOP convention.

Huckabee bested Mitt Romney, who entered the Mountain State event with the largest bloc of pledged convention-goers. Both men and Ron Paul made in-person appeals to the more than 1,100 convention delegates attending Tuesday's convention.

But the former Arkansas governor beat his Massachusetts counterpart after delegates for John McCain defected to his side.

The first round of voting at the state convention produced no winner, but eliminated Paul after his fourth-place finish.

The results are the first from the 21 states with GOP primaries or caucuses Tuesday...

EDIT: The Romney media's spin on all of this?? "Backroom Deal between McCain and Huck"

Let's take a second look at that:

First Vote: MH = 375; MR = 464; JM = 176; RP = 118 (Total of 1,133 votes)
Second Vote: MH = 567; MR = 521; JM = 12 (Total of 1,100 votes - 33 abstentions)
Therefore: MH +192; MR +57; JM -164; RP -118

Now ... where did the extra votes for Huckabee and Romney come from, and who abstained?

Let's guess that half of the abstentions came from the McCain group and half came from the Paul group. That would mean that only 147 of McCain's and 102 of Paul's delegates voted the second time. Of those, 57 voted for Romney. So let's split them in half again, meaning 119 of McCain's supporters voted for Huckabee, and 73 of Paul's voters sided with Huckabee. If that's the case, Huckabee would not have won the WV caucus with the McCain support. He won because of Paul's support.

What am I trying to say? The media and the Romney camp are wanting to say that Huckabee's victory in WV was ONLY because of a backroom deal with McCain's delegates to throw their support behind Huckabee. The real picture is that while McCain's support helped, it was the Ron Paul supporters that ultimately gave Mike the victory. Thanks for your support Ron Paul delegates!!

Huckabee Is Not Why Romney Is Losing

2008-02-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

Article by Michael Medved

To explain the startling success of Senator John McCain in the fight for the GOP presidential nomination, talk radio hosts and columnists who loathe the Arizona Senator cite an alleged split on the conservative side between Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. According to this reasoning (explicitly advanced by Laura Ingraham, Hugh Hewitt and many others) if only Huckabee withdrew as a candidate, Mitt Romney could unite conservative cadres and pull out an upset victory on Super-Duper Tuesday.

Of course, Huckabee won’t leave the race (in at least six of Tuesday’s state contests he’s running well ahead of Romney) and the argument that he should rests on distorted history and illogical assumptions.

Some of my fellow commentators on the right seem to believe that the minority “moderate” wing of the party has united behind McCain because they had no other candidate, and the much larger conservative base in the GOP fatally split its votes among a number of once-viable alternatives.

These conclusions are flat-out wrong--- both about the party’s ruling conservatives and its remaining moderates.

To believe that Huck and Mitt are dividing conservatives, you have to believe that Huckabee is a conservative --- which Romney, Limbaugh, Igraham, and countless others have been denying (stridently and strenuously) for months. Romney spent millions on negative ads in Iowa trying to label Huckabee as a liberal RINO—slamming him as soft on immigration, soft on crime, a big spender, a tax hiker and so forth (the same sort of attacks that they’re now applying to McCain). Fred Thompson pronounced Huckabee a “pro-life LIBERAL” and Rush delivered daily diatribes about how the former Arkansas governor was not “a conservative.” So, has Huckabee now suddenly morphed into a true conservative just to give Romniacs an excuse for the failure of their guy to rally the rightwing base? ... (click here to continue reading article)

Why Not Romney?

2008-02-02T14:27:00.000-05:00

I hesitate to make this post, because I have used my blog to be "pro-Huckabee" not "anti-any other candidate." I began my support for Gov. Huckabee when he was just a dot on the radar. I read his book, I have listened to his speeches, I read his response to various attacks, and my conclusion is that he is the best man to lead our country for the next 4-8 years.

Over the last several months, my dislike for Mitt Romney has grown as strong as my like for Mike Huckabee. I cannot remember another Presidential primary where feelings have become so strong. I thought I would try to figure out why. Here are some reasons I am against Romney:

In Regards to Policy -- It's Often Changing:

In the last debate, Romney more than anybody else, evoked Ronald Reagan's name. He said, "Absolutely" that Ronald Reagan would endorse him. However, he used to say, "Look, I was an Independent at the time of Reagan-Bush. I am not trying to return to Reagan-Bush." When confronted on that, and voting for a Democratic candidate during a primary, he was less than convincing. So why was a Reagan conservative registered as an Independent?

On immigration, Romney claims that he will cut funding for sanctuary cities. Maybe so, but as governor he took no action against several such towns in his state. Furthermore, illegals worked at his mansion. Huckabee gets all sorts of heat for not wanting to punish the children of illegals, while Romney said virtually the same thing in 2004 -- "I hate the idea of in any way making it more difficult for kids, even those who are illegal aliens, to afford college in our state."

On the homosexual agenda, Romney recently converted to a more conservative support of a Marriage Amendment. In the past, he has supported the state's right to decide such matters. He ran for Senate as more liberal than Ted Kennedy on the position. Gov. Romney's "Governor's Commission for Gay and Lesbian Youth", (which gets hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars) organized schoolchildren from their school-based "Gay-Straight Alliance" clubs to participate in a "Youth Pride Day" parade through downtown Boston.

Romney claims his strength is in the area of finances. He pounces on Huckabee every chance he gets because of some tax increases that occurred in Arkansas. What's the rest of the story?? In reality, as governor of Massachusetts Romney increased fees in the state by $500 million and proposed nearly $400 million in business tax increases. He increased fees for getting married, buying a house, bringing a case to court, and using a public golf course, to name a few reported examples. He increased substantially the fee for restaurants such as McDonald's to have their advertising sign by the side of the road on Interstates. I wonder who ended up paying that tax ... I mean fee?

The Healthcare Package that he signed into law in MA was supported by Sen. Kennedy. Here's a video clip of Romney's discussing it later, and the actual signing ceremony. This package allows a $50 copay for abortions, by the way.

The health of the Republican party in MA suffered after Romney's term as governor. Huckabee has been accused of setting back the Republican party in the state of Arkansas. So, why isn't anybody talking about the results of Gov. Romney's efforts in Massachusetts? Romney arrived on the scene with great promise, but is leaving the Republican Party here in shambles. Not only are the Republicans yielding the governor's office for the first time in 16 years, but registered Republicans have fallen by 31,000 since Romney took office, and their legislative presence is at historic lows. In fact, watch the clip below for an analysis of the Governor's legacy on the day he left office.

In regard to Supreme Court nominees, will he continue in the same manner as his appointments during his time as Governor? "Of the 36 people Romney named to be judges or clerk magistrates, 23 are either registered Democrats or unenrolled voters who have made multiple contributions to Democratic politicians or who voted in Democratic primaries, state and local records show. In all, he has nominated nine registered Republicans, 13 unenrolled voters, and 14 registered Democrats."

When it comes to matter of sanctity of life, this ad by the American Right To Life says it all:

In Regards To Character -- Can He Be Trusted?

While it's not a crime or a sin to change one's opinion on issues, Romney's changes appear to be fueled by political gain. When it was beneficial to run as a liberal in Massachusetts, that's exactly what he did. When it was expedient to run as a conservative for a bid for President in 2008, guess what? He sheds the liberal skin and emerges as a conservative. How do we really know his position?

He has run several attack ads that stretched the truth to the point of breaking on McCain and Huckabee. Yet, during debates he has the audacity to make statements such as, "Can't we elevate the discussion above personal attacks." He can dish it out, but has pretty thin skin when it comes back at him. On several occasions he claimed to not even know what were on some of his attack ads. Hmmm.

Those who know him best seem to like him least. John McCain has been endorsed by both of Mitt Romney's hometown newspapers, a blow to the former Massachusetts governor who often taunts his opponents with negative e-mails titled, "Those who know him best." The Boston Herald, the state's conservative tabloid, endorsed Arizona Sen. McCain for President also.

A person's view of Scripture tells us MUCH about one's character and worldview. Gov. Romney does not believe the first book and foundation of the Bible, that God created the heaven and the earth. (The only one of the candidates still in the race who does is Gov. Huckabee, and perhaps Ron Paul).

Before taking over the Olympics, Romney said he would not use it for political advantage. Now every time the subject of finances comes up, he touts that he saved the Olympics.

Romney may look good and sound good, but I deeply question his authenticity and sincerity. Before the voting this Tuesday, please take a closer look ... and if you like Huckabee, but think he doesn't have a chance to win, you might want to recall that Arnold S. was elected governor in CA because most Republicans didn't think a more conservative McClintock could win. Exit polls showed that if everyone who thought McClintock couldn't win had voted for him, he would have won. Don't be fooled into thinking it's either McCain or Romney. Huckabee is still very much alive.

A Vote For Huckabee Is A Vote For ... Huckabee, OF COURSE!

2008-02-02T13:04:00.000-05:00

I am fed up of hearing on the news, political talk show programs, and the internet that the Republicans are down to a "2 man race." Romney is making calls to the Super Tuesday states with a statement that sounds as if Huckabee is no longer a candidate. He says, "The race for the Republican nomination for President is NOW a two person race." Hannity and Limbaugh have been calling on Huckabee to step out of the primary, because he is splitting the evangelical vote with Romney. They've been saying, "A vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain."

Gov. Huckabee replied to that charge by saying, "A vote for me is a vote for me!" Only 8% of delegates have been elected. All three candidates are close to each other in delegate count. (As an aside, if Thompson hadn't split the evangelical votes in South Carolina, Huckabee would have won, and the momentum McCain gained, would not have occurred.)

Of the Super Tuesday States, Huckabee is leading or tied for the lead in Tennessee (55 delegates), Georgia (72), Missouri (58), Alabama (48), Arkansas (34) and Oklahoma (41). Also, a FOX poll, has Huckabee and Romney TIED for 2nd. On the other hand, Mitt Romney is leading in Massachusets (43), Colorado (46), and Utah (36). It appears that Huckabee will be ahead of Romney in delegate count after Tuesday. (For more in-depth numbers, click here)

My question is, why doesn't Romney drop out, and stop splitting the evangelical vote. A vote for Romney is a vote for McCain.

Football Cartoon

2008-01-30T13:28:00.001-05:00

With Super Bowl approaching, here's an appropriate cartoon:

Sanctity of Human Life

2008-01-22T21:19:00.000-05:00

Today marks the tragic anniversary of the Roe-vs-Wade decision that legalized abortion in America. Last Sunday, I had a representative from a local pregnancy care center give a presentation about their work. She shared some interesting facts: (1) It's a law here in Michigan that a woman must have an ultrasound before she can have an abortion; and (2) There are NO doctors who perform abortions in Jackson, MI -- although Planned Parenthood does provide transportation to other towns.

Below is a video of Gov. Huckabee speaking about the value of human life:

Q & A with Mike Huckabee

2008-01-18T11:41:00.000-05:00

Gov. Huckabee has been under immense attack by Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Rush Limbaugh, and many other traditionally conservative media pundits. I found the following open letter with responses on Townhall.com. It's well worth reading.

Governor Huckabee Responds to Frank Pastore’s “Dear Huck” Letter
By Mike Huckabee
Thursday, January 17, 2008

On January 14, Frank Pastore wrote an open letter Mike Huckabee Titled: “Dear Huck: You’ve Won Our Hearts, Now Win Our Minds Too.” Below are Pastore’s Original Questions with the Response from the Huckabee campaign.

Frank Pastore: 1. You’re accused of advancing “liberal economic policies” because you raised taxes in Arkansas. If elected, what do you want to increase social spending on and why? Most conservatives don’t define “limited government” in terms of “no government.” We want government to help those who truly need it. We want to help the single mom down the street that’s struggling. Unlike Democrats, we don’t measure the success of social programs by how much we spend on them, but by whether the people we claim to be helping actually get helped.

We want “limited government” in opposition to “unlimited government.” We believe we’re already spending too much on too many programs, and we’d rather spend more wisely what we’re already spending than simply default to spending more. We don’t want “bigger government,” we want “smarter government.” We understand a “let’s cut spending” message can’t win a general election, but a “responsible spending” message can. How do you suggest we do this?

Governor Mike Huckabee: First, I am a fiscal conservative. I have signed Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform “no tax” pledge. When I was Governor of Arkansas, I cut taxes 94 times, including the largest broad-based tax cut in the history of my state. I doubled the standard deduction and the child care credit, eliminated the marriage penalty, indexed tax brackets to prevent bracket creep, reduced the capital gains tax for both businesses and individuals, and eliminated the capital gains tax on the sale of a home. I reduced welfare rolls by almost 50 percent.

When I left office, the tax rates remained exactly the same as when I began almost 11 years earlier: the tax rate was 1 percent for the poorest taxpayers and 7 percent for the richest. Having inherited a $200 million budget shortfall from my Democrat predecessor, I left office with an $844 million surplus, letting my successor follow my lead to get the sales tax on food eliminated.

I share your goal of wanting to help those who truly need it. I will undertake a top-to-bottom review of all programs to eliminate waste and duplication. Right now there are many different programs dealing with things like hunger and job training. I will consolidate and streamline to get the most out of every tax dollar. I will reduce the federal work force by not replacing many of the baby boomers who will be retiring.

I will fight against pork and fight for a line-item veto that passes constitutional muster. I will also look for ways to accomplish our goals through block grants to the states. Governors at the state level are the ones who know their people and their needs better than the federal government and, since they have to balance their budgets, know how to get the most out of a dollar. We also need to measure performance and demand better accountability. We have to stop throwing money at problems without following up to ensure that they are actually achieving solutions. I will insist that programs and the people running them justify their existence. I will never just assume that because a program was funded last year, it should be funded next year.

While we have great needs, the federal government also has great resources provided by the sweat of the brows of all our taxpayers. They are entitled to a solid return on their investment. I will never forget where the money comes from and will demand of Congress and all my executive departments that we be the best stewards that we can possibly be of those hard-earned funds.

Pastore: 2. Your “Fair Tax” proposal is interesting, but you must know it has zero chance of getting through Congress in the coming decade, even if you should win reelection. We appreciate you raising the issue, and we’re all frustrated with the Tax Code, and we all hate the IRS. But, Congressional Democrats won’t ever let us eliminate an entire federal department like the IRS or the Department of Education. It will take decades to make a serious run at something like that. So, what are some more modest improvements you suggest for improving our existing tax system over the next four years?

Huckabee: First, I strongly disagree with the premise that the FairTax can’t be passed. It will be a challenge, but undertaking those challenges is what leadership is about. The FairTax already has a tremendous amount of support and enthusiasm around the country and in Congress. People agree that our tax system is broken and needs radical, fundamental change. As president, I would be a Communicator in Chief who would do a great job explaining the FairTax to the American people and getting them to light up the congressional switchboard until Washington gets the message. It’s our long-term solution, it can be done, and we will do it.

As a pathway to the FairTax, there are several steps we can take. I would make the Bush tax cuts permanent and fix the alternative minimum tax once and for all. I would expand upon the Bush marginal rate reductions, capital gains rate reductions, and dividend rate reductions. I would reduce the marginal corporate tax rate.

I would eliminate the death tax.

I would make all tuition deductible, because I believe that education is an investment in human capital and should be treated at least as favorably as a business is treated when making a capital equipment purchase. Our best means of remaining competitive in the ever-expanding global marketplace is a well-educated American workforce. Education not only improves our national well-being, but is also the path to personal upward mobility.

I would provide a maximum 15.3 percent tax credit for tuition expenditures, tied to employment income and carried forward indefinitely. This replicates the effects of the FairTax by allowing workers to offset their payroll taxes with their tuition costs. The 15.3 percent cap equals the payroll taxes the family paid for the year.

We also need to consider increasing the IRA deduction limit. We should consider increasing small business and manufacturers expensing allowances. I would also investigate providing tax credits for healthcare. So there are short-term steps we can take on the path to the FairTax.

Pastore: 3. You’re accused of opposing vouchers, yet you have the endorsement of the National Education Association for your work in Arkansas, and you have the overwhelming support of home schoolers. This is an odd mix. What is your position on school choice, vouchers, charter schools, etc.?

I have the support of home schoolers because I was an ardent champion of their cause when I was governor. I appointed the first home school parent anywhere in the country to our State Board of Education.

My overriding concern is that every child in America has the opportunity to get a first-rate education—I am much less concerned with the means than with the end. I support school choice, vouchers and charter schools because different options work better in different settings. For example, vouchers may not work well in a rural area where there are no better alternatives within a reasonable distance for children to travel, but they may be the answer in an urban environment. If local districts wish to do it, if states wish to do it, I think that’s fine. It goes to the basic concept that education is a state’s decision.

I also think that we ought to have tax credits for a family whose decision is to put their children in an alternative environment. That’s one way to empower families.

I am extremely proud of my record in improving public schools in Arkansas. Everyone is used to seeing Arkansas near the very bottom of national education rankings. Yet we just soared to eighth in overall quality in the Quality Counts 2008 study produced by Education Week. My sowing hard-fought reforms in areas such as reading and math fundamentals, art and music in our schools, more demanding curricula and Advanced Placement classes, higher teacher pay and school accountability is reaping huge rewards for our children and their future.

Pastore: 4. You’re accused of being weak on national security and your statement that we have “an arrogant foreign policy” is troubling. We need to hear more clearly why you think that is. Why do you want to close Guantanamo? Do you really want to give “enemy combatants” full access to our court system? This too, is troubling. In spite of this, it sounds like you “get” the global war against radical Islam. Please convince us you’ve got what it takes to go toe to toe with Osama, Ahmadinejad, Kim Jung-il, Putin, Chavez and China.

Huckabee: My perspective on foreign policy has been shaped by my experiences as a governor. I’ve traveled to approximately 40 countries in my lifetime and met with many of the world’s leaders. As governor, I’ve traveled extensively not only in trade agreements and cultural exchanges, but I’ve chaired the U.S. chapter of the World League for Freedom and Democracy and worked with elected officials from other countries. I’ve been to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel (nine times), Egypt, all over Europe, Russia, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. I think Ronald Reagan was a great example of a person who came to office with the same kind of skepticism and criticism. He hadn’t had foreign political experience, but he had judgment, he had clear principles that guided him. He understood that the U.S. should be the most powerful nation on earth, but had to use that power circumspectly.

I do not believe that we have an arrogant foreign policy. I believe that Secretary Rumsfeld behaved arrogantly in not listening to the military about how many troops we needed to invade Iraq initially and then in refusing for years to adopt a counterinsurgency strategy. It is the counterinsurgency strategy finally adopted under General Petraeus and Secretary Gates that has been so successful this past year in Iraq.

When I said I wanted to close Guantanamo, I wasn’t staking out new ground, I was stating my agreement with President Bush and Secretary Gates on that issue. Since then, Admiral Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has come forward to say he favors closing the base.

It’s not that I want to give “enemy combatants” access to our court system: the Supreme Court has already held that the prisoners’ rights are not dependent on whether they are at Guantanamo or on the U. S. mainland because Guantanamo is equivalent to U. S. soil. Whatever rights these foreign prisoners have—and we’ll know that better when the Boumediene case, which is pending before the Supreme Court, is decided – our government can’t deprive them of those rights by keeping them at Guantanamo. In Rasul, the Supreme Court held that the Guantanamo prisoners had a statutory right to habeas corpus; Boumediene will tell us if they have a constitutional right.

I have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with our enemies because I understand the seriousness of the threats we face. I want to expand and strengthen our military by increasing defense spending from less than 4 percent of our GDP to the 6 percent it was under President Reagan. I know that President Clinton’s “peace dividend” has become our “war deficit.” I want to add the 92,000 to our Army and Marines that President Bush has proposed, but I want to accomplish that sooner. I know that we need to upgrade our intelligence to get information about armed groups who are ideologically opposed to us all over the world—micro groups can cause macro damage in this age of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

With respect to the war on terror, I understand the radical theology and ideology their ruthlessness is based on; I understand that they really want to establish an Islamic caliphate and destroy our civilization. I am concerned about Al Qaeda’s safe haven in Pakistan, which it is using not only to attack Afghanistan and plot against us, but also to undermine the Pakistani government. I know that we must win in Iraq, not only for the security of the Iraqis, but for the security of the entire region and our own security. I recognize Iran’s ambitions to spread westward and establish a “Shiite crescent” by causing the Sunni governments in its path to fall like dominoes, and I understand that we must have a strong, unified Iraq to serve as a bulwark against such Iranian expansionism. I am concerned about Iran’s links to Hamas and Hezbollah and its nuclear ambitions. After decades of containment, President Reagan adopted a new strategy in the Cold War—we win, they lose. My strategy in the war on terror—we win, they lose.

I recognize that China isn’t just an economic threat, but a military one as well. I know that they have been investing heavily in their military, especially their navy, which they see as a key instrument for projecting their power. Last year their military spending increased 18 percent. That means that in 17 of the past 18 years, they have had double-digit increases in military spending.

I will be very cautious in my dealings with North Korea. We recently found traces of highly-enriched uranium on aluminum tubes that they handed over to us, when they claim they’ve never had a program to enrich uranium. This comes on the heels of the Israeli raid on a Syrian nuclear facility involving material from North Korea. Recently they missed the important deadline of December 31st to disable their nuclear facilities; disclose their nuclear programs, facilities, and materials; disclose how much plutonium they have extracted; disclose their uranium enrichment program (the existence of which they deny); and disclose their transfer of nuclear materials and technology to other countries (which they also deny). Given the potential North Korean/terrorist nexus, it is essential that we are tough on North Korea as part of our war on terror.

In Russia, President Putin is spending his oil revenues updating his Soviet-era military. They have a new missile defense shield around Moscow, have been investing heavily in their Pacific Fleet, and have been developing new missiles, including a new ICBM that they have successfully tested.

We must remember that when the Soviet Union fell, we still had Russia. This is a country which has always had both imperialist ambitions and an inferiority complex relative to the west. Czarist history is a case study in schizophrenia, centuries of struggle between Westernizers and Slavophiles. We will continue to experience this push-pull, continue to have good days and bad with Russia, but overall it will be better than the Cold War. The bottom line is that Putin doesn’t want another terrorist attack like the school siege in Beslan any more than we want another 9/11. But he despises the loss of face from the fall of the Soviet Union and will do everything he can to reassert Russia’s strength and power—militarily, economically, diplomatically. I see him for what he is—a staunch nationalist in a country that has no tradition of democracy, just autocracy. The vacation from history is over. We must get back to work and continue to project our power as consistently and forcefully as Russia will hers.

Pastore: 5. Your position on illegal immigration is confusing. On the one hand, you’ve got the strongest immigration platform of all the candidates and you want to pardon border agents Ramos and Compean as your first presidential act. We all love this. But, on the other hand, you gave children of illegals in-state tuition breaks in Arkansas. Please explain this apparent inconsistency.

Huckabee: There isn’t an inconsistency—it’s a matter of which desk you sit behind. As governor, I had no control over immigration, which is a federal issue. I had no control over our borders or who came into my state. So I tried to improve something I did have control over--turning my state’s tax-takers into taxpayers. I proposed giving children who had gone through our schools and done very well academically, who were alcohol and drug-free, and who were applying for citizenship, the opportunity to compete for a very select academically-based scholarship along with their peers. I didn’t believe then, and I don’t believe now, that innocent children should be punished for the sins of their parents. There was no limit on the number of scholarships—everyone who qualified got one, so they wouldn’t have been taking scholarships away from another Arkansas resident. My plan was not adopted; no child ever received one of these scholarships. And contrary to distortions promoted by my political opponents, no children of illegals ever got in-state tuition breaks.

Pastore: 6. You have said that you want a national ban on smoking. This offends even the vast majority of non-smoking conservatives because it violates the principle of federalism. How serious are you about this?

Huckabee: This has been misinterpreted because I strongly support the principle of federalism. At a Lance Armstrong cancer forum last August, I said that if Congress presented me with legislation banning smoking in public places, I would sign it. That is because I would not oppose the overwhelming public support that such a congressional vote would reflect. But since such sentiment for federal legislation doesn’t exist at this time, and since I have also said that the responsibility for regulating smoking initially lies with the states, I believe that this issue is best addressed at the state and local levels.

Pastore: 7. We understand the need to talk about the environment and global warming for electoral purposes. How serious are you about governmental involvement in this, too?

Huckabee: I believe that we must be good stewards of our environment because God has entrusted us to take care of this world that He created for us. We don’t own the earth, it is on loan to us. In that light, I believe that we must take care of our air and water and forests and wildlife to keep both ourselves and the overall system healthy. We must pass the earth on to the next generation in at least as good a shape as it was handed to us. Anything less diligent and conscientious would be poor stewardship and an abdication of a God-given responsibility.

I believe that we must cut greenhouse gas emissions. A cap and trade system has worked well for acid rain caused by the emission of sulphur dioxide, and I believe it can also work well for the emission of carbon dioxide. At the same time, I don’t want to impose too great a burden on our businesses, which is why I believe that some of the allowances for emissions must be given to our businesses rather than auctioning off 100 percent of them, as some environmentalists are demanding.

Mike Huckabee governed Arkansas from 1996-2007 and is running for the presidential nomination of the Republican party.

Copyright © 2006 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.

Pastor's Breakfast with Mike Huckabee

2008-01-16T12:17:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Jan. 12th, Gov. Mike Huckabee was in Grand Rapids, MI for a campaign stop. Prior to the public rally, he hosted a breakfast for pastors (about 150 were in attendance, they had to open up a divider for a second room because there were more than anticipated). I had the opportunity to shake his hand, and tell him that I appreciated his stand on the issues and that I have been praying for him. He genuinely thanked me for my support. He gave an outstanding speech about conservative values, focusing especially on valuing life. I've read a couple news reports implying a sinister motive that Huckabee was urging pastors to use their pulpits to get their flocks out to vote for him. That is so far from the truth it is laughable. In fact he specifically said not to endorse him from the pulpit, saying, "the only one you should endorse from your pulpit is Jesus Christ." He did ask us to use our contact lists on our free time to tell others how we felt about the election. He joked, "If the person you talk to is planning to vote for me, urge them to go vote, otherwise, encourage them to stay home and pray for the election."

A picture of Gov. Huckabee as I was waiting in line to shake his hand.

A portion of the large crowd who gathered to hear Gov. Huckabee speak at the Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids, MI.

UPDATE: I found a short snippet of Huckabee speaking to the pastors at http://www.townhall.com/video/FoxLocal/2083_Huckabee1.

Josiah's Birthday

2008-01-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

Josiah's birthday was December 30th. We had the opportunity to celebrate it with his cousins while we were in Indiana.

Josiah's "airplane" cake - runway and all. The kids wanted a piece of cake that had "asphalt" on it. Go figure!

Holding tight to his red birthday balloon.

I wonder what this present could be?

Cousins playing magnetic darts.

Slow Start in 2008

2008-01-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

We're off to a slow start this year in terms of blogging. We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas in WV with Chris' family. For New Year's, we went to IN to be with Esther's sister and her family. However, horror of horrors, we forgot our camera! Therefore the only pictures we have to share are those that Esther's sister so graciously let us borrow. Thanks, Sherilyn! You may see a duplicate or two on her blog.

The "kids" playing with Samuel's toy.

Look out Cavendish! Josiah, a.k.a. the Lone Ranger has his guns!

Melanie conducting the string section of the orchestra.

Joseph and Josiah spent a lot of time playing together.

The whole gang at church together on the last Sunday of 2007.

Christmas Card

2007-12-22T17:21:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
to all those who read our blog!

What a refreshing campaign ad!

2007-12-17T16:41:00.000-05:00

What is the response from the media and other candidates?

"Huckabee Invokes Christ in Holiday-Themed Ad Spot." (Breitbart)
"I cannot remember a presidential candidate ever invoking Christ in a TV ad before." (ABC)
"Huckabee Ad Features Floating 'Cross'" (Drudge Report)
"When fascism comes it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" (Ron Paul)

I am proud to support a candidate that dares to be politically incorrect by wishing the country a Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, and even daring to mention the true reason for the season! Why am I not surprised that the media is trying to spin this as an attempt to "invoke Christ" into the campaign? What if he was? Is American no longer a CHRISTian nation?

edit ... I have also found some more positive news stories on this ad as well. Congratulations to Newsweek's story, "The Greatest Story Ever Told." Here's a summary of the writer's thoughts on the ad:

This might be the smartest ad of the cycle. For all the observers wondering how the candidates would manage the awkward holiday/caucus overlap, Huckabee delivers a master class.

The first step: beating his rivals to the "This Is No Time for Politics" punch; now every on-air attempt they make to topple the frontrunner from his above-the-fray pedestal looks tawdry.

The next step: reminding voters which side of the "War on Christmas" he's on. Most campaigns run tame, PC "holiday" fare. Not Huckabee. A Southern Baptist pastor, he's counting on evangelicals to win in Iowa. What better way to prove he will put religion in the public square as president than by rejecting establishment attempts to banish Christ from Christmas and defiantly putting religion in the public square today? With very few Jews, Muslims or atheists in Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina to take offense--and none who were planning to vote for Huckabee--it's all upside in electoral terms.

The final, and most important, step: getting the secular media all riled up. Expect plenty of "Oh, No He Di'n't" coverage on cable news, with a hearty dollop of "What Does It All Mean?" The press loves nothing more than to huff and puff over religion. For Huckabee's cash-strapped campaign, that means priceless free exposure--and millions of opportunities for its neighborly candidate to connect with the vast majority of Americans who agree with his idea of "what really matters."

The pundits may say naughty. Stumper says nice.

Bulletin Board

2007-12-17T16:37:00.000-05:00

Esther likes decorating the children's school room. Here is the Christmas bulletin board she put up last week.

Christmas Tree

2007-12-17T15:37:00.001-05:00

We went and cut a Christmas Tree a week ago today, but we are just now getting around to posting the pictures.

The girls helping daddy carry the tree. (Josiah fell asleep in the van on the way home, so he missed out on the photo opportunity).

Josiah did get a chance to help mommy put the tinsel on the tree.

Each year, we get an ornament for the children. They are hanging their ornaments for this year on the tree.

I just realized I haven't taken a picture of the finished product ... I'll take one and post it later.

Tony Perkins on Huckabee

2007-12-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, Huckabee has been under attack for statements he made over 10 years ago about AIDS, homosexuality, and the need for God in our schools/nation, etc. Don't be surprised to see some clips of sermons he preached 25 years ago surface in the near future in an attempt to discredit him. I have been praying for Gov. Huckabee that he will not give into the temptation to compromise his principles for political expediency, and for wisdom in answering the media.

I received the following via email today from Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council. It's worth reading:

Over the weekend I had flashbacks of the brutal judicial confirmation hearings that took place between 2003 and 2005 where certain nominees like William Pryor, Janice Rogers Brown, Charles Pickering, and others were filibustered by the Democratic minority because of what Sen. Charles Schumer called their "deeply held personal beliefs." Those "beliefs" were the religious convictions that led them in part to hold a position that abortion was wrong. There was a reverse religious litmus test applied. A subtle message was being sent that a person had to choose between an active, life-impacting faith and public service. It was wrong then and it is wrong now as it is being applied to Mike Huckabee. Let me preface what I am about to say by first recalling what I wrote last week (Dec. 3, 2007) explaining why I had not endorsed a presidential candidate and at present have no plans to do so. I remain undecided and what I say below does not imply a change in those plans; however, I feel compelled to rise to the defense of Mike Huckabee.

The media had been toying with and even promoting Mike Huckabee, thinking he would go nowhere; however, after FRC Action's Values Voter Summit he began a steady rise in the polls. In my opinion it was not because he finished a close second in the straw poll to Mitt Romney, but because he came out for the first time at our event, co-hosted by Focus on the Family Action and others and spoke unabashedly and unequivocally conservative on all the core social issues. He began to compete for territory that had been ceded to Gov. Romney. That message has resonated and he has not only climbed to first place in Iowa, but nationally he is second only to Rudy Giuliani in the most current polls. There is apparently fear now among the elites that his rise could be real and not a creation of the media.

Enter the reverse religious test that is being applied. In various settings over the last few days Huckabee has been confronted with articles from nearly a decade ago containing statements on the morality of issues like HIV-AIDS, homosexuality and even the need for spiritual awakening in America. He was basically asked to recant. I am pleased to say that he did not recant.

This morning, for example, the lead story on Drudge was a 1998 article from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporting on a speech that Huckabee gave at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptists calling on the church to wake up following a rash of school shootings. The Drudge headline touted, "Take this nation back for Christ," a subtle but clear warning to secular elites. Columnist Richard Cohen wasn't as subtle last week when he said Huckabee is climbing in the polls because of "his obdurate and narrow-minded religious beliefs."

There is clearly a reverse religious standard being applied to Mike Huckabee, a standard that says there will be no defining religious beliefs. I would hope the other candidates, including the Democrats, would clearly and absolutely denounce this reverse religious test and keep the media from going further down this path. If not, I predict that bible-believing Christians will step over policy differences they have with Mike Huckabee to stand by and support a candidate who is being attacked because he believes, as they do, that their Christian faith should actually impact the way they live. If that happens, the recent meteoric rise of the Huckabee campaign in the polls could look minuscule compared to the tsunami of support that he will get from Christians who are tired of the elites who belittle their beliefs and attempt to rob them of every public reflection of their faith.

Guess Who Is Polling #1 in Michigan ...

2007-12-08T22:11:00.001-05:00

Did you guess Mike Huckabee? If so, you are right! The latest Rasmussen Poll numbers show:

Michigan Republican Primary

Mike Huckabee 21%
Mitt Romney 20%
Rudy Giuliani 19%
Fred Thompson 9%
John McCain 8%
Ron Paul 7%
Tom Tancredo 1%
Duncan Hunter 1%

This is exciting news, because Gov. Romney was expected to win Michigan hands down due to the fact that his father used to be governor of the state back in the 60s.

On an unrelated note, I am tired of the negative campaigning that Republicans are doing against fellow Republicans. It's interesting that some of the candidates have been reported as saying that other candidates are not like Reagan. It seems that the very candidates hurling that accusation are themselves not like Reagan! In his 1966 run for Governor of California, Ronald Reagan developed a famed 11th commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." Since the CNN/You Tube debate, there has been an influx of negative ads and attacks, especially by Romney and Thompson. I like Reagan's comment about the proper way to have a negative campaign. He said that ''the right kind of negative campaigning'' is a vote cast against the Democratic ticket. Let's save that for next year's General Election, and stay away from it during the Primary Elections!

December 7, 1941

2007-12-07T12:05:00.000-05:00

Kudos To Vandercook Public Schools

2007-12-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening, I attended a concert put on by our local schools. A couple of teens from church had a part in it, so I wanted to hear them perform. I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up the program, and it read "A Christmas Concert." There was a great mix of music, including several that emphasized Christ's birth. In fact, the choir director wrote a song "Jesus Was Born For Me," which was performed. On the final song, all 300+ students from middle-high school were singing and playing "Joy to the World" and "Silent Night" among other sacred and secular songs in a closing medley. Congratulations, VCL for keeping Christ in Christmas!

Pastor's Christmas Retreat

2007-12-07T01:16:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, we took our annual December pilgrimage to Jugville, MI to join several other pastors from our denomination, as well as a few others, at The Shack. We were served a delicious meal, treated to a great time of fellowship planned by the Ward's, had ice cream, and talked! A wonderful layman covers the cost, which is greatly appreciated!!

Here are a few pictures from the Shack:

Driving up to The Shack, you are greeted with literal flower beds! I told the kids that those were the beds they were sleeping in for the night. For some reason, they didn't believe me.

Doesn't look like any shack I've seen! You can see the huge Christmas tree on the trailer. Usually they have one inside and decorated. Looks like we were a day too early this year.

Just finishing up the meal. Thankfully no hornets were left in those bee's nests!

This was the view we had from our room window. Actually, I went outside to take the picture, so you wouldn't see the screen. Josiah said he wanted to go swim!

Jeweled Coconut Drops

2007-12-07T01:00:00.000-05:00

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1 /4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 ¾ cups flaked coconut, divided
1 cup cherry preserves or raspberry jam

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar. Beat in egg yolk, milk and almond extract. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in 3 cups of coconut. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

Shape dough into 2 inch balls; roll in remaining coconut. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Fill each cookie with preserves. Yield: slightly less than 3 dozen

Special thanks to Kara Watters for taking the picture of these cookies, and emailing it to us!

Politco Political Cartoon

2007-12-06T15:04:00.000-05:00

This cartoon says it all: Huckabee is the people's choice.

Thanksgiving Photos

2007-11-28T11:34:00.000-05:00

Last week, we enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner with Esther's family in Indiana.

Esther's mother making Cranberry Salad

Mom - Daughter - Grandkids making sugar cookies

Were these cookies too pretty to eat? NO!

Gathering together to sing about God's blessings.

Esther's mother and Aunt Erma used to sing together for local revivals before they were married. But, it had been several years since they have sung together. Their voices blended well.

Kids enjoy first snow of the season ...

2007-11-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

This post is especially for Esther's sister Sherilyn, who is enduring 80 degree weather in FL!

Is Huckabee Conservative?

2007-11-27T10:43:00.000-05:00

Some friends of ours, Jeff & Dixie, cited an article by Bob Novak questioning Gov. Huckabee's conservative credentials. In the article, Mr. Novak basically claims that Huckabee is a fiscal liberal.

First, Novak reveals his own position while attack evangelicals with the following statement: “The rise of evangelical Christians as the motive force that blasted the GOP out of minority status during the past generation always contained an inherent danger if these new Republican acolytes supported not merely a conventional conservative but one of their own.” OK. We now know that the author is not a social conservative, and it appears he is resentful of evangelicals having such a voice in the Republican party. For too long, to social conservatives have been pandered to, and thrown a bone every so often to appease us ... I for one am pleased to see "one of our own" doing well. For more on this subject, see this blog.

Second, Novak states his concern with Huckabee ... "The danger is a serious contender for the nomination who passes the litmus test of social conservatives on abortion, gay marriage and gun control but is far removed from the conservative-libertarian model of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan." When Novak's refers to a true conservative, he means a hyphonated conservative-libertarian. Novak criticizes tax hikes in Arkansas. Susan Stilley writes:

"As a former resident of Arkansas during Governor Huckabee's tenure I know that he pushed through the Arkansas Legislature the first major, broad-based tax cuts in state history - a $90 million tax relief package for Arkansas families. He also doubled the standard deduction to $2,000 for single taxpayers and $4,000 for those who are married. Some taxes he eliminated entirely: the marriage penalty, bracket creep caused by inflation, income tax on poor families, and capital gains on home sales. To encourage investment, he cut capital gains for both individuals and businesses. To help people better themselves, he provided tax credits for employee training and education. In total, he cut taxes and fees nearly 100 times during his ten-and-a-half years as Governor, saving the people of Arkansas almost $380 million.
Further, when Huckabee left office in early 2007, Arkansas had nearly $850 million in state surplus, which he urged should go back to the people in the form of either a tax rebate or tax cut."

Only two candidates signed a pledge not to raise taxes if elected President -- Huckabee is one of them. Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Fred Thompson have refused to promise the American people they will not raise taxes, but Huckabee has made that promise.

Third, Novak was misleading in statements about Huckabee's lack of support for President Bush's veto of the SCHIP expansion. Governor Huckabee said the SCHIP bill was a bad bill. He felt it should have never gotten the point where a veto was necessary. He says that communication with the American people and the Congress is important. Because of a lack of communication, many people think the Republicans are against health coverage for poor children, because the only thing they see is that the President vetoed the SCHIP bill.

In summary, there is no perfect candidate. I wish Huckabee's stance was a little different on some issues. However, when looking at the candidates, Huckabee is far and away the one who lines up closest to my personal views. More importantly, Huckabee's views on evolution, abortion, marriage, stewardship, compassion to the needy, etc., are more in line with Scriptural principles than other candidates.

Mr. Novak may be a respected conservative journalist, but I truly believe he is biased against the evangelical element in the Republican party and has not thoroughly researched all the facts that are available. I still like Mike!

UPDATE: Dick Morris has an article that is a must read on this issue.

Huckabee -vs- Clinton & Blogger Conference Call

2007-11-26T19:23:00.000-05:00

Huckabee -vs- Clinton

I have heard many people question whether Mike Huckabee could beat Hillary Clinton in next year's general election. Not only has Gov. Huckabee been successful against the "Clinton political machine" in Arkansas, but now some polling data shows that Huckabee (as well as other top republican candidates) would beat Mrs. Clinton! Here's the story from Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton trails five top Republican presidential contenders in general election match-ups, a drop in support from this summer, according to a poll released on Monday.

Clinton's top Democratic rivals, Barack Obama and John Edwards, still lead Republicans in hypothetical match-ups ahead of the November 4, 2008, presidential election, the survey by Zogby Interactive showed.

Clinton, a New York senator who has been at the top of the Democratic pack in national polls in the 2008 race, trails Republican candidates Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain and Mike Huckabee by three to five percentage points in the direct matches...

Huckabee Blogger Conference Call Summary

This morning, I participated for the first time in a Blogger Conference Call hosted by Gov. Huckabee. There are now over 400 bloggers who are using their blogs to support Huckabee's campaign for President. He credits the blogging world for making his recent surge in the polls possible by 1) getting out the positive news, and 2) responding to negative attacks with truth and facts. It was enlightening to listen in as fellow bloggers asked questions, and Gov. Huckabee took time to address each one by name and answer their questions. Below is a summary of the topics discussed:

Homeschooling -- Huckabee's first appointment to the Arkansas State Board of Education was a homeschooling parent. His children went through the secular education system, but he is very supportive of the homeschooling movement. I believe a national homeschooling group has endorse Huckabee. For an in-depth analysis of this subject, you need to read this article by a homeschooling mother in Michigan.
Fair Tax -- The key to the fair tax is understanding that there is a 20% imbedded corporate tax in all the products we purchase. Implementing the fair tax would lower the initial cost of products by 20%. The average American pays 33% of his income to taxes. Under the fair tax plan, that rate would drop to 23%.
Web Site Traffic -- The Huckabee website was not prepared for the influx of visitors after the Chuck Norris ad played. As a result, there were some delays accessing the site. They are continuing to upgrade the servers. Also, some hackers have been attempting to shut down the site.
Education -- Huckabee lamented the fact that in the first eight debates, not one education question was asked. In the last debate, one was finally asked, but he was not given a chance to address it. During a break, Huckabee spoke to the moderators, and they admitted they should have addressed the question to him, because he has some good ideas about education. The Governor would also like to see more questions in the next debate about domestic issues such as healthcare, the environment, and energy independence.
Michigan's Early Primary -- Huckabee was in Michigan earlier this month, but he cannot make it a priority, even though the primary has been moved up to Jan. 15th. This is due to 1) limited resources, and 2) the results in Michigan won't make as much impact as the results in traditional early primary states will make because of media perception. He believes Michigan did themselves a dis-service by moving our primary up. Romney is expected to win the state because he grew up here, and his father was a former governor of Michigan.
Immigration -- Reiterates that he is for secure borders, and against amnesty. He says that attacks by Romney and others accusing him of giving special benefits to illegal immigrants is not true. He supported a failed bill that would have given the children of illegals the same eligibility as other students for college tuition breaks which was merit based, with no limitations on the number of scholarships offered. In order to be eligible, the children of illegals had to go through the Arkansas public school system, excel in their grades, be drug/alcohol free, and apply for citizenship. His reasoning for this is that minors should not be punished for the crimes of their parents. Further, it would be better for these minors to get on a path to citizenship, and have an education that would help them become tax payers instead of tax takers.
Attacks -- There is a section on Huckabee's website called the "Truth Squad." His staff is in the process of adding more information to counter attacks. The plan is to have a summary statement, then a list of DETAILED responses for those who are interested in a more thorough, in depth article.

The next debate is Wednesday, Nov. 28th. It is sponsored by CNN/You Tube. Go Huckabee!

Mom's Cranberry Salad

2007-11-20T08:38:00.000-05:00

Sue Arnold requested that I post this recipe after I brought it to our November Women of Worth meeting. Our family loves this cranberry salad. Mom makes it every year at Thanksgiving.

2 packages red jello
2 c. water
1 package cranberries (washed & sorted)
1 orange
1 apple (cored)
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. pecans or walnuts (chopped)
1 c. sugar

Dissolve jello (I use raspberry) in 2 cups boiling water. Set aside. In a food processor or chopper, grind the cranberries, orange (peeling included, but you may wish to grate the peeling first and then cut off the thick white part) and apple. Stir these into jello. Add coconut, chopped pecans or walnuts and sugar. Mix all together. Chill in refrigerator overnight.

Josh McDowell Youth & Parent Seminars

2007-11-16T14:44:00.000-05:00

On Monday the 12th, Josh McDowell was in our town and presented two seminars -- one for youth, and one for parents. I had the opportunity to take two teenagers from our church to listen to Josh for 3 hours Monday morning. Monday evening, Esther and I, as well as several parents from our church had another 3 hours of instruction. Below is a synopsis of what I learned:

Youth Seminar:

The first session was Josh's testimony. He had a rough childhood. His father was an alcoholic. He was abused by a man who helped around the house. Going to college, he did not believe in God. During his college days, he was challenged to study the claims of the Bible by a Christian professor. He planned to write a book exposing the hoax of Christianity. At the end of his study, he had to say "I Believe." He has been defending our faith ever since.
The second session answered the question, "How can I know the Bible is true?" He talked about the manuscript evidence, the eyewitness accounts of the writers of Scripture, and the fact that the disciples died for their statement in Acts 1:3. There's plenty of evidence to believe that the Bible has not been altered over the years, and that what was written down is actually true.
The third session was about moral purity. He said that 80% of young people think sex is sinful, mostly because of the emphasis we place of Bible passages about the mis-use of sex and apply it to sexuality in general. God created sex: 1) for procreation (Gen. 1:28); 2) for unity (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:31); and 3) for recreation with your spouse (Prov. 15:18-19). Purity is living according to God's original design for sex. Thus abstinence before marriage is so beautiful that it's worth waiting for. He admonished the ladies to only marry Christian men who knew how to love themselves. Because (Eph. 5:28-29) if a man does not know how to love himself, he will never be able to love his wife and children appropriately. EXCELLENT session.

Parent Seminar:

Josh talked about the cultural shift taking place in our society. He says that we (as adults) are the first generation trying to impact youth in a society of 2 generations AND 2 cultures. Teens and children do not THINK the way adults do. He gave lots of statistics and examples to illustrate his premise. In order to connect with youth, we need to 1) develop a loving relationship with them; 2) model the truth and values you want to see them incorporate in their lives; 3) develop convictions (knowing what you believe, why we believe it, and experiencing it in your life). 78% of evangelical christian kids say that the only way to know if something is true is if it works. Convictions can't be only mental, they have to be experiential.
The second session was a repeat of why the Bible is true from the Youth session.
The final session was called "7 Steps To Build A Relationship"

Affirmation -- gives youth a sense of authenticity (Rom. 12:15)
Acceptance -- unconditionally accept your kids! (Rom. 15:7)
Appreciation -- makes them feel that they have done or said something worthwhile.
Availability -- communicates a sense of importance. (Mat. 19:13-14)
Affection -- says "I am lovable" (John 15:12)
Approach their world -- let them sense that you are interested in what interests them.
Accountability -- give reasonable rules and hold them to it!

Thanksgiving Cupcakes

2007-11-15T15:13:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick and easy idea for a Thanksgiving treat for kids. I made some yesterday for the children in Kid's Club at our church. Simply make cupcakes, then frost with chocolate icing. Use Bugle chips for the cornucopia. Arrange some Runts candy pieces for the fruit.

Soup Season

2007-11-15T14:58:00.001-05:00

As the weather turns colder, we eat soup more often. Recently I was asked to share more recipes on the blog. One of our favorite soups comes from Chris' Aunt Sharon, with a few minor alterations.

Broccoli Chicken & Cheese Soup

1 T. oil
1 T. chopped onion (more if you like onions)
1 medium carrot, chopped
3 c. chicken broth (or 3 c. water + 3 chicken bullion cubes)
2 c. thin noodles
1/2 t. salt
dash pepper (to taste)
1 large bunch of fresh broccoli florets
1-2 c. cooked chicken
3 c. milk
1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese

Brown onions and carrots in oil. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add broccoli (raw), noodles, chicken, salt and pepper. Cook 3-5 minutes (until noodles are tender). Add milk and cheese. Stir until cheese melts.

2007-11-11T23:35:00.000-05:00

Our family wishes to extend our thanks those who have served in our nation's military. Thank you for your service and sacrifice to secure and maintain our freedom! Below is part of a speech from Gov. Huckabee, honoring our veterans.

Dear, oh, Deer!

2007-11-09T10:03:00.001-05:00

Last evening, while driving on a dark stretch of country road, there appeared to my left 3 deer. I saw the first one start towards the road, but it was too late to stop ... as a result our van now has a busted light, cracked bumper, broken grill, and crumpled hood. Thankfully, nobody was injured, other than the deer.

Now the fun begins ... getting estimates on repairs.

Update:
Repairs = $3,000+
Days without van = 6
Talk about an expensive deer, and I didn't even get any meat!

Standing in the Corner ...

2007-11-09T09:43:00.001-05:00

... and they weren't even being bad! It's just where we had them stand when we took the picture. They all dressed in green and blue for church last Sunday. This was right after the big in-state football rivalry between the University of Michigan (Blue) and Michigan State (Green). Of course, Esther didn't realize that she was showing support to both teams when she chose their outfits!

If all desserts were this expensive ...

2007-11-08T16:34:00.000-05:00

... we'd have no problem dieting!!

This news story tells about the Frrrozen Haute Chocolate. Guinness World Records researchers determined the $25,000 frozen hot chocolate was the most expensive dessert in the world.

It includes a blend of 28 cocoas, including 14 of the most expensive and exotic from around the globe. It is infused with 5 grams (0.2 ounces) of edible 23-karat gold and served in a goblet lined with edible gold. At the base of the goblet is an 18-karat gold bracelet with 1 carat of white diamonds.

The sundae is topped with whipped cream covered with more gold and a side of La Madeline au Truffle from Knipschildt Chocolatier, which sells for $2,600 a pound.

It is eaten with a gold spoon decorated with white and chocolate-colored diamonds, which can also be taken home.

Visit to Creation Museum

2007-11-03T11:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, before coming back home, we paid a visit to the new Creation Museum built by Answers in Genesis. We were impressed by the quality information, the realistic models, and the use of technology. The planetarium was my favorite part ... it really put life in perspective. The Milky Way Galaxy, let alone Earth, is but a speck of dust in the vast universe. Yet, God loves and chooses us! We are truly special to God.

I hope this dinosaur is vegetarian!!

The kids posing in front of Isaiah, Moses, and King David.

Leadership Conference

2007-11-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

This week we enjoyed a trip to Cincinnati, OH. Esther was able to spend time with some of her family and I attended a pastor's conference at God's Bible School. The feature speaker was Dr. H. B. London, who has a wonderful ministry to pastors through Focus on the Family. Dr. London was able to encourage and challenge us to not let the spark and vision go out in our ministry. Dr. Avery taught a tremendous lesson on "self-leadership." It was very convicting.

Huckabee Gains Momentum

2007-10-29T00:02:00.000-04:00

During the last few weeks, Gov. Huckabee has been gaining a lot of political ground. Here's a brief synopsis:

He won the on site straw poll of the Value Voter's Summit by a landslide (51% of votes for Huckabee, second place was Romney with about 10%). The speech he gave at the Summit was dynamic.
His performance at the GOP debate hosted by FOX left people wanting to hear more.
After the Values Voter Summit, and the debate, his fund-raising has skyrocketed. In the month of October, Gov. Huckabee has raised more money through ONLINE donations, than he raised through all sources during the entire last quarter.
Polling data in Iowa shows Huckabee in statistical tie with Thompson for second place, behind Romney.
Nationwide polling by Rasmussen shows Huckabee tied for third place with 13%, officially placing Huckabee in the "top tier" of candidates.
Some articles attacking Huckabee have surfaced. The attacks seem to be centered on whether he is a true fiscal conservative. As a pastor, I endeavor to take great care to use the Scripture texts in context during my sermons. It appears that many of those writing about the tax hikes in Arkansas are not putting the Governor's record in context. One tax was a referendum voted upon by the citizens ... they voted to impose a tax increase upon themselves to improve their roads. Another tax hike was mandated by the Arkansas State Supreme Court. The Governor did manage to get many tax cuts through a Democratic controlled State Legislature. As I read some articles questioning Huckabee's record, I was reminded of the statement the Governor had made, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, finally they swear you in." Three down, one to go!
Finally, some claim that Huckabee is not electable, because they don't think he can defeat Hillary. This weekend, during a speech in Iowa, Gov. Huckabee claimed to be the best candidate to beat Clinton because he had confronted "the Clinton political machine" in their home state and won. "I know about Hillary and Bill Clinton's political machine in Arkansas more than any other man running for president," Huckabee said. "I didn't just win once, not twice, not three times but four times in an election against the Clinton political machine. Bill Clinton and Hillary campaigned against me every time I ever won." (from FOX News article)

I believe the next Republican debate is scheduled for November 6th. Mark your calendar, and do your best to tune in, and make an informed decision before you vote in the primaries in 2008.

Look What's Missing!

2007-10-28T23:53:00.001-04:00

Saturday was a monumental day in Alayna's life. She lost her first tooth. Ever since it became wiggly, she's been soooo excited. She even had trouble getting to sleep, hoping and waiting for it to come out. She would go in the bathroom, climb up on the sink, and wiggle her tooth back and forth. Finally it came out, and she gave us hugs and the BIGGEST smile I think I have ever seen

Josiah's Bedroom

2007-10-28T23:47:00.001-04:00

We had been putting off finishing Josiah's bedroom for a while because we were a bit overwhelmed with the idea of putting up the border. After talking to Esther's sister, we decided we could do it ... and it wasn't that bad after all! Here are some pictures of the finished product.

No, It's Not a Fire .... It's a Sunset

2007-10-28T23:37:00.001-04:00

We were eating supper the other night, and saw shades of the sunset out the window facing North. We looked out the West window in our kitchen, and we were treated with this absolutely beautiful sky.

Go West, Young Lady!

2007-10-16T15:36:00.001-04:00

In her Heritage Studies lessons, Melanie was learning about the early American settlers moving West. She really enjoyed making a covered wagon out of a shoe box.

Napping Josiah

2007-10-16T15:33:00.001-04:00

Why are sleeping children always so cute?

Life Chain

2007-10-07T20:39:00.000-04:00

This year, our church participated in Life Chain, a nationwide event where churches throughout a community line select sidewalks and prayerfully stand, holding signs that show support for the sanctity of human life. It was a very positive experience, with many vehicles honking their support as they drove by. Below are some pictures of the kids, as you can see, Josiah even got involved.

As we were standing there, I noticed two men walking up the street with a clipboard and a roll of stickers. As they came closer, I saw that they were campaign workers for Mitt Romney. They approached me saying, "Do you know that Mitt Romney is and always has been pro-life?" I replied, "No he hasn't." The guy looked shocked and said some gibberish about never signing any pro-choice legislation while serving as Governor of MA. I wasn't standing there to participate in a political debate, so I didn't reply. Anyway, I wrote the following and sent it in to our local newspaper this evening.

Dear Editor,

This afternoon, my family had the privilege of standing on West Avenue for an hour quietly showing our support for the life of the unborn. I was shocked, frustrated, and greatly disappointed when two campaign workers from the Mitt Romney for President campaign came walking down the sidewalk offering literature and stickers to the Life Chain participants. I felt this was entirely inappropriate for the following reasons:

The Life Chain is NOT a political event. It is a time or prayer and peaceful public witness by churches throughout the community to show our support for the sanctity of life. To cheapen this event by sending campaign workers to solicit votes is disgraceful.
To add insult to injury, the campaign workers were saying, "Mitt Romney is and always has been pro-life." The truth is that Gov. Romney campaigned on a pro-choice platform before becoming Governor of MA. He has recently flip-flopped his position. It appears that this is an effort to gather support from pro-lifers who may not have tuned in to the political process yet.

If the local Romney campaign has any honor and integrity, they will apologize for exploiting an event planned for the noble purpose of expressing the value of life for cheap political gain.

First Leaf Pile of Autumn

2007-10-04T10:38:00.000-04:00

Melanie, Alayna, and Josiah raked up some leaves in a pile, then enjoyed sliding into them!

New Wall Decoration

2007-10-04T10:20:00.000-04:00

For the last couple weeks, Josiah has been on Albuterol and Pulmicort to help with some asthma type issues. These medicines make him want to throw things. I can understand throwing balls, but it seems that anything he gets his hands on goes flying through the air -- even spaghetti noodles! A couple days ago, we made the mistake of leaving him at the dining room table by himself to finish his spaghetti. It was quiet for a while, and when we looked in to check on him, this is what we found. He was told that he would have to help mommy clean up the mess, so he replied, "OK. You get the sweeper, I'll get the dustpan."

Huckabee wins Hilling Highlights Straw Poll

2007-10-02T21:24:00.000-04:00

In one month's time, 28 visitors to this blog cast a vote for their favorite 2008 Presidential Candidate. Here are the results:

Mike Huckabee . . 12 votes (42%)
Ron Paul . . . . . . . . 6 votes (21%)
Fred Thompson . . 6 votes (21%)
Mitt Romney . . . . 2 votes (7%)
Hillary Clinton . . . 2 votes (7%)

Congratulations to Gov. Huckabee, as the clear winner of this unscientific poll (margin of error +/- 95%). Seriously though, citizens in states with early primaries are starting to like what Mike is saying. While the "top tier" candidates have been absent from the last two debates, Gov. Huckabee has been gaining ground. Click on the Mike Huckabee banner on the right column of this blog, to learn more about his positions on key issues. I like what I've seen and heard!

OK, OK ... We've Been Tagged!

2007-09-29T11:27:00.000-04:00

Chris: Thank you, Dixie, Sherilyn, and Phil for tagging us, I guess. However, I don't participate in chain letters, I don't forward all those crazy email messages, and I don't play tag. :-) ) Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not so sure I want to put seven facts about myself on here for the WHOLE WORLD to see!

Esther: Chris may be a party-pooper, but I'm not.

During her pregnancy, God gave my mother the name Esther during a church service when she remembered the verse, "For such a time as this ..." from the book of Esther. That's how I got my name.
I never met my grandparents on my mother's side. They were both deceased when I was born. But I did inherit my mamaw's green eyes -- when everyone else in my family had brown.
I am the youngest in a family of four. All my siblings say I'm spoiled, but I doubt it.
I've lived in a parsonage for all of my life, except for two years.
I love to sing. I graduated from God's Bible School with a music ed degree with a major in voice.
I love to cook/bake. Cookies are my favorite thing to bake. Cheesecakes are my favorite thing to eat.
Chris and I knew each other two years before we began dating. Then we dated for two years before we were married. Then we were married for two years before taking our first pastorate. Then two years after that, we had our first child - Melanie. Then two years after that we had our second child - Alayna. Then the pattern ceases and Josiah was born 3 and a half years later.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

2007-09-18T19:41:00.000-04:00

Esther got tired of all the political posts, so she is posting a recipe that our family enjoys. It came from a Taste of Home Cookbook, but Esther has made a few changes to make it better.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
* 2/3 cup shortening
* 1 tablespoon cold butter, cubed
* 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

FILLING:
* 1 cup diced peeled potatoes
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
* 1/4 cup chopped celery
* 1 T. chopped onion
* dash of garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1-1/2 cups cubed turkey
* 1/2 cup frozen peas
* 1/2 cup frozen corn
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine flour and salt. Place cheese in a chopper and pulse until crumbly. Add cheese to the flour and salt mixture. Add shortening and butter; blend until coarse crumbs form. Gradually add water until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half with one ball slightly larger than the other; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For filling, in a large saucepan, saute the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in butter for 5-6 minutes. Add broth; cover and cook for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a small bowl, combine flour and milk until smooth. Gradually add to vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the remaining ingredients.

Roll out larger pastry ball to fit a 9-in. pie plate; transfer to pie plate. Trim pastry even with edge. Pour hot turkey filling into crust. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in top or make decorative cutouts in pastry.

Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until crust is light golden brown. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

It's Official -- We are endorsing Huckabee for President

2007-09-18T11:45:00.000-04:00

Prior to last night's debate, I was strongly leaning towards supporting Gov. Mike Huckabee for the GOP Presidential candidate. After the debate, I am totally convinced. I found the following video on another blogger's site. It's a speech that Gov. Huckabee made at a Pastor's Conference. It's lengthy, but good.

Values Voter Debate - Monday, Sept. 17th ... 7:30 PM

2007-09-17T17:39:00.000-04:00

From the Debate:

1. Candidates Discuss their faith:

Some of the Republican presidential candidates who took part in last night's "Values Voter" presidential debate in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, spoke candidly about when they accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said last night's debate was unlike any other he'd ever participated in, noting he could never envision MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews opening a debate with a prayer.

Huckabee told the 2,000-plus audience members that he became a born-again Christian at the age of 10 while attending vacation Bible school at a small Baptist church in Hope, Arkansas. "And on that day [I] trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior -- it was life-changing," he said.

The former governor shared that he holds things in perspective, including his run for the White House. "Sometimes people ask me what's the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and they expect me to say being elected governor or running for president," stated Huckabee. "But the truth is, those are jobs that somebody else had before me, somebody else is going to have after me -- and those jobs have a limit.

"But the greatest thing that ever happened to me was coming to know Jesus Christ, because there is no limit, there are no terms set, and it's a position that I'll hold forever and forever."

Illinois businessman John Cox said he was "reborn in Christ" in 1979 when a Christian man ministered to him on a commuter train in Chicago. Meanwhile, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-California) joked that he has never belonged to an organized denomination -- he's a Baptist.

2. Tax Issues

I liked Mike Huckabee's description of the Fair Tax plan that he would like to see replace our current taxation structure. He said his plan for taxes would be Flat, Fair, Finite, and Family Friendly. You gotta love the alliteration.

3. Missing Candidates

Refusing to participate in this debate were McCain, Romney, Giuliani, and Thompson. This is interesting, because all four have questionable stands on value issues such as abortion and gay marriage. ALL of the democratic candidates refused to participate in a values debate as well.

4. Speed Round

I liked the second round of the debate, the candidates were asked about 20 yes/no questions. They had to push a button and a red or green light would appear. Most all the questions were unanimous. Ron Paul voted the opposite way about 5 or 6 times -- for example, he disagrees with "Teri's Law" - to keep the disabled from being starved to death like Teri Shiavo; he does not think we should prosecute manufacturers of pornographic material; and he is against expanding the indecency laws to cable TV networks.

5. Straw Poll Results

Here are the official results of the straw poll conducted before and then immediately after the Values Voter debate. The poll included 340 delegates hand-selected by 40 of America's social conservative activists and opinion makers. Pre-debate numbers are located in the parenthesis and the post debate numbers immediately follow the colon.

Mike Huckabee: 219 (119) Clear Winner with 63%
Ron Paul: 44 (53)
Alan Keyes: 24 (30)
Sam Brownback: 18 (26)
Fred Thompson: 15 (52)
Duncan Hunter: 13 (8)
Tom Tancredo: 7 (8)
Rudy Guiliani: 4 (16)
John Cox: 2 (1)
John McCain: 2 (13)
Mitt Romney: 0 (14)

Sign in Indiana

2007-09-17T08:52:00.001-04:00

On our drive to Indiana, we saw this sign. I was hoping to get a fresh donut from 1973, but they were closed.

Trip to Indiana

2007-09-17T08:34:00.001-04:00

Esther's mom wanted to make her a "birthday supper," so we decided to make the 3.5 hour journey for chicken and dumplings, corn, carrots -n- cheese, berry jello salad, cake, and ice cream. YUM! We had an enjoyable visit.

Dave recently painted the house. It looks really nice.

Esther wanted some acorns to use as fall decorations. Grandpa Dave helped the kids gather a basket full. I sure hope the squirrels don't mind losing some of their winter supply of food!

Momma and Daughter ... where is the iced tea???

Grandpa Dave reading a book to Josiah

Freedom From Want

2007-09-14T10:36:00.001-04:00

Esther has commented several times that she loved this Norman Rockwell painting. The couple remind her a lot of her grandparents. This was her main birthday present yesterday. Below is a picture of Esther's grandparents.

Happy Birthday, Esther

2007-09-13T07:51:00.001-04:00

Today, my lovely and precious wife celebrates her ??th birthday -- you didn't think I would really put in the number did you?? Below are some pictures in her honor.

Continuting with a Patriotic Theme ...

2007-09-12T21:08:00.000-04:00

I have heard a recording of this tribute to the Pledge of Allegiance before, but I just found this video clip of it. I hope it will be meaningful to you.

Remembering 9/11

2007-09-11T11:10:00.000-04:00

There's a stirring country song that asks the question "have you forgotten when the towers fell?" (You can hear it in the video below.) Six years have passed since that morning when one of our friends called, and asked if we were listening to the news. I can still remember the shock and pain of that day. Our prayers should still go out to the families who lost loved ones. We should be thankful for having a President who has provided strong unwavering leadership during and after the attack on our country. We should be proud of our brave military personnel who are sacrificing so much to ensure our safety and to give the hope of freedom to the citizens of Iraq.

Two FIRSTS today ...

2007-09-06T22:29:00.001-04:00

I actually attempted to post a video on the blog today ... and it worked!!!
A Poll! A Poll! I love hearing results of polls and surveys, but am always disappointed that nobody ever asked me for my opinion. If you have ever felt the same way, now is your chance to let your voice be heard. Be sure to vote ... it's good practice for the elections next year!

Daisy Princesses

2007-09-06T22:22:00.000-04:00

One of Alayna's "Going Beyond" projects from school today was to make a crown out of flowers. Here she is, posing by the flowers she planted this spring.

Of course, Melanie wanted in on the fun too! Here are the two princess sisters. The vines hanging over the block wall are from sweet potato plants. I hope the sweet potatoes are growing as well as the vines!

Republican Presidential Debate

2007-09-06T08:27:00.000-04:00

Last night, the candidates for President on the Republican side (minus Fred Thompson) participated in a debate. It's time to start looking at candidates to support, especially with many states making efforts to move their Primary Elections to January. Each candidate has his flaws, but I am leaning towards supporting Gov. Huckabee at this point. In an earlier debate, the moderator asked the candidates who believed in Creation over Evolution to raise their hands. Only three did -- Gov. Huckabee, Sen. Brownback, and Rep. Tancredo. Their answer to that question also answers unasked questions about their view of the validity of the Bible, the Source for moral values, and their view of God.

The following video clip shows an exchange between Gov. Huckabee and Rep. Paul. I like the Governor's statement near the end of this clip that honor is more important than winning elections.

There will be another debate on September 17th at 7:30 PM. You will be able to view it online at www.afa.net. Be sure to watch, so you can have an informed vote, come Primary Season!

School Starts!

2007-09-05T07:48:00.000-04:00

Our first day of homeschooling started yesterday.

For the last couple weeks, we have been busy building desks and gathering supplies. Thanks to Esther's step-dad, Dave, for helping me build the desk, and my dad for adding an electrical outlet and some other finishing touches!

Esther really enjoyed doing a "Welcome To School" bulletin board.

Melanie is in third grade this year. She was so excited about school beginning, she had a hard time getting to sleep the night before.

Alayna begins first grade.

12 Wonderful Years

2007-09-03T08:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our 12th wedding anniversary. It has been a great dozen years together! Here are some pictures I took of some pictures in our wedding album.

Building a desk

2007-08-25T13:47:00.001-04:00

We are homeschooling Melanie and Alayna this year. They can't wait for school to start. Their first day will be September 4th. Yesterday, Grandpa Dave helped us build a desk using a counter top and shelving. I'll post a picture later, when we get it all set up. Here is Josiah "helping" his daddy put a few final screws in last night.

Trip to Potter Park Zoo

2007-08-25T12:55:00.001-04:00

Thursday, we went to Lansing to do some shopping. We also took in the sights at Potter Park Zoo. It was small and only took about 2-3 hours to tour, but it fit perfectly for our time schedule. I don't understand why, but the kids always like to get in with the goats.

This is an eagle owl -- the largest type of owl in the world. He was perched in his cage sleeping. During his sleep, he would open his mouth really wide several times. We wondered if he was dreaming about eating a mouse.

Here's momma kangaroo Esther and her little joey Josiah.

OK, who was playing with the paint? The mandrills are quite colorful and were fun to watch.

The coral reef exhibit was beautiful. It is so fascinating to see God's creation displayed in vivid colors.

Tomato Tuesday

2007-08-25T12:25:00.000-04:00

We started with 2 five gallon buckets of tomatoes from our garden.

Cooked them down.

Put them through the juicer.

End Result - 9 Quarts of Juice

Horses

2007-08-18T21:45:00.000-04:00

For the last couple years, we have been purchasing beef from a farmer near Hudson, MI. He invited us to come down to his farm today, and offered to let the kids ride one of his horses. (The meat we get is cow meat, not horse meat ... in case you needed some clarification.)

Melanie quickly learned to "steer" the horse, and was able to ride the horse around some barrels without being led.

Alayna led the horse (named Ice) back to the stall. The farmer told them to pat the horse and tell him he did a good job, so that is what she is doing here.

We couldn't get Josiah to get on the horse, but he had fun climbing fences and playing with the dogs.

Corn

2007-08-18T21:42:00.001-04:00

Last week we froze 3 bushels of corn. Well, not quite three bushels, because we ate quite a bit of it as well. Even Alayna, who eats no vegetables except pizza sauce, ate 3 ears of corn for supper!
You can tell we were pretty busy, because only one picture was taken of the process.

Blueberries

2007-08-18T21:27:00.001-04:00

It was fun spending time together as a family picking blueberries -- a lot more fun than picking strawberries, that's for sure! The biggest challenge was to make sure Alayna wasn't eating all the ones she picked! :) Even Josiah could pick berries from the comfort of his stroller.

Esther ended up freezing 9 bags of berries, making a couple blueberry snack cakes, and a pie.

First attempt to break the summer slump ...

2007-08-18T21:17:00.000-04:00

After Camp Meeting, we enjoyed having Esther's sister, Sherilyn, and her family visit us for a few days. Her husband Doyle, plays trombone in a group called Cornerstone Brass. They put on an excellent concert at our church. Following the concert, we celebrated Doyle and Sherilyn's birthdays.

The cousins had fun playing and posing for pictures.

I am always amazed at how much stuff Doyle can pack in a van! Everything is loaded, and sad goodbyes were exchanged. See you again at Christmas!!

P.S. For those who saw Sherilyn's request several posts back ... we had a few tomatoes ripe, so she was able to have her grilled chicken and fresh tomatoes.

Home from Family Camp

2007-07-24T12:29:00.000-04:00

We are happy to be home for the rest of the summer! Family Camp was a spiritually enriching time, as well as an opportunity to enjoy the friendship of other believers of "like precious faith." We are busy doing laundry and unpacking, preparing for Esther's sister and family to visit for a few days. Anyway, here are a few pictures from camp ...

Gene and Angie Davis did an outstanding job with the children again this year. As you can see, the theme had to do with water.

A LARGE sandbox was built before camp this year. The kids enjoyed getting dirty and playing with their friends. To the left of our kids is Esther Ward. The right, is Jesse Keep.

It was a joy to have the Keep family at camp this year. They are our missionaries to the Philippines. Carolyn, their daughter had a birthday during camp, and we were invited to a birthday party for her after service.

Another highlight for the children was a "petting zoo" right on the Camp Grounds! A family with a farm set up a place with a calf, some sheep, some goats, and a pony. Every afternoon, the kids could take pony rides, and feed the animals.

Vacation

2007-07-10T21:44:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful time on vacation last week. West Virginia is such a scenic state -- we enjoyed the mountains, hills, creeks, woods, wildflowers and blackberries growing behind my grandparent's house. Here's a recap of some of our activities:

Melanie, Alayna, and Josiah in Prickett's Fort.

It was a joy to visit with family. The picture above is our family with Chris' great-great Aunt Lorraine. We were also able to visit with grandparent's, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

One day we went to the Pittsburgh Zoo. The highlight of the zoo trip was the elephant exhibit. Two of the elephants decided to take a swim in a pond as we were watching. Melanie said that the elephants were more entertaining than the monkeys! Above, the kids are petting a kangaroo in the Children's Zoo. Below, Josiah is making a fish face by the aquarium.

What did the kids like most? Spending time with Grampy and Grammy, getting "the works" from Grampy, and playing in the swimming pool.

Long Time ... No Posts

2007-07-07T22:43:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. The summer has not been lazy, but crazy so far! Youth Camp took up all of last week. This week we are in WV. We have enjoyed fireworks, visiting family, going to the zoo, visiting a fort, taking a walk in the woods, and many other activities. Pictures will be available in a few days.

The kids like it when I water the garden!

2007-06-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Father's Day, Chris!

2007-06-17T15:27:00.001-04:00

This is a picture of Chris on his very first Father's Day (1999). Melanie was three months old at the time.

Chris ... you are a wonderful father to our children! Sometimes you remind me so much of my own dear father. I appreciate your godly character, faithful steadfastness, gentle nature, loyalty, and love for your family. Thanks, Esther.

"Easter" Lilies are blooming!

2007-06-17T15:05:00.000-04:00

These are some some Easter lilies from years past that I had planted under a tree in our yard.

Photos of our Fathers

2007-06-16T23:06:00.000-04:00

This is Esther's father, Rev. James M. Wentworth. It's a picture of a picture, so the quality is not the greatest. He left this world for his heavenly home on December 30, 1998. We miss him very much. He was a faithful pastor and Christian school teacher. He loved children and spent much of his life working with and training them for Christ.

This is Chris and his dad, Monte Hilling. He lives in WV and is a pump mechanic. He is an active member in the Fairmont Bible Methodist Church. He can fix just about anything. Dad may not say a lot, but when he does voice an opinion, it's worth hearing!

David Webb is Esther's step-father. We think highly of Dave and appreciate his love for Esther's mother and his acceptance of us and our children.

First Father's Day Service in Fairmont, WV

2007-06-16T22:59:00.000-04:00

I thought this was worth sharing, since Fairmont is my home town.

From wikipedia's entry about the history of Father's Day:

In the United States, the first modern Father's Day celebration was held on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia. It was first celebrated as a church service at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church. Grace Golden Clayton, who is believed to have suggested the service to the pastor, is believed to have been inspired to celebrate fathers after the deadly mine explosion in nearby Monongah the prior December. This explosion killed 361 men, many of them fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy. Another possible inspiration for the service was Mother's Day, which had recently been celebrated for the first time in Grafton, West Virginia, a town about 15 miles away.

Another driving force behind the establishment of the integration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent reared his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, WA.

Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

In recent years, retailers have adapted to the holiday by promoting male-oriented gifts such as electronics, tools and greeting cards. Schools and other children's programs commonly have activities to make Father's Day gifts.