2009 - UPDATED

Our current national debt is $10.7 trillion

The projected deficit for 2009 is $1.7 trillion

The Troubled Assets Relief Program “TARP” was $700 billion,
I call this the Troubles Relied Asset Program “TRAP” or my Mike Huckabee called it the Congressional Relief Action Program

The total cost of the stimulus bill enacted last month was over $1.1 trillion

The Administration wants an additional $750 billion more

The Omnibus Appropriations Bill was $410 billion

The Federal Reserve pumped another $1.2 trillion into our markets last week

The stock market is now down 32% since taking office

742,000 jobs axed in March... Eeeekkkk

The national unemployment rate rose from 7.6 percent in January to 8.1 percent in February

The proposed Presidential budget submitted to Congress is $3.6 trillion, OMG!

While you Malik Obama being tested with stomach pains, cholera suspected, Heartbreaking

Zeituni Onyango, being deported April 1, Horrible, Updated: Obama's aunt can stay in USA another year...

$28.38 million U.S. dollars to bring an entourage of 500 people to Great Brittan to attend the G20 summit! Priceless

Don’t Forget to Bring Your Passport!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Our little tiger is now fifteen!

And look what a kind, generous and intelligent young man he's grown into.....

We are so proud!

A Blessing for Your Birthday

May your hand be steady like a canyon rim
And your eye as clear as the desert sky
May your wit and wisdom never turn dim
And your wildest dreams, may they never die
May your laugh be strong when the world seems grim
May fretful, anxious tears all quickly dry
May Jesus watch over you with gentle cherubim
And Mary look down on you with loving eye
And may God bless you and increase your hope,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost

-Father Andrew Greeley
From A Book of Irish American Blessings & Prayers

Hail, Glorious St Patrick

Hail, glorious Saint Patrick, dear saint of our Isle,
On us thy poor children bestow a sweet smile;
And now thou art high in the mansions above,
On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love.

On Erin's green valleys, on Erin's green valleys,
On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love.
Hail, glorious Saint Patrick, thy words were once strong
Against Satan's wiles and an infidel throng;
Not less is thy might where in heaven thou art;
O, come to our aid, in our battle take part.
On Erin's green valleys, on Erin's green valleys,
On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love.
In the war against sin, in the fight for the faith,
Dear saint, may thy children resist unto death;
May their strength be in meekness, in penance, their prayer,
Their banner the cross which they glory to bear.

Beannachtaí na Féile Padraig oraibh!

We Planted the Garden This Weekend

Spring is almost here. It is screaming, "Hello I'm coming" as this weekend brought us sunny skies and warmer temperatures. I love global warming as spring arrives. That means its time to get into the garden. That is exactly what we did this weekend as we planted tomatoes, squash, broccoli, corn, and some peppers. I even planted some thyme and cilantro. No wet weather is expected for a week, yea!!! We still have some cool mornings ahead, but the daytime is bright and sunny.

Here was the plan:

Check out the tomatoes planters I made a month ago

Black bark continues to fill in the growing weeds

No digging Frodo, Bad Dog!

I measued out from the growies to the proper distance. Look at the little guys. They are so delicate

I planted the tomatoes. I hope this one produces tons of red things for the wife

Mulch has been put down, bark in larger areas, pull more weeds and covered them with bark. I still don’t have enough bark, Oh My!

Does anyone want to trade squash for something else? We have too much! We need more places to grow things honey. Where are we going to put the pomegranate? What else can we grow?

I’ll keep you posted on the garden progress. It keeps me from listening to happenings in Washington. Now where is my shovel? Brendan, did you hide the shovel?

Daily Obamaism

"The stock market is sort of like a tracking poll in politics. It bobs up and down day-to-day…and if you spend all your time worrying about that, then you're probably going to get the long-term strategy wrong."

Did I catch that right? I have a 401 right now without the K and he says is saying it is bobbing up and down? I have now been calling the Dow Jones Industrial Average the DOWn. The stock market is more than just a political popularity poll. The stock market use to be people's hopes, dreams, and retirement savings. In essence, it's a lifeline for the economy.

I just think this quote is another small validation that the 'Hope and Change' he convinced people about was just good PR and a lot of smoke and mirrors. I wonder if that little tid bit was on a teleprompter when he said it?

Now keep in mind that the DOW has lost 31% of its value since Obama’s election. The national unemployment rate is at 8.1%. One year ago from October, the DOWn was 14,000. Now it's 6,500. If that ain't a total disaster, then I don't know what is. And the worst part is, the pain isn't over yet. We still have a way to go to meet Great Depression times, but once this spending bill gets approved in congress today, watch that double soon. Can you say Stagflation? This is when an economic situation in which inflation and economic stagnation occur simultaneously and remain unchecked for a period of time. How long until this occurs? WASS, We are So…

Who Else Can You Nominate? UPDATED

Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative nominee, has paid approximately $9,975 in back taxes.

Tom Daschle, Health and Human Services Secretary nominee, failed to pay more than $128,000 in taxes.

Tim Geithner, Treasury Secretary failed to pay $34,000 in overdue taxes.

Nancy Killefer White House Performance Officer had a $946.69 tax lien on her home for failure to pay unemployment compensation tax on household help.

Health and Human Services nominee Kathleen Sebelius recently corrected three years of tax returns and paid more than $7,000 in back taxes after finding "unintentional errors.” She and her husband, Gary, a federal magistrate judge in Kansas, paid a total of $7,040 in back taxes and $878 in interest to amend returns from 2005-2007.

Barack Obama has made in his first 60 days in office has made = Update: $180,839.69
At the same time he is signing the Spend-a-saurus Bill, he claims he is eliminating waste. Hey Obama, who else can you nominate to help pay for some of your programs?

Please Mr. Obama

Please Mr. Obama, fix the stock market. You have said you are going to fix out medical system, global warming, dependence on foreign oil, the banks, the housing industry, the automobile industry, the mortgage/foreclosure crisis, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and education. Doesn't this mean you should be able to fix the stock market too?

WSJ: As Dow keeps dropping, Obama running out of people to blame...

Catching Up!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A beautiful gift from my sweet husband

And then....


In the very early morning on Sunday, February 15th, Brendan’s story begins. I had been having very mild contractions all week--they would start in the morning about 10 minutes apart, and then slow down and stop in the afternoon. On Valentine's Day, they didn't stop, but they weren't getting any stronger either. Then, I woke up at 1:30 in the morning with suddenly strong contractions about 4 minutes apart. At 2:30, I woke my husband up because I needed his help to focus.

We had taken Bradley classes, and the techniques they taught us really helped. It was time & money well spent! I had a very long labor with my last little one (who is now almost 15!) and I didn't want to rush to the hospital. I got in the tub for a while, took a shower, and tried to relax through the contractions. When they were 3 minutes apart at around 5:00, we figured we should get to the hospital.

We got to the hospital around 5:30, and they admitted us right away. I was dilated to 3, and totally effaced. (I had been almost 3 at my last appointment, but not effaced.) Contractions were strong and 3 minutes apart. They said as long as I wasn't taking any meds, that I was free to move around the room and even walk the hallway if I wanted. I only had to be on the monitors 30 minutes of every hour and a half. We walked some, I used the rocking chair, and we slow danced, jr. hi style, through the contractions. Sean was absolutely amazing. I was much louder than I thought I would be, wailing and moaning through the contractions, but in between when the pain was gone, I found it easy to relax. The bed was the last place I wanted to be! I found the bed to be the most painful and uncomfortable place to ride through the contractions and I tried to stay as far away from it as possible.

By 8:00, I was at 5. I was pleased with this progress, as last time I took hours and hours just to get to 5. At 10:15, the midwife stopped in and I was at 7. She decided to break my water since it hadn’t happened yet. That was when it got really tough. Everything sped up and got more intense. I went from 7-10 in just 45 minutes. The contractions were right on top of each other, and the breaks I had used to relax in between were suddenly gone. This was the hardest part for me. I was blubbering and telling Sean that I just couldn't do it anymore. I just wanted to go home and have a break! The midwife came to check on us and as she walked in the door on this scene said, "Sounds like transition to me!"

At 11:00, I was ready to push. The thing was, I was terrified to push because of the pain. The midwife encouraged me to push past the pain, but it was really hard for me. I remember telling her, "I'm really trying to listen to you!" After all, I didn’t want her to think I was being rude! :) I had fallen hard on my tailbone when I was 5 months pregnant, and apparently this was what was causing the pain to increase so much when I pushed.

In spite of my struggle, Brendan was born at 11:20. The most amazing thing happened at the end. We hadn't discussed this in advance, but after his head was out, the midwife asked me to lean forward and grab the baby. I thought she was delusional. But, I decided to do what she said. As I leaned forward, she got his shoulders out, and I reached down to scoop him up and pull him onto my chest. It was the strangest and most beautiful moment of my whole life.

What a difference this was from the birth of my first son. Last time I labored for 28 hours. After my water broke, I still had 18 hours to go. The long labor was difficult, and I ended up with an epidural for the last 4 hours. I don’t even remember the end except that I had no idea where or how to push, and my son’s heart rate kept dropping, necessitating a vacuum extraction. Following delivery, he had low blood sugar and trouble maintaining his body temperature. The nurses kept taking him away for several hours at a time to prick his heels and warm him up. It broke my heart.

This time, due to the Bradley classes, Sean and I were very well prepared, and had a “toolbox” of relaxation techniques to help us through the contractions, as well as the Bradley “road map” so we could see the end coming. I held on to the knowledge that the pain was temporary. Because we were both drug-free, Brendan and I had no complications, and further, we had so much more freedom of movement and to eat and drink both during and after labor. What a difference! I walked to post-partum, I felt good, and my baby was not medicated or subdued in anyway. Sean noticed a huge difference in the nursery…Brendan was very active and alert in comparison to the other two babies, who were both C-section.

Everyone said that natural childbirth can be so empowering for a woman. This is true, but it was even more empowering for our marriage. Getting through those contractions one at a time together was the most amazing experience. Sean was so strong and steady through it all, even when I felt as though I was going to lose it in all the pain. Looking into his eyes and being able to feel his touch were so centering. And being able to hold our little one at the end was absolutely indescribable. Brendan came into this world Sunday, February 15, 2009, 7 pounds, 13 ounces, 19 inches.