Beginning in Iowa!

The Iowa Caucuses are going to be conducted this week, officially kicking off the presidential selection process. The candidates have their strategies and have been spreading their messages, hoping the voters will choose them. I am sure it is a nervous week for the front runners, hoping that the actual numbers will match polls. It will be an interesting few months.






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Folly Beach Homes For Sale

I have not spent much time is South Carolina, and have never had occasion to review folly beach homes for sale. But in searching the Internet for places that might give some idea of how to proceed in the real estate market with the current financial conditions regarding mortgages and related issues, I found a web site you might enjoy at Folly Beach Real Estate.org.




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Christmas Satisfaction.

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? I had my whole family home, even our daughter who lives in Singapore. It was her first time home for the holidays in seven years! We had lots of fun and played lots of games. And ate too much! Yep, I got what I wanted!



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Georgia Land

I have a friend who has lives in Northern Georgia. He sits on the board of the Northern Georgia Conservation Society. He has told me of the drought conditions in that region right now. It seems to me that now might be the time to find some Georgia land for sale and make an investment. When the rains come again, it would only make the land more desirable again if I wanted to sell it. Or I could retire there myself!




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Advnaces in Drug Rehab

The facilities involved in drug rehab have really improved over the past generation or so. Places like Cliffside Malibu are focused on the total person, and not simply on detoxification. Each patient is evaluated for the rehab plan that best suits their needs. Residents' families are included in the treatment to better enhance the likelihood of his or her success. The facilities are also more likely to provide a pleasant and nurturing environment!





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My Laptop

For many years I would not even consider buying a laptop computer because I thought they were far too expensive compared to a desk top model. But at Christmas last year I surrendered and bought a Mac laptop and I have loved how much freedom I have to take my computer everywhere. I have taken it on trips, I sit in the living room watching television while I write in my blogs on my laptop. I am glad I made the change.




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Baby Cribs

Our good friends are only days away from the birth of their child and they are really excited. They had been wanting to become parents for several years and were elated to find them selves expecting. They have spent much of the summer and fall in preparing their home for the arrival of the little one. They want just the right baby furniture so they searched all the local stores and ended up scouring the Internet as well. They found a web site that really had a wide range of appealing and quality furniture for their nursery. They decided to go with Luxury Lamb.com because they not only offer baby cribs, but also toddler beds and children's bedroom furniture too





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Christmas Weather?

This weekend we had record setting high temperatures in the Houston Area. It was over 80 each day, reaching 83 on Saturday! Even the night time temps were above the normal daytime highs for this time of the year. We are expecting a "cold" front to come through today, dropping the temps all the way to the high 60s. Brr!



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Shuttle Launch

I live very near the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Many of the people in our neighborhood and in the congregation where I worship work for NASA or one of the support companies in the area. So it is always big news when there is a shuttle launch. Many of our folks are responsible for the success of the flights and the safe return of the mission specialists!

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Closed Captioning

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to lose one of my senses. For instance, I try to imagine losing my sense of hearing, leaving me unable to hear music and movies, or the sounds of the crack of a bat in a baseball game, or my grandchildren singing. Being deprived of hearing would be very difficult. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can really benefit from a captioning service that is able to provide text for your DVDs and movies, allowing them to escape the real world while being entertained for a little while!





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Car Angels

There are a lot of charities these days that make requests for a car donation, and many of the programs are worthy of consideration. But very few would be more worthy of your generosity than Car Angel Ministries. The proceeds of the donations go to help care for single moms, orphans and homeless children. One of the efforts of Car Angels is the productions of Children's DVDs and videos to educate the children and instill values that will improve both their lives and the society in which we all will live in the days to come.

Car Angels offer nationwide pick up of your donation!




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SIlver Bells

It is time to do Christmas shopping, and my wife has let me know that she is hearing the Silver Bells! She does not wear much jewelry, but she does like delicate and elegant items in silver. I think that this year I will make a visit to Monex, a leader in precious metals investments, to find a desirable coin to have mounted as a pendant for my wife. Of course, then I will need a silver chain as well.

The gift will only grow in value, as the demand for silver has continued to grow, exceeding the productions of silver for nearly two decades. Stockpiles of silver have diminished drastically, assuring that the pure bullion or fine quality coins will become harder and harder to find!



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Time To Decorate!

This weekend we are going to put out the yard decorations and put up our tree for Christmas. The neighborhood association also puts up arches of lights on each end of each street in the subdivision. We have lots of traffic through the area to see all the lights each year. I hope the price of gasoline does not curtail that fun activity!






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Please, No Ties For Christmas

It is Christmas time, and I know it is hard to buy for me, because if I want something I usually go and get it. But this year I determined that when my grandkids ask me what I want for Christmas, I am going to tell them that I have enough ties, but that I do not have enough tie tacks or cufflinks. That should make them happy and I know it will make me happy!




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Break in The Baby Grace Case

It appears that there has been a big break in the case of the identity of Baby Grace, whose body was found in a box in Galveston Bay. Investigators got a tip from the biological grandmother of a little girl who had been moved from Ohio to Texas, then reported as having been taken back to Ohio by a social worker. Now the little girl's mother and step dad are in jail.







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Black Friday

Today was Black Friday, but I did not get out to shop. I was too busy watching the great college football games. Besides, I did not want to fight the crowd. And I had already bought a lot of gifts that I plan to give. I bought my son in law an new Adidas golf bag, his son, my oldest grandson an new basketball and a warm up suit, new bicycles for the little boys, and a new coat for my granddaughter. I still have some shopping to do, but not so much that I had to go out today!





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Weight Loss

I have been over weight for quite a few years and need to take some pounds if I am going to be able to take care of the two young men who are now living with me, our youngest grandsons. I may take some diet pills to help get the weight loss started but I have joined the YMCA and am working out at least twice a week to help get myself more aerobically fit! The combination is probably the best way to approach the change of lifestyle.




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Capella

There is a growing trend today toward taking some higher education courses online. There are lots of reasons why that makes sense, if the courses are from a sound institution. It is more affordable, it is definitely more convenient, one can arrange his schedule to continue working a full time job and work toward his or her degree.

One of the fully online schools is capella university, which was established in 1993. An accredited organization, Capella now offers degree programs in business, information technology, education and more. Their student population represents almost 20,000 people from all the states in the Union an 56 countries.




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Mom's Sconces

One day my mom received a painting from her favorite aunt. It was a round canvas, with a diameter of 24 inches. It was a still life of flowers in a nice vase. My Mom wanted it framed professionally. When she brought it home from the framer, she had also bought a sconce to place on each side of the painting when it was hung on the wall.

She was so proud of it, but we all made fun of the sconces. We used to tease Mom, telling her that all we wanted to inherit from her when she died was those sconces. She took it well enough, but never understood why we laughed.

It quit being a joke when Mom passed away. Each of us would have been happy to have the painting and the sconces. They found their next display site at my sister's house.






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Ladies Lounge Improvements

When we remodeled our church building, one of the primary improvements was to the ladies room facilities. It was our intention to make the ladies as comfortable as possible. We increased the number of stalls from four to nine so there will be less waiting. WE also installed five vanities, with makeup mirrors for each one. There is even a parlor outside the restroom facilities, with a sofa and two lounge chairs.

The ladies are very pleased at the improvements.





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There Is A New Blog In Town

A friend of mine has just begun a new blog called Life's Little Commentary. The blogger is a young father so there will probably be observations about raising kids. He is fascinated by new technologies, so I imagine he will write about the toys he has gotten or wants to get. He loves life, so we will no doubt hear about the things he enjoys as he discovers new avenues of fun.

I plan to check in on this blog frequently and take in my friend's commentary on life. I hope to see you there!







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Safe Arrivals

My daughter who left yesterday for her home in Singapore just sent an email to let us know that she made it home safely. Her flight was fine and she was even able to have three seats to herself so she was able to lie down and get some good rest on the long trip.

I also got a call from my dad telling me has gotten home from a trip he made to see his sisters in Arkansas. I am glad all the traveling is over for the holiday.






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Going Home

We just dropped our daughter off at the airport in Houston for her return flight to Singapore. She has lived there for nearly fifteen years and counts it as home, but when she comes back for a visit she often stocks up on things that are not as readily available in Singapore. In fact she sometimes brings a almost empty Samsonite over that she fills with jars of salsa, and other ingredients for Mexican food, Dr. Pepper, as well as toiletries and such!





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Business Credit Cards

It has a been a practice of my wife to comparison shop for almost everything she buys from groceries to shoes. She will drive from store to store, from one mall to another to determine a savings of a few dollars.

Today she discovered a way to do comparison shopping for New Business Credit Cards without ever leaving the comfort of our home. Credit Card Search Engine lets you review the features of the cards offered by a side assortment of banks, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the several brands of card, form American Express to Visa. The choice can save our business money and afford us services that make doing business simpler.



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Watches

I have never bought an expensive watch, but I have two that I value very highly. One is the Pulsar that was given to me by the parents of the teens at church. I had done some things with the kids that their folks appreciated and let their pleasure be known with the watch. I have worn it now for more than fifteen years.

The other is a gold Hamilton watch that my grandfather was given at his retirement. I received it upon his
passing, so it has great sentimental value.



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Charity Golf Tourney

Some of the guys at church convinced me to participate in a charity golf tournament to help raise money for an orphans' home. It is a good cause and the fellowship will be more than worth any embarrassment I might feel over my game. I have not played in a several years. I should get on my golf shoes, pick up my clubs and go to a driving range today before the event tomorrow, just to get comfortable again with both the shoes and the clubs!






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