Hello December! Snow drifts at the barn already above the knees
(not shown in the picture because the horses just don't pose
properly 
)
I need a little help with my selfies 
I think it's my first pic ever (as an adult) with pig tails 
I'm considering it for a new look to go with my purple highlights 
Ugh! Does organizing online bookmarks count as decluttering?
I shocked my husband today when I told him that I managed to get my
browser bookmarks down to around 1000 (deleting around 1/3 of what I
had)... I guess he didn't realize exactly how bad of a digital
hoarder I am! I AM learning to let go though... Next up, my
Facebook's Saved lists...
This may prove helpful for someone out there...
"You do not have to accept unacceptable behavior in your life."
"It's important to protect your children from unacceptable behavior as well. Do not tolerate any hurtful or negative comments addressed towards your children. These comments can result in lasting damage to a child's psyche. Protect your children, and don't hesitate to keep your child away from someone who drinks and does not respect your boundaries. "
It is hard to let go, but remember that setting boundaries does not mean that you do not love the alcoholic... the addict... the manipulator... or the abuser - regardless of what shape it's in. It also doesn't mean that you have stopped loving the enablers - regardless if that is how it makes them feel.
"There may be very little you can do to help the alcoholic until he or she is ready to get help, but you can stop letting someone's drinking problem dominate your thoughts and your life. It's okay to make choices that are good for your own physical and mental health."
Parents pull children out of school to protest proposed mandatory HPV, flu vaccine legislation
I wonder if Long Island will win or if New York's forced vaccination schedule will prevail on the island...
Court Ruling Confirms Merck’s Gardasil HPV Vaccine Kills People – Did Anyone Even Notice?
Sadly, it's not the only one. It's such a big issue that "by law, vaccine manufacturers like Merck cannot be held liable for injuries and deaths caused by their vaccines".
The idea behind vaccinations is true and right and a marvelous wonder of our time, but these companies are not held to the same standard that they once were and not even the same standard of FDA compliance regulations that all other medicines must adhere to (and look at the HUGE list of side effects and recalls and damages done even after passing all that).
Even if they were 100% safe for all, I would still be against having my right to choose what is best for me and my family taken away.
A special share from Bob
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.
Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.
and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
NY Court Rules Amish Children Cannot Use Religious Vaccine Exemption To Attend Their Own Schools
Guess what? This goes for legal homeschooling too. It is mandatory to provide kids with an education of some sort (which is good). However, it is still ok to choose a religious based education. Yet, it is not ok to to have a valid religious based health care decision.
How soon will they take away the freedom for religious based education as well? It's not allowed in public schools (the library must contain and you can openly read occult-based fiction but not the Bible). Now that homeschooling has become more popular because the public education is less than adequate and restrictive to religious freedom, when will the religious exemptions reach into the home life?
Many think that making vaccinations mandatory is best for public health concerns, but my concerns run FAR deeper. If vaccinations were 100% safe and effective then there would be zero need for enforcement. However, getting to use them as an excuse to remove more religious freedom from the country that was formed to uphold just that? It's not right.
Massive Public Pushback Sinks New Jersey’s Attack Upon Religious Exemptions For Vaccines
New Jersey is fighting to keep their freedom of choice after New York's loss.
My "love language" is acts of service. So, when I tell my
husband about a problem I have and he jumps to fix it, it fills my
love bubble to overflowing! 
After I got my new desk, I discovered
that there was no way that my mouse and keyboard would fit on the
slide out shelf and the top of the desk was too high to work with. I
looked at solutions in Amazon and other office type stores but every
thing had a problem (one major problem was the $$$ amount for a tiny
solution ). I told my husband about it and he made the perfect
size shelf for my mouse that attaches to the keyboard shelf so they
can slide out of the way together. 
This past week, I've
noticed that my desk chair doesn't sit right and was attributing to
my back pain. I tried adjusting the height, as well as playing with
the distance and rotation of my monitor. I was still uncomfortable.
I then put a pillow behind me and that helped. I told Bob about all
of this yesterday. He strode over to my chair, flipped it upside
down, tightened the screws and said: Here, try that. It's like new!
My back is soooo happy now!
Yeah, I think the world of my husband
and don't mind disgusting all of ya'll with the mushiness!
Despite 100% vaccine requirement, whooping cough outbreak forces closure of Houston school
100% vaccinated school. Only "About 3 or 4 out of 10 people are fully protected 4 years after getting Tdap." Vaccinated does NOT mean lifetime immunity like has been promoted.
ACLU Defends Amish Community’s Religious Freedom Against Lenawee County’s Threat to Bulldoze Homes
The state can remove a person's religious rights regarding healthcare, so why not how they choose to live daily life as well? I'm so disgusted.
From the country with the healthiest life expectancy in the world and the least vaccinated children of developed countries... what a contrast!
Merry Christmas! Whether you celebrate or not - I hope you enjoy the
day
Here's a project that I just finished that only took me 20 or so
years to decide how I wanted to do this particular display
These
are special souvenirs from going on very long walks as a kid in
Germany... yes, I did A LOT of complaining at the time But, it
was great quality family time and I love that my mom collected so
much memorabilia 
Isn't this the cutest way to announce that my grandson is going to
become a big brother? 
This year, I have done A LOT of emotional
release. At times, it's been very painful and there have been a few
times that I thought the anxiety would get to be too much (like a
month ago ).
However, I now have proof that I've grown emotionally... My ex-husband emailed me a week ago out of the blue after three years of silence with a desire to end the silence between us.
My family and I were concerned that this would peak my anxiety level. But, it hasn't. I actually feel quite calm and have been able to be amiable in my responses - something that was quite beyond me three years ago, which is why the silence began to begin with!
We have, of course, agreed to avoid confrontation as
neither of us need that stress.
It really is a wonderful feeling
knowing that I have (for the most part) let the anger and negativity
of the past go. 2019 hasn't quite gone the way that I had planned,
but this is a real win for me and worth the pain involved in the
emotional release.
