Thursday, October 30, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween from Dorothy and Toto! Ok, so maybe Toto isn't a St. Bernard. But we couldn't pass up the costume. Hope you enjoy!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saga of Sickness
We are infected with the plague here in the Brandt household. Us 3 girls all have pink eye, Jer has a bad cold, plus I still have a horrible sore throat and cold. The pink eye has been treated and the girls are almost all better, but I am still feeling pretty rotten. I do have a great bloodshot eye look for Halloween tomorrow, if anyone is interested in coming over and catching it for a natural look. Speaking of Halloween, be sure to check back tomorrow for pictures of the girls in their costumes. I have to admit they are pretty cute, you don't want to miss them.
Although this is the worst sore throat I've ever had (feels like I'm swallowing needles), there are a few perks of being sick:
1) Can't smell the poopy diapers (good thing and bad thing!)
2) I've discovered that Emily is into watching her Elmo video; I've been waiting for that day.
3) Jer brought home my favorite chicken noodle soup from Panera last night.
4) Good excuse to let the house go and lay around all day, as much as I hate it!
Although this is the worst sore throat I've ever had (feels like I'm swallowing needles), there are a few perks of being sick:
1) Can't smell the poopy diapers (good thing and bad thing!)
2) I've discovered that Emily is into watching her Elmo video; I've been waiting for that day.
3) Jer brought home my favorite chicken noodle soup from Panera last night.
4) Good excuse to let the house go and lay around all day, as much as I hate it!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Financial Crisis
I am not really the political kind but thought this was a good post by Joel Rosenberg last week. With the election in only a week I thought it was a good one.
The U.S. is experiencing the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. Our enemies know it. They smell blood in the water. Consider the latest developments:
“Wall Street stocks plunged Wednesday in the second biggest single day point loss in history and their worst percentage fall in two decades, ravaged by fears the world’s biggest economy is slipping into recession.
“We are living through financial history of the tragic kind. As of Friday’s close, America’s stock market had declined in value by well over 40 per cent compared with its peak a year ago. Already, this ranks as the fifth biggest stock market decline since the 1920s.”
“U.S. stocks [in recent days have] plunged the most since the crash of 1987, hammered by the biggest drop in retail sales in three years and growing doubt that plans to bail out banks will keep the economic slump from deepening….”
“The White House said G8 leaders were expected to meet this year on the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Great Depression.”
This is not a temporary glitch in the global financial software. The problems are real, deep and systemic. The best explanations and analysis I have seen have come from Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, the nation’s foremost business magazine.
The big question now: What does it all mean and where do we go from here? A few thoughts on the implications of this financial apocalypse:
First things first: our national security is inextricably tied to our economic security. Economic weakness is an invitation to radical Islamic terrorists to hit us again. It’s also an invitation to other rogue nations to pursue their evil plans while thinking we are unable or unwilling to stop them. The U.S. cannot lead the world in defeating tyrants and terrorists and creating an environment of peace and prosperity if we are collapsing at home. Stabilizing our economy, reforming our financial institutions, punishing and imprisoning those who have criminally undermined our economy, and getting us back on the road to free market growth and entrepreneurial health and vitality must be the top priority of the next Commander-in-Chief.
I don’t believe one U.S. political party or the other is specifically to blame for our own financial crisis. There is plenty of blame to go around and the problems have been developing for years. That said, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that the U.S. stock markets are tanking especially hard right now in part because investors believe Sen. Barack Obama is going to win on November 4th. As polls for Obama and Congressional Democrats have risen — and Americans have begun to sense that Obama’s election as president and expanded control of Congress by Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid and their liberal allies is inevitable – investors’ fears have not been calmed. They have been exacerbated. True, investors don’t see a complete and convincing economic rescue plan from Sen. McCain. But they see disaster in Obama’s plan and the likelihood of full control of the U.S. government by the Democrats. The Obama-Pelosi-Reid prescription, after all, is the worst possible medicine for the economy — $1.3 trillion in new federal spending, dramatic tax increases on small businesses, dramatic tax increases on big businesses, dramatic tax increases on those who create wealth, a major new tax on energy producers, as well as nationalized health care system. We are not simply on the brink of a serious recession; we are on the brink of another Great Depression. How, then, will massive tax increases and massive government spending help us fight our way out of this crisis? Answer: it won’t. And Main Street and Wall Street know it. Just ask Joe the Plumber.
Are there prophetic implications of this financial crisis? It is hard to be definitive. The U.S. does not show up specifically in any end times Bible prophecies. But this fact alone raises a sobering question: If we are really in what the Bible describes as “the last days” before the return of Jesus Christ, then how is it possible that the United States of America — the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the face of the planet in the history of mankind — does not play a significant, notable role in Biblical end times events? The honest answer: I don’t know for certain. But here’s what I wrote in Dead Heat (p. 154): “What Bennett had never really considered carefully until now was the possibility that something else might devastate the American people, rendering them ineffective heading into the last of the last days. A financial downturn on Wall Street. The sudden collapse of the dollar. The beginning of another Great Depression. A series of devastating earthquakes. Or hurricanes. Or other natural disasters, like a tsunami. [Or ] the most cataclysmic terrorist attack of all time — five nuclear warheads. And there might be more to come. None of it was clearly prophesied in the Scriptures. Not that he could find. But perhaps he should have foreseen the neutralization of America by more carefully reading between the lines. If so, what else was he missing? What exactly was coming next?”
Finally, let us consider the possibility that the Lord is allowing this economic meltdown in part to shake our confidence in anything but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Is it possible that God is trying to shake us loose from trusting in our wealth, from trusting in our political leaders, from trusting in our own ingenuity and our own hard work? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to shift our focus from worldly, materialistic things to how much He loves us, and the truth that the only person we can truly trust in life to never leave us or forsake us is Jesus Christ? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to read the Bible more, and the stock tickers less? To pray more, and to worry less? To store up our treasures in heaven, and not concentrate so much on our treasures on earth? Anyone who is feeling fearful during this turbulent economic times would do well to meditate on the words Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 6:19-33, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also….No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
The U.S. is experiencing the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. Our enemies know it. They smell blood in the water. Consider the latest developments:
“Wall Street stocks plunged Wednesday in the second biggest single day point loss in history and their worst percentage fall in two decades, ravaged by fears the world’s biggest economy is slipping into recession.
“We are living through financial history of the tragic kind. As of Friday’s close, America’s stock market had declined in value by well over 40 per cent compared with its peak a year ago. Already, this ranks as the fifth biggest stock market decline since the 1920s.”
“U.S. stocks [in recent days have] plunged the most since the crash of 1987, hammered by the biggest drop in retail sales in three years and growing doubt that plans to bail out banks will keep the economic slump from deepening….”
“The White House said G8 leaders were expected to meet this year on the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Great Depression.”
This is not a temporary glitch in the global financial software. The problems are real, deep and systemic. The best explanations and analysis I have seen have come from Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, the nation’s foremost business magazine.
The big question now: What does it all mean and where do we go from here? A few thoughts on the implications of this financial apocalypse:
First things first: our national security is inextricably tied to our economic security. Economic weakness is an invitation to radical Islamic terrorists to hit us again. It’s also an invitation to other rogue nations to pursue their evil plans while thinking we are unable or unwilling to stop them. The U.S. cannot lead the world in defeating tyrants and terrorists and creating an environment of peace and prosperity if we are collapsing at home. Stabilizing our economy, reforming our financial institutions, punishing and imprisoning those who have criminally undermined our economy, and getting us back on the road to free market growth and entrepreneurial health and vitality must be the top priority of the next Commander-in-Chief.
I don’t believe one U.S. political party or the other is specifically to blame for our own financial crisis. There is plenty of blame to go around and the problems have been developing for years. That said, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that the U.S. stock markets are tanking especially hard right now in part because investors believe Sen. Barack Obama is going to win on November 4th. As polls for Obama and Congressional Democrats have risen — and Americans have begun to sense that Obama’s election as president and expanded control of Congress by Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid and their liberal allies is inevitable – investors’ fears have not been calmed. They have been exacerbated. True, investors don’t see a complete and convincing economic rescue plan from Sen. McCain. But they see disaster in Obama’s plan and the likelihood of full control of the U.S. government by the Democrats. The Obama-Pelosi-Reid prescription, after all, is the worst possible medicine for the economy — $1.3 trillion in new federal spending, dramatic tax increases on small businesses, dramatic tax increases on big businesses, dramatic tax increases on those who create wealth, a major new tax on energy producers, as well as nationalized health care system. We are not simply on the brink of a serious recession; we are on the brink of another Great Depression. How, then, will massive tax increases and massive government spending help us fight our way out of this crisis? Answer: it won’t. And Main Street and Wall Street know it. Just ask Joe the Plumber.
Are there prophetic implications of this financial crisis? It is hard to be definitive. The U.S. does not show up specifically in any end times Bible prophecies. But this fact alone raises a sobering question: If we are really in what the Bible describes as “the last days” before the return of Jesus Christ, then how is it possible that the United States of America — the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the face of the planet in the history of mankind — does not play a significant, notable role in Biblical end times events? The honest answer: I don’t know for certain. But here’s what I wrote in Dead Heat (p. 154): “What Bennett had never really considered carefully until now was the possibility that something else might devastate the American people, rendering them ineffective heading into the last of the last days. A financial downturn on Wall Street. The sudden collapse of the dollar. The beginning of another Great Depression. A series of devastating earthquakes. Or hurricanes. Or other natural disasters, like a tsunami. [Or ] the most cataclysmic terrorist attack of all time — five nuclear warheads. And there might be more to come. None of it was clearly prophesied in the Scriptures. Not that he could find. But perhaps he should have foreseen the neutralization of America by more carefully reading between the lines. If so, what else was he missing? What exactly was coming next?”
Finally, let us consider the possibility that the Lord is allowing this economic meltdown in part to shake our confidence in anything but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Is it possible that God is trying to shake us loose from trusting in our wealth, from trusting in our political leaders, from trusting in our own ingenuity and our own hard work? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to shift our focus from worldly, materialistic things to how much He loves us, and the truth that the only person we can truly trust in life to never leave us or forsake us is Jesus Christ? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to read the Bible more, and the stock tickers less? To pray more, and to worry less? To store up our treasures in heaven, and not concentrate so much on our treasures on earth? Anyone who is feeling fearful during this turbulent economic times would do well to meditate on the words Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 6:19-33, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also….No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A constant dripping
On Saturday we all woke up sick. Me with a horrible sore throat, aches, chills; Jer with a bad cold or something; the girls with pink eye? Not sure, I've never seen pink eye before but am guessing that might be it. So mid morning when Bri was sleeping, Jer took Emily for a drive and to the park. They were the two most well and Emily really needed to get out. So I decided to try to take a nap downstairs on the couch, since the basement is much darker than our bedroom. I turned all the lights out, laid down, got all snuggled into a blanket, and breathed a big sigh of relief. Then I heard it. . . drip, drip, drip, drip, drip... We have this faucet in the laundry room that we have to leave open to let all the water drip out of the pipe so it doesn't freeze and burst the pipe. I thought, well I can close the laundry room door but then Gabby (our cat who hates closed doors) will need to use the "restroom" and will be scratching at the door the whole time. Then I thought, I'll just turn on the TV and that'll drown out the drip. Football came on first (which although would probably put me to sleep, seemed kind of boring), so I found "Ice Cream Paradise" which sounded very appealing to an ice cream lover. Then I got sucked into a segment on the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory and watched that for a bit. Then I decided I better sleep while I had the chance, turned off the TV, shut the laundry room door, and prayed that Gabby wouldn't come a scratchin. Yea, I could no longer hear drip, drip, drip. Makes me think of the verse in proverbs: A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day. I like to substitute "quarrelsome" for "nagging." Sorry honey, I will try to be better about that since I now know how annoying a constant dripping is!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Brushing Bella
Emily has officially been pacifier-free for 24 hours. Unfortunately that made for a rough night for dad (he kept going down to her room last night to console her) and a rough day for mom (Emily took NO nap today.) Couple that with the fact that she was already climbing out of her crib and coming up to our room every night, who knows if we'll survive the next few days or weeks.
While Bri was taking a wonderful 3-hour nap this afternoon, Emily and I had a lot of "quality time" together. So I decided that Bella needed a good brushing, as she's been shedding like crazy the last few months. The amount of hair I can get off of her in one sitting is like a small dog. I'm sure after reading about the puking incident the other day and the hair here, you are all ready to rush right out and get yourselves a St. Bernard.
While Bri was taking a wonderful 3-hour nap this afternoon, Emily and I had a lot of "quality time" together. So I decided that Bella needed a good brushing, as she's been shedding like crazy the last few months. The amount of hair I can get off of her in one sitting is like a small dog. I'm sure after reading about the puking incident the other day and the hair here, you are all ready to rush right out and get yourselves a St. Bernard.It works better if you can use a squirt bottle to wet her fur down, and then brush her (the hair sticks to the brush instead of flying all over). Well, Emily was obsessed with using the squirt bottle and was getting Bella way too wet. After I told her about 10 times that only mommy was doing the water, I looked over to find her squirting the St. Bernard rocking horse. I guess she was scolded one too many times, she had to take the squirt bottle elsewhere.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Boys weekend, Girls weekend
It's that time of year again -- hunting season. Not usually the wife's favorite time being that the husband is gone and they usually bring home dead animals to store in your freezer and/or eat. This past weekend Jeremy went pheasant hunting for the first time with some college friends in South Dakota. He had a great time and they got their limit each day (which means my freezer is full of pheasants; not sure if they will all get eaten.) He said the Kleinsassers were wonderful hosts and that Mrs. Kleinsasser even makes better cheesy potatoes than I do. :)
Since the guys were gone hunting, my friend Em and daughter Lily came down from Moorhead to hang out for the weekend. Apart from watching the girls, taking them swimming at the Y, and visiting a pumpkin patch, we relaxed (while the girls were sleeping), watched some movies and The Office episodes Em had missed this year, and ate plenty of ice cream. Everything went pretty smoothly except for Saturday night around 7:00 when Bri was getting very crabby. I stuck her in her bed and was trying to get her bottle ready when I saw that Bella had just thrown up. When Bella throws up it's not a small amount as you can imagine. Then to make matters worse, Emily smelled Bella's puke and started throwing up. (Emily got Jeremy's weak stomach.) So here I am torn between getting Bri's bottle ready since she is tired and screaming in her bed, cleaning up Bella's puke before it causes anyone else to puke, or clean up Emily's throw-up which is all the way up the stairs. Em came to the rescue and tended to Bri while I cleaned up all the puke. Lovely. About 1/2 hour later things were much calmer. Other than that we had a fun and fairly relaxing weekend, not worrying about what the guys wanted to do or wanted to eat, and watching girl movies for once. And falling asleep on the couch which our husbands are always bugging us about.
Here's a picture of us girls at the Eveland Family Farm on Sunday.
Stacey, I hope you don't mind, I stole this picture of the guys from your blog! I thought it was a great one.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Random Thoughts
Yesterday I finished off the DQ cake Jer got for my birthday. Other than 2 pieces his parents ate and various small servings for Emily, I ate the whole thing. Sad.
Emily started climbing out of her crib a couple weeks ago. It’s been hard keeping her in there ever since, as she can even open the childproof doorknob thing on her door. Halfway through the night she shows up in our bedroom (2 stories up) and climbs into our bed for the rest of the night.
Last night Emily and I came downstairs with a little apple crisp and ice cream (oh my gosh, I had a huge piece of DQ cake for a lunch dessert and apple crisp for a dinner dessert. Maybe I DO need to go on a diet, Jer.) Anyway, I heard some commotion upstairs and found that Bri had climbed onto a chair, then onto the dining room table, then into the big highchair. Was she ever proud of herself. Nevermind that it freaked mom out a little (although Emily did the same thing a year ago -- you're just not as fazed with the 2nd one!)
Emily started climbing out of her crib a couple weeks ago. It’s been hard keeping her in there ever since, as she can even open the childproof doorknob thing on her door. Halfway through the night she shows up in our bedroom (2 stories up) and climbs into our bed for the rest of the night.
Last night Emily and I came downstairs with a little apple crisp and ice cream (oh my gosh, I had a huge piece of DQ cake for a lunch dessert and apple crisp for a dinner dessert. Maybe I DO need to go on a diet, Jer.) Anyway, I heard some commotion upstairs and found that Bri had climbed onto a chair, then onto the dining room table, then into the big highchair. Was she ever proud of herself. Nevermind that it freaked mom out a little (although Emily did the same thing a year ago -- you're just not as fazed with the 2nd one!)
Here are the girls coming home in the car yesterday. If the matching outfits weren't enough (Jeremy always makes fun of me for that), the matching pacifiers and carseats were a little much.)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Pumpkins
Last night for grandpa and grandma's final night here, we decided to carve pumpkins. Here we are at the pumpkin patch (AKA Festival Foods).
Here are the finished products.
They weren't quite as good as last year's but we still had fun, carving them outside (man, was it warm yesterday!) while Jeremy had a campfire going. Then we topped the night off with some homemade apple crisp (Annie's secret recipe).
Here are the finished products.
They weren't quite as good as last year's but we still had fun, carving them outside (man, was it warm yesterday!) while Jeremy had a campfire going. Then we topped the night off with some homemade apple crisp (Annie's secret recipe).
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Surprise
Sorry guys, your wives will be on your case again. Jeremy surprised me with another fruit bouquet at scrapbooking again this month, this time it was chocolate covered strawberries (my favorite fruit, even better with chocolate).
At least this time there was an occasion (my birthday -- a whopping 32). It was a great birthday weekend starting with his parents taking the girls for the day on Friday, scrapbooking at church, then going to the orchard and Fairmont. Yesterday we went to the outlet malls in Albertville. (Remind me not to forget the stroller next time with 2 small children). The poor people at the shoe store were probably putting back shoes onto the shelf for quite some time after we left. Last night Jer and I went to PF Changs and then walked around my favorite shops in Maple Grove. If you have never been to PF Changs and like chinese food, you have to get there. We finished off the day with a DQ Oreo cake that Jer had gotten for me. Thanks honey for a great birthday!
At least this time there was an occasion (my birthday -- a whopping 32). It was a great birthday weekend starting with his parents taking the girls for the day on Friday, scrapbooking at church, then going to the orchard and Fairmont. Yesterday we went to the outlet malls in Albertville. (Remind me not to forget the stroller next time with 2 small children). The poor people at the shoe store were probably putting back shoes onto the shelf for quite some time after we left. Last night Jer and I went to PF Changs and then walked around my favorite shops in Maple Grove. If you have never been to PF Changs and like chinese food, you have to get there. We finished off the day with a DQ Oreo cake that Jer had gotten for me. Thanks honey for a great birthday!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Emma Krumbees
Not to be outdone by the Palms, we went to Emma Krumbee's orchard in Belle Plaine on Saturday. We were on our way to Fairmont to visit Jeremy's grandpa and since it was right on the way and a beautiful day out, we stopped for a couple hours. We had a ton of fun and so did the girls. Here are some pictures.
After a fun time at Emma Krumbees, we piled back into the van and the girls took a nice little snooze. We arrived at grandpa Gene's place in Fairmont and the girls (Susanne included) had fun rolling down the little hills in the backyard and going to the park down the road. While Bri and I took a nap later that afternoon, Jeremy took Emily fishing at the dock and as she was reeling in she actually caught a fish! Jeremy was yelling for me to bring the camera, but of course I was fast asleep in the house and didn't hear. Anyway, we had a really fun time visiting Gene and Carmen, the drive was beautiful, and the girls were great in the car. Between the orchard, playing outside, swimming this morning, and the McDonalds playland on the way home today, we were all exhausted this afternoon and took a nice long nap!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Eveland Family Farm
Last weekend we visited the Eveland Family Farm twice, Friday night and Saturday afternoon. We discovered this place last year and it's great. It's a real family's farm that they open to the public in the fall, and it's only a couple minutes from our house. They have tons of animals to pet (horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, pigs, miniature horses, alpacas, llamas, peacocks, ducks, geese, pot-bellied pig, . . .) I'm sure I'm forgetting some. You get the idea. Plus they have a wagon ride and tons of pumpkins and other things. Here are some pictures from our two visits. Emily's favorite animal was the "baa baa" (sheep). Bri just liked wandering free and petting any animal she saw.
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