This news blew me away.  Nobody can care for and afford fourteen children.  Especially one that is single, receives assistance, and lives with her parents.  My heart goes out to those children.  They will never receive the love and attention a child deserves.  The doctors who have allowed this woman to become pregnant are to blame.   These doctors should be the ones to pay child support and assist this family.  Unfortunately that is not the case.  We, the taxpayers, will raise and support these children throughout their lives.  What is wrong with our system in California?  This mother did not have any reservations bringing 8 additional children into this world knowing she would not be able to provide for them.  She knew the state would support her and all her 14 children.  That is ridiculous. 

Has Christmas become too comercialized?  Have we forgotten the true meaning of Christmas?  I feel the true meaning of Christmas has been over-shadowed by the gifts, Santa, and worrying about who will be having having Christmas dinner.  We have forgotten that Christmas is Jesus’ Birthday and we are to celebrate the gift God sent to us on that day.  We have also forgotten about the meaning behind Santa, St. Nicholas.  It is fine to participate in all the holiday cheer but it is important to remember and teach our children the true meaning behind Christmas.  I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

It has been reported by numerous sources that teaching a child (as young as 3 months) sign language will increase their vocabulary, reduce tantrums, give them a hands-on second language, and you will be able to communicate sooner with your child.  Is it true?  If it is, why don’t all parents teach their children sign language? 

I would have to say that it is all true.  I have a 2.5 year old son who has learned sign language.  At 1 year old he was alble to communicate his wants and needs with us.  His father and I never had to guess what is was asking for.  He would sign what he wanted and that was that.  He never got frustrated and never had a tantrum.  He was able to communicate with us before he was able to speak and now has a good grasp on a second language.  I also feel signing has helped him in the learning process.  At 1.5 years, he knew all his letters, could spell his name, count to 20, knew all his colors, not to mention a ton of animals.  It has been amazing to watch as he learns and grows using sign-language.  He is currently teaching his 8 month old sister how to sign.  She signs milk and knows the signs for eat and bath. 

 I would recommend to any parent to teach their child sign language.  It is a fun interactive second language.  If you are interested in learning more about teaching sign-language to your child/grandchild or whoever, check out www.signingtime.com

This is information from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) website that I found to be interesting and would like to share with those of you who are interested. 

2009 Economic OutlookBy Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist“The U.S. economy has entered a recession and will contract for the next three quarters, and the recovery, from the second half of 2009, will be tepid. The unemployment rate will peak at 6.7 percent by midyear next year before steadily heading down. However, existing home sales will be rising despite challenging economic times.The most important factor driving home sales is affordability. With home prices falling in many parts of the country and mortgage rates still near historic lows, affordability conditions have markedly improved. Even with rising unemployment, nearly 93 percent of households will have jobs. This 93 percent of working households (rather than 95 percent during good economic times) respond to incentives. Added measures, from the first-time homebuyer tax credit to a larger number of mortgage loans qualifying to be purchased by Fannie and Freddie and through the FHA program, will further bring homebuyers to the marketplace.Back in the previous recession, the economy shed nearly 2 million net jobs from 2001 to 2003. All the while, existing home sales rose from 5.2 million to 6.2 million just as jobs were being cut. New home sales likewise rose from 900,000 to 1.1 million. Mortgage rates were falling and housing affordability was rising during these years. The 2 million job cuts were painful, but the economy still had 130 million job holders.An early indication that buyers are responding to incentives was the solid jump in the pending home sales in August to the highest level in over a year. The biggest increases were in areas with rising affordability from sharp reductions in home prices in California, Nevada, and Florida. The expansion will broaden to other markets where home prices have markedly fallen, including Rhode Island, Virginia, and Minnesota. Existing home sales, therefore, will likely breakout from the narrow trading range of 4.8 to 5 million of the past 12 months to 5.2 million by the year end and to 5.4 million in 2009. Even with the improvement, the next year’s sales level will still be well below the 7.1 million peak sales achieved with rampant speculative buying in 2005.New home sales will be a different story. There is an overhang of inventory and homebuilders are being forced to cut back sharply. New housing starts have fallen by about 60 percent from peak activity three years back. Because of the cutback in new home construction, the inventory of vacant new homes on the market has fallen to 408,000 as of August from nearly 600,000 just two years ago. The total inventory - new and existing combined - still remains elevated, so further reduction in building by builders will be welcomed. Because of low housing starts, new home sales will continue to tread at soft levels -under 500,000 in 2009 (far below the 1.2 million peak sales in 2005).On the economic front, recession in itself is not a positive for the housing market because there are fewer job holders. But if a recession is accompanied by rising housing affordability, then home sales can trend higher - as is now. A prolonged deep recession, however - certainly a possibility in light of the most severely tested financial market stress since the Great Depression - can dampen consumer confidence and put up barriers to home buying. Fortunately, the economic downturn appears manageable. Let’s explore why by reviewing each of the key economic data points and their projections.Consumer SpendingConsumer spending accounts for nearly 70 percent of economic activity. Normal, healthy growth is about 3 percent (in real terms above the inflation rate). It grew at only one percent in the first half of this year and is expected to record a mild contraction in the upcoming quarters. Aggregate personal income is likely to have fallen because of fewer jobs. In addition, there has been a sizable decline in net wealth from falling stock prices and falling home values. The combined income and wealth effects will be such that consumer spending, at best, will add nothing to economic growth in 2009. Another government stimulus plan may temporarily raise consumer spending but will do nothing for a long term sustained rise unless the overall economy recovers and begin adding jobs.Business SpendingBusiness spending for equipment turned negative in the recent quarter, not surprising given that corporate profits have fallen for four straight quarters and weak sentiment regarding consumer spending prospects. Construction activity for commercial real estate, which had been growing solidly, will be weakening in light of the credit crunch and rising vacancy rates. One positive picture is on the current lean business inventory conditions. Unlike many past economic downturns when companies had to hold back production because of bloated inventory, the very thin inventory conditions permit companies to ramp up production at the first sign of economic recovery.Government SpendingGovernment spending can create jobs. Upgrading and expanding nation’s infrastructure, hiring more teachers, or building jets and tanks can stimulate the economy over the short-term. But spending without additional tax revenue over the long run can result in higher interest rates. For the short-term at least through 2009, government spending is expected to rise 1 to 2 percent.Net ExportsNet exports have been steadily improving in the past year. The U.S. continues to import more items, but the exports have been booming over the past five years, growing at near double-digit pace. The export growth in the second quarter was very impressive, clocking in at a 12.3 growth rate. The weak U.S. dollar has made U.S. products more competitive. However, the dollar has strengthened of late since the start of the global financial crisis. Foreign countries blame the U.S. for the subprime loans and the credit market turmoil, yet people turn to and trust the dollar in times of the crisis. Foreign countries, initially delighted in seeing the U.S. fall, are now in a panic as their stock markets have started crashing even more sharply than the U.S market. Fair or not, the U.S. economic problem has caused a global economic mess. The strengthening of the U.S. dollar this time around should be viewed positively because there is about a two-year lag time in impacting international trade flows from changes in currency. So the net exports continue to be a positive factor for the economy going into 2009. Also oil prices, which are denominated in dollars, fall when the dollar strengthens. Given that REALTORS® are heavy drivers, lower oil prices are welcome.The Bottom LinePut it all together and what do we have? A recovering economy will help consumer and business spending to turn the corner and the economy to move to a self-sustaining pace. But it requires a catalyst to get things started. The tumbling housing market and subprime mortgage defaults have caused financial markets to freeze and have pushed the economy into a recession. However, recent rising home sales and some sustained momentum will bring the economy back into the fold. Rising home sales will also thin out the housing inventory and begin stabilizing home prices. The credit market will start to unfreeze once home prices have passed bottom. Simply, the economy will not recover without a housing market recovery.Fortunately, policymakers and both Presidential candidates clearly recognize the need to get the housing market moving. The two housing stimulus bills (homebuyer tax credit and higher loan limits), $700 billion Treasury plan and the Federal Reserve’s actions are designed to assure steady mortgage flow and help revive the housing sector. With it, the economy will expand and create jobs. America and its exceptional ingenuity always find a way to move past crises and back to economic prosperity.” 

What is it with PROP 8?  I don’t understand why those who oppose the prop are fighting what has been voted and decided on by the people.  Don’ t they realize that Californians have spoken?  That is the beauty of system.  We get to vote for what we want, if our vote wins-GREAT, if not- we have to DEAL with it.  You don’t see supporters of McCain/Palin holding rallies and fighting the results.  We have to suck it up and deal with the voice of the majority- even if it is not what we had wanted.    Stop targeting churches and individuals.  Everyone is entitled to their thoughts and opinions.  It is not the fault of any of the churches, pastors, or congregations that Prop 8 passed.  Prop 8 was passed by the people of California.  I don’t get why these opponents don’t accept their defeat and fight back by building a stronger case for the next ballot.                  It passed-deal with it.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains are home to some of the most majestic sites one could ever imagine.  One of the things I love best are the season changes; Fall being my favorite.  It does not matter if you are in Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Bass Lake, or one of the other beautiful surrounding towns you will have the opportunity to experience God’s work.  I have lived in many areas and I have only experienced the beauty of Fall while living in the mountains of Eastern Madera County.  I love the changing colors of the leaves and watching them as they make their way to the ground.  The crisp mornings and cold night air are a refreshing change from the summer heat.  One of my favorites is the howling wind that blows the dark storm clouds across the sky.  Nothing beats the changing of seasons.   There is no better place than the beautiful foothill towns of Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Bass Lake, Fish Camp, or North Fork (and of course the ones I have not mentioned) to experience the beauty of the seasons. 

So I just posted my thoughts on daylight savings time and then came across this article which cleared up many of my questions.  Hopefully it will answer any questions you may have.

“Daylight Saving Time: Why Did We Do It?

At 2:00 a.m. local on Sunday, most of the United States (except Hawaii and Arizona) will leave daylight saving time behind and fall back an hour to standard time.

The annoyance of resetting clocks (or forgetting to, and showing up an hour early for appointments on Sunday) may raise the question of why we bother with this rigmarole in the first place.

Daylight saving time is most often associated with the oh-so-sweet extra hour of sleep in fall (and the not-so-nice loss of an hour in spring), but some of the original reasons for resetting our clocks twice a year including saving energy and having more daylight hours for retailers, sporting events and other activities that benefit from a longer day.

As far back as the 1700s, people recognized the potential to save energy by jumping clocks ahead one hour in the summer - Benjamin Franklin even wrote about it - although the idea was not put into practice until the 20th century.

During both World Wars, the United States and Great Britain began observing daylight saving time.

After the war, U.S. states were free to choose whether to observe daylight saving time and the calendar start dates of the time change. The result was time confusion for travelers and newscasters. In 1966, Congress enacted the Uniform Time Act, which stated that if any state observed daylight saving, it had to follow a uniform protocol, beginning and ending on the same dates throughout the country.

Starting in 2007, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 lengthened daylight saving time by four weeks, starting it three weeks earlier in spring and ending it one week later in fall. Daylight saving now begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday of November.

Formerly it began on the first Sunday of April and ended on the last Sunday of October, so that extra week gives trick-or-treaters a precious extra hour of candy-gathering before sunset.

But not everyone is wild about daylight saving time, with some states opting out all together and others proposing to do so.

Hawaii has never observed daylight saving time, as its tropical latitude means its daylight hours stay fairly constant year-round. Arizona likewise has not observed daylight saving time since 1967 because the extra daylight in the summer would just mean more energy consumption to keep the desert state’s residents cool.

Many Alaskans would like to stop observing daylight saving time because the change in daylight from summer to winter is already so extreme at their northerly latitude. A petition has even been set before the state this year to abolish the observance of daylight saving time in Alaska.

Florida too finds daylight saving time less useful because of it’s southerly latitude. In 2008, a Florida state senator introduced a bill to abolish the practice in Florida.

From 1970 to 2006, most of Indiana didn’t observe daylights time, but began to do so in April 2006 after eight counties in the western portion of the state switched from the Eastern to the Central Time Zone.

None of the U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, observe daylight saving time. ”

Andrea Thompson
Senior Writer
LiveScience.com andrea Thompson
senior Writer
livescience.com – Fri Oct 31, 2:33 pm ET

What exactly is daylight savings?  Is it necessary and who decides which weekend will be the weekend?  Why don’t all the states participate in the changing of the hour?  I have never completely understood the point of daylight savings.  I have heard many reasons for its necessitybut still don’t know why we do it.  I hate having it get dark so early and light by 6:00 a.m.  It messes with the sleeping habits of my children not to mention my own.  The one thing I really don’t understand is why not all the states participate.  What is even stranger is that only parts of Arizona participate.  Talk about confusing.  The only good thing that will come from this weekend’s time change is the extra hour of sleep you have the opportunity to get.

“THIS LETTER MAKES MORE SENSE THAN ANYTHING I HAVE SEEN, HEARD, OR READ,

CONCERNING THE UPCOMING ELECTION…



IT’S A LETTER FROM  A U.S. CITIZEN… WHO LIVES IN   ILLINOIS … AND

OBVIOUSLY IS A  ”SELF-THINKER”… NOT JUST A “FOLLOWER”!!!



IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING, REGARDING THIS ELECTION… LET THIS BE THE ONE

THING!!  AFTER READING IT, YOU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO FORWARD IT TO OTHER

AMERICANS WHO ARE “SELF THINKERS”!!



An impassioned letter from a “nobody.”  But he gives his telephone number

And e-mail at the end.



Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 3:19 PM

Subject: FW: A letter from Illinois



Dear Friends:



    My name is Joe Porter.  I live in Champaign , Illinois .  I’m 46 years

Old, a born-again Christian, a husband, a father, a small business owner, a

Veteran, and a homeowner. I don’t consider myself to be either conservative

Or liberal, and I vote for the person, not Republican or Democrat.  I don’t

Believe there are “two   Americas ” but that every person in this country
Can

Be whomever and whatever they want to be if they’ll just work to get there

And nowhere else on earth can they find such opportunities.  I believe our

Government should help those who are legitimately downtrodden, and should

Always put the interests of America first.



   The purpose of this message is that I’m concerned about the future of

This great nation. I’m worried that the silent majority of honest,

Hard-working, tax-paying people in this country have been passive for too

Long.  Most folks I know choose not to involve themselves in politics.  They

Go about their daily lives, paying their bills, raising  their kids, and

Doing what they can to maintain the good life.  They vote and consider doing

So to be a sacred trust.  They shake their heads at the political pundits

And so-called “news,” thinking that what they hear is always spun by

Whomever is reporting it.  They can’t understand how elected officials can

Regularly violate the public trust with pork barrel spending.  They don’t

Want government handouts.  They want the government to protect them, not

Raise their taxes for more government programs.



   We are in the unique position in this country of electing our leaders.

It’s a privilege to do so.  I’ve never found a candidate in any election

With whom I agreed on everything.  I’ll wager that most of us don’t even

Agree with our families or spouses 100% of the time.  So when I step into

That voting booth, I always try to look at the big picture and cast my vote

For the man or woman who is best qualified for the job. I’ve hired a lot of

People in my lifetime, and essentially that’s what an election is - a hiring

Process.  Who has the credentials?  Whom do I want working for me?  Whom can

I trust to do the job right?



I’m concerned that a growing number of voters in this country simply don’t

Get it.  They are caught up in a fervor they can’t explain, and calling it

“change.”



“Change what?”  I ask.



“Well, we’re going to change America ” they say.



“In what way?”  I query.



 ”We want someone new and fresh in the White House,” they exclaim.



“So, someone who’s not a politician?”  I say.



“Uh, well, no, we just want a lot of stuff changed, so we’re voting for

Obama,” they state.



“So the current system, the system of freedom and democracy that has

Enabled a man to grow up in this great country, get a fine education, raise

Incredible amounts of money and dominate the news, and win his party’s

Nomination for the White House that system’s all wrong?”



“No, no, that part of the system’s okay we just need a lot of change.”



And so it goes. “Change we can believe in.”



Quite frankly, I don’t believe that vague proclamations of change hold any

Promise for me.  In recent months, I’ve been asking virtually everyone I

Encounter how they’re voting.  I live in   Illinois , so most folks tell me

they’re voting for barrack Obama.  But no one can really tell me why only

that he’s going to change a lot of stuff “Change, change, change.”  I have

yet to find one single person who can tell me distinctly and convincingly

why this man is qualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief of the most

powerful nation on earth other than the fact that he claims he’s going to

implement a lot of change.



We’ve all seen the emails about Obama’s genealogy, his upbringing, his

Muslim background, and his church affiliations.  Let’s ignore this for a

moment.  Put it all aside.  Then ask yourself, “What qualifies this man to

be my president?  That he’s a brilliant orator and talks about change?”



            CHANGE WHAT?



Friends, I’ll be forthright with you.  I believe the American voters who

are supporting barrack Obama don’t have a clue what they’re doing, as

evidenced by the fact that not one of them - NOT ONE of them I’ve spoken to

can spell out his qualifications.  Not even the most liberal media can

explain why he should be elected.







Political experience?  Negligible



Foreign relations?  Non-existent.



Achievements?  Can you name one.



Single piece of legislation as a Senator? Zero



Any Reform Bill as a Senator?  Zero



Someone who wants to unite the country?  If you haven’t read his wife’s

thesis from   Princeton , look it up on the web.



This is who’s lining up to be our next First Lady?  The only thing I can

glean from Obama’s constant harping about change is that we’re in for a lot

of new taxes.



For me, the choice is clear.   I’ve looked carefully at the two leading

applicants for the job, and I’ve made  my choice.



Here’s a question - “Where were you five and a half years ago?  Around

Christmas, 2002.  You’ve had five or six birthdays in that time.  My son has

grown from a sixth grade child to a high school graduate.  Five and a half

years is a good chunk of time. About 2,000 days.  2,000 nights of sleep.  6,

000 meals, give or take.”



John McCain spent that amount of time, from 1967 to 1973, in a North

Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp.



When offered early release, he refused it.  He considered this offer to be a

public relations stunt by his captors, and insisted that those held longer

than he should be released first.  Did you get that part?  He was offered

his freedom, and he turned it down.  A regimen of beatings and torture

began.



Do you possess such strength of character?  Locked in a filthy cell in a

foreign country, would you turn down your own freedom in favor of your

fellow man?  I submit that’s a quality of character that is rarely found,

and for me, this singular act defines John McCain.



Unlike several presidential candidates in recent years whose military

service is questionable or non-existent, you will not find anyone to

denigrate the integrity and moral courage of this man.  A graduate of

Annapolis , during his Naval service he received the Silver Star, Bronze

Star, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.  His own son is now

serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq .  Barack Obama is fond of saying “We

honor John McCain’s service…BUT…” which to me is condescending and

offensive - because what I hear is, “Let’s forget this man’s sacrifice for

his country, and his proven leadership abilities, and talk some more about

change.”



I don’t agree with John McCain on everything - but I am utterly convinced

that he is qualified to be our next President, and I trust him to do what’s

right.  I know in my heart that he has the best interests of our country in

mind.  He doesn’t simply want to be President - he wants to lead   America ,

and there’s a huge difference.  Factually, there is simply no comparison

between the two candidates.  A man of questionable background and motives

who prattles on about change, can’t hold a candle to a man who has devoted

his life in public service to this nation, retiring from the Navy in1981 and

elected to the Senate in1982.



Perhaps Obama’s supporters are taking a stance between old and new.  Maybe

they don’t care about McCain’s service or his strength of character, or his

unblemished qualifications to be President.  Maybe “likeability” is a higher

priority for them than “trust.”  Being a prisoner of war is not what

qualifies John McCain to be President of the United States of America  - but

his demonstrated leadership certainly DOES!!





    Dear friends, it is time for us to stand.  It is time for thinking

Americans to say, “Enough.”  It is time for people of all parties to stop

following the party line.  It is time for anyone who wants to keep America

first, who wants the right man leading their nation, to start a dialogue

with all their friends and neighbors and ask who they’re voting for, and

why.



   There’s a lot of evil in this world.  That should be readily apparent to

all of us by now.  And when faced with that evil as we are now, I want a man

who knows the cost of war on his troops and on his citizens.  I want a man

who puts my family’s interests before any foreign country.



   I want a President who’s qualified to lead.



   I want my country back, and I’m voting for John McCain.”

(source: email circulation)

Today I took my children to the Historic Cobb Ranch located just North of Fresno off of Highway 41.  When we arrived I did not realize that it cost $5.00 just to enter.  My first thought was to turn around, go to another pumpkin patch, and save that $5.00.  I paid the measley $5.00 and was glad I did.  It was such a cool experience for the children.  The Cobb Ranch really knows how to entertain its guests.  The grounds are unbelievably tidy, there are animals to see, a corm maze to get lost in, a hayride, a train ride and many others attractions.  My children had such a blast.  I was happy to support such a wonderful place.  I know their Christmas Tree Farm is just as exciting and wonderful.