The Pope

I really am impressed with Pope Francis.  I swear sometimes the man is stealing my thoughts. 

Just stuff

Kris and I ran the 2 mile mud run yesterday.  It was a blast.  I was way at the back of the pack.  Kris could have finished about 50 ahead of me but after running way ahead she stopped and waited.  The fist mile and a half was mostly running.  Up and down hills and through a deep water hole.  Man that water was cold.  When you looked at it being muddy and all and the hot day you step in expecting warm water, but no it was cold and starts to creep up on you a bit.  Then the last quarter to half mile was mostly obstacles whcih we pretty much just flew through except when we got to one wall with a family helping there kid come across.  It took them at least 5 minutes to get her up and over, yet it would have only  took us only abot 30 seconds to go up and over once we could go.  WE crawled through mud holes under strings, through pipes and over the walls.  For some reason my computer chip band didnt register when we crossed the finish line. 


Evan finished his STAR testing but the kids still have some testing going.  School year is almost up.  Leila will be going next year believe it or not.  Its been 3 years since we had a kid start kindergarten.  This will leave one very lonely boy at home missing his sis. 

Real estate is good.  The market is picking up. 

Casting stones

Lying, stealing, murder, adultery, lust, idol worship, putting God on our money, pledging and saluting the flag, cursing,  graven images, eating pork, eating meat thats not fully cooked, shaving, hair cutting, tattooing, piercing, men wearing earrings, women wearing pants, thinking murderous thoughts, thinking adulterous thoughts, wearing jewelry in church, women speaking out of turn in church, women preaching, pride, hate, calling someone a fool, eating for pleasure, prejudice, judging, gluttony, dishonoring your father and mother in any way, masturbation, vanity, women leaving there head uncovered in church, violence, rape, watching porn, drinking alcohol, smoking, drugs, abortion, not eating healthy, not taking care of the poor, not taking care of the elderly, not taking care of the widows or orphans, not showing love, desiring money, taking Gods name in vain, not keeping the sabbath, coveting, homosexuality, bestiality, pedophilia, fornication, pre-marital sex, marrying after a divorce, gambling, being with your wife during certain times of the month, children talking back to their parents, laziness, greed, anger, abortion, not abstaining from the appearance of evil, astrology, blasphemy, backbiting, not believing in Jesus, not being baptized, arguing, bitterness, not blessing those that curse you, causing another to sin, not visiting prisoners, accepting a bribe, being carnal, not spanking a disobedient child, not assembling with believers, wearing clothing of the opposite sex, complaining, condemning, conceit, making bad debts, not paying what you owe, not being obedient or subject to your employer, overthrowing  your government, denying Jesus, not honoring the president, provoking your children, not paying taxes, not tithing, witchcraft, wives not submitting to their husbands, worrying, love for inanimate objects, sex for pleasure, arguing scripture.......


Let he who is without sin cast the first stone....
Judge not lest ye be judged....
Vengeance is mine......

The point is not to argue whether those are sins but to remind that all of those are going to be seen by one Christian or another as a sin at one instance or another and by another as not a sin.  Sins were put in the Bible for self reflection not for judging.  It is our duty as Christians to preach and teach about God and about his appearance to us as Jesus and what Jesus died for.  Unfortunately we seem to be preaching about sin from the Pulpit and ignoring grace.  It is OK in my opinion to teach what the Bible says is sin and what sin will do to you, but we have to be careful since there is definitely some potential translation issues and we need to make sure we ask God to show us what we need and what he wants in our life.  Thats why we should read the Bible daily and trust no man not even the preacher at the front of the Church.  I also want to point out I do salute and pledge the flag but I also see how many Christians could perceive this as wrong and I am not completely convinced they are not wrong.  There are scriptures for everything listed that could indicate the item is a sin in spite of the fact Christians will have excuses as to why its not if it doesn't fit our lifestyle to believe it.  I do not exclude myself from this group.  We also shouldnt dwell on this as the Bible tells us to think on that which is good.  Its not so much the fact that I see fellow Christians call out sin as it is the judgemental and condemning tone they use while they have yet to even get the sty out of their own eye. 

These are just my thinking processes, so I know they are all over the place.

Not my Sin-drome

Just a play on words.  That's what I see going on today, way to much.  The argument against gay marriage seems mostly to hinge on whether its a sin and that mom and dad couples make better parents.  As far as either of those arguments go, if one truly believes that way, then why are we not battling as hard to outlaw divorce?  If you think homosexuality destroys the nuclear family, then what about fighting just as hard against something that annihilates it.  I have heard the argument that the Bible condones divorce, but thats not really true, it is only in very select situations.  Sounds a lot like the Sty in the eye issue.  I am not arguing for or against here I am just reflecting on what I see as the major problem many so called Christians have in their arguments.  We have a tendency to attack what we see as a major sin over other lesser sins and we seem to see it this way for one simple reason...."Its not our sin".    I heard the argument that if we allow sins to be legal then we become accepting of them.  That may be true, but then lets outlaw tattoos, divorces, other religions, piercings, cursing, fornication, financial gain, and on and on....Not because these are necessarily sins but the Bible doesn't just say avoid evil, it also says we have to avoid the appearance of evil...So even if its not evil but someone may see it that way we should still avoid it.   So , some members of the Jewish faith still see eating pork products, shaving, eating meat thats not fully cooked, eating meat thats not properly blessed, etc., etc, as an abomination....Thats right it was and by some still is considered no different than homosexuality as far as sin goes, So we should avoid these things right.  As I said this is just me thinking out loud.  As Christians we have become so programmed to parrot everything we are taught in church we forget to examine what we are told and ask ourselves, "Is that really what the Bible says"  ....In some cases the answer is Yes, but more often than not the answer is No not completely.    I also think we need to be careful in that even though our laws are supposed to reflect God's laws we are also told His thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways.  Another thing we need to be careful of is The state is NOT the Church.  Allowing marriage by the state is not the same as allowing marriage by the church. 

One other thought on this is do not be fooled by the argument being played out in public.  This is not so much about God, sin, and/or the defense of marriage.  This is a pawn being used by a certain faction to hold a political party together.  Without the Christian vote there is extremely strong evidence another political party would have a free ride for many years to come until it splintered off  as will ultimately happen due to evolving opinions.

Cay and the Bee

Cay represented his school in the county spelling bee last night.  He made it through 4 rounds and went down in the 5th.  They started with 53 students in 4th-6th grades, Cay being the former.  By the 5th round there were 13 left but 7 went down in that round.  He had fun and reacted well when he was wrong.  He also corrected a judge when he was right....Leave it to Cay.  We are so proud of him.  pamphlet, paleontology, two more words I forget he got right and then sachet brought him down.  He spelled it sashe.  It was a word he was not familiar with.  We told him not to worry just have fun

Been a while

I have written and deleted several blogposts so it hasn't been a long time since I have written only since I have posted.  I am not out to debate I just get frustrated when its obvious people arent looking at the whole picture on things.  Now, whats been up?

First Kris and I ran/walked our first 5K the other day.  More walk than run.  It was called Run or Dye.  They throw powdered dye on you at different stations during the run.  Right out of the gate I got nailed right in the eye and was blinded for a few feet but it was a blast.  And if I had a bucket list 5K would have been on it so I would be scratching that off.  Next up is the Yuba City Mud Run.  That one is only two miles.

On Wednesday we are going to the Sutter County spelling Bee where Cay is representing his school.  Should be fun. 

We have signed Big E up for some workouts with a local fitness club.  This is group training so hopefully he can get some muscle built up.

Jay will be going to camp next week and is so looking forward to it. 

Next commission is going toward the dance classes.  K,L and Jay will all be doing those.  I think Cay would have more fun in something like Big E will be doing but we will figure out something. 

I was reading on my sis' blog about her wanting a Jeep,  I never knew that.  I have always wanted an older Jeep to work on too.  I have a brother in law who works on the old military ones. 

Kris still seems to be moving right along with her classes.  I am proud of her but cant tell her that it will go right to her head...LOL

Just some random ramblings. 

My childhood pastor died.  He was a great friend to our family.  He was also the one who married Kris and I.  He will be missed.

Kris step dad died.  He was humorous.  He enjoyed playing around with the kiddos.  He threw plums at them last time he was here.  He was in a lot of pain in the end due to cancer.  He is not hurting any more.

I also saw the other day where dads friend Jim Cochrane died.  I remember talking to him sometimes when we would go in to Beatty and Associates to see dad.  He was always a nice guy.

Facebook is still the great propagator of lies.  Of course its not facebook itself but the posters.  Noone seems to verify their post.  It pretty much seems they figure if it sounds good repeat it.  Oh well.

C hit double digits recently and L hit 5 years yesterday.  E is recuperating well.  J, K and K3 are all doing well.  K3 still has no real interest in the potty.

Funerals

I went to a friends funeral yesterday.  He was one of the first agents at our office that came up and offered help.  I still remember the first time he came up to me was outside the old office, he introduced himself and offered any help he could give.  His name was Jeff and he was Charles age.  He had left real estate a couple years ago but earlier this year his son got his license and started working here.  A couple weeks ago he was here with his son visiting and when he saw me he came right up and started asking how everything was.  He remembered all we had talked about in the past and asked on those items.  Kind as could be.  He was a retired Major, very decorated and even reached the status of Green Beret.  Unfortunately with his military life and time in the Iraq war came his own personal "demons" .  Demons he just couldn't get past. I heard he sought help in different ways.   As I saw the looks on his familys faces at the funeral my heart just ached.  I just pray God touches this family and finds some way to help them through it.  I know he can if they will just seek him.  I do not pretend to imagine what they are going through right now.  I am glad to have met him and known him.  I see a lot of him in his son Jeffrey.  Thats whats on my mind.

Moral Decay

Oh how I long for the days of no sin.  I miss how people used to never commit murder.  How when you would walk down the street everyone would say hi and ask what they could do to help you.  The days are long gone when men would only marry women and have big happy families where the kids would only say yes sir, no sir or ma'am.  It was great when you would tell a child to do something and they would hop right to it with no questions except in wondering what else they could do.  I remember how all music was in praise of God and television was only clean with no perversion whatsoever.  But NOW we live in a world with moral decay.  Not like the days when Cain and Abel used towork together on everything and grew old together with their kids playing together.  Not like the days when God told Adam and Eve what to do and they obeyed without question.  Luckily the Bible never had to mention anything about divorce as its just a creation of modern man.  Husbands and wives stayed together forever because they were always loyal, in love and never did anything to  hurt each other.  All kids in Biblical times were raised by two parents not one because children raised by two parents never did anything wrong.  There was no jealousy of what other people had in those days either for example Jacob and Esau were always looking out for each other.  Yup everything was just fine until those darn liberals introduced moral decay to society. 

Good Books

I love a good book.  Sometimes I just wish I could sit and read with no interruptions.  Caylum and Evan seem to have this trait also.  Caylum is reading LOTR right now and Evan reads teen scifi/fantasy type books.  It is great though to just kind of start reading and make the world go away.  I have been reading The Song of Ice and Fire.  Unbelievable character creation and the sheer volume of characters is amazing too and yet not one of them is safe it seems.  Just felt like sayin.

Gun Control or Lack there of

A lot is being said on both sides of the gun control issue right now but not a lot of substance actually coming out.  The NRA and other "Gun religions" are creating a straw man to try and argue their case.  They paint the gun control advocates as people who all believe noone has a right to own a gun or should only own limited guns.  They want their followers to believe gun control only means taking away their guns.  While there are many who do believe in that kind of gun control the majority actually just want to find ways to limit the availability of guns to the wrong people.  And when a gun falls in to the wrong hands someone should answer as to how this happened.  I find it preposterous to think that our forefathers would say we should be allowed to have easy access to any type of gun manufactured, they could never fathom the destruction that can be caused by todays weapons plus the other problem with that argument is they never intended for the second amendment to apply to everyone it does today.  In the days this nation was founded you pretty much had to be a white landowner to have rights(oh and a male).  ( And don't go quoting the second amendment I know how it reads and this is a very different world than the one that existed when it was written) Now I am not saying we should not be able to have any type of gun manufactured I just believe there should be numerous controls as to how you obtain them and should be properly trained to use them.  I have seen the recent arguments as to how the teachers in Israel carry guns to protect their students.  Really?  You really want that to be one of your arguments.  You want to be like Israel?  That is a war torn country how do you not understand that?  Thr pro gun postings on facebook do not paint a very good picture of who gun right advocates are either.  Most gun rights people I know tend to have faith in God but then they post items like cartoons that say "Please rob my neighbor he believes in gun control"  Or "this house protected by guns and God, enter unlawfully and you will meet both" .  These are not funny, just hateful of people who do not agree with you. 

On the other side of the issue the gun control activists seem to believe that more gun control would solve the issues we have seen more and more often with these mass killings.  It seems like quite a stretch as these are demented people who were going to find a way to commit these heinous acts no matter what.  Might there have been less damage if we could find a way to deter their access to guns, maybe.  But the gun rights advocate have a great point in that people kill people the gun is just a tool.  Admittedly a gun has only one real use and all other uses are still based on that  one use and that is to kill, but for protection shouldn't you be able to have an assault rifle to protect yourself from one who might break in and also have an assault rifle.  They are already out there so people may have a right to be prepared for such an issue.  The police can't protect you once you are already in that situation they tend to be more of a cleanup crew.  Gun control advocates also need to recognize many people own guns for many different reasons, collectors, hunters, protection reasons, just because they can, and most do not own any that could cause the mass destruction we have been seeing lately.  Not all NRA members oppose gun registration or mandatory training classes.  We tend to hear mostly from extremists.

I understand the debate from both sides but I find it would be better served without all the false rhetoric and outright lies.  I believe most politicians if they were to be honest without fear of losing a large portion of their constituency would say Americans should be able to own most any gun they want but would also tell you there should definitely be some controls put in place to keep them out of the wrong hands.  What defines the "wrong hands" would be a whole other debate.  I know of many people who qualify to carry and that definitely doesn't make me feel safer knowing that if ya get my drift.  No I will not mention names.

Tis the season

Christopher Pop-in-kins showed up last night sometime.  probably came in on the wind.  Kids noticed him first thing.  We went out last night and got me a new phone.  No I didn't get an I-phone or a galaxy.  I got a Motorola Atrix.  I am a tightwad when it comes to that.  I can't see spending 150 dollars on a phone, especially when they already get their monthly payment from us.  It also came with a  100 dollar gift card from Walmart.  Its pretty cool, but it will take me a while to get used to the features (The phone not the gift card).  Definitely added the insurance this time.  My latest candy is a milk chocolate fudge with caramel and walnuts.  Kris starts finals later this week, and finishes up next week.  She has loaded on the extra credit to help keep her grades up as much as possible. 

I went to a couple foreclosure auctions this week.  It was fun.  A broker I do some work for here in town asked me to go to one in Tehama.  I went and bid on a house for him but we didn't get it.  I thought we were going to but then it escalated to high for his blood.  Then the next day he wated to go bid on one in Willows and since the checks were already in my name he had me go with him.  That one never auctioned so we didn't even get a shot.  It was a fun experience though. 

Busy busy

Suddenly picking up at real estate office.  I have two properties in escrow , but have a few offers for buyers pending or going to be written soon.  Kris is still doin well at school, but finals time has her stressed.  I am sure she will be just fine.  It also appears she may have been officially accepted into the Vet Tech program.  She is excited of course.  The kids are doing well too.  Jarod seems to be doin better at school as we approach the halfway point.  Caylum is at tops as usual.  Kiara is doing great.  Leila is improving in speech.  Kian is as ornery as ever.  Evan is Evan.  We have to remind him to do things but seems to understand most work with minimal problem. 

Thanksgiving was great

Had a great day Thanksgiving.  So happy to have mom and dad join us for the day.  The food was great.  I really liked the pies I made but Kris' Lemon pie with a shortbread crust was my favorite.  The kids loved the ham and turkey.  I had dad put together a small container of Penuche and Divinity and Almond Roca to take with him.  Gotta love that Penuche.  Evan was really liking the divinity.  The rolls mom brought were delicious too.  Kris made artichoke dip for snacking so I didn't make the artichoke casserole after all.  It was a great anniversary too.  We all visited most of the time.  Dad told the kids the story of him and Uncle Coy being chased by the wild pigs and climbing to the top of  a tree only to have it bend back down to the ground. 

Day before Thanksgiving

I woke up this morn and made some Almond Roca before heading out to RE office.  I will be making divinity and penuche fudge too.  To get ahead on the dinner I will also make the two pies I have planned and the mashed potato casserole.  Kris is also making a pie.  Then tomorrow it will mostly be throw the turkey and ham in the oven.  Finish the casseroles, make the green beans and Collard greens.  All simple stuff.  So looking forward to everyone being home and mom and dad being here.  Just a day to breathe.  I tried to find some regular chex mix but the store was out and I do not feel like making it myself.  I remember before you could buy it in stores, when we used to go to Aunt Nells she always had some homemade.  I love the stuff.  We will have cocktail weinies, pita w/hummus, crackers and dip and honey roasted peanuts to snack on.  If the kids are hungry by dinner I have not done my job...LOL  I pray everyone has a Great Thanksgiving. 

I picked up the girls bed today.  Robert had it so he could paint it for us.  It looks great.  We have such great family always looking out for each other.  The bed was one the boys had.  It is a captains bed with trundle and drawers.  It was jast clearcoated natural wood finish, but for the girls he painted it a light pink.  It almost looks white, just a real soft tint.  I also picked up a 4x4 sign to put on mom and dads property.  It also looks great.  Now we can finish getting girls room back together and a lot more clothes put away.  They have their princess room.

Thanksgiving menu

I still have to go over with Kris but have our general menu together.  We will cook both a ham and turkey breast.  I found a simple recipe for breaded green beans.  I also found a recipe for creamy mashed potato casserole that can be made and refrigerated the day before.  We will be trying out a new artichoke casserole which sounds interesting.  Also on the menu are collard greens, fruit salad and rolls.  For dessert I plan on making a Peanut Butter Nutella Nutter Butter Pie as well as a creme de menthe pecan pie.  Of course I will get some canned cranberry jelly for Kris as its one of her favorites.  I will also make sure we have a few muchies for the kids throughout the day. 

First three

Here is where we stand so far on the treat making.  First I made the standard fudge with marshmallows and canned milk.  My second candy was Peanut Butter Fudge.  I took the recipe I found and tweaked it.  The recipe online was made with peanut butter, sugar, canned milk, and vanilla.  I added about a cup and a half of marshmallows.  The kids love it especially Kian.  Last night I got the ingredients together for Rice krispie treats.  Kris ended up making those with a little recipe tweaking againg.  Just as the marshmallows finished melting we added 2 teaspoons of milk and a teaspoon of vanilla.  Once we took it off the heat and added the cereal we then added a quarter bag of premier white vanilla chips.   I understand it was great.   I, of course, have not been trying any of this.   Next will be peanut brittle or almond roca.  

I am my kids friend

I have heard so many parents say.  I tell my kids I am NOT their friend.   I disagree.  I AM my kids friend.  That and so much more.  To me it is one of the many things we have to be as parents.  Being their friend does not mean you would let them get away with anything they shouldn't do.  If you think about what a true friend would be then as a good parent you are most likely the ultimate friend.  We are also their parnet, counselor, job adviser, disciplinarian, spiritual teacher, teacher, chef, maid, laundromat, banker, grocery store, etc. etc.  but in no way are you not their friend.  Now I realize by another parents definition of a friend then they in fact may be correct they are not their kids friend.  Just another thought for today.

San Francisco

Took the kids to San Francisco yesterday.  They had a blast.  We went to the exploratorium first where they could learn about all types of different science info.  Then we took the down to fishermans wharf.  We realized where we were parked we were close to ghiradelli square.  Then we walked to the wharf.  By then the kids were starving so we swung in to a Burger king and got them burgers.  From there we went on to Pier 39 and walked through a few shops and to the end of the pier.  Pointed out alcatraz to them as well as a world war 2 sub you could see a couple piers over.  They had a really great Ireland shop on the Pier.  As we walked back we stopped to watch a guy who was painting pictures and selling them.  The amazing part is he was doing it all with spray paint.  The only items that were not frehanded were licensed products such as the 49ers symbol.   We were going to take them to Lombard but it was getting late and it was rush hour plus we still had one more stop to make in Walnut Creek.  Evan had seen the San Francisco Creamery on a couple of Food Network shows and has always wanted to go and order the Kitchen Sink.  It is 8 GIANT Scoops of Ice Cream with 8 toppings plus whip cream, nuts, and cherries.