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On July 4, 1776, a new nation was birthed through blood, sweat, and tears.  Persecution, injustice, and abuse of power could no longer be tolerated.  No longer would people live in fear, or anger, or confusion.  A people were resolved to affect change, to make a place of their own in the world, a place where they, their children, and their children's children could live unfettered and free of others' tyranny.

On July 4, thirteen colonies resolved to stand and be counted, no matter the cost, because freedom was more precious to them than their own lives.  They had the might of God on their side, and their resolve as they walked into battle was unwavering.

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress activated the Declaration of Independence without knowing the consequences, without counting the cost.  Because there was no cost too high to them to end the tyranny of the rule of Great Britain.  Thomas Jefferson almost solely constructed this precious document; those words are his gift to a nation conceived in thought, desire, and desperation.  His eloquence is unmatched to this day.

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal stations to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Happy 232rd Birthday, America!

A very Happy Birthday to Mary, over at Canadagirl, as well!!  To take part in her Show and Tell Friday - The Birthday Edition, please go visit her!

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Posted in Holiday Bits

May you all have a very Blessed and Joyous Mother's Day with your beautiful families!

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May you all enjoy the peace and joyful celebration of this Easter Day.

Posted in Holiday Bits

Well, my blogging friends, the old year has gone quietly into that night, and so must we.  We must take a few moments to reflect on the past year, and let go of things that we are less than proud of, or that troubled us, or lessons we learned.  I much prefer a gentle reflection of all that has come and gone to setting unrealistic hopes and dreams on a future that is barely hours old.  So, in that spirit, I thought it appropriate to release myself from the emotional ties of 2006, so that I may walk unencumbered into 2007, which is sparkling and fresh at my feet.

Things I am Grateful to be letting go from 2006:

• my constant need to say 'Yes!' to anything, despite looking at my calendar.  This has tied me up in knots for a good portion of the year, and I am happy to say that I have learned my lesson and look forward to a less-event-filled 2007.
• financial difficulties.  DH and I are FINALLY on the same page financially, and have a budget in place that, while tighter than a drum for a most of the upcoming year, will give us better control over our finances and more financial freedom in the years to come.
• struggles with our home education.  While I know it's the best thing for us, I've struggled to make it 'perfect' in my head, and am thrilled to report a breakthrough has been had for me personally.  Good-bye unstructured, fragmented thoughts and welcome my 'less-than-perfect-is-perfect-for-us' philosophy.  I can not tell you how I've struggled to fit into one mold; what a fool am I.
• an internal religious strife to be 'more' than what we are.  God made us as He wanted us.  Who am I to mess with the path He has set us on?

All of these struggles have really exploded (in my head) in the last couple of months, and I am quite relieved to have learned what I needed from them, and to be letting them go.  I hope your reflection is as productive and peace-filled as mine.  May your New Year be filled with the blessings of peace, love, and contentment.

In his 1939 Christmas message King George VI quoted:

"I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year,

'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied, "Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God.  That shall be better than light, and safer than a known way.'"

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Today is Boxing Day in all the Commonwealth Countries, and St. Stephen's Day the world over.  Boxing Day means specific traditions depending on where you are, and it's no different in our home.  For us, Boxing Day is an extended holiday.  It means pajamas all day, no housework or chores (except for meals), and doing what we want, when we want.  It means a lazy day of lying around reading, playing games, and for me, playing on the computer guilt-free.  Today is also the day where we open the rest of our presents.  Used to be that the presents that came from great-grandparents, great-aunts, etc., were thrown in with Santa's with little to no appreciation or time taken.  I was dissatisfied with that, and so we began a different tradition of opening those gifts after dinner on Boxing Day.  We tried one a day through Epiphany, but that hasn't worked lately as there aren't enough gifts per child for that. 

Today is more of a holiday for me, I guess you'd say.  Christmas found me snapping pictures, planning meals, rising early to light the trees, decorations and candles, and entertaining family.  Today finds me relaxed as I haven't been in weeks ~ maybe even months.  It's lovely.

May you all enjoy the blessed peace and joy of the holidays!

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Well, my dear friends, it is that time of year again to settle in to hearth and home and spend days savoring the slower pace, wrapping gifts, and enjoying the heavenly treats that pop out of the kitchen on an almost daily basis. 

Last Thursday we wrapped up Term One, and a satisfied air has settled in our home.  We have earned this holiday break, and will be taking it with glee and relishing every moment of it.  This week I will hopefully finalize the shopping, prepare for next week's baking, and thoroughly enjoy this Saturday, for this Saturday we will be decorating Gingerbread Houses at my sister-in-law's home. 

This tradition began about 8 years ago with my mother doing the same every Christmas Eve.  We all enjoy it tremendously, and I admit to privately seeking out new and original ideas (secretly, of course) to add to my little house.  After we moved 'cross country, my sister-in-law took over the annual tradition with my mother's blessing, and it has worked out wonderfully for all.  My s-i-l baked all the gingerbread house pieces a month or two ago, and then last week my mom and I went to her house (while she was at work) and assembled them all.  All 25 this year.  We invite family, friends, neighbors and co-workers, and it is a pleasant and relaxing afternoon of women and children. 

The dance studio is closed for the holiday break, and pipes has only one more lesson for this year.  I made the executive decision a couple of years ago to attend nothing in the week between Christmas and New Year's, and it is our 'vacation' that is eagerly anticipated by all.  A whole week of staying home and doing whatever strikes our fancy is a delectable way to celebrate peace, in my humble opinion.  We'll be beginning Term Two on January 8th, as our holiday break goes through Epiphany, so I expect I'll be doing a lot of enjoyable lesson planning on our 'vacation.' 

All this to say that my blogging will be almost non-existent through the holidays.  I intend to thoroughly enjoy my children and make this holiday a fine memory of smells, cheer, and love, not a picture of me stuck behind this desk.  So, while I will miss you all tremendously for the next couple of weeks, I am looking forward to a break.

May you all have the most peaceful of holidays, and may nothing but the love of God surround you this season.

Happy Christmas, and Peace on Earth.

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I've been tagged by Cate at NZCate to post a photo of our Christmas Tree.  This is monumentous for me, as I haven't figured out how to post pictures yet.  I figured, however, that considering that this is the Season of Miracles, I'd give it a whirl, lol!!

Please excuse the graininess of the picture; the fault is not your computer, my camera, or the world wide web, it's the sole fault of the operator, namely Moi.  If for whatever reason it doesn't post well (i.e. not at all), you can view it here (I at least got it uploaded onto my blog site ~ yea, me!!!).

I'm assuming I'm supposed to tag some people, but unfortunately I don't know how many as I can't get onto Cate's blog ~ computer glitch.  So, I'll guess at five, as that's a nice, do-able number, and tag the following blogs:  KarenW, crazybusy, deedeeuk, lindafay, and tiredmom.  If you feel like doing it as well, consider yourself tagged, post your picture and let me know.  Thanks!!

I did it!  I did it!  I did it!