Reasons Why I won't be voting for Obama

Up until now, I haven't actually said who I will be voting for. But today, I will share with you the reasons why I won't be voting for Obama. First of all, the cartoon above sums up part of it. It's funny, but so true. I just don't trust this man. You can't tell what a person is really like just by his words alone. You must look at his record. I also will not vote for him based on his voting record on the abortion issue. See the following video clip for more info. The election is four days away. If you are registered to vote...pray and vote your values. The future of our children and grandchildren depend on it.

Chili for a chilly day

Oh man...we had a great supper tonight. We woke up this morning to our first frost of the season, and it only got up to 58 today with lots of wind. So I thought it would be a great day to cook up some warm chili! If you have seen the cookbook from Stevens Creek Church, the chili recipe is in there, but I'll give it to you here too, as well as the awesome Pecan Cornbread I made to go with it. They were pretty quick and easy to make. Let me know if you try it.

Salsa Chili

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 5.5 oz can of V-8 or tomato juice (I prefer the V-8 juice)
1 can of pinto or kidney beans, rinsed and drained (whichever type you prefer)
1 regular size jar of salsa (any kind...not the huge jars)

Brown the beef and onion together. Drain excess fat. Stir in the V-8 juice, the beans, and salsa. Simmer until warmed through. Excellent served with shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream on top.


Pecan Cornbread (man this was good!)

1 can cream style corn
2 eggs
2 packages of corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy)
1 /3 cup chopped pecans

Whisk the 2 eggs together with the corn in a large bowl. Then stir in the corn muffin mix and pecans. Stir until well blended. Pour into a 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Bake at 400 for 16-18 minutes or until light golden brown. (If you cook too long it will be dry.)

100th Post!

Wow! My 100th post sneaked up on me. I had planned to do a "100 things" post to celebrate, but I never got around to it. So this will have to do !

First, I want to brag on my two smart boys. They both made the honor roll for first quarter. Matthew had A's in both reading and math. Jonathan had 5 A's and 1 B (a 92--which is 1 point from an A). SO proud of them both.

A while back, I said that when I got a picture of it, I would show you Jonathan's winning t-shirt design for his GT class. Looks pretty cool, huh! The slogan at the top about "Today's Child..." was by another GT student. They combined their two ideas. The funny thing is that a lot of the 7th grade students don't want to purchase a shirt because it was designed by 6th graders. Silly, huh?

Finally, I wanted to remind you that when you go to the polls next Tuesday, be very careful. Read the following article on Snopes about voting a straight ticket. Double check so that you are sure your vote counts! Click HERE to read. Hope you all have a great week. :)

the power of one

If you think your one vote doesn't count, then pause my playlist and watch this brief video clip. It's powerful. You may not agree with it, but it's truth --pure and simple. Be praying for our nation and the upcoming election. Then on November 4th, VOTE!

Fall

I love the fall. No, I mean I really LOVE it! Except for my allergy to ragweed, I love nearly everything there is about fall...the cooler temps, the beautiful colors, and all of the activities that happen only in the fall. By the way, the photo in my heading is a fall picture taken from my parents' backyard. Here are some of the sites around our house so far this season.

Usually we visit the pumpkin patch with the kids, but this may be the first year we haven't taken them. We've kind of overscheduled ourselves, and it looks like we may not get to go. But last night we did something we haven't done since Jonathan was real tiny. We went to the fair. We were so proud of ourselves because we used our yard sale earnings from the weekend and had a blast! One of the best parts was the Southern Monster Truck Show. Matthew was just loving it!

We also loved the rides, the games, the animals, and of course, the food. What's a fair without funnel cake and cotton candy? I hope these are family memories that my kids will remember forever. So what if Matthew got to bed at 11 PM last night...and I let him sleep in this morning...and took him to school an hour late? You only get one time around! :)

Highlights

Have I been enjoying my Canon XSi or what? Here are a few highlights from this week. On Wednesday, I chaperoned a field trip with the GT class from the middle school. We went on an Augusta Canal boat tour. I really enjoyed it. If you live in the area and have never been, it would be well worth your time! Have a great weekend!

Send a message

Hi Everyone,
There are two important messages you can send. Here's the first one. I'm sure there's not many of you out there who don't know who Rev. Billy Graham is. Well, now you have a unique opportunity to send him a special birthday greeting. On November 7th, Mr. Graham will turn 90 years old. Please pause my playlist and watch this short video clip.

Then go HERE to compose your greeting.

A second message you can send in November is your vote. I heard someone say just yesterday, "I know this probably isn't the right way to think, but why bother with voting? They are just going to do what they want anyway." Folks....please don't think your vote doesn't matter. It does, and it's more important than ever to VOTE, not just in the presidential race, but also in the congressional races! Take a minute to watch this video clip. Thanks for visiting!

Around the house

it was a slow day today. Slow because I didn't leave the house except to pick up the kids from school. And I LIKE it that way! The older I get, the more I like staying home!

I played with my camera a bit more. I was stepping around a flower bed in the backyard and managed to step in a fire ant mound that was hidden in the grass. OUCH! My ankle itches like fire!
I have to show you these pictures. I was hoping to get some great ones of Sally, our Lab mix, with my new camera. And dog gone it....she's TERRIFIED of the thing! I can't get her to even look in my direction as long as I'm holding it. On Sat.. we let her in the house for a couple of minutes, and I tried to photograph her with Jonathan. She kept her nose buried deep in his arm pit nearly the whole time. I got ONE shot where she was almost looking my way. Check these out!

Also, here are a few other images from around our house these days. :) Have a good week, friends!

Pizza and Pictures

Today was good! I didn't have to cook....we got pizza to bring home, and my camera came today! Let me say that again! My Camera CAME TODAY! I have had a blast playing with it, and trying to get to know its features. Here are some very amateur photos I took playing around with it right out of the box! Hey....Linda, I can't wait until you are here and can show me some tips! Maybe we'll even go on a photo field trip! :)

I'm reminded

that everything is God's! My friend, Linda, posted the lyrics and a video clip of a song that in her words, hits her in the gut. Well, that got me to thinking about my favorite song most recently. I don't have it on my playlist yet, but as soon as it's available, it will be there. This is a song that touches your soul. Here are two video clips. The first is the original version of the song, and the second is a clip of Steven Curtis Chapman's explanation of the new verse he has added to this song, as well as his performance of it. (Scroll down and pause my playlist first.)

I'm back!

Okay, so it has been a while since my last post. Here are some of the latest happenings in the life of the Ketuskys.

• Took Jonathan shopping for long pants and sneakers on Saturday. We actually enjoyed our day out together! (no whining or complaining! No...I mean it! I didn't whine even once!)


• The boys got their school pictures back. It boggles the mind to see how much they both have matured and grown in the last year. Jonathan's photos were good. Matthew's were outstanding!


• Still waiting on my Canon Xsi. My hubby ordered from someone off of Amazon.com. I'm supposed to have it by the 17th...and I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on it!


• Ed has been super busy with work and subdivision stuff (he's president of the homeowners' association). We're adding some amendments to the covenants. What a lot of work!


• Matthew has made TWO 100's on spelling tests! Not sure if he's retaining it, but he's doing well right now on the tests! He is reading more and more!


• Jonathan is doing well in school as well and has made Principal's Club twice already this year for "outstanding character." Now THAT makes a mama proud!


• Went to a yard sale Saturday, and here's what I found for only .50 cents.

And here's what I plan to do with it (or at least something similar)!

• Speaking of bargains, I was at Target yesterday. I found some great paper packs and chipboard letters & embellishments in the dollar section! Love those dollar sections! Also found a white dress shirt on clearance for Jonathan's band uniform for only $2.74! Yowza!

Well, that's it for today. Hope you are having a great week.

Pray and Vote

I want to put a plug in for the blog of a good friend, Linda. See it HERE. Each day she will be posting suggestions for things we need to pray for in our country. We so need to be praying for our nation and for this election.
Listen, folks. When you vote in November, you are not just voting for a personality! You are voting for a person with a set of ideas and beliefs. Pray for wisdom, then investigate both candidates and make sure the one you chose has values that match yours. Watch this video...though comical, you'll get the point. (Pause music playlist to hear video.)

Happy Birthday!

Happy 12th Birthday, baby! Mom and dad love you and are super proud of the young man you are becoming!